10 Summer 2021 YA reads with *that* cover style
There is something so aesthetically pleasing about this recent style of cover design. Disclaimer: I am no expert. I no nothing about design or art, other than having a strong appreciation for it.
You’ll know what I mean when you see it, it’s everywhere (and has been growing in popularity) and I’m glad to see that it hasn’t run out of steam yet.
Soft, watercolour vibes. Again, not sure what you call that. But I adore the way it smoothes away any hard lines a cover image might have. It heavily features a person (assuming the main character from the book) and keeps the colour palette soft too.
All these books have a physical release either in the UK or the US this summer (but all available on Kindle at the very least) and you’ll want them all. Even if it’s just to marvel at the pretty covers…
If anyone has any insight about this design style then please do let me know!
I’ve linked up all the ones available for pre-order on Bookshop.org (we have an affiliate link so if you do get your books from there you’re helping bookshops as well as supporting us!) and those that are Kindle/import exclusive then I’ve linked to Goodreads.
1. ‘Jay’s Gay Adventure’ by Jason June - July 8th - “From debut novelist Jason June comes a moving and hilarious sex-positive teen rom-com about the complexities of first loves, first hookups, and first heartbreaks-and how to stay true to yourself while embracing what you never saw coming.”
2. ‘Violet Ghosts’ by Leah Thomas - June 8th - “Acclaimed author Leah Thomas tells the story of a teen determined to right the wrongs of female ghosts haunted in the afterlife.”
3. ‘XOXO’ by Axie Oh - August 5th - “Jenny's never had much time for boys, K-pop, or really anything besides her dream of being a professional cellist. But when she finds herself falling for a K-pop idol , she has to decide whether their love is worth the risk.”
4. ‘The Ones We’re Meant to Find’ by Joan He - June 24th - “One of the most twisty, surprising, engaging page-turner YAs you’ll read this year—We Were Liars meets Black Mirror, with a dash of Studio Ghibli.”
5. ‘The Wild Ones’ by Nafiza Azad - August 3rd - “From William C. Morris Finalist Nafiza Azad comes a thrilling, feminist fantasy about a group of teenage girls endowed with special powers who must band together to save the life of the boy whose magic saved them all.”
6. ‘A Chorus Rises’ by Bethany C. Morrow - June 1st - “The Hate U Give meets Shadowshaper in Bethany C. Morrow's A Chorus Rises, a brilliant contemporary fantasy set in the world of A Song Below Water.” You don’t have to have read the first book, but reviewers on Goodreads state that it helps.
7. ‘Gearbreakers’ by Zoe Hana Mikuta - June 29th - “Two girls on opposite sides of a war discover they're fighting for a common purpose--and falling for each other--in Zoe Hana Mikuta's high-octane debut Gearbreakers, perfect for fans of Pacific Rim, Pierce Brown's Red Rising Saga, and Marie Lu's Legend series.”
8. ‘The Taking of Jake Livingston’ by Ryan Douglass - July 13th - “Get Out meets Danielle Vega in this YA horror where survival is not a guarantee.”
9. ‘This Poison Heart’ by Kalynn Bayron - 29th June - “Darkness blooms in bestselling author Kalynn Bayron's new contemporary fantasy about a girl with a unique and deadly power.” From the author of ‘Cinderella is Dead’.
10. ‘Six Crimson Cranes’ by Elizabeth Lim - 8th July - “A princess in exile, the boy she left at the altar, six enchanted cranes, and a dragon from the deepest sea... From the author of Spin the Dawn comes a breathtakingly original fantasy inspired by East Asian folklore and perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo or Tomi Adeyemi.” Side note: I think the US and UK covers will differ, so you might have to import the one pictured here.
