The Taylors

The Taylors #1

by Jen Calonita

Four girls . . . all named Taylor. Read Jen Calonita's origin story of an unforgettable friendship! And don't miss the sister Love Stories (The Taylors Version #1) by Elizabeth Eulberg.

Taylor (aka Teffy to her famliy) is terrified to start middle school. She wishes she could fade into the background, unnoticed. But on the first day of school, she finds herself in the spotlight when it's revealed that her homeroom class has four girls all named Taylor! There's a couple of things they can agree on. Taylor Swift is the greatest singer-songwriter of all time...and they are definitely going to need nicknames.

Soon, Teffy's outside her comfort zone, going out for cheerleading and starting a friendship bracelet making business. And when the Eras tour comes to town, the four friends will do whatever it takes to get tickets.

But then, a surprise betrayal changes everything. Teffy's learning to speak up for herself, but it's hard. Can she say what's on her mind and keep her new friends for good?

Genres: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary, Childrens, Fiction, Audiobook, Music

224 pages, Paperback

First published October 7, 2025

About the author

Hi Goodreads!
I'm Jen Calonita, a MG and YA author who loves what I do because it lets me connect with all of you (and no, I wasn't intending for that to rhyme!).

I've been writing ever since I can remember, but it was fourth grade when I put my "three wishes" for a genie down on paper. They were:
#1. Buy all the Cabbage Patch Kids in the world and give them away for free (because apparently that was how I rolled).
#2. I wanted a mansion, limo, lake house, pool and speed boat (still sounds quite nice).
#3. I wanted to be an author for young readers, which I am!

I love writing novels for teens (and for savvy grown ups who know that YA rocks at any age). My first series was "Secrets of My Hollywood Life" and it followed a teen star named Kaitlin Burke who struggled with the fame game. I have also written the stand-alone novels Sleepaway Girls, it's companion book, Summer State of Mind and the Belles series.

I've been writing middle grade too and am having so much fun with my series Fairy Tale Reform School! The fourth book in this series about a school run by former villains is called Tricked and will be out March 2018. Ever wonder what it would be like if your parents got a job with someone like Taylpr Swift? My other middle grade series, VIP, follows super fan Mackenzie Lowell as she tours with her favorite band, Perfect Storm.

I promise to give book updates here, and on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or my website. I hope I hear from you!

xo
Jen

Reviews

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll probably get some side-eyes for this; HOWEVER, I think that Calonita did some interesting things with this book.

What Worked: At first glance, The Taylors appears to be a middle grade realistic fiction book solely for younger readers that are fans of Taylor Swift. However, I think it's a little bit more than that. Calonita does a wonderful job weaving in the complex experiences of tweens trying to make friends, find their place in the world, and survive middle school. It illustrates what it's like to find those friends you cherish for a lifetime. I must admit that even I didn't expect much going into this novel, but was pleasantly surprised.

What Didn't Work: Unfortunately, this book is laced with Taylor Swift related content and quite often pop culture has a way of quickly aging a book. I know that younger readers who are Swifties will enjoy this immensely, but it's something to keep in mind.

Overall, this was a fun, interesting read and I'm looking forward to picking up the spin-off series where the characters are older.

[Iris Bicho · Rating 3 out of 5]

É fofo e giro para fãs da Taylor mas é bem juvenil. Recomendo imenso para jovens de 12/14 anos ;)

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, um. I’m literally crying. I just finished a middle grade novel about four girls named Taylor who are also Taylor swift fans trying to earn money to go to the Eras concert and legit TEARS are streaming down my face 😂 did NOT see that coming. My 9YO Swiftie picked this up at the scholastic book fair and loved it so much she asked me to read it. OF COURSE I said yes to that request, and honestly enjoyed it! It was darling, and the 5th grade drama was entirely appropriate and moral. And the writing was so cute! Truly! Still, did NOT predict how emotional I would become at the end but, hey! Sometimes you bawl through the end of a book targeted towards 4th and 5th grade Taylor swift fans. Hahaha

[💜{HIATUS} ashlynn💜]

dnf

[Abby Rogish Bodin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Scholastic and NetGalley for an advanced copy!
Rating: 4/5

This is very much a middle grade book, and I was interested in reading it ahead of time for my classroom. I have so many kids come into my classroom who have had Taylor Swift in their life since they were born. This is such a love letter to those kids who have had her as a role model for their life and the power of friendship. This was such a sweet, short book for those who love Taylor Swift! I love that all the chapters are named after Taylor's songs. I'm excited to buy this for my classroom!

