The other day that glorious blue box arrived and, while the movie montage was playing of me embracing it, Will said AND I QUOTE, “Okay I’m just going to come out and say it…I don’t get it! WHAT IS BOOK OF THE MONTH anyways?? Couldn’t you just buy this book from the store? You already know what’s in that box anyways.” *record scratch* I was aghast. Absolutely aghast. How could he even question BOTM?? But then I thought, “well *I* really didn’t get it at one point in my life” so maybe others are wondering what it is and if Book of the Month is worth it? So, since I’ve never formally talked about it on here, I’ll give my official Book of the Month review and just talk about it and answer any questions.
I used to be really into other book subscription boxes — you know the ones with all the little fandom related things or bookish merchandise. And a lot of those times, though a couple times I got a book I might not have otherwise picked up and enjoyed, the book itself was something either I already had or I wasn’t interested in at all for various reasons.
And that was always a bummer, honestly. I realized that, when I was spending that much money, I didn’t really enjoy the surprise element of not knowing which book it was because I could have spent that money on a book I ACTUALLY wanted. Not to mention if I even liked the little gifts that came with it.
I came to realize that these type of book subscriptions boxes weren’t for me because 1) I wasn’t always happy with the surprise book element (I think it’s great if you don’t already own a ton of new books) and I was becoming overwhelmed by the little book merchandise things that came with it — so much of it wasn’t something I was REALLY into.
So I cancelled all my book subscriptions and just went about my merry way. Plus I was REALLY cutting down on my book spending.
[Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links which means that if you click on a link and purchase something I’ve talked about or recommended, I’ll receive a very small percentage of the sale. Please see my disclosure policy for more info.
UNTIL I GIVE BOOK OF THE MONTH A CHANCE….
And to be fair *I* didn’t “get it” right away either — for all the reasons my husband was thinking above. But now I faithfully have my trigger finger ready to refresh the website to get the new BOTM selections each month and am excited to open my box as if it WERE a surprise.
And now here I am with a subscription to both the regular Book of the Month club and the Book of the Month YA (soon to be no longer) and always recommending this as one of the best gifts for book lovers!
My Honest Book Of The Month Club Review
Before we get into my thoughts and experience with Book of the Month club, you might be thinking, “okay what is BOTM even?” so I want to address that first and explain how it works in case you are already lost.
What is Book Of The Month?
Book of the Month is a US-based monthly book subscription club in which you choose from a selection of 5 newly released/soon to be released (hardcover) books handpicked and curated by the Book of the Month judges for you to choose from each month.
There is Book Of The Month (mostly adult fiction and non-fiction picks of all genres) and then the newer offshoot Book Of The Month YA club which features young adult/teen selections (again 5 selections each month). EDIT: It appears that after March 2020 BOTM YA will be no longer and it will be all rolled under the same membership over at the core BOTM site. Will keep y’all updated.
Fun fact I learned about it recently: it was founded in 1926 (and Ernest Hemingway was one of the inaugural authors picked!). I think this is cool that the business model clearly has adapted and shifted into what it has been since it relaunched in this iteration in 2015.
How Does Book Of The Month Work?
Each month you will get a choice of the 5 books on the website for the new month. It gives a “quick take” sentence about the book but if you click on the title of the book it will give you a full synopsis but also some quick little “good to know” bits about the book from it being emotional to any content warnings to knowing that it’s a good book for x, y, z. It also gives the little blurb by the judge who chose it about why they did.
You’ll pick your selection, using your monthly credit, and add it to your box. If you don’t like any that you see and want to save your credit, you can skip that month’s box — no problem! You aren’t charged and that credit will just rollover to the next month. It’s really easy, if you are wondering how to skip Book of the Month, you literally just click the button to skip the month. No hassle, super easy.
If you decided to pick a selection that month you ALSO have the option to pick up to 2 add-on books — previous selections from other months/years and also you can add-on this month’s current pick if you just can’t choose 1 from this month.
Once you finalize your box (if you don’t skip) it’s processed to ship within a few days (at least that has been my experience).
How Much Does Book Of The Month Cost?
So, maybe you are like “okay, Jamie, that sounds fun and all but what’s the cost?”
