1. Taylor Swift: Any Sarah Dessen Book
Every single one of the books Sarah Dessen has written are about feeling alone, trying to fit in, falling in love for the first time, and just being a teenager. Everything that Taylor’s debut album explores. And all of them take place in small quirky towns. Need I say anything more?
2. Fearless TV: The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams
This book feels perfect for Fearless, especially “You Belong With Me” because it follows two best friends that have each been pining for each other for years. Both come up with a game plan to get the other to fall in love with them, and it is just so cute. Also…the male MC is a football player. It feels so perfect. And one more thing- this is a completely clean book which feels appropriate for baby 17-year-old Taylor!
3. Speak Now TV: The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
The Lunar Chronicles is a YA fantasy series set in a futuristic world. There are princes and werewolves and magic! Each book is retelling of a classic fantasy story like Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and Snow White. Because it is YA it has that young and innocent, but growing up factor that is so apparent in Speak Now. The series also has the fantasy elements that Taylor uses all throughout her third album. There is even a wedding to be interrupted in the last book…
4. Red TV: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
This one might seem a little obvious considering Taylor wrote not one, but two songs for this movie around the time Red came out, but it holds up. The album and the book make me feel the same way. The same type of nostalgia. A lot of the emotion from this album could be applied to The Hunger Games series, especially with how young and helpless those feelings are for both Taylor and Katniss.
5. 1989 TV: Happy Place by Emily Henry
At it’s heart, Happy Place is all about friends, just like Taylor was during the 1989 era. It takes place at vacation house reminiscent of Holiday house. We watch the two main characters fall back in love because they never go out of style…
All in all, Happy Place holds all of the same vibes as the pop bible that is 1989.
6. reputation: The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata
This one might be a little bit shocking because on the outside, it doesn’t quite fit the reputation aesthetic, but I think this book reflects what the album is really about. Vanessa, the main character, finally quits her job to start doing what she loves, not caring about what those around her think. She also happens to get married to her former boss so that he can get his green card. Because of this, the two main characters fall in love in a pretty isolated space. It’s new and different and at the end of the day that is what reputation is about finding someone to spend New Year’s Day with.
7. Lover: The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
This book is such a classic rom com, where for some (very unrealistic) reason, the two main characters agree to fake date, and of course, fall in love for real. It really fits the themes of maybe not trusting a new relationship because it is just so good that is sprinkled all throughout the album Lover. AND Olive, the female protagonist, is a scientist (Alexa, play The Man by Taylor Swift). Honestly, all of Ali Hazelwood’s books are very similar and all of them could work for this album (especially the colors on the covers!)
8. Folklore: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Anne of Green Gables is a classic. It is about a girl named Anne, who would like you to spell it with an ‘e,’ coming to live in a new place with all new people. Anne finds her way in the world through her imagination, making a bad day better by just imagining so. While the book covers all seasons, it has that spring and summer feeling that is also woven throughout Folklore. Anne sees the world through the lens that Taylor was looking through as she imagined up the world of Folklore.
9. Evermore: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón is a novel set in Spain in the 40s. The main character Daniel stumbles across a book that changes his life. In his quest for more books by that author, he discovers that someone is destroying his books one by one. Daniel tries to uncover this heinous plot and ends up meeting some pretty interesting people along the way. This book transports you back in time and draws you in with its magic, just like Evermore does when you first hit play. This book has people stuck in their pasts or their situations, death, discovery and love. Although you could make some connections track by track, I think The Shadow of the Wind emulates this album in the way it made me feel. It stuck with me, and had me want to revisit that world again.
10. Midnights: Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Ok this might seem ridiculous- but a huge plot of this play is that Macbeth can’t sleep. It signifies his inner turmoil and his thought process about his actions evolve throughout the play. The concept of Midnights is sleepless nights, for a variety of reasons. Now that I think about it, Shakespeare uses the sleeplessness motif in many of his plays, so maybe all the Shakespeare plays can be Midnights.
OK, I was intrigued by the first era when you compared Sarah Dessen books to Taylor’s debut album. Both of these are essentially gateway drugs into the worlds of romance and incredible music, respectively. It reminded me of when I was a tweenager listening to Should’ve Said No while simultaneously reading Along for the Ride. Ah, the nostalgia was *chef’s kiss*. Thanks for this great post and I’m looking forward to reading more!