Books That Hit Like a Taylor Swift Folklore Album

Macy Sorensen has carefully built a quiet, structured life, keeping her emotions at a safe distance. She’s engaged to a reliable man, focused on her medical career, and avoiding anything that might shake up her well-ordered world. But when she unexpectedly crosses paths with Elliot Petropoulos—the one person who truly understood her—everything she thought she had moved past comes rushing back.

“Cardigan” by Taylor Swift is a song about first love, nostalgia, and the pain of losing something that once felt like home. It captures the bittersweet emotions of youthful romance—the warmth, the heartbreak, and the way memories linger long after love is gone.

Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren is a novel that revolves around childhood friendship, first love, and the painful mistakes that create distance between two people who were once inseparable. Like Cardigan, it explores the idea of someone being your “favorite” and the way first love leaves an imprint that never fully fades.

Check out more book recommendations that hit like “Cardigan.”

Evelyn Hugo, a legendary Hollywood actress, has spent decades captivating audiences with her talent, beauty, and scandalous love life. Now in her later years, she’s finally ready to tell the truth about her rise to fame, her seven marriages, and the secrets she has kept hidden. When she handpicks an unknown journalist, Monique Grant, to write her biography, the world wonders—why her? As Evelyn recounts her past, Monique discovers that her own life is more intertwined with Evelyn’s than she ever expected.

Told with glamour, heartbreak, and ambition, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a dazzling look at fame, power, and the cost of reinvention.

Like Rebekah Harkness, the woman Taylor Swift’s The Last Great American Dynasty about, Evelyn Hugo is a woman who refuses to play by society’s rules. She reinvents herself time and time again, defying expectations and making choices that scandalize the world around her. Both women are seen as troublemakers, yet they reclaim their own narratives, proving that history—and gossip—never tell the full story. If you love the song’s themes of legacy, ambition, and the untold side of a woman’s story, Evelyn Hugo’s tale will be just as compelling.

Connell and Marianne—whose lives keep intertwining despite shifting circumstances. They come from different social backgrounds, with Connell being the popular but reserved guy from a working-class family and Marianne being the intelligent yet isolated girl from a wealthy household. Their relationship is full of misunderstandings, unspoken emotions, and the struggle to bridge the gap between who they are and who they think they should be. As they move through high school and university, their connection is tested by external pressures and internal conflicts, making it a deeply emotional, sometimes frustrating, but ultimately raw and real exploration of love, identity, and self-worth.

Exile captures the devastating feeling of watching someone drift away, knowing you’re no longer the person they turn to—even though you once were everything to them. That same aching tension defines Normal People, as Connell and Marianne are constantly pulled together and torn apart by circumstance and personal flaws. The novel, much like the song, is about the pain of miscommunication, the weight of regret, and the heartbreaking realization that sometimes love isn’t enough to make things work—no matter how much you wish it were…

Rebecca is a gothic masterpiece about a young, unnamed woman who marries the wealthy and mysterious Maxim de Winter, only to find herself living in the overwhelming shadow of his late wife, Rebecca. When she arrives at Manderley, the de Winter estate, she quickly realizes that Rebecca’s presence still lingers—haunting the grand halls, the devoted housekeeper Mrs. Danvers, and, most unsettlingly, Maxim himself. As she struggles to find her place, she becomes consumed by the feeling that she can never measure up to the woman who came before her, leading to a gripping, eerie unraveling of secrets.

If Rebecca were a song, it would definitely be “My Tears Ricochet.” The novel and the song both drip with ghostly heartbreak and the idea of being haunted—whether literally or metaphorically—by someone who’s gone but refuses to let go. 

Rebecca is all about the suffocating presence of a woman who is no longer alive but still manages to dictate everything. It’s a story of grief, power, and obsession, where love and vengeance blur into something beautifully tragic.

The Bell Jar follows a young woman navigating the pressures of success, identity, and societal expectations. She’s bright, talented, and seemingly has everything going for her, but beneath the surface, she struggles with feeling like she’s playing a role rather than being truly seen. As she grapples with these internal battles, the shiny facade she presents to the world begins to crack.

Both Mirrorball and The Bell Jar explore the idea of performance—how people shape themselves into what others expect, even when it feels exhausting. The song’s lyrics about being delicate yet dazzling, spinning and reflecting for an audience, perfectly capture the novel’s themes of societal pressure and the struggle to maintain an identity in a world that constantly asks for more.

