Pitch Perfect is one of my comfort movies. I throw it on whenever I’m in a funk or just need something playing in the background while I work. The combination of singing, humour and sarcasm speaks to me. So when the trailer for Pitch Perfect 2 débuted a little while ago I was aca-ecstatic.
Haven’t seen the trailer yet? You can watch it here.
Fantastic right? I love that Elizabeth Banks is taking on a directorial role for the sequel (go women directors!) and that everyone is back. And If you’re anything like me, the wait to May 2, 2015 is going to feel super long. But thankfully this list of books is aca-awesome for Pitch Perfect fans and should keep you busy until opening night.
This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales
It’s like this book was written just for girls like Beca. In fact, I like to imagine that this is the story of how Beca got interested in DJing before coming to Barden University.
Elise Dembowski has never been one of the popular girls. She’s never been one of the girls period. Convinced that she will forever be an outsider, she is about to give up for good, when she stumbles into an underground warehouse party. There a whole new world is opened up to her. She makes a new, unlikely set of friends and discovers a brand new passion, DJing, that will change her entire outlook on life..
Sister Mischief by Laura Goode 
If This Song Will Save Your Life is Beca’s book, than Sister Mischief was made for Cynthia-Rose Adams. Sister Mischief is the story of a bad-ass group of girls who form their own diverse hip hop group in the small, mostly Christian, suburb of Holyhill, Minnesota.
Their struggle for fame gets complicated, however, when Esme Rockett begins to fall for her co-MC, Rowie. It’s a sassy, lyrical, revolutionary novel. If Cynthia-Rose was one of your favourite characters, then it’s a must read.
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling
One of the things I love about Pitch Perfect is that the cast is made up of such an eclectic bunch of weirdos. Every single member of the Barden Bellas is quirky and at times aca-awkward. And that’s what makes them so easy to relate too. They’re all struggling with new responsibilities and expectations and trying to figure out just how they fit into the world around of them. Which is a prevailing theme in Mindy Kaling’s collection of essays. As an added bonus the audiobook (which is less than five hours long) is narrated by Kaling herself — making it the perfect thing to listen to while you practice your choreography for nationals.
Beauty Queens by Libba Bray 
Between Pitch Perfect, Bridesmaid and The Heat we’re seeing a real rise in female-led comedies. If you can’t get enough of these humorous stories, with large casts, then add Beauty Queens to the top of your to-read pile.
It’s the story of thirteen beauty pageant contestants who get stranded together on a deserted island. They’re competitors but they’re forced to work together if they want to survive. It’s a modern re-telling of Lord of Flies, filled to the brim with Libba Bray’s signature wit and sharp commentary on beauty standards and consumerism.
How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran
If you like to play the “what if?” game and wonder what would have happened to Beca had she never gone to Barden University, it may have looked a little something like How to Build a Girl.
Like so many characters on this list, Johanna Morrigan, is a bit of an outsider. But that doesn’t make her any less determined when she sets her sights on a particular goal. And that goal is to be a successful music journalist. After a bit of writing and a lot of perseverance she finds herself smack dab in the middle of England’s rock n’ roll scene. It’s a gritty, funny and poignant novel about chasing your dreams and figuring out who you are along the way.
Lumberjanes by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Brooke Allen
I normally keep my “If You Like” lists book oriented but I couldn’t leave off Lumberjanes. If you want a funny and clever story about a bizarre group of girls having adventures together you need look no further than Lumberjanes. It’s an ongoing story of five friends away at summer camp. But this is no ordinary summer camp. Before long they find themselves fighting yetis, three-eyes wolves and more. It’s often described as Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Gravity Falls and I’m willing to bet there’s a fair number of Pitch Perfect lovers hanging out in those two fandoms as well.
It’s a completely different setting and plot than Pitch Perfect but that sense of female camaraderie and friendship make them the perfect pair.
