This is an interesting and entertaining read about a once in a generation entertainer. I've been a fan since 'Love Story' was released and found this really interesting. The pacing is really great and I learned things about Taylor's career I didn't know before. I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of Taylor or is interested in the entertainment business. Special Thank You to Kevin Evers,Harvard Business Review Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

There’s Nothing Like This brought me right back to my NYU business of entertainment classes (complimentary).

Kevin Evers’ exhaustive account of the business moves and strategies behind Taylor Swift’s career thus far will no doubt quickly find its way into many college curricula. Outside of the obvious academic appeal, though, I think this is a great addition to the body of Swift-adjacent works. Like many authors who have written on Swift, Evers is clearly a devoted Swiftie. But as a Senior Editor at the Harvard Business Review, he distinguishes himself from authors ‘chasing that fame’ by actually having the credentials and perspective to justify writing a book on Swift.

Imagine the typical HBR style of being a smidge overexplained and overcited, but spliced with the deep storytelling of a fandom-circulated lore powerpoint. The resulting book is a thorough, accessible, and educational exploration of Swift’s fame that successfully threads the difficult needle of being interesting to HBR readers and Swifties alike. 5*.

Thank you to Harvard Business Review Press and NetGalley for providing this e-arc.

This is a book for people who are not fans of Taylor Swift who do like strategy/management. I am a fan and I do like strat.
I really liked the first half of the book- there was a nice balance of lore and really cool business science. There is a bit of a hindsight for a lot of those things, but that's absolutely okay.
The second half however reads a bit like a chart-obsessed stan account, if that makes sense. The business/strat aspect of it was totally gone, it was all very surface-level lore, and there was a lot of talk about records broken and basically just numbers. It read like at this point a lot of the decisions were basically just reactions (which the author claims is not). On the other hand, I thought that there were some very intriguing things that weren't talked about at all. The boundaries made when you pitch a person as a product, a start-up, and as a CEO was clearer in the first half of the book but very very fuzzy in the second half. Basically, it really trails off once you get to around 2017, which is a bummer, because so many interesting things happen after that which I would have loved to understand!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publish for the opportunity to read this book.

First and foremost I am a Swiftie, so I was always going to enjoy this book.

What I didn't expect was how much I would love the analytical look at the business side of Taylor Swifts success story. This book really is a look at the brand of Taylor Swift and the strategic, innovative and trailblazing way in which she has defined and shaped her career. I was initially worried that the business aspect would go over my head or be a little bit like a snooze fest but honestly It was written in a way that was so accessible that I would recommend it to any Swiftie and non Swifties who wanted to learn and understand a little bit more about TS rise to fame and overcoming missteps and miscalculations along the way.

I would normally never pick up a book on business but I was very pleasantly surprised. This is a compelling and well researched discussion of Swift's career that introduces the reader to some key business terms. It sometimes feels a bit limiting to discuss art as brand management or that type of thing, but in this case I think it provides a useful counterbalance to discussions that ignore the financial and business aspect of Swift's work entirely. This is also a handsome, well designed book.

There's Nothing Like This by Kevin Evers is a book that explores the creative genius of Taylor Swift, pop superstar. The author is an editor of the Harvard Business Review Press, so having this book written by him, showcasing her absolute genius in the business world was a great new perspective that I really enjoyed reading. This book told the story of her uprising from a very different lens than your "normal" Taylor Swift book, highlighting her business acumen, the innovation of true fan engagement, and the unyielding strategy that made her into the icon she is today. Overall, this was a great read and one that I would recommend to anyone who wants to see a fresh perspective of Taylors rise to stardom.

**Thank you to Harvard Business Review Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review**

This was an interesting look at Taylor's life and musical career. Not exactly what I was expecting, but that's okay. The author had done his research.

Thank you Harvard Business Review Press and Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

Since seeing Taylor Swift in concert and listening to her music thanks to the now teens in our home I have become intrigued by her.

Kevin Evers has provided an incredibly interesting, informative book into the life of Taylor, particularly from the business perspective. I immensely enjoyed this book and learned so much, about the brand, Taylor as a person and the drive, the huge huge drive she has.

For all fans, wishing to learn more and for those of us who are in awe of this incredibly talented artist, poet, daughter and so so much more.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.

