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This article provides an analysis of how certain musical references in three contemporary Portuguese young adult novels operate in narrative worlds. The works under analysis, published by Planeta Tangerina, are O Caderno Vermelho da Rapariga Karateca (2012), Irmão Lobo (2013), and Pardalita (2021) – translated respectively as The Karate Girl’s Red Notebook, Brother Wolf and Pardalita. In this sense, in this study the aim is to determine whether references to João Gilberto, Johnny Cash and António Variações serve a merely decorative function or whether they play a role in the construction of the narratives by engaging with the characters and themes. In this context, the following research question is posed: how do these musical references, their lyrics and the artistic and biographic identities of the musicians contribute to the selected young adult narratives in terms of meaning making, thematic depth and identity development? To address this question, a qualitative methodology based on close reading is adopted. After identifying the most relevant musical references, the musicians’ biographical and artistic contexts are presented in order to relate these elements to the narratives and to specific theoretical frameworks concerning the role of music in adolescence. One of the central contributions of this article is to problematise the status of musical references by examining whether they go beyond a merely decorative function to actively participate in the construction of meaning and in the expansion of the reading experience. The findings demonstrate that, in these three contemporary Portuguese young adult novels, musical references can be elements that intensify characterisation, reinforce thematic complexity and expand the reader’s interpretative experience.