What Romance Book to Read, Based on Your Favorite Chappell Roan Song

An undeniable earworm that kicks off the album, this song unapologetically vents about mediocre men. Those who are manipulative, shallow and straight-up boring. What is Chappell Roan’s suggestion for a genuinely fulfilling romantic relationship? A Femininomenon! Someone who would wholeheartedly agree would be the rebellious young protagonist, Sophia, in this stunning YA fantasy romance—a Cinderella retelling that explores the aftermath of a “happily ever after” turned nightmarish. 

It’s been 200 years since Cinderella found her Prince Charming, and now teenage girls are forced to attend the Annual Ball where they will be chosen as wives by male suitors, that is, if they are “lucky,” since those considered undesirable are never heard from again. But Sophia is in love with her best friend Erin, whom she hopes to flee with and avoid a loveless, abusive marriage. Yet after Sophia successfully escapes, she ends up meeting the last known descendent of Cinderella, Constance, a young woman just as impassioned to free the kingdom’s young women of their miserable fates. However, to do so, they must be prepared to defeat a tyrannical king and destroy an unjust patriarchal system that has been firmly in place for years. Sounds like a mission Chappell would gladly support.               

With lyrics that are flirtatious, bold and capture what it feels like to develop an all-consuming crush, “Red Wine Supernova” has been lauded as a “gay girl anthem” that celebrates love between women. The yearning to become closer to another person that this song describes is reminiscent of the beautiful relationship that develops within this historical fiction romance centering around iconic 1950s Hollywood actress Evelyn Hugo, who now, while in her late 70s, is prepared to divulge her life story and set the record straight about the question on everyone’s mind: Who was the love of her life?

Monique Grant, a novice journalist, is as perplexed as everyone else as to why Evelyn has specifically sought her out to write her autobiography, but she knows that an opportunity like this could change her life forever. She decides that however long it takes, she will tell Evelyn’s story authentically, from the sacrifices the teenage Cuban actress had to make to get her start in a business only interested in white starlets to the individuals she had to manipulate along the way and those who were all too willing to exploit her as she rapidly became a household name. It’s a story of unexpected love amidst the brutal backdrop of the entertainment industry, which often urges stars to maintain a persona that doesn’t allow them to be transparent about who they truly are.          

You’ve probably heard of the saying “Nothing good happens after midnight,” but in this Chappell Roan song, she cheekily disagrees and claims that you can get up to a lot of fun in the early hours of the morning when you let go of your inhibitions and are open to meeting attractive strangers on the dance floor. It’s about a “good girl” who usually follows the rules, is responsible and reserved, but once the sun goes down, allows herself to become spontaneous, playful and makes risky decisions she probably wouldn’t typically make in broad daylight. 

Twenty-eight-year-old recently graduated PhD student Grace Porter could entirely relate to this song after she wakes up the next morning from a night of celebrating during her Las Vegas girls’ trip and realizes that she agreed to marry a woman on a whim. She can only remember fragments of the day prior and that her mystery wife has “rose pink cheeks and pitch-black hair,” though she can’t seem to recall her name. Grace is accustomed to following her parents’ expectations, especially those of her strict ex-military father, but feeling overwhelmed about her next steps in life, she decides to spend a summer in New York getting to know the woman she exchanged vows with. Will Grace find her hasty matrimony to be the biggest mistake of her life or the most meaningful risk she’s ever taken?     

This is the first melancholy track on the album in which Chappell expresses the need to set strict boundaries when it comes to spending time with an ex. She knows that if they meet up for coffee during the day rather than for a drink at a bar, there’s less of a chance she’ll find herself back at their place. However, by the end of the song, Chappell admits that even going out for a seemingly harmless cup of coffee wouldn’t be a good idea since she is still undeniably in love and needs to avoid them for her own sake. The inability to move on from a toxic relationship that ends up morphing you into someone you no longer recognize (or particularly like) is similarly portrayed in this moving YA graphic novel romance.

Freddy Riley is in love with Laura Dean—the charismatic, cool and popular girl she can’t believe has chosen to be her girlfriend. Except sometimes, Laura Dean can also be inattentive, narcissistic and possessive. Each time Laura Dean breaks up with her, Freddy can’t help but feel relieved when her fickle girlfriend takes her back. But everyone, from her closest friends to a local mystic to an advice columnist, is saying it’s time to break this never-ending cycle. Unfortunately, that’s always easier said than done, especially when Laura Dean keeps giving her glimpses of hope to cling to. This relatable coming-of-age love story acts as an important reminder that a healthy relationship will never allow you to lose yourself along the way. 

