So I’ve noticed the trend for lips on covers before but what made me really see how trendy lips have become was when I saw the paperback cover for Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor in comparison to the hardcover:
While I’m always a sucker for the simplicity of clean lines and monotone colors, I really think the cover change to a generic fad that screams YA paranormal romance is a real shame, especially considering that the three stories are so different and the lush writing and the imaginative worldbuilding found within such a breath of fresh air. Plus the paperback cover has nothing in common with the beautiful illustrations. I guess the publisher is trying to appeal to a different crowd in the paperback release.
Anyway, since I mentioned the trend here are a few examples of lips covers that come to mind:
I think the parted lips on You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me are particularly fitting for it’s chick lit genre. Need was published in 2008 and must have started the trend. I didn’t mind the sparkly lips then but now they’ve just been overdone so the cover isn’t memorable.
Can you think of any book covers with lips I’ve missed and how do you feel about cover trends in general? Madigan Reads covered the trend a few months ago so go check out her post. She features cover trends periodically and her latest post is on petals. 
I’ve seen this a lot too! Off the top of my head, I can picture about four, but can’t remember the titles (ooh, except Drink, Slay, Love). I don’t like this trend much, but it’s not the worst.
I’m kind of ambivalent towards the trend, too.
I’m not much of a fan of that cover either, definitely underplays the actual quality of a book by Laini Taylor!
So true! Her books are far from generic.
I quite like the first Lips Touch cover.
You can add the cover on The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder
Oh, of course The Lipstick Laws. Lips would be inherent to that cover.
I’m really not a fan of the paperback cover for Lips Touch. They really should have used one of the illustrations inside. Also not a fan of the US edition of Pink (which I finished reading recently) because I think they could have done better with the cover design. I do like the cover of YDHTSYLM but I got the other design because the one pictured above looks too much like Unsticky.
Yep, I’m not a fan of the Pink cover. The color contrast is just too garish for me or something. That’s funny, I like how the lips cover of YDHTSYLM sort of matches the cover of Unsticky.
I came across a brand new, not yet released book, in an IMM post that had lips on the cover. It’s Sarah Beth Durst’s upcoming novel.
Ooh, thanks. I find it both striking and odd – what is that, a glass Coke bottle she’s drinking from? I wonder what that has to do with the story.
Beautiful lips are attractive lips which improve confidence,
Beautiful Lips
I don’t mind it so much when it’s fitting with the actual title of the book, but there are so many much more creative ways to use lips rather then the dull lipstick advert look. It goes hand in hand with the ubiquitous ‘cut off face’ and ‘headless girl’ covers you get all over YA and chick lit, I’m just glad we have the internet and all these awesome bloggers cos otherwise loads of great books would never get read thanks to their awful covers!
Yeah, I don’t like when the cover seems like it’s been lifted from a cosmetics advertisement. It’s true – good things for blogs.
I feel like there are some more lips books but I just cant immediately think of them! Yes, this seems like a trend. It makes sense in some cases, not so much in others. I’m not sure I love it on the YOU DON’T HAVE TO SAY YOU LOVE ME cover because it’s like her face goes all the way down and she has no chin or neck, but the pink and peach do match chick-lit. But I like the lips themselves. On the other hand, yes, I really find the new version of LIPS TOUCH: THREE TIMES very blah. Prefer the older cover.
Yeah, I didn’t think of that before but it is like the lips on YDHTSYLM have been disembodied. I liked how the title leads down to the author name though. I’m glad we all seem to agree about the new Lips Touch cover.
i do not like these lippy covers. but i guess being 30 i am not exactly the target age group for some of those YA ones
i like the PINK one best ~ b/c it has an actual design concept
So true. That’s definitely why you’ll find most of these in YA.
Also true that PINK has a design concept and are not just sparkly, pretty, or floating lips. Not sure if I love the overall look though.