Welcome back for Part 2 in our Taylor Swift Book Genres Mashup! This time we’ll be moving on from the bright-eyed innocence of Taylor’s earliest albums and into the harder edge of her mid-list. These albums span the mid-twenties age of our favorite songstress, and anyone who spent ample time in the dating pool in their mid-twenties will likely be absolutely unsurprised at the genre shifts we’re dealing with here.
So put “All Too Well” (the full version) on repeat, grab a beverage, and buckle up for this Taylor Swift book genre rundown. We’re going in…
(Note: You will see a trend of romance genres in here…that should not surprise anyone, given the topic! We love all genres at LitJoy, not just those we’ve named!)
Red (Taylor’s Version) x Romantic Suspense
Maybe it’s my own mid-twenties dating experiences influencing this, but of all her albums, there’s always been something about Red that screams romantic suspense.
Hear me out. So many of the songs in this album have a sneaky twist to them. A starlet struggling to stay in the spotlight. An ex who won’t stop calling. A relationship that won’t let go. And am I the only one who feels like there’s something a tad obsessive about that red scarf?!
Suspense bridges genres like thriller and mystery, and we get hints of both in Red. It's Taylor Swift, so the romantic overtones are still there, but there’s something underneath that feels a little darker, and much more surprising.
Romantic Suspense Books that Remind Us of Red (Taylor's Version):
Never Never by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher
Colleen Hoover’s books have become social media gold, and while she leads with romance (like Swift), she also plays in a variety of genres. Tarryn Fisher is a queen in the thriller genre, mesmerizing readers with her twists and turns. These two came together for Never Never, and the result? A gripping, twisting romantic mystery that screams Red vibes.
Much of Never Never is based around recovering lost memories of a former relationship and realizing that maybe all was not well in that romantic past. Red shares this introspective nature of looking back and finding the flaws where there were once flowers.
- Red song to pair with Never Never: “Sad Beautiful Tragic”
My Killer Vacation by Tessa Bailey
Bailey’s foray into suspense is heavy on the romance and steam, with just enough intrigue to qualify it for the genre—much like Red. A buttoned-up super sweet school teacher finds a body and then proceeds to fall for the gruff bad boy who comes to solve the murder mystery? Say less.
While this isn’t your standard twisty, turny thriller fare, it’s still a whole lot of fun. The light-hearted take on romantic suspense feels like the perfect match for Taylor’s take on a bit of twisty story-telling.
- Red song to pair with My Killer Vacation: “Treacherous”
Other romantic suspense books to pair with Red (Taylor’s Version):
- The Housemaid by Freida McFadden (The Housemaid #1)
- Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chien (Noodle Shop Mystery #1)
- Closer Than You Think by Karen Rose (The Cincinnati Series #1)
*A little whisper from between the shelves told us that LitJoy might be delving into suspense sometime soon...but shhhh, you didn't hear it here!
1989 (Taylor’s Version) x Romantic Comedy
I’ve always felt 1989 was the moment where Taylor got a bit irreverent about her own fame. She plays in this album, keeping the romantic high points but also tossing in some tongue-in-cheek poking at her own reputation with lines like, “Got a long list of ex-lovers, they’ll tell you I’m insane.”
This mix of self-inflicted humor and the heady passion found in songs like “Wildest Dreams,” mixed with the drama of this being her “Bad Blood” era, makes rom-com a clear cut genre for 1989! In what other era can you find such a solid mix of romance and humor?
And just like a good rom-com, this album is utterly bingeable—when it ends, you just want to start back at the beginning again!
Romantic Comedy Books that Remind Us of 1989 (Taylor’s Version):
The Pairing by Casey McQuiston
The Pairing has everything we want from a rom-com: second chance romance, forced proximity, banter, laughs…what’s not to love? It mixes humor and romance in a way that is thoroughly satisfying, and would effortlessly pair with a soundtrack of songs from 1989 (Taylor's Version).
Theo and Kit’s European adventure is downright fun, and watching these estranged exes try to deny their resurging feelings for each other while competing in a hook-up challenge? Utter delight. This back and forth runs the gamut from regretful breakup songs like “All You Had to Do Was Stay” all the way to her most beloved romance hits.