When you realize that you’ve developed deep feelings for someone, it can make you feel overjoyed. But over time, if it becomes clear that their feelings for you aren’t as serious, it can leave you feeling entirely gutted. This song is about someone ready to be exclusive with an individual who is content with remaining non-committal, making “Casual” a perfect song for hopeless romantics to blare when they need to drown out the sound of their sobs while nursing a broken heart.  

In this sweet and steamy romance, readers are introduced to Bette, a “late-bloomer” who recently realized she’s capable of falling in love with a woman—specifically, the stunning, confident and experienced Mei. Although Bette is prepared to deepen their bond and take the next steps in their relationship, Mei catches her completely off-guard when she suggests they take a three-month break so that Bette can freely date other women and explore opportunities she didn’t have the chance to experience in her 20s. Once Bette has experienced various potential love interests, she can unequivocally decide that Mei is the one for her. Despite doubting Mei’s intentions and fearing she might only be proposing this plan to prevent them from becoming too serious, Bette agrees to this exhilarating and messy arrangement, one that will hopefully give Bette closure one way or another. The instability of a couple who want conflicting things out of their relationship makes this romance very similar to the “situationship” in Chappell’s powerful ballad.      

After hearing a woman in an Architectural Digest video use the terms “super graphic” and “ultra-modern” to describe a house, Chappell began writing what would become this sensational upbeat bop inspired by the exuberant energy of drag queens. The lyrics celebrate a woman’s realization that she shouldn’t settle for “super mega bummer boys,” those who can’t offer her what she rightly deserves, and instead, declares that what she really wants is a “super graphic ultra-modern girl” like her. This narrator knows her self-worth and refuses to settle for anything less. In the scorching sci-fi romance The Lily and the Crown, there’s a character who is also aware of the power she possesses, despite others underestimating her after she is captured from a pirate ship and forced to work on a secluded imperial space station for a young, naïve botanist. 

Ariana “Ari” Geiker is content spending her days tending to her beloved plants, but to her shock, her father, the commander of the space station, presents her with an unnamed, mysterious older woman who is said to have been the last survivor aboard a captured pirate ship that had been controlled by the infamous pirate Queen, Mir. Although the woman, who asks to be referred to as “Assistant,” has been tasked with fulfilling Ari’s demands, Ari recognizes that Assistant is far from docile and accommodating. Rather, she is observant, independent and alluring. And she just so happens to know how to use her powers of seduction to get exactly what she wants.              

Whenever “HOT TO GO!” is performed live, no audience member can resist singing along, especially when it’s time for the iconic, catchy call-and-response chant where everyone is encouraged to mimic Chappell’s arm movements as she spells out H-O-T-T-O-G-O! This energetic, fun and brazenly flirty song features a narrator who is unapologetically alluring and acts incredibly coquettish while speaking directly to someone she has a desire to sleep with. Throughout the song, the narrator displays an eagerness and playfulness devoid of any shame, which encourages women, who are often prevented from exploring their sexuality, to celebrate it instead.

The first book in the Bright Falls series, Delilah Green Doesn’t Care, follows a woman forced to return to her hometown in this funny, romantic comedy. Once awkward and unsure of herself as a teen, she is now a confident woman capable of charming anyone she wants to spend the night with, even if she can’t remember their name the next day. Unfortunately, her independent life in New York working as a photographer is disrupted when her distant stepsister insists that she photograph her wedding. Though she’d rather not return to Bright Falls, where she’ll be reminded of her unhappy childhood living with her cold stepmother and stepsister, she agrees and unexpectedly runs into Claire Sutherland, her stepsister’s childhood friend who was Delilah’s secret teenage crush. 

Though Claire never paid much attention to Delilah in high school, she can’t help but feel drawn to the striking woman she locks eyes with from across the bar, and once she realizes Delilah is not a stranger, she wonders if she can resist their undeniable chemistry or whether she will allow herself to freely discover the connection between them.  

