Cover Art for 'Book Lovers' by Emily Henry

Emily Henry's 'Book Lovers' an all-time favorite books (I devoured it in 24 hours and re-read it within 6 months). As a life-long romance reader I was struck by Henry's playful and self-aware exploration of romance genre tropes.

'Book Lovers' follows the story of a literary agent who, armed with an encyclopedic knowledge of the genre, finds she is a living embodiment of the emotionally stunted, career-driven girlfriend trope when she is repeatedly left for the small town girl. As she grapples with being assigned this role, Henry expertly maneuvers her through a series of genre defining plot points that would feel cliche if not for the way she twists each cliche into a meta commentary on modern romance. It is a juxtaposition of time-honored tropes and contemporary insight, littered with romance reader easter eggs culminating in a cleverly self-referential and lovingly reverent take on modern love.

For this cover art I chose to adapt 'Book Lovers' playful self-awareness into a visual language that references the rich history of the genre through a modern lens. I've drawn our couple in a pose commonly found in romance novels of yore, surrounded by a heart shape composed of scattered books. The illustration is rendered in vibrant, saturated hues with a contemporary aesthetic, featuring bold primary colors balanced with neutral shades to create a dynamic and visually striking look while maintaining a modern feel.

Once I decided on the composition, I drew each component separately, ensuring they may be used across promotional materials in a variety of ways, before weaving them together and pairing them with a bold, confident font. The result is an eye-catching, self referential homage to romantic iconography across time.