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 6 main selections and 8 add-ons, plus 2 special collection books.
Main Picks | Add-Ons | Predictions | My Choices
Main Picks
Stolen Midnights
Katherine Quinn
When a magical locket is stolen from an 18-year-old on her birthday, an enchanting quest of romance and revenge ensues.
YA Fantasy
One & Only
Maurene Goo
When a psychic matchmaker unexpectedly falls in love, she’ll have to decide what to trust: her magic, or her heart.
Romance
The Exes
Leodora Darlington
Dead exes keep piling up—and she might be the only common link. Is her husband next?
Thriller | Debut
Good People
Patmeena Sabit
When an immigrant family faces a tragedy, shockwaves ripple in a community. How does neighborly gossip warp the truth?
Contemporary Fiction | Debut
A Good Animal
Sara Maurer
He will never leave his small-town life. She longs for something more. Can their love sustain both of their dreams?
Literary Fiction | Debut | Early Release
It’s Not Her
Mary Kubica
When her vacation turns into a crime scene, one woman must solve a chilling mystery to save what’s left of her family.
Thriller
Add Ons
So Old, So Young
Grant Ginder
Over two decades, a friend group navigates the trials and tribulations of love, grief, and adulthood together.
Contemporary Fiction
Dawn of the North
Demi Winters
Return to Íseldur in the third installment of the Ashen series, where our heroes must restore peace in the kingdom.
Fantasy I Repeat Author
How to Kill a Guy in 10 Dates
Shailee Thompson
Two friends learn just how dangerous the dating pool is when a speed-dating event turns deadly. Swoon, laugh, kill.
Romance | Debut
Sunk in Love
Heather McBreen
What’s worse than a cruise with your ex-husband? Having to pretend to still be married in front of your entire family.
Romance | Repeat Author
This Book Made Me Think of You
Libby Page
We know the power of a new book each month. In this novel, it takes twelve book recs to repair a widow’s broken heart.
Contemporary Fiction
Her Last Breath
Taylor Adams
An underground cave. A woman trapped. A terrifying assailant on the chase. The only way out is to keep climbing down.
Thriller | Repeat Author
Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter
Heather Fawcett
Opposites attract in this wonderfully cozy story when a cat shelter owner and powerful magician end up working together.
Fantasy
And Now, Back to You
B.K. Borison
Rival meteorologists partner up to cover a record-breaking snowstorm—but can their growing attraction melt the ice?
Romance | Repeat Author
The Natural Way of Things
Charlotte Wood
Two of our least favorite things—camping and the patriarchy—collide in this savage dystopian novel. Elegant prose and brutal plot combine to create a discomfiting feminist fable about the ways wildness can’t be tamed. Read if you seek a toothy, graphic tale of female rage and resilience.
The Offset
Predictions & Thoughts
There are six main and eight add-on Book of the Month (BOTM) selections for February, including four debuts and four books by repeat authors. I do not recall another month where there has been quite so many add-ons! There was also a new addition to The Offset – The Natural Way of Things – and a new Centennial edition of All Quiet on the Western Front this month.
This month, I predicted four of the six main selections as well as six of the eight add-ons. I rarely look at young adult books these days since BOTM has seemingly gone away from featuring them. So, Stolen Midnights was not on my radar at all. I had also ruled out It’s Not Her by Mary Kubica as she is not a past BOTM author and has had several popular novels. I also ruled out including How to Kill a Guy in 10 Dates from my predictions, because it is not the usual BOTM pick. Typically, BOTM selects romances that do not cross into other genres. In addition, there were three mid- to late-month add-ons: Her Last Breathe, Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter, and And Now, Back to You. I expected to see Her Last Breath and B.K. Borison’s newest novel among the picks. However, I was unfamiliar with Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter and feel like it deviates from the usual BOTM fare.
Let’s talk about what books were not among the picks. I am surprised that Kin by Tayari Jones was not among the picks, but I think there is a good chance it could be a March selection instead. I personally am very curious about The Jills and The Shape of Dreams, so I had hoped they would be among the picks. I thinkI am more taken back by the sheer number of romance picks this month than anything else.
My Choices
Usually the first few months of the year are huge publishing months. However, I was disappointed with the February releases this month. There were not many that excited me, because of this, I was not super excited about any of the February BOTM selections. Not feeling strongly from the get-go makes filling my box more difficult. I should have probably skipped it entirely, but I rarely do that.
The books I was most excited for I fortunately had advanced reader’s copies of – Kin and Her Last Breathe. Kin is not among the picks, and I typically do not re-read thrillers and thus, have no reason to buy Her Last Breath.
I do not read YA typically, and I did not enjoy the last Mary Kubica book I read. So those were easy to cross off as possibilities. I have seen A Good Animal repeatedly described as a coming-of-age novel. I also have a few past BOTM romance picks to read and am trying to add to that stack. While I was drawn to its focus on a rural area initially, I am generally not drawn to coming-of-age books. That leaves The Exes and Good People which I am intrigued enough to add to my box.
As for add-ons, there are a slew to choose from! From the special collections, I think I am going to grab The Natural Way of Things based upon the synopsis. I have been super into dystopian novels recently. All Quiet on the Western Front is one of my favorite books, but I am not interested in a BOTM copy. As for the other options, nothing jumps out at me. I would like to read How to Kill A Guy in 10 Dates, but it feels like a book I should get from the library. So I will keep my February book light!
