2023 Book Of The Month Review: The Good & Bad
A Complete Book Of The Month Review: Everything You Need To Know
Are you trying to determine if the Book Of The Month subscription box is right for you or the perfect gift for a loved one? I’ve been a subscriber for years, so I’m sharing everything you need to know!
This Book of the Month review focuses on all aspects of the book box, so you can experience this subscription box from start to finish!
Included in this Book of the Month review are details about how much Book of the Month costs, what’s included in the box, book choices, customer service, and more!
Stay tuned at the end of my Book of the Month review to find out 5 reasons I recommend it.
If you want additional book box options, you can also review my list of the best book subscription boxes!
*Disclosure – I earn book credits for any referrals using the links below and you’ll receive your first book for $5! As always though, I’m sharing my honest thoughts throughout this review. Thank you for supporting this book blog!
Book Of The Month Review
Book of the Month Review: Overview
Book Of The Month is a popular book subscription box that focuses on bringing you a diverse selection of newly released or upcoming books.
Each month, you can choose one hardcover book from the five to seven options or skip the month for free if nothing appeals to you.
The cost is $15.99 / month and includes free shipping. You can get your first month for only $5 by using my referral link!
Book of the Month Review: Book Selection / Options
Around the 1st day of each month, Book of the Month shares their five – seven book selections. These books are chosen by a variety of judges, who vary from celebrities to authors to BOTM employees. The choices include multiple genres, representation, and topics. So (sadly in my opinion hehe), you’re never going to find an entire month full of romance novels!
You truly never know what will show up, but the most common genres seem to be thrillers, historical fiction, literary fiction, memoirs, romance, and contemporary fiction. They value own voices authors and debut authors as well as well-known authors and books getting lots of buzz.
The variety of books is what truly sets this box apart. They also often get early access to upcoming releases, so you may be able to read a book before it’s published!
In addition to your book choice for the month, you can choose to “add-on” one of the previous BOTM books for only $10!! An absolute steal for a gorgeous hardcover recent release.
What’s Included In The Book Of The Month Subscription
There are no frills with a Book of the Month subscription. The focus is clearly the books, so if you’re looking for cute gifts, self care items, or even fancy bookmarks, try one of my other picks of book subscription boxes!
However, a Book of the Month book is unique. All of the books are hardcover and brand new. Some are even available before the actual publishing date!
Their special BOTM logo is included on these editions and they’ve become a bit of a collector’s item. I’ll admit, these books look AMAZING lined up together on a bookshelf.
Plus, there’s always a simple bookmark included when you open up their signature blue box. They always come up with cute or cheeky bookish phrases printed on the sturdy cardstock.
In addition to the hardcover books, they recently added audiobooks! You have the option to use your credit toward an audiobook anytime during the month. I love having this option if I want to switch things up!
Book Of The Month Subscription Bonuses
In addition to the basics included each month, there are some incentives for long term customers! When you receive 12 boxes, you become a Book of the Month BFF. This comes with serious perks, including two extra books each year!
The first free book is an extra add on during your birthday month! Then, when the Book of the Year finalists are announced, you get to pick of the Top 5 books for free.
Plus, when you reach BFF status you’ll receive a beautiful, sturdy Book of the Month tote. You can also get 20% any of the cute, bookish products in their shop.
As I mentioned in my disclosure, there is a terrific referral program as well. Anyone can participate and it’s as easy as sending a link to friends or family. Anytime someone signs up with your link, you get a free book credit to use anytime!
Book Of The Month Reading Challenge
If you use the app, you can also participate in their reading challenge! They switch up the categories a bit each year to keep things fresh. As you read BOTM books throughout the year and rate them in the app, your progress toward completing the challenge is automatically tracked.
You can unlock a special bonus category if you complete the badges and even qualify for a small prize they’ll ship to you for free!
Book of the Month Review: Customer Service
I’ve never had an issue with my Book of the Month subscription, so the only time I’ve reached out to customer service was account related. I was hoping to cancel my membership since I had acquired a few book credits. However, rather than going through the hassle of cancelling and restarting once my credits were used, they allowed me to pause my subscription for three months!
I was so grateful for the suggestion and how quickly and easily they worked with me.
I have heard complaints in the past that you can’t easily cancel your subscription but this problem has been recently solved! You can now Pause or Cancel your membership directly from the app! There’s no longer a phone call required.
Overall Thoughts: Book Of The Month Review
With the plethora of bookish subscription boxes out there, it’s become difficult to stand out as a great value. As one of the cheapest book boxes in existence, there’s no doubt that Book of the Month meets that criteria.
You’re paying $5-$10 less than the usual retail price of a new hardcover. Plus, you join a community of BOTM addicts and can sometimes read a book before it’s publication date! The ability to skip months you don’t love and add-on books for only $10 makes this box unbeatable.
I’m wrapping up this Book of the Month review with the 5 reasons I recommend it either for yourself or as one of the best book box gift options available! As a reminder, you can sign up with this link to try it out for just $5!
- It’s comparatively insanely cheap, at only $16 for a brand new hardcover
- You can easily skip months, so you’re guaranteed to receive a book you’ll actually read
- They expanded their options to include 6-7 selections each month
- A renewed focus on diversity in their selections has made a noticeable difference
- They look amazing on your bookshelf 🙂
Did my Book of the Month review convince you to try out the Book Of the Month subscription box?