Were some of y’all worried that I wasn’t going to have Part Two up as promised? Because, I’ll be honest, I was a little bit even though I already had all the song match ups ready to go. These posts are just so involved! But I’m so excited to be finishing out Midnights with eleven more song and book pairings because we also have “Hits Different” from the Target Deluxe edition. So, without further ado, let’s dive in!
Karma
Key Lyrics: Karma’s a relaxing thought / Aren’t you envious that for you it’s not?
Okay, so hear me out. In The Fiancée Farce, Trent, or whatever his name is, is an absolutely terrible human being and he uses his “power” to try and intimidate both Gemma and Tansy. But he doesn’t succeed and, with the power of romance, karma is definitely on someone’s side and let’s just say it’s not the one who doesn’t keep his side of the street clean. And then in All Rhodes Lead Here, Aurora’s ex and his mother are both pretty awful and once again, karma is on someone’s side and it is not theirs. I love this book. I need to re-read it. Anyways…
Sweet Nothing
Key Lyrics: I find myself running home to your sweet nothings
Outside, they’re push and shoving
You’re in the kitchen humming
All that you ever wanted from me was sweet nothing
Essentially, each of these books has outside forces that are pressing in on the couple that is at the center of the book so it seems like these three fit so well. And I really appreciated that about all three of these. They’re lovely!
Mastermind
Key Lyrics: What if I told you I’m a mastermind? / And now you’re mine /It was all by design /’Cause I’m a mastermind
So, if we’re being honest, A Wicked Game and Rock Hard fit this so well, except it is the man who is the mastermind. But they’re both delightful in very different ways. (Also, actually, Rock Hard would work for “Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve because content warning for past domestic violence.) And then Mixed Signals just… fits because I said so more than anything else. I mean, Caleb was really out here TRYING to be a mastermind. And I love him. So just read all three of these and also leave me your recommendations down below!!
The Great War
Key Lyrics: My hand was the one you reached for / All throughout the Great War / Always remember / Uh-huh, tears on the letter / I vowed not to cry anymore / If we survived the Great War
Obviously, The Serpent & The Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent is the one that probably best fits a literal connection to war, but honestly, each of these books deals with characters/couples who survive something together that feels like a whole lot. And when you look at it like that, I could honestly give you even more books. But for example, in Compromised into a Scandalous Marriage, our main female character’s brother is a horrible human being and they survive all of his devious machinations. In How to Fake it in Hollywood, they survive some pretty intense invasions of privacy. Plus some other things that would be a bigger spoiler. I really love all three of these books and I would love to know your recommendation!
Bigger Than the Whole Sky
Key Lyrics: Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye / You were bigger than the whole sky / You were more than just a short time / And I’ve got a lot to pine about / I’ve got a lot to live without / I’m never gonna meet / What could’ve been, would’ve been / What should’ve been you / What could’ve been, would’ve been you
Idk if this book is actually meant to be about a miscarriage, but I can’t listen to it and think of anything else. So with that in mind, each of these books, Before I Let Go, A Little Too Late, and A Marriage Worth Saving deals with in some way the loss of a child. I really love all three of these books, but they are all deeply emotional, so that is something to keep in mind.
Paris
Key Lyrics: Sit quiet by my side in the shade / and not the kind that’s. thrown / I mean, the kind under where a tree has grown
Honestly, “Paris” is probably my least favorite song on Midnights because I just cannot relate at all. But this idea that there’s this intense connection where these two people can get so wrapped up in one another that everyone else ceases to exist is… Well, honestly, lovely. And I really love both Lovelight Farms and Bend Toward the Sun because both of these books have romances where the two love interests just… belong together. I love them.
High Infidelity
Key Lyrics: Put on your headphones and burn my city / Your picket fence is sharp as knives / I was dancing around, dancing around it
Did I draw a complete blank and wound up just choosing two books that have cheating backdrops? Yes, yes I did. Am I completely obsessed with this song? Also, yes. So if you have a better suggestion, please, please leave it down below or message me literally anywhere that I can get it.
Glitch
Key Lyrics: I think there’s been a glitch / five seconds later I’m fastening myself to you with a stich
So, as you can tell, I’m legitimately obsessed with books that give off “Glitch” vibes, because in addition to these 13 books, I’m also going to give you an additional four recommendations now!
Not a single one of these characters was looking for love, but oh boy, did they find it. A Proposal They Can’t Refuse and Yours Truly are also two of my favorite books of the entire year so if you walk away from this post with only two recommendations, please allow me to beg of you that you pick these two.
Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve
Key Lyrics: “Give my back my girlhood, it was mine first”
I chose three books for “Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve” where the main female characters have left (or had their partner die) toxic relationships, whether voluntarily or not. None of them really spend a ton of time focused on the past and what the main character went through. But if you’re looking for that sort of on page discussion, I would direct you to Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan or Rilzy Adams’ Before We Fall. I find domestic violence quite triggering, so I can’t give you a host of recommendations with more intense subject matter being on page, but I can whole heartedly recommend these three books!
Dear Reader
Key Lyrics: So I wander through these nights / I prefer hiding in plain sight / My fourth drink in my hand / These desperate prayers of a cursed man / Spilling out to you for free / But darling, darling, please / You wouldn’t take my word for it / If you knew who was talking
What I feel like these three books have in common with “Dear Reader” is this sense that all three main female characters are going through it in some way, but usually (not in Georgie’s case as much) people are looking at them to give advice or to inspire. For all three of these women, there’s this sense of coming into their own, which is something I absolutely love in books and is something that I take away from “Dear Reader” whether or not it’s meant to be the message. There’s something about Taylor saying essentially, “look, I’ll give y’all advice, but my life is messy,” that just really appeals to me.
Hits Different
Key Lyrics: You made a mess of me / I pictured you with other girls in love / then threw up on the street
Because sometimes the one who got away was always meant to be yours after all, you know? All three of these books are about a break up that’s so devastating there is no moving on. And to me, that’s what is implied by these lyrics, so I picked three absolutely marvelous books that I think fit.
Closing Thoughts
I really love Midnights as a whole and I love Taylor Swift with my whole heart. I also love all of these books. Please tell me about all of your thoughts and your favorite Taylor Swift song and book mashups because I would love to know.
xx
firewhiskeyreader 