BOOKS

OK girlies: you stayed up 'til midnight, you listened to the double drop and now you're cozying up for some weekend reading time. If you're craving a read just as dreamy as The Tortured Poets Department songs, we've got your TBR covered.

"Fortnight (feat. Post Malone)"
The book we recommend: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
The lyrics: I was supposed to be sent away / But they forgot to come and get me / I touched you / I love you, it's ruining my life
Just try and tell us that's not sooo Juliette-coded with her fatal touch.

"The Tortured Poets Department"
The book we recommend: Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
The lyrics: You left your typewriter at my apartment / Straight from the tortured poets department / I think some things I never say
Admittedly this book is ~not~ about a dissolving relationship, but it *is* for all the typewriter dark academia girlies craving enemies-to-lovers and magic, secret letters.

"But Daddy, I Love Him"
The book we recommend: Matched by Allie Condie
The lyrics: Dutiful daughter, all my plans were laid / Tendrils tucked into a woven braid / Growin' up precocious sometimes means / Not growin' up at all
Total throwback to the dystopian craze of the 2010s, but the story embodies that perfect-girl-gone-rogue-from-society vibe from this track.

"Guilty as Sin?"
The book we recommend: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
The lyrics: I keep these longings locked / In lowercase inside a vault / Someone told me, "There's no such thing as bad thoughts / Only your actions talk" / These fatal fantasies
This fae fantasy changed our brain chemistry from reading about two cunning rivals pining and plotting with (plus against) each other.

@cassiesbookshelves

"Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?"
The book we recommend: Foul is Fair by Hannah Capin
The lyrics: Then say they didn't do it to hurt me, but what if they did? / I wanna snarl and show you just how disturbed this has made me
Three words: Modern. Macbeth. Retelling. Elle vows her vengeance along with the rest of her coven against the boys who target them—and she shows them *just* how afraid they should be.

"I Can Do It With a Broken Heart"
The book we recommend: Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber
The lyrics: I'm so obsessed with him, but he avoids me like the plague / I cry a lot, but I am so productive, it's an art / You know you're good when you can even do it with a broken heart
Maybe this is a little on-the-nose, but it truly fits: All hail our queen of heartbreak, pink hair and perseverance, Evangeline Fox.

"The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived"
The book we recommend: We Are the Wildcats by Siobhan Vivian
The lyrics: If rusting my sparkling summer was the goal / And I don't miss what we had, but could someone give a message to the smallest man who ever lived?
These lyrics go OFF... and perfectly fits this read's plot: A squad of high school field hockey players team up to outwit their toxic coach after a summer of intense practices.

@taylorswift

"So High School"
The book we recommend: You Should See Me In a Crown by Leah Johnson
The lyrics: I feel so high school every time I look at you / I just wanna find you and cry just to hide from you
This book is set in high school, so this song fits (duh). But if we're digging a little deeper, the story fits Taylor's themes of identity, insecurity...and all of those first-crush butterflies!

"thanK you aIMee"
The book we recommend: The Clique by Lisi Harrison
The lyrics: When I picture my hometown / There's a bronze sun-tanned statue of you / And a plaque underneath it / That threatens to push me down the stairs at our school
The cutthroat vibes of the most exclusive middle school clique = Taylor's feelings about the frenemy from her past.

"I Look in People's Windows"
The book we recommend: A Little in Love by Susan Fletcher
The lyrics: I look in people's windows / In case you're at their table / What if your eyes looked up and met mine / One more time
Musical theater (and classic lit!) babes, you're in luck: A Little in Love retells Les Misérables from Eponine's POV. Taylor's lyrics about looking in from the outside match the heartbreaking vibes of this book where we see Eponine's lack of money and food *and* her unrequited love.

"The Prophecy"
The book we recommend: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
The lyrics: Please / I'm on my knees / Change the prophecy / Don't want money / Just want someone who wants my company
Because what if your so-called destiny doesn't match up with who you are?

Do you have any TTPD-themed book recs? Tell us your faves on IG @glbestiebookclub!

Keep reading for more TTPD content and books:
✨ Taylor Swift just surprised us with a double album! Our first impressions of The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology
✨ Romance books to read, based on your fave Taylor Swift album
✨ 5 romantasy books you should be reading rn

Slider image: @storieswith_sam
Top image: @taylorswift

by Ally Coy and Ava Slocum | 4/20/2024