On June 11, 2025, Sabrina Carpenter announced her newest album, Man’s Best Friend, releasing on August 29. As I kill time before the album’s release, I’ve found myself looking for books that remind me of Sabrina’s music and lyrics. Whether it’s the heartbreak hidden within a romance book, a bold declaration of self-worth, or the charming mix of confidence and vulnerability, these eight books will capture the same emotional punch that Sabrina brings to all of her music. If you’re counting down the days like me, hopefully these eight reads can help fill the Short n’ Sweet-shaped hole in your heart until August.
1. Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
Similar to Carpenter’s because i liked a boy, Every Summer After explores how one mistake can unravel everything you once knew. And if you’ve ever had that one love that you thought would last forever just for it to be taken from you, then this book is for you. When Persephone Fraser returns to the lakeside town where she spent every summer as a child, she’s reminded of her first love, Sam Florek, and is forced to confront the choices that drove them apart. Every Summer After is told across the span of six summers and one life-changing weekend and is an emotionally rich story about love, loss, regret, and whether it’s ever too late to mend the love you once had.
I loved you so much that the word ‘love’ didn’t seem big enough for how I felt.
— Carley Fortune, Every Summer After
2. Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman
If Nonsense by Sabrina Carpenter were a book, it would definitely be Funny You Should Ask. This emotionally layered romance follows Chani Horowitz, a struggling journalist who finally lands the assignment of her dreams, or so she thought. When her interview with her longtime celebrity crush, Gabe Parker, leads to a whirlwind weekend that leaves the tabloids buzzing, Chani realizes that she may be way in over her head. And now, a decade later, after heartbreak and hard lessons, she finds herself in Gabe’s world again for a follow-up interview she never expected to do. Told in dual timelines, Funny You Should Ask is a messy and heartfelt look at what happens when fantasy collides with reality and whether a once-in-a-lifetime spark can survive time.
You can worship someone you don’t know, but you can’t love them.
— Elissa Sussman, Funny You Should Ask
3. Beach Read by Emily Henry
If you love Sabrina Carpenter’s Feather, then you’ll love Beach Read, where love tethers between playful banter and emotional vulnerability. January Andrews is a romance author who doesn’t believe in love herself, and Augustus Everett is a brooding literary author who prefers tragedy over the classic happily ever afters. When they end up as neighbors for the summer and discover that they are both struggling with writer’s block, they strike a deal: they will swap genres — and lives. But what starts as a creative challenge turns into something much deeper and far more vulnerable than either of them ever expected. Full of funny dialogue, an emotional slow burn, and more than enough chemistry, Beach Read is proof that opposites not only attract, but they might just heal each other.
‘When I watch you sleep,’ he said shakily, ‘I feel overwhelmed that you exist.’
— Emily Henry, Beach Read
4. Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler
Sabrina Carpenter’s album, emails i can’t send, captures the ache of wanting two different versions of love, and Dahlia Adler’s Cool for the Summer does the same. When Lara’s high school crush, the football golden boy Chase Harding, finally starts reciprocating interest, everything she’s ever wanted finally begins to fall into place. But when the girl from that one perfect, unforgettable summer, Jasmine, shows up at school, Lara is thrown into a whirlwind of feelings she can’t ignore. Torn between the comfort of what’s expected and what feels real, Lara’s journey is a sun-soaked and emotionally charged exploration of desire, identity, and finding the courage to be honest with yourself.
Just because you’re telling a good story, doesn’t mean it’s the right story. And I think that it’s really important to tell the right story.
— Dahlia Adler, Cool for the Summer
5. Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers
If your favorite Sabrina Carpenter song is Tornado Warnings, then Honey Girl will hit you straight in the heart. Grace Porter is the definition of both overachieving and perfection. Freshly done with graduate school and earning her PhD in astronomy, she finds herself in the midst of a wild night in Vegas, which ends with her accidentally married to a woman she’s never met. While struggling under the weight of expectation, burnout, and her own self-doubt, Grace escapes to New York to spend the summer with her mysterious wife Yuki. Honey Girl unfolds a tender and introspective journey through queer love, mental health, and the messiness of growing up when you already thought you were all grown up. This is the book for anyone trying to learn to slow down and finally listen to their own emotions.
I think lonely creatures ache for each other because who else can understand but someone who feels the same dark, black abyss?
— Morgan Rogers, Honey Girl
6. This Time It’s Real by Ann Liang
If you love Sabrina Carpenter’s classic hit, Espresso, then you’ll love the bold and flirty energy in This Time It’s Real. When Eliza Lin’s fake love story goes viral on the internet, she teams up with heartthrob Caz Song in order to keep the lie alive, and now she’s suddenly living her teen romcom fantasy. But as their fake romance begins to feel too real, Eliza must decide if chasing her dreams is worth risking her heart. Full of charm and witty banter, This Time It’s Real is as sweet as Sabrina Carpenter’s Short N’ Sweet album.
I guess my point is that I do believe in love. Really. I’m just not convinced that kind of love could ever happen to me.
— Ann Liang, This Time It’s Real
7. Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter
If Please Please Please by Sabrina Carpenter is your go-to song, then Better Than the Movies is the right book for you. Both capture the chaotic hope and frustrations of begging your heart to make the right choice. Liz Buxbaum is a hopeless romantic who has spent her adolescence chasing the picture-perfect prom with her longtime crush, Michael. But when she realizes that the only way to get close enough to him is to team up with her infuriating neighbor, Wes, she nearly gives that dream up. As Liz works to orchestrate her picture-perfect love story, she finds herself starting to wonder if maybe Michael wasn’t the one all along, maybe it’s the boy next door. Packed with laugh-out-loud moments, heartwarming twists, and that classic rom-com charm, Better Than the Movies is everything you want from a love story.
Sometimes we get so tied up in our idea of what we think we want that we miss out on the amazingness of what we could actually have.
— Lynn Painter, Better Than the Movies
8. Permanent Record by Mary H.K. Choi
If Sabrina Carpenter’s Good Graces makes you feel the messy and aching contradictions of a love that’s irresistible yet doomed, then Permanent Record is the perfect match for you. Pablo is both broke and directionless, and while working the night shift at a Brooklyn deli during a snowstorm, he meets pop superstar Leanna Smart, who seems to be living her teen dream. Their chemistry is instant, but their lives couldn’t be more different, and as their relationship begins to grow, the pressure of the public eye and their own personal baggage begin to break them. Both honest and raw, Permanent Record is a love story about identity and the messiness of trying to figure yourself out while falling for someone else.
Nothing that is a manifestation of your creative energies is stupid… Doing nothing is the only stupid.
— Mary H.K. Choi, Permanent Record
Whether you’re in your Espresso or because i liked a boy era, these books will keep you company until Man’s Best Friend drops. So grab your favorite recommendation, press play on your Sabrina playlist, and let the countdown to August 29 begin!
Looking for more books to binge this summer? Check out our article 10 Romance Books to Spice Up Your Summer!
Find these books on our Bookshop Books for the Pop Girlies Bookshelf!
