The days are getting shorter, there’s a chill in the air, and if you’ve been hunkering down at home with a big mug of tea and a Taylor Swift album on repeat . . . well, let’s just say, you’re not alone.
Instead of braving the winter weather that awaits you outdoors, we highly recommended pressing play on The Tortured Poets Department and indulging in some cosy reading time with an escapist YA novel. Grab your fluffiest blanket, light a candle and put the kettle on. Reading time is about to begin.
But wait – there’s one thing you need to sort out first. The book, of course. If you’re not sure what to read, fear not. We’ve compiled this handy list matching YA new releases to Taylor Swift songs, to guarantee you end up with a book you love.
What To Read Based On Your Favourite Taylor Swift Song
‘Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me’
If you love ‘Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me’ from The Tortured Poets Department, then you should 100% read Of Jade and Dragons (out 18 June in the US and 25 June in Australia) by Amber Chen. The book follows the protagonist Aihui Ying, whose world is torn apart after her father is killed by a masked assassin.
Her father had been a member of the prestigious Engineers Guild, a group she dreams of joining. Unfortunately for Ying, though, women aren’t allowed (what are those engineers afraid of?).
Thoroughly tired of being overlooked, Ying disguises herself as a boy to infiltrate the Engineer’s Guild, where she can get revenge for her father’s death.
‘Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me’ is a song about sending a message – and about the fear of power that someone might hold. The song is a commentary on the treatment of women in society, which also appears in the book, in the Guild’s fear of allowing women to join. (Really, why would they be afraid of Ying?)
The investigation of her father’s death even falls on Ying because no one believes her when she insists something more – and far darker – is going on. It all sounds suspicious, right? And, yes, there is obviously something more to his death than a mere ‘accident’. It’s fast-paced, fun and features a protagonist as strong as Taylor Swift herself.
‘Don’t Blame Me’
Love ‘Don’t Blame Me’ from reputation? If so, your next read should be The Girl with No Reflection (Out 6 August) by Keshe Chow.
Like Of Jade and Dragons, this book also coincidentally follows a protagonist named Ying.
In The Girl with No Reflection, Ying Yue is selected to be the crown prince’s bride. A believer in true love, she hopes that her future with the prince will be one of romance and passion. Yet upon her arrival at the palace, she quickly realises that her husband is cold and mean.
Left alone in her room, Ying soon discovers a secret, parallel world, accessible through the palace mirrors. In the mirror universe, everything is better. It becomes a place to escape to, and soon she falls in love with the Mirror Prince (this world’s version of her husband-to-be). But not everything is as it seems . . . darkness lurks in this world too. Ying was chosen as the prince’s bride for a reason, but it’s not the reason she thinks.
Eerily wicked, horror-like and delightfully twisty – these words perfectly summarise the book, but also explain ‘Don’t Blame Me’, which literally includes the lyrics, ‘Love made me crazy’. Falling in love with the Mirror Prince will be the downfall of Ying’s world, but she can’t help it!
‘Cold as You’
If you have a soft spot for Taylor’s first, self-titled album, Taylor Swift, then your next read should be The Bad Ones (out 2 July) by Melissa Albert. The song comparison for this one is ‘Cold as You’, which is an anthem for everyone who has ever felt left out before.
In The Bad Ones, the book’s protagonist, Nora, constantly feels left out, in the dark and downright sad as she tries to piece together what has happened to her missing best friend.
One night, four people go missing – and Nora’s bestie, Becca, is one of them. As Nora starts to learn about what’s happened, she discovers dark events in her high school’s history. With a string of coded messages that Becca left for her, Nora uncovers the story of another missing girl thirty years previously.
The clues also bring light to a sinister urban legend: a goddess figure, who played an eerie role in Nora and Becca’s own childhood games.
‘Death by a Thousand Cuts’
There’s no denying that ‘Death by a Thousand Cuts’ has heartbreaking lyrics. If that kind of sadness speaks to you artistically, odds are you’ll enjoy reading Everything We Never Said (out 11 June) by Sloan Harlow.
Greif and guilt – a powerful combo! This book is chock-full of both, as readers follow Ella, whose best friend Hayley died in a car crash that Ella herself was responsible for. Of course, Ella feels awful about the role she played in her friend’s death. Seeking comfort, she turns to Hayley’s boyfriend Sawyer (bad news!), and Hayley’s journal.
Reading through the journal, Ella discovers that she knows nothing about who Hayley and Sawyer really are. BETRAYAL!
