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 7 main selections and 8 initial add-ons.
Main Picks | Add-Ons | Predictions | My Choices
Main Picks
Black Woods Blue Sky
Eowyn Ivey
The man she loves isn’t who she thought he was. But deep in the Alaskan wilds, it may be too late to turn back.
Magical Realism
Penitence
Kristin Koval
Equal parts tragedy, mystery, and coming-of-age, a propulsive, decades-long tale exploring the impact of forgiveness.
Contemporary Fiction
Debut
Good Dirt
Charmaine Wilkerson
A hopeful, multigenerational story about a woman’s quest to unravel the family mystery that’s haunted her for decades.
Contemporary Fiction
Repeat Author
First-Time Caller
B.K. Borison
Fed-up with romance? So is Aiden, a love-weary radio host whose world is turned upside down by a charming single mom.
Romance
The Bones Beneath My Skin
T.J. Klune
Action-packed and uplifting, an uncanny road trip adventure with cosmic reach and characters as warm as a cup of tea.
Sci-Fi
A Season of Light
Julie Iromuanya
How far will we go for love? In this fervent, nail-biting family saga, the line between madness and devotion blurs.
Literary Fiction
Famous Last Words
Gillian McAllister
After a woman’s husband commits an act beyond belief, she is forced into a dizzying game of cat-and-mouse.
Thriller
Repeat Author | Early Release
Add Ons
Rebel Witch
Kristen Ciccarelli
In this simmering follow-up to Heartless Hunter, fierce warriors face an impossible decision between love and duty.
Fantasy
Repeat Author
You Between the Lines
Katie Naymon
To love or not to love: that is the question for two poets—and former nemeses—stuck together in an MFA program.
Romance
Debut
We All Live Here
Jojo Moyes
Jojo Moyes is back with a colorful cast and a crucial question: how can we find joy in the midst of crisis?
Contemporary Fiction
Repeat Author
Kingdom of Claw
Demi Winters
Follow a determined woman’s quest to save her sister in this spellbinding sequel to The Road of Bones.
Fantasy
Repeat Author
Wedding Dashers
Heather McBreen
In this exhilarating romp across Britain, a wedding may be the destination, but love is what happens along the way.
Romance
Debut
Scythe & Sparrow
Brynne Weaver
Expect exuberant levels of both love and gore in this sexy, squeamy, spicy finale from Brynne Weaver.
Romance
Repeat Author
It’s Getting Hot in Here
Jane Costello
Hot flashes and heartache have got nothing on a fabulous TV executive who falls in love with her gorgeous new coworker.
Romance
Deep Cuts
Holly Brickley
Cue the 2000s nostalgia and gear up for a melodic coming-of-age journey following two music die-hards.
Contemporary Fiction
Debut
Predictions & Thoughts
There are seven main and eight initial add-on Book of the Month (BOTM) selections for February, including four debut and six books by repeat authors. This month the picks spans across a number of genres. There is also a large showing from the romance and contemporary fiction genres.
This month, I predicted 4 of the 7 main selections as well as 6 of the 8 add-ons. Obviously, this is not my best predictions month. Overall, there were only two books that I was surprised to see among the February books.
Just as I noted last month, it looks like BOTM has decided to go back to selecting books that their subscribers want and not try to appeal to the non-subscribers of Booktok. Specifically, this new (or rather former) type of book selection includes more literary and contemporary fiction and less romantasy. I am very interested to see if this trend continues. Personally, I am pleased. However, in my predictions I accounted for the type of selections we saw in 2024 and ruled out a number of literary fiction novels, including Black Woods Blue Sky and A Season of Light. I was completely unfamiliar with It’s Getting Hot in Here as it never came across my radar. With T.J. Klune not being a repeat author, I was also surprised by seeing his newest book among the main selections. Klune is an established author with a large following and generally writes fantasy and science fiction that is outside BOTM norms.
Let’s talk about what books were not among the picks. I was a bit disappointed to not see Harlem Rhapsody or People of Means were not among the selections. In fact, I was a bit surprised with all the great historical fiction novels published in February that we did not see one among the add-ons. Another notable exclusion from this month’s books is Show Don’t Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld. I was very curious to see if BOTM picked it or not, because it is a short story collection by a triple repeat author. Generally, I do not think short story collections are the most popular, but I thought there was a chance BOTM may include it because Sittenfeld has an established BOTM fanbase.
My Choices
Unlike I used to do, I typically take a day or two to decide which books I want in my blue box. In years past, I would typically order a box as soon as the new month’s books dropped. However, I am trying to be more conscious of my book buying decisions to ensure my BOTM backlist does not grow. Sometimes, I think I would get caught up in the excitement and add books that I may not want to read in the near future. And frankly, I have run out of room to put them. In fact, I have largely stopped buying books if they are not from my subscription boxes.
With all the doom and gloom I have been feeling as of late, I was happy to see some light romance books. I grabbed First-Time Caller, Wedding Dashers, and Between the Lines. Previously, I read the first book in the Ruinous Love Trilogy, Butcher & Blackbird, and was very unimpressed. So I do not have plans to continue the series and read Scythe & Sparrow.
I have not been in much of a literary fiction mood and have a stack of 2024 releases I want to read when I am. For the time being, I am skipping Black Woods Blue Sky and A Season of Light. I was lucky enough to receive a copy of Good Dirt from the publisher. And I already shipped my box before Deep Cuts was added.
Since I am not a big fantasy reader, I have not read the first book in the series that Rebel Witch and Kingdom of Claw continue. So these were easy skips for me as well.
That leaves Famous Last Words, Penitence, The Bones Beneath My Skin, and We All Live Here to consider. As silly as it may seem, I am skeptical of any thriller author who has had a book selected for Reese’s Book Club. (I think she generally chooses bad thrillers, or at least, not ones I enjoy.) Unless I hear great things, I plan to forgo Famous Last Words. Because I have not heard great things about We All Live Here and still have Jojo Moyes’s previous novel to read, I will not add We All Live Here to my box. Since T.J. Klune admitted his inspiration for The House in the Cerulean Sea, I have been turned off from picking up his books. Unless I start seeing absolute rave reviews for his newest release, I plan to continue to avoid his books. Finally, I was hoping Penitence would be a pick and will definitely be adding that to my box this month!
What books did you choose for your February BOTM selections? Let me know in the comments!
