Book of the Month Subscription Review + Coupon – April 2016
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.
My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
The Subscription Box: Book of the Month
The Cost: $16.99 a month (less with 3 and 12 month subscriptions)
If you haven’t signed up for Book of the Month yet, you now have until April 15th to start with the April box.
Use coupon code APR50 to save 50% off a 3-month subscription of Book of the Month! That brings the cost down to $7.50 a hardcover book!
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.
Ships to: US Only
Check out all of my Book of the Month reviews!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wish list!
For April, subscribers picked from the following 5 books:
And Ellie Kemper, AKA Kimmy Schmidt (trust me, you want to click that link), is one of the guest judges for April!
(I decided to buy an additional two books for $9.99 as well.
My first selection:
No One Knows, by J.T. Ellison (Judge: Liberty Hardy) Value $26, On Amazon for $17.77
Book Summary from Amazon:
In an obsessive mystery as thrilling as The Girl on the Train and The Husband’s Secret, New York Times bestselling author J.T. Ellison will make you question every twist in her page-turning novel—and wonder which of her vividly drawn characters you should trust.
The day Aubrey Hamilton’s husband is declared dead by the state of Tennessee should bring closure so she can move on with her life. But Aubrey doesn’t want to move on; she wants Josh back. It’s been five years since he disappeared, since their blissfully happy marriage—they were happy, weren’t they?—screeched to a halt and Aubrey became the prime suspect in his disappearance. Five years of emptiness, solitude, loneliness, questions. Why didn’t Josh show up at his friend’s bachelor party? Was he murdered? Did he run away? And now, all this time later, who is the mysterious yet strangely familiar figure suddenly haunting her new life?
In No One Knows, the New York Times bestselling coauthor of the Nicholas Drummond series expertly peels back the layers of a complex woman who is hiding dark secrets beneath her unassuming exterior. This masterful thriller for fans of Gillian Flynn, Liane Moriarty, and Paula Hawkins will pull readers into a you’ll-never-guess merry-go-round of danger and deception. Round and round and round it goes, where it stops…no one knows.
Each book is selected by a judge, and each judge includes a brief letter on why they selected the book. I love the last line of this letter from Liberty Hardy, stating that the mystery is so good it will “have you second-guessing every so often, you’ll start to eye your pets suspiciously.”
Left of Boom, by Douglas Laux and Ralph Pezzullo (Judge: Book of the Month) Retail Value $28,On Amazon for $17.70
Book Summary from Amazon:
On September 11, 2001, Doug Laux was a freshman in college, on the path to becoming a doctor. But with the fall of the Twin Towers came a turning point in his life. After graduating he joined the Central Intelligence Agency, determined to get himself to Afghanistan and into the center of the action. Through persistence and hard work he was fast-tracked to a clandestine operations position overseas. Dropped into a remote region of Afghanistan, he received his baptism by fire. Frustrated by bureaucratic red tape, a widespread lack of knowledge of the local customs and culture and an attitude of complacency that hindered his ability to combat the local Taliban, Doug confounded his peers by dressing like a native and mastering the local dialect, making contact and building sources within several deadly terrorist networks. His new approach resulted in unprecedented successes, including the uncovering the largest IED network in the world, responsible for killing hundreds of US soldiers. Meanwhile, Doug had to keep up false pretenses with his family, girlfriend and friends–nobody could know what he did for a living–and deal with the emotional turbulence of constantly living a lie. His double life was building to an explosive resolution, with repercussions that would have far reaching consequences.
This book looked like something my husband Eric would enjoy, and I’m pretty curious about it, too!
Flight of Dreams, by Ariel Lawhon (Judge: Nina Sankovitch) Retail Value $26, On Amazon for $17.74
Book Summary from Amazon:
On the evening of May 3rd, 1937, ninety-seven people board the Hindenburg for its final, doomed flight to Lakehurst, New Jersey. Among them are a frightened stewardess who is not what she seems; the steadfast navigator determined to win her heart; a naive cabin boy eager to earn a permanent spot on the world’s largest airship; an impetuous journalist who has been blacklisted in her native Germany; and an enigmatic American businessman with a score to settle. Over the course of three hazy, champagne-soaked days their lies, fears, agendas, and hopes for the future are revealed.
Flight of Dreams is a fiercely intimate portrait of the real people on board the last flight of the Hindenburg. Behind them is the gathering storm in Europe and before them is looming disaster. But for the moment they float over the Atlantic, unaware of the inexorable, tragic fate that awaits them.
Brilliantly exploring one of the most enduring mysteries of the twentieth century,Flight of Dreams is that rare novel with spellbinding plotting that keeps you guessing till the last page and breathtaking emotional intensity that stays with you long after.
