2021 has been a huge reading year for me considering the 2 year long reading slump I went through. Then I was introduced to Book of The Month, and it all went downhill from there, lol. That opened me up to the world of Book Subscription boxes and my bank account has never been the same. It’s a slipery slope, y’all. So far, I have only tried five out of the many, MANY subscription boxes. Bellow, starting from my favorite to least favorite, I will talk about each box and how they work, and if I find them worth it.
Book Of The Month
Book of The Month was the very first book subscription box I tried staring back in April so, I am seven boxes into this subscription, and it my top favoirte. Definitely worth all the hype it gets!
How it Works:
Every month, BOTM features five new releases, you can pick one or more (you can pick up to three books per box), and they get delivered right to your doorstep. It’s that simple.
Is it Worth it?
I personally think this subcription is worth it for several reasons. One, its affordable at only $14.99 a month, you get a new released (sometimes even early released books) in hardcover. Do you know how much a hardcover book costs? Around $29.99-$34.99. I mean, this alone won me over. Two, you can add two additional books (add-ons) per box for $9.99 and they are also hardcover. Three, if you dont like any of the five books featured that month you can skip and they wont charge you for that month. Four, they ship your box incredibly fast and that is HUGE for me, but more on that later. If your are interested to try BOTM I have a referal link you can use and get your first box for $9.99 instead of $14.99
https://www.mybotm.com/em2iy32lepi?show_box=true
Illumicrate
Illumicrate is a UK-based monthly themed subscription box. Every month they carefully curate a box filled with goodies from different book fandoms and a newly released special edition book that matches the monthly theme.
How it works:
Illumicrate offers two subscription options: book only and full box. With the book only option you will receive a new released hardcover book with a variety of customizations such as sprayed edges, stenciled edges, special art and other features exclusive only to Illumicrate, plus a matching enammel pin. With the full box, in addition to the special edition book and monthly pin, you also receive a variety of carefully curated items such as bookmarks, mugs, stationery, tote bags, pouches, art prints, and more. There are 4-6 items in each box.
Is it Worth it?
Is it worth it? I think that depends on what the individual is looking for in a book subsciption box. If you’re only interested in special editions of books then the “book only” option is the perfect subscription to grow your collection. If you’re interested in special edition books and bookish merch inspired by different fandoms, the full box subscription is perfect. Illumicrate is a tad bit more expensive due to it being based in the UK, so you have to take into account the money conversion and the shipping cost. I am not entirely sure how much the book-only option is, but the full box subscription is listed for £27, add on £16.99 for shipping = £43.99 a month, making it USD 59.59. I am subscribed to the full box, but I am not entirely interested in the fandom items, so I think I will be switching to the book-only option since I am only interested in the special edition books.
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The Bookishly Classic Book Crate
The Bookishly Classic Crate is another book subscription box based in the UK. The Bookishly Classic Book Crate is a bi-monthly book box subscription for fans of classic literature. Each box is themed after a classic book and is filled with an assortment of themed literary gifts, all of them centred around that particular crate’s title book.
How it Works:
As I mentioned earlier, Bookishly Classic Book Crate is a bi-monthly subscription. However, you can choose to purchase the box without signing up for a monthly reoccurring subscription. They also offer the option to prepay for two boxes in advance and save 5%. Each Classic crate is priced at £35.00 after conversion, and the shipping cost, I believe it came out to around $60.
Is it Worth it?
I found this Classic Crate worth it. I love everything they sent, and for me, it’s another good way to get excited to read some of the classics, plus have cute merch, and I love their unique book covers. I also love that you don’t have to commit to a subscription. If you dont like the box you can simply not purchase it that month. I will attach a link to their website if interested.
The Bookishly Classic Book Crate
The Foxed Box
How it Works:
Foxed is a woman-owened small business that wanted to help people decide what to read next with a fresh approach. When you sign up for a subscription, you can pick the lenth you would like (3 months, 6 months, 1 year) and pick the genre you preffer for that month. They. also offer you the option to change your genre every month to whatever you’re in the mood for. Each box will contain two books specifically picked for you.
Is it Worth it?
I personally only tried it for one month during their Sweater Weather theme. I loved the idea, which compelled me to try it, but I wasn’t impressed with either book they sent. I ended up donating them to a Free Little Library. The subscription is $30 a month, but I rather pick my own books than have someone else picked them for me. I personally did not stick with this subscription.
The Bookish Box
The Bookish Box subscription, where do I even start? I wanted to like this subscription. I wanted to like this company, and I even tried their shop, but I ended up not vibing with them.
How it Works:
The Bookish Box offers several subcriptions levels for YA and Adult readeers. Each month, they send out a box that contains a book and other items insmipred by the monthly theme. You can choose the full box, which includes a special edition book, a t-shirt, and goddies. There is also the option of just getting the special edition book and goodies, or just the book only subscription. I tried the full box option, which again was around $60.
Is it Worth it?
I did not find this subscription worth it. I found it was too expensive for what I got, plus they took two and half months to ship out my box. I paid for my June 2021 box on May 18th and did not receive my June box until August 17th. Aside from how absurdly long it took for the box to get to me, my real issue was that they took away the option to skip a month. I either had to pay for the next month (even though I hadn’t received the first box I paid for), or I would have to cancel and lose my subscription spot.
They process their subscription renewal on the 20th of every month. In May, I had paid for my June Box. Therefore my renewal in June would’ve paid for my July box and so on. I was able only to skip once, so in June, I skipped my July box because I didn’t want to pay for another box without having received the first box. When July 20th was approaching to pay for the August box, I realized they took the skip feature away, and I still hadn’t revived June’s box, so at this point I had to cancel the subcription. Had I not skipped the first time, nor canceled the second time, I would have had paid for June, July, and August (three boxes), without receiving the first box. I revived June’s box three days shy of September’s box renewal date. That would’ve been four boxes in before getting the first. For the price of the subcription I found their customer service lacking. Other issues with this company is the amount of glitches with emails, their shop, and just about every special edition they put out, there is always an issue. They also constantly have delays not just with their subscriptions but with their shop items as well. I had ordered some joggers from their shop on August 5th, and I did not receive them until mid-September, and this goes with EVERYTHING they offer. Their subscription boxes are shipping out three months behind. I do not understand why they are hyped so much. I understand them being a new small business, but overall I was left with the impression that they are trying to do more than they can handle. I personally would not recommend this subcription box.
Anyways, these are the five-book subscription boxes I have tried so far. I am still currently subscribed to BOTM and Illumicrate. For Bookishly, I shop the individual crate outside the subscription. What are some subscription book boxes you’ve tried? Please leave it in the comments.
Genesis' Bookshelf 