The YA Read-Alike Guide to SOUR by Olivia Rodrigo

Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album Sour has become the start-of-summer anthem, helping us relive all the best and worst parts of falling in love. If you have Sour playing on repeat like Team Underlined does, this guide to YA books will help you pair a new read with your favorite track.

If you love “brutal” by Olivia Rodrigo, you should read Like a Love Song by Gabriela Martins.

Like a Love Song

By Gabriela Martins

Natalie is living her dream: topping the charts and setting records as a Brazilian pop star… until she’s dumped spectacularly on live television. Not only is it humiliating—it could end her career.

Her PR team’s desperate plan? A gorgeous yet oh-so-fake boyfriend. Nati reluctantly agrees, but William is not what she expected. She was hoping for a fierce bad boy—not a soft-hearted British indie film star. While she fights her way back to the top with a sweet and surprisingly swoon-worthy boy on her arm, she starts to fall for William—and realizes that maybe she’s the biggest fake of them all. Can she reclaim her voice and her heart?

If you love “traitor” by Olivia Rodrigo, you should read We Were Liars by E. Lockhart.

We Were Liars Deluxe Edition

By E. Lockhart

A beautiful and distinguished family. A private island. A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy. A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.

A revolution. An accident. A secret. Lies upon lies. True love. The truth.

If you love “drivers license” by Olivia Rodrigo, you should read The Year I Stopped Trying by Katie Heaney.

The Year I Stopped Trying

By Katie Heaney

Mary is having an existential crisis. She’s a good student, she never gets in trouble, and she is searching for the meaning of life. She always thought she’d find it in a perfect score on the SATs. But by junior year, Mary isn’t so sure anymore.

If you love “deja vu” by Olivia Rodrigo, you should read Date Me, Bryson Keller by Kevin van Whye.

Date Me, Bryson Keller

By Kevin van Whye

Everyone knows about the dare: Each week, Bryson Keller must date someone new—the first person to ask him out on Monday morning.

But Kai Sheridan never expected Bryson to say yes to him. As the days go by, he discovers there’s more to Bryson beneath the surface, and dating him begins to feel less like an act and more like the real thing. Kai knows how the story of a gay boy liking someone straight ends. With his heart on the line, he’s awkwardly trying to navigate senior year at school, at home, and in the closet, all while grappling with the fact that this “relationship” will last only five days. After all, Bryson Keller is popular, good-looking, and straight… right?

If you love “happier” by Olivia Rodrigo, you should read My Epic Spring Break(up) by Kristin Rockaway.

My Epic Spring Break (Up)

By Kristin Rockaway

For coder extraordinaire Ashley, high school is all about prepping for college. Her love life? Virtually nonexistent. She’s never been on a date. Never been kissed. Never been in love. When her plans veer off course, Ashley realizes she might be missing out on her high school experience. Now that spring break is finally here, Ashley vows to have fun… and, for the first time, follow her heart.

Starting with Walker Beech, her gorgeous, maybe-not-so-unrequited crush. But with Jason Eisler—her childhood friend turned prankster—in the picture, trouble is bound to follow. Will Ashley’s epic spring break lead her to love, or will her heart crash and burn?

If you love “jealousy, jealousy” by Olivia Rodrigo, you should read Girl Crushed by Katie Heaney.

Girl Crushed

By Katie Heaney

Before Quinn Ryan was in love with Jamie Rudawski, she loved Jamie Rudawski, who was her best friend. But when Jamie dumps Quinn a month before their senior year, Quinn is suddenly girlfriend-less and best friend-less.

Enter a new crush: Ruby Ocampo, the gorgeous and rich lead singer of the popular band Sweets, who’s just broken up with her on-again, off-again boyfriend. Quinn’s always only wanted to be with Jamie, but if Jamie no longer wants to be with her, why can’t Quinn go all in on Ruby? But the closer Quinn grows to Ruby, the more she misses Jamie, and the more (she thinks) Jamie misses her. Who says your first love can’t be your second love, too?

If you love “hope ur ok” by Olivia Rodrigo, you should read Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon.

Instructions for Dancing

By Nicola Yoon

Evie Thomas doesn’t believe in love anymore. Especially after the strangest thing occurs one otherwise ordinary afternoon: She witnesses a couple kiss and is overcome with a vision of how their romance began… and how it will end. After all, even the greatest love stories end with a broken heart, eventually.