Book of the Month is a monthly book subscription box. Each month, five curators pick out their favorite new hardcover books, and you can choose which one you want to receive on the first of the month for $14.99/month. You can also add up to two additional books for only $9.99 each. (This box was named one of the best subscriptions for avid readers in the 2022 Subscription Box Awards.)
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the editorial guidelines to learn more about how we review boxes.)
Book Selections
These are all of the options for this month. It looks like now there may be more than the usual five choices some months. This is exciting, but it does make my choice even tougher!
First Impressions
This book seemed like it has such a good mix of a few different themes. Our main character is a semi-famous musician who is embarking on an Alaskan cruise with her father whom she has never quite seen eye-to-eye with soon after the death of her mother. I loved the idea of all of these varying storylines and was eager to see how they came together!
Book Summary from Amazon:
Right after the sudden death of her mother—her first and most devoted fan—and just before the launch of her high-stakes sophomore album, Greta James falls apart on stage. The footage quickly goes viral and she stops playing, her career suddenly in jeopardy—the kind of jeopardy her father, Conrad, has always predicted; the kind he warned her about when he urged her to make more practical choices with her life.
Months later, Greta—still heartbroken and very much adrift—reluctantly agrees to accompany Conrad on the Alaskan cruise her parents had booked to celebrate their fortieth anniversary. It could be their last chance to heal old wounds in the wake of shared loss. But the trip will also prove to be a voyage of discovery for them both, and for Ben Wilder, a charming historian, onboard to lecture about The Call of the Wild, who is struggling with a major upheaval in his own life. As Greta works to build back her confidence and Ben confronts an uncertain future, they find themselves drawn to and relying on each other.
It’s here in this unlikeliest of places—at sea, far from the packed city venues where she usually plays and surrounded by the stunning scenery of Alaska—Greta will finally confront the choices she’s made, the heartbreak she’s suffered, and the family hurts that run deep. In the end, she’ll have to decide what her path forward might look like—and how to find her voice again.
My BOTM Pick for March
The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E. Smith — Retail Value $28.00 (On sale for $22.25)
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The character of Greta, a musician who seems to have achieved some level of fame, has been struggling ever since her mother's death. Even worse, her public breakdown in the middle of a performance has gone viral and she has put her career on hold as she deals with her unexpected loss. Before her death, her mother had booked an Alaskan cruise for herself and her husband and now that she is gone, Greta and her brother knew that they couldn't let their father go alone. Since her brother has several children, the task fell to Greta, even though her father and she have never gotten along and he seems to disapprove of her lifestyle. Even so, Greta books herself a room on the cruise and does her best to keep the peace with him. In the meantime, she meets Ben, a recently separated father of two who is just a bit nerdy and very different from the men Greta has dated in the past. Their relationship develops easily over the course of the cruise and she is balancing her time between him and her father and tries not to think of her upcoming performance; her first since the viral breakdown.
I loved the unique setting of a cruise ship and enjoyed the descriptive imagery of the beautiful Alaskan landscape. I also thought the famous musician aspect was fun and I loved the juxtaposition of that lifestyle and that of her father and Ben, who lead much more traditional lives. In the end, it ended up being Greta's story of healing and attempting to repair the complicated relationship with her father. I enjoyed getting lost in her journey and I could have happily read more about these characters and their lives once they returned home!
If you picked this book this month, please let me know what you think of it!
Each month they send us a bookmark. I can definitely relate to this one!
Value - Was This Box Worth It?
The Cost: $14.99 + free shipping
Value Breakdown:
This box costs $14.99, but the book I chose retails for $28.00, which is a discount of about $13.00.
Key Takeaways
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but I thoroughly enjoyed it! I liked the unique plot and of course, the Alaskan scenery was fun to imagine. I'd recommend this one if you're looking for something new to read!
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To Wrap Up:
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