Today on The Booked Shelf we’ll be highlighting some of the fantastic cover reveals during June!
1. Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant
On June 10 via Twitter, debut author Elise Bryant shared the cover to her contemporary which follows Tessa who loves romance novels and gets into creative writing. But when she needs to find inspiration she decides to follow romance novel-inspired tips to refill her creative well.
Bryant mentioned in her thread that “Joy is an act of resistance, and this book is my joy.” Cover designer is Jessie Gang and artist is Michell D’Urbano. Happily Ever Afters is set to be released January 5, 2021!
Sixteen-year-old Tessa Johnson has never felt like the protagonist in her own life. She’s rarely seen herself reflected in the pages of the romance novels she loves. The only place she’s a true leading lady is in her own writing—in the swoony love stories she shares only with Caroline, her best friend and #1 devoted reader.
When Tessa is accepted into the creative writing program of a prestigious art school, she’s excited to finally let her stories shine. But when she goes to her first workshop, the words are just…gone. Fortunately, Caroline has a solution: Tessa just needs to find some inspiration in a real-life love story of her own. And she’s ready with a list of romance-novel-inspired steps to a happily ever after that will surely refill Tessa’s creative well. Nico, the brooding artist who looks like he walked out of one of Tessa’s stories, is cast as the perfect Prince Charming.
But as Tessa checks each item off Caroline’s list, she gets further and further away from finding her words, and herself, again. She risks losing her parents’ trust, her spot in the writing program, and her friendships—including the surprising bond she develops with Sam, the aspiring baker who lives across the street. She’s well on her way to having her own real-life love story, yet she can’t help but wonder…Is it the one she wants, after all?
2. Shadow City by Francesca Flores
On June 15 through Twitter, Francesca Flores revealed the sequel cover to Diamond City titled Shadow City. This novel will conclude the fantasy duology which follows Aina Solís who lives in the industrial city of Kosín, trying to uncover a conspiracy. Cover designer is Kerri Resnick. Shadow City by Francesca Flores is set to be released January 26, 2021!
Aina Solís has fought her way to the top of criminal ranks in the city of Kosín by wresting control of an assassin empire owned by her old boss, Kohl. She never has to fear losing her home and returning to life on the streets again—except Kohl, the man who tried to ruin her life, will do anything to get his empire back. Aina sets out to kill him before he can kill her.
But Alsane Bautix, the old army general who was banned from his seat in the government after Aina revealed his corruption, is working to take back power by destroying anyone who stands in his way. With a new civil war on the horizon and all their lives at risk, the only way for Aina to protect her home is to join up with the only other criminal more notorious than her: Kohl himself.
As Bautix’s attacks increase, Aina and Kohl work together to stop his incoming weapons shipments and his plans to take back the Tower of Steel. To defeat them both, Aina will resort to betrayal, poison, and a deadly type of magic that hasn’t been used in years.
Through narrow alleys, across train rooftops, and deep in the city’s tunnels, Aina and Kohl will test each other’s strengths and limits, each of them knowing that once Bautix is dead, they’ll still have to face each other. If she manages to kill him, she’ll finally have the freedom she wants—but it might forever mark her as his shadow in a city where only the strongest survive.
3. Muted by Tami Charles
As of June 15, I Read YA revealed through their Twitter, the cover to Tami Charles “powerful novel in verse about the music industry, ambition, and exploitation” titled Muted. Artist is Adekunele, Jaycina is the cover model, and photographer is Ryan Stokes. Muted by Tami Charles is set to be released February 2, 2021!
A ripped-from-the-headlines novel of ambition, music, and innocence lost, perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo and Jason Reynolds!
Be bold. Get seen. Be Heard.
For seventeen-year-old Denver, music is everything. Writing, performing, and her ultimate goal: escaping her very small, very white hometown.
So Denver is more than ready on the day she and her best friends Dali and Shak sing their way into the orbit of the biggest R&B star in the world, Sean “Mercury” Ellis. Merc gives them everything: parties, perks, wild nights — plus hours and hours in the recording studio. Even the painful sacrifices and the lies the girls have to tell are all worth it.
