Songs as Book Recommendations

Hey guys and welcome back to my blog! I’m so happy you’re here and so glad to be writing again <3

It’s been so long since my last post; I think it’s been a month! That’s definitely the longest I’ve been MIA, and I’m so sorry for that! These past months have been crazy busy with track, lifeguarding, student council, and most of all…studying. At least I know some of the studying paid off, because I finally can drive! Yep that’s right folks, I now have a driver’s permit. I’m so excited to be on the road. Hopefully my AP test went just as well!

I’m also now 15! My birthday was so fun and definitely one of my favorites. Shoutout to Mommy for the best shopping spree evaaa! Also, the weather has been so sunny lately; I’m officially in love with summer. I can’t wait for it to come. Imagine: sunshine, swimming, lemonade, outer banks, friends, and not a care in the world. Sounds glorious to me.

So there’s a little recap of my life since my last post! Definitely busy, but I am really happy because now I have a lot more time to do what I enjoy (instead of studying, ew.😒). SO be prepared for a lot more blog posts to come! And now onto today’s topic…

SONGS as BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

This post has been in progress for only…an entire year. I’ve had a note in my notes app since I read Hot British Boyfriend last summer. Which means I have a lot of recommendations, and a lot of songs that remind me of a certain book. Almost every time I read a book, I associate it with a song, so here’s a look at my thoughts on the books I’ve read and their corresponding songs. (P.S. if you like a song, you’ll most definitely like the book, and vice versa!)

Here we go ↴

Hot British Boyfriend by Kristy Boyce

• I Don’t Care by Ariana Grande- I said this song because the MC was very concerned with fitting in and was very insecure at the beginning of the book, but learned to not care so much about other people’s opinions.

• To Learn Her by Miranda Lambert- I remember thinking this song fit very well with one of the relationships because it was very one sided. It seemed the guy didn’t really know the MC at all, he just liked the idea of her. He didn’t want to learn about the girl like the other love interest did. “To love her is to learn her, and see her at her worst.”

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

• Cosmic Love by Florence and the Machine- There is a sort of edit for Caraval with this song playing in the background, and so now I always associate this song with this book. However, I think the vibe of the song is just as magical as Caraval is.

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

• Line without a hook by Ricky Montogmery- This one is obvious, but this song is an exact match for this book. “She’s a she’s a lady, and I am just a boy.” This song is perfect and one of the best matches of this list.

• The Joker and the Queen- This Taylor Swift/Ed Sheeran song is a quite literal description of heartless, and I’m convinced it’s written for this book and this book alone. Lines like “The road that was broken brought us together and I know you could fall for a thousand kings,” describe Heartless to a tee.

The Wrong Costar by Alexandra Moody

• We Made It by David Hugo- Not really sure why I said this one, but I think they’re probably a good fit.

The Selection by Kiera Cass

• Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince by Taylor Swift- This song is perfect! Every time I read the scene where America runs through the woods from invaders, I can hear this song. “Ripped up my prom dress, running through rose thorns.” And the whole selection contest goes along with the line: “You play stupid games, you win stupis prizes.” Of course, America is always filmed as she’s in the contest, but there’s a lot of bad stuff that happens that no cameras film. “No cameras catch my muffled cries.” And then there’s the title: Miss Americana (America) and the Heartbreak Prince (Maxon). It’s literally perfect.

A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey

• Champagne by In The Heights cast- “Before you go leave town, before the corner changes and the signs are taken down. Let’s walk around the neighborhood and say our goodbyes.” The Cuban feel of both this book and the song makes for similar vibes, but the words in the song are also very accurate to the book as the situation of one character leaving and the other asking them not to stay is very accurate.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

• Nothing Feels Like You by Little Mix- “Boys will be boys, I have plenty knocking at my door. But none of them could compare, baby you’re the one I'm waiting for.” In this book Bella is obsessed with Edward, so much so that she turns down a lot of guys who are interested in her.

• Everytime by Ariana Grande- So in this book Bella is very dependent on Edward, and in multiple instances she isn’t herself if he’s not there. So I thought this line: “I’m so different when you’re not there, it’s like something out of Shakespeare, because I’m really not here when you’re not there,” fit very well.

