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The Debut Chapter: Books For Your Small-Town Romantic Era
- Taylor
- Aug 19
- 3 min read
Here are some Debut book recs for anyone looking for a book that captures the innocence of first love, the ache of growing up, and the cozy charm of small-town summers!
Taylor Swift’s Debut album captured all the feelings from sweet optimism, small-town charm, and emotions too big for a teenage heart. This reading list is for the hopeless romantics, the dreamers, and anyone still chasing that spark. These five books echo the same heart-fluttering energy and wistful nostalgia which are perfect for your Debut Era bookshelf.
Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
This book is pure summer nostalgia. It centers around two teens, Percy and Sam, who fall in love while spending their summers in the lakeside town of Barry’s Bay. Six years of friendship is completely wiped away after one mistake changes everything. Years later, Percy returns to Barry’s bay for the first time since everything fell apart, and so does Sam. As old memories and buried feelings resurface, they are forced to confront their past and decide if their love is worth a second chance.
Tropes: Summer love, small town, and second chances
Heartless by Elise Silver
Cade Eaton is a grumpy single dad just trying his best to survive ranch life while he raises his son. When the new nanny for the summer, Willa Grant, shows up full of a free spirited chaos. After spending time together their obvious feelings for each other are harder to ignore. What was supposed to just be a summer job, slowly starts to become something more.
Tropes: Single dad x nanny, forced proximity, and grumpy x sunshine.
Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
This book is an emotional gut punch filled with unforgettable characters. Charlie is a shy freshman just trying his best to survive high school after losing his best friend. He finds himself being taken in by a group of seniors who show him what it really means to live. Through parties, mixtapes, and late night drives, Charlie starts to find his voice. As memories from his past start to resurface, he is forced to face trauma he has buried deep inside himself in order to fully move forward.
Tropes: Coming of age, found family, and unrequited love.
Come Back to Me by Mila Gray
Jessa has always had feelings for Kit Ryan, her brother's best friend. When Kit returns home on leave from the marines along with her brother, their chemistry evolves into a passionate, secret romance. With Kit’s redeployment quickly approaching, their time together is limited. Jessa promises to wait for him and Kit vows to return home to her. Everything changes when a marine chaplain brings devastating news, someone she loves didn’t make it back.
Tropes: Military, forbidden love, and secret relationship
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
Every summer, Belly Conklin returns to Cousins Beach, a place where time slows down and everything seems possible. It’s where she spent every year with the Fisher boys, Conrad and Jeremiah. This year something has changed. Belly is no longer the little girl they used to tease, she’s grown up. Belly finds herself going through the messy experience of first love along with a summer full of family secrets and heartbreak.
Tropes: Childhood friends to lovers, love triangle, and coming of age.
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