Recommended Reads For Every Song In Red (Taylor’s Version)

I’ve been trying to figure out the perfect way to do a round-up for all the wonderful books I’ve been reading this year. When Red (Taylor’s Version) came out, I figured, why not make a list of recommended reads for every song in the album? Whether you’re looking for a book to rip your heart to shreds while you listen to “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” or a book to fill your heart up with all the warm, fuzzy feelings of love while you listen to “Come Back…Be Here,” here are YA and Adult Contemporary/Romance reads to fit whatever vibe you’re looking for.

1. “State Of Grace”What’s Not To Love by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka

Love really does become a ruthless game when two academic rivals start falling for each other after they’re forced to work together to plan a high school reunion.

2. “Red”The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

In this workplace enemies to lovers, they start to realize they’ve always walked a thin line between love and hate and their love is obviously, burning red.

3. “Treacherous” Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon

It’s a little treacherous to fall for an academic rival, but that won’t stop two long-time rivals from seeing a new side to each other and eventually falling for each other on the very last day of high school.

4. “I Knew You Were Trouble”Heartbreak For Hire by Sonia Hartl

Working as professional heartbreaker is sure to bring trouble…especially when a former target, who she recklessly hooked up with while he was a target, becomes her new co-worker.

5. “All Too Well”The Summer I Turned Pretty Trilogy by Jenny Han

Over three summers, she’s torn by the love of two brothers and always finds herself drawn to the one she gave up on. She remembers the love and heartbreak of first loves all too well.

6. “22” Again, But Better by Christine Riccio

During her study abroad program in London, she gets to feel the misery of being happy, free, confused, and lonely in her twenties and magically gets to live through the experience twice!

7. “I Almost Do”Love Your Life by Sophie Kinsella

They meet at a writer’s retreat under the disguise of alter egos, only to find out they are majorly incompatible in real life. But that won’t stop them from almost wanting to try again with each other more than once.

8. “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”Heartbreakers & Fakers by Cameron Lund

They start to fake date to get their exes back, but when they start to fall for each other instead, it’s clear they are never ever, ever, ever getting back together with their exes.

9. “Stay Stay Stay” Love, Rosie by Cecilia Ahern

These childhood best friends never quite get the timing of their romantic relationship right until much later in life, but still stay stay stay in each others lives through everything.

10. “The Last Time”Fireworks by Katie Cotugno

She learns the heartbreaking truth that sometimes your life-long best friend is the only person who can truly break your heart in the blink of an eye.

11. “Holy Ground”You Have A Match by Emma Lord

Meeting her secret sister and falling for her best friend has its major ups and downs, but they have a summer worth dancing for all the craziness that they’ve been through.

12. “Sad Beautiful Tragic”The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

They were once enemies from a misunderstanding, now they’re falling in love. But the train runs off its tracks after their impromptu vacation is over, and they have to see if they truly work in their non-vacation, real lives.

13. “The Lucky One”Like A Love Song by Gabriela Martins

Celebrities are meant to be the lucky ones, but after a brutal televised breakup, she fakes a relationship to change the headlines and then falls for her faux beau, who wants nothing to do with the pitfalls of fame in Hollywood.

14. “Everything Has Changed” People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry

Estranged best friends go on their traditional yearly vacation together to try to navigate their strained relationship since the last vacation they took. In the process, they start to fall in love, ensuring everything has changed in their relationship.

15. “Starlight”Sunkissed by Kasie West

Joining a band over the summer after a brutal breakup is a little crazy and wild, but it ends up being the best summer of her life, when she makes new friends, falls in love, and finds her voice participating in a music festival.

16. “Begin Again”Always Never Yours by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka

Being the girl all her exes dated before they found their person, she thinks all love ever does is break, burn, and end, until she meets the guy who might simply be her person.

17. “The Moment I Knew”The Best Laid Plans by Cameron Lund

She’s standing there in her party dress and wearing red lipstick, but there’s one thing missing… because she’s at prom with the wrong guy.

18. “Come Back…Be Here”Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson

Missing a friendship is stronger than missing a love. Tired of missing her best friend when she leaves town suddenly, a girl completes the bucket list her best friend left behind for her in attempt to feel close to her again.

19. “Girl At Home”What’s Not To Like by Marisa Kanter

She feels like she can’t compete with the cooler girl he’s got online, even though that girl is secretly her book blogger alter ego. If he finds out she’s two-thirds of this crazy love triangle, she worries he’ll prefer her alter ego to the real her.

20. “State Of Grace (Acoustic Version)”Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

She never saw his love coming, but their time is cut short. Again. And Again. And Again. She’ll never be the same…considering she keeps reliving the day of her death until she does the right thing.

21. “Ronan”Rockstar Ronan

This song honors the memory of Ronan, who passed from cancer three days before his fourth birthday. No other story should overshadow the true story behind this song. So, if you want a recommendation for this song, I suggest reading about Maya Thompson’s best four years in her beautiful blog remembering her son, Ronan. Her blog inspired Taylor Swift to write the song, so there’s no better recommendation that could be given for this song.

22. “Better Man”Beach Read by Emily Henry

She’s struggling after learning of her late father’s affair and wishes he were a better man. When she runs into her college nemesis while packing up her father’s summer home, she begins to fall in love with him and figures out he’s a much better man than she ever gave him credit for.

23. “Nothing New”The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon

She’s feeling stuck in the job she’s had for a decade and he’s a fresh masters in journalism graduate. When they pretend to be exes in a radio show and start to fall for each other, she wonders if he’ll still want her when she’s nothing new and he moves up the journalism ranks.

24. “Babe”Prince Charming by Rachel Hawkins

It’s a royal disaster, with many secret and unrequited loves and fake dating, not to mention an upcoming royal wedding. It’s safe to say they ain’t getting through this one, babe, without some exposed secrets and heartbreak.

25. “Message In A Bottle”One Way Or Another by Kara McDowell

She’s in love with her best friend, reaching for him terrified. He’s been dating other girls, and looking for a rom-com type love. She’s hoping he finally realizes she’s the rom-com ending he dreams of.

26. “I Bet You Think About Me”9 Days & 9 Nights by Katie Cotugno

When two exes run into each other post-breakup while on vacation with their new significant others, they start to realize the love they were looking for is the love they once had.

27. “Forever Winter”The Map Of Tiny Perfect Things by Lev Grossman

She got them stuck in a time loop by repressing her grief because she’s too young to know life gets better. He shows her there’s a life worth living outside the time loop and helps her through her grief so they can finally escape the time loop.

28. “Run”The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

When scandal rocks her life, she has to abandon her carefully curated summer plans. Running from it all for the summer is exactly what she needs to find fun in the unexpected, in love, and in life.

29. “The Very First Night”Top Ten by Katie Cotugno

These unlikely friends weren’t trying to fall in love, but when they did, they didn’t know they might have to break each other’s hearts to save their friendship.

30. “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)”99 Days by Katie Cotugno

In this love triangle, she and one brother are always breaking each other like promises. This summer, her new relationship with the other brother was a masterpiece before she tore it all up in a misguided attempt to win back the love of the other brother, even though that relationship is too far gone to save.

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