Breakups are brutal, and sometimes, whether we want to admit it or not, the only thing that can ease our suffering is hearing that our ex is miserable and struggling too. As they say, “What goes around, comes around,” and if you’re like Chappell Roan, you’ll relish the moments when you hear that your ex is dyeing their hair, crashing their car and having humiliating meltdowns in public. Karma can be, oh, so satisfying and extremely cathartic. 

Karma is what Maya is after in this enemies-to-lovers YA romance when she decides to participate in Second-Chance Romance, a reality dating show in which her lying, cheating former boyfriend Jordy Miller has invited a group of his exes to compete to win his heart. Although Jordy has successfully captured the hearts of millions by being the handsome younger brother of a sister who married a European prince and by using his wealth and power for admirable causes, Maya knows it’s all a guise and is willing to pretend to be in love with Jordy on this ludicrous show if it means there’s a chance to reveal to the world once and for all who he truly is. But it’s going to be absolute torture, especially after realizing she’ll have to share a room with Skye Kaplan—the girl responsible for shattering the false reality of her once seemingly solid relationship.             

“Picture You” is a hauntingly beautiful track that describes an intense longing for another person. It expresses the type of yearning that makes your heart ache whenever you daydream about them, even when you are too afraid to reveal your feelings and receive confirmation that they might feel the same way about you. 

A Scatter of Light is New York Times bestselling author Malinda Lo’s captivating companion novel to Last Night at the Telegraph Club and centers around recent high school graduate Aria Tang West, who is sent away to spend the summer in California with her grandmother. There she meets Steph Nichols, her grandmother’s gardener, who helps her learn more about what she wants out of life and who she wants to be. It’s a story of first love and the inability to prevent yourself from desiring someone unavailable, no matter how messy falling for them may be.

Another heartbreakingly exquisite ballad, “Kaleidoscope,” is a song Chappell Roan wrote after falling in love with her best friend and confessing her feelings despite knowing that she would inevitably be rejected. Chappell uses an extended metaphor to describe love as a kaleidoscope and contends that in every single one of its forms, love is a miraculous, powerful force. 

A story that is just as heart-wrenching is Her Name in the Sky, a coming-of-age queer romance novel about Hannah, a senior high school student attending a conservative Louisiana Catholic school who must contend with her growing romantic feelings toward her best friend, Baker. With the heavy weight of everyone’s expectations on their shoulders, Hannah understands that it would be easier to keep her feelings hidden. However, the small possibility of her love being returned might be worth any pain that follows.       

After visiting the well-known gay bar The Abbey, located in West Hollywood, for the first time, Chappell was inspired to write this powerful self-love anthem. A love letter to those blooming into their queer identities, “Pink Pony Club” acknowledges the courage it takes to express oneself, which necessitates releasing an older, inauthentic version of oneself that existed to appease others, including loved ones, who may struggle to fully accept this unfamiliar yet newly empowered state.

In this YA contemporary romance, readers meet two high school girls who are at different stages in their journey of self-acceptance. After transferring high schools from her private Catholic school, where she faced discrimination for being openly gay, Morgan, an elite track athlete, must navigate a new environment where she meets Ruby. Although initially rude due to their chaotic first encounter, Ruby piques the interest of Morgan, who finds the car-obsessed local beauty pageant competitor cute. And Ruby would be lying if she denied that she was starting to feel similarly, but that realization terrifies her. Ruby isn’t prepared to come out as bisexual, not when her mother has made it crystal clear that loving girls is not okay. This nuanced romance recognizes that not everyone’s “coming out” experience is the same, and its honesty about the obstacles that can prevent LGBTQ+ relationships from prospering remains necessary.       

“Naked In Manhattan” is a song about crushing on a female friend who’s been flirtatious and whom you yearn to be closer to by experiencing physical intimacy with for the first time. It expresses the desire to throw caution to the wind and make a move, finally closing the distance between what Chappell Roan describes as being “an inch away from more than just friends.”

Also set in New York City, this swoon-worthy, time-bending romance introduces readers to 23-year-old August, who has recently moved in with a group of strange roommates. She’s not known for being the most trusting individual, especially not toward strangers who barely asked her any questions before deciding to accept her as their roommate, but she supposes beggars can’t be choosers. She plans to mainly keep to herself, resolved to live a lonely life. Then, she notices a mysterious woman in a leather jacket aboard the subway on her daily commute who gives her something to look forward to every day. This woman, whom she comes to know as Jane, is special, and not just because she’s August’s crush: Jane is from the 1970s and is stuck in a magical time loop that prevents her from leaving the subway. August will have to abandon her skepticism and pessimism if she wants to figure out a way to help the woman, who is becoming increasingly important to her with every passing train ride. 