Until they’re not.
Denver begins to realize that she’s trapped in Merc’s world, struggling to hold on to her own voice. As the dream turns into a nightmare, she must make a choice: lose her big break, or get broken.
4. Roman And Jewel by Dana L. Davis
On June 15, Triada US revealed the cover to Dana L. Davis’s upcoming contemporary titled Roman And Jewel. This novel is pitched as “what if Romeo And Juliet got the Hamilton treatment?” Alongside the cover reveal was a Q&A with Davis about what inspired the story, her thoughts on the cover, and much more. Davis said she loves the cover and thinks “it represents the book so well.” Cover designer is Elita Sidiropoulou and cover illustrator is Robert Ball. Roman and Jewel by Dana L. Davis is set to be released January 5, 2021!
Jerzie Jhames will do anything to land the lead role in Broadway’s hottest new show, Roman and Jewel, a Romeo and Juliet inspired hip-hopera featuring a diverse cast and modern twists on the play. But her hopes are crushed when she learns mega-star Cinny won the lead…and Jerzie is her understudy.
Falling for male lead Zeppelin Reid is a terrible idea–especially once Jerzie learns Cinny wants him for herself. Star-crossed love always ends badly.
But when a video of Jerzie and Zepp practicing goes viral and the entire world weighs in on who should play Jewel, Jerzie learns that while the price of fame is high, friendship, family, and love are priceless.
5. Witches Steeped In Gold by Ciannon Smart
On June 17 through a video on Twitter, Smart revealed the cover to her Caribbean-inspired fantasy debut titled Witches Steeped In Gold that follows ” two witches from enemy castes—one seeking power, and one seeking revenge—who will stop at nothing to overthrow the Witch Queen, even if it means forming an alliance with each other and unleashing chaos on their island nation.” The team of cover designers included Jenna Lewis-Stempel, Chris Kwon, Alison Donalty, and Nick Oelschlägel. Witches Steeped In Gold by Ciannon Smart is set to be released April 20, 2021!
Divided by their castes. United by their vengeance.
Iraya has spent her life in a cell, but every day brings her closer to freedom—and vengeance.
Jazmyne is the queen’s daughter, but unlike her sister before her, she has no intention of dying to strengthen her mother’s power.
Sworn enemies, these two witches enter a precarious alliance to take down a mutual threat. But revenge is a bloody pursuit, and nothing is certain—except the lengths they will go to win this game.
Deadly, fierce, magnetically addictive: this Jamaican-inspired fantasy debut is a thrilling journey where dangerous magic reigns supreme and betrayal lurks beneath every word.
6. A Pho Love Story by Loan Le
Over at Book Riot, the cover for Loan Le’s debut rom-com titled A Pho Love Story was revealed on June 23. It follows 2 Vietnamese-American teens navigating their new relationship while their families’ age-old feud over competing restaurants continues. The cover was designed by Laura Eckes and illustrated by Alex Cabal. A Pho Love Story by Loan Le is set to be released February 9, 2021!
If Bao Nguyen had to describe himself, he’d say he was a rock. Steady and strong, but not particularly interesting. His grades are average, his social status unremarkable. He works at his parents’ pho restaurant, and even there, he is his parents’ fifth favorite employee. Not ideal.
If Linh Mai had to describe herself, she’d say she was a firecracker. Stable when unlit, but full of potential for joy and spark and fire. She loves art and dreams pursuing a career in it. The only problem? Her parents rely on her in ways they’re not willing to admit, including working practically full-time at her family’s pho restaurant.
For years, the Mais and the Nguyens have been at odds, having owned competing, neighboring phở restaurants. Bao and Linh, who’ve avoided each other for most of their lives, both suspect that the feud stems from feelings much deeper than friendly competition.
But then a chance encounter brings Linh and Bao together despite their best efforts and sparks fly, leading them both to wonder what took so long for them to connect. But then, of course, they immediately remember.
Can Linh and Bao find love in the midst of feuding families and complicated histories?
Over at Epic Reads there’s also a list of cover reveals featuring YA they’ll be publishing in Winter 2021!
The Booked Shelf 