[Sreenidhi C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jen never fails to amaze me! This book was so incredible and I enjoyed reading every bit of it! I loved the bond that the Taylors had and how their friendship was so strong throughout all of the ups and downs. It was so cool to see references of other books from some of my favorite authors! This book definitely deserves more than 5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

[Breena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my gosh this book is just DARLING! Teffy is SUCH a fun protagonist and it was really nice to watch her grow into her friendship with the Taylors and gain so much confidence! The ending was absolutely adorable (i’m crying at work). Totally fun and TOTALLY SO CUTE!

[Emma Presnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was SO CUTE I’m literally crying

[Renée · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ik kreeg een recensie exemplaar van dit boek voor mijn dochter, maar heb uiteraard ook zelf meegelezen! Wat een leuk boek is dit voor meiden van +/- 9 tot 14 jaar.

In dit verhaal volgen we Taylor, een meisje dat naar een nieuwe school gaat. Ze vindt het enorm spannend en vraagt zich af of ze wel vriendinnen zal maken. Gelukkig blijkt dat er in haar klas nog drie Taylors zitten, die ook nog eens net als zij Swiftie zijn, dus ze voelt zich al snel op haar gemak. De vier meiden beleven een hoop dingen die herkenbaar zullen zijn voor jonge meiden. Van onzekerheid en omgaan met pestkoppen op school tot slaapfeestjes en giebelen met je vriendinnen. En als de lezer ook nog eens Taylor Swift fan is, zit er extra veel herkenbaars in.

Het doel van de vier Taylors (die overigens Teffy, TS, Tay-Tay en Taylor genoemd worden om de boel een beetje uit elkaar te houden) is natuurlijk om naar een concert van Taylor Swift te gaan. Kaartjes zijn enorm duur en bijna niet te krijgen, maar de meiden gaan creatief te werk met geld verdienen, in de hoop toch te kunnen gaan.

Ik vond het een enorm leuk boek en mijn dochter van bijna 10 ook. Voor mij voelde het nostalgisch, voor haar was het een verhaal over grote meiden die een paar jaar verder zijn dan zij, maar dezelfde interesses hebben. Mijn dochter is ook een enorme Swiftie én ze is naar de Eras Tour geweest. Voor haar dus ook veel herkenning in het boek.

De toon van het boek is zo positief en het las lekker weg. Wel wat vertaalkeuzes tegengekomen die ik wat apart vond, maar de doorsnee lezer zal zich daar niet bewust van zijn.

We zagen dat dit deel 1 is in een serie en we zien er nu al enorm naar uit om het volgende deel te lezen!

4.5 ster voor dit eerste deel!

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I could give this book zero stars I would!! Reading this is how non Taylor fans must feel about having to hear about her.

I've read 12 going on 22 and loved it and loved the Taylor references.

But this was like crappy fan fiction. And yes I realize this is middle grade but oh my god it was too much.

And there was so many things that were so corny and so cringy.

The book starts with Teffy getting ready for the first day of 5th grade. They're at a 5-8 middle school. Apparently none of her old friends are at this school? Or she just didn't have friends? unclear.

So middle school starts and no way! Not one, not two, not three, but FOUR girls all named Taylor. Oh and they're all supposedly named after Taylor Swift. (So the book is set in fall of 2024, and the girls are 10, so all these parents were huge fans between debut and red that they all named their kids AFTER Taylor. Weird.

So they all go by some version of Taylors name (Taylor, Teffy, TS, and Tay Tay). Some normal middle school stuff happens, it's mostly fine. Minus the WAY TOO MUCH AMOUNT of Taylor references. Like referring to her by her full name, Taylor Alison Swift. Or one of the worst parts when they refer to her as mother. GAG ME.

