Comparing the Most Popular Book Box Subscriptions📦
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- Опубліковано 18 тра 2024
- I have tried so many book box subscriptions! Today, I'm going to give you ALL the details.
Shoutout to 🍁 𝒜𝓊𝓉𝓊𝓂𝓃: / theautumnbookreads
Book of the Month: www.bookofthemonth.com/
Aardvark Book Club: aardvarkbookclub.com/
Illumicrate: www.illumicrate.com/
Owlcrate: www.owlcrate.com/
FairyLoot: www.fairyloot.com/
Once Upon a Book Club: www.onceuponabookclub.com/
Goodreads: / kailia-barbour
Lets be friends! linktr.ee/kailiabarbour
#booktube #bookreview #bookofthemonth
We're so honoured to be included with these giants - WOW! We're happy to announce we're working with a new vendor this year so our book quality is substantially improved! ❤ Also full-service web app and skipping coming soon! You're spot-on that hidden gems and debut authors are our jam 💃 Stay tuned to see what's next for Aardvark!
That’s great to hear! As things change, and the information in this video gets old, I plan to do update. I’m excited to see what Aardvark grows into. 😁
Once there is a skip I’ll sign up!
Once I don't need an app to order, I'll sign up.
Wow I never thought of OwlCrate’s books as lower quality just because of a lack of sprayed edges for most of them. I don’t get them anymore, but the redesigned covers, reversible dust jacket art, different endpapers, etc. that always come signed and with a handwritten letter from the author really puts them in top-tier status for quality books.
My grandmothers used to get Book of the Month when they were farm wives on the Canadian prairie. There were no library services back then (and town was several hours away), and they could trade with their friends. I remember raiding my paternal grandmother’s extensive Agatha Christie collection when I was a teen :-)
That’s so cool! 😁
I love this. My granny was largely home bound due to diabetes and my great aunt (her sister, one of my favorite people) who lived on the same block got books by mail that she shared with her. My granddaddy (a hobby carpenter) built a bookcase SPECIFICALLY for my great aunt's subscription books. I grew up with my grandparents reading to me most nights and reading themselves and it was such an encouraging atmosphere for reading for pleasure and for life. And now I keep my books on that bookcase 💜
Kris- wow 👌
@@wangocopperboom love these stories
I love the fact that with BoTM you can skip a month if you don’t want any of the monthly selections. Once Upon a Book Club is my absolute favorite! The gifts have been amazing, and the customer service has been great as well. (My glass cups arrived broken.)
I couldn't agree more!
That's a bummer about the cups. Did they replace them for you?
@@kailiabarbour They most definitely did.
Thank you for the honesty, its so rare. Everyone is 'sponsored', so you don't know if its true or not! Great video!
Thank you so much for your reviews of the subscriptions. I am new to BOTM and really love that I can read comments from readers and that there is a Book of the Year. I can't wait for my book shelves to look like yours! Elizabeth
Anyone in the UK should look into Rare Bird Books. Each month you get to pick between 2 blurbs to pick from (or pay £6 to get both if you can't pick) Then you find out what book you have picked when it arrives, so it's a nice surprise each month. The books are almost all by female authors, and they each have a unique book cover design just for the subscribers, as well as access to exclusive interviews with the author and book discussions for each book. I love getting my surprise book each month!
