I expect a light on the drama, HEA romance. I am happy to say, all three of these delivered that to me.
But what I want to talk about are those covers that didn't quite match the mood of the book and therefore
I was deceived - cover lies!
I considered my cover analysis skills superb, but then they failed me miserably. One cover that tricked me:
I saw this cover, and thought, "Cute. Bright sun, Chinese food, palm trees. This should be pretty fun." I knew this was a break-up story, but I thought maybe it could have been humorous. I mean, look at the cover? This book was not bad, but it was not a "me" book. It was dark and it left me feeling sad. I know there are people who love these types of stories, but if you have visited this site at all, you would know I am NOT one of those people. I felt like this cover lied to me.
Then, there was this cover:
I looked at this cover, and immediately thought, "summer, lazy days, camp, fun". Nope. This book was actually a really interesting character study. I liked it, but again, it was sad, and it had a sad ending that was not even hopeful. Just not what I expected.
Now it's your turn.
Have you ever been deceived by a cover?
Let us know in the comments!
Fun topic! The main one I can think of that deceived me was the cover for Emma Straub's Modern Lovers. It's bright and cheerful and really gives the vibe that it's going to be a fun summer read, which was why I bought it, but I found it to be one of the most dull books I've read in recent years.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Bright colors and cartoonist illustrations definitely read in the cheery range. I am sad to hear it was a let down, because I really enjoyed Straub's The Vacationers. 😕
DeleteLove this topic! I agree the two you were deceived on. I would have thought lighter and summery. I did not get sad at all!!
ReplyDeleteI know, Right? For 16 ways, I really should have read the synopsis, because I think it eludes to the toxic side, but Perennials stills sounds a little breezy based in the summary.
DeleteI love this topic!! I agree that it can be really disconcerting when you go into a book expecting one thing (based on the cover or synopsis or some other preconceived notion) and you get something completely different. I completely agree about the first cover you show here---it looks like a light and breezy read to me. I can see why you might have felt the second book would feel summery too, but it actually looks a little lonely to me---like she's sort of drifting off. Of course, that's easy for me to say now that you've told me the book is sad. :-)
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
At least neither of the books were bad, just not the experience I expected. I guess I can see a little melancholy in the second cover, which would fit for a coming of age type story (maybe), but this one slid out of YA range for me. There were these chapters that were like vignettes to me, and the focus was on some real adult problems from the adults perspective, and I was expecting YA, since this was labeled YA and featured a teen on the cover.
DeleteGreat topic! The first book you featured had a fun vibe to the cover so I am surprised to hear it left you feeling sad. Doesn't look like a dark read to me at all. The second book actually looks a bit sad to me. she is alone and is definitely not smiling. I can't think of any covers that really threw me off but I am sure there have been a few over the years.
ReplyDelete16 Ways was dark. I finished the book. It was good. It could have been great for me if the vibe was more like the cover.
DeleteNice post! I think the times I was deceived were luckily in my favor! LOL! I'd see covers that bespeak of a romantic kind of read yet the description leads me to believe there might be some good action in the plot. Being that it was shelved in romance I was always hesitant, but the few times I took that plunge I was blown away! Awesome reads, covers that weren't bad but kind of let you think something else might be happening!
ReplyDeleteWell, that is always good too. I think I have had similar experiences with covers that looked sort of nondescript, and the book ending up being incredible. For example, one of my recent faves - love, loved this book - How to Disappear by Sharon Huss Roat just had this girl's face on the cover, and it did not, in my opinion, read warm and fuzzy story about a girl with anxiety. It actually gave me a mystery vibe coupled with the title, but I adored that book, so total win.
DeleteAhhh, yes, I have been deceived by MANY a cover. HOW TO WIN AT HIGH SCHOOL was definitely one of the more recent ones, and I was expecting a cute, funny how-to-be-popular-esque kind of novel, and what I got was pretty dark. I love the covers of the ones above and I can really see how misleading they are! Covers shouldn’t just be eye-catching...they need to match the tone of the book so the reader knows what they’re getting into. Great topic and thanks for sharing!! :D
ReplyDeleteThat is exactly what I look for. Usually, the darker books give a little nod to their darker side on the cover. I just looked at HOW TO WIN, and it does not read dark to me either.
DeleteSuch a great topic! I am struggling to think of any specific times this has happened to me. I have had it happen the other way around when I have picked a book up because I just want a simple book where you know where things are going, and it has turned into a wonderful unique storyline.
ReplyDeleteOne book that I went into expecting one thing and got another was King Hall by Scarlet Dawn, I was expecting a book following a medieval-style-fantasy royal intrigue, but got a supernatural school training the next set of supernatural rulers! Although it wasn't what I thought I was getting myself into,(after the initial confusion and disorientation) I ended up really enjoyed it as I got hooked into the storyline.
Deborah @ Hills of Books
I love when I get a good surprise, and that has definitely happened to me too. Especially with the trend to only have wording on the cover, which is sort of generic, and I depend hugely on the synopsis.
DeleteThis actually doesn't happen to me too often. I mean, there are books I've bought because I am easily persuaded by pretty covers and then they've had a disappointing story. But I've never expected a different kind of story because of the cover. I could talk for hours of all the ugly covers which are hiding brilliant stories within, I feel bad for those books and want someone to rescue them and give them pretty covers. I guess part of this is simply the fact so many of my books are ebooks. I don't even really see the cover before I start reading.
ReplyDeleteI was just talking about ugly covers with another blogger. I am a terrible, shallow person, and I would need a strong recommendation or love the author to read a book with a terrible cover. I mostly read ebooks too, but when I am scrolling through the online library sites, Amazon, or GoodReads, a cover is the first thing that will make me TBR or wishlist the book.
DeleteI love this post! There are so many times that the cover does not reflect the story inside. At the moment I can't think of any off the top of my head, but you make me want to sit down and come up with them to share. :-)
ReplyDeleteI know this has definitely happened to me many times before, but these were two that came to mind immediately (in fact, 16 Ways was my inspiration). This new trend of only putting words on the cover is sort of killing me, because it is harder for me to get the vibe of the book.
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