While everyone is entitled to their own opinions, here are four books whose covers, in my own humble opinion, changed for the worse. Let’s start by looking at the old book covers, and then the new ones.
One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid
While the original cover of this book may have been a bit simplistic, it still gave the reader something to focus on. A stack of books at the forefront is relevant because the main character in the book, Emma Blair, owns a bookstore.
The updated cover is practically not even a cover at all, but rather a minimalistic and plain background for the apparent focus of the book, the title and the author. When I look at a book cover, I want it to capture at least some small essence of the book’s meaning, but that is just not what we get from this cover.
November 9 by Colleen Hoover
I was a big fan of the original cover of November 9. The stack of papers in the background. The city expanse peaking through the title and author’s name. The pages of paper flying everywhere. If you’ve read the book, then you know that each of those details represents parts of the storyline, and frankly it’s genius. It references the plot of the book without giving away any sort of spoilers for those who haven’t read it yet.
The new cover has none of those well thought out details. It is plain, modern, and the cover has absolutely nothing to do with the content of the book. Hoover said that it was updated due to the “seasonal vibe” of the original cover. Her publishers wanted it to have a cover that had a more year-round look to it.
While I completely understand this (the title also makes it seem very seasonal, when the book really isn’t) I am utterly confused as to why there was a completely random flower added the cover. Flowers play absolutely no role in the book, and if anything, it just changes the “seasonal vibe” from fall to either spring or summer. I just think the new cover deserved more. Or better yet, it deserved to stay the same. Perhaps, with a simple color change from the autumnal-looking orange, to a more neutral “year-round” color.
Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren
Some fans of Christina Lauren and Love and Other Words might heartily disagree with me on this one, but I much prefer the original cover of the book to the one that came out earlier this year. It was simple and concise without being boring. I loved the torn pieces of paper stringed together for the title, and I thought the shade of orange chosen for the cover was beautiful.
I think the new cover just has too much going on. While I did of course just mention how I like it when a book cover gives some clues as to the content inside of the book, I think it is imperative that it is done subtly. This cover is not subtle at all. There is just too much to look at, and nothing to focus on. I also get a distinctly “Christmas” vibe from it, even though it is not a Christmas themed book. From the cup of hot coffee, to the house that looks like a cabin in the woods, to the pine trees, it looks much too seasonal in my opinion.
The Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer
The original Twilight Saga covers were also remade and updated this year, and while the new covers are very similar, the small changes they underwent made a very big difference to me. The original covers were simply iconic, each with their black backgrounds and symbolic objects, and they lost so much of their impact when they were redone.
The pictures for each of the books were kept, but it looks as if the cover designer zoomed in on each of them at a strange off-center angle, and slapped on the title in an extra large font (not bothering to care where the awkward breaks in the words appeared). Needless to say, I was quite disappointed when I saw them for the first time.
I hope none of you are too angry with me after reading my somewhat harsh, and possibly even scathing, opinions on these new book covers. I just couldn’t keep my distaste to myself for one minute longer.
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