‘Death by a Thousand Cuts’ is a painful song about betrayal and dying from small, repeated wounds. In the book, Ella ends up confused about what happened in the car and how Sawyer might have been involved in Hayley’s death – talk about a nightmare! It really would feel like a slow death to realise that everything you thought you knew about your best friend turned out to be a lie.
‘no body, no crime’
If ‘no body, no crime’ is your Swiftie tune of choice, then don’t go past Eleanor Jones Can’t Keep a Secret (out 2 July). Following the events of the previous book in this series, Eleanor Jones is back with another murder mystery to solve.
Only, there are a few problems. The mystery is forty years old, and the only person with details is Eleanor’s elderly buddy, Nance. Unfortunately for everyone, though, Nance has severe dementia and is unable to provide any further details about the murder she witnessed.
It’s truly a ‘no body, no crime’ experience as Eleanor tries to prove that a murder did occur, but current forces want to keep things buried . . . buried! Soon enough, Eleanor finds herself in grave danger. Yikes!
‘Better Than Revenge’
Calling all Speak Now fans, if ‘Better Than Revenge’ is your song of choice, you should add Two Sides to Every Murder (out 9 July) to your TBR.
A birth immortalised in a police report, a woman on the run . . . you can just tell that this story involves revenge in some way.
Olivia was born during the infamous Camp Lost Lake Murders, in which three people were killed by a masked, bow-wielding assassin. But when she starts questioning the events surrounding her birth, things don’t add up.
Soon she meets Reagan, whose fugitive mother was convicted of the murders. Tired of a life spent running, Reagan revisits the camp to clear her name. But someone wants the past to remain buried and will kill again to stop the truth from surfacing.
‘Better Than Revenge’ really aligns with the motives of the killer, but also speaks to Reagan’s desire to get revenge on the people who allowed her mum to take the fall for something she didn’t do.
‘I Knew You Were Trouble.’
‘I Knew You Were Trouble’ when you read Hearts That Cut by Kika Hatzopoulou (out 18 June). Following the events of Threads That Bind, the book is a dark, edgy romantasy inspired by Greek mythology.
Io is a descendant of the Fates, giving her the power to read the lines of prophecy and fate. Soon, she finds herself on an investigation with a mystery to solve. Not to mention, she can feel a pull towards someone she is fated to be with. But that ‘someone’ is kind of bad news.
The connection between the book’s plot and this song is self-explanatory: ‘I Knew You Were Trouble.’!
‘mad woman’
The End Crowns All (out 23 July) by Bea Fitzgerald is highly recommended for anyone who likes the song ‘mad woman’ from the folklore album.
The book tells the story of Princess Cassandra of Troy, who is granted the power of prophecy by Apollo. But when she fails to uphold her end of the agreement, he curses her. Now, nobody believes her visions. Worse yet, they think she has gone mad.
Cassandra knows that a war is coming that will destroy Troy, and she knows that Helen of Sparta will cause it . . . but will anyone believe her?
‘mad woman’ is all about the public discourse that arises when someone is deemed ‘mad’. ‘No one likes a mad woman, what a shame she went mad . . . you made her life that.’ Poor Cassandra tries to make people believe her, but it only makes things worse!
‘Vigilante Shit’
‘Don’t get sad, get even.’: It’s not only a lyric from Taylor Swift’s song, ‘Vigilante Shit’ from the album Midnights, but it’s also a theme in Such Charming Liars (out 30 July) by Karen M. McManus.
The book is a heist mystery that brings together two characters on a collision course to disaster. All Kat’s life, it’s just been her and her mother – except for the two days twelve years ago when her mum was married, and Kat had a stepbrother named Liam.
After a swift divorce, Kat and Liam never spoke again. Before giving up crime for good, Kat’s mum has one last job at billionaire Ross Sutherland’s 80th birthday party. As luck would have it, Liam and his scammer father are at the celebration too, with their own motives.
‘Vigilante Shit’ is a cool, heist-vibed song, which talks about the power of banding together with an unlikely ally. Kat and Liam are in their own kind of vigilante mode – and though they’re both incredible liars, survival might mean telling the truth and trusting each other once and for all.
‘Bad Blood’
If ‘Bad Blood’ from 1989 is the first Taylor Swift song that comes to mind for you, then you absolutely must read The Grandest Game (out 6 August).
The first book in a new spin-off series of The Inheritance Games, the book follows seven contestants who have entered an annual competition hosted by billionaire Avery Grambs and the four infamous Hawthorne brothers.
The competition promises fame and fortune for the winner, but every player has their reason for entering. Some want power, some want money and all have secrets.
Just like Avery had to overcome bad blood with the Hawthorne brothers, the competition promises even more bad blood that will need to be settled by the players – physically, mentally and emotionally.
