The reference box
What makes Once Upon a Book Club different
Once Upon a Book Club (OUABC) pairs a newly released novel with three to five wrapped gifts, each labeled with a page number and tied to the story. You open each one when you reach that page.
- What’s inside
- One new release, the wrapped gifts, and a Book Club Kit with discussion questions.
- Ages and genres
- Adult (18+) leans toward historical fiction, mystery, thrillers, and romance. Young Adult (14+) adds fantasy.
- Price
- $49.99 a box plus shipping, billed monthly on the 25th.
The companies like Once Upon a Book Club below compete on price, a say in the book, a faster first box, or a younger reader.
Compare the boxes
| Box | Best fit | Cost and commitment | Delivery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Once Upon a Book Club, Adult or Young Adult Reference box |
A new novel with gifts to open at marked pages | $50 a box, plus shipping. Renews on the 25th. | End of each month. US and most countries. |
| Beyond the Book Club (Adult) | The same page-numbered gifts, in Christian fiction | $65 a month, shipping included. | Ships the 10th to the 17th. Order by the 1st for that month’s box. |
| Deadly Delights | Mystery and thriller books with themed extras | $40 a month for one book, $45 for two. | First box within 3 business days, then around the 11th. |
| Box of Books | Choosing your genres, or the exact title | $47 a month for one book, $57 for two, plus $8.99 shipping. | First box within 3 business days, then every 4 weeks. |
| Owl Post Books YA Imagination Box | Three new YA hardcovers for a teen | $40 a month, shipping included. One book for $20. | First box within 5 business days, then monthly by USPS Media Mail. |
| beTWEEN the Bookends | Middle-grade novels and goodies, ages 8 and up | $55 a month for the full box, $25 for books only. Free US shipping. | First box within 3 business days, then early each month. |
| Book of the Month | Picking one new release from a short list | $13 to $18 a month, depending on plan. | Pick or skip by the 6th. US, APO/FPO, and Canada outside Quebec. |
Every box here renews until you cancel. The five Cratejoy boxes can be canceled any time from your account, and most cost a little less per box on a prepay.
The alternatives
The same open-at-this-page gifts
Beyond the Book Club vs Once Upon a Book Club
Best for: The OUABC fan who reads Christian fiction, or would like to.
Beyond the Book Club runs on the same idea. A Christian fiction novel arrives with three to five wrapped gifts, each labeled with a page number, and every gift comes from the story. The genres rotate through fantasy, historical fiction, mystery, and romance. A Young Adult plan for ages 13 to 17 works the same way, and a quarterly deluxe box for adults wraps six to nine gifts.
What feels familiar
The unwrap-at-this-page ritual, one novel a month, and gifts chosen to match a moment in the book.
What changes
Every book is Christian fiction, where OUABC’s Adult picks can carry profanity and adult themes. Shipping is folded into the monthly price, which runs higher than OUABC’s $49.99 before its shipping.
Thrillers with themed extras
Deadly Delights vs Once Upon a Book Club
Best for: The Adult-box subscriber who lives for the mystery and thriller months.
Forbes Design Co built Deadly Delights for suspense. Each month brings one or two mystery or thriller books with at least five themed items, such as candles, bookmarks, and keychains, picked to fit the mood of the read. The first box ships within three business days of your order, so there’s no monthly sign-up window to wait out.
What feels familiar
A book chosen for you, extras that belong to its world, and a new box every month.
What changes
The extras aren’t tied to set pages. If you liked OUABC for jumping from a romance one month to historical fiction the next, this box sticks with suspense.
A say in the book
Box of Books vs Once Upon a Book Club
Best for: The picky reader who loved the extras but not every title.
Box of Books hands the choice back to you. You set your genres when you order, then either request specific titles from the seller’s Book Room or leave the picking to them. Each box holds one or two books and a novelty pack of stationery, skincare, seasonal items, or treats, and you can swap the pack for an extra book.
What feels familiar
A book and a handful of small extras in one monthly box, picked with you in mind.
What changes
The extras are general treats, not gifts tied to pages of the story. Title requests go through the Book Room within 24 hours of ordering. After the first box, books may arrive in a padded mailer instead of a gift box.
