✨ The Vibes ✨
English lit class if it focused on Taylor Swift

📖 Read if…
✨ You’re a Swiftie
✨ English was your favorite subject in school
✨ You like digging into the deeper meaning behind songs

Analyzing Taylor Swift’s music is nothing new for her fans, but Elly McCausland’s Stars Around My Scars offers a new perspective on that favorite fan pastime.

McCausland is a professor of English lit and throughout the book, she applies textual analysis to some of Swift’s most popular songs. She doesn’t focus on the who of the song or speculate about Swift’s love life, but rather takes an analytical approach to evaluating Swift’s writing, highlighting different techniques and devices she uses in her writing.

While it’s not salacious or groundbreaking, as a fan of Swift’s music, I found this to be an interesting read and it gave me new appreciation for Swift’s talent as a writer. And seeing the songs annotated helped give new light to songs I’ve been listening to for years.

Books like these can be tough as they don’t often break new ground for hardcore fans, but I can safely say that even the most passionate of Swifties will enjoy this book as they count down the days to Reputation (Taylor’s Version).

Stars Around My Scars is available now. Thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really fun read! As a longtime Swiftie, it was really interesting to see the author's insights and analysis. McCausland went in depth without being overwhelming, which allows for the book to be accessible for younger readers, and those not as familiar with the process of literary analysis. I think this would be a great resource for secondary teachers looking to engage their students in poetry analysis, or as the basis for an assignment. I really enjoyed the format of this book, that included "in text" analysis (highlighting terms and literary devices used in Taylor's songs right on the text of the songs themselves) as well as separate analysis and commentary. Proceeding through songs in chronological album order was a great idea, and gives a roadmap for the growth of Taylor's writing. While, it would have been a giant undertaking for the author to include every one of Taylor's songs, I would have enjoyed a bit of commentary about why the author selected the songs they did for analysis. Overall, a really great read for Swifties and literary/poetry enthusiasts alike!

As a Swiftie who studied English in college, this was right up my alley. Since Taylor has a pretty extensive catalogue of songs by now, this only covers a fraction of them, mainly focusing on either her more well-loved ones or the obviously more poetic ones in nature. It was an interesting read and fun to see some of the author's own interpretations, but a lot of it wasn't really anything new or groundbreaking. I'd recommend though as a nice gift for a superfan.

In this book, the reader gets a closer look at the songwriting of one of the world's greatest musical artists, Taylor Swift.

A book I didn't know I needed but desperately loved! Literally my *only* complaint is that it wasn't longer. Ha. I want Taylor's entire discography annotated, pls.

But seriously what an amazing collection of annotations from knowledgeable
professor of "Swifterature" Dr. Elly McCausland. We're blessed with a deep dive into Taylor's songwriting from a poetry lens, and I love the insights we gain into the truly gifted craft of Taylor Swift. Line by line, image by image, we're taught new elements of literature Taylor uses that allow us to see her songs and her work in new and magical ways. It made me appreciate poetry more, and I became even MORE in awe of Taylor's songwriting gift.

I loved this collection of deep dives and the chance to revel in Taylor's one-of-a-kind craft. As a literature and writing nerd, I loved learning how word choice, syntax, imagery, and poetic technique come together to create these songs and stories we love so much. Taylor's work, more than almost any other singer/songwriter I know, deserves and warrants this close reading and in-depth analysis. I absolutely loved this.

Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. STARS AROUND MY SCARS is out now! Seriously, Swifties need this.

This book would be a great tool for anyone looking to learn how to analyze poetry. I enjoyed the breakdowns and annotation of various Taylor Swift songs! Great for any literary swifty.

As someone who is constantly praising Swift’s songwriting, I have to say that this project talked to me on a deep level. The book is very accessible for people who don’t know much about poetry studies but want to decipher Swift’s songwriting, but felt a bit less academic than I had wished as a result. I would have liked maybe a few more in-depth analyses for some of the chosen songs, or that some of the annotation had been developed further in the following analysis. I understand the idea of making this accessible, but this was not what I had expected to find in this book.
I was also disappointed by some of the song choices and the fact that the lyrics were treated as just poetry, rather than acknowledging the fact that the music plays an important part in giving meaning to the words.
I still enjoyed this dive into TS’s lyrics, but it felt me hungry for more in the end.

This may be one of my absolute favorite unofficial Taylor Swift books that has been released. I have only been a swiftie since November 2023, but her music speaks to my soul and I love being able to interpret it to my life.

So when I came across Stars Around My Scars, I was intrigued to read other views and interpretations of her music. and this one was just absolutely perfection.

The only downside was that it wasn't all of the songs and I seriously want ALL of the songs interpreted in this manner.

This was also a book that I had to immediately buy as soon as pub day arrived - it's definitely one that deserves to be read as a physical.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the e-arc in exchange of my honest review.

Fun read for Taylor Swift fans. Loved the poetic breakdown of her songs. Thank you NetGalley for providing me with the arc of this book.