Great Info! 😁
I have only ever had Fairyloot but I still think it’s the best book box out there. Their items are such high quality, their books are the most decked out and beautiful and customer service is awesome. Personally I don’t use all their items and I don’t even particularly like some of the designs, but for a book box it’s exactly what it should be: book themed items. Even fandom specific items of books I haven’t read are fine by me since they can inspire me to read the book, especially when it’s fanart. And when you eventually get an item inspired by a book you actually read, it’s so much more satisfying than getting a fandom neutral item. I specifically like Fairyloot’s bookmarks, mugs, tarot cards, notebooks, letter openers, pins, hidden books, trinket dishes and the occasional kitchen item: imo they have all had great designs that would look good in any kitchen. Items that I don’t ever see myself using are mostly cloth items with the exception of pin banners. What is also unique about Fairyloot is that you occasionally get a second paperback book in the box that also had a redesigned cover and sprayed or stenciled edges, which gives the box extra value. Overall I think I love Fairyloot’s paper items the most; maybe not the most expensive or glamorous items, but they make my little book heart happy ❤
This was so helpful and informative! I've been wanting to get some sort of book subscription box for a while now, and was especially interested in BOTM and Illumicrate. I really appreciate how you took the time to break down each subscription, gave us the pricing(with shipping details), and explained how+when you get charged. I wish more UA-camrs took the time to be as detailed as you were! Thanks again : )
I’m so glad that my video was helpful! 😁
As a member of Aardvark, I joined Aardvark to push me out of my comfort zone which is largely thrillers. It would be easy to join BotM but I want greater diversity so Aardvark is better in this area. Also, the Aardvark app is so easy to use, select, pay.
Let me know if you want to try out a Literary Book Club box and I'll send you one!
The Once Upon a Book Club customer service is AMAZING!!! I actually received a broken mug in the set that you showed and when I emailed them, she was so sweet and apologetic that it happened. I have been subscribed for a year and I love it. Another thing that I like too is that you can switch to the other box for the month if you think you'll like it more at no additional price. They are fantastic.
Love you going through the subscription options, it’s really helpful. ❤️
loved this concept!!! 🎉🎉
I’ve been so tempted to get a book box sub so this video is perfect.
Hi, FairyLoot subscriber here! I currently get both YA and Adult Book Only boxes (they're actually combining them both into one subscription option starting in May!) and I actually have a 4 SKIP limit on EACH box within a 12-month period; So your skips reset 12 months from the 1st skip you use.
Great info! Thank you for sharing! 😁
I absolutely loved this video! Thank you!
This was really helpful. Thank you. I’m a new member of Illumicrate and Fairyloot Adul book only so knew about them and BOTM (also a member) and Owlcrate but only vaguely knew about the others. I wasn’t even considering Once Upon a Book Club but if I decide to cancel both Illumicrate and FL eventually, may switch to that. Very fun idea and sounds worth it if you have money to spare.
Once upon a book club is my favorite but I also love The literary book club...as it's all classics and like once upon a book like with the items plus it's only quarterly.
I use to get book of the month but stopped years ago.
Never heard of Fairyloot I'll have to check that one out more.
Just found your channel and really enjoyed this one. Thank you!
Thank you for this video! So thorough and exactly what I’ve been looking for/needed. ❤️❤️
So glad it was helpful! 😄
Another thing to note about BOTM is the quality of those hardcovers. They are significantly less in quality compared to hardcovers printed by the publisher. They feel lightweight with weak glue, more akin to paperback quality than actual hardcovers. I think this is where a lot of people get tricked into thinking this hardcover is such a good deal...it's really not. They're very low quality hardcovers with very cheap materials. I only ever choose BOTM editions when the only other option for the book I want is paperback. Mostly romances.
This was so thorough and well edited!
Thank you! 😁
Literally have the december book ends on my desk for my monthly tbr lol and I literally use the december washcloth whenever I wash my face or brush my teeth so basically four times a day (when I remember to wash my face)
Thank you! I’m new to book tube still so I’m really confused about all the different box services I hear people mention. This was awesome!! ❤
I’m so glad that you found it helpful! There are so many options with small differences between them. Super confusing!
I didn’t realize how much Once Upon a Book Club really stepped up their quality game. I remember years ago they mostly had paper items and cheap jewelry. That’s really cool.
I only have BOTM ( and have for years) & overall love it, but as a person who only reads thrillers in October, I agree they always have a thriller pick. I never skip though- they always have something I like .
I have owlcrate. There is not a single book I've received so far that i am interested in reading tbh. Its the ya selection. They sent me an oven mit, a silicone snack bag, a cup, a spirited away umbrella, hot chocolate and pens. But I've also been sent pins, stickers, a paper towel? And a decorative spoons.