- The monthly membership cost: your first book for $9.99 and then you pay $14.99 each month after that.
- The yearly membership: you pay $149.99 for 12 credits in your account which makes it end up being $12.50 a book — a good option if you can afford that cost upfront.
- The add-ons, if you want them, are $9.99 each.
There is also a 3, 6, or 12 month gift subscription if you wanted to gift it or put it on YOUR wishlist. Book of the Month is seriously a great gift idea.
What I Like About Book Of The Month
- I’ll be honest — I love the fact that for $14.99 (or $9.99 for the add-on!!) I’m getting a brand new hardcover for WAY cheaper than if I bought it myself from elsewhere. I’m practical if not anything haha
- I like the fun book mail! It’s so nice to get something other than bills and mine always has come very quickly! And, like I said before, it’s nice to be part of a book subscription box that is more minimal and no surprise.
- I love the selections — I’ve got to say I’ve rarely skipped each month because I’m always really into the picks. They curate the selections so well and are really at the pulse of what’s new and fantastic. You also start to learn what judges picks you like and can trust. And as much as I’m always excited that some of my anticipated books are on there I ALSO have discovered some books that weren’t on my radar.
- I love the community of fellow BOTM club subscribers as well all try to decide what our picks are going to be and see what everyone else picks. PLUS when we try to guess the next month’s picks. There’s some communities on FB where you can swap titles with other BOTM members if you aren’t big on keeping books after you read them.
What I Don’t Like About Book Of The Month
- Honestly I don’t LOVE is the Book of the Month logo on the cover. Like it holds no significance for ME personally but they do all look all nice together sitting on your shelf. I just am not all about any sort of “sticker” (sorry Reese that means you too!) that goes on my book but, for me, it’s a small price to pay for a cheaper book.
- They have grown with adding more diversity in their lineup but could use some work still
- I also don’t like that, for my international friends, that it’s US only.
Is Book Of The Month Worth It?
I personally find it worth it for me! I’m not one who buys a ton of new books these days –I love my library and I’m real picky about what I own (AND ALSO BROKE) — but THIS is my treat to myself. I justify it by the fact it’s cheaper too haha.
I think BOTM will be worth it for you if:
- you like the idea of subscription boxes but don’t like surprise books & don’t want all the little book merch that go with other boxes.
- you are so sick of trying to figure out what you want to read/researching new books and just want to narrow down some selections with some vetted & carefully picked books.
- you like to stay up on newer releases and want to save money on some of the newest and hottest releases (seriously it’s several dollars cheaper than most retail places for brand new hardcovers). Some of these books are early releases too — a month before they even get released which is nice!
- you rarely buy books but want to treat yourself once a month (or less if you need with the skip option — you could do like every other).
- if you like staying up on new releases but get sick of always waiting forever for them from the library. This is HUGE for me. I save all the older books I want to read for the library but sometimes I don’t want to wait 6 months so my monthly BOTM helps me tackle some of my most anticipated books while I wait for others.
- you want to get back into reading and this would give you some accountability to do that. Even if you can’t get through one book a month you can skip every other.
- you are a book buying addict and you want to continue that habit (haha kidding….sort of). But at least it’s cheaper right??
If you think it might be for you, check out your first box for only $9.99!
So those are my honest thoughts on this monthly book subscription box — hope you found my Book of the Month review helpful. I love my monthly treat to myself and NOW Will is also educated as to WHY I love getting it and him, being the sensible man he is, likes that I’m getting books for cheaper. Even if he’s probably wondering why I need to buy books at all between all my library books and review copies but shhhh we don’t need to tackle THAT.
Do you have BOTM? Are there any other book subscription books you enjoy getting? Also if you have any questions about BOTM I’m ALWAYS happy to answer.
P.S. Check out my honest thoughts on if Kindle Unlimited is worth it plus a review of LibroFM audiobook service.
Erica Metcalf says
I LOVE BOTM! I was subscribed for a few years through my family gifting me the subscriptions. I was so bummed to cancel the plan once we really buckled down to buy a house. I’d love to join up again soon!
