Discussion: Re-Covered

This Week’s Topic:

RE-COVERED

I was thinking about the discussion we had last week, about illustrated romance covers, and I mentioned that the illustrated cover is not just an ill of romance books. No, my friends. It is simply a cover trend right now.

It's not unusual to see a different cover, when a book is released as a paperback or re-released. However, I have been seeing complete catalog re-covers, and yep, you guessed it, all illustrated. Below are some I came across, and I have feelings. I am curious about your feelings too.

ALL EMMA MILLS' BOOKS

Mills' latest and greatest, Lucky Caller, was released with a very cute illustrated cover. Honestly, I liked it a lot, but anyone who has read Mills' books knows they usually have these very pretty artistic covers. Though I liked it, I didn't think it fit with her other books. Well, from my lips to the publisher's ears, lo and behold, what should appear, but new covers for all her books.

I have to say, I think I have equal parts love for these covers. All are aesthetically pleasing, but I have to admit, the illustrated covers give a few more clues to the actual stories. Each show a place, which is featured in the book, and All the main players are on the cover. Maybe I love them a bit more, because I have already read the books? I am not sure, but I approve.

ALL KATIE COTUGNO'S BOOKS

It's seems the same exact phenomena happened to Cotugno's books too. Her latest release, You Say It First, has a fantastic illustrated cover, and BAM! All her books have them too.

I have always loved the covers of Katie Cotugno's books. Not only did they make me happy by having the same look and feel to them, they conveyed the vibe of the books so well. The illustrated covers are cute, and some I like more than others, but I really loved those old covers. I'm just saying....

Others I found, while looking through my online library or Amazon

• See No Color - Though I think the young woman featured on the cover is perfect, I hate the baseball superimposed over her head looking like a cap. New cover: 👍
• The Field Guid to the North American Teenager - The original cover pictures many things that are part of the story, but for me, it was all about Norris, and therefore, I like seeing him on the cover. New cover: 👍
• Frankly in Love - I have not read this book (yet?), but I am immediately drawn to the new cover. I like seeing the characters, and featuring the three of them cues me into the fact that this is a sort of love triangle. New cover: 👍
• Night Music - I loved this book, and the original cover gives me those first love vibes. I can also clearly sense Oscar's charm, and he was a charmer. New cover: 👎
• Catching Jordan - You all know I have nothing but love for this series, but I always felt the covers were fairly generic. Not terrible, just there. The new cover is really cute, and shows a bit of Jordan's personality too. I also like that the focus is on her. When I think about this series, every book featured a romance, but the story's focus as on the female main character. New cover: 👍

• The Library of Lost Things - How adorable is that new cover? I love books, and all, but seeing those two on the cover made me smile. New cover: 👍
• A Heart in a Body in the World - This is another book I have yet to read, but I know it's about a girl, who embarks on a cross country run, running from pain and guilt. Both covers show us the running aspect, but the original captures some sort of loneliness. For me, both are lovely, and it's sort of a toss up. New cover: 🤷‍♀️
• Date Me, Bryson Keller - The first time I saw this cover, I smiled, because there was just something about those two boys, that made me happy. The new cover is actually a great illustration of the original models. I was really impressed with how the artist captured Kai's expression. Another toss up for me. New cover: 🤷‍♀️
• How to Make Friends with the Dark - This is the final book, which I have not read, but I know it's a story about a girl, who is drowning in grief and guilt following her mother's death. You know, not light and fluffy. I think the girl on the new cover shows some emotion, but the cover seems too light compared to the original. New cover: 👎
• The Beauty of the Moment - This story, to me, was Susan's story. The original cover shows her and her art, which was big part of who she was. I think the new cover is trying to play up the romance more, which was a great part of the story, but makes it seem like more of a romance than it was. New cover: 👎

• You'd Be Mine - The new cover reveals more pieces of the story - the tour bus, a hint of romance, but there is something about that girl twirling in the field, that captures the essence of the who Annie was, and I love it. New cover: 👎
• Serious Moonlight - They did a nice job preserving the most important parts of the original cover. There's Birdie, Daniel, and pie. So, for me, both are pretty great, though I am not a huge fan of the purple they used. New cover: 🤷‍♀️
• Love From A to Z - Like the previous set of covers, the artist has all the elements intact. However, I adore the way Adam and Zayneb are looking at each other on the original cover. I can almost hear the exchange between them. New cover: 👎
• The Me I Meant to Be - Stylistically, I like the way the illustration is done on the new cover, but they totally erased one of the girls. This was the story of both Willa and Flor, how could they only feature one of them on the cover? New cover: 🤷‍♀️
• The Rest of the Story - At first glance, I thought the cover was all text with a few embellishments, but upon closer look, realized those were docks and a boat. This totally made sense, because the story takes place on the lake. It's very subtle in the original cover. The new cover makes it clear, this is a story that takes place at the lake, and there's a sweet romance, and I sort of like that. New cover: 👍

I always say, that my favorite covers are pleasing to the eye, related to the story, and capture the tone of the story. Those are the factors that I weighed, when passing judgement on these cover re-dos. Part of me feels there is some hopping on the illustrated cover bandwagoning going on, but I will admit, all the covers are lovely.

What do you think of these re-covers?

Here's even more cover redesigns

Now it's your turn!

Do you have feelings on updated covers? 
Let us know in the comments!