I've been upset with bookish because i subbed last year and never received my box even 5 months later.
Fairyloot has a 12+mos wait list
Very informative video - thanks for putting it together
I’m so happy that this video is helping people! Thank you for watching!
Excellent reviews
Thank you for this informative video.
Thank you for watching! I hope it helps. 😁
This was such a helpful video!! I had no idea that there was a “book only” option for illumicrate :) I just signed up for the waitlist
Nice!!! I hope the waitlist goes quick for you! 😄
I ❤️ OUABC and I'm VERY happy to see they are doing SE of hard back books. When I had an active subscription I would just get paperbacks and that didn't always feel worth it to me. I do ❤️ opening gifts as I read the books though 🤩
Oh that’s great info! I didn’t know that they used to do paperback. That would definitely not be as worth it!
I like how you diss Lsel Station tumbler (from A Memory Called Empire, I'm guessing sci Fi ain't your thang?) but then shout out the straws you got from owlcrate, which Illumicrate also has done in a box before.
I think that the main thing to understand is that items differ every month and comparing them over time would make more sense versus on single month comparison.
They river echanted artwork looks amazing! I’m super jelly because I got the same book from book of the month and the cover is bland compared to that version 😅
so far my absolute fave of the bookish box type stuff has been Fairyloot but Owlcrate is a close second and Illumicrate is getting a bit difficult for me to justify keeping for the cost with the shipping issues - December boxes were said to be shipping last week but for me it still says pre shipping in my informed delivery soooo...
Great video! I have BOTM and enjoy it very much. I also have Aardvark Book Club. I love that Aardvark has selections I wouldn't usually read and the books so far have been really good. Aardvark has fantastic customer service!
Me too. I find Aardvark pushes me to read out of my comfort genres!
It’s nice to see that the quality of Once Upon a Book Club has gone up so much. Back when they started out, I ended up canceling my subscription because the books were just awful. I love seeing their growth!
Super helpful video! Thank you!
Thank you! I’m so glad that this helped! 😄
I have to get a subscription to Once Upon A Book Club!!! ❤
I feel like IC’s items have greatly improved over time. Their collectible stuff (tea cups, book pots, etc) are especially nice. I feel like a big difference between FL and IC are the types of books they pick. There’s some overlap, but it’s not frequent and they have pretty different vibes. I like that IC does both adult and YA and tends to pick YA I’ll actually like (I mostly read adult). FL only occasionally picks YA I’d like in their YA box, but picks books that I like 80% of the time in their adult book only box, so I do have a sub to that.
Also of note, both IC and FL have discord servers, tho the IC one is much more active. The community there is great and speculating with other people there is part of the fun for me with having an IC subscription.
Great info! Thank you for sharing! 😀
I love the Illuminate books and the Once upon a Time box looks wonderful, such a pity that for Australians these work out so expensive to purchase. It's a shame we don't have these in Australia. Some of these will ship here but so expensively.
That is such a bummer! They may eventually open a distribution center there. Illumicrate just open a center in the US.
There is an Australian based book subscription box called Fabled co, I only just subscribed last month so cant speak to their quality yet, but my first book should be arriving soon!
@@Zassasaurus Thank you for the info! 😁
Just some owlcrate notes from my subscriber emails - they have said they will likely not have extras of things in the future.
They have sent out a survey about interest in an adult box and a book only box so they might in the future
Great Info! Thank you. 😁
I've tried illumicrate, fairy loot and owl crate. Owl crate is the best overall recently I think, but only by a slight margin. It's cheaper, you get decent items and a customized book. Fairyloot is a close second, or first, if you're willing to pay a little bit more! I find their books are higher quality than owl crate and the items are hit or miss. Fairyloot is very much into book fandoms specifically, I think. It's not very generalized, so there may be items that you're not into because they are based on characters or specific fandoms.
Lastly, Illumicrate. I don't like their items, but they have the highest quality book customizations imo. However it's expensive to get, especially if you only want the book and not items, thus I put it lower.