Jamie says
YES that’s why I resisted for so long bc $$$$ but I finally decided well this will be like my one book treat per month AND if I REALLY don’t have the money I’m fine skipping. Good luck with the saving for a house!! I know we are going to be doing that soon so I think I will be skipping a lot more which SUCKS but A HOUSE haha
Karlijn says
It sounds so good! I wish they shipped to Europe one day soon. X
Jamie says
*fingers crossed*
Jenna @ Falling Letters says
I live outside of the States so couldn’t subscribe even if I wanted to, but I am always curious to read opinions on book box subscriptions. Thanks for explaining how this one works and sharing your pros and cons!
Jamie says
You are welcome! Sometimes I just assume everybody knows how everything like this works so I figured I’d lay it out how it works and what *I* think about it because I always like knowing too! It’s currently the only one I’m subscribed to because I got burnt out on other ones for the reasons I said. Oh and I technically subscribe Riley to some kid ones on and off haha
Rivalie @ Small Stained Pages says
I subscribed sometime last year and have been loving it – I’m a little confused about the whole BOTM YA switch but hopefully, that’ll be more clear once the next month rolls around. I am super excited for The Kingdom of Back which I picked out for March!
Jamie says
Yes I’m hoping they will be more clear. My phone call with them made me feel like they weren’t sure haha. I am THINKING maybe they will just have more YA picks? But I’m worried it will just be ONE pick. Hoping we at least can add others as add-ons or something. It helped me stay up on new YA books because I’ve been so into adult more these days. And YES I picked The Kingdom of Back too! DYING for it to get here because I love Marie so much!
Lindsi says
I’ve been on the fence about BOTM, but I’m REALLY trying to read what I already have before signing up for something else. I used to do FairyLoot, but started getting waaay too much stuff I didn’t want, and the books were often a bust. I’ll keep this one in mind once I’ve cleaned my shelves up a bit. Thanks for sharing this post!
Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? 💬
Paula Reid says
I subscribed to BOMC YA in December and also signed up my 14 year old goddaughter for a year as her Christmas present — she was thrilled! We’ve each been picking a different book, reading it and trading so we each to get to read 2 of the books each month. Now that they are discontinuing the YA, my concern is that there won’t be appropriate choices for her. Do you have thoughts on this?
Jamie says
Oh what a wonderful gift and I LOVE that you guys swapped! I’m so bummed they are discontinuing the YA too. When I spoke to someone on the phone they said there will still be YA picks but I’m not sure the extent of that. It seemed like they weren’t really sure honestly. I’m hoping there will still be a good amount of YA. I saw you could add on a bunch of YA from the adult book of the month. but that doesn’t help if there aren’t great options of YA to pick from in the lineup. Fingers crossed they can figure out a way to serve the YA readers too!
Rita says
I have a question. If I do not want any of the five featured books, is there a way to choose an earlier book? It appears that I would have to select one of the monthly five before making any other picks. Is that correct?
Jamie says
No unfortunately you can’t! That happened to me this month — I wanted 2 of the add-ons more than I wanted the selection of 5 (which is rare for me). But yeah you need to pick one of the month’s books and then you can add-on. Normally it’s not a problem but oh man I wanted Big Summer and Untamed real badly as add-ons.
Rita says
Well, maybe next month we’ll have more luck.
Elizabeth says
Hi! I found this article when researching BOTM to see if I wanted to start a subscription. I got all the way through signing up and building a cart … and I was able to pick an April book for my “‘monthly” book plus an add-on that was also from an earlier month. So I did not have to pick a “May” book. Not sure if that is because it would be my first order? Just FYI.
Jill Smith says
I have been a member for 6 months and have liked only 1 book. 6 months in, still have 11 credits. Not happy with the monthly selections. So far a waste of money.
Jamie says
What kind of books do you typically like to read? I feel like definitely for some people it might not have enough of certain genres to pique their interest. Whereas I barely ever skip (I can count 1 or 2 times) in almost 2 years. I always caution people, before signing up, to really take a look their past selections to see if they are genres/books they are interested because I could definitely see it not being a good fit for some reader depending on how you align with the types of books they pick! if you ever need help with the picks to use up those credits, happy to give you recommendations if I know what you like/don’t like!
