The Best Book Covers of 2021

This is a bold cover choice in an era of the book blob and bright colors. Though we get those bright, rainbow hues, they stand out precisely because the bulk of the cover is black. The peeling back of the black for the title and author is such a clever (and maybe even seductive) invitation to the reader to step inside.

—Kelly Jensen

Cool for the Summer is about a teenage girl who finally starts dating the boy she’s had a crush on for years and who can’t stop thinking about a romantic interaction she had with a girl over the summer. The sunglasses featuring both her male and female crushes were a really nice touch to help show the central internal drama. Between this detail and the tagline on the cover, you know exactly what this book is going to be about. I also loved that her short blond hair was on the cover, because getting that haircut was an important moment in the story.

—Alison Doherty

There are two things that make this cover stick to the inside of my brain. The first is its simplicity: the bright red, punk font, and giant noodles stand out perfectly. The second is the dual use of the noodles, which also create a giant “H”. It reminds me of the neck and green ribbons on the cover of Her Body and Other Parties, where you don’t necessarily catch what it is at first, but once you see it, you can’t unsee it. Brilliant!

—Susie Dumond

This has got to be the prettiest cozy mystery cover I have ever seen. It’s so warm and bright and immersed me in the setting — a flower shop in Tennessee — before I even opened the book. Plus, look at the little corgi! Look at his stubby legs! He just looks so happy to be there, and I’m happy he’s there, too. Plus the pun in the tagline is top tier: “Finding out whodunit, once and floral.”

—CJ Connor

The intricate beadwork on this cover is incredible and perfectly reflective of the thoughtfulness with which Treuer approaches a wide array of topics about Native and Indigenous people. More impressive is that this was traditional hand beading done specifically for the book. A Native written book with a Native created cover is noteworthy in and of itself. Take a moment and really study the layers and details here — it’s impressive, and for a Young Reader’s Edition of an adult book, which often takes its rendering from the original edition, it’s awesome to see such thought into making this a wholly distinctive book.

—Kelly Jensen

You only need take one glance at this cover to understand why it’s my favorite of the year. I mean, just look at this work of art, this absolute masterpiece. I want it framed. I want it on my wall. I want it everywhere. The black and white field of flowers in the background, only broken up by the partially obscured faces of the two sisters at the heart of the story and the bright pop of red text, makes this cover so eye-catching and memorable. It represents the book and its themes so perfectly, too. Find me a prettier cover. I’ll wait. 

—Rachel Brittain

It’s the combination of art styles that drew me to this cover, and the combination that keeps bringing me back to it: the mix of illustration style with a stark sans serif title and some scrawling handwriting. It fits so perfectly with the novel itself, feeling like a well-put-together chaotic jumble that is beautiful and messy and a bit intimidating. 

—Cassie Gutman

When I first saw this cover, I didn’t know what to expect! I wasn’t sure if it was going to be horror, suspense or what. However, after reading it, I now understand the cover more and I find it quite brilliant. 

—Erika Hardison

No one brings the drama like Gothic authors and their cover artists. For decades, the Gothic cover trend was best described as “women running from houses.” Check out the blog by that name if you love those covers as much as I do. With Lakesedge, the trope is flipped. The young woman in her diaphanous bed jacket is inside the manor, approaching the lush candlelight and the mysteriously backlit man/monster at the top of the stairs. She’s boldly going toward the danger, and as a reader, I’m right there behind her.

—Isabelle Popp

The cover is dark with intricate spider webbing and what looks to be deep purple flowers. The jacket feels soft like felt and it’s smooth to the touch. I feel like the cover can give me some magic. The vampy and alluring cover drew me more into the book as I read it. 

—Erika Hardison

McLemore’s incredible novel about trauma, recovery, and strength has fantastic pansexual representation twisted through the pages full of rosehip tattoos, glass shards, and melting sugar. The queer surrealism of this book really called to me, and something about this cover captures perfectly the dreamy magical realism of the text — from the blending bisexual flag–like pinks and blues, to Ciela’s intense eye contact with the reader, to the two birds hidden among the leaves, and the dotted stars on the horizon. 

