Redesign Reactions [2]: The Book of Broken Hearts

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Welcome to Redesign Reactions, where we talk about books, covers, and what happens when new cover designs take over a series!

On this edition of Redesign Reactions, let’s talk about
THE BOOK OF BROKEN HEARTS by Sarah Ockler!

THE BOOK OF BROKEN HEARTS is actually the first Sarah Ockler book I read and so far, it’s still my favorite. Something I find so difficult is NOT judging a book by its cover. I actually read this for a group feature so I trusted my friends who had selected it and I’m so glad that the book was just absolutely fantastic for me… but I feel like it’s suffered some real cover struggles. Before I get into discussing, let’s take a look at old and new and see what you think:

book_of_broken_hearts_covers

OLD COVER: Would I have picked this book up based off of the cover if I hadn’t been reading it with my friends? Truthfully, probably not. Not having read Ockler before, I had no incentive to pick up this book. A stock photo plus a boring purple background… it doesn’t tell me anything about the book and it’s not representative of the story in any way at all. Honestly, this is one of my least favorite covers EVER because it’s just such an obvious stock photo (I’ve seen it elsewhere before) and I feel like it’s such a misrepresentation of this beautiful book.

NEW COVER: So do I like the new cover better? Well… I think it’s better than the original. It was obviously selected to represent specific elements of the book (the motorcycle, the couple) but I’m DEFINITELY still not sold. Why does this couple look like they’re at least thirty years old when this is a YA book? And considering I can’t see a stitch of clothing on them, it almost feels like they’re some sort of stock romance cover models. The image in the rearview is still pretty cheesy too because you can tell they just fit the image into the mirror and it’s not like it’s really a reflection. (Okay, I’m being picky, but you get it.) And to get REALLY picky, I don’t like that motorcycle either. It was something I really loved about the book because my husband (who was only my boyfriend at the time that I read it) loves vintage bikes (he has one that he restored) and it just don’t look anything like a vintage motorcycle, or at least not what I was picturing. (I’ll be honest… I don’t know everything there is to know about vintage bikes so hey, it could be. But I don’t think it is.)

Which do I like better? I guess the redesign since they took the time to pick out things from the book to put on the new paperback cover… But I still feel like it was just kind of thrown together. Maybe it’s a budget thing? I have no idea how cover designs work, but I think this one could have been just a bit nicer and really been a much better cover!

So tell me! Which design do you like better? Take the poll below and let me know in the comments which you prefer and why! I’d love to hear your reactions!

[bctt tweet=”Which cover for The Book of Broken Hearts do you like better: Original or redesign? Take the poll at @bookaddictguide!” via=”no”]

 

Hi, I'm Brittany!
Hi, I'm Brittany!

I'm an avid reader, candle-maker, and audiobook lover! Here you'll find book reviews, fun blog posts, and my other loves of photography & craft beer!

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9 thoughts on “Redesign Reactions [2]: The Book of Broken Hearts

  1. Nicole @ The Quiet Concert

    So I actually agree with you 100%. The first cover is not great and says nothing about the book and although the second cover is slightly better it is still not great. I would pick the redesign but it’s really the lesser of two evils. Much can still be improved.

    Reply
  2. Olivia

    I actually really love the idea of this meme. I would have to say that I am not particularly sold with either of the covers if I am honest… but I do prefer the oldest one the most!

    Reply
  3. Beth W

    The original looks YA to me, the new one looks NA…which means I might have picked up the original but not the redesign. I need a cover to convey to me the emotions, the humor, the general timbre of the book….not just show me two attractive people being intimate. Covers like that turn me off completely.

    Reply
  4. Rachel

    I’m definitely a bigger fan of the original. I haven’t read this book yet, though I do love Ockler’s other books so I might at some point. I don’t know. I just think the original is more artistic and unique and even though I LOVE me some girly contemporary YA covers, I don’t think every cover needs to look that way.

    Reply
  5. Erin @ The Hardcover Lover

    This is one of my favorite Sarah Ockler books, and I actually like the original cover a lot better. I kind of bought this one because cover lust, but I really like how the purple background and yellow flower went together. I guess I’m trying to say that I like that combination of colors. I think it would have been cool to see handwritten notes on the blank pages to represent Jude’s sisters and their feelings. That would have made it a perfect cover for me.

    I’m not a fan of the new cover at all because I love when covers don’t feature faces. I like being able to imagine what the characters look like, and the girl definitely is not Jude Hernandez to me.

    Reply
  6. Kelsey

    I’ve never read this book, but I have to say that I like the original better. You’re right, the couple in the redesign looks old and I just think it looks like any other book out there to be honest. I also love purple and the original is just cute.

    Reply
  7. Dee

    I can’t say I’m really a huge fan of either, but if I was in the bookstore or library looking for a book to read, I’d probably go with the original, it seems more whimsical to me – I like the heart that is made out of the book pages

    Reply
  8. Lori

    I love this book so much and it’s still the only Sarah Ockler book I’ve read and I really don’t know why. I definitely didn’t love the first cover, it’s too generic. But at least the purple looked pretty sitting on my shelves. I really hate the new cover. The book was about so much more than the romance. I know that’s what’s going to sell the book, but it just looks cheap and thrown together. I know they’re taking from that scene, which was an important part of the book so I get it, but it just doesn’t feel even close to good enough for this book. Plus I really hate that font. So I have to go with the original cover only because it’s the cover that was on the book when I first read it and fell in love with it.

    Reply

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