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Close-up of striking book covers from 2025

Trends, Featured Post

Judging books by their covers: Our favorite book covers from 2025 so far

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Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the prettiest book of all?

Having recently watched the new Snow White movie in theaters, like the Evil Queen, I’ve got beauty on the brain. And while we read for what’s on the inside, not on the outside, an eye-catching cover is a big reason many of us gravitate towards a book.

This year, book cover art is catching our attention with modern and nostalgic designs, on both the physical and digital shelves. Titles are trending bold with oversized, styled fonts. Bright colors, abstract shapes, and the use of negative space are in style, as well as collage-style covers that blend photographs and illustrations—particularly for memoirs and literary fiction. New romance novel covers are mixing in the familiar and modern by using retro design elements from the 60s, 70s, and 80s with bright colors and geometric patterns. And in the physical format, there's a growing market for beautifully crafted, limited-edition books featuring sprayed edges and marbled endpapers. These gorgeous editions catch collectors' eyes or just anyone who loves a beautiful bookshelf.

So for a moment, let’s put aside characters, settings, plots, and let some of the best book covers from 2025 (so far) strut their stuff.

>Most colorful
>Best typography
>Best photography
>Best minimalist design
>Best illustration
>Most abstract
>Most unusual
>Best monochrome
>Best portrait
>Most haunting

Most colorful

The cover features a romantic illustration of a couple embracing against a soft, pastel-hued background. The woman has long, wavy auburn hair and wears a jeans and a cardigan, while the man has short dark hair and a casual button-down shirt. They stand close, foreheads touching, with a warm, golden light surrounding them.
Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez

A steamy and heartfelt romance about clashing first impressions, second chances, and a love too unforgettable to leave behind.

A richly illustrated fantasy cover featuring a regal young woman in a flowing red robe standing before a celestial backdrop of swirling clouds and stars. She holds a glowing flower, and above her looms a young man with golden eyes—likely the God of War. The title

Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan

A spellbinding romantic fantasy about a fierce mortal queen, a dangerous alliance with a god, and the passion that could destroy—or save—their worlds.

A whimsical, collage-style cover including intricately detailed vase full of flowers featuring shades of purple, blue, red and yellow. Behind the vase is an illustration of a woman with brown hair and a white dress, in a vintage gold frame. A chandelier is also peaking through the top of the cover. The title is written in elegant serif font across the center.

The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus by Emma Knight

A luminous coming-of-age tale of secrets, self-discovery, and the tangled beauty of love, identity, and womanhood.

Best typography

Within the letters of the title, a photograph showcases a park and cityscape with tall buildings, blending into a soft, pastel-hued sky.

This Is a Love Story by Jessica Soffer

An intimate and lyrical celebration of great love, great art, and the sacrifices we make for both.

A vibrant red cover showcasing a vinyl record partially pulled from its sleeve, set against a backdrop of abstract soundwaves. The title

Deep Cuts by Holley Brickley

A nostalgic, music-soaked love story about ambition, creative obsession, and finding your own voice amid the noise.

The cover features a grainy black-and-white image of a woman’s mouth, with her eyes obscured by a dark ocean horizon.

Money to Burn by Asta Olivia Nordenhof

A groundbreaking, profound, and intimate novel about capitalism’s effects on the human heart.

Best photography

A silhouette of a person’s profile, glowing warmly in orange light against a dark background. The title

The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong

A bighearted novel about chosen family, unexpected friendship, and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive.

A stark black-and-white photo of the back of a man's head and upper body, with a pair of hands—presumably from another person—gently gripping his head and neck from the front.

Playworld by Adam Ross

One enthralling, transformative year in the life of a child actor coming of age in a bygone Manhattan.

The book cover features the title

Show Don’t Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld

A sharp, tender collection that captures the quiet upheavals of everyday life with wit, insight, and unforgettable emotional depth.

Best minimalist design

A minimalist cover with a black rabbit illustrated in a detailed, realistic style sitting against a plain white background.

The Stain by Rikki Ducornet

A darkly surreal and visceral tale of innocence besieged, where myth, madness, and desire collide in a village gripped by fear and superstition.

A minimalist black book cover with the title “Audition” and the author’s name, “Katie Kitamura,” written in colorful, horizontally-striped block letters that resemble static interference.

Audition by Katie Kitamura

A compulsively readable novel where two competing narratives unspool, rewriting our understanding of the roles we play every day.

A bold red book cover with large cream-colored text reading “Crush” at the top and “A novel by Ada Calhoun” underneath. One of the letters in “Calhoun” has a yellow ring bisecting it, adding a visual pop.

Crush by Ada Calhoun

A sharp, funny, seductive romance novel about holding on to everything it’s possible to love, and most of all, one’s own deep sense of purpose.

Best illustration

A serene yet mystical landscape dominated by cool blue tones, the scene showcases a tranquil valley where two waterfalls cascade into a still lake, all set against the backdrop of a starry night sky. A luminous crescent moon hangs above, with silhouettes of birds in flight adding a sense of movement.

Cursebound by Saara El-Arifi

They’re no longer prisoners to the fae court, but now two elven sisters are each bound by shackles of the heart in this sequel to Faebound.

A warm-toned, illustrated cover of a woman sitting in a field of tall grass and flowers, gazing toward a pink and purple sunset sky with a bird flying.

Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstine

A young girl must face a life-altering decision after awakening her sister’s ghost, navigating truths about love, friendship, and power as the Civil War looms.

