By Beccy Fish, Amy Evans and Juliette Tulloch
One author who has everyone talking is Taylor Jenkins Reid. With her latest release Carrie Soto is Back, expected to be released in August, we thought we’d take a look at some of the cover designs of the books that have taken over BookTok.
Maybe in Another Life
Do you believe in free will or fate? Maybe In Another Life explores the impact that one choice can make in two parallel universes, following both in alternate chapters. The book explores whether our choices affect our happiness and the differences in beliefs of destiny. Following the Taylor Jenkins Reid theme of her other rebranded covers, the typography remains consistent with a thick serif font emblazoned on the centre of the cover which has become her statement style. The gradient colours in the background slip gradually from orange to green with Hannah, our protagonist, displayed in the corner. Her bathing suit and sunglasses reference the Los Angeles setting, the perfect summer read to begin this year.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Arguably her most famous title, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo took BookTok by storm. Monique is a struggling journalist but is given the opportunity of a lifetime to interview the renowned Hollywood star Evelyn Hugo for her first interview in decades, in which Evelyn wishes to reveal the intimate details of her marriages. The rich green dress of Evelyn represents the outwardly spotless appearance that members of Hollywood must display. Contrasting from the red background, the colour also suggests the mystery and envy entangled in her story of failed love. Without seeing her entire face, it proposes the idea that only reading forward will reveal her true identity. In March, Netflix revealed their plans to transform the novel into a film.
Daisy Jones & The Six
There are several different cover designs for Reid’s Daisy Jones & The Six, a book which follows a fictional rock singer and her band through the ups and downs of their music careers and personal lives through a series of interviews. One thing all the different versions of the cover have in common is the picture of a woman representing the title character (many of them using the same image) and interestingly none of them depict any of the other band members.
This version of the cover cleverly mimics how a musician’s biography might look, with the square shape of the image resembling an album cover. From this cover alone, the book could be mistaken for an actual biography rather than a fictional one, complementing the way the novel is presented as a collection of interviews.
An exclusive limited-edition version of the novel was sold by Goldsboro Books. This special edition of the book is interesting because it has a jacket design that looks like a record, leaning heavily into the book’s theme of following the lives of musicians. This design is eye-catching, with the use of a vinyl record hinting at the time period the novel takes place in, as the fictional band is active in the seventies.
Carrie Soto is Back
Reid is back this summer with her new novel Carrie Soto is Back, and it is already anticipated as her best novel to date. Set for release on 30 August, it follows the life of retired tennis player Carrie, who is determined to reclaim her Grand Slam record by coming out of retirement for one last year. Having won twenty slam titles in the past, she is back to being coached by her father and training with an old flame, Bowe Huntley. The cover illustration mirrors the same colourful, yet hazy background as seen in the UK covers of her most recent books, whilst following this year’s design trend of utilising photography. The palm trees and nineties setting of this story are sure to make it a great summer read for fans.
Evidence of the Affair
If you’re looking for an easier read that you can dip in and out of, then Reid’s short story collection Evidence of the Affair (published by Amazon Original Stories) is ideal. Written in an epistolary format, it traces the correspondence between strangers Carrie Alsopp and David Mayer and the affair between their spouses. The cover design’s focus on a summer retreat set in the seventies and the title’s smudged effect highlight that, in just one-hundred pages, Reid is able to build a moving storyline that will see two figures reveal their deepest fears and emotions in life.