The ending was hands down the worst thing ever though. It was so dang ridiculous and some of the stupidest crap I've ever read. So at the very end they go to tailgate because they couldn't get tickets. Which could have been a great ending of like not everything works out but they made new friends and had fun.

But nope. Somehow they are interviewed on live news in a segment that felt way too long. (Guess it was a slow news night in Indianapolis) And woah of course, someone from Taylor's team was watching (guess it was a slow night for her team) and they give the girls tickets. Not just any tickets, VIP tickets. Oh and as they are going into the stadium they just happen to pass the girl who's been bulling Telly because of course they are. OH BUT THAT'S NOT IT. All 4 are invited up to get the 22 hat, they all get to hug Taylor. You that's totally a thing that happened on the Era's tour. Groups getting the hat.

So many times I wanted to throw this book out of my hate for it but I had to see it through. I did buy this book for my classroom so I am interested in seeing if the core audience feels different.

[Maddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay let me just say what an awesome book this was Taylor Bennett (Teffy to her friends and family) is terrified to start middle school turns out there’s three other girls in her homeroom class all named Taylor and they all agree Taylor Swift is the greatest singer-songwriter of all time and they are definitely going to need nicknames soon Teffy is out of her comfort zone, trying out for cheerleading and starting a friendship bracelet making business I loved Teffy, but the Taylor I loved most was TS for her determination and heart and my second favourite was Taylor Perez who is a total #girlboss this book deals with what all middle school girls deal with, first day jitters, mean girls, and of course angst I remembered my first day of high school and this brought back a lot of memories my favourite line was you need to learn alongside cringe definitely something Mother would say if Taylor Swift saw this or even read this, she would be proud very proud Long Live the Eras Tour Long Live Taylor Swift 💚💛💜❤️🩵🩷🩶💙🤍🧡

[Alexis Hobbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED THIS BOOK OMG

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jen Calonita’s school-based, Swiftie-rich story will be a favorite among the grades 4-6 crowd who love all things Taylor!

Taylor “Teffy” Bennett is starting middle school and already knows that none of the students in her homeroom class are from her elementary school and making friends is difficult for her. But, after chatting with the cut out on her mirror of namesake, Taylor Swift, she is determined to speak up more, try something new and let others see all she has to offer. The rest of the book follows Teffy as she first meets Taylor “Tay-Tay,” then discovers two other Taylors (TS and Taylor) in Mr. Ball’s homeroom. The four strike up a friendship that may begin with a shared name and love of popstar Swift, but turns into something much more lasting as they try out for cheerleading, strive to create and sell friendship bracelets and earn enough money to get tickets to the Indianapolis stop on the Eras tour.

Until the culminating tailgating celebration of the concert, there is plenty of school and friendship drama for any who love reading the ups and downs of middle school and seeing how similar those scenarios are to those in their own lives. The four Taylors have unique personalities but find shared interests and develop a loyalty to one another that is a fine example of how to weather the inevitable mistakes that will always be made when people are involved! For diehard Swift fans, Calonita’s detailed accounting of the concert excitement will make them almost feel like they were there, especially if a soundtrack is playing while they read!

Text is free of profanity, sexual content and violence. While race of the girls is not explicitly stated, naming conventions, some physical descriptions and the book’s cover imply that Teffy and TS are Caucasian, Taylor is Hispanic and Tay-Tay is Black. Family configurations seem to be traditional two parent homes and one with a single dad raising his daughter.

Note: At the same time Calonita’s The Taylors is released, Elizabeth Eulberg’s Love Stories: The Taylors Version #1) will hit shelves and features the foursome as they begin high school.

Thanks for the print arc, Scholastic and the 2025 Texas Library Association annual conference.

[Elizabeth Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four young girls are all named Taylor after Taylor Swift because their parents are swifties and so are they.

I actually sorta struggled for a bit as to how to rate this book because I'm trying to balance my enjoyment level and how much I think it's going to be enjoyed by/is appropriate for the children it's the intended audience for.

I found the core story to be quite sweet. Four girls who bond over this thing that makes them unique while dealing with a school bully and other pressures in their lives. I found it relatable to things I was going through at that time and thought the messaging of speaking up for yourself, apologizing when wrong, etc was important.

