Cruel Summer

The Taylors Version #2

by Elizabeth Eulberg

Four girls, all named Taylor, make for one unforgettable friendship! International bestseller Elizabeth Eulberg follows four stories of first love, friendship, and heartbreak. Don't miss the sister novel, Jen Calonita's The Taylors!



The sequel to LOVE STORIES (The Taylors Version #1) follows the Taylors through four very different love stories over the course of a turbulent summer.

Genres: Contemporary

288 pages, Paperback

Expected publication January 6, 2026

About the author

The short and sweet version:
Elizabeth Eulberg was born and raised in Wisconsin before heading off to college at Syracuse University and making a career in the New York City book biz. Now a full-time writer, she is the international bestselling author of over a dozen novels, including The Lonely Hearts Club, Prom & Prejudice, Take a Bow, and Better Off Friends, along with the middle-grade series The Great Shelby Holmes and Scared Silly. She now lives in London where she spends her free time aimlessly wandering around historic streets and eating all the scones. ALL OF THEM.

To check out the long version, head over to my webpage: http://www.elizabetheulberg.com/bio/

Also, I'm not checking e-mails on my Goodreads, see my website for information on contacting me! http://www.elizabetheulberg.com/faq/

Happy reading!

Reviews

[Elizabeth Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

The teenage girls all named Taylor after Taylor Swift are back, but now they're facing challenges of being separated for the summer following their freshman year.

This book truly felt like it flowed much better than the previous two books following these girls. Since the girls were all apart for the most part, it allowed time apart where each chapter actually felt separate and like there were multiple interesting storylines going on and I really appreciated that.

The storylines I found the most interesting were probably Taylor as a camp counselor, having to face off against an enemy and Tay with The Archers and everything to do with becoming a band and trying to grow together.

I found it a bit exhausting at times reading each of the girls torn down by someone who was supposed to care about them and not prioritizing them, but I'm glad each girl's story went a bit of a different route with that in the end.

Overall, I found it a fun way to continue the story of these girls and it's my favorite one so far.

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

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Scholastic for providing an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fun, lighthearted read that every young adult Swiftie will absolutely adore! Elizabeth Eulberg's Cruel Summer: The Taylors Version is an ingenious book that manages to capture the joyful essence of being a Taylor Swift fan while delivering a genuinely engaging story. It strikes a perfect balance, keeping the tone upbeat and fun while gently approaching more serious topics that resonate with the teen experience, making it both entertaining and thoughtful. This book is a truly effective device for getting tweens and teens invested in reading, as the contemporary references and relatable characters are sure to pull them right into the narrative.

What truly sets this book apart and makes it a “must-read” for fans is the brilliant structure where each chapter is named after a Taylor Swift song! For dedicated Swifties (like myself), the experience is enhanced tenfold by searching for the little Easter eggs and nods to the lyrics sprinkled throughout the story. While the sheer number of characters and their similar names/nicknames can occasionally make it a challenge to keep everyone straight (I blame my geriatric Swiftie mind!), the compelling story and the sheer joy of the fan experience make it completely worthwhile. Overall, it's a delightful, positive journey into a story that celebrates friendship, self-discovery, and the iconic music that ties it all together.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

It's the summer after freshman year (portrayed in Love Stories), and the four Taylors are all going their separate ways. Soccer playing TS has been invited to go to London with her girlfriend Gemma to meet her well-to-do family. Tay, whose father bakes a lot, is doing gigs with the Archers, the band assembled by her boyfriend, Reese. Teffy finally lets her parents know that she is dating Liam Yoon, whose parents didn't help when Teffy's parents closed their Harrison by Design business, and is working at a local bookstore. Taylor is a camp counselor at an exclusive sleepaway camp and is looking forward to working at Whisping Pines. The group keeps in contact via phone, and between chapters there are text messages that they send to each other. Of course, nothing goes smoothly. TS struggles with Gemma's family and friends, who look down on her less posh, American background. Tay enjoys going to county fairs to play rock versions of Taylor Swift songs, but experiences some tension with Reece and the other band members over vision. Teffy starts to realize that Liam's friends aren't really the kind of people she wants to hang around. The most disturbing summer is Taylor's, when she finds that her ex-boyfriend, Hunter, who was abusive, is a counselor at her camp and repeating his horrid ways, although there is some consolation in Caleb, who is very sweet. At the end of the summer, the Taylors reconvene to visit Taylor at camp, and there is some satisfying resolution to many of their problems.
Strengths: All of the Taylors certainly have summers that are more exciting than just staying home and occasionally venturing out to the local pool or library, and any young reader who is a fan of Taylow Swift will appreciate all of the nods to her songs. There's also plenty of food and fashion to bring the characters and their likes and dislikes to life. The romances are sweet, and beset with realistic problems. Taylor's storyline adds a little bit of problematic danger. My middle school readers were thrilled when I had ARCs of Calonita's middle school origin story, The Taylors (which would be great for elementary school students as well), and the first book in this series. There will be some readers who turn up their nose at anything Swift related, but prebound copies of all of these titles will certainly be read enough to justify their purchase!
Weaknesses: I rather admire Ms. Swift's work (although she could clean up her language, considering her audience), but I don't care enough to understand all of the references. These books might date rather quickly, but since the library copies will be worn out by the time interest dies down, it won't really matter. If you know a Swift fan, these would make a great gift.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like books like Kasie West's and Jennifer L. Smith's that are about high school characters that are also interesting for middle grade readers.