As someone who grew up with Taylor’s albums but wasn’t necessarily a diehard Swifty, I really enjoyed reading the behind the scenes of her career beyond just the albums we love and hear.

✨ The Vibes ✨
Taylor Swift 101 for business bros

📖 Read if…
✨ You want to learn more about Taylor Swift’s career
✨ You’re interested in celebrity brand management
✨ Your favorite nonfiction genre is business and finance

It’s been well-documented that I love books about celebrities and the entertainment industry. So a book about Taylor Swift’s career feels perfectly aligned with my interests.

But to be honest, There’s Nothing Like This was a bit of a letdown for me. Based on the summary, I was expecting a reflection on Swift’s career and how strategies she’s used or developed can be beneficial to other public figures (a topic that intersects with my work and is of great interest to me). Instead, the book focused more on recapping Swift’s career while occasionally referencing business articles that were tangentially related.

Reflecting on my experience with this book, I think the reason it was a miss was because I wasn’t the target audience. For any reader who doesn’t know much about Swift’s career, this is a great intro, and I can see business leaders who don’t identify as Swifites finding this book really helpful. But, as someone who’s been a fan since her debut album hit shelves, most of this information was nothing new.

There’s Nothing Like This is out now. Thanks to Harvard Business Review Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

This book is billed as being the business side of Taylor Swift's success. In practice it seemed to me to be an overview of publicly available information without much more depth or a different perspective than other books I've read about her. I found the writing to be competent, and the occasional references to "Taylor the startup" were interesting, but it didn't go far enough in that direction to make it differentiated from anything else I have read about her. I recommend this to someone who hasn't read a bunch of books on Swift, and I enjoyed the writing more than many similar publications, but don't think it fulfilled the promise of being a business-oriented book.

Thank you to Harvard Business Review Press for giving me an advance reading copy for unbiased review..

THERE’S NOTHING LIKE THIS is a fascinating breakdown of Taylor Swift’s career from a business and marketing standpoint, from being a teenage girl breaking into a male-dominated country genre to switching genres altogether and becoming one of the world’s biggest pop stars.

Author Kevin Evers draws parallels between Swift’s career moves with those of major corporations or tech startups, and he does not shy away from mentioning Swift’s biggest critiques and missteps in her career. Swift is truly a strategic genius when it comes to marketing herself, including personal fan interactions online and Easter eggs for fans to decipher; she’s in a league of her own.

For those wondering how recent the writing is, the last chapter discusses Midnights and the Eras Tour, while the epilogue mentions TTPD came out during the finalization of the book.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Harvard Business Review Press for an advanced reader copy of #TheresNothingLikeThis.

I thought that I already knew a lot about Taylor, but this showed me some new sides to her, and especially her songs and songwriting. The book covered the most interesting aspects of not just her songwriting, but also her marketing strategies. In the beginning, I was a bit scared that the book would be difficult to read, but it really only took me a short time to get into the book. The writing style was captivating and was able to make me interest in topics I normally don't really care about.

I also think that this book is not just for Swifties. The book is more than just a book about Taylor Swift. This is especially interesting for people who want to learn more business and wants a biography that's a bit different.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harvard Business Review Press for this EARC!

Not a fan of the writing style. Fans who know Swift's career well and are interested in a comprehensive overview will likely love this. It felt very formulaic, and it lacked emotional depth. I was hopeful about starting this, but it fell flat for me. The formatting was also very difficult to navigate in the NetGalley app.

Thanks to this book, I gained a deeper understanding and appreciation of Taylor Swift’s journey—from her early days as a teenage country singer to her rise as a global pop icon of extraordinary influence.

The book offers just the right amount of detail to engage both die-hard Swifties and casual readers like me. It presents the highs and lows of her career and highlights how she applied smart business strategies to navigate challenges and reinvent herself.

What I especially liked is how the book draws insightful parallels between Swift’s experiences and the stories of various companies, offering a unique perspective on her evolution as both an artist and a brand.

[Thank you to Netgalley for early access to this book.]

I've been looking forward to this book for several months now and it did not disappoint. As someone who routinely reads biographies and memoirs alongside books about businesses, leadership, and why people do the things they do, this book was exactly up my alley. Oh, and did I mention I'm a Swiftie too?

