Hi, everyone! I joined Book of the Month a few months back on a whim, so I thought I’d do a post about my experience so far. I read quite a few posts like this when I was making my decision to join, so I hope my unfiltered thoughts are useful to anyone deciding whether to sign up 🙂
Post is NOT affiliated or sponsored in any way. I just like books.
What is Book of the Month and How does it Work?
For those who haven’t heard of it, Book of the Month is a monthly subscription service. Subscribers pay a monthly fee of $15 for a ‘credit’ to use towards a book. The first month can be cheaper for new members if you use a rep’s code. There are always five book options that change each month selected by their team in a mix of genres as well as releases. Some are debut authors, some returning authors, and some are early releases available slightly before general public. They seem to always have a mystery/thriller available which is what I’ve been getting (in addition to some others you’ll see later on). Subscribers can choose to skip the month if nothing appeals to them, or you can be manic like me and not only use the $15 credit but add up to two additional books for $10 each 😅
More details on their page – https://www.bookofthemonth.com/how-it-works
My Experience
I joined BoTM late February 2021. Here’s what I’ve gotten each month and my general thoughts.
💘 February
For my first month, I eased into it by paying $10 (discounted first month joining rate) and getting The Survivors by Jane Harper. This was a pretty good mystery/thriller early release, slow build and set in a small beach town. Overall I liked but didn’t love this pick.
☘️ March
March I went HAM for my birthday because I have no self control 😂 I picked THREE of the five options they offered as picks:
In a Book Club Far Away by Tif Marcelo
This is high up there on my TBR but I haven’t gotten to it yet. I need to be in a certain mood to read contemporary fiction but I loved the premise of this story. Sooonn…
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
Funny story with this one, I actually received another book in the mail by mistake – What’s Mine and Yours by Naima Coster shipped in my box instead of The Lost Apothecary. I was a bit sad and surprised when it was missing because I was really looking forward to reading it, but when I reached out and emailed the BoTM team they were very responsive. They immediately shipped out the correct book and told me I could keep or gift away the accidental book which was very kind. A+ for customer service. Once I got my hands the correct book I read and enjoyed it. The Lost Apothecary is a debut historical fantasy, a genre I haven’t had much experience with. I’m glad I was able to give this one a try for reduced cost to buying in store, even if I didn’t end up liking it.
Too Good to be True by Carola Lovering
This one was really fantastic! My mystery/thriller pick for this second month panned out super well, and I’ll be keeping this to re-read in the future. A new favorite 🙂
🌷 April
This month I picked three books again 😅 But in my defense I know for sure that I love one of them already, and I feel like I’m finally hitting my stride. I ended up selecting one of the BoTM selections, and two backlist add-ons.
My pick of the month’s five options, a thriller with an unlikeable narrator, murder, and some heat. Didn’t end up enjoying this one, but I will say it’s as advertised. Lots of drinking, shooting, salacious nighttime activities, and murder.
Another creeping thriller pick I’ve seen a lot of other readers enjoying on blogs and booktube. The writing style is a bit different and took some getting used to (first person “you did X” format). I got really into this but the topic ended up being more disturbing than originally thought so I dropped it. If you’re a-ok with disturbed child books this would be a fantastic read, though!
The Reckless Oath We Made by Bryn Greenwood
This is the pick I’ve actually already read as an eARC on NetGalley but loved it so much I saw this and wanted to pick it up again!
My Thoughts
So far BoTM has been hit and miss for me. I love that I’ve been able to try new release hardcovers for relatively cheap, and even though not all of them have been a hit for me there have been a few great ones so far! In general I’ve really enjoyed the excitement of seeing what books are available each month (I compulsively check the BoTM app a handful of days leading up to the new month) and getting books in the mail. So far these first three months there’s always been something that interests me. I’ve found their ‘Quick take’ and ‘Good to know’ summaries both fun and helpful –
Has anyone else tried or subscribed to Book of the Month? Let me know how your experience has been!
And stay tuned for a 6mo check in! 📚
Renee Reviews 
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