It was a bit hard though not to find the book incredibly cheesy at times. I think there's a certain level of it that is expected, but at times a lyric would be dropped and if you're not a swiftie yourself, the intended meaning could come off as quite confusing.

I recommend this though to any little swifties in your life. I think they'll have a pretty good time.

Thank you to Scholastic and NetGalley for the ARC to review.

[Healani Armey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't usually write reviews but I absolutely had to for this book. I checked out this book from my local library to read to my daughter who is an infant swiftie.(yes I read chapter books to my baby). I was not expecting more than a cute story for girls that love Taylor Swift. I am a millennial mom who has had some worries about the impact of social media within children's media, and mature themes that dont allow "kids to be kids." I was pleasantly surprised that some of the characters in this book did not have social media due to parents' rules and that the main character, Teffy did not have a phone. I loved that her parents also had the awareness to have conversations with her about social media access and phone access concerns without shutting her down or making her feel less than. I also loved how organically the girls became friends and their unique personalities. the conflict that the girls had with one another with Taylor getting invited to the Eras Tour by the bully Hannah was also realistic and handled age appropriately. I absolutely balled at the end when the Taylors were all interviewed by the local news station and invited by Taylor's team to VIP. then when Taylor gave Teffy THE hat during 22 and told Teffy to make sure that she, Taylor, TS, and Tay Tay all share it...I absolutely lost it. I lost it again when Teffy gave her "The Taylors" friendship bracelet to Taylor Swift on stage. overall I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait to read more in the series!!!

[Chloe (BrunetteBibliophile)]

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

Taylor (aka Teffy to her famliy) is terrified to start middle school and just wants to go unnoticed. When she finds herself in the spotlight on the first day of school, it is because her homeroom class has four girls all named Taylor! There's a couple of things they can agree on. Taylor Swift is the greatest singer-songwriter of all time...and they are definitely going to need nicknames.

I have read multiple books from Jen Calonita, mostly of the Disney variety, but I was so excited to see she had a Taylor Swift themed middle grade book coming out. This is the first of a small series of sister novels between her and Elizbeth Eulberg. From what I have gathered, Jen’s books are from when they are in middle school and Elizabeth’s books are from when they are in high school.

As a Taylor Swift fan, I thought this book was super cute. I could definitely see young swifties enjoying this series. I did find some of the lines to add lyrics into everyday situations a little cringey, but the book is not for me, so I don’t see a problem with it. The whole vibe this book gave though is a great way to relive the magic that was The Eras Tour.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I am not going to be rating it because this book is not meant for my age range and I want everyone to pick up this book and enjoy it themselves.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story but the target audience is definitely for 7-8 year olds although I don’t think younger kids would fully understand the economics of the ticket crisis. Ending was a bit far fetched and doesn’t set a great example for readers because it might make kids jealous that they couldn’t go to the concert instead of accepting the reality that sometimes you have to settle for taygating. Still, younger aged swifties will enjoy this. For an older audience a book based on one of Taylor’s songs (like the folklore love triangle etc) would probably be more appealing. I also caught the But Daddy I Love Him reference to the mean girl being named Hannah and thought it was more clever than some of the direct references like calling her “an aimee”.

[Bethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars. So cute, even if you’re not a Swiftie! Lots of personal connections for me.
Teffy reads a book a day in 5th grade - girl after my heart
81 days til eras tour
TayTay moved from Naples, FL to Indianapolis
Chapter titles tswift songs? I’m not enough of a fan to recognize all of them
MG stuff: cheerleading, boys, mean girls, friends, swifties
Giving me anxiety about getting tix for BTS
Predictable but very cute ending

[Celeste · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a good trip down memory lane. Nostalgia for being in middle school and just having those worries, cares, friends, and hopes. 😌💖

Good Taylor references ❤️💜💖💛🩶

A good book to add to elementary and middle school libraries 📚

Also came here because I will always owe Jen Calonita for her “Secrets of My Hollywood Life Series” ⭐️❣️📖

[Hannah Showalter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was so goofy, lol. Can definitely see how this would be enjoyed by little Swifties though! Some of the references were so goofy and ridiculous, especially the ending. But heart-warming! Made me genuinely miss being at the Eras tour!

