Book of the Month is a monthly book subscription box. Each month, 5 curators pick out their favorite new hardcover books, and you can choose which one you want to receive on the first of the month. You can also add up to 2 additional books for only $9.99 each. (This box was named one of the best subscriptions under $15 by MSA readers in the 2020 Subscription Box Awards.)
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.)
Check out all of our reviews of Book Subscription Boxes for more options, too!
About this Box
The Subscription Box: Book of the Month
The Cost: $14.99 a month
The Product: Subscribers get to pick from a selection of hardcover books each month. Skip any month you aren't interested in. Add up to two additional books for $9.99 each.
Ships to: The U.S. for free
Book of the Month January 2021 Review
These are the five book choices offered to subscribers this month. I have a few of these on my TBR list because they sounded so good!
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The Dating Plan by Sara Desai - Retail Value $16.00 (found here on paperback for $14.40)
This month, I'm not ashamed to say I was drawn in by a pretty cover! Isn't it just so gorgeous? It looks like this is a pre-release, too which always makes this subscription feel a bit more valuable to me.
Book Summary from Amazon:
Daisy Patel is a software engineer who understands lists and logic better than bosses and boyfriends. With her life all planned out, and no interest in love, the one thing she can't give her family is the marriage they expect. Left with few options, she asks her childhood crush to be her decoy fiancé.
Liam Murphy is a venture capitalist with something to prove. When he learns that his inheritance is contingent on being married, he realizes his best friend's little sister has the perfect solution to his problem. A marriage of convenience will get Daisy's matchmaking relatives off her back and fulfill the terms of his late grandfather's will. If only he hadn’t broken her tender teenage heart nine years ago…
Sparks fly when Daisy and Liam go on a series of dates to legitimize their fake relationship. Too late, they realize that very little is convenient about their arrangement. History and chemistry aren't about to follow the rules of this engagement.
I anticipated a very traditional love story with this book, but the characters were just a bit more complex than I expected and the author's use of alternating perspectives really added to the storyline for me. I enjoyed the mix of cultures with Daisy's meddling aunties and Liam's boisterous Irish side which created some fringe characters with a lot of different personalities, all of whom were important to the story in some way. As for the main characters, I enjoyed smart, confident Daisy who didn't play the typical damsel role, and Liam, although certainly a bit cockier than I prefer my leading men, had a good heart but both had their own insecurities relating to their familial relationships.
While I hated how down on herself Daisy was, I can certainly remember some of the insecurities that come with being young and single, and to Daisy's credit, a lot of it had to do with her absent mother. Liam is just as hard on himself but seems to have more to prove and is much more stubborn and hard-headed about it. These two self-deprecating individuals don't realize how much they have always meant to one another and it's sad how one mistake from their past has gotten in the way of a relationship and friendship that could have meant a lot to both of them through the past ten years. As they enter their fake arrangement, it's fun to watch them work it all out with the romantic undercurrent and one can only hope for a happy ending for these two.
In addition to the sweetness of the romance, this author did not shy away from including some pretty graphic and intimate scenes. While I enjoy a little steaminess, I tend to think less is more so the details were a bit much for me. I could have done without such vivid descriptions, but this only accounted for a few short scenes so it didn't take away from the story for me, rather I just felt this much detail about that aspect of their relationship wasn't necessary. This is definitely a personal opinion though!
Each month, Book of the Month includes a bookmark.
If you picked this book this month, please let me know what you think of it!
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When you become a BOTM BFF (which means you have received a year of books), you get some perks, one of which is that you get to select one of the five Book of the Year Finalists for free once the winner is announced. This was as easy as going into my account and adding it to my box. Isn't that a great perk?
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The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Dare – Retail Value $26.00 (found here for $23.39)
My choice is one that I am excited to read! It's been on my TBR list and it seems to be highly regarded. I took a course in college – I believe it was called Literature of the Third World –and we read several novels that were similar in premise to this one, some of which still stand out in my mind. That class provided such a great perspective on other cultures and I'm hopeful this book will be no different!
From Amazon:
The unforgettable, inspiring story of a teenage girl growing up in a rural Nigerian village who longs to get an education so that she can find her “louding voice” and speak up for herself, The Girl with the Louding Voice is a simultaneously heartbreaking and triumphant tale about the power of fighting for your dreams. Despite the seemingly insurmountable obstacles in her path, Adunni never loses sight of her goal of escaping the life of poverty she was born into so that she can build the future she chooses for herself – and help other girls like her do the same. Her spirited determination to find joy and hope in even the most difficult circumstances imaginable will “break your heart and then put it back together again” (Jenna Bush Hager on The Today Show) even as Adunni shows us how one courageous young girl can inspire us all to reach for our dreams…and maybe even change the world.
Verdict: I enjoyed my pick, The Dating Plan, from Book of the Month and I found it to be an easy read that I was able to finish in a couple of days. It ended up being more complex than I thought it would be and the focus on family and self were themes that really added to the story for me. If I were to give this a BOTM rating (Loved, Liked, Disliked) this would be a solid "Liked." As for BOTM itself, this subscription is pretty great and I loved that I got to pick one of the BOTY finalists for free to add to my box this month.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this book if you sign up today? Yes, but hurry! January 20th is the LAST DAY to sign up for Book of the Month to receive the January selections – learn more about the options here. If you sign up after the 20th, you may be able to choose this book as an add-on.
Check out all of our Book of the Month reviews and see what other book subscriptions made our favorites list!
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What do you think of the Book of the Month subscription? Which book (or books) did you pick this month?
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