Taylor Swift’s Eras is undeniably one of the biggest topics of discussion for Gen Z. Since releasing re-recordings of her old albums and announcing the Eras Tour; people have been raving to hear more from her.
Because of this, Gen Z creators on TikTok on #BookTok, are most commonly seen using Taylor’s songs on posts and creating content where they recommend Taylor Swift-coded books that match with a song or that were written by Taylor Swift fans.
In this article, we are going to list 10 romance trope books Swifties should read based on their favorite Taylor Swift era.
Summary
- “Taylor Swift” Era – Chestnut Springs series by Elsie Silver
- “Fearless” Era – Off-Campus series by Elle Kennedy
- “Speak Now” Era – The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins
- “Red” Era – Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins
- “1989” Era – Magnolia Parks by Jessa Hastings
- “Reputation” Era – Mindf*ck series by S. T. Abby
- “Lover” Era – Dreamland Billionaire series by Laura Asher
- “Folklore” Era – The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
- “Evermore” Era – When I Come Home by Maisie Myers
- “Midnights” Era – Court of Thornes and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
“Taylor Swift” Era – Chestnut Springs series by Elsie Silver
This is Taylor Swift’s first Era also known as ‘Debut’ that introduced her to the music industry. The album consists of country music for which the Chestnut Springs series by Elsie Silver is a perfect read if you like reading about cowboy romance.
This is a small-town series made up of five books: Flawless, Heartless, Powerless, Reckless, and Hopeless. Each book follows the Eaton family and their journey to finding happily-ever-after love. The books don’t need to be read in the specific order as they are standalone, but if you don’t want to get spoiled with which couples end up together, then it’s best to read them in order. The debut album and series go hand in hand with themes like romantic relationships, friendship, insecurities, identity and healing.
“Fearless” Era – Off-Campus series by Elle Kennedy
This Taylor Swift era dives into the topic of teenage romance. She was starting to transition her music from country to pop through this album.
The Off-Campus series by Elle Kennedy is an interconnected standalone hockey romance books. The books follow four different girls and how they each fall in love with four guys from the Biar University hockey team. Each book explores a different trope:
- The Deal – Fake dating
- The Mistake – Second chance romance
- The Score – Friends with benefits
- The Goal – Unexpected pregnancy
- The Legacy (which is an all couple in one book) – Wedding, elopment, proposal, and pregnancy
The series talks about each character’s first love and heartbreak which the Fearless album majorly touches upon, for example: ‘You Belong With Me’ and ‘The Way I Loved You’.
“Speak Now” Era – The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins
This Taylor Swift Era illustrates her transition from adolescence to adulthood but continues releasing country and pop music. This album is almost a set of confessional songs that are mostly about love and heartbreak.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins is a historical fiction novel that follows the journey of Evelyn Hugo through old Hollywood and exposes the harsh realities of societal rules and expectations. Similarly to Speak Now, Taylor Jenkins documents every one of Evelyn Hugos relationships and heartbreaks, as well as each characters confessions to the public.
“Red” Era – Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins
The fourth album was Taylor Swift’s transition into a mature and edgier style. Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins is a novel that follows the rise and downfall of a 70s rock band which is lightly inspired by the band, Fleetwood Mac. Much like the album, the book explores through each character themes like love, heartbreak, addiction, infidelity and sexism. For example, ‘Better Man’ is a song that perfectly reflects Camila and Sam’s relationship as it is a song about love and heartbreak. Both Red and Daisy Jones & The Six, track the journey of maturing from an artistic point of view.
“1989” Era – Magnolia Parks by Jessa Hastings
This was Taylor’s first full-scale pop album. In the lead-up and aftermath of the era, Taylor Swift was intensely scrutinized, causing her to disappear from the public eye.
Magnolia Parks by Jessa Hastings is a fictional romance series that is described to be a mix of Made in Chelsea and Gossip Girl. The series delves into the life of rich London influencers who experience toxic relationships, love triangles, betrayals and loss, much like the themes in the 1989 tracks and Taylor’s real-life experiences. Each book in the series follows the relationship and perspective of different characters:
- #1: Magnolia Parks – Magnolia and BJ
- #2: Daisy Haites – Daisy, Christian and Julian
- #3: Magnolia Parks: The Long Way Home – Magnolia and BJ
- #4: Daisy Haites: The Great Undoing – Daisy, Christian, Julian, Magnolia, and Tiller
In February 2024, Jessa Hastings is set to release the fifth book of the series following Magnolia Parks: Into the Dark.