Kiss Me in New York by Catherine Rider

• One More Hour by Anthony Ramos- This is another extremely accurate song/book combo. In the book, we follow main character Charlotte and her love interest, Anthony (ahem, Anthony Ramos). They go on a series of adventures throughout one night (Christmas Eve) that seems to never end, in which they fall in love, just like the song. Let's go one more hour “Lovin' this encounter. Usually I'm gone now, I'm not ready, I don't really wanna go.”

Two Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt

• Teardrops on My Guitar by Taylor Swift- This song is about loving someone who is moving on (or so you think) which is very similar to one of my favorite books, Two Way Street, which is about a couple that has broken up but has to take a road trip together. “He’s the song in the car I keep singing, don’t know why I do.”

• Water Fountain by Alec Benjamin- In the book there is this guy- an alternative love interest for the MC. When she finally meets up with him at his college, she can’t help but think of her ex. The last time she saw him they were fighting by the college water fountain. “Now he’s grabbing her hips, and pulling her in, kissing her lips, and whispering in her ear. And she knows that she shouldn’t listen, and that she should be with me by the water fountain.”

• Maniac by Conan Gray- Since this couple dated before and didn’t work out, there was a lot of tension between them and as the guy basically broke up with this girl, ignored her, and “moved on” very quickly for some unknown reason. However it’s very clear he still has feelings for her. “And tell them you hate me, and dated me, just for laughs. So why do you call me and tell me you want me back?”

Once Upon A Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber

• Outrunning Karma by Alec Benjamin- This song is very true for a character in this book named Jacks, who has done a lot of bad things he holds on his conscience. “He’s never going to make it, all the poor people he’s forsaken. Karma is always going to chase him for his lies.” and lines like “He’s such a charmer” describe Jacks very accurately.

• Keep Your Head Up Princess by Anson Seabra- The first time I heard this song I was reading this book, so I might be a little biased. The MC of this book, Evangeline, used to be told fairytales by her mother and would dream of these stories, not knowing if they were true or not until she discovered them in real life. “When she was younger she would pretend that her bedroom was a castle, she was the fairest in all the land.”

The Wrong Bachelor by Alexandra Moody

• Gold rush by Taylor Swift- So the love interest of this book is very popular and attractive, but the MC sees past his charm and doesn’t understand why everyone falls for him. “Everybody wants you, but I don’t like a gold rush.”

Royals by Rachel Hawkins

• Galway Girl by Ed Sheeran- I love this book and this song! They also fit so perfectly, because there is a lot of Irish and British culture and settings in this book and song.

Kiss Me in Paris by Catherine Rider

• Save your tears by The Wknd and Ariana Grande- In this story I felt like the girl spent so much time suppressing her feelings and not letting her emotions rise to the surface at all. This is why Save Your Tears is perfect for this book.

10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston

• First Christmas by Shameik Moore- Both of these are Christmas related. Basically, in the book she is friends with this guy, who eventually turns into the love interest! That is why this lyric: “I can’t believe that it’s the first Christmas that I loved you,” fits perfectly, because it’s like them questioning why they never felt this way about each other before.

Legendary by Stephanie Garber

• Illusion by One Direction- This is the second book in the Caraval series and it is just as good! I said this song simply for this line: “I can turn a lot of hearts into smoke and mirrors disappearing right in front of them. But believe me, I’m not trying to deceive you, I promise falling for me won’t be a mistake.” This perfectly embodies Tella and Legend’s relationship, because Tella isn’t sure if she can trust Legend, master of tricks and Carval.

Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

• Always You by Louis Tomlinson- “I went to so many places, looking for you in the faces…I’m wasting my time when it was always you.” I felt like this book was kind of a slow burn for the characters to realize they need to be together. In a lot of situations they would miss the other so much it didn’t matter where they were or what they did, they couldn’t stop thinking of the other.

• Two of Us by Louis Tomlinson- “It’s been a minute since I called you, just to hear the answer phone. Yeah, I know you won’t get this, but I’ll leave a message so I’m not alone.” I know this song is very different from the context I’m applying it to, but for that line only I think it relates pretty well as Alex would call Henry so many times, their late night talks over the phone were pretty much routine and when they were fighting Alex would call but get no reply.

