i was to the first 2 chapters of this book through netgalley, not the full novel. overall i found this quite boring it has a stronger focus on generalised themes used in songwriting not just taylor swift then vaugly linking it back to her. it reads like she was used like clickbait. if your a swifie looking for a deep dive into her lyrics this isnt for you.

I was very confused after finishing this because it barely scratched the surface of ts and her lyrics. I guess it's a sample but I have to say it was pretty basic and I expected it to be more insightful. I enjoyed the prompts provided but overall it fell short for me.

This sample was super interesting. As someone who is very into literature and Taylor Swift, this would definitely be a good introduction for someone who is less familiar with classic literature but wants to have a deeper understanding of Taylor's songs! One small thing - the author gives quotes from classical works to make links with TS songs, however no TS songs are quoted for comparison. (this may be a licensing issue, in which case, fair enough) Those who are not unhinged like me might not have every single lyric engrained into their brain, so this might be nice! Otherwise, this was very informative and engaging.

Since I'm a huge Taylor Swift fan I had high expectations for this book and though I liked it, I thought that it was going to be more focused on the actual lyrics than in the vibe of the songs.

For anyone that doesn't know in this book the author compares some romantic books, XIX romantic, to Taylor Swifts songs. If you haven't read those books it doesn't matter, because the author gives us a summary of the relevant parts, which makes it way easier to follow. I also liked that it doesn't feel like a textbook and that you can interact with it by sharing your own thoughts. I would also like to mention that the art in this book is absolutely astonishing.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a chance to review an advanced copy of Dear Reader, in exchange for an honest review.

I was impressed with the sample I received for review. There is a lot more to the book than I initially anticipated. I really enjoyed the historical context to the themes and how they shaped Swift's lyrics. The book provides a great introduction to classic literature in bize sized summaries, which is a clever tool to make them accessible and enable fans to engage through parallels to the lyrics of Swift's songs. I thought the interactive element to the book where you can journal your thoughts was a real asset to the book. Using the activity, you'll engage with the book time and time again, rather than read in one go and then shelf it.
If you're a Swiftie who's a bookworm and enjoys journalling, you're bound to love this deep dive into Swift lyrics.

I love Taylor’s music so much, but what I love even more is her lyrics - so the moment I saw Dear Reader, I knew I had to read it!
This book is such a cute and creative way to dive deeper into her songs. It’s set up like a journal, with fun prompts, pretty illustrations, and questions that really make you think about the lyrics and what they mean to you.
I loved the idea behind this book, and I was expecting it to be a little more in-depth, but I still had a great time with it and loved how interactive it was. I will definitely check the full book out when it releases!
Thank you to Watking Publishing and NetGalley for the sampler!

If this is meant to be only a sampler of Viktoria Capek’s Dear Reader, an interactive journal meant to explore literary connections within Taylor Swift’s lyrics as many of the reviews have led me to believe it may be, I believe the publisher really needs to make that more clear on the book’s page. It’s listed as being 200+ pages and nowhere in there does it say anything about a sampler, and yet when I did open this I found it’s only about 35 pages long.

As far as the sampler goes, I think it’s an interesting concept. I do wish that some of the lyrics had been included in the journal rather than an expectation that the reader look them all up. But there’s a lot of merit to the comparisons and what someone might learn exploring these concepts together. The idea behind how Taylor Swift has delved into these works and themes in order to portray them well in her song is a truly intriguing one. I’m definitely interested in seeing more at this point, though I’m not fully certain what my official review of the book as a whole would be.

Thank you to Net Galley and Watkins Publishing for this ARC sampler in exchange for an honest review.

This sampler was a great teaser for this book. Definitely one for the Swifties who want to dive deeper in to the meaning of her music and no doubt the Easter eggs Taylor drops in her lyrics. It made me think about references that Taylor Swift makes to poetry and literature in a lot of her songs.

As someone who did not do a course in Classic Literature or Poetry I found the prompts really helpful and I actually learnt something, which is always a bonus. I am curious to check out this book in full when it is published.

I also love the illustrations, I think they fit really well with the rest of the material.

As a massive Taylor Swift fan I was so excited to read this ARC. The art work is beautiful throughout and I liked the fun interactive prompts, as well as the synopsis of the books if you haven’t read them. Sadly I was left disappointed as it didn’t really deep dive into any lyrics and more just a “vibe” of a song. There wasn’t really any Taylor Swift Lyrics in it and some of the connections were a slight reach. Overall I love the concept and the idea of dissecting Swift’s lyrics, I was just not a huge fan of the execution.