More YA books for a teen
Owl Post Books YA Imagination Box vs Once Upon a Book Club
Best for: A 14-and-up bookworm who finishes one book in a weekend.
Owl Post Books sends three brand-new YA hardcovers a month, matched to a short quiz about what the reader likes, and every book is theirs to keep. The Mini plan sends one hardcover a month instead.
What feels familiar
New YA books picked for the reader every month, for the same 14-and-up crowd as OUABC’s Young Adult box.
What changes
No wrapped gifts and no book club kit. The trade is volume: three hardcovers cost less than one OUABC box before its shipping.
For a tween bookworm
beTWEEN the Bookends vs Once Upon a Book Club
Best for: A reader 8 and up who has outgrown picture books but isn’t ready for YA.
OUABC sells its Tween boxes one at a time. beTWEEN the Bookends gives that age group a monthly plan: a themed box with one to three middle-grade novels and three to eight bookish and lifestyle items. Jillian, the teen who runs it, reads every book and tests every product before it ships.
What feels familiar
A themed box where the books come with things to use while reading, for the ages OUABC’s Tween boxes serve.
What changes
Gifts aren’t wrapped for set pages, and the books are a mix of hardcover and paperback. Besides the full box, there’s a gender-neutral version and a books-only version.
Pick your own new release
Book of the Month vs Once Upon a Book Club
Book of the Month trades the gifts for choice and a lower price.
Best for: The adult reader who wants a new release every month and would rather pick it.
Each month the club posts five to seven new books, and you have until the 6th to pick one or skip. A skipped month isn’t charged.
What feels familiar
A monthly club built around new releases, with someone else narrowing the field to a handful of books.
What changes
No gifts and no page-by-page moments. If you forget to pick or skip by the 6th, you’re charged for a credit to use the next month. Signing up with a promo code adds a one-month renewal commitment. It isn’t sold on Cratejoy.
The honest part
When to stick with Once Upon a Book Club
Stick with Once Upon a Book Club if the unwrapping is the point. Beyond the Book Club is the only Cratejoy box we found with page-numbered gifts, and it sends only Christian fiction. None of the other boxes here pairs a general-market new release with gifts wrapped for set pages, a Book Club Kit, and a book-shaped box worth keeping on the shelf. Keep it, too, for the monthly read-alongs and the subscribers’ private Facebook group.
How we chose these boxes
We started from what OUABC sends and the reasons someone might weigh Once Upon a Book Club competitors: the price before shipping, no say in the book, skips and cancellations by email, and readers who are younger or want one genre. Then we went through the book listings on Cratejoy with a working buy button and kept the ones that answer one of those reasons. Book of the Month is the one outside pick, for adults who mainly want to choose their next new release, and our Book of the Month alternatives go further into choose-your-own clubs. For a teen who collects special editions, see our OwlCrate alternatives. The photo at the top is Once Upon a Book Club’s own product photo of its Young Adult and Adult boxes.
Questions before switching
Is there another book box with gifts to open at certain pages?
Yes. Beyond the Book Club, sold on Cratejoy, sends a Christian fiction novel with three to five wrapped gifts labeled with page numbers. It has an Adult plan, a Young Adult plan for ages 13 to 17, and a quarterly deluxe box for adults with six to nine gifts.
Can you choose your book at Once Upon a Book Club?
No. Each plan sends one title a month, and the club doesn’t take requests. Hints go up on the 15th, and the team will tell you the title by email up to a month before it ships. For more say, Box of Books takes title requests, and Book of the Month lets you pick from five to seven new releases.
Where can I buy Once Upon a Book Club?
From its own website, onceuponabookclub.com, where you can subscribe month to month or prepay 3, 6, or 12 months.
Which alternative works for a teen?
Owl Post Books’ YA Imagination Box sends three new YA hardcovers a month for ages 14 and up. For gifts to open at set pages, Beyond the Book Club’s Young Adult plan, for ages 13 to 17, wraps three to five gifts around a Christian fiction novel.
Can I give one of these as a gift?
Yes. Each Cratejoy box has a Give as a Gift option on its listing. Once Upon a Book Club’s own gift orders are prepaid for a set number of boxes and don’t renew.