• Gorgeous by Taylor Swift- “You should take it as a compliment that I got drunk and made fun of the way you talk,” is an exact scene in the book! “You’re so cool, it makes me hate you so much,” “You should think about the consequence of you touching my hand in a darkened room.”

Kiss of Deception by Mary E Pearson

• Runaway by Aurora

• Wildest Dreams by Taylor Swift- “My last request is… say you’ll remember me standing in a nice dress staring at the sunset.”

Vampires, Hearts, and Other Dead Things by Margie Fuston

• Can’t Remember To Forget You by Shakira- “I can’t remember to forget you. I keep forgetting I should let you go.” In this book the MC resists the love interest so much. She knows her feelings for him but suppresses them in an attempt to gain control of her life. This tactic doesn’t really work, though, because he keeps popping up in her life.

The Betrothed by Kiera Cass

• Invisible String by Taylor Swift- I actually saved a quote from this book so that I could connect it to this song. The quote from the book is: “There was some unnameable thing that I felt when I was near Silas, like there was a string connecting us, pulling on me if I wandered too far.” The lyric from the song is: “Isn’t it so pretty to think, all along there was some invisible string, tying you to me.” They are literally a match made in heaven and you cannot prove me wrong.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

• Sweet Creature by Harry Styles- “You bring me home.” In this book Anna feels at home with Ettiene.

• Paris in the Rain by Lauv- “Anywhere with you feels like Paris in the rain.” In the end of the book Anna worries about leaving France, but realizes that she will always be reminded of it as long as she has Etienne.

• Best Friend by Ingrid Michealson- “Here I go again, falling in love with my best friend.” This one is pretty obvious, but there is tension between Anna and Etienne because they’re friends and she doesn’t want to mess up their friendship with her feelings for him.

• You Are in Love by Taylor Swift- “Pauses, then says: You’re my best friend. And you knew what it was, he is in love.” I love this line so much, as much as I love this book. And because it represents their relationship SO MUCH.

• Just a Little Bit of Your Heart by Ariana Grande- “I can’t even think straight, but I can tell that you were just with her, and I’ll still be a fool…Just a little bit of your heart is all I want.” So in this book Etienne has a girlfriend, which is why this line fits so well. Multiple instances in the book Anna is waiting on him, knowing he is with Ellie, and it’s just like a stab to her heart because she is obviously in love with him. She has to settle with the little bits of his heart Etienne gets her, which is basically their friendship.

• Holy Ground by Taylor Swift- “And right there where we stood was holy ground.” This refers to the star in Paris that Ettiene and Anna visited.

Cress by Marissa Meyer

• A Year Without Rain by Selena Gomez- “Like I’ve been wanderin’ the desert for a thousand days. Don’t know if it’s a mirage but I always see your face.” I feel like this song embodies Cress and Thorne’s relationship. It also mentions the desert which is a major scene in Cress.

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

• Just Like Fire by PINK- This song is mainly for the edit I watch every day about this book, but I also think Gweneth and Gideon are two very fiery people and their relationship is an example of that.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

• Right where you left me by Taylor Swift- So the MC in this book identifies herself as very plain, doesn’t like change, values the way things used to be, which is exactly this song. Cath really doesn’t move on at all, just like the character in this song. An example of this is how Cath always goes home to visit her Dad while her twin sister Wren stays at college significantly more as she’s ready to move on from their hometown. “Did you hear about the girl who got frozen? Time went on for everybody else, she won’t know it. She’s still 23, inside her fantasy.” Cath also writes fanfiction and is often stuck in her own little fantastical world she doesn;t ever seem to want to escape.

• The Archer by Taylor Swift- As this song deals with anxiety and so does the MC of the book, they have very similar viewpoints.

• Gold Rush- The love interest in this book is described as a golden retriever, friendly, easy-going, “it” boy, someone Cath could never see herself falling for.

• Overwhelmed- Another song about anxiety, which is very prevalent in this book.

And last but not least..we have an honorable mention from Lyla:

• Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reed

  • Twin Sized Mattress by the Front Bottoms

Ok, that’s all I have for you guys today. I’ve been composing this list for such a long time and I will forever be associating songs with books. (Part 2, anyone?) Seriously, anytime a song popped in my head that related to one of these books I would stop whatever I’m doing to add it to the list. SO yeah I hope you liked this post! One more week of school left to go and then I’m free! See ya guys in the next one <3