Stars Around My Scars is the book I’ve always wanted without knowing it existed—a thoughtful, intimate, literary unpacking of Taylor Swift’s lyrics by someone who loves her work as much as I do and isn’t afraid to bring a highlighter, a PhD, and a few tears to the process.

Elly McCausland annotates 46 Swift songs, layering her own reflections, poetic analysis, and lived experience into the margins. And when I say margins, I mean that literally—this book is structured like an annotated poetry collection, with Swift’s lyrics printed on one side and handwritten notes (in purple ink, no less) wrapping around them. It feels like borrowing a close friend’s journal and being let into something vulnerable and reverent at the same time.

McCausland doesn’t just analyze the craft of Swift’s songwriting (though she does that beautifully—catching rhyme shifts, metaphors, and those tiny emotional detonations Taylor tucks into bridges). She also treats the lyrics as living things: touchstones for memory, loss, girlhood, longing, rage, softness. You can tell she’s a Swiftie not just because she knows the discography cold, but because she honors the emotional stakes of being a fan. The essays around “All Too Well,” “The Archer,” “Tolerate It,” and “My Tears Ricochet” genuinely made me sit with feelings I thought I’d already processed.

And the queerness in the book? Quiet, but strong. It’s there in the resonance, in the subtext, in the way the author reads certain silences in the songs not as absences but as intentional invitations.

If you’re a Swiftie who cried during “You’re On Your Own, Kid” and then Googled the meaning of “epistolary,” Stars Around My Scars will feel like home. It’s smart, lyrical, and gloriously full of feeling. Like Swift’s own discography, it meets you where you are and somehow leaves you changed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me with an ARC of Stars around my Scars.

An Amazing book for a true Swiftie to pick up. It was fascinating to delve into the breakdown of her lyrics, seeing them as the poetry they truly are. This is for the romantics, some might even say for the tortured poets. Loved!

This is the perfect book for the Swiftie who holds Taylor’s lyrics on the same level as the great poets. It delves into her work & analyzes it piece by piece. This book is not for everyone but it is definitely the perfect book for the diehard literary Swiftie.

I really enjoyed this book and the pursuit of the love of music and lyrics from an academic standpoint. This took me a while to get through, but mostly because this annotation felt a bit more like something to savor. Dr. McCausland analyzed Taylor's storytelling in a beautiful way.

The concept for this seemed intriguing, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting. I was expecting even more thoughts written by the author.

I did enjoy this book of poetry. Even if I didn’t always necessarily connect it with the Taylor Swift song. But I’m not a huge swiftie so that’s probably why.

iturn0image0**Review of *Stars Around My Scars: The Annotated Poetry of Taylor Swift* by Elly McCausland**

*Stars Around My Scars* by Elly McCausland offers an in-depth exploration of Taylor Swift's songwriting through a literary lens. McCausland, a professor of English literature, delves into 46 of Swift's songs, analyzing them line by line to uncover poetic techniques, literary references, and thematic connections. The book presents each song's lyrics alongside annotations that highlight these elements, providing readers with a deeper understanding of Swift's craft.

The format of the book is engaging, with handwritten-style annotations that mimic the experience of a personal analysis. This approach allows readers to appreciate the intricacies of Swift's lyrics and their literary significance. However, some readers have noted that the book's academic tone may not appeal to all audiences, particularly those seeking a more casual exploration of Swift's music.

Overall, *Stars Around My Scars* is a thoughtful and comprehensive analysis that sheds light on the literary qualities of Taylor Swift's songwriting. It is a valuable resource for fans and readers interested in the intersection of popular music and literature.

5 stars! I was absolutely fascinated by this book and highly recommend it! The author, Dr. McCausland, is a professor of English Literature at a university in Belgium, as well as a lifelong swiftie. She uses her teachings on “Swifterature” to annotate what is the incredible poetry of Taylor Swift’s song lyrics. Reading through these annotations and listening to each song while doing so brought a whole new understanding of the lyrics and how clever the word play and references are in each song. I am a fan of Taylor Swift as well and obviously knew I would enjoy this, but did not expect to learn as much as I did. Obviously swifties will enjoy this but I also think others who do not necessarily like or listen to Taylor Swift will enjoy it as well. This is direct evidence that she is much more than the label of “crazy country-turned-pop singer who only writes scathing songs about her ex-boyfriends”. Swift has sooo many songs that do not fit this stereotype. I especially loved the examples of the less popular songs that many people have never heard of or likely have no idea what the lyrics are referencing. It makes me respect Taylor Swift as an artist and poet even more than I already did. My only complaint is that she did not annotate more of her songs! I highly recommend listening to each song and pausing as you read the annotations to fully absorb the meaning. Excellent job, Dr. McCausland! Thank you to NetGalley, Dr. Elly McCausland, and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the gifted ARC in an exchange for an honest review.

✨ 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