[Deerstalker Darling Bookish Swiftie · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10 and aggressively biased. Not sorry in the slightest.

I don't know that else to say about this book other than it would have meant EVERYTHING to me at age 12 when I struggled to make friends and faced a lot of haters for loving Taylor Swift. I would have printed this book on my forehead. I would have changed my name to Taylor. I would have preordered every sequel.

As a 27-year-old reading this, it is pure joy and sparkle and inner child healing. It makes me so happy girls support girls and their passions; and the idea of so many Swifties naming their kids Taylor makes me CACKLE. Incredible.

This book is a friendship bracelet for all ages. I really think it's a book Taylor herself would love because it is so Shameless in celebrating Taylor. The author really went 'its me, hi. I'm the swiftie it's me' and gave us enough easter eggs to choke a rabbit with.

It's excessive. I love it. This is exactly how loud I wanted to be about my love for Taylor when I was 12 and it makes me so happy to see it in print now.

This book is not for everyone. It is for Swifties and those who enjoy joy.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me cry SO many times. I loved reading it, seeing the Easter eggs, and reliving the eras experience!

[Erin Potter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really a cute book for young Taylor swift fans- lots of historically accurate details about Taylor and the eras tour. Fun and hopefully story, also touches on the subject of starting a new school and making new friends. Will be grabbing this one for my little swiftie, hope this group of Taylor’s can continue on in a series!

[Chuva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muito fofo, muito swiftie, adorei.
A capa é tão gira !!!
Gostei muito desta história de amizade.

(Enquanto pessoa que não pôde ir ao Era's Tour, também chorei bastante)❤️‍🩹

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

was there bits of this that had my skin crawling with cringe? yeah its a book for 12 year old
did I also cry like a baby at the ending last night? yeah what about it

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, and I’m definitely not the target audience. Not just about Swifties, The Taylors is about being lonely and then finding your people. It’s about trying, falling down, getting up and trying again. About dealing with adversity, (and adversaries.) And finding out that while you may not always get what you want, sometimes you get what you need.

[Codi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so cute for any young swifties out there. It completely brought me back to the magical time of the Eras Tour. You can tell the author is a big fan because there was many specifics and details only swifties would know! That said, this wouldn’t be a book for a non fan because I don’t think they would find it enjoyable. I would highly recommend for the swifties in your life!

Thank you to NetGalley and Scholastic, an ARC was given in exchange for an honest review.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book follows four middle school girls all named after singer/songwriter Taylor Swift. We primarily follow “Teffy” and her growing friendship with Tay-Tay, Taylor, and TS. They bond over being Taylor Swift fans themselves, cheerleading, trying to afford/find tickets to her Eras Tour concert coming to town, and generally, finding ways to overcome bullies.

The ending is a VERY dream-like scenario, but this is a middle-grade book, so I’ll let it slide. Admittedly, I would have liked them to have enjoyed the concert from a distance, like the rest of us humans, and made the best of their situation (you know, like, 'Okay, here’s the lesson learned'), but, as I said, I get it.

The pace of the book is slow at first, but it improves when the girls start making plans to raise money for the concert. The cheerleading storyline kind of feels like a tangential subplot that I think could have been easily cut.

The book is filled with references to Taylor Swift, which sometimes land and other times are cringey.

The book is at its best when it focuses on the girls being middle schoolers, rather than being Taylor Swift fangirls.

I see that there is a sequel with them in high school—and I must admit to being somewhat curious about that one.

Thank you to NetGalley, Scholastic, Scholastic Inc., and Jen Calonita for this free, advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Ashley Kammer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Younger Swifties will love this book! I’m happy the author included relatable tween/teen issues like phones, social media, mean girls, school transitions, and conflict resolution. Nonswifties can still enjoy this book, but won’t catch the many song references.

[Dragon Vivi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eu sou uma fã de Taylor e posso dizer que este livro é mesmo bom !!! Gostei das Taylors, das suas energias, gostei da história, da amizade, e do fim (foi triste para mim porque não pude ir a The Eras Tour...mas fiquei contente por elas !).