Today’s post is sponsored by Khadijah VanBrakle and My Perfect Family, which has received two starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus!
Title My Perfect Family
Author Khadijah VanBrakle
Intended Target Audience Young Adult
Publication Date Aug. 26th 2025 by Holiday House
Find It On Goodreads ● Amazon ● Chapters ● Blackwell’s ● Barnes & Noble ● IndieBound
Sixteen-year-old Leena has always wished for a big family…but when she discovers she has a Muslim grandfather and aunt she never knew, she learns that family comes with tangled histories she may not be able to heal.
“Lonely Leena” is close with her young single mother. Still, she’s always secretly dreamed of more (and, when she was a kid, asked Santa for it). A huge family to cheer her on at graduation. A gaggle of smiling faces at the holidays. But one call from the hospital, and her mother’s hidden past comes to light: Her grandfather is in the ER, and her aunt is with him in recovery. Sorry — her WHO?
But with family comes family secrets — Leena’s mom’s, and as Leena grows close with her new family behind her mother’s back, her own. Leena’s mom warns that Leena’s grandfather Tariq’s financial generosity doesn’t come without strings attached…like Leena converting to Islam, fighting for a spot at a top university, and adhering to the restrictive rules that she ran from all those years ago. Leena isn’t sure who to trust, yet she’s certain that she adores Tariq and her mom — and that she’s the only one who could heal old hurts. After so many years, is it even possible? And if she can’t, will she have to choose between them?
A big family was the dream, but all this drama isn’t.
Warm, witty, and sometimes serious, My Perfect Family is a poignant intergenerational narrative that gives voice to Black Muslim women. A thoughtful examination of the intersection between gender and religion, Khadijah VanBrakle’s sophomore novel is a heartfelt tale of forging one’s own path… while loving those who stay by your side.
Do! Judge A Book By Its Cover is a regular feature on Pop! Goes The Reader in which I pay tribute to some of the best and brightest the publishing world has to offer in the way of book cover design.
Book cover design and artistry is something I’ve been passionate about since Pop! Goes The Reader’s inception in 2013, and as AI attempts to work its plagiarism-riddled fingers into publishing, I think it’s more important than ever we acknowledge, uplift and celebrate the incredible work of the designers, artists and illustrators who work in this industry. Their vision, hard work and ability allows us the first glimpse of the story held within a book’s pages, and it’s no small task to be able to capture that so succinctly.
Contemporary and realistic fiction is my favourite genre to read, and while I know it’s not currently quite as popular/commonly published as it has been in the past, there have been so many phenomenal covers already revealed for 2026 that fall into this category that I was desperate to share. This post includes both late 2025 and early 2026 covers and I’m honoured to feature them here. I’m thrilled that illustrated covers remain popular as I love seeing the many different styles employed, and I’m excited about the richness and saturation of the colour palettes we’re seeing, which is particularly evident in covers like that for The Free Verse Society by Delali Adjoa, as seen below.
Please Note: As always, I’ve done my best to credit the designers and artists responsible for the book covers below, but was unable to find this information for some of those listed. If you know of an uncredited designer and/or artist responsible for any of these book covers or if I’ve credited someone incorrectly, please let me know and I would be happy to edit the post to include their names. Their work is important and deserves attribution!
01. Right As Rain by Tashie Bhuiyan
Cover art by Karmen Loh
02. Love On Ice by Sara Ney
Cover design by Ray Shappell, Cover art by Leni Kauffman
03. The Roommate Arrangement by Samantha Markum
Cover art by Bex Glendining
04. Trail Rides and Starry Eyes by Katrina Emmel
Cover art by Alissandra Seelaus
05. We’ve Hit Turbulence by Jessica L. Cozzi
Cover art by Mallory Heyer
06. I Could Give You The Moon by Ann Liang
Cover design by Catherine Lee, Cover art by Carolina Rodríguez Fuenmayor
07. Love Makes Mochi by Stefany Valentine
Cover design by April Ward, Cover art by Bex Glendining
08. Someone To Daydream About by Sydney Langford
Cover design by Julia Bianchi, Cover art by Betsy Cola
09. The Free Verse Society by Delali Adjoa
Cover design by Lily Steele, Cover art by Kei-Ella Loewe
10. Summer Official by Rebekah Weatherspoon
Cover design by Theresa Evangelista, Cover art by Mimi Moffie
11. Mint To Be by Katie Cicatelli-Kuc
Cover design by Stephanie Yang, Cover art by Leni Kauffman
12. Estela, Undrowning by René Peña-Govea
Cover design by Corina Lupp, Cover art by Sam Rodriguez
13. Wandering Wild by Lynette Noni
14. This Ain’t Our First Rodeo by Liara Tamani
Cover design by Sylvie Le Floc’h, Cover art by Brittany Keller
15. Meet Me Under The Lights by Cassie Miller
Cover design by Kaitlin Yang, Cover art by Steve Scott
16. In Case You Read This by Edward Underhill
Cover art by Jeff Östberg
17. Most Valuable Player by A.M. Woody
Cover design by Kristie Radwilowicz, Cover art by Jeff Österberg
18. The Oks Are Not OK by Grace K. Shim
Cover art by Michelle Kwon
19. If You Were Here by Abigail Johnson
Cover design by Julia Feingold, Cover art by Allie Runnion
20. The Complex Art of Being Maisie Clark by Sabrina Kleckner
Cover design by Karli Hughes, Cover art by Ana Bidault
21. The Education of Kia Greer by Alanna Bennett
Cover design by Jenna Stempel-Lobell, Cover art by Spiros Halaris
22. Maya In Multicolor by Swati Teerdhala
Cover design by Zareen Johnson, Cover art by Nabi H. Ali, Typography by Danielle Duncan
