Once Upon a Book Club Review September 2019

Let me just say, this is one of my favorite subscription boxes to review. It never occurred to me that reading could become an entire experience with surprise gifts, and packed full of fun. That was before Once Upon a Book Club… they’ve officially changed reading for me.

If you’ve ever wanted your books to come to life, this is the subscription box for you! Once Upon a Book Club is an interactive online community that offers a unique reading experience like no other. Each month brings a newly released fiction book, 3-5 individually wrapped gifts meant to be opened on specific pages (yay, surprises!), a 5 x 7 quote print featuring a quote from the chosen book, discussion questions, and read-a-long dates for live discussions and gift openings that contribute to the book club experience. They kindly sent us this box for review.

Subscription Details

When you sign up for Once Upon a Book Club, you’ll have two options:

  • Young Adult Subscription (Geared towards young adults ages 14+)
  • Adult Subscription (Geared towards adults 18+)

Each subscription starts at $34.99 per month. There are other options too: 3 month prepay ($100.99), 6 month prepay ($199.00), 12 month prepay ($390.00).

*Once Upon a Book Club boxes are curated by women and the majority of their books include strong female characters.

To fully experience the box, readers are not meant to open each gift until they have reached the corresponding gift page. SPOILERS AHEAD!

A Thousand Roads Home by Carmel Harrington

“Meet Tom. Or Dr O’Grady, as he used to be called. When you pass him on the street, most people don’t even give him a second glance. You see, Tom isn’t living his best life. Burdened by grief, he’s only got his loyal dog, Bette Davis, for company and a rucksack containing his whole world.”

“Meet Ruth. Ruth and her son, DJ, no longer have a place to call home. But Ruth believes that you can change the world by helping one person at a time… and Tom needs her help.”

“Everyone has felt like an outsider at some point in their lives. This is the book the will make you feel you belong.”

Page 7

On page 7 one of the characters opens up his last birthday gift to find a book of raffle tickets. On the front cover is a sticker with a handwritten message: “One strip can be redeemed for a hug at any time.” Readers received a One Hug coupon to represent this special birthday arrangement between one of the characters and his mam.

Page 67

On page 67 one of the characters calms his mama through music with a pair of headphones. Readers received a pair of Wireless Headphones to mark this significant interaction between the two characters that seemingly takes all of the chaos away. I already love my new headphones! These headphones remind readers that “Everyone has a story, if you take the time to listen.” This quote goes along perfectly with this month’s book, and is also a great daily reminder for everyone.

Page 227

Page 227 portrays a rather uncomfortable scene between several of the characters over coffee. This situation leads one of the characters to angrily throw his teaspoon onto the table. Readers received a beautiful pink and gold teaspoon labeled Tom’s Teaspoon. It was packaged in a charming little box.

Page 398

On page 398 one of the characters deliberately replaces the carefully co-ordinated sheets and pillow shams on his super-king bed with mismatched sets. He then changes them after deeply thinking about what he had just done, never quite able to get them back to the way they were meant to be. “Her way.” Readers received a soft and beautifully printed pillow sham to mark this moment.

Once Upon a Book Club Review September 2019 – Final Thoughts

I am very eager to read this month’s Once Upon a Book Club book! “Home isn’t a place it’s a feeling.” I feel like this quote will prove to be true with this month’s heartfelt book. From reading small passages, I have become increasingly curious about the characters and the unique story line of A Thousand Roads Home. I cannot wait to read this book in its entirety and appreciate the carefully planned gifts along the way!

Kierra Pierre – Miss Reviews A Lot

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