🚨 Spoiler Alert! 🚨

Before we dive in, a quick heads-up: this blog contains spoilers for our OUABC Lite Graceless Heart experience. If you’d prefer to discover the magic of the five senses as you read, you may want to bookmark this post and come back after opening your box. 

If you love knowing exactly what makes an experience special (or you simply can’t resist a sneak peek), read on; we promise it’s worth it.

More Than a Book: A Five Senses Reading Experience

There’s something wonderful about getting lost between the pages of a book. This is the time where the world around you takes a backseat, time slows down, and suddenly you’re no longer sitting on your couch—you’re walking cobblestone streets, holding secrets in your hands, and living someone else’s story right alongside them. At Once Upon a Book Club, that feeling has always been our goal. And now, we’re taking it one step further.

Enter OUABC Lite, our newest way to experience reading, and quite possibly the most immersive “book-only” experience we’ve ever created.

This isn’t just about reading words on a page. This is about becoming part of the story. Feeling it. Hearing it. Smelling it. Tasting it. Touching it. OUABC Lite is built around the five senses, and is designed for those of you who want to experience a book in a way that feels deeply personal, delightfully interactive, and completely unforgettable.

Meet the First OUABC Lite Selection

Our very first OUABC Lite box features Graceless Heart by Isabel Ibañez, available for pre-order now and expected to ship in late January.

If you love lush historical settings, political intrigue, secrets whispered in candlelit corridors, and characters who feel achingly real, this book already has your name on it. But when you pair it with OUABC Lite, it becomes so much more than just a novel; it becomes an experience!

So… What Is OUABC Lite?

OUABC Lite is our original, branded take on a book-only reading experience…but “only” feels like the wrong word here. Each box includes a stunning book plus five beautifully designed envelopes, each labeled with a specific page number. These envelopes hold the secret to transporting you right into the story.

Just like our traditional boxes, you’ll find our signature “Open Your Gift” sticky notes tucked inside the book. When you reach a marked page, you pause. You open the corresponding envelope. And suddenly, the story steps off the page and into your world.

The difference? Every envelope in OUABC Lite is thoughtfully crafted to engage one of the five senses. Each item is flat and paper-based, making it perfect for on-the-go reading, slipping into the book itself, or saving for a future re-read when you want to relive the magic all over again.

Why the Five Senses Matter

Reading is already an act of imagination, but when you add sensory elements, something incredible happens. The story stops being something you observe and starts becoming something you experience.

With OUABC Lite, you step into Ravenna’s world. You see what she sees. You smell the garden air as she moves through it. You hear the cathedral bells echo through chaos. You feel the flutter of ribbons in your hands. You taste the comfort of her favorite treat as the story comes to a close.

This is immersive reading at its best. Intentional, emotional, and deeply human.

Inside the Graceless Heart OUABC Lite Box

Let’s talk about what’s waiting inside those envelopes (hopefully, without spoiling the magic).

SIGHT – A Letter
At one pivotal moment in the story, Ravenna receives a secret note from the Pope, instructing her to attend a clandestine meeting. When you reach this moment, you’ll open a replica of that letter. You won’t just read about the note, you’ll read it yourself, experiencing the weight, urgency, and emotion of that moment exactly as she does.

SMELL – Scratch-and-Sniff Sticker with Art Print
As Ravenna sneaks through a lantern-lit garden at night, the air is heavy with blooming roses, jasmine, and orange blossoms. When you open this envelope, you’ll find a scratch-and-sniff sticker designed to transport you straight into that garden. On the reverse side is a gorgeous art print you can display long after you’ve turned the final page. It is now a sensory memory frozen in time.

SOUND – QR Code Experience
In a moment of chaos, bloodshed, and rising tension, the cathedral bell tolls across the piazza. This envelope contains a QR code that leads to the sound of a vintage cathedral bell ringing. Let it play while you read the scene, and you will have to pinch yourself to make sure you’re not dreaming!

TOUCH – Ribbon Bookmark
During a charged scene filled with cheering crowds and fluttering ribbons, you’ll open an envelope containing a ribbon-tied bookmark. As you run your fingers over the ribbon, you physically connect with the moment unfolding in the story. The bookmark also features a quote from the book, the perfect little keepsake you’ll reach for again and again.

TASTE – Biscotti Recipe Card
As the story comes to a close, Ravenna enjoys her favorite almond biscotti. When you reach the final envelope, you’ll find a recipe card so you can recreate her favorite treat at home. It’s the perfect way to savor the ending (quite literally) and let the story linger a little longer.

Reading Like Never Before

OUABC Lite was created for everyone who craves something more. More depth. More emotion. More connection. It’s for the reader who wants to slow down, be present, and actually live the words on the page.

Every element is designed to enhance the story without overwhelming it. The envelopes don’t distract or interrupt your reading journey; they simply invite you to experience more. And because everything is flat and easily tucked away, this experience travels with you wherever you read.

We love how this experience engages all of your senses. This is the type of storytelling you won’t forget.

A One-of-a-Kind Experience

There’s truly nothing else like OUABC Lite. It’s an experience curated with lots of care and creativity by people with a deep love for storytelling!

Whether you’re a longtime Once Upon a Book Club member or discovering us for the first time, OUABC Lite offers a new way to fall in love with reading again, to remember why stories matter, and how powerful they can be when you’re invited to step inside them.

If you’re ready to experience Graceless Heart in a way you never have before, this is your invitation.

Turn the page. Open the envelope. And become part of the story. 💫