Sloane frequently invokes Taylor Swift’s songs, with music forming a motif in the text that illustrates the characters’ emotions and connections. They provide the soundtrack and clues as to what will happen next. Sloane says, “That night, when I go to bed, I realize I’m still humming, my favorite Taylor Swift song, the one about the players and the haters, the heartbreakers and the fakers, the one where she tells you it’s going to be all right” (137). The Swift song she hums is “Shake It Off.” The lyrics prepare Sloane for her conflicts. She’ll face “fakers” and “haters” (Violet), and she’ll confront “heartbreakers” (Jay). As Violet turns into a “sister,” Sloane receives a happy ending, so “it’s going to be all right.”

On the beach at Block Island, Harper’s favorite song, “Bad Blood,” plays on repeat. Violet says, “I smile to myself. How fitting” (379), as it is a song about revenge. The “bad blood” isn’t between Sloane and Violet but between Violet and Jay. Swift’s song is about women in a fight. Subverting the song, Violet and Sloane stop feuding and team up to frame Jay.

When Sloane enters the Lockhart brownstone on her first day as Harper’s full-time nanny, Violet “spreads her arms out wide and calls out, ‘Welcome to New York!’” (174). The greeting is ironic; Sloane has been in New York much longer than Violet. Thus, New York becomes symbolic. It represents excitement and danger. With the Lockharts, Sloane will have a range of experiences, including a life-threatening one.