Once Upon a Book Club Review January 2021
Once Upon a Book Club is a unique, interactive online community that offers a monthly subscription service where readers will receive a monthly box in the mail containing a newly released book to read for the month, along with 3-5 individually wrapped gifts. These gifts are curated by the Once Upon a Book Club team to enhance the reading experience.
They kindly send us this box for review.
Subscription Details
You can choose between a Young Adult (ages 14+) or Adult (ages 18+) subscription when signing up for Once Upon a Book Club. Boxes start from $34.99, and you may choose a month-to-month, 3-month, 6-month, or annual subscription. Each box will contain the book of the month, 3-5 individually wrapped gifts with page numbers from the book, a 5×7 quote print featuring a quote from the selected book, and a booklet with discussion questions and read-a-long dates for live discussions with fellow Book Club members.
Let’s take a closer look at the January 2021 Adult Fiction Once Upon a Book Club box!
Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson
“Born on a plantation in Charles City, Virginia, Pheby Delores Brown has lived a sheltered life. Shielded by her mother’s position as the estate’s medicine woman and cherished by the Master’s sister, she is set apart from the others on the plantation, belonging to neither world.”
“She’d been promised freedom on her eighteenth birthday, but instead of the idyllic life she imagined with her true love, Essex Henry, Pheby is forced to leave the only home she has ever known. She unexpectedly finds herself thrust into the bowels of slavery at the infamous Devil’s Half Acre, a jail in Richmond, Virginia, where the enslaved are broken, tortured, and sold every day. There Pheby is exposed not just to her Jailer’s cruelty but also to his contradictions. To survive, Pheby will have to outwit him, even if it means making the ultimate sacrifice.”
Quote Print
Each box contains a print with a quote from the book. This month’s print reads “As long as there was breath, there was hope.”
This month’s box contains 4 individually-wrapped gifts. Readers are supposed to open the gift when they reach the particular page indicated on the gift wrap. This creates an interactive experience that brings the book to life, and allows you to ‘become’ the characters.
Page 19 – Wood Heart Necklace
On page 19 Essex gives Pheby a wooden heart necklace, where they each wear one half of the heart.
Page 93 – Thimble
On page 93, Pheby receives a silver thimble to help her with her sewing.
Page 125 – Oliver Twist
On page 125, Pheby finds a copy of Oliver Twist on the nightstand of her new bedroom.
Page 259 – Peppermint Lavender Salt Rub
On page 259, Pheby brings a few things with her to see Essex, among which is a brown jar containing a balm she made with black elder, peppermint, and ginger.
Once Upon a Book Club Review January 2021 – Final Thoughts
I really enjoy reading, but have not been able to find time to read as much as I’d like nowadays. Book shopping is rarely a priority in my busy day and often gets put off for other chores. This is why I love book subscription boxes. Once Upon a Book Club is truly unique and unlike any other book subscription I’ve seen. It took me on a journey from beginning to end, allowing me to really be a part of the story being told.
The January book has such a powerful and heartbreaking story. I would never have picked out this book for myself, and yet when I started reading, I found it so hard to put the book down! The gifts are beautiful and fit in so well with the story being told. I love my first Once Upon a Book Club box and definitely recommend it to all the book lovers out there.
Toby & Rocket – http://www.tobyandrocket.com