Jesse Aarons is a quiet, artistic boy who dreams of being the fastest runner in his class. But when Leslie Burke, the new girl in town, outruns everyone—including him—his world changes. Despite their differences, Jesse and Leslie form a deep friendship, bonding over their shared creativity and love for adventure.

Together, they create Terabithia, a magical kingdom in the woods where they reign as king and queen. In this secret world, they escape their struggles—Jesse’s pressures at home and school, Leslie’s distant parents—and let their imaginations run wild.

But reality doesn’t stay outside the borders of Terabithia forever. As Jesse and Leslie navigate friendship, courage, and the trials of growing up, they learn that imagination can be both a sanctuary and a source of strength when faced with life’s most unexpected challenges.

Taylor Swift’s Seven beautifully captures the innocence, imagination, and fierce loyalty of childhood friendships—especially in the face of things too painful to understand. The song evokes a child’s viewpoint, where fantasy becomes a way to cope with the real world, much like how Jesse and Leslie create Terabithia in Bridge to Terabithia.

In the novel, two children escape their struggles by building their own magical world in the woods, just as Seven expresses the desire to run away from harsh realities. Leslie, much like the friend in Seven, has a difficult home life, but her imagination and bond with Jesse create a safe space. The song’s wistful tone mirrors the fleeting nature of childhood—how those moments of magic and innocence never last forever, yet remain deeply imprinted on the heart.

Matt and Grace had an intense, whirlwind romance in college, full of passion and promise. But life pulled them in different directions, leaving their love unfinished. Years later, a single glimpse reignites everything they once had, making them question if fate is offering them a second chance.

Like August, Before We Were Strangers captures the bittersweet nostalgia of a love that burned bright but couldn’t last. Both stories explore longing, missed opportunities, and the ache of remembering what once was—proving that sometimes, timing is everything.

A Little Life follows four college friends—Jude, Willem, JB, and Malcolm—as they navigate adulthood, success, and the complexities of their relationships. At the heart of the story is Jude, a brilliant but deeply traumatized man whose past haunts him, shaping every aspect of his life. Through decades of love, friendship, and suffering, the novel explores themes of resilience, found family, and the struggle to keep going despite overwhelming pain.

Like This Is Me Trying, A Little Life is a gut-wrenching portrayal of internal battles, self-destruction, and the exhausting effort of simply surviving. The song’s lyrics capture the quiet desperation of wanting to be better but feeling trapped by past wounds—a struggle that defines Jude’s entire existence. If This Is Me Trying resonates with you as a raw confession of pain and effort, A Little Life will leave you wrecked in the most profound way.

Set against the backdrop of a summer retreat in Cape Cod, The Paper Palace follows Elle, a married woman who, in a single day, must confront a life-changing decision: to stay with her devoted husband or pursue a passionate love from her past. As the story unfolds, we delve into decades of secrets, betrayals, and choices that have shaped Elle’s life. The novel explores love in its messiest form—filled with longing, guilt, and the weight of history.

Like Illicit Affairs, The Paper Palace captures the intoxicating yet devastating nature of infidelity. Both the song and the novel explore the secret world of forbidden love—the thrill, the deception, and the inevitable heartbreak. Just as Illicit Affairs describes the hidden rendezvous and the emotional toll of betrayal, The Paper Palace dives into the consequences of an affair that could change everything.

The Time Traveler’s Wife is a love story that transcends time—literally. It follows Clare and Henry, a couple whose relationship is anything but ordinary. Henry has a rare genetic disorder that causes him to involuntarily travel through time, often disappearing from Clare’s life without warning. Despite the unpredictability of their love story, Clare and Henry remain deeply connected, navigating the joys and heartbreaks of a relationship dictated by forces beyond their control.

Like Illicit Affairs, The Paper Palace captures the intoxicating yet devastating nature of infidelity. Both the song and the novel explore the secret world of forbidden love—the thrill, the deception, and the inevitable heartbreak. Just as Illicit Affairs describes the hidden rendezvous and the emotional toll of betrayal, The Paper Palace dives into the consequences of an affair that could change everything.

