Book of the Month Review: Is It Worth the Subscription?
Disclosure: This post contains a referral link. If you sign up through my link, I'll receive a free Book of the Month credit at no extra cost to you. As always, I only recommend products and services that I genuinely use and enjoy.
Hi Friend!
If you've spent any amount of time in the online book community, you've probably heard people talking about Book of the Month. I know I certainly did before finally deciding to give it a try back in April 2024.
So, I figured it was finally time to sit down and share my honest thoughts about this subscription in this Book of the Month review.
The short version?
I genuinely love it.
I've tried several different book subscription boxes over the last couple of years, and while each one has something unique to offer, Book of the Month is the one I am most likely to stay with.
Book Subscription Boxes I've Tried
I absolutely understand the appeal of beautiful collector's editions, I have many of them and love them! There was something so magical about finally being able to join FairyLoot's subscription box and open my first book box from them!
Over the last couple years I've subscribed to several different book boxes including:
- Book of the Month
- Allurial, Book of the Month's sister company (review on this one coming soon!)
- OwlCrate Quarterly Romantasy
- OwlCrate Monthly YA Fantasy
- FairyLoot Monthly Romantasy
I have also canceled both of my OwlCrate book boxes, not because the books were bad, but because I realized I wasn't loving enough of the stories to justify the cost. They were also the most expensive subscriptions out of all the book boxes I've tried.
The wait list for FairyLoot was really long and the first time I got the email notification that I could join, I accidentally missed my window of opportunity because I didn't see the email in time! So I waited even longer.
Needless to say... I'm not giving up that subscription anytime soon!
Why I Love Book of the Month
I Get to Choose My Book
This is honestly one of the biggest reasons, even if it doesn't seem like a big deal.
I love surprises, and I love when I have no clue what is coming in my FairyLoot book box!
But the problem I was running into was that while opening a surprise box is exciting, there were multiple times I ended up with books I had little interest in reading.
With Book of the Month, I get to look through their monthly curated selection of around seven brand-new releases across multiple genres and pick the one I'm genuinely most excited about.
One month I might pick a romance or maybe fantasy, the next a thriller, and then a historical fiction novel. Since I read a lot of everything, I love that the monthly selections aren't limited to just one genre.
That one difference has made me enjoy this subscription way more.
I've Found So Many Great Books
For example, My Kind of Paradise wasn't something I would have purchased on my own.
But it ended up being such a fun surprise and reminded me why I love stepping outside my comfort zone every now and then.
(You can read my review of My Kind of Paradise here.)
Several of my Book of the Month selections have even become 4 and 5-star reads for me, including Just for the Summer, My Kind of Paradise, Good Spirits, The God of the Woods, Summer's Never Over, Yesteryear, A Talent for Murder, and House of Glass. Looking back at my shelves, it's honestly kind of surprising how many favorites I've discovered because of this subscription.
The Price is Actually Really Good
I currently subscribe to the one-credit-per-month plan, which costs $17.99 per month.
Compared to the other subscription boxes I have tried, BOTM is actually the least expensive.
Once you become a BFF member which means you've had 12 or more boxes shipped to you, you can also purchase additional hardcover books for $11.99 each, which is often cheaper than buying a brand-new hardcover from Amazon or a bookstore.
As someone who collects more books than I can read, that's a bargain!
Shipping Is So Fast
This is actually something people don't really mention, but I think it is really important.
Out of every subscription box I've tried, Book of the Month consistently ships the fastest. It pretty much always ships right after I make my monthly selection, and I usually receive it within a week of selecting it.
As someone who get's excited about new books, I definitely appreciate not having to wait very long!
No Waitlist
This isn't as big of a deal for me, but I do appreciate how easy it is to join.
Unlike some subscription boxes that have months-long waitlists (*cough*FairyLoot*cough*), you can sign up for Book of the Month whenever you want.
And if the month's selections don't interest you? You can easily skip that month.
If you need to take a break. You can cancel whenever and resign up later.
Easy peasy!
Occasionally There is Special Sprayed Edges
While Book of the Month isn't primarily about collecting the fancy, special, limited editions, they occasionally offer books with sprayed edges for a couple dollars more.
It's always a fun surprise when they do.
Is Book of the Month Worth it?
For me, it absolutely is!
I still love receiving my FairyLoot boxes. They're gorgeous collector's editions, and I'll probably always get excited when one arrives.
But Book of the Month has so many great perks that it will probably be the last subscription I cancel.
Should You Try It?
If you're looking for:
- A curated selection of new hardcover releases across multiple genres
- The freedom to choose your own book
- No waitlist to sign up
- A flexible subscription you can skip or cancel anytime
- Fast shipping
- An affordable way to build your library
I genuinely think Book of the Month is worth trying.
If you'd like to try it out, you can use my referral link to get your first book for just $5.
If you do decide to join, I'd love to hear which book you pick first!
As always, thanks for reading!
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