Like many other readers, I am also an avid Swiftie. I love seeing bookish posts that encapsulate how people relate certain Taylor songs/albums/eras to certain books, so I thought I would share some of my Taylor Swift/book correlations, one album at a time. These were all comparisons from my own mind, but as I have seen many of these posts throughout the years, it is possible I subconsciously thought of someone else’s comparison (fully accidentally, of course). Rather than try to capture the vibe of the album as a whole, I picked three songs from each and made bookish comparisons to those. Safe to say there will be some spoilers in this post to make my points, so proceed with caution! Let’s get into book recommendations based on Taylor's second album, Fearless. :)
(Taylor's Version, obviously)
Fearless has always felt like a fairytale to me. Slightly more mature than Taylor Swift, it holds onto the feelings of young love while also showing Taylor’s acknowledgement of learning what she wants in a relationship and looking back on romantic experiences that have occurred over the years since her debut album.
Once again starting with an Abby Jimenez comparison, White Horse makes me think of Part of Your World. Alexis comes from a wealthy family with roots in a hospital, where she works along with her white collar ex boyfriend. After having a one night stand with a blue collar, small town resident named Daniel, she develops feelings for someone who doesn’t quite fit in the world her peers expect her to remain in. Reflecting on her past relationship with her ex, Neil, Alexis realizes that the relationship her parents heavily supported due to the optics was actually riddled with abuse. This reminds me of the White Horse lyrics depicting how a relationship one once thought was right was actually causing more harm than good. Think, “my mistake, I didn’t know to be in love you had to fight to have the upperhand.” Alexis is scared to express these realizations about Neil and her feelings about Daniel to her parents, as they expect her to work in the hospital and get back together with the man they deem good enough for her family. The lyric “in my rear-view mirror disappearing now” reminds me of Alexis driving away from a family that doesn’t accept her and heading towards the small town where Daniel lives, the one that allows her to be safe and accepted. Taylor expressed Alexis’s journey correctly when she sang “I’m gonna find someone someday who might actually treat me well,” which is exactly what Alexis finds in Daniel.
Hey Stephen’s “I know I saw a light in you” is totally Liz and Wes from Better Than the Movies. Being neighbors, Wes and Liz are the perfect boy/girl-next door vibe. Their teenage romance has the same young, crushworthy vibes of Hey Stephen. Hey Stephen depicts a crush that wasn’t quite obvious to begin with, which immediately brings to mind the fact that Liz originally has a crush on a previous childhood friend, Michel, before realizing Wes was the one for her all along. Feels very, “I’ve been holding back this feeling so I’ve got some things to say to you,” to me. The title of the book alone shows the impact romantic comedy movies have on the book and Liz herself. Being a romantic comedy lover, Liz appreciates a grand gesture more than anyone. What feels like more of a grand gesture than writing a song for someone? “All those other girls, well they’re beautiful, but would they write a song for you?” has Liz Buxbum written all over it. The perfect teenage romantic comedy vibes.
There was only one right answer when it came to a book that feels like Love Story: Red, White, and Royal Blue. Red, White, and Royal Blue is my favorite forbidden romance, and one of my favorite romance books of all time. Alex, First Son of the United States, despises the possible heir to the British throne, Prince Henry. When a public mishap causes controversy, the two have to trick the public into believing that they are close friends. Spending intimate time together, Alex and Henry’s feelings quickly turn romantic. Being public figures, Henry and Alex both struggle with the idea of publicly stating their sexuality. To add further wrinkles to the situation, Alex and Henry both know that a romance between stars of two separate countries may be problematic due to their respective public duties. It’s the perfect story of a love that cannot be. Even the intro to this song sets the scene for Henry’s world: “see the lights, see the party, the ball gowns.” The chorus, Juliet asking Romeo to run away with her so they can be alone, perfectly depicts Alex and Henry’s desire to exist as a couple, without the eyes of the public and the rumor mill.
That's it for my Fearless book comparisons. I'm excited to unpack Speak Now next time. :)
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