“Reputation” Era – Mindf*ck series by S. T. Abby
Taylor Swift made a return to the music industry with an edgier and grungier sixth album known as Reputation. Despite the concept of revenge, there is an underlying theme of romance.
The Reputation track list and The Mindf*ck series go hand in hand with the themes of revenge and romance. The series by S. T. Abby is a set of five dark romance novellas that follow Lana Myers’ journey of becoming a serial killer who is seeking justice for her past trauma.
Along the way, she entangles herself in a relationship with an FBI agent, Logan, who she falls in love with and complicates her plans of revenge as she tries to cover her tracks from the murders she commits. In the song ‘Look What You Made Me Do’, Taylor says, “I got a lit of names, and yours is in red, underlined.”; this lyric perfectly represents Lana’s character as she has a list of victims that she plans on killing.
“Lover” Era – Dreamland Billionaire series by Laura Asher
This was a full 180 turn from Reputation. She transitioned into a colourful and romantic era which reflected her bright optimism of the future and past. In an interview with PopSugar Taylor Swift said:
“I’ve decided that in this life, I want to be defined by the things I love — not the things I hate, the things I’m afraid of, or the things that haunt me in the middle of the night,” she says. “Those things may be my struggles, but they’re not my identity.”
PopSugar: Taylor Swift Lover Album Prologue Letter | POPSUGAR Celebrity UK
The Dreamland Billionaire by Lauren Asher is a romance series that follows the journey of three brothers. They each need to complete challenges that their grandfather set them in order to receive their inheritance share of the Dreamland theme park. In the process of these challenges, each brother finds themselves falling in love. Each couple in the book represent different tropes:
- The Fine Print – She fell first, but he fell harder
- Terms and Conditions – Marriage of convenience
- Final Offer – Second chance, friends to lovers
“Folklore” Era – The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
During COVID-19, Taylor Swift surprised her fans with her eighth album Folklore through which she embraced alternative pop-folk music. Taylor embedded the album with a love triangle between Betty, James and Augustine. These imagined characters’ equations enraptured many of her listeners.
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han is a great match for this Taylor Swift Era. This is a coming-of-age series made of three books that follows the love triangle between a girl (Belly) and two brothers (Conrad and Jeremiah). The plot takes place in the fictional beach town of Cousins Beach, where Susannah and her two sons live and where Belly, her mother (Laurel) and brother (Steve) visit every summer. Each book tells the story of Belly’s first love and heartbreak with the Fisher brothers, much like the folklore album does with the fictional characters of Betty, James and Augustine.
“Evermore” Era – When I Come Home by Maisie Myers
Evermore was released the same year as Folklore and Taylor continued using the indie folk sound. Evermore explores the themes of love, heartbreak, infidelity, grief and emotions. This is album reflects the growth of Taylor Swift as an artist and as a person.
When I Come Home by Maisie Myers is a second-change romance trope that is inspired by this Taylor Swift Era. The book follows Cole and Thea who were high school sweethearts, but when Thea leaves to follow her dreams, it leaves Cole heartbroken. When she returns to Tupelo, they reunite and continue where they left off.
This book explores real-life issues that people might deal with every day which the album also similarly does through each song. Maisie Myers used the songs ‘Dorothea’ and ‘tis the damn season’ as her inspiration for this book.
“Midnights” Era – Court of Thornes and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
This is the tenth and most recent album, with each song entailing different elements from each of her eras. She described the new record in her post to be:
“13 stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life”
Midnights delves into her insecurities and shame but also the freedom and joy she feels now through her belief in Karma.
Sarah J. Maas’s five-book series, A Court of Thorns and Roses is a perfect reflection of this era. Entering the world of fantasy, Feyre is a 19-year-old huntress who comes from a poor family. When she goes hunting in the woods, she kills a wolf, which turns out to be a mystical creature from the legends she’s heard.
Feyre is later demanded by the High Lord of Spring Court to pay the price of her actions by living with him. The series also explores themes such as romance, guilt, shame and revenge, which are illustrated through each character you meet along the way. The Midnights album similarly explores this with songs such as ‘Midnight Rain’, ‘You’re On Your Own Kid’, and ‘Mastermind’.
These are all the 10 Taylor Swift-era book recommendations that Swifties and romance readers should check out. If you are interested in reading more about Taylor Swift, make sure to check out the links below:
Megan
December 18, 2023 at 9:53 pm
LOVEDDDD THIS! Taylor swift and books what more could you want 🫶🏻
Laura Wallace Schjoett
December 20, 2023 at 10:38 am
Love this idea! I hadn’t realised someone had written a book based on Tis the damn season! Thanks for writing