—Leah Rachel von Essen

I mean, just look at this cover! It’s absolutely bonkers! I saw that cover and was like, “What on EARTH could this book be about? Who cares, I have to read it.” Turns out it’s about a mother of a toddler who finds herself slowly turning into a dog. This is exactly the kind of cover a bizarre book like Nightbitch needs, and I’m obsessed.

—Susie Dumond

The drama of this illustration and font perfectly represent what you will find inside this twisty workplace thriller about racial politics inside a mostly white publishing house. It’s fitting for most of the cover to be taken up by a woman’s afro, because Black hair choices play a huge role in the plot for Nella and the other characters in the book. The hair pick earring making up the “i” in Girl and the fact that the face wraps around to the edge of the spine are icing on this cover’s metaphorical cake. This is a truly stunning cover! 

—Alison Doherty

It’s easy to overlook a powerful nonfiction book cover, but in the case of Paradise, it’s impossible not to pause and feel something in your chest. The juxtaposition of the title, which we know is the name of the town destroyed by wildfire, with the blaze orange color is enough to grab your attention. But more than that, the fact the smoke is so large in comparison to the homes is a brilliant use of space to pack a punch. Readers immediately know what to expect in picking this up.

—Kelly Jensen

Publisher and seller websites don’t do this one justice. Bold red with a golden dragon weaving down through the letters is a color palette that I adore to begin with. Bookstagrammers have been sharing photos of it in real life, and wow. That gold dragon is metallic and the design across the edge of the pages is, too. I’ve never been so tempted to pay that shipping charge from the UK.

—Chris M. Arnone

I find this cover just gorgeous. I love the bold colors and the blend of photorealistic and illustrated portraits of Shiori and the cranes. I’m also a fan of how Shiori’s face is facing forward, close up, and centered. Too often I see books with cover art that features characters facing away from the picture, and I just love how this book cover isn’t like that. This story is a retelling of one of my favorite fairytales, and it also blends in East Asian mythology for a truly magical journey. When Princess Shiori’s brothers are cursed into the forms of six cranes, Shiori will do whatever it takes to break the curse and save her brothers. As someone who has three brothers, I’m a huge fan of brother-sister dynamics in stories too. 

—Megan Mabee

This cover is so unsettling, but in a good way. The ghostly hands floating around Jake, who looks terrified beyond words, help to set the mood for the novel. He has that look of every single character in a horror movie who knows the creature is behind them and is hoping that as long as they don’t look directly at the creature, it won’t get them. The ghostly hands could also be reaching past Jake to get to you if you stare at it long enough. I love it all. 

—PN Hinton

When you see a book cover like this across a bookstore, you can’t help but wonder what’s inside. It’s instantly iconic. The shadowy figure in the huge sunglasses, the glint of two front teeth, the way the cigarette pokes through the loop of the h, the way the end of the N curls around her finger. The glamor of it, paired with its shadows — the pink nails, the mood ring, the smoke wisp — all capture the romantic flair of a dark mystery, the kind of excitement that main character Maite hopes to find when her neighbor goes missing. Just stunning.

—Leah Rachel von Essen

Not only is everything about this cover absolutely gorgeous — her beautiful face, her curls, the colors, the composition, title lettering — but the actual image is unbelievably a perfect fit for the actual contents of the book. It could be a stunning movie poster. Remove the lettering and you could hang it in a gallery as a work of art. Absolutely a must face out addition to any bookshelf. 

—Jamie Canavés

I mean does this even need explanation?! The Elvira persona could not have been more perfectly captured. Any even just 1% fan of Elvira (Does that exist? Surely — don’t call me Shirley — everyone is a full fan!) can spot that cover from across a bookstore (like her cardboard cutouts) and will immediately be drawn to it as if pulled by a spell. I listened to the audiobook (which is fantastic) but I loved that cover so much I also must buy the book and it must forever live facing out on my bookshelf. 

—Jamie Canavés