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If you’ve been around for a while, you know Book of the Month (BOTM) is my favorite book subscription service. I love the anticipation of finally seeing the five monthly picks and always have fun trying to guess what may show up on the app on the first of every month.
If you aren’t familiar with BOTM, you can check out my full review of this subscription service. The basic idea is BOTM chooses five books from different genres every month and members can choose their pick when the books go live. You can also add on up to two more books for only $9.99 each.
If you don’t like any of the picks, you can choose to skip and save your credit for the next month, which is honestly the best part of this service to me. I don’t like subscription boxes that only offer one book selection that you don’t know ahead of time. If you are interested in trying BOTM, you can use my link to get your first book for only $5!
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Contemporary Fiction Prediction
The Husbands by Chandler Baker
I could see this book being labelled as contemporary fiction, but I’ve noticed BOTM will label any book with a mysterious plot point as a mystery or thriller. Personally, this sounds more like a domestic drama book, but I am still intrigued by the gender swapped Stepford Wives plot. There’s sure to be some rich people drama too since the couple in The Husbands moves to a private and exclusive suburban neighborhood where the women all have high-power careers and remarkably supportive husbands.
Romance Prediction
The Heart Principle (The Kiss Quotient #3) by Helen Hoang
Release date: August 31, 2021
The Heart Principle is the third book in the Kiss Quotient series. The previous two books have been BOTM picks, so I feel 99% certain they will pick the third book. It is also likely this will be an add-on pick since BOTM seems to be doing that with repeat authors lately.
As with most romance series, it seems like you could read The Heart Principle as a stand alone book. Other characters from the first two books probably make an appearance, so their storylines might be spoiled in some way. I haven’t read these books, so I don’t know for sure.
Thriller Prediction
In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead
Release date: August 3, 2021
Okay this is a true prediction, but also me putting this book on your radar! I was lucky enough to snag an ARC of this title from the publisher, and I can’t stop raving about this book!
If you like dark academia thrillers full of rich people drama (one of my favorite tropes!), then this is the psychological thriller for you! In My Dreams I Hold a Knife follows seven friends in a dual timeline between their college years and their ten year reunion. One of the friends was killed during senior year, and someone from the past thinks the remaining friends know more than they let on to the police. As the events leading up to that terrible night unfold, secrets are revealed and the drama is delicious!
Literary Fiction Prediction
Damnation Spring by Ash Davidson
Release date: August 3, 2021
Damnation Grove is a logging town in the Pacific Northwest struggling to keep up with the changing times. The Gundersen family receives a chance to own a grove of tress with the biggest tree in the area. The opportunity is too good to pass up, and Rich, a fourth-generation logger, spends his family’s entire savings to purchase the grove. His wife, Colleen, is not happy about the purchase. She has longed for another child, but she has had multiple miscarriages.
But Colleen is not the only woman in the area who has had multiple miscarriages recently, and she begins to research the herbicides used in the logging industry. Now she’s not sure if the miscarriages are bad luck after all and her search for answers will threaten her marriage and divide the town that relies on the timber industry.
Historical Fiction Prediction
The Show Girl by Nicola Harrison
As a long time fan of The Great Gatsby, I will love to see a historical fiction book set in the roaring 20s in New York City be a Book of the Month pick! Olive moves from Minneapolis to New York City, determined to be one of the show girls with the Ziegfeld Follies. She meets a wealthy man, Archie Carmichael, who seems to accept Olive for who she is, unlike her family back in Minneapolis. Everything in Olive’s life seems to be going according to plan, but will Archie still accept Olive after she reveals a terrible secret to him?
Add On Predictions
Add on books are never guaranteed, but members have come to expect at least one new add on book each month. These books can not be chosen as a main pack in your box, but they can be added to your box for $9.99 each.
The Dating Playbook (The Boyfriend Project #2) by Farrah Rochon
I actually had The Dating Playbook on my July predictions list as an early release pick! I still think it will show up as a BOTM pick, and I had a hard time settling on this and The Heart Principle as my romance prediction.
The Dating Playbook follows one of Samiah’s friends from The Boyfriend Project, Taylor, who is a personal trainer. She is struggling to make ends meet and lands a huge opportunity to work with a former NFL player, Jamar Dixon, who wants to play football again. Jamar wants to keep their training a secret, but when they are seen together, the media reports they are in a relationship.
The Women of Troy by Pat Barker
Pat Barker is another repeat author, but I also think this could show up as an add-on because BOTM tends to choose books about Greek mythology often. This is a feminist retelling of The Illiad that is sure to excite fans of Greek mythology!
Do you agree with my predictions? What book do you hope shows up as a August 2021 BOTM pick? Let me know in the comments!
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