Queen Taylor has gifted us with some iconic summer bops, and right now they’re really hitting different as the season comes (sadly) to a close. Still savoring those last rays of sunshine? Look no further, bc we’ve paired a sunkissed read with each of her anthems, and all you have to do is let your music taste guide you.

If you love “august”, read Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

Our dreamy and bittersweet situationship anthem/coastal road trip theme song is the perfect match for Carley Fortune’s beloved story (now a hit show on Prime). Similar to Taylor’s happy/sad shoreside escape, the story balances old memories with new directions, and captures all the feelings of an old romance. When the death of a loved one brings Persephone back to Barry’s Bay, the lakeside haven of her adolescence, she isn’t sure how to face Sam, whose heart she broke decades ago. But as she finds herself surrounded by familiar faces and beloved spots, memories of their relationship come rushing back to Percy, and she must decide how much she’s willing to risk for matters of the heart. Interwoven between past and present, the story is sweeping, nostalgic, and perfect for an August car ride. 

If you love “New Romantics”, read Along For The Ride by Sarah Dessen

Nothing quite captures the feeling of first love and reckless abandon like this beloved 1989 track. The upbeat generational anthem teaches us to break tiring cycles, let loose, and live freely…and it serves as the ideal companion for Sarah Dessen’s novel about reinvention and night owls. Auden has always played it safe. With an absentee father and a professor mother with high expectations, she’s spent all of high school working hard and keeping her head down. Now, with a scholarship to the prestigious Defriese University, she’s spending a carefree summer with her dad and stepmom in the beach town of Colby. Thrust into a world of beach parties, new friendships, and a secret quest with a mysterious fellow insomniac, Auden learns what it means to truly live without expectations.

If you love “Cruel Summer”, read We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Arguably THE song of the season, this smash-hit single blends a powerful beat with sharp lyrics about a painful but addictive summer romance. If you love its high-stakes energy, you’ll be an instant fan of E. Lockhart’s iconic summer thriller. It follows a group of cousins descended from the wealthy Harris Sinclair. Told from the perspective of the brilliant but damaged Cadence, their carefree, luxury summers on Beechwood Island are punctuated with family secrets. Everything comes to a head when Cadence is fifteen. She suffers a head injury and loses most memories of the summer, with only stringy, incoherent recollections left. Two years later, she returns to find everything from the house to the cousins to Gat, her first love, completely changed. It is a tale of generational mysteries, the chaos of unchecked privilege and mistakes that wash away with the tide.

If you love “22”, read The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

Sometimes, to fully live you must let go of all inhibitions and, per Taylor’s advice, just keep dancing like you’re 22. This “live fully, run free” mentality is captured not only in our favorite late-night dance bop, but in this adorable story about a Type A politician’s daughter whose strict summer plan falls apart. Andie has learned to stick with what she knows, and she’s doing just that this summer. With a fancy pre-med internship coming up, the best friends in the universe by her side, and guaranteed separation from her congressman father, everything is going according to, well, plan…until a political scandal sends her and her dad to the same house. Suddenly, Andie must find joy in the unexpected, from walking dogs to embarking on a scavenger hunt with her dad to maybe, just maybe, letting down her guard enough to start a relationship with her maybe-crush Clark. 

If you love “the last great american dynasty”, read The Cousins by Karen M. McManus

We love a tale about a woman who isn’t afraid to be wild… even if it earns her a reputation of madness (and it results in her neighbor’s dog being dyed green). Taylor’s lilting but powerful musical rendition of the life of Rebekah Harkness, the former owner of Holiday House, our queen’s Rhode Island home. While more of a mystery vibe, this twisty tale captures the dangers of small-town gossip and the energy of “mad” women in a similar, summery vein. When estranged cousins Milly, Aubrey and Jonah are called to work at their reclusive, wealthy grandmother’s estate, they aren’t sure what to expect, especially considering the fact that they’ve never met her and their parents were disinherited at a young age. But their parents’ determination to get back in the inheritance sends the cousins off to the island against their will, and they are introduced to their family’s dark past. Sprawling and dangerous, this story explores the dark underbelly of wealth and the untamed power of a woman with an island house.

Love these recs? Check out our book club on Insta @glbestiebookclub for more!

Summer isn’t over yet! Keep soaking in the rays right here…
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Image: @taylorswift