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If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if a Lisa Frank trapper keeper mated with a Halloween store window display, wonder no more—Throwing Shade by Deborah Wilde has entered the chat, rhinestoned stilettos first and shamefully unapologetic. Let’s start with the...
Nothing says “holiday romance” quite like a cowboy gripping a greeting card as if it’s the last Christmas spirit left in the world. Welcome to the frosty rodeo that is Reindeer Wrangler by Lori Wilde — or as we like to call it, “Photoshop: The Gift That Should’ve Been...
Welcome to the molten mess that is Undisciplined Catalyst, where the only thing more undisciplined than the protagonist is the design sensibility of the cover artist. Let’s jump headfirst into this golden-orange inferno of romance, regret, and bad Photoshop filters....
Ah, yes. Nothing sets the mood for a magical, possibly romantic, definitely sparkly tale like a bleach-blond elf squinting dramatically in front of a garage wall lined with socket wrenches. This cover doesn’t just whisper “what genre is this?”—it screams it into the...
What happens when a billionaire holiday romance gets gift-wrapped by a bored intern with access to Microsoft Publisher and a discount clipart library? You get Under the Mistletoe by Samantha Skye — a festive design catastrophe that looks less like a steamy seasonal...
“Finding Myself Beyond the Ace Family” may be the subtitle, but someone needs to find the design sense beyond this swampy mess of a cover. Buckle up — we’re diving into the murky, green-tinged bog that is Dolores: My Journey Home, a cover that screams deep personal...
Let’s talk about Heated Rivalry, a cover that tries so hard to melt the ice, it forgets to look like it belongs on a book and not a fan-made promo for a reality dating show called Skate Dates: Love on Ice. The title alone could fuel a semester-long class in font...
Ah yes, nothing whispers high-stakes romantic suspense like two mismatched stock models floating in a digital fog above a ski resort brochure. Welcome to the confusing visual cocktail that is Cloak of Red, where apparently, “Arrow Tactical Security” means squinting at...
There are bad covers, and then there are covers that look like they were generated by a checkbox labeled “Domestic Thriller Starter Kit.” My Husband’s Secret falls squarely into the latter category—a grim, joyless mashup of stock photography, aggressive typography,...
If this cover is what life under AI control looks like, please unplug the machines immediately. “Life Under AI Control” by Roda doesn’t just look like it was designed by artificial intelligence—it looks like it was done by a toaster running a trial version of...
If this cover had a mission, it was clearly “to seek out outdated design and boldly go where no decent layout has gone before.” The Petrina Chronicles might dream of exploring the galaxies, but based on this cover, it barely made it past Microsoft Paint’s launch...
There are genre mashups… and then there’s The Breaking of Time, where fantasy, science fiction, and youth soccer collide in a design decision so baffling, it may have actually broken the time-space continuum. Let’s begin with the obvious: the soccer ball. Right there....
A Note to Authors Featured Here
The purpose of Horrible Covers is not only to critique but also to highlight how much cover design matters to a book’s success. Many authors set out with the best intentions but end up with covers that don’t reflect the quality of their writing — sometimes because they tried to do it themselves, sometimes because they relied on someone who wasn’t a professional cover designer.
We understand how frustrating that can be.
Our aim is simple: to help writers put their best work forward with cover art that does justice to the story inside. If you’ve been featured here and are ready to level up your presentation, reach out through our contact form and mention “Horrible Covers Author.”