Marilyn Janelle says
Got a subscription for my birthday as a gift. Cancelled the next day. They do not carry my favorite authors, they do not carry audiobooks, and many selections were out of stock. I also buy tons of books at our town and other towns book fairs for $2.00 ( hardcovers! )! Not a whole lot of selections. I love books, but was extremely disappointed in this book club. And, by the way, they never responded to my emails asking for some clarification on books and choices. And, the day after I got the gift, ( yes, one day!) I was told by email I had until 8 o’clock in the evening to make a book selection or pass for the month. My daughter cancelled the subscription and I am hoping she got a full refund. Not worth the money!
Jamie says
Are we talking about the same thing — book of the month? Just trying to clarify because I’m confused by some things in yoru comments. With this subscription, they pick 5 books every month to choose from (and then there are books to add-on for cheap). This isn’t a store or anything. If we are talking about the same thing, I’m sorry that it didn’t work out for you. I typically tell people who are wondering about it to take a look at their past selections to see if they pick out the type of books you like to read to make sure it will be worth it. For me, they pick lots of stuff I read and lots of favorite authors. Is there a type of book you like or who are some of your fave authors? Maybe there’s another subscription out there that has more of your taste of books? And with Book of the month each month you only have to the 20th to pick the selections (you don’t get charged for the month if you pass) so you might have just gotten your gift when that selection time was up and you would have been able to use it for the next month which is announced at the end of the month. I’m sorry you didn’t get a response — any time I’ve dealt with customer service (on the phone and email) they have been so quick and helpful — thought it wasn’t during a pandemic so I’m not sure how the customer service is at the moment. Hope that was helpful! Again, if we are talking about the same book of the month club, I’m sorry it wasn’t what you hoped!
Sheryl says
Hi! I’m considering BOTM. Are the books the same quality and size hard covers you would buy in the store? Do they routinely have historical fiction options?
MeaganC says
When do the next month’s selections get announced? I joined at the end of May and am wondering when the July options will be listed.
Jamie says
Typically a few days before the end of the month!
Lynn says
I have a couple questions: If for example I want to skip to months in a row would that be allowed? And if I skip a month can I use my book credit for an add-on or do I have to use it for a monthly book choice?
Jamie says
Yes you can skip several months in a row. I have never but I have friends who have! And yes you can use your credit for an add-on if you have some saved up but you can’t get the add-ons unless you pick one of the main selections. So if you have 3 credits from months you skipped then you can use one for a a main pick and the two for add-ons. I wish they would just let you use them all on add-ons or past books honestly if you don’t love the selections that month but still have ones you want.
Kathy says
I was gifted a BOTM and have not enjoyef it at all. The selection are not to my taste. Books are trashy or too “trendy”. Prefer books with some substance. All of these can be found at library. Would not recommend or renew subscription.
Diane says
I have been a BOTM subscriber on and off for years. To the point of the logo on the top right of ever book, I feel it sets the book apart along with month and year on the back cover it gives it more value. 💖
The heft is perfect for holding and the print is excellent . I have had to revert to looking at the print before purchasing a book but with BOTM it is consistent.
Serai says
A question: I’m an absent-minded person, so do you get any kind of reminder each month, like an email to remind you to check the selection list? If there’s no reminder, then I won’t join because I know I’ll be getting books I didn’t want. Also, if a book ships and I don’t want it (as in forgot to check before it shipped) can it be sent back? The website is incredibly vague about how this works, so I don’t know that I trust that it’s as “easy” and “hassle-free” as they claim it is.
Jamie says
YES! I typically am stalking the website day of but I have a second email I signed up with and I get several emails reminding me — the first one is always like “Oh April’s books are up!” and then if you don’t pick one through the month you will get them.
And I’ve either picked a book or skipped for the month so I’m not sure exactly but what I BELIEVE is that it doesn’t just auto pick it for you. I think it would just skip you to be honest. But again, that is just what I am gathering but I haven’t ever forgotten to do it. That IS a good question and I highly recommend contacting their customer service because they have always been SO helpful when I’ve asked questions.