And each book this month also came with this sticker set celebrating guest judge Ellie Kemper:
I think I will wear that Ellie sticker on Friday when I binge-watch season two of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt – and I’ll be drinking out of my Hashbrown No Filter mug, too!
Verdict: I’m very pleased with the value of my Book of the Month subscription. The prices are better than Amazon for new hardcover releases – I don’t know how they do it! Plus I love the curated selection each month and getting to pick a book (or more than one) each month. It pushes me out of my reading comfort zone, and gets new books on my radar! And I love that you can skip any month you aren’t interested in, and you can also buy books from previous months as add-ons for $9.99.
One thing to mention this month – I noticed all the covers have the BOTM logo on them. It isn’t an issue for me but thought it was worth calling out since it is a new change.
What do you think of the Book of the Month subscription? Which book (or books) did you pick this month?
If you haven’t signed up for Book of the Month yet, you now have until April 15th to start with the April box.
Use coupon code APR50 to save 50% off a 3-month subscription of Book of the Month! That brings the cost down to $7.50 a hardcover book!
Yay! I just subscribed using your code, thanks Liz.
I picked “No One Knows”, too. I’m torn between this and “Left to Boom”. Which one do you recommend?
Is the first one too scary? I am a bit faint-hearted about thrillers 😛
Really ladies count your blessings that you don’t live in Alaska. Y’all have already gotten and read the books by time two weeks has passed and they’re finally in my hands. Pre shipment might sound painful, but just wait till *everything* comes by barge.
I really wanted to get this for my mom for Mothers Day at the half off price because the normal 3 month price is a bit out of my budget, unfortunately. I called them to ask about it because the “Gift” option doesn’t show promo codes and while I’ll give props to any subscription box that actually has a phone number to speak to humans, this guy was literally reading from the FAQ part of the website and not answering my direct question. So it’s a little odd that if you want a subscription for yourself, its half off but if you want to give on to a friend, it’s full price. I just figured I’d sign up for myself and then set my mom up with one tomorrow. Well after setting my own up I see they have a referral program that offers the half off at ANY time. Grrr. Thanks for nothing, guy on the phone! lol Anyways, enough griping. I’m now a member and I scheduled a nice lunch date with my mom tomorrow to set her up with her early mother’s day present. (Of course she immediately thinks I’m pregnant every time I call or want to visit!)
lol – (Of course she immediately thinks I’m pregnant every time I call or want to visit!)
I know exactly what you mean 🙂 – its like the idea gets in their heads and its literally the only thing they think about!
lol glad I’m not the only one! In the past few years she went from “You better not be pregnant!!” (gee, thanks) to “OMG, are you pregnant?!” But at least I have her approval now? haha
I’m getting a little frustrated with the shipping. This is the second month in a row my box has been stuck in pre-shipment status for several days while everyone else is receiving theirs already. What the heck? My Target box is in the same boat. :/
I agree. This shipping used to be awesome 2 day priority. Now it goes bound printed matter and I am I the same boat as you for the second month. It also used to ship right after the 5th and now it does not ship until almost a week after!
Have you received a tracking number yet? I haven’t received any email to tell me my box has been shipped, but if I login to my BotM account, it says my box shipped on the 7th. I wonder if that’s just a generic message they give to everyone, though. I also saw I got charged for my second book, even though I had a free credit in my account. This is the second time that’s happened… Both times my free credit was applied in my shopping cart, but when the order was processed it reverted to being $9.99 and I was charged. 🙁
Their customer service has been super helpful when I’ve had problems, though, so I’m hoping they work out these little things!
I did get tracking, and it shows my box sitting in pre-shipment in Las Vegas. Same thing happened last month where it was in pre-shipment for I think a week or two before I finally got the box.
Mine also shows that it is in Las Vegas. It shipped from PA on the 8th.
No joke, my box is STILL sitting in Vegas…
I signed up for the 50% off for three months deal and it is a real bargain. I had been eyeing this subscription for a while so I’m glad I waited and got the deal. My first book, flight of dreams, arrived yesterday and the packaging and extras were really cute. My dad wants to read the book, also. I think that it’s great that they let you skip a month if none of the books interest you. I’m just curious, but why do some people not like having the BOTM logo on the book jacket?
