Top Ten Tuesday: Least Favorite Book Covers of 2019

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.


This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic: 
Least Favorite Covers of 2019

I rarely ever put a negative spin on a Top Ten Tuesday topic. It's almost always the ten best, my ten favorite, etc. But this week's prompt was a book cover freebie and this is what came to mind. Back in December I shared some of my favorite covers of the year so now I'm boldly going in the opposite direction. Oh, and these aren't necessarily books that were published in 2019, just ones that I read in 2019. 


Okay, fair warning: you may notice something of a theme here. Because I am so over illustrated covers. The trend has been run into the ground. So almost any book I read last year with an illustrated cover could be on this list. 

There's nothing inherently wrong with this cover but it's just so generic. It's a Christmas story. There's a Christmas tree and presents on the cover. Enough said.

Shirtless guys on covers. On rare occasions it works. Most often not. And I find this one particularly cringey. The half-on half-off shirt, the awkward pose... just no.

Top Secret | Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy
It pains me to say, because I adore Sarina Bowen (and Elle Kennedy), but this cover just doesn't do it for me. First, I loathe orange. So it already has a strike against it. And the huge type across the guy's face in shadow... I don't know, I just don't like it. *shrugs* (Loved the book, though!)

Arctic Wild | Annabeth Albert
The half-faces floating in the sky just look weird.

Heidi's Guide to Four Letter Words | Tara Sivec & Andi Arndt
Another illustrated cover... ugh.

Because of Low | Abbi Glines
Shirtless guy take two. This one is made worse by the too-tight pants. I'm worried about his ability to have children one day after wearing such tight pants. Someone needs to have a talk with him.

The Flatshare | Beth O'Leary
Yet another illustrated cover. Gah! Make it stop!

Superfan | Sarina Bowen
Shirtless guy take three. This one is a close call. Because the guy really is gorgeous. And I loved the book. And it's Sarina Bowen (again). But again with the half-off shirt and the slightly awkward pose. *sigh*

All We Ever Wanted | Emily Giffin
This isn't a bad cover, per se. I mean, aesthetically it's pleasing, I guess. It's blue, it has gold dots. But it's also kind of boring and says absolutely nothing about the book.

Have you read any of these books?
What's the worst book cover you've encountered lately?


38 comments

  1. I love illustrated covers, but I was never crazy about The Flatshare cover - it's too pastel-y and almost watercolor.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That Getting Schooled one is particularly cringey because he is in a classroom! I also hate the cover for Superfan. It looks so awkward.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep, Getting Schooled is probably my least favorite cover of the bunch. Which is a shame because I seriously loved the book! :)

      Delete
  3. Haha I must admit I do like an illustrated cover, but I feel like illustrated covers are far more common here in the UK anyway so we're pretty used to seeing them. I do feel like a lot of romance novels with illustrated covers released last year started to look very samey, though, which I don't like. Great list!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Totally agree, Jess. They're all starting to look alike and blur together. :(

      Delete
  4. I really like illustrated covers, but some are definitely better than others. I still need to read Top Secret, but agreed, I don't really care for the cover.

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love illustrated covers, I do, but they really are so so SO overdone at this point. And a lot of 2020 releases, including YA and Adult, will also have illustrated covers, and ugh, why. Also, I think the ones you shared here are really-really bad, haha. Although, I still think illustrated covers are far better than shirtless guys. Great post, Tanya!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes! It's a trend that has been totally overdone (IMO). Time to move on to the next trend so it can be overdone. LOL

      Delete
  6. I'm here to fight for the Top Secret cover! ;) I think it's perfect for the book. I mean, it's all about two people who meet online so keeping the identity hidden behind the words makes total sense to me. And the way the author names are in a bubble like an instant message is perfect. I totally get the orange thing if it's not your favorite color, though. It didn't bother me. Orange seems to be making rounds on covers these days. Did I change your mind? LOL

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes! I was wondering if someone would fight for a cover! LOL I'm so with you on the secret identity aspect of the Top Secret cover. And the text/IM bubble with the authors names. Totally clever. Maybe it's more the orange cover that turning me off. (I really, truly loathe orange. Ha!) So... nope, you didn't change my mind, but we're still book twins! :)

      Delete
  7. Ha - I'm working on a cover rant post. I'll let you know when it's up.
    Agree with you on these. Some are cheesy and some are just blah....

