There’s something about Olivia Rodrigo’s music that just screams "summer". Maybe it’s the upbeat tempo, the now-iconic music videos for 'deja vu' and 'driver’s licence', or the lyrics that are full of yearning and hope (when they’re not brimming with rage). We know we’ll be listening to Rodrigo even more this summer, as she is set to headline Glastonbury at the end of June.
If you have tickets to see Rodrigo at Glastonbury then, to quote the singer herself, good for you. The rest of us will have to make do with listening to her music on repeat from the comfort of our homes.
But here at Penguin, we’ve gone a step further. To truly immerse ourselves in Rodrigo’s discography, we’ve matched her most iconic songs to books with similar themes and vibes. The following, therefore, is our comprehensive guide to what to read next, depending on your favourite Rodrigo song…
‘traitor’ – Funny Story by Emily Henry (2024)
In Emily Henry’s novel, Daphne’s fiancé didn’t cheat but he’s still a traitor. While on his stag do, he realises he is in love with his childhood best friend, Petra – leaving Daphne suddenly single, in a new town, and in need of a place to live. We think Daphne would particularly relate to the line, “Ain’t it funny, how you said you were friends? / Now it sure as hell don’t look like it.” But rest assured, her luck takes a turn for the better when she moves in with Petra’s ex-boyfriend, Miles, and the pair form a plan to help them both move on.
‘bad idea right?’ – This Summer Will be Different by Carley Fortune (2024)
Like ‘bad idea right?’, This Summer Will Be Different perfectly sums up the feeling of fighting a strong attraction to someone who is off-limits. Lucy has been visiting Prince Edward Island for years – and, every time, she trips and falls into the bed of her best friend’s brother, Felix. They share undeniable chemistry (see: that steamy shower scene) but it’s always been a casual summer fling. This year, however, things feel different between them – could they become something more?
‘good 4 u’ – Good Material by Dolly Alderton (2023)
Andy is devastated when he's suddenly dumped by his girlfriend Jen. And that's not his only setback: his standup career is stalling, he needs a new place to live, and his friends are all moving on with classic adult-life milestones like marriage and kids. All the while, he is pressing these friends for details about how Jen is doing (much better than him, it would seem). As he makes the not-so-steady journey from heartbreak to healing, we could easily imagine Andy screaming the rage-filled lyrics of ‘good 4 u’ from the comfort of his (childhood) bedroom.
‘vampire’ – Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan (2021)
As Rodrigo puts it, a toxic relationship can feel like dating a vampire: they drain your energy and (figuratively) bleed you dry. Someone who knows that better than most is the unnamed narrator of Acts of Desperation, who gets swept up in a whirlwind romance with an older man then, when he abruptly ends things, goes to self-sabotaging lengths to win him back. As in the song, the narrator mistakes “months of torture” for “some forbidden paradise”. We also can’t help but feel that the older man was drawn to her because “girls [his] age know better.”
‘deja vu’ – You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry (2021)
This song is laced with nostalgia, as Rodrigo remembers idyllic car rides through Malibu and wonders if her ex is repeating the same activities with his new girlfriend. While Poppy and Alex are “just friends” in You and Me on Vacation, we suspect Poppy has the same melancholic yearning for Alex whenever she's seen him with a new partner over the 12 years they've known each other. The pair used to take a summer trip every year – but two years ago, something happened that broke them apart. Now, they’re embarking on one last holiday, which could alter their dynamic for good.
‘brutal’ – We Pretty Pieces of Flesh by Colwill Brown (2025)
Life as a teenager can be brutal: the eternal self-consciousness, feelings of exclusion and the deep-seated fear that “I’m not cool and I’m not smart and I can’t even parallel park.” These feelings are at the heart of Colwill Brown’s debut novel, which follows three best friends growing up in Doncaster in the early ‘00s – a particularly brutal time to be a teenage girl. The girls may be best friends, but their insecurities, jealousies and the cruelties of teenage boys cause their relationship to rupture, with a ripple effect on their adult lives.
‘get him back!’ – Sweat by Emma Healey (2025)
Cassie is a personal trainer with a new client: her ex-boyfriend, Liam, who emotionally abused her during their relationship. Now, he’s visually impaired and has no idea who she is, so Cassie uses this as an opportunity for revenge (think: adding extra weights to his load, swapping his water bottle for toilet water, and so on). While Rodrigo’s song is more about fighting your attraction for an awful human, both explore the satisfying pursuit of revenge at all costs.
‘drivers licence’ – It’s Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han (2010)
Your first love can turn something as simple as driving through the suburbs into a heart-wrenching trip down memory lane. ‘Drivers licence’ is heavy on nostalgia, yearning, and the pain of remembering a relationship that was so good before it turned sour. It reminds us of the second book in The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy, where Belly goes back to Cousins Beach and is plagued by memories of what went wrong in her relationship with Conrad. (Incidentally, the song also plays in that scene in The Summer I Turned Pretty TV series that had us in tears.)
‘1 step forward, 3 steps back’ – Sunstruck by William Rayfet Hunter (2025).
In this raw, tender song, Rodrigo describes a relationship where she feels like she’s constantly walking on eggshells. Similarly, in Sunstruck, the unnamed narrator’s relationship with his university friend's brother, the charismatic yet unpredictable Felix Blake, feels precarious. Despite their mutual attraction during a picture-perfect holiday in France, he feels he doesn’t belong in the Blakes' world of wealth and privilege. Back in London, real life resumes and their relationship is constantly tested. We think the narrator would particularly relate to the line: “Maybe, in some masochistic way, I kinda find it all exciting.”
‘lacy’ – The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden (2024)
There’s a thin line between love and hate, and sometimes you can feel both simultaneously. This is the crux of 'lacy', where Rodrigo sings, “Lacy, I just loathe you lately / And I despise my jealous eyes and how hard they fell for you.” This tension is also at the heart of The Safekeep, where main character Isabel’s solitary, orderly life is upended when she is forced to host her brother’s loud, messy girlfriend, Eva, for the summer. As Isabel’s resentment grows, however, her feelings tip into obsession and infatuation, culminating in an explosive revelation.
‘teenage dream’ – As Young as This by Roxy Dunn (2024)
‘Teenage dream’ is the song for anyone having an existential crisis, plagued by the fear that they peaked too soon (“They all say that it gets better, it gets better, but what if I don’t?”). This is a theme that runs through As Young As This, where we see Margot grow from a teenager into a young woman, reflecting on the men she has loved and the decisions she has made that have led to her facing an important decision about her future. It raises the same questions as Rodrigo’s song but Margot's story ends on a slightly more hopeful note.