The squeaky book sounds like the walking sound effect in minecraft 💀
Fairyloot sounds like the one I'd want the most (even though Illumicrate books look gorgeous). Now to figure out which one I want and how long the waitlist will take
That’s a good choice! Don’t be afraid to jump around and find one that suits you best.
@@kailiabarbour joined the waitlists and picked a book of the month. Your video sent me down a long rabbit hole
Fairyloot has the best customer service and is faster compared to most other boxes but they still have their delays.
My understanding is that the books in Aardvark are all independent authors or very small publisher to provide a place for those authors who would never get picked up by BOTM.
Rene- I'm glad I subscribed.
Having been a long time Owlcrate and Fairyloot subscriber (and admirer of other boxes) I agree with everything you've said. Fairyloot and Illumicrate do GORGEOUS editions, items are hit or miss. Owlcrate books are fine, but they are best for items.
Owlcrate was my first subscription and I've been off and on with it since about 2019. They kind of lost steam with items for a while, but since about December 2021/January 2022 they've really been spectacular in terms of items. Even if I don't love everything in the box, if I don't skip, there's usually one item in the box that I love and use ALL the time. A reusable shopping tote with an enchanted ocean pattern that doesn't have quotes or character art? I keep it in my purse, use it all the time and constantly get compliments on it. Playing card umbrella? It's a little extra for me, but it's primarily a pattern and a great backup umbrella. THE LORD OF THE RINGS BOWLS. I get that these may not be great for non LOTR fans, but I use one of those bowls pretty much everyday now. Whoever is doing their item curation is doing an excellent job and they have some fantastic regular artists. I'm excited to see where they go with their adult subscription. They've also really been boosting the shop this year, which I love as a solution for those who like the books and items, but may not be able to afford a full box subscription. I just hope they can maintain their stride and reliability with all of these changes.
I initially subscribed to FL's full box and liked it for a while, but then it seemed like they started getting a lot of paper items or things that I never used. Immediately switched to book only when that became an option. But I also wasn't feeling their YA selections, and dropped that when the adult subscription started. I've mostly been happy with the adult subscription, but then they started limiting skips and I'm a very liberal skipper, so I'll very likely be unsubscribing later this year. I also follow spoiler accounts and I don't buy books I know I won't love. To balance that out, I know Owlcrate mentioned finding a source for stenciled edges, so I'm hopeful they'll start doing more in terms of decorative edges (and maybe eventually get into digital). Until that happens, I'm glad to have a few truly gorgeous Fairyloot sets to decorate my shelves, but I have a budget and can't be gambling $35 every month.
All that said, hearing that Illumicrate allows easy skips and now has a US distributor, I may be considering them as well.
I loved this video!! 💖 If you ever do this again, I would love to see your review of Novel Bitches. I’ve heard they have amazing bookish items that are based on the book they send out
Yes, for sure! I’ve been planning on doing another one after the first of the year. I want to get some lesser known boxes, and I want to actually get them all from the same month. Thank you for the suggestion! I haven’t heard of that one! 😄
@@kailiabarbour yess after I saw another booktuber’s (Mika Auguste if you want to see) opening one for the first time and seeing all the amazing products she got, I knew you had to try it! I don’t know about skipping but I know they choose the items based on the book
This was wonderfully done, thank you. I have been wondering what a book box was and now I know. Way out of my price range for one book. (SS and EBT) But showing it was great, too. I don't like the fussy edges or a squeak which would never last in SHH library.
Thank you! I’m so glad it was helpful! I agree they are pretty pricey!
You should check out Caffeine & Legends book box!
Cool video. There are a couple signed book clubs, where you are guaranteed to get a signed a book every month.
Lately FL has felt way more like usable. Like my dad will go "when will you use that" in regards to Illumicrate stuff and then I'll be unboxing a FL at my parents house and my dad will even comment on how pretty the book is and then like the January box I've used literally everything in the box same with december, the way Im excited for February
My problem with Owlcrate, FairyLoot and Illumicrate is that they all seem to be the same genre of books: fantasy, historical etc. Id love a fancy special edition thriller or contemporary. Dont really read fantasy that often.
