With all due respect to Beyonce, Metallica, and everyone else who went on tour in the summer of 2024, the biggest tour of that summer, on many levels, was Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, which had her playing 149 shows in 51 cities to the tune (literally) of two billion dollars.
But since not every city got to host that tour, some Swifties had to take road trips to see their favorite singer.
Which is what Carson, Noemi, and Eleanor do in Stephanie Kate Strohm’s new romantic young adult coming of age novel 13 Days Of Summer (paperback, Kindle).
In the following email interview, Strohm discusses what inspired and influenced this story, including why it’s about Swift and not someone else with an equally fervent following.
To start, what is 13 Days Of Summer about, and when and where does it take place?
13 Days Of Summer is about three best friends and lifelong Swifties — Carson, Noemi, and Eleanor — who road trip from their hometown in Maine to see Taylor Swift in concert in L.A. It takes place on their trip across America, from Maine to New York to Ohio to Nebraska to Colorada to Nevada to California.
Where did you get the idea for 13 Days Of Summer?
The idea was created in collaboration with my wonderful editor at Running Press, Allison Cohen. It was inspired by my long running love of Taylor Swift, my friendships with fellow Swifties, and by several road trips I’ve taken myself. I’ve done Eleanor, Noemi, and Carson’s drive across the country, even with all the same stops.
So, is there a reason you set this in the summer after Carson, Eleanor, and Noemi graduated high school as opposed to the summer after they graduated college or maybe the summer before their senior years of high school or college?
While I was outlining the book, this is something my editor and I went back and forth on — I think when I sent her a first look at the first three chapters, it was the summer before their senior year of high school. But we eventually decided on the summer after high school graduation because it’s such a big time of transition, and since the book is ultimately about the friendship between the three girls, I wanted to set it a time where it can feel like that friendship is being tested in the face of such a big change.
Similarly, is there a reason why they’re going to a Taylor Swift concert as opposed to a Beyonce show or to see Chappel Roan or Billie Eilish? Or someone like Metallica or Phish, for that matter? Or does it not really matter…
It only matters to me, really, because I’ve been listening to Taylor Swift for so much of my life. But in the hands of another author, it could really be about any band or musical artist. So much of the book is about what it means to really love an artist, and how their work becomes the soundtrack to your life.
Also, when you told your parents what 13 Days Of Summer was about, and got to the point where Eleanor et al. pick up a hitchhiker, who got more mad at you for setting a bad example, mom or dad?
See, I am a mom, so I was way more concerned about the girls picking up a hitchhiker than I think either of my parents were when hearing about the plot. (Although, if either my six-year-old or my two-year-old picked up a hitchhiker, I’d be more impressed than mad.) I really tried my hardest to make picking up Dean feel like a justifiable action (because they kind of know him…sort of…or at least know someone who knows him??) because yes, it is extremely questionable behavior.
Despite this extremely questionable behavior, 13 Days Of Summer is not a horror story. It sounds like a young adult coming of age story…
That’s exactly how I see it. It’s a YA coming of age story that has elements of romance, but to me, first and foremost, it’s a friendship story.
Now, 13 Days Of Summer is not your first novel. I think it’s your 10th…
Including the graphic novels I’ve adapted or co-authored, 13 Days will be my fifteenth book, which feels wild to say.
Cool. So, are there any authors, or stories, that influenced 13 Days Of Summer but nothing else you’ve written?
Tonally, Brittany Cavallero and Emily Henry’s Hello, Girls is a very different book than 13 Days, but it’s my favorite YA road trip book, and it absolutely influenced 13 Days — and nothing else I’ve written. Definitely pick it up if you haven’t read it yet.
How about such non-literary influences? Was 13 Days Of Summer influenced by any movies or TV shows? Because it kind of made me think of that Britney Spears movie, Crossroads. Which — I didn’t know until I looked it up for this question — also starred Zoe Saldaña and Dan Akroyd, and was written by Shonda Rhimes. Too weird.
I am a proud elder millennial, and as such, I saw Crossroads in the theater the day it came out. Justin Long, who played Britney’s prom date in the early scenes of the movie, is from my hometown, so it was extra exciting for me and my friends, who were already big Britney fans to begin with.
Crossroads is absolutely an influence on 13 Days. I know Crossroads was critically panned when it released, but I loved it, and I still have a really soft spot in my heart for it. I love female friendships and I love road trip stories, especially when they feature a good karaoke scene. No surprise there.
And then, to flip things around, do you think 13 Days Of Summer could work as a movie or show?
It definitely could! I could see it as either a series, with each episode being a different destination, or a really fun road trip movie. Like Crossroads. I love a road trip series or movie; there’s just something so much fun about constantly traveling to a different destination.
And if someone decided to make a movie or TV show based on 13 Days Of Summer, who would you want them to cast as Noemi, Carson, Eleanor, and the hitchhiker, and why them and not Britney Spears, Zoe Saldaña, and Dan Akroyd? What, he’s a good lookin’ guy.
I have to be honest — I did not even remember that Dan Akroyd played Britney’s dad in Crossroads. Sorry to this man. Also sorry to him that he’s definitely aged out of playing Dean.
I’d submit (for your consideration), Kiernan Shipka [The Last Showgirl] as Carson, [High School Music: The Musical: The Series‘] Julia Lester as Noemi, Ashley Liao as Eleanor, and Froy Gutierrez [Cruel Summer] as Dean (the hitchhiker).
So, is there anything else you think potential readers need to know about 13 Days Of Summer?
If you’re a Swiftie, there are plenty of fun Easter eggs and little details you love. If you’re not a Swiftie, but you love summery YA books with strong friendships and a little bit of romance, I think you’ll love 13 Days of Summer, too.
Finally, if someone enjoys 13 Days Of Summer, and it’s the first book of yours they’ve read, which of your earlier novels would you suggest they read next?
I would pick up It’s Not Me, It’s You if you enjoy the humor and friendship parts of Summer, or Love à la Mode or Prince In Disguise if you want more travel and romance.
