Taylor Swift Themed Book Recs: Speak Now Edition

Speak Now holds the most special place in my heart. I knew the hits from Taylor Swift and Fearless, but Speak Now was the album that made me fall in love with Taylor and her music. It’s the only era I’ve ever seen live. I remember sitting in the backseat of my parents car with Back To December playing when my parents asked if I thought she would sing that song at the concert. The concert that, keep in mind, I was hearing about for the first time. I remember exactly where my seats were in Rocket Arena (Quicken Loans the time) and Taylor’s purple dress. While the album isn’t my favorite of hers anymore, it will always be nostalgia’s favorite. 

After talking about my admiration for Speak Now before the time of Taylor’s Version albums, my first comparison comes from The Vault. I Can See You (Taylor’s Version) reminds me of The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas. This book holds a special place in my bookish memory, as it was one of the first romances I read because of social media when I first found myself reading in adulthood, the path that led me to make my Bookstagram (shameless plug, @bookmarkedwithlinds), Bookstr, and this blog. The TLDR of the plot is that Lina ends up taking her enemy and coworker, Aaron, to a wedding in Spain after lying to her family about her American boyfriend in New York. Though Lina despises Aaron, Aaron agrees to be her fake boyfriend AND fly across the country to meet her family (spoiler alert: the animosity may not be as one sided as Lina originally thought). The sensual lyricism of I Can See You is exactly what I imagine Aaron’s thought process to be while nursing his crush on his coworker: “You brush past me in the hallway and you don't think I, I, I can see ya, do ya? I’ve been watchin' you for ages and I spend my time tryin' not to feel it.” I can absolutely imagine Aaron spending his time trying not to have a crush on his coworker that, pretty obviously, hates his guts. I can imagine Aaron having thoughts about Lina and thinking “Baby, if you only knew that I can see you” (up against the wall with him, of course). If these reasons weren’t convincing enough, the lyric stating “we kept everything professional but something’s changing” describes this romance about coworkers just perfectly. The Spanish Love Deception is enemies to lovers, fake dating, and slow burn, and nothing gives me slow burn vibes like I Can See You. 

Sparks Fly is undoubtedly Bree and Archer from Archer’s Voice by Mia Sheridan. I feel like Bree and Archer have undeniable chemistry that even their troubled pasts cannot deny, and I feel like this song represents that well. Bree is the victim of an assault that took place moments after she witnessed the death of her father. It’s important to keep in mind that this trauma comes back to Bree, especially when it rains. She is, in a way, running away from this traumatic past when she lands in Archer’s town, Pelian. Archer, a deaf man, struggles with his relationship with the town and his family, specifically his brother, Travis. This makes him highly closed off, or “on [his] guard for the rest of the world,” though he slowly opens up to Bree. Both of them bring baggage into their relationship, exemplifying the vibe of  “a kind of reckless that should send me running, but I kinda know I won’t get far.” After opening up to one another, the chemistry between Bree and Archer is palpable in a very “take away the pain” way, as the love they are providing one another acts as a form of healing for the couple. The fact that rain triggers Bree’s trauma also connects to the song. The song begins with “the way you move is like a full on rainstorm, and I’m a house of cards.” Beginning a relationship after surviving such extreme trauma leaves Bree as vulnerable as a house of cards, and accepting Archer’s love may feel scary and intense, like rainstorms do for her. What I like about Archer’s Voice is that it reclaims rain for Bree, as her and Archer share a passionate kiss in the rain (think “drop everything now, meet me in pouring rain, kiss me on the sidewalk, take away the pain” from the song). In a way, Archer standing soaked to the bone from the downfall also shows his willingness to be vulnerable and exposed in front of Bree. Overall, though Archer cannot hear Bree, he can see sparks fly when he sees her smile.

The last book I want to talk about is my favorite of all time: Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. When I think about the legacy of this (albeit fictional) band, I think of Long Live. The song depicts bonds formed through struggles and stardom, while acknowledging the importance of recognizing the good old days while they are happening. I feel like the first lines of the song exemplify my point well enough: “I said ‘remember this moment’, in the back of my mind; the time we stood with our shaking hands, the crowds and stands went wild.” I imagine Daisy and Billy standing in front of the crowd of Chicagoins at the show where Daisy Jones stood alongside The Six for more than just Honeycomb, thinking these exact thoughts. I imagine Billy reminiscing on his days practicing with his brother, Graham, wishing for the moment they lived in while standing on that stage, like the lyric “all the years that we stood there on the sidelines wishing for right now.” The bridge of this song makes me think of Billy and his family, even though he already had his children when Daisy was still in his life. Daisy and Billy were, in a way, forced into a goodbye, like the song says. I can’t help but wonder, did he point to the pictures and tell his daughters Daisy’s name? The lyric “tell them how I hope they shine” stands out to me, as I can fully imagine Daisy Jones wanting Billy and camila’s daughters to shine, even if Billy is no longer part of her life. Truly, long live all the magic this band made. One day , you will be remembered.

Reminiscing on this album was such a special nostalgia trip for me, and I’m so excited to continue into the eras where I was a full blown Swiftie. Last country Taylor album, Red, is coming soon.