[Holly Bevans · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

This one ultimately wasn’t for me, and that’s on me rather than the book itself. I didn’t fully realize how young the target audience was, and I struggled with the fact that all of the girls shared variations of the name Taylor. It frequently pulled me out of the story, especially during dialogue or POV switches, because I found myself getting confused about who was speaking. Had the characters been named differently, I think I might have had an easier time staying engaged and possibly finishing the book.

That said, I can absolutely see this being a big hit with a younger audience, especially readers who are huge Taylor Swift fans. I think they would connect with and enjoy this story far more than I did.

Overall, I do recommend this book for its intended audience. There’s no hate toward the book or the author; this was simply a case of me not doing enough research before requesting the ARC.

[RStanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and Scholastic for this arc for my honest review.
4 of 5 stars/Four pov(third person)
Middle Grade
You follow four girls who are all named Taylor who are always obsessed with Taylor Swift. They are all of different adventures for the summer. TS is on her way to England with her girlfriend, Gemma, and her family. Tay is trying to join a new band. Teffy is having her relationship tested with Liam. Taylor is going to be a summer camp counselor.
Great middle grade stories with a swifty vibe. The chapters are named after Taylor Swift songs.
My only criticism is I found it hard at first to keep the stories straight with all the characters having names starting with T but then I found my rhythm.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars – Cruel Summer (The Taylors Version #2) by Elizabeth Eulberg is a good light read for teens and the young adult, Taylor Swift fans and non-fans. The story focuses on the summer following the Taylors freshman year of high school. Each Taylor has their own challenges they must face in their lives. The girls must deal with mean girls, disapproving family, and disappointing boyfriends as well as being true to themselves and following their own dreams. It’s an easy to read and follow story given that each main character is a Taylor. I really enjoyed it and look forward to a third book.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, the author and Scholastic Inc. for allowing me to read an ARC. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great upper middle grade read I’d say for Taylor Swift fans between ages 11-14! There are elements of young love, growth, LGBTQ+ representation, friendship, and fun!

I loved seeing the Taylors journey of growth and strength throughout the story! I loved reading strong female characters for girls in this age group! Friends building each other up and supporting one another! I first chose this book from NetGalley because my daughter bought book 1 at the Scholastic Book Fair and I wanted to see what book 1 was about! I’m happy I read it and feel grateful for the opportunity to provide feedback. Thank you!

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the Taylors series so much. Great age appropriate fiction with a Swifty twist! I really enjoyed seeing all the different perspectives of each Taylor in this one, and really appreciated the group chats in between chapters! I grew up with the TTYL series, so current tech elements always win me over. The characters are growing up and I enjoyed the added depth and changes since the debut novel in their middle school years, while still maintaining what made each Taylor “them” a great way for a series to grow with their audience.

Thank you to net galley for this ARC!

[Yapha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This second book in Eulberg's Taylors Version series takes place the summer after their freshman year of high school (and the first book). To really understand the nuances of the relationships, please read the series in order. Once again Eulberg has combined important relationship advice (and warnings) with Taylor Swift songs to make a book that is both fun to read and shows what a good relationship is and isn't. Highly recommended for grades 7 and up.

eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss

[Codi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third “Taylor’s” book I’ve read and the second when they are older. I really liked this one and felt the flow and stories went a lot smoother! I had an easier time keeping track of everyone. Swifties will loveeeee all these books and they are cute for middle/high with the teenage romance and fun story line!

Thank you to NetGalley and Scholastic for the ARC in exchange for an honest review’!

[Bookish2theMax · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good! Finished it in 2 hours!

[Aurora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read the full review with representation information and trigger warnings on my blog.

Four girls named Taylor after Taylor Swift are separating for the summer before their sophomore year of high school. TS is going to England with her girlfriend Gemma, Taylor is going to be a summer camp counselor, and Teffy and Tay are still at home in Indiana. Their relationships are all going to be tested, and Taylor has a nasty surprise when she arrives at summer camp in the form of her manipulative ex-boyfriend.

Like other readers, I thought this book was better written than the first book in the series. The main character's stories all feel more independent of each other and less confusing since the different settings are clear. My favorite of the four stories was probably TS and Gemma's story because I'm a sucker for sapphic stories about royalty and nobility, but I enjoyed all of them.

As for Taylor's story — wow, if I didn't hate Hunter before from the first book, Love Stories (I did), I sure do now. He is Taylor's supervisor/senior counselor at the summer camp she's being a counselor at, and he decides if he can't win her back he's going to sabotage her. He's very much the kind of villain that you love to hate, but he's unfortunately a realistic picture of how some men behave. And yes, he is a man — he's graduated high school and is fully an adult in this book. It's implied that he's still going after vulnerable young teenagers and a sexual predator, but it's not explicitly stated. Taylor's story is probably the darkest of the stories because of Hunter's manipulation and generally dangerous behavior in the climax of the story, but the rest of the stories are fairly lighthearted. Between Taylor and Tay's stories with their respective love interests/ex-love interests, the novel has some good messages for teenage girls about how to recognize a toxic relationship. A big theme of this book is coming of age and how much it's appropriate to change for your romantic partner, and it's explored well.

This book is a fun, fast read, and Elizabeth Eulberg again does a great job of depicting teenage girls in a way that feels like she cares about their emotional inner worlds.

Cruel Summer releases January 6 2026 from Scholastic. Thank you to Netgalley, Scholastic and Elizabeth Eulberg for the ARC. All opinions are my own.