If You Like These Musicals, Read This

Hello pals, and happy Thursday!

Today's post is one that I have been super excited to make, because it features two of my biggest passions: books and musicals.

Of course, you know that I love books, it is after what I post about on here, but musicals have been a huge part of my life for years now. Before I even could understand English - and therefore understand most musicals - I was fascinated by the performances, the music, and the performers' ability to bring a story to life through singing. A good half of the music I listen to today is showtunes, and while I have no musical talent whatsoever, that does not stop me from singing these songs at the top of my lungs anytime I can.

With today's post, I will be recommending books that I think you would enjoy based on some of my favourite musicals. If you have not heard of any of these musicals but read the books recommend with them, go give these shows a listen/watch. And if you love these musicals, go pick up on the books, you will not regret it!

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The Last Five Years (Out Of Love - Hazel Hayes)

I watched The Last Five Years on a plane to Australia about 6 years ago. I had seen the trailer many times but had not found the time to watch the movie until then. About two hours later, when the movie finished, I was sobbing alone on a plane while everyone else seemed to be asleep.

The Last Five Years follows a couple, from the moment they met, to their wedding and ultimately their divorce - all in the span of five years. But here's the twist: the story is not told in chronological order. I absolutely love the narrative choice of an organised mess. Each song gives you more context on the couple's history, and ultimately will break your heart as it constantly reminds you of the good and the bad in their relationship.

When Hazel Hayes announced that she had written a book, I knew that I wanted to read it, no matter the story. First of all, I loved the title Out of Love, and I just knew that Hazel was a great writer and I would want to pick it up. But as soon as I heard what the story was about, I immediately thought of The Last Five Years, which is still one of my favourite musicals ever.

Out of Love follows an unnamed young woman as she navigates her breakup with her long-term boyfriend Theo. As the two see each other for the first time since the breakup, she reminisces on their relationship, and tells their story in reverse, starting at the end until we reach the euphoria of their first meeting.

The musical and the book are very similar in their structure - though Out of Love is more linear - and deal with similar issues. On top of that, they will both leave you with the same bittersweet feeling by the end, as you find yourself faced with hopeful characters, falling in love while knowing what the outcome will be.

Hadestown (Circe - Madeline Miller)

I have talked about my love for Greek mythology a couple times here and on my Instagram, and you probably know by now that I love it so much that I wrote my MA dissertation on Greek myth retellings. This is why it should not surprise you that I love the musical Hadestown. It is a retelling of the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, while also focusing on Hades and Persephone's relationship. The music is very jazzy, and the lyrics are beautiful. It also has some great characters, and really uses mythology as a way to talk about current issues - here it mainly focuses on environmental issues in a really subtle way.

This musical really made me think of Madeline Miller, who is - in my opinion - one of the best writer when it comes to Greek mythology retellings. It especially made me think of Circe, with its focus on nature and femininity. I wrote a review of Circe on my blog, which you can read here to see what I mean.

I hold both this book and this muscial close to my heart. If you like well-written texts and lyricism, you will love both of those.

Heathers (The Secret History - Donna Tartt)

This is a bit of a stretch, so please bear with me as I explain this pairing.

Heathers is my all time favourite musical. It is so funny, the songs are great and emotional, and the show itself is so crazy that it is brilliant. It follows Veronica Sawyer as she befriends the popular group of girls at her school: the Heathers. When the mysterious JD moves to town, the two form a connection and eventually kill Heather Chandler (by accident). As JD urges Veronica to keep killing the classmates who wrong her, she has to decide if she wants to follow him or stop the killings.

The Secret History is a lot more serious. It gives you real dark academia vibes, with a secret society, priviledged students, a love for Latin, and of course, muder and messed up characters. In a sense, I would say that Heathers is almost a parody of this kind of dark academia novels. The Secret History follows a gourp of students who, under the influence of their classics professor, discover a new way of living, far from contemporary manners, until the inevitable death of one of them.

I picked these two together because of the academic setting, the death of classmates, and the morally ambiguous main character that both the musical and the book have. While the tone and genre is completely different, and Heathers is a lot more light-heated, I found some similarities between the two that I cannot unsee now.

Les Misérables (They Both Die at the End - Adam Silvera)

Both a beloved musical and a beloved book. The easy pairing would be the musical and the book Les Misérables, since the musical is an adaptation. And honestly, if you like the musical, give the book a chance - though I have not read it, it is HUGE.

I wish that I could fully summarize Les Misérables here, but I am not sure it is doable. And you probably know a bit about it already. It is full of drama, love and death; and it has a huge fandom online.

The one book that I think about when talking about Les Mis is They Both Die at the End, because, well spoiler alert, pretty much everyone dies in Les Mis. They Both Die at the End follows two teenage boy on their last day on earth. They received their Death-Cast call, they will die in the next 24h hours. And so, the two of them meet and spend the day together, making new experiences and eventually falling in love.

I think that these two fit well together because of how beautiful the stories are, and the importance of the death factor.

Waitress (Heartstopper - Alice Oseman)

This pairing is based on vibes alone. The plots have nothing to do with each other, and yet, they give me the exact same vibes.

Waitress follows Jenna, a young baker in an abusive relationship. When she finds out she is pregnant, she meets a gynecologist, and the two of them start an affair. While it deals with very serious and sometimes disturbing issues, it is still a very sweet musical, with songs written by Sara Bareilles. It is a wonderful muscial, and will leave you with a very happy and hopeful feeling.

Heartstopper is a series of comics which tell the story of Nick and Charlie as they meet, form an unlikely friendships and eventually fall in love. It deals with matters such as navigating sexuality, mental health, eating disorders and bullying. But just like Waitress, it manages to stay sweet and light-hearted when it needs to be.

I think that the two share this idea of mixing serious subjects with hopeful messages, trying to show the complexity of life while giving a positive outlook.

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There are many other musicals that I could name, and I would love to do a part 2 if that is something that you would be interested in.

If you like these musicals, or if you want to know more about the books that I have mentioned, feel free to comment or message me on Instagram to talk about it.

Do you agree with me? Which musicals would you like to see next?

Until next time xxx