Taylor Swift For Adults by Kevin Nichols is a book that strips bare the gossip and other unnecessaries to tell the story of Taylor Swift through her songs what Mr. Nichols believes them to mean why she reproduced her old albums and much much more I was excited to read this book being a big-time Swifty fan embarrassingly enough even at the age of 52 I have a Lotta respect for Taylor Swift and no every album and almost every word to every song… Again I confess this chagrined OK now that we’ve got that out the way I was confused as to why he delved so deep into what country music is about because with the exception of 1989 Taylor hasn’t released a country album despite writing songs she’s given to country singers and performers she doesn’t fall under country at least not in the US and I don’t believe in other countries either. So I was confused as to his big essay on the topic of country music in the beginning of the book. I did find some of his analyzing of the songs sounded more like a fans guessing at her intentions like with the whole color thing and although I’m always interested in what others think of Taylor and do believe Mr. Nichols did her do justice with this great ode to such a brilliant woman A lot of the things in the book I already knew but as I said I am a Swifty and a lot of people will not. This is still a great book the have if you’re a fan or you’re not but want to know about her. I want to thank Pen and Sword Press for my free Arc copy via Annette galley. Please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

“You’re not meant to break your listener’s hearts on the regular- but this is Taylor’s country music, and she does.”

I really enjoyed that this book focused on her actual musical and lyrical talent rather than her love life.

It was really interesting to see how the author tried to view her songs in an objective manner. It also made me think about some lyrics in a different way. Some interpretations were really interesting, but others i did not agree with. For example when talking about the songs on folklore he totally ignored that Taylor Swift told us about the teenage love triangle that some songs are about.

From the structure it was very simple, but i wish the albums were actually separated by page and didn’t just look like the next song was about to be explained. Also the way lyrics were quoted bugged me, because sometimes in was in a separate paragraph and other times mid sentence.

The author tried to put a separation between the narrative of the song and Taylor Swift, but he sometimes used them interchangeably whilst talking about a song so his intention seems a bit unclear to me.

I also found it funny that the author mentioned in the end that there might be one or two albums out by time of this being published and he was right. We got a double album even. I’d also be interested to see him decode “The Tortured Poets Department”.

Wow there was so much to this book. As an OG Swiftie of 17 years, the depth of information on the lyrics and songwriting was amazing. Finally someone that's not focused on her personal life and wants to showcase what an amazing poet and businesswoman she is. I'm totally here for this book! Hope others enjoy it as much as I did.

I was so lucky enough to be sent Taylor Swift for Adults by Kev Nickells through NetGalley as Pen & Sword publishing granted my wish for access to this book.

This book is an excellent book for Swiftie fans out there. It is loaded with so much about Taylor and a great insight especially if you want to know more about her life, her music, etc and it takes you into a deeper look at her 10+ albums to isolate what makes her a beloved lyricist for millions of her fans and new ones.

It was an interesting read and a great book for a Swiftie fan.

There are tons of books and documentaries out there about our beloved Taylor Alison Swift but this is such a unique take, focusing solely on her music.

This is a deep dive into the lyrics, patterns and poetry that is some of the biggest hits in music history. This read more like a school syllabus and I’m okay with it. I really enjoyed the deconstruction of the songs and I think other swifties will too

As a huge Taylor Swift fan, this book was fantastic and I loved it. Very interesting and nicely written. Recommend to any Taylor Swift fan

If you're looking for an in-depth song-by-song look at all of Taylor Swift's music (through Midnights with no vault tracks), this book is for you. Really interesting to read through. Nickells could probably use this as a dissertation for a master's degree in Poetry.

I love Taylor's works, so I'm really sorry to say that I didn't like this book at all. The idea is interesting: we are told not about Taylor's life, but about her songs, about what kind of songwriter she is, etc. I liked the structure of the book, where we get dissected literally every song from every album. But this edition is already a little bit out of date since there is no information about the re-recordings of Speak Now and 1989, as well as about the new album The Tortured Poents Department + The Anthology.

In addition, I noticed several inaccuracies in the essays at the beginning. However, the biggest shortcoming for me is that this text is VERY boringly written. Yes, it is a non-fiction about songwriting, but the text of the book is so dry. Moreover, it felt like the author begins from the very first pages to somehow humiliate some of Swift's fans with her elitism like "here I won't tell you about Taylor's life, about whom she wrote her songs, so if you need that, go read something dumber, some magazines or whatever." and those things were like in every second sentence, which is actually pretty sad and disappointing.

I am not a swifty kind of fan girl. However, this book gave a great insight on Taylor swifts life and her career. Its not a quick read. It goes into depth of her trials and tribulations throughout her music career. I would recommend it to any fan.

Taylor Swift for Adults was not what I was expecting – in the best way. This book is made for someone truly curious about her skill of songwriting and prowess within the music industry, and not her fan-centric personal life. I appreciate that more than most, I suspect, because I only recently became a fan after listening to her Midnights album. I had so much to learn!