Set during the Salem witch trials of the 1690s, The Crucible follows a Puritan community engulfed in paranoia, hysteria, and accusations of witchcraft. What starts as a group of young girls making false claims soon spirals into a full-blown crisis, where fear and revenge fuel a series of devastating consequences. At its core, the play is a sharp critique of mass hysteria, power, and the consequences of challenging a rigid, oppressive system.

A story of women vilified by society, much like the frustration and defiance in mad woman. The song seethes with the anger of a woman who has been wronged, much like the women in The Crucible who are labeled as witches for stepping outside the bounds of societal expectations. Arthur Miller’s play and Taylor Swift’s lyrics both capture the experience of women being condemned simply for refusing to conform.

A heartbreaking World War II novel about two sisters surviving Nazi-occupied France. The story captures the quiet heroism and sacrifices made in times of war, echoing the song’s reflective and sorrowful tone.

Taylor Swift’s Epiphany is a song about quiet suffering, endurance, and the immense sacrifices made in times of war and crisis. It speaks to the experiences of soldiers on the battlefield and frontline workers facing unimaginable challenges.

Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale shares these themes, telling the story of two sisters in Nazi-occupied France who make painful sacrifices in their fight to survive and resist. Like Epiphany, the novel highlights the unspoken heroism of those who bear suffering in silence. The book captures the weight of war—not just on the battlefield, but in everyday life—mirroring the song’s haunting, reflective tone.

Taylor Edwards has always been good at running away—from mistakes, from conflict, from people. But when her family returns to their summer lake house for one last summer together, she’s forced to confront everything she left behind, including a former best friend and the boy whose heart she broke. As the summer unfolds, Taylor learns that sometimes, second chances are worth taking, even when time is running out

Both Second Chance Summer and Betty capture the bittersweet emotions of regret, young love, and the desperate hope for forgiveness. Taylor Swift’s song tells the story of someone trying to make amends for a mistake that hurt someone they care about—much like Taylor (the character, not the singer!) in Second Chance Summer, who must face the pain she caused in the past. Both stories remind us that apologies don’t always guarantee forgiveness, but they might just open the door to it.

A lyrical, heart-wrenching letter from a son to his mother, touching on love, identity, and the search for peace in an often unkind world.

In peace, Taylor Swift sings about loving someone deeply while knowing she may never give them the peace and stability they deserve. On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong captures a similar sentiment—the love between a son and his mother is profound yet fraught with pain, trauma, and unspoken struggles. The novel is a letter from a son to his mother, a woman shaped by war, sacrifice, and hardship. Like the narrator in peace, he longs to give her comfort, understanding, and healing, but some wounds are too deep to mend. Both the song and the book explore the idea of loving someone even when you fear you can never give them the security they need.

During one fateful summer in the Italian countryside, 17-year-old Elio Perlman meets Oliver, a charismatic graduate student staying with his family. What starts as subtle glances and unspoken tension soon develops into an all-consuming connection. The novel beautifully captures the intensity of first love, the fleeting nature of time, and the ache of longing that lingers long after the summer ends.

You know when a love story was doomed from the start, but you still can’t help replaying it. The song has an almost ghostly quality, as if she’s haunted by the remnants of a love that once felt real but turned out to be a “hoax”—a painful illusion. 

Taylor Edwards has always been good at running away—from mistakes, from conflict, from people. But when her family returns to their summer lake house for one last summer together, she’s forced to confront everything she left behind, including a former best friend and the boy whose heart she broke. As the summer unfolds, Taylor learns that sometimes, second chances are worth taking, even when time is running out

Both Second Chance Summer and Betty capture the bittersweet emotions of regret, young love, and the desperate hope for forgiveness. Taylor Swift’s song tells the story of someone trying to make amends for a mistake that hurt someone they care about—much like Taylor (the character, not the singer!) in Second Chance Summer, who must face the pain she caused in the past. Both stories remind us that apologies don’t always guarantee forgiveness, but they might just open the door to it.

A young woman navigates the pressures of society, ambition, and personal turmoil while longing for a life that feels more meaningful and true to herself.

In The Lakes, Swift sings about longing for solitude, wanting to retreat to a place of peace and creativity, away from the pressures of society. Similarly, The Bell Jar follows Esther Greenwood, a young woman who feels trapped by societal expectations and struggles with her mental health. Both the song and the novel explore themes of isolation, suffocation, and the desperate search for a place where one can truly be free.