The new Taylor Swift documentary, Miss Americana debuted during the 2020 Sundance Film Festival to the excitement of fans everywhere. From the making of her latest album, Lover, to her mother’s cancer diagnosis, Miss Americana showcases the global superstar’s journey to finding her voice as a woman and an icon. After watching the documentary, be sure to check out this reading list full of stories about talented young people discovering their true selves while living life in the spotlight.

Sing by Vivi Green

After a breakup leaves her heart in pieces, popstar Lily Ross flees her glamorous life in the spotlight for a small, island town in Maine. She has three blissful, boy-free months until her next tour starts to focus on nothing but herself, her best friends and her music. But when she meets Noel Bradley, a local who’s nothing like any of the other guys she’s dated before, Lily finds herself falling harder than she ever expected and questioning whether or not life in the limelight is worth risking everything, including her new relationship.

Fireworks by Katie Cotugno

Set in the 1990s, two best friends, Olivia and Dana compete against one another to become the next global pop sensation. Dana tags along with Olivia to support her friend during an audition with famed producer Guy Monroe in Orlando. But when Guy ends up discovering Dana as well, the two find themselves adversaries in a competition that could turn one of them into the next big thing.

Love Songs & Other Lies by Jessica Pennington

Virigina Miller is about to set off on a summer adventure, road tripping with her friends who’ve just landed a place on a battle-of-the-bands-style reality show. Unfortunately, her friends conveniently forgot to mention her ex-boyfriend, Cam, is coming along too. Good thing Virginia is totally over him. Or at least she thought so until the cameras catch her playing a song of her own that turns into the band’s biggest hit and reminds her of why she fell for Cam in the first place.

Unrivaled by Alyson Noel

Madison Brooks is Hollywood’s hottest young star, and she didn’t get there by accident. Madison was willing to do anything to make her dreams come true – literally anything. But Layla Harrison, Aster Armipour and Tommy Phillips have big dreams too. And making their dreams a reality is going to require going head-to-head in a competition that could reveal all of Madison’s biggest secrets to the world. The question is, how far are they really willing to go to get the things they thought they wanted most?

Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss by Kasie West

All of Lacey Barnes’s dreams have finally come true. She’s just landed a role in a major Hollywood movie opposite one of the world’s hottest young actors. But her dreams seem to quickly be turning into a nightmare when her co-stars give her the cold shoulder and someone on set seems to be deliberately sabotaging her. To make matters even worse, her father hired her the most vanilla tutor he could possibly find, Donavan Luke. As things get worse on set, Donavan becomes the only person Lacey dares confide in, and he starts to become a distraction of an entirely different variety.

Famous in a Small Town by Emma Mills

Sophie loves her small town and small high school in Acadia. But when her marching band has the opportunity to march in the upcoming Rose Bowl, she has to come up with a plan to get herself and her classmates to Los Angeles. Too bad the only thing she can think of is reaching out to her town’s only claim to fame, country singer Megan Pleasant, who has sworn to never return to Acadia and embodies everything Sophie isn’t. To complicate matters even further, Sophie finds herself distracted by the new boy in town, who happens to have a big smile and an even bigger secret.

When It’s Real by Erin Watt

Teen celebrity Oakley Ford is in hot water again after the tabloids go nuts over yet another one of his infamous exploits. His publicity team has to come up with a plan to repair his image and fast. Their solution: to find him a steady girlfriend to show the world he’s a changed man. Vaughn Bennett wants nothing to do with Oakley or his legions of adoring fans, but with her family in financial straits, she doesn’t have much of a choice. Besides, what’s the harm in faking a relationship with someone she could never possibly develop real feelings for?

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