Writing Wednesday: Do You Judge a Book By Its Cover?

Everyone does it.

Not all the time, maybe, but more often than we want to admit.

What's the first thing a reader sees? The book cover. You want a cover that sucks you right in, and makes you want to know more about the book, the characters, the situation, the author...

Do you ever buy a book with a bad cover? Yes. When someone tells you it's a good read, or when you know the author and like her writing. Or when the author is a friend. But really, what draws you in the first place if not the cover art?

On some of the email newsletters I receive, the covers are blocked and I have to click to allow images. So sometimes, I read the book descriptions and don't bother to see the covers. That must be how these two books ended up in my TBR pile, because I dislike both covers pretty intensely. As in, I can't believe I bought these books. And yet, I really enjoyed them. It's like when your daughter bakes you the ugliest birthday cake ever, and it turns out to taste really, really good. What a nice surprise!

Another Shot at Love, by Niecy Roy
What's Love??? Series, book one
Published 2013
New Adult contemporary romance

About the Book:

Imogen Gorecki needs a date to her sister’s engagement party—especially since her cheating ex-boyfriend is on the guest list. But finding Mr. Perfect in a time crunch is proving impossible.

Just when she’s about to give up, she face-plants into the crotch of the sexiest guy she’s ever met.

Matt Sesnick is everything Imogen wants in a man, but he’s not looking for a relationship so soon after his recent divorce. Will Gen’s pregnant and hormonal older sister, her bridezilla twin, and all of her past Mr. Wrongs get in the way of their happily-ever-after, or can she convince Matt to take another shot at love?

My Take:

Hate the cover, and truly hate the series title. Why do we need three question marks? Are we in middle school passing notes about cute boys?

That said, I enjoyed this book quite a bit! It's the first book of a trilogy about three friends in their early twenties (twin sisters and their mutual best friend) who are each struggling with figuring out the complexities of relationships and finding true love. Told in first person POV this new adult tale of twenty something's was engaging and entertaining. A quick, fun read, I'd recommend it for a fun beach book, and may have to check out the next two tales to see how the sister and friend fare when it's their turns to find out what love is. But please, spare me the extra punctuation marks.

I Love the 80s, by Megan Crane
Published 2014 by The Tule Publishing Group
New Adult time travel romance

About the Book:

Live in the now, they say, but for Jenna Jenkins, the now sucks.

Her fiancé dumped her, and she's lacking the drive that might lead to a promotion at the eighties-themed cable station where she works. The only thing keeping her sane is her obsession with a brooding rock star, and an era, that died twenty-odd years ago. But then lightning strikes—literally—and sends her back to the year and the man she’s loved her entire life. Jenna has no choice but to take action to save Tommy Seer, lead singer of The Wild Boys, from the tragic accident that only she knows will claim his life.

But the real Tommy Seer is very different from the one who's spent all this time starring in her favorite fantasies. As Jenna falls deeper into Tommy’s world—under his spell all over again, only this time without the schoolgirl crush—she realizes that his death was no accident. Can she find a killer, prevent a murder, and save the man she loves without everyone thinking she’s crazy?

And who thought shoulder pads were a good idea, anyway?

My Take:

Hate the cover, but even more than that I absolutely hate the title... But I totally loved this engaging tale of time travel and 80s nostalgia rolled into a sweet romantic suspense. The narrator started off a little too whiny but watching her develop her backbone and grow throughout the story was satisfying. The storyline is a little bit of a hot mess, and yet I couldn't seem to put it down, and kept it open on my desk when. I should have been doing other things, like, um, work. If you like time travel stories and remember the 80s and that music with any sort of nostalgia, this is a fun, quick read.