I received an advanced copy of this book and am leaving this review voluntarily.

This concept is amazing and it was executed beautifully. I loved that the author broke down the thematic and literary components of the lyrics, rather than theorizing about the subject of the songs. Will definitely have to show this to people who don't believe that Taylor Swift is a poet.

this book offers great analysis on some of taylor's songs. even as a big swiftie, i have gained some new perspective on a few songs, such as coney island and chloe et al. if the author ever does another book on some other songs, i'd definitely be interested in checking it out for sure!

I'm so glad I found this book randomly because it offered such great insights into Taylor Swift's lyricism. I love how the chapters are laid out, and I was so happy to see little illustrations that matched each era. I'm not by any means a poet, so I would never have been able to dissect Taylor's lyrics like the author did! I really like that all the annotations look handwritten! I hope that someone is able to get this book into Taylors hands one day because she would 100% approve!

This book is a must-read for all Swifties but also lovers of literature!
Dr. Elly McCausland starts by introducing the readers to the reasoning behind this book and shows that it really makes sense (and how important it is) to understand and not underestimate Swift's art of writing. Over these 240 pages, we're taken on a beautiful literary journey of discovering the depth of numerous songs from Taylor Swift's eleven albums. The author thoroughly describes how she approached the annotation and understanding of these presented songs, and does it most eloquently. For each song included in the book, we get lyrics with annotations (clean and aesthetically pleasing) and analysis. Moreover, the pages at the beginning of each chapter have great designs!
For additional reading pleasure, this book provides us with a list of literary works that can be connected with Taylor Swift's lyrics. In the end, we can also find a glossary of literary terms, which is great, as the language used throughout the book is very advanced and professional.

This book was really interesting! I think that some Analysis could have been a little deeper. But it was so fun to dive into Taylor Swift's songs, in a poetic prespective.
Review on Instagram to come soon

I found this book very entertaining and informative. The format was fun to follow, with annotated songs as though they were handwritten in a notebook, followed by a proper recap. It felt like being back at university and studying literary texts. I particularly enjoyed discovering all the interconnections between songs across Swift's oeuvre, besides learning and/or remembering all the technical terms (thanks for the glossary!).
If a lot of the author's comments seemed substantial and enlightening, I found others to be quite speculative and far-reaching. But as any piece of writing, it's always open to interpretation, because we aren't in Taylor's head, so we'll never really fully know what she truly meant, which is why these texts resonate so well with so many. The conclusion is a great reminder of this, these texts are all ours now.

I’ve always known that there’s so much more behind a song’s lyrics than just the words we hear. And when it comes to Taylor Swift, this book proves that her ability to weave layers of meaning and emotion into her music is nothing more than genius. I went into this book hoping it would offer something special, an extra look into the words. It definitely did!

If you’re a Swiftie or just someone who appreciates powerful poetic writing (the reason I personally like Taylor Swift), this book is an absolute must-read. It’s a perfect deep dive into the art of Taylor Swift’s lyrics and will leave you with an even greater appreciation for her work.

This book contains songs from Taylor Swift, and the writer of this book tries to capture the depth and complexity of Taylor’s songwriting. It’s done beautifully, both because of the design of this book and the thoughts/notes that are written out.
This book is an eye-opening journey through her lyrics, unpacking the sentences and words in a way that makes you realize there’s even more going on behind the lyrics than you might have already imagined there was. To see her craft laid out like this, accompanied with notes that tell you the meaning behind things, makes you feel more connected to the words.

The notes and the explaining texts are all very clear and good to follow without needing to grow a second brain - which is sometimes the case with poetic studies of texts like this.

Again, I definitely recommend this book!

I really enjoyed this break down and analysis of Taylor's songs. I've always thought she is a great poet and loved this look at her lyrics that were shown more as poetry than songs. It's a fun read!

One of my FAVORITE things about listening to Taylor Swift is really digging into the imagery, metaphors and themes of her lyrics and Stars Around My Scars is a perfect companion to that hobby. From her debut album all the way to The Tortured Poets Department, Dr. Elly McCausland takes us on a lyrical journey through some of Taylor’s most lyrically vivid songs such as Love Story, Marjorie, You’re On Your Own, Kid and So Long, London. With her own notes in the margins, she points out poetic and literary devices, possible inspirations and recurring themes that we see throughout Taylor’s musical catalog. I think any Swiftie would enjoy this book, but especially ones who are major literature and poetry lovers. Keep in mind, all of the thoughts in this book are her own interpretation. It was fun to read some of the notes and see where my thoughts differed from hers and where they were the same. All in all, I enjoyed this book so much and honestly would not mind a part two with more interpretations of other songs.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was such an intriguing deep-dive into the literary and symbolic meanings behind Taylor’s songs, from throughout her career so far. As a fan of her work over the past sixteen years. I found myself gaining insights I had never really considered before. Highly recommended for any Swifties!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the eARC, in exchange for my honest review!

This book is so cool! I’ma huge Swiftie and love analyzing Taylor’s lyrics so this book is perfect! I cannot wait to gift this fun book to all of the fellow Swifties in my life! I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

As a Swiftie, I could not, not get this! It really breaks down line for line of her lyrics and creates more understanding and meaning. Some of the analysis was kind of a given, but there was a lot that made you realize what the lyrics actually mean. Would recommend to my fellow Swifties

I loved this. As a big swiftie I really REALLY enjoyed reading this book and looking at all the annotations. I will definitely recommend this to all swifties who are hiding their tortured poets inside. This is the perfect book

Awesome book for anyone who loves Taylor Swift and is interested in learning more and reading into her lyrics as poetry. Stays away from the headlines of who each song is about (mostly) and highlights devices she uses and interesting things about each song.

For the Swifties, romantics, and poets.
This book is a collection of select songs from Taylor Swift's albums and breaks down each stanza with great analysis and commentary, and shows how deep and meaningful each song is.
Hoping this book is one of many.

As someone who studied English and reads extensively, this was a bit elementary. However, I do plan to buy this for my young daughters!

It's a beautiful book that would make a great gift for a younger Swiftie.

I love T.Swift. I loved the notes and comments on my favorite songs! This is something I feel I would continue to come back to and enjoy.

Long story short: I LOVE this book! This is a must haves for all Swifties who love to dive in and analyze all of her lyrics and patterns within Taylor Swift’s songwriting. In a world where there are sooooo many books based on our favorite pop star, this one offers a unique insight that goes beyond surface level discussions of style and impact, but deep dives into what we love most about Taylor: her music. I loved the insightful notes and details, such as the semantic details and vocabulary related to crime in Reputation, reasons for her use of repetition in certain areas, and the role that rhythm played into the narrative of Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince. I enjoyed all of these little details and Easter eggs and cannot wait to read thru this again with my daughter who is the original Swiftie in our household. Bravo! My only disappointment is that it isn’t available before Christmas!

This is fascinating! There are so many books out there with Taylor Swift as a focus, but most of them feel like a cash grab, this one does not at all! It's well researched and by an expert in the field. As a lover of the English language and Tay, I can say this is a perfect addition to any study of her works. It makes me wish I could take the classes on her!

A fun and analytical take to Taylor’s lyrics and what might be the underlying tones and meanings behind them.