Once Upon A Book Club Review – May 2017

Once Upon A Book Club is an original book subscription box that includes 1 novel (either paperback or hardback), a quote art print, and 3 – 5 items that correlate with a quote or item mentioned in the book.  Each item included is wrapped and labeled with a different page number to let the reader know that they shouldn’t open up the item until they reach that specific page.

Plan Options:

$34.99/monthly + shipping*

3 Month Pre-Pay: $100.99/month + shipping*

6 Month Pre-Pay $199.00/month + shipping*

12 Month Pre-Pay $390.00/month + shipping*

Shipping options:

  • $8.50 within the US
  • $15 for Canada
  • $26 for Worldwide

I received the June Once Upon A Book Club, and I couldn’t wait to dig in!  I love the concept of this box, and I have enjoyed the boxes that I have received from them before.

Once Upon A Book Club comes in a gorgeous, custom box!  I love how the box is designed to look like a book, and it creates an immersive experience.

 Upon opening the box, you can see how the items are carefully packaged in newspaper shavings!  I love this bookish touch.

The first note that I pulled out of the box was this note reminding me not to open the gifts until I reach the page number that is indicated on them.  This makes sure that you get the most out of the reading and box opening experience!

The box also comes with this pamphlet that lists the live book discussion dates that Once Upon A Bookclub holds each month!  The pamphlet lists different book question discussions that coordinate with the monthly book, and they invite the subscriber to hop on Instagram or Facebook to take part in the bookish discussion!  I love book club boxes, so I think that this part of Once Upon A Book Club is awesome.

This month’s book choice is Love and Gravity by Samantha Sotto!

Here is the synopsis:

In this unforgettable novel for fans of One Day and The Time Traveler’s Wife, a young Isaac Newton falls in love with a girl living in modern-day San Francisco, defying the laws of physics to forge a seemingly impossible connection.

“Thoughtful, magical, and alive with romantic alchemy, Love and Gravity is a rare gem of a book, both intellectual and beautiful.”—New York Times bestselling author Sarah Addison Allen

Andrea Louviere is seven years old the first time he appears. While she’s alone in her bedroom, practicing her beloved cello, the light shivers and a crack forms in the wall. Through the crack, she sees a candle, a window, a desk—and a boy. In the eerie silence, the boy clearly sees Andrea too. Then, as quickly as it opened, the crack closes and he vanishes.

Over the years, summoning the boy becomes an obsession for Andrea. On her seventeenth birthday, she receives a three-hundred-year-old love letter from Isaac Newton. Andrea knows that Isaac will change the world with his groundbreaking discoveries; the letter tells Andrea that she will change him.
     
As Isaac’s letters intensify in passion and intimacy, Andrea grows determined to follow his clues to their shared destiny—despite a burgeoning romance in the present. Only when she discovers the way into Isaac’s time does Andrea realize that she faces a heartbreaking decision between what was . . . and what might be.

I had never heard of this book before, so I was very excited to receive it in this box!

The box always comes with an art print, and this month’s art print says:

“What was before is left behind, what never was is now” ~Ovid

I love the space print that goes with this art print, and the quote goes well with the book!

Before I start reviewing the items, I just want to note that I did read the book and open the items in the sequence that they were meant to be opened in.

This gave me the full experience of the box, and I loved how the items were literally pulled from the book!

The first item is meant to be opened on the 26th page of the book!  On this page, there is a specific quote that goes with the item:

“Diane fiddled with Andrea’s curls, her forehead scrunched as though the fate of the world depended on her successfully taming Andrea’s hair under a wreath of pink silk flowers.”

This flower crown matches the quote from the book perfectly, AND it is great to wear in the summer!  I love how elegant it is.

The next item is in an envelope that is sealed with a wax seal.  This item is meant to be opened on page 61!  I love how antique the envelope is, and the wax seal is a nice touch.

The letter inside the envelope is double sided, and the first side goes with this quote from the book:

“Andrea set the phone down and reached for Mr. Westin’s delivery.  Tuna jumped onto the bed and planted all her eleven and a half pounds over the wax-sealed note.  Andrea tugged the letter from beneath Tuna’s hind leg.  Red wax scattered over her lilac duvet.  Andrea cracked the brittle seal and unfolded the letter.  The edge of its first page was torn, as though it had been ripped from a notebook.  It contained a single word written in brown-black ink.

Name?”

The back of the letter is also connected to this scene in the novel:

“A line scribbled across the top of its second page screamed a plea.

Andrea, stop. Pray, take a breath.  I swear to you, this is real.  I am the boy behind the wall and you are the girl behind mine.  Do not cast my words away.

You are seventeen and the time has come at last to tell you how everything began, how I came to love you above all else, and how you will come to love me.”

I like how this letter is taken straight from the book, to the last detail.  I am amazed at the care the owners of Once Upon A Book Club have put into this item.  It really made the reading experience come to life!

The next item is meant to be opened on page 81!  Here is the quote that goes with this item:

“Andrea peeked inside.  A local handcrafted silver-and-glass-beaded bracelet caught the sun.”

This bracelet is gorgeous, and I love how the bracelet can be used outside of the reading experience!

The next item is pulled from page 119!


This item is a watch with a gorgeous space print face, and an engraved saying on the back that says “For Isaac, Love, Andrea” with the infinity symbol!

Here is the excerpt that goes with the item:

“Isaac slipped the watch off his wrist and displayed its back.  Two entwined rings, the symbol for infinitiy, were etched on the stainless steel.  Isaac thrust the watch closer to the crack.  Andrea leaned forward and learned the engraving’s secret.  The infinity symbol was not make up of circles, but two loops of tiny, delicate words.

For Isaac.  Love, Andrea”

This is by far my favorite item from the box, and I am amazed by the details that are included on the watch from the book!

The last item is pulled from page 315 in the book.  Here is the connected excerpt:

“‘He gave it to me.’  He unfolded the handkerchief.  The name of the church they were sitting in, along with a date and time, were scribbled in the middle of the cloth.  ‘That’s how I knew you’d be here.’

Andrea stared at the familiar, miniscule handwriting on the handkerchief.  ‘Who gave this to you?’

‘The same man who gave me this.’  Nate slipped his pendant out from behind the collar of his shirt.  It gleamed like a mirror in the sun.”

Again, I love how careful the packaging is with this item, and the details are outstanding!  I don’t know how Once Upon A Book Club is able to create such specific items each month.  They are amazing.

Final Thought: I am in love with Once Upon A Book Club!  They never cease to amaze me with the detailed items that they include, and the reading experience that they bring.  Once Upon A Book Club really does bring books to life, and they are so unique!  You can’t find anything like this anywhere else, and I love that part of the box experience.

*NOTE: The Box Reviewers received this box to review.