"There's Nothing Like This" is a well-written and thoughtfully researched book that is thoroughly absorbing and full of fascinating tidbits about Taylor Swift that even the most diehard Swiftie will be surprised to discover. I was most impressed by how elegantly Evers is able to draw connections between the choices Swift has made and the theory and science of leadership, management, marketing, and business that she intentionally or unintentionally leveraged in the process. Evers' assessment of Swift's work, persona, and genius is insightful and well-reasoned.

For any Swiftie contemplating business school, all they need to do is pick up this book and be sold. For any curious skeptic who's always wondered if the Taylor Swift hype is really as big a deal as people make it out to be: pick this book up right away.

Evers is not gushy or breathless in his work - this is a book that seriously considers how Swift has become the phenomenon she is today with thoughtful rigor.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be recommending this to everyone I know!

This was a fantastic read to explore how Taylor Swift made it in the industry, very insightful read overall.

There is Nothing Quite Like This by Kevin Evers is a stunning literary triumph that defies convention and invites readers on a journey that is as thought-provoking as it is emotionally resonant. From the very first page, Evers crafts a world that feels both familiar and fantastically original.

What sets this work apart is its seamless integration of business principles with the artistry of music. Evers draws upon research in innovation, creativity, psychology, and strategy to provide a nuanced perspective on Swift's trajectory. This approach not only offers fans a deeper understanding of their idol but also presents valuable lessons for business professionals and creatives alike.

This is not just a book, it is an experience. It's the kind of work that lingers long after the final page, urging you to see the world differently. Each chapter unfolds like a poem carefully layered with meaning and emotional depth. The narrative surprises at every turn. What truly sets this book apart is its seamless blend of lyrical prose, deeply human characters, and moments of profound insight. Evers has a unique ability to capture the complexity of the human experience of love, loss, wonder and the quiet beauty of everyday life.

“What if I told you none of it was accidental?”

As a Swiftie, this was a deeply fascinating book to read. Focusing on her business savvy and intuition on how to best connect with her fans, There’s Nothing Like This explores sides of Taylor Swift that often get swept under the rug or plain left out of the conversation surrounding her. All of her big decisions are explored here from the decision to sign with Big Machine Records at the beginning of her career to the Eras Tour and everything in between, triumphs and failures. I was a little worried that the business aspect of this book would be hard for me to understand, but it’s written in such an accessible way and I followed along very easily. I loved how it celebrated her as an innovator, storyteller and strategist while also truthfully exploring the missteps and miscalculations of her career. This is a book any Swiftie should read, but also a book anyone who doesn’t fully understand the marvel that is Taylor Swift and why her listeners keep coming back for more.

Thank you NetGalley and Harvard Business Press for the advanced digital reader’s copy!

This is one of the most entertaining, informative, and well-written non-fiction works I have read.

Evers creatively takes you on a journey through Taylor Swift's career to illustrate the business and marketing strategies applied throughout each Era during downfalls, opportunities, risks, and accomplishments that led to the ultimate success of her music career and billion dollar brand. Taylor Swift is an undeniable force and perfect example of building a successful brand against the odds that also stands the test of time. Even her haters or non-listeners will appreciate her actual genius and learn from her hard work and business savvy after reading.

Expertly, without overdoing it, Evers even incorporates some of Taylor's lyrics into the prose that only Swifties will pick up on. There is a wonderful balance of witty and endearing narration while still being extremely analytical and informative, packed with intricate research references.

Swifties will also really appreciate a parallel in the book to her most recent album, TTPD. Whether intentional or not, there was absolutely no naming of her recent ex and long time boyfriend, Joe Alwyn, throughout the entire book. Though there were small mentions of others where it was imperative to the storytelling: Taylor Lautner, Harry Styles, Tom Hiddleston, and even Travis Kelce. This is similar to how fans theorized that TTPD was going to have a heavy focus on Joe and their break-up, and instead Taylor basically skipped over him and most of the songs ended up being about Matty, herself, the fans, and even Travis. I loved the creativity of this detail being left out of the book to parallel Taylor's own writing and to be different than other writers and critics who focus too much on her love life, and even credit Joe too much for his influence on her song-writing success. This was so well done.

Also shared the above copy on Goodreads.