Click here to read about where my ‘Judge a Book by its Cover’ started.

The book cover is the first thing to grab my attention, secondly the title, and then I’ll read the blurb.

Here’s the three book covers that grabbed my attention this week.

Number 1

Does Love Always Win? by Diane Billas. This book cover tells me; love story, coming of age, young adult. The cover is cute and clean and I would expect an easy enjoyable sweet romance.

Here’s the blurb.

Does Love Always Win is a sapphic coming of age young adult novel that explores coming out and understanding one’s sexual orientation.

Sam “Shorty” Daniels has a plan for her senior year, but her romantic life being a hot mess was not part of the agenda. Shorty quickly discovers she’s not attracted to her newest boyfriend and fellow marching band member Zack, despite her many hours of daydreaming of what it would be like to date him. Their previous flirting had been so intense that those feelings have to come back again, right?

When Shorty’s asked to show the snarky new girl around high school, Shorty’s instantly intrigued by Kristy’s wit, and they bond over their love of writing. They quickly become inseparable, and Shorty has a breakthrough moment realizing why none of her other relationships worked out.

Just as Shorty is about to break up with Zack, her bitter ex-boyfriend Bryan threatens to out her to the entire school and Shorty’s conservative parents. Will Shorty be able to overcome Bryan’s ridiculous blackmail scheme and get her dream girl?

Perfect cover for this type of book. I think it gives an accurate description of what to expect from this story.

Here’s an example of an Amazon review.

sunshine_in_philly

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a beautiful coming (out) of age story!

There are many stories about first romances but not nearly as many about queer first love. The characters, both gay and straight, feel like real people we’ve met and known in high school. Funny yet also touching, this book is a joy to read yet also shows some of the difficulties teens (and adults) face when deciding to come out. I would recommend this book to people of all ages, both gay and straight, but especially to anyone starting the coming out process or to someone helping support a loved one through their journey. I look forward to reading more books by this author!

Number 2

Even though there’s a lot happening on this cover, it’s very eye-catching. The colours are beautiful. I see fantasy and magic on this cover, but am I right?

Here’s the blurb.

To Will, an introverted book nerd, working at the library was the best job in the world; what makes it better is that he met his true love there. To Chemy, Will is literally the perfect boyfriend, But Will has a guarded past and family secrets. Can their love survive the truth of Will’s past when Greed, betrayal, and a thirst for power threaten everything they have ever known, even reality itself?

While I judged this book by its cover, I expected a fantasy novel. The blurb doesn’t give me any indication that the genre is fantasy or magical. The review (below) doesn’t give me any clues either. So, I don’t think I’m accurate on this one. I think I would like a bit more information in the blurb of this book.

Here’s an example of a Goodreads review.

D.A. Wysong Paranormal Author – Screenwriter

Emergence Ascended is the first book I have read written by Joseph Hallett. I was pleasantly surprised by a nice little trip into Emergence with a great 3D character such as Will. A great read! Highly recommend!

Number 3

Adopted by Meggan Larson. This cover suits the title. It’s simple and to the point. The girl in the picture looks sad and lost, without it coming across as depressing. She’s sitting in a place one might go to gather their thoughts and to be alone. But the cover also gives me the impression that all is not lost and that there’s hope.

Here’s the blurb.

There’s a piece missing from her life. Will a teenager’s road trip in search of her biological mother bring her the healing she craves?

Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Olivia Jackson yearns to belong. Adopted by loving white parents as a baby, the half-Black teen thrives in school and track but struggles to feel complete. And after barely escaping an assault by her boyfriend, her world turns upside down when she’s expelled for slugging a bully.

Meeting a boy on the beach who comes from a dysfunctional home, she opens up and reveals plans to visit her birth mom. So when an ambush by her dangerous ex moves her to action, she grabs her new friend and hits the gas to seek her fate.

As this strong-willed sixteen-year-old closes in on her destiny, can she find her roots and define her future?

Adopted is the emotional first book in the Adopted YA coming-of-age trilogy. If you like relatable heroines, shocking revelations, and learning to trust, then you’ll love Meggan Larson’s courageous drive to enlightenment.

Great blurb! Seems like a good read for people of all ages.

I love this review from an Amazon reader;

MM

5.0 out of 5 stars 

Heart wrenching as I empathize

I am both an adoptee and a birth mom. This book was impossible to put down – luckily an easy read… except for a triggering chapter about an assault – something I’ve also experienced including the stalking and menacing behavior of a psychopathic ex boyfriend.

Liv reminds me so much of me as a teenager. I didn’t find my birth mom until I was 50 and my outcome was different from hers;
But I know a majority of the reunions I have helped facilitate – birth moms don’t make space for the adoptee in their lives. It’s not as much rejecting the adoptee but having to move through the pain that created the situation in the first place. . . Which hasn’t yet been explored in this story.

The storytelling is absolutely amazing! I wish all authors were as this skilled in storytelling as Meggan is.

The feelings of Liv as an adoptee – so real, and so relatable for most adoptees. What a journey! Can’t wait to read the rest of it!

The cover in my opinion, is spot on. Top marks from me, Meggan!

I’ll be back next week with more indie book covers!

Thank you for your time! Before you go…

Would you like a peek inside the pages of my fictional novel? It might just be your cup of tea!

Set in a gossipy small town in Ireland at a time when marriage is for keeps and sexuality is repressed, Secrets in the Babby House is a family saga over three decades that starts in 1956. It is a story of love, deception, and stolen diaries filled with sins and secrets.

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