Book of the Month is a subscription box in which members choose up to 5 hardcover books to receive each month.
You can sign up here to get your first book for $5.
This month, Book of the Month (BOTM) chose five main selections, four initial add-ons, and four mid-month add-ons.
Main Picks | Add-Ons | Predictions | My Choices
Main Picks
A Winter in New York
Josie Silver
This delicious rom-com has all the right ingredients: secret family recipes, holiday vibes, and a big pinch of love.
Romance | 3peat Author
The Kingdom of Sweets
Erika Johansen
Buckle up for a dark and strange ride! This wicked rewrite of The Nutcracker has a couple surprises up its sleeves.
Fantasy
No One Can Know
Kate Alice Marshall
Small-town secrets and family tensions are unleashed when a married couple moves into an old home with a bloody past.
Thriller | Early Release | Repeat Author
The Storm We Made
Vanessa Chan
Part family drama, part war epic—this harrowing, emotionally riveting debut depicts the havoc wreaked in WWII Malaya.
Historical Fiction | Debut | Early Release
Tomb Sweeping
Alexandra Chang
Brimming with warmth and vibrancy, this beautiful debut collection of stories asks sharp questions about modern life.
Yearly Look-Back | Short Stories
Add Ons
The Gentleman’s Gambit
Evie Dunmore
While juggling writer’s block and suffrage activism, an Oxford woman finds her priorities challenged by a new scholar.
Romance | Repeat Author
The Frozen River
Ariel Lawhon
A Maine midwife proves herself a tenacious advocate for justice when a local man with a few secrets is put on trial.
Historical Fiction | Repeat Author
The Second Chance Year
Melissa Wiesner
With her life in free fall, a young woman wishes for a redo year…and wakes to find to her surprise the wish granted.
Romance
The Other Mothers
Katherine Faulkner
Peeking beneath the pleasant veneer of a wealthy suburb, a twisty exploration of the fraught bonds between mothers.
Thriller
Butcher & Blackbird
Brynne Weaver
Serial killers need love, too. Don’t take our word for it. Read this biting, steamy, and edgy murderers-to-lovers tale.
Romance
Ruthless Vows
Rebecca Ross
In this epic follow-up to Divine Rivals, two rival journalists turned lovers must be reunited to stop the march of war.
Young Adult | Repeat Author
Familia
Lauren E. Rico
Asking big questions, this moving novel follows sisters separated at birth who reunite to untangle their complex past.
Contemporary Fiction
Only If You’re Lucky
Stacy Willingham
Crackling with tension, this campus mystery follows the fracturing of four college friends after a murder.
Thriller | Repeat Author
Predictions & Thoughts
There are five main and six initial add-on Book of the Month (BOTM) selections for December, including one debut, two early releases, and five books by repeat authors. The two early releases are both January releases. BOTM has again dropped a number of books during the month. All four of the mid-month add-ons were included in my predictions.
I predicted 11 out of 13 books correctly in my December predictions. I attempted to guess the yearly look-back selection and was not close. However, I like that it was is a surprise from left field. I find that more fun. I know some people were hoping for Yellowface, which I would have been surprised to see. Usually, the yearly look-back selection is from second half of the year.
Tomb Sweeping was an August release, which was one of the months that I did not post predictions for (due to my spouse’s hospital stay). But I looked and did not have it in my August predictions draft and probably would not have included it. I said a few months ago that BOTM typically has one short story collection per year, and the selection of Tomb Sweeping makes that true for 2023.
The other selections seemed rather obvious to me. I do not say that to seem snotty, I just think there are very few books published in December, increasing the probability someone can guess the BOTM selections.
With Josie Silver a past BOTM author, A Winter in New York seemed like the favorite for the holiday romance selection. In addition, it is the highest rated holiday romance this year.
I included A Kingdom of Sweets in my November predictions, and the first app hint made it obvious that it would be a selection. Similarly, the other app hint seemed to point to A Gentleman’s Gambit, and BOTM has carried all the other books in that series.
I think the biggest gambles in my predictions were The Frozen River, The Other Mothers, and The Storm We Made. Ariel Lawhon is a well-known name in historical fiction (and I personally LOVED her last book), so I thought it was a toss up whether The Frozen River would be a pick. The Other Mothers is not a debut thriller, although the synopsis seems like a BOTM selection. I was unsure if we would see it among the December picks. I started my January predictions and most anticipated lists to try to figure out what book would be an early release. I assumed that it would be a January 2nd or 9th publication and came up with The Storm We Made.
The Second Chance Year screamed BOTM when I read the synopsis. It is just too similar sounding to some past selections, so I waffled whether it would be a selection.
Based upon the huge number of BOTM authors publishing thrillers in January, I thought it was obvious that we would see one of them in December. This also continues the trend from the past 2 or 3 years. It was only a matter of deciding which one. I thought we may see Stacy Willingham’s newest or No One Can Know.
The book that I expected to see among December’s picks was Ruthless Vows, the follow up to Divine Rivals. I anticipate that it will be a mid-month add-on or a January selection. Update: I was right! Ruthless Vows was a mid-month add-on.
Also among the mid-month titles are Familia, Butcher & Blackbird, and Only If You’re Lucky.
Note: I include mid-month add-ons as selections for the month in which they are posted online. So any books that were added in November prior to the December drop, I include in the November selections post.
My Choices
Luckily, I already have copies of three of this month’s selection, which made shipping my box super easy. In fact, I am currently in the middle of reading A Winter in New York and hope to post a review tomorrow. I also have ARCs for The Storm We Made and The Frozen River.
I chose No One Can Know and Tomb Sweeping for my box. I liked but did not love Kate Alice Marshall’s debut novel. I am hoping I will love this one. I am not a big short story collection reader, but whenever BOTM features one I am usually blown away by it. So here is to hoping the same is true for Tomb Sweeping.
Because I am not much of a fantasy reader, I decided to skip The Kingdom of Sweets.
I have at least the first book or two in The League of Extraordinary Women series from BOTM. Since I have not read them yet, I am waiting to buy A Gentleman’s Gambit. Self-control? Who is she?
Romances like The Second Chance Year do not appeal to me. Perhaps it is because I do not find it particularly useful to dwell on the past and wonder about what-ifs. I think it is a painful exercise and do not want to read a book that inspires such thoughts.
Lastly, I think The Other Mothers could be a solid thriller, but I want to wait until I see positive reviews from friends I trust. The whole bad mom vibes and cut throat parenting is not up my alley and does not really appeal to me. However, it is praised enough I will add it to a future box.
Update: Because I have multiple accounts, I grabbed a Member Favorite along with Butcher & Blackbird. A serial killer love story? Count me in.
What books did you choose for your December BOTM selections? Let me know in the comments!
