The exact romance novel you should read based on your favourite Taylor Swift era

Speak Now is famously the first record written entirely by Taylor Swift and packed with absolute classics that detail every moment of a love affair, from the first glance across a crowded room to infatuation all the way through to the agony of a break up. No one writes romance quite like Mhairi McFarlane and You Belong With Me, the story of ordinary girl Edie and her superstar boyfriend, Eliot, is one of my favourites of all her books. Equally smart, sensitive and hilarious, we feel every single one of Edie’s emotions, and just like with Taylor Swift’s records, after reading one of McFarlane’s books, you’ll be a devoted fan forever.

Apologies for the self-inclusion but like Taylor, I’m a shameless self-promoter and my latest novel, Love Story is my own personal Red (Lindsey’s Version). Sophie has written a bestselling romance novel but no-one knows. She’s afraid of what people will think, afraid of how it will change her life, and, after a painful breakup with a man who hides away to find his piece of mind with a book that much cooler than hers, she’s afraid to fall in love. But when she meets Joe (on a Wednesday, in a restaurant), it’s hate at first sight until the two of them end up stuck together for an entire weekend at a family party and she starts to realise he isn’t quite what she imagined. Both Love Story and Red tell stories about a woman coming into her own, finding her own identity and allowing herself to dare to love again, with a sense of fun and freedom sprinkled in to keep up the pace.

Love Story is published on 4th July

1989 showcased Swift’s pop music creds with catchy songs and boppable beats that could almost have been written to soundtrack Nick and Norah’s adventures around New York City. Rachel Cohn and David Levithan came together to write this dual POV YA classic, set over the course of one fateful evening and combines several of my favourite tropes, friend-to-lovers, fake dating, and no end of shenanigans, to create a timeless story I’ve come back to again and again. The humour, the banter, and the flirty energy are a perfect match for 1989’s downtown party vibes.

Is there anything Ali Hazelwood can’t do? One of my favourite writers (and fellow Swiftie), has written on of the most compelling – and sexy – books of the year. Rue and Eli should hate each other – they’re enemies, on the opposite side of a hostile takeover – but not even their complicated pasts or conflicting feelings can contain their sizzling chemistry. A book about a venture capitalist and introverted microbiologist might not scream spice but you’re going to have to trust me on this. It’s a book all about big reputations, coming to terms with your past and the emotional injuries that hold us back as much as the power of undeniable sexual attraction. If you’re a 'Dress' fan, a 'Delicate; devotee, or you’ve ever heard 'Don’t Blame Me' and wished it was a story, Not In Love is the book for you.

You might not immediately connect Taylor’s most unabashedly romantic record and a book about a woman who meets her soulmate in the waiting room for the afterlife but you’re just going to have to trust me. Lover celebrates a relationship that feels safe and nurturing (at the time of writing), and Swift shouts her happiness from the rooftop. Kirsty Greenwood’s novel has the same-in-love-with-being-in-love energy, her heroine, Delphie, throwing herself head first into the pursuit of her soulmate after twenty-seven years of keeping herself safely on the shelf. Things may have soured between Taylor and her London Boy but Delphie’s will make your toes curl and your heart burst in all the right ways.

The Folklore era really requires us to get into our feelings and no one has ever been more in their feelings than the characters of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights. Both works share a love triangle, endless metaphors, and there’s plenty of resentment and well-earned female rage evident. The way heartbreak ripples through the years is in evidence in both the generational trauma of the Earnshaw family as well as songs like 'My Tears Ricochet', and seriously, can’t you just see a modern-day Cathy and Heathcliff sat in their respective rooms, listening to 'Exile' over and over until the words lose all meaning?

Bestselling author Paige Toon has openly said the plot of Seven Summers was inspired by '‘Tis The Damn Season' and the Evermore vibes echo through this story of a famous singer and the girl he left behind. 'Goldrush', 'Ivy' and 'Coney Island' all soundtrack this emotional story set over seven important summers of Liv’s life and the complicated love stories she shares with Finn and Tom. Set against the rugged Cornwall coast, just like Swift’s ninth album, it’s an emotional rollercoaster – raw, real and romantic.

When Midnights dropped, Swifties seized onto the romance of songs like 'Lavender Haze' and 'Sweet Nothing' but with new context, bonus tracks and repeated listening, the fun pop record became something much more layered and complex, delving into not just a long-time love affair but the beginning of the end of one. Seven Days in June is an equally complex story that approaches its sensitive subject matter with the utmost care and craftmanship. Bestselling author, Tia Williams, has written a gorgeously layered book that explores the complicated love affair between NYC writers, Eva and Shane, exploring the brief time they spent together as teenagers and their reconnection after unexpectedly meeting again as adults. The writing is beautiful and the story is as deeply sensual as it is emotional but be warned, this one will break your heart in the best way.

At this point, an Emily Henry book incites almost the same level of fevered anticipation as a Taylor Swift record so it makes sense that her latest bestseller, Funny Story, sits so comfortably next to Taylor’s latest drop, The Tortured Poet’s Department. Known for her lightness of touch, compelling storytelling and deeply relatable characters, Funny Story is a little more bittersweet than some of Henry’s other offerings, just like TTPD, beginning with devastating heartbreak and going on to – spoiler alert – discover new love. Daphne’s story is funny but it’s also heartwarming, funny, sexy and emotional, all the hallmarks of an EmHen classic.

Love Story by Lindsey Kelk (HarperFiction), will be published 4th July