I loved how this book went through so many songs and lyrics and dissected each one and the poetry of it. I will say it felt like the little summaries after only some of the songs were overkill. They just said the same thing the annotated notes said. But overall very enjoyable..

Stars Around My Scars is a literary analysis of Taylor Swift lyrics. It's an interesting analysis of song lyrics as poetry.

Arc Review:
Overall Rating: 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cover Rating: 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Stars Around My Scars: The Annotated Poetry of Taylor Swift. I’ve never read a book where they analyze the lyrics in a song so this was a totally new experience for me but still an enjoyable one. The annotations were easy to follow along with, and the breakdown of everything was good, you got to see how the author analyzed the lyrics from metaphors, to symbolism, and just the evolution of Taylor herself. I enjoyed reading this and getting to experience a different side of Taylor’s songs and lyrics.

Thank you NetGalley

This book is an accessible and thorough look at Taylor Swift’s songs, though it doesn’t cover every track. It’s definitely geared toward big Swiftie fans, offering deep dives into lyrics and themes. While I appreciated the analysis, some annotations felt more like opinions than fact. I would have loved more references to Taylor’s own interviews where she confirms song meanings. Overall, it’s a solid read, but I found myself wanting a little more.

Very engaging and interesting read. Very well developed and ambitious. Will be recommending to library collection and patrons.

I approached Stars Around My Scars with an open mind, first because I appreciate and enjoy Swift's songwriting and second because I found this project to be truly fascinating. In the end, I have to say that this left me slightly disappointed, it had the potential to be so much more than it ended up being.

Stars Around My Scars: The Annotated Poetry of Taylor Swift by Dr. Elly McCausland

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

Whew! I feel like I’ve earned my English degree after reading this one! 😳 I sure did enjoy it, though.

Dr. McCausland takes us on a journey through 46 of the most poetic songs in Taylor Swift’s discography, going line by line, breaking them down, dissecting them, and pulling out the meat within.

As a Swiftie myself, I am no stranger to the poetic nature of Taylor’s writing. I have always been a fan of her storytelling and lyricism, relating to her more than any other artist in the field. From my first listen of her debut album in second grade all the way to her most recent release, The Tortured Poets Department (TTPD), I have recognized the genius of the writer that is Taylor Swift, and thus why I enjoyed this annotation so much.

Dr. McCausland does a brilliant job breaking Taylor’s writing down into even more detail than I as a devoted fan have ever noticed. She links songs together across multiple albums, draws connections to literature I had never considered, and points out hidden Easter eggs in songs I’ve heard a million times. I truly enjoyed the opportunity to consider Swift’s writing in a new and exciting way.

This annotation is a bit wordy and does have some complex terms in it, however, McCausland has helpfully provided a glossary that explains some of the more challenging terminology in the back of the book.

As with any poetry anthology, I prefer to take my time reading. I have found that rushing through poetry makes it difficult to fully grasp the meaning layered throughout. You might pick up something new with each read through. That’s precisely why I took my time with this one. I wanted to be able to sit with the words and really marinate in their depth. I personally don’t see this book as a collection that could be read in one sitting, at least without only scratching the surface of the content and missing the heart of the matter. It would be doing the book a true disservice.

While I primarily read fiction, namely romance and fantasy, I do love to pick up a book of poetry every now and then to stay on my toes. I feel like there is such a plethora of knowledge to be gleaned from poetry, and I have noticed that I always come away with a stronger grasp on my feelings and emotions than when I went in.

I truly enjoyed this annotation and think Dr. McCausland did a brilliant job dissecting Taylor’s catalog.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dr. Elly McCausland, and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions shared are my own!

This review will be posted on Goodreads, Amazon, and Instagram in the coming days, and this review will be updated with the subsequent links.

This was a beautifully and well written fan focused in depth analysis of the deeper meaning, craftsmanship, and literary connections of 46 of Taylor Swifts' most celebrated and favorite songs from during her 11 album career. As a huge Swifty, I highly enjoyed and recommend reading.

This was beautiful. If you’re a swiftie, or even if you’re not, you should know that Taylor Swift is extremely poetic with her writing. Her lyrics hold more than one might think upon first listen and this book captures that perfectly.

It breaks down the lyrics, their meaning, potential alternative meaning, connections to other songs, etc. i think every Taylor Swift fan or non-Taylor Swift fan will enjoy this book as it really helps to connect the reader to Swift’s lyrics on a deeper level through understanding of their meaning.

A delightful delve into Taylor's discography. A must read for any fan of analyzing literature/poetry (and a great review of figurative language and poetic devices).

A must have for any swiftie!!

This book gives a deep dive into some of Taylor's best lyrics. I love her songwriting and it was really interesting to see her lyrics annotated and analysed. As someone who did English a level, this was very much up my street.

The analysis often gives a deeper meaning to the lyrics, encouraging you to see the song in a whole new light.

Loved it!!