Possibly because it can lower the “worth” of the edition or the resale value. Some used dealers & resellers won’t accept BOTM editions for some reason. But personally I love this sub and always look forward to their picks & discovering new books I wouldn’t normally pick up! 🙂
I’m one of those people and it’s hard for me to put my finger on why I don’t like logos on books…but I guess I just don’t like third party branding on the item. It feels weird to me. Kind of like how I’ve always disliked when bookstores put impossible-to-remove stickers on the covers of books. I want my book to be 100% the original book, not with some random stuff added to it. I also get bummed when a book I want to buy is being made into a movie or TV show, because then publishers reissue those books with a cover that says “Now a major motion picture!” or feature the actors’ faces instead of the original art. There’s no real good reason for my disliking all that, except I just feel like it blemishes the experience of reading and owning the book as it was originally meant to be seen.
That makes me sound so finicky, I know! It makes no rational sense.
I completely agree with all of your points!
I hadn’t ever really thought of it all this way, but I do get very annoyed with those stickers! And I also completely agree with you about the “movie” stuff on book covers!
It’s not just the logo. I noticed the copy I got of The Queen of the Night had the logo and the book was more cheaply printed. It’s smaller in size than the copy in the bookstore and the binding and dust jacket seemed of inferior quality. I guess that’s the deal they make with certain publishers to get the book at savings.
One of my two books from last month (A Thousand Naked Strangers) did not have the BOTM logo on the front, and seemed to be the same quality as a book purchased on Amazon. But this month, both my copies of The Nest and Flight of Dreams that arrived today have the BOTM logo. They are clearly NOT the same quality as if I’d purchased them on Amazon.
I’m really disappointed by this, because it DOES lower their worth on the resale market, and when I’m done with a book I typically will swap it or sell it back to Powell’s or someplace similar. And if I REALLY love it and want to keep it, I don’t want this cheaper version. This is a dealbreaker for me, and I’m not going to renew when my subscription is up next month. I wish they would be upfront about this, and let people know these are “special” BOTM editions. This isn’t stated anywhere on their website that I could find.
I’d rather spend this money elsewhere, and continue getting books from my local library.
Yes, I am disappointed to find my copy of Flight of Dreams this month also the BOTM edition. The promotional pictures of the book do not show the logo so I thought it would be a “regular” hardcover. I guess they will start making all the books like this. I have been loving the selections at BOTM but am now thinking I may not renew.
My husband’s birthday is at the end of the month and this looks like a great gift for him! How fast do they usually ship out the books for new subscribers? And if I join now will I get to choose my book or just be sent with what’s left? Thanks! What a great deal!
In my experience, the shipping varies a bit, so I would ask customer care to confirm. But the good news is that yes – if you sign up you’ll get to pick any of the books from this month’s selections. Hope that helps! 🙂
If it helps, I signed up today. I chose my book and my add ons. I have until 4/15 to change it. It stated the books would start shipping 4/17.
I love this sub, especially with the promotion!! I did it for 3 months last time around, and while I still haven’t read all the books I got (I keep going to the library, rather than going through my stash..), I am thrilled to get a few more. I may be a bit of a book hoarder… 🙂
I got No One Knows, and added All Things Cease to Appear.
I just LOVE this sub so much! I signed up for a 2nd account this month. I got The Nest on one and No One Knows on the other, but I could have picked all 5 this month (I still can’t believe how “good” I was by not getting any add ons this month. But I’m sure I’ll be adding on Left of Boom and A Mother’s Tragedy next month bc I really want to read those too.
I’ll probably give my mom the “I ❤ Ellie” sticker since her dog’s name is Ellie, she’ll love it.
Thanks Liz for introducing me to this sub, I’ve gotten back into reading and just can’t get enough!
My cat’s name is Ellie! I didn’t see the stickers in mine, so I’ll have to recheck.
To Randi or Laurie – I have three of the the I ❤️ Ellie stickers (and three of the blank ones) – I’m happy to drop them in the mail to either of you if you want them. Just reply to this comment and let me know (I’ll set up a notification, although I have a feeling you probably won’t be reading this post anymore ?).
I got two of the books you got; Left of Boom and Flight of Dreams (history teacher here so both are up my alley) and I also got A mother’s reckoning. After I saw the 20/20 special about it, it was an easy choice. I just got my order yesterday so I will be taking one of these on my train ride today. I love this sub. This is my 4th month there hasn’t been one month where I haven’t gotten 3 books. I LOVE this subscription!!
Due to technical issues (curse you time zones!) I got my shipment in two parts. Which resulted in two normal covered books and The Queen of the Night with the special branding from BOTM. I love that they’re getting that attention from the publishing world, but I’m not sure *I* like it. Still I’m so in love with this sub it’s ridiculous. There was only one month where I didn’t have all three slots filled.
I joined this month, and I almost kicked myself for not joining earlier! I buy lots of new releases, and BOTM is saving me so much moneys.
Is the half off promotion a somewhat normal thing? I’ve been eyeing this sub for a while and really wanted to gift it to my mom for mothers day but still feel it’s a bit too early.