That’s a great point! Maybe I’ll do some looking around for other options and do a follow up!
They have a thriller, horror book subscription I forget the name but it exists!
Great video!!!
Glad you liked it! 😄
I feel the opposite about book box items. I love fandom items, especially because it can be hard to find those items, and it will always be from an individual artist or small business. Like, I can’t get these items in a store or big online retailer.
I thought Once Upon a Book Club was just a book I- cuz I know what the february is and I want a special edition of that book dang
ASMR at 6:42
thanks for the video, nice brake down of all the products! Nice Job!
Glad it was helpful! 😁
I would like a memoir/biography non fiction box
Not for sure if you are a classics reader, but since you liked Once Upon a Book Club, you should definitely look into Literary Book Club!
Thank you! I’ll check it out!!! 😄
Why I thought it was stopped "once upon a book club"!!
SERPANT AND DOVE SALT N PEPPER SHAKERS? AHHHHHHHH
I have had so many problems with Book of Month with books getting to me and pages are destroyed and messed up. All they did was refund me a stupid credit...unimpressed with their customer service.
As someone who used to work at BOTM, I know the reason for all the “issues” you had. Great ideas, but can’t really be done.
Wished I found your channel sooner. Great video and very thorough explanation. New subscriber 💜
I’m so glad to have you here! 😄
Does anyone know of a box that gives paperbacks ??? I hate hardcover books....
Do you have the charged date for all the book box’s also about how many time you can skip sorry for all the questions 1 am 70 it is easier for me to read it
All of the book boxes charge between the 25th and the 1st of the month. FairyLoot and Once Upon a BookClub have two skip limits. Hope this helps! 😁
@@kailiabarbour. It does thank you
Are there any good subscriptions that ship to Europe? I would love to subscribe to something!
I’m not quite as knowledgeable about options in Europe, but I know that Illumicrate and Fairyloot are based in the UK. I had them shipped to the US, so I’m sure you could have them shipped anywhere in Europe. It would also probably be cheaper than getting them shipped here because that got pretty expensive.
Just for Information, Im pretty sure Illumicrate just changed their skipping option from unlimited skips to, I think, 10 which is, in my opinion, still fair:)
Great info! Thank you for sharing! 😄
Once upon a bookclub do you have to get on the waitlist every month 16:13
Nope, you only have to go through the waitlist once. The only time you’d have to do it again is if you canceled your membership.
@@kailiabarbour thank you
ew, is the aardvark logo removable from the dust jacket?
No, it’s not… 😖
Oof… Of all your excellent criticism, that book noise was the wooorst
Hahaha IKR! You wouldn't think such a small thing could ruin it so much! 😖
Why is the time stamp for illumicrate, illuminati?? 😅
Cue conspiracy music! 🛸
$40 for one book and a bunch of items that just take up lace on a shelf or in a drawer doens't sound like a deal to me. It is cool that these items relate to books, but then you find more use to the ones that are more netural. So that almost defeats the purose of them being related to books. NOw if they came with a Jim Shore or Thomas Kincaid but book scene version rahter than Disney, that would be somethign rather than candles and cups with a logo secific to a book the person receiving the subscrition box may not have read or have the desire to pick up.
Good morning
Good Morning! 😊
You should tell BOTM your ideas
I think you’re being a little stuffy with the items you get in the boxes?😅 like fairs you don’t have to use any of it in public but home use it literally does not matter lmao
Who is the person on Instagram with the hints
Autumn, I linked to her page in the description. Super helpful. 😁
@@kailiabarbour thank you
Blah blah nonsense
This was so helpful, thank you! 🫶🏼
I’ve had book of the month and now I’m on the waiting list for Illumicrate and Once Upon a Bookclub! 😊
That’s great! Let me know if you like them! 😁
I am on the waitlist for both