Two young women lay next to each other in a lush, dreamlike landscape. One has long, flowing hair and wears a delicate gown, while the other has darker attire and a sword at her side.

Where Shadows Bloom by Catherine Bakewell

A mesmerizing romantasy that pits terrifying monsters, chilling secrets, capricious gods, immortal kings, and death itself against the unstoppable love between two girls.

Most abstract

Abstract, stylized portrait of a woman with fragmented geometric shapes and muted colors.

Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang

A portrait of close friendship that captures the tenuous line between love and possession.

A striking book cover with a hot pink background featuring the black-and-white profile of a woman’s face, where her eyes are replaced by illustrations of white beets with roots and leaves.

Beta Vulgaris by Margie Sarsfield

A young woman’s seasonal job working a sugar beet harvest takes a surreal turn in this surprising and vivid debut.

Two young men floating in a dreamlike, cosmic space. One has dark skin and hair, while the other has lighter skin and hair. They are reaching out towards each other, surrounded by swirling stars and nebulae in vibrant purples and blues.

Strange Bedfellows by Ariel Slamet Ries

Oberon must choose between fantasy and reality when he develops the ability to conjure his dreams in real life—including the facsimile of the boy who got away.

Most unusual

A formal, painterly portrait of a group of three well-dressed adults, one man and two women, seated and standing with serious expressions. Gold magical sparkles swirl around them.

Gifted & Talented by Olivie Blake

Three siblings, upon the death of their father, are forced to reckon with their long-festering rivalries, dangerous abilities, and the crushing weight of all their unrealized adolescent potential.

A striking book cover with a bright yellow font and illustrations. The central image is a stylized, green and purple illustration of a humanoid mosquito with elongated limbs and wings, rendered in a punk-art style.

Dengue Boy by Michel Nieva

A gaucho-punk, sci-fi novel set in 2197 offers an explosive interpretation of an ultra-capitalistic society on the brink of climate collapse.

The background resembles an Excel spreadsheet. The center features a fragmented image of a pink-toned face, stylized with red blocks, forming a heart shape.

Liquid by Mariam Rahmani

A young Muslim scholar stuck in the mire of adjunct professorship gives up her career in academia to marry rich, commits herself to 100 dates in the course of a single summer.

Best monochrome

A minimalist, dark-toned book cover with the title

Ballerina by Patrick Modiano

A novel of art, desire, and time lost and regained from a Nobel Prize-winning author.

A minimalist book cover featuring a night, cityscape background with the title

Great Black Hope by Rob Franklin

A gripping, elegant novel about a young Black man caught between worlds of race and class, glamour and tragedy, a friend’s mysterious death and his own arrest.

The background has a mystical, dark fantasy design with clouds, stars, and dragons. A silhouetted dragon and rider are at the center.

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

Violet Sorrengail faces her greatest reckoning yet, as secrets unravel and a war for truth, power, and survival ignites across a fractured realm.

Best portrait

A vibrant portrait of Tina Knowles seated against a lush, floral backdrop. She is depicted wearing a yellow skirt and black top, exuding strength and grace. The illustration is framed within an ornate gold border, reminiscent of a cherished family heirloom, symbolizing the themes of legacy and generational wisdom that permeate the book.

Matriarch by Tina Knowles

A revealing personal life story like no other—enlightening, entertaining, surprising, empowering—and a testament to the world-making power of Black motherhood.

A sepia-toned photograph of Samuel Clemens, known by his pen name Mark Twain, seated in a relaxed pose. He is dressed in a light-colored suit, with his signature white hair and mustache, exuding a contemplative demeanor. The background is a black, textured backdrop that complements the vintage aesthetic.

Mark Twain by Ron Chernow

Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Ron Chernow illuminates the full, fascinating, and complex life of the writer long celebrated as the father of American literature.

A vintage-style photograph of a young girl in a blue swimsuit holding an orange tabby cat. Behind her is a black illustration of a haunting dog or wolf silhouette.

The Harder I Fight the More I Love You by Neko Case

A rebellious meditation from the singer-songwriter on identity and corruption, and a manifesto on how to make space for ourselves in this world, despite the obstacles we face.

Most haunting

A haunting illustration of a young woman submerged underwater, her wide eyes glowing unnaturally as strands of her hair float around her. Crimson threads or roots swirl through the water, adding a surreal and eerie tone.

The Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran

A novel about the monsters that swim beneath us… and live within us.

A striking book cover featuring the title in bold white and light blue text overlaying a surreal composition of bat wings, flowers, and insects. The background is dark, creating a vivid contrast with the colorful, dreamlike imagery..jpg

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker

A woman is haunted by inner trauma, hungry ghosts, and a serial killer as she confronts the brutal violence experienced by East Asians during the pandemic.

A haunting book cover featuring a white background and a golden canvas with blood dripping from it. At the center is a distorted, ghostly painting of a figure with hollow eyes, evoking a sense of dread.

The Macabre by Kosoko Jackson

A novel blending time travel and globe-hopping adventure, art history, and dark fantasy about magical paintings and the lengths people will go to collect them, destroy them...or be destroyed.

*Title availability may vary.

Are these books as beautiful on the inside as on the outside? Only one way to find out! Borrow them from your library on the Libby app.

Published May 22, 2025

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About the Author

Annie Suhy is the editor of Libby Life. When she’s not working, practicing yoga, or petting cats, she’s doing paint-by-numbers and buying more plants. An avid poetry fan, her favorite collection is "The Splinter Factory" by Jeffrey McDaniel. She is an Aries.

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