I heard about the Spotify squabble in passing but I can see now how important that was, not just for Taylor Swift but for every artist. I had also never seen an artist re-record albums like this before, and to take back what is hers with such force. This book also goes into a near-academic review of all of this, on top of her discography, song by song, album by album. From her cultural impact (the Eras Tour is literally a historical event at this point) to her musical and lyrical transition between albums, I feel like I should be granted a PhD in Swiftology – can I take this class again?

I am very interested in seeing where Kev Nickells goes next, and I plan to be there!

If you are a Swiftie, this book is for you! Nickells provides a comprehensive study of Swift's career, music, and business acumen. A large portion of this book is dedicated to analyzing song lyrics, her style of writing, metaphors, and details found within her songs. And the author points out the growth of the music and lyrics as Swift has grown in her confidence as a musician and songwriter. Album covers and their connection to the songs are also explored. This would be a fun book to read and dissect with fellow fans, as there are numerous opportunities for discussion. It may be a bit too academic for some fans, but it is an enjoyable read overall.

This was interesting it was cool to see how all of her songs have double meanings and the amount of symbolism in the lyrics. That was my favourite part of the book learning the symbolism.

I am a huge Taylor Swift fan, but I did not enjoy this one. As a fan, I do know a lot of her back story on the "why's" of her lyrics. This book read more like a textbook than a fun story of Taylor Swift.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am a Taylor Swift fan of course. You likely wouldn’t be interested in this book if not. I am also way over her average fan’s age. My kids actually discovered her in her Debut era and I listened mostly so I knew what they were so into. I didn’t become an actual independent and avid fan until “Folklore” to be honest, but I enjoyed all the previous albums. Anyway that is to say I did think that I could learn some things about Taylor from this book. I didn’t enjoy the first portion of the book as much as the second part. The first portion of the book is dedicated to her life and how she became the phenomenon she is now. I was far more interested in the later album by album- song by song- breakdown. I am here for some lyric analysis! I believe most hardcore fans will find little here that they didn’t know but it still is a good time revisiting the songs.

I was lucky enough to be sent this book through NetGalley as Pen & Sword publishing granted my wish for access to this book. I felt that it was a lovely deep dive into Taylor Swift's career and more specifically, her songwriting as the book takes you through her works, literally song by song. As a seasoned Swiftie it was captivating to take the in depth look at the inner workings of inspiration behind the lyrics of my favourite TS songs (all of them). I can only hope that future works from Kev Nickells on the subject will take a look at her re recordings and her newest album.

The way Nickells writes on the subject matter is enticing and easy to follow, even if you are newly into the Swiftie fandom and curious to learn more. I love that this doesn't take the easy gossipy approach some biographers take when it comes to Taylor content.

Keeping this review spoiler free, I always thought I was unique to compare points in Taylor's career to that of Prince. I am delighted to know I am not the only one. This book is one I would definitely recommend to Swifties of all ages.

Very informative book on the career of Taylor Swift. This was a nice overview on the vast career of pop superstar Taylor Swift. Not usually in my wheelhouse of books I read but I enjoyed!

I love Taylor swift and I loved the in-depth research this book has, it has a full album breakdowns (which I loved!
With songs!) I read this in one sitting it I love hearing others people take on music. If you love Taylor swift you NEED this book ASAP. I can't wait to have a physical copy of it! Thank you for the arch of this!

“Taylor Swift for Adults” by Kev Nickells offers a fresh and insightful analysis of Taylor Swift's lyrical genius. Nickells expertly breaks down the tropes, patterns, and styles that define Swift's songwriting, revealing a depth that casual listeners might miss. The book's detailed focus on metrics, flow, and form showcases Swift's poetic talents, making a compelling case for her skill as a lyricist.

Overall, “Taylor Swift for Adults” is a must-read for fans and skeptics alike, offering a deeper understanding of why Swift is one of this generation's most beloved songwriters.

Das Buch "Taxlor Swift for Adults" von Kev Nickells gibt einen Einblick in die Welt von Taylor Swift. Hierbei wird nicht nur das Phänomen der Popikone beleuchtet, sondern auch ein nicht swiftie coded Blick auf die lyrischen Bedeutungen der Hits der Sängerin geworfen. Weiters beschäftigt sich das Buch mit der medialen Präsentation und dem Phänomen hinter der Fankultur.
Für mich war es das erste Buch dieser Art. Leider hatte ich das Gefühl, dass das Buch teilweise zwanghaft versucht einen neuen Take zu finden.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my own

This was an interesting take on Taylor's career and music. I enjoyed that it was not focused on Taylor herself as she's had enough scrutiny in her life from both fans and foes. I'll be honest, this isn't a quick fun read, you may need to look up a word or two, but is really fascinating.