When singers appear to skyrocket to success, it’s easy to assume that their road to stardom was linear and relatively easy, but in “California,” Chappell Roan shares her vulnerability with listeners by expressing how homesick she was when she moved to Los Angeles from her hometown, with dreams of making a successful career from singing. This wistful, nostalgic song pays homage to those who persevere through adversity to fulfill their passions rather than allowing fear and self-doubt to prevent them from reaching their potential.

Although protagonist Natalie Keane is not a famous singer like Chappell Roan, she is one of Hollywood’s most sought-after actresses in this satisfying slow-burn contemporary romance that explores the dark side behind the perks of glitz and glamor. It may be true that Natalie Keane has a dazzling life that many fantasize about, but there are horrible drawbacks to being in the public eye that have turned her dreams into a nightmare, making her sometimes wish she hadn’t chosen this path. 

Eight years ago, she was stalked, and she hasn’t been the same ever since. She is constantly looking over her shoulder to ensure her safety, so when she is told that her stalker is scheduled to be released from prison soon, her team decides they need to beef up security. Although extra security is enthusiastically welcomed, what isn’t is the media attention and exploitation that will surely follow. Natalie will accept a bodyguard, but they must be discreet. Enter Taylor Vaughn, a bodyguard recovering from an injury for three months who’s eager to jump back into action and who will have to pose as Natalie’s girlfriend. It’s strictly business at first, but Taylor finds that her need to protect Natalie goes far beyond her commitment to her career.                    

A perfect way to end the album, “Guilty Pleasure” starts with a slow melody that suddenly morphs into an exhilarating funky pop beat that enhances Chappell Roan’s playfully provocative lyrics. The singer starts by implying that she feels a little embarrassed about her desires, but as the song continues, she decides to embrace her longing, admitting that she can’t resist wanting to indulge in the relationship she describes, comparing it to her craving for a cigarette.           

Many people might think that sleeping with your friend’s mom might be a bit taboo, and in this raunchy and surprisingly sweet age-gap romance, that happens to be the case. College senior Cassie Klein flees to an off-campus bar to avoid her school’s bothersome Family Weekend event, where she feels impelled to buy a drink for a sexy older woman. A drink turns into a chat, which turns into a kiss, which turns into an earth-shattering one-night stand. Cassie’s bummed that she’ll never get the opportunity to see this incredible woman again since she’ll only be in town briefly to visit her daughter at school. 

Fortunately (or maybe, unfortunately), they meet again shortly after, this time at a breakfast place where Cassie is dragged to by her friend, who needs emotional support to face her overbearing mother—the woman Cassie slept with the other night. What should be an uncomfortable mistake that neither of them should ever speak of again turns into them secretly spending more time together. This forbidden romance might prove that, from time to time, it’s worth giving into guilty pleasures.             

Every now and then, there’s a song that you hear that makes you feel like it always existed and was fated to become a hit that’ll live on forever. This recently released single has been capturing listeners' attention and is quickly climbing its way up Billboard’s Hot 100 list, currently residing at number eight. From its first listen, you can’t help but want to immediately replay the song to hear Chappell Roan belt out, “I told you so!” with impeccable power as she warns someone about the regrets they’ll have if they allow compulsory heterosexuality to prevent them from freely loving who they want. 

It's a feeling that Lucy knows all too well in this unforgettably tender romance. Growing up in the early 1990s in the Irish village of Crossmore, Lucy is expected to marry her childhood friend Martin, even if she is deeply in love with her other childhood friend, Susannah. She wishes she wouldn’t have to choose between maintaining a close relationship with her mother and remaining in the only town she’s ever known or leaving it all behind and moving away with Susannah, the only person she can be her real self with, into an uncertain future. 

Lucy knows which path would make her life easier, but she also knows which choice will make her happy. The only unclear decision is whether she will choose her happiness or decide to prioritize others’ contentment. An inevitable decision she must make as she finds it impossible to ignore the strongest emotion she’s ever had the privilege of experiencing. As Chappell Roan would say, “You’d have to stop the world just to stop the feeling.”