Once Upon a Book Club is a subscription that offers a unique reading experience. Each month, you’ll receive a book to read, a 5″ x 7″ quote print, along with 2-4 corresponding gifts to match a quote/item mentioned in the book. Readers are advised to open the gifts as they finish the corresponding page to make them feel as if the book is coming to life!
You can choose between Once Upon a Book Club’s Young Adult edition and Adult edition. This is the review of the Adult box.
DEAL: Enjoy 10% off your first box. Use coupon code BOOKNERD.
The box was designed by @ChickLitDesigns. It’s super cute!
It looks like it truly belongs to a bookshelf!
First look inside!
We got various cards on top of the items.
They certainly didn’t keep the interior plain! It is so lovely with the script and illustration of a woman inside a book.
Here’s the tri-fold booklet containing essential info about the box!
Inside the booklet are the important dates you should take note of if you want to join the author and other book club members on social media for some read-a-long and discussion activities.
There’s also a reminder on how to make the most out of this box.
Psst…
To fully experience this box…
Remember to only open your gifts once you reach the attached page numbers.
Everything in my box! What a fun and unique idea – excited to get reading and find out what goodies are in store!
The Beautiful Strangers by Camille De Maio ($10.37)
A legendary hotel on the Pacific becomes a haven where dreams, love, and a beguiling mystery come alive.
1958. Kate Morgan, tethered to her family’s failing San Francisco restaurant, is looking for an escape. She gets her chance by honoring a cryptic plea from her grandfather: find the beautiful stranger. The search takes her to Hotel del Coronado, the beachfront landmark on the Southern California coast where filming is underway on the movie Some Like It Hot.
For a movie lover like Kate, it’s a fantasy come true. So is the offer of a position at the glamorous hotel. And a new romance is making her heart beat just as fast. But as sure as she is that Coronado is her future, Kate discovers it’s also where the ghosts of the past have come to stay. Sixty years ago a guest died tragically, and she still haunts the hotel’s halls.
As the lives of two women—generations apart—intertwine, Kate’s courageous journey could change more than she ever imagined. And with Coronado wending its way through her soul, she must follow her dreams…wherever they may lead.
It’s a story of self-discovery and realizing your dreams with a dash of mystery too!
Here are the gifts that MUST be opened as we reach the pages written on each of them. We are so excited!
Before anything else, here are some Book Club Perks by Once Upon A Book Club!
The card features a beautiful floral border and some inspiring words by V.S. Alexander and Thomas Moore.
Also from Kensington Books, subscribers of this box can download an excerpt of the books by V.S. Alexander.
There’s also a coupon for 20% off your next order from the Bookish Shop!
Subscribers also receive a signed plate by Camille Di Maio.
Here’s another beautiful card that features some inspiring words from Marilyn Monroe:
A wise girl knows her limits but a smart girl knows she has none.
I was really engrossed in reading this book, and I finally came upon the page where I can open the first gift!
Sunglasses. The first gift is supposed to be opened when you reach page 72. It’s packed in a beautiful pink case with a debossed page number so it’s really impossible to miss. There’s also a blue and white polka-dotted ribbon on it.
How adorable and trendy are these sunglasses? I love the pearl embellishments on both sides of the cat-eye frame!
Well, if I’m going to the Southern California coast, then I will need these beautiful sunglasses!
I’m not sure if they’ll protect my eyes from UV rays, but still, they’re so beautiful! I can’t wait to wear them when we hit the beach. ?
I was so hyped to open the next gift! It’s for page 121!
It was wrapped beautifully! What could it be?
It’s a photo hanger with an old photo of George Morgan and Mary Carter, during their engagement. It resembles the photo hangers you can find on hotel and cruise ship hallways.
We can just change the photo inside and hang this beautiful photo hanger in our living room. It’s a nice frame for a memorable shot!
Next up is page 170!
The wrapper is covered with lots of kiss marks!
Marilyn’s Kimono. It’s Marilyn’s beautiful floral kimono! I am actually in love with this one, it’s so alluring.
Another tag was attached by a safety pin, also on where the kimono’s tag is located. It says “Marilyn’s Kimono.”
The silky soft material is great. I love the overall texture as well, it will keep me comfortable when I wear it.
Took me a long time before the next gift but I didn’t really mind because the story is engrossing and interesting!
The next gift can be opened when you reach page 285!
It’s an airmail! The envelope feels so nostalgic, and I was thrilled to get another “snail mail.”
It’s a letter from Arthur Freeman addressed to Miss Monroe. I think this letter is of high importance as Arthur needs to talk to someone in connection with Alan and Grace Morgan!
The gifts made reading more fun and exciting! I couldn’t wait to get to the next spot to open a present!
I loved the story as it includes a good mystery about the ghost in the hotel. It’s a thrilling and wonderful ride. The gifts are lovely as well! My favorite is the kimono and the pair of sunglasses. Aside from adding new and cool titles on my bookshelf each month, I’m getting cool and useful items, so I couldn’t be happier! This concept is really a hit! Opening the gifts after I reach the corresponding page adds more thrill and excitement to the whole experience!
What do you think of this month’s Once Upon a Book Club?
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