A Trusted Friend in a Complicated World
Published on Apr. 29, 2025
Go ahead, judge a book by its cover. We asked book cover designers to pick the best book covers of 2025 and tell us what makes them so great.
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Chosen by: Hanna Barczyk
“Two women are at the center of the cover. The art instantly drew me in with its soft, warm tones contrasted by the bold, heavy font playfully composed over the cover. The two women, their black hair falling off their shoulders, share an expression that feels both austere and calm. Their eyes gaze directly at us, holding a mysterious quality. The way their bodies lightly touch creates shapes in the negative space that almost act like windows, guiding the eye through each section of the cover. The pink background, with its subtle texture, adds a sense of limitlessness. It feels intimate yet inviting.” —Hanna
Chosen by: Hanna Barczyk
“I love this cover’s experimental use of collage, which creates a layered and intriguing story. A faint portrait of a woman appears in the background, partially obscured by light pink, with only a cut-out of her eye clearly visible. The title is cleverly placed as teardrops falling from that single visible eye. It’s the overall simplicity in tone that delivers such deep, rich, textured meaning.” —Hanna
Chosen by: Lisa Errico
“I am partial to clever typography, so this cover caught my eye. The face hidden behind ‘she’ was indeed alarming and hair-raising.” —Lisa
Chosen by: Hanna Barczyk
“This cover feels clever, mysterious and surreal, while maintaining a strict sense of simplicity. The light pink background paired with the collaged leaf, cut out in the shape of eyes, gives me the sense that this will be a transformative and adventurous book. It feels poetic and fresh.” —Hanna
Chosen by: Lisa Errico
“I adore the unsettling and eerie nature of this design. The eye peeking out of the bird’s body both intrigues me and gives me full-body chills!” —Lisa
Chosen by: Elisha Zepeda
“It’s a super simple cover that instantly caught my attention, in part because it looks so similar to 2023’s Kittentits. I read horror quicker than anything else and love a good debut voice, so will give this one a try.” —Elisha
Chosen by: Elisha Zepeda and Hanna Barczyk
“I loved Lalami’s The Other Americans. She is very brief and understated, remind[ing] me of Raymond Carver. This cover is very different from her previous releases, [and I’m] excited to see if the tone will be different in the writing as well.” —Elisha
“A thick purple border frames an orange square that feels like it’s stretching endlessly into a black abyss of nothingness. At the edge, a small person stands as if they’re gazing into the void. This cover grabbed my attention with its poetic use of colors and shapes to create a story. It immediately piqued my curiosity, making me want to know more about what The Dream Hotel is about.” —Hanna
Chosen by: Lisa Errico
“This cover stopped me in my tracks—it is weird and wonderful. The use of carnivorous plants is both alarming and alluring, and the connection between the eyes has certainly piqued my interest.” —Lisa
Chosen by: Lisa Errico
“The contrast between the rip and the intricate floral wallpaper creates a sense of unease and dread. The hole in the wall kept drawing my eye. Upon further inspection, and to my horror, I realized I had caught the eye of someone else.” —Lisa
Chosen by: Elisha Zepeda
“This cover did its job. I know nothing of the author, but the illustration and colors are so well done that I have to at least pick it up for a few chapters.” —Elisha
Chosen by: Lisa Errico
“The drama in this cover is palpable, and I love the tension of the woven thorns and botanical elements wrapped around the title and face—it feels very claustrophobic.” —Lisa
Chosen by: Elisha Zepeda
“Top-tier cover, following the huge success of Choi’s Trust Exercise. One of those designs that makes me almost certain I’ll love the book.” —Elisha
About the experts
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At Reader’s Digest, we’ve been sharing our favorite books for more than 100 years. We’ve worked with bestselling authors including Susan Orlean, Janet Evanovich and Alex Haley, whose Pulitzer Prize–winning Roots grew out of a project funded by and originally published in the magazine. Through Fiction Favorites (formerly Select Editions and Condensed Books), Reader’s Digest has been publishing anthologies of abridged novels for decades. We’ve worked with some of the biggest names in fiction, including James Patterson, Ruth Ware, Kristin Hannah and more. The Reader’s Digest Book Club, helmed by Books Editor Tracey Neithercott, introduces readers to even more of today’s best fiction by upcoming, bestselling and award-winning authors. For this piece on the best book covers of 2025, Brianna Bell tapped her experience as a longtime journalist to ensure that all information is accurate and offers the best possible advice to readers. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
