Willow Lane Books is a new monthly subscription of books and gifts that last for three months. Every month, a themed book box arrives with one book and up to four gifts that you hand-pick from their website. You can even request a different book if you’re not feeling that month’s particular tome!
In addition to the monthly box, Willow Lane also offers a kid-themed My First Reads and DIY-themed The Craft Box.
This review is of the Willow Lane, $32.99 a month, box.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
About Willow Lane Books
The Subscription Box: Willow Lane Books
The Cost: $32.99 a month + $9.99 shipping
ACTIVE DEAL: Save 20% off your first box!
CODE: NEW2018
The Products: 1 book + up to four gifts that you pick yourself!
Ships to: US and Worldwide
Good to Know: You can purchase a “One Timer” box from their store to see if you’re into the 3-month commitment. You can also add gifts and books to your box, and even swap out the month’s book if you don’t like it!
Willow Lane Books March 2018 Review
When the theme was announced, I received an email listing the available books to choose from for the month, as well as the items I wanted for my gifts. This month’s theme is the Masters, writers that have greatly contributed to the artform, and the email mentioned that the books this month would be used. I love used books, but I would have never guessed that the book I received belonged to anyone else; it was in beautiful condition.
The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald - Retail Value $12.99
When I received my Willow Lane email, I was asked to choose two authors out of a list, and they sent me one of my choices - a book by Fitzgerald! I didn’t expect such a pretty copy of this book, but man, I love those gold-edged pages. The book is a nice size and shape, too - perfect for sticking in a purse, as I often do.
This is Fitzgerald’s second novel, a story focused on a New York City couple, Anthony Patch and his eventual wife Gloria Gilbert. The story is a commentary on society at the time; Patch is waiting to inherit his father’s fortune, and Gloria is waiting to find herself married. I chose this book because I hadn’t read Fitzgerald since high school, and I’m always looking at social interactions and the portrayal of women when I read things now as an adult. Sadly this isn’t too kind to poor Gloria, who of course spends her time finding a husband, and once she meets our male protagonist, she slowly loses her own personality over the course of the book to be just like Anthony. Usually, The Great Gatsby is the go-to Fitzgerald work on literary lists, but I would say this is worth a read, too. First, it’s interesting to see how much marriage and intimacy has changed over the years, and what has stayed the same. Second, it’s said that this book was inspired largely by Fitzgerald’s own relationship with his wife Zelda.
Oversize Mug
This box is off to such a great start - they mug they sent me is my favorite color! I love the shape and it’s actually quite a nice size; larger than my usual daily coffee cup. It’s so funny that they sent me this exact shade because it matches my dishes here at home perfectly.
Coffee
I really wish there was an app for smells because this stuff is heaven! I’m a little sad that there’s no mention of where this coffee is from, or what flavor it is because I think it could definitely be a new favorite. My email called it hazelnut, which is actually my favorite, but this smells more like chocolate, with maybe some notes of cognac? I may or may not have nibbled a bean or two straight outta the bag when I was photographing this box. YUM.
Blue Mountain White Tea, .35 oz
I’m not sure if I love loose tea because it tastes so good, or because I love using tea diffusers - I think both are good reasons! This is so good - it’s light and floral like I would expect a white tea to be, but it’s also full-bodied; the flavor is delicate but not wimpy. The level of detail on this product is awesome; you can see right on the package the month in which it was picked!
Leather Journal
I’ve seen a lot of bound journals in this vein before, but this one has a number of really clever features to make it stand out. First, the aesthetics are really beautiful. The leaf decoration on the closure and the leaf embossing on the cover make this look like something right out of Rivendell, and the binder-style fastener in the spine ensures that this cover can be refilled with paper again and again. It has a really satisfying heft, and while I can certainly appreciate that not all users would enjoy receiving a leather item, the messaging in the theme email was clear about the material in advance and would give subscribers ample opportunity to select something else if needed.
Votive Candle
I’ll admit it - I’m kind of a candle addict. I’ve been much better about not hoarding wicks in the past few years, but when this came up as a choice for the box, I couldn’t resist. This is a great smell - it’s strongly floral, but not one specific flower - kind of like springtime in general!
Clover Honey, 1.5 oz
Honey is one of those things that I will never get sick of. I love it when I’m not feeling well, I love it in tea, I actually even put in my coffee sometimes! This little jar of it is so cute; it’s a small size and I love the “W” embossed on the label. I assume it stands for Willow, as in Willow Lane, but it’s my last initial as well, so it’ll look twice as cute in my kitchen!
Verdict: This was a great introduction to Willow Lane. I enjoy several different book subscriptions a month now, and this is the first one I’ve received where the emphasis has been as much on the gifts as the included reading material. I really was impressed with the quality of the items as well as how much they suited my own personal taste. I would’ve liked to see a little bit more info on some of the items, especially the coffee because if I love something I definitely want to know how to get it again. I also would’ve liked to see slightly bigger items for a box at this price point; ie, a larger container of the honey, and maybe a bigger-size candle. But I think it’s really neat that you can pick and choose want you want to receive for the box, and how the actual items look, smell, and taste is a total surprise!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Sadly, no. You will receive the May Box! After the 15th of the month, you’ll always receive the next month’s box.
Value Breakdown: This box cost $32.99 + $18.50 $9.99 shipping, which means each of the 7 items I received have an average cost of about $6.14.
Coupon - Use code NEW2018 to save 20% off your first box!
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What was your favorite item from Willow Lane?
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