- 1989 song to pair with The Pairing: “You Are in Love”
**Want to take home this stunning hardcover edition of The Pairing? It’s still available in our shop…get it before it’s gone!
The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest (The Greene Sisters #1)
A shy bookworm strikes up a conversation via email with her favorite author, but is ghosted when she starts to think it might be something more. Months later, her gorgeous new neighbor, who is that same author, unbeknownst to her, agrees to help her get a date…only to realize that she’s the girl he fell in love with via email. Seriously?! That just sounds like a Taylor Swift song waiting to happen!
The will-they-won’t-they vibes, the girl with big dreams, the falling in love over email all fit seamlessly into the rom-com nature of 1989. And, even better, it’s just the first in a series of rom-coms that would fit the bill!
- 1989 song to pair with The Neighbor Favor: “How You Get the Girl”
Other romantic comedy books to pair with 1989 (Taylor’s Version):
- The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
- Book Lovers by Emily Henry
- Meant to Be series by Julie Murphy, Jasmine Guillory, Zoraida Córdova, and Christina Lauren
Reputation x Mafia Romance
There’s no doubt about it…Taylor Swift’s Reputation was a reckoning, and we cannot wait for her to reclaim it with Reputation (Taylor's Version). After weathering all the hate that came with growing into an adult in the public eye, she ran out of patience. Long gone was the picture perfect country princess; instead, we got a Taylor who was…well? Pissed off.
The beats were harder and the words sharp as knives, so it should surprise no one that I’m dubbing Reputation her mafia romance era. Proceed with caution.
Mafia romance generally centers on at least one character from the underbelly of organized crime, and it often adds a more “innocent” character who learns to navigate the darker side of the world. At its heart, the themes are usually about facing your past head on, healing from your trauma, and walking into your future on your own terms. Oh, and lots of revenge. Sound familiar?
*Mafia romance is a subgenre of dark romance. These books often tackle difficult subjects. Content Warnings are your friends!
Mafia Romance Books that Remind Us of Reputation:
The Never After series by Emily McIntire
What do you get when you take just the barest hint of beloved fairy tales, stick them in the world of organized crime families, and let the villain find their happy ending? The Never After series! Just like our pop princess went dark, these are not your mama’s fairy tales—which makes this series the perfect pairing for Reputation.
There’s an utterly satisfying thruline here between Taylor Swift’s revenge album and fractured fairy tales. This one plays like her villain origin story. That said, the spice is SPICY and revenge is very literal in each of these books, so check those triggers before taking a walk on the dark side!
- Reputation song to pair with The Never After series: “King of My Heart”
Queens and Monsters series by J.T. Geissinger
On a scale of hot to volcano, we’re playing The Floor is Lava with this series, my friends. Holding all the angst and rage we find in Reputation and pairing it with some unsuspecting characters who harness their own dark sides along the way, the Queens and Monsters series reads like “...Ready for It?” could be playing in the background.
This complete series starts with Ruthless Creatures. It takes us on a journey from charming suburbia deep into the realm of organized crime over the course of four books. These are spicy, fast-paced reads, and they utterly match the energy of our favorite songstress’s Reputation era.
- Reputation song to pair with the Queens and Monsters series: “Look What You Made Me Do”
Other mafia romance books to pair with Reputation:
- The Toxic Paradise series by Marie Maravilla
- Leather & Lark by Brynne Weaver (The Ruinous Love Trilogy #2)
- Chicago Ruthless series by Sadie Kincaid
**Love roundups like these? Check out our recent LitJoy Staff Picks: Summer Reading List and more right here on the LitJoy Lounge! And just in case you missed it, here’s Part 1 of our Taylor Swift x Book Genres Mashup .
Thanks for joining us for another deep dive into the many genres of Taylor Swift! The next few albums are pure magic, so keep an eye on the Lounge for Part 3 of our Taylor Swift x Book Genres Mashup series!
What do you think of our choices? Think we're spot on, or have your own thoughts? Let us know in the comments below!
*As a reminder, we at LitJoy care about your emotional well-being, and highly recommend checking for trigger warnings when starting any new book. We hope you'll do so for any and all of our book recommendation roundups. Your mental health comes first!