    ReplyDelete
  8. The half face guy trend has got to go. And illustrated covers are giving me trust issues lol

    I kind of hate anything that is so similar to all other books that I can't tell what I've already read.

    Karen @ For What It's worth

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Exactly. There is such a glut of illustrated covers that they're all blending together now. They're starting to all look the same. Blah.

      Delete
  9. Ooh we need more "least favorite" posts lol. I do like certain illustrated covers, but I agree they've kinda been done to death lately? The Flatshare is so bland and Top Secret- yeah not a great cover.

    I had to laugh at about Because of Low. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love that you're the only one that commented on that. LOL

      Delete
  10. I have to admit, that Emma Chase cover is cheesy, even for me. Oh, my! Don't go to my TTT, it's almost all illustrated covers, because that's all that seems to be done lately.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know! I adore Emma Chase but the cover gods have not been kind to her. LOL

      Delete
  11. I'm with you on illustrated covers. With very few exceptions, I just don't like them! Also, as a rule, I don't read books with half-naked people on them. I'm not into romance novels, especially not racy ones, so there you go ... and the SCHOOLED cover totally makes me laugh. It's awkward in SOOOO many ways.

    Happy TTT!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep, the Getting Schooled cover is definitely the most cringey of the lot. Which is a shame because it was a fabulous book!

      Delete
  12. I do like illustrated covers but there are too many right now. I hate the way everyone has to do the same thing. I am a big Bowen fan but I have to agree with you on these two covers. Top Secret is kind of a weird cover. Superfan kind of looks like he is about to pull his pants up or down and its just strange. The Griffin book looks unfinished to me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Exactly. The first illustrated cover I remember was The Hating Game by Sally Thorne. That was in 2016 and since then it feels like at least half (probably more) of contemporary romance (and contemporary YA, for that matter) covers are illustrated. It's just been done to death.

      I had to laugh at your take on Superfan. Too funny! :)

      Delete
  13. I agree, the guys in Getting Schooled and Superfan are so awkwardly posed! Why? Aren't there professionals evaluating them? The Griffin Book just looks so generic, no clue to what's inside. I hate the Alexa Martin cover.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I actually liked the previous two Alexa Martin covers. It's possible that my feelings for this book (which I didn't love) are tainting my feelings for the cover. LOL

      Delete
  14. I must agree with you. Please, no shirtless guys on the cover...I can see appeal, attraction, male gorgeousness with the shirt on. And Superfan guy is just trying too hard. Subtly, book cover designers, subtly.

    Though I have to differ about illustrated covers. I like them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think I'm definitely in the minority when it comes to illustrated covers. :)

      Delete
  15. I haven't read any of these but I totally get what you mean Tanya!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Speaking of the covers with the shirtless guys on front, the ones where they look like they're looking down their own pants really make me cringe. My first thought is always, "Did you lose something?" LOL!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL I've never noticed those, Alison, but you can bet I will now! :)

      Delete
  17. Apologies for my TTT post this week because I think it's all illustrated covers, lol. I completely agree with you about the shirtless covers. I almost always find those cheesy. I agree about the Giffin cover too. There's nothing really wrong with it, but it seems like so much more could have been done with it.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I'm okay with illustrated covers and shirtless guys but it's very case by case. Some are hideous and others work for me.
    The Giffen cover however is so completely non-descript that I'd ignore it completely... Like, book doesn't exist. It looks like a placeholder cover while they design the real one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep, that Giffin cover is so plain and boring. They could have done almost anything else and it would have been better.

      Delete
  19. I LOVED Getting Schooled and the cover too lol!!!! Idk it just worked for me. I blame the guy haha

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. To each her own, right? :) Thankfully for there's something for all of us out there. Covers, books... all of it. And even though I didn't like the cover, I loved the story! :)

      Delete