This is the perfect gift for a swiftie. The illustrations are great and the links between Taylor’s music and great romantic writers made perfect sense. The prompts are approachable. I appreciated that the author also gave a background on the stories they’re referencing in case someone hasn’t read it.

Thank you NetGalley for sharing an e-version with me so that I could write a review.

I'm a huge Taylor Swift fan, so I was excited to read this. You can imagine my disappointment and confusion when I realized it wasn't the full book but just a sample; I don't know if it was my mistake, but the description of the book on Netgalley doesn't mention a sample (this didn't affect my rating tho).
Anyway the idea of the book is really good, I loved the interactive prompts and questions, but I expected the author to analyze the lyrics more deeply. The concept is great and the illustrations are beautiful, I should definitely check the full book out in the future.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

Viktoria Capek’s Dear Reader is such a fun take on lyrical analysis. I loved how easy everything was to follow, especially during the “Swift Prep” and “Swifts Notes” sections. For example, this history of Romanticism in chapter two provides the reader with a broad enough understanding to connect with the ideas in Taylor’s lyrics, yet it doesn’t feel like you’re reading from a textbook. I do think some of the questions/prompts were a bit inane. The prompts asking you to simply write down a specific lyric from a song could have been excluded, especially if the idea is for the reader to be listening to the songs as they go through this book.

Bonus because the layout and design of this book is very cute and pleasing to look at.

This is definitely one for the Swifties and book lovers! As a lover of Taylor's music myself, this was a joy to read through and something I can come back to as a hobby. This would also make a perfect gift for the Swifty and book lover in someone's life. I'm sure this would be even more impactful as a physical copy to fill out the journal entries.

Thank you for the advanced digital copy!

Fun! Really beautifully laid out and a must have for Swifties who want to creatively linger in the literary aspects of Taylor Swifts work. Really lovely, I can't wait to get my own physical copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Watkins Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dear Reader by Viktoria Capek is a charming, immersive literary journey through the lyrics of Taylor Swift. This guided journal invites Swifties and book lovers alike to explore the literary depth behind Taylor’s songwriting, with interactive prompts, thought-provoking questions, and gorgeous illustrations that elevate the experience.

Capek highlights the easter eggs tucked into Swift’s lyrics—drawing connections to The Bell Jar, The Great Gatsby, and more—offering readers a peek into the bookshelf behind the music. The journal beautifully explores themes of romanticism, linking songs like “Love Story,” “Enchanted,” “Paris,” “Ivy,” and “The Lakes” to classic works such as Romeo & Juliet and Wuthering Heights.

It’s creative, introspective, and super cute—I’ll definitely be picking up a physical copy when it's released!

I think exploring Taylor’s literary references is such an interesting idea, but I wish it the book went into more depth. I felt a little surface level. I also think the journal/question prompts were fun but there were a lot of them. I think there could have been a better balance between questions and explaining Taylor’s literary references.

First of all thank you for approving my request!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The authors writing style had me hooked throughout this book.

I didn't want it to end, a book I really couldn't put down.

A very fun guided journal for the writer who is also a Swiftie. Definitely going to be a good gift, if a little flat on the writing encouragement. But I also only saw a sampler so it could get better.

I literally CANNOT WAIT to get my hands on a full copy of Dear Reader. This sampler was outstanding. I have been a Swiftie since the beginning. Taylor and I are only 22 days apart in age so I have grown up and experienced over half of my life with her music. She puts into words all the thoughts and feelings I have but don't have the words to express. So I was very excited to review this sample of Dear Reader. Dear Reader is a fantastic exploration into the themes and literary influences in Taylor Swift's music. The prompts for reflecting on the themes are very well crafted prompts and do a great job at evoking deeper thought into Taylor's lyrics. The book is also like a journal too as it allows the reader to not only reflect on the themes in the songs but also the emotions that the lyricism evokes in the reader. I know every Taylor song by heart and I appreciated that the prompts allowed me to listen to the songs with fresh ears and think about them in new ways. It just deepened my love for the 5 songs discussed in the sample and I just cannot wait to experience that fresh take with the rest of the songs included in the book. Based on the sample, I will definitely be recommending this book to all of my Swiftie friends and bookshops my brand works with!

A fun reference for an avid Swiftie and book nerd! There’s some good question that make you dig into lyrics and classics! Would be a good gift to a swiftie!