Once Upon a Book Club Review: "The Cupcake Connection"

Posted on by Danielle

I love to read and book subscriptions are one of the most exciting ways to add new books to your library. The Once Upon a Book Club subscription sends a newly-released novel and wrapped gifts to match the theme each month!

*Disclaimer: This box was sent to See, Shop, Love! in exchange for an honest review.

Once Upon a Book Club has an Adult and Young Adult subscription box. Both options send a newly-released novel and three to five gifts related to the story, a signed book plate, a quote card, and a bookmark.

This a review for the “The Cupcake Connection” box from the Adult subscription. If you don’t want to subscribe, you can also purchase boxes as a one-time option for $55 per box. Here are the subscription plans:

  • Monthly: $49.99 per month
  • Three Months: $145 every three months
  • Six Months: $289 every six months
  • Yearly: $570 every 12 months
All subscription plans and the one-time purchase options have free U.S. shipping. Subscriptions are auto-renewed until cancelled and you will be billed on the 25th of every month.
Once Upon a Book Club doesn’t just send a box of fun items (although that definitely is part of the fun), but even better, each item is labeled with a page number from the book at which you’ll be instructed to open each gift. I think this is a great idea and makes reading the book interactive and way more enjoyable.
This box came with the novel Fake It Till You Bake It by Jamie Wesley and five gifts. The book is a modern romance about a reality star and football player who pretend to be a couple in order to save a bakery. The genre of the box changes, so this subscription is great for people who want to receive all different types of books.
The box also includes an insert titled “Book Club Kit” with information about the book, the author, and discussion questions for if you choose to use this book for your own book club. There’s also a bookmark, signed book plate, and note from the author.
The back page of the Book Club Kit also includes a recipe for Sugar Blitz Cupcakes, which goes perfectly with the book’s story.
Once you get to a section of the book with a corresponding gift, there is a note inside reminding you that it’s time to open one up!
Keep reading if you want to see spoilers for each gift.
The first gift is on page 78 and is a first aid kit box. It’s empty, so you can use it for literal first aid items or storing anything else you’d like. I was a little confused how this would fit in with the novel (I opened all the items before reading the book for the sake of this review), but on page 78 it says “…get the first aid kit” so there you go!
The gift for page 144 is a clear stemless wine glass with “What are books without wine?” printed on it. This was well-packaged to ensure it wouldn’t break during shipping.

Page 177‘s gift was a red lipstick, and page 242 had yellow and purple silicone cupcake holders.

Page 142‘s gift was a rolled up “Reading Log” poster.

If you’re not sure about a subscription yet, you can purchase a one-time box from their shop, including this one. They also have a Halloween and Bridgerton collection and Seasonal Boxes. Looking for book-related gifts? They have plenty of those, too!

Bottom Line: I think that Once Upon a Book Club is a unique and creative subscription for book lovers! You’ll get a new book as well as thoughtfully-curated gifts that you get to open as you read the book, making the experience even more indulgent.

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