"Through the Featured Chess Set Project, the World Chess Hall of Fame showcases a variety of chess sets throughout the year. These include highlights from our own collection as well as chess sets owned by friends and chess lovers who have special stories to accompany their sets.

Fall in love with this chess set inspired by Ali Hazelwood’s debut YA novel, Check & Mate (2023). The set’s title refers to the book’s main character, Mallory Greenleaf. Greenleaf is a former chess prodigy who has left the chess world behind to help her family. She gets thrust back into it when she unwittingly beats one of the most famous chess prodigies, Nolan Sawyer, in a charity meet."

The World Chess Hall of Fame featured our custom chessboard inspired by the one described in Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood in their 2025 Featured Chess Sets Collection.

"I’m not sure how this ever missed my radar, but if you are desperately searching for gifts for someone in your life who LOVES reading, you have to check out Once Upon a Book Club! They might be touted as a “monthly book subscription box,” but they are 100% so much more! And the “more” I’m talking about are extra gifts (3-5) included in each box."

Black Coffee Beautiful featured us in their article Gift Ideas for a Book Lover

"[Once Upon a Book Club is] perfect for people with ADHD because they package the book with three to five gifts that you open as you read. It’s a great incentive to keep going. I was introduced to books I love but that I never would have picked for myself."

ADDitude Magazine featured us in their article The Subscription Boxes That ADDitude Readers Love

"This subscription box company just launched its middle grade option, geared towards kids 7- to 12-years-old, this year—and offers a more interactive alternative to traditional boxes. Along with a new read, kids receive wrapped gifts that correspond to specific pages in the book. (They’re marked on both the gifts and in the book itself.) Once they reach that page, they open the gift and see how it relates to what they’re reading. My rising 4th grader loved his box—he looked forward to hitting the pages—and I found that the gifts, which included collapsible cups and an “I spy”-style game, to be practical things he’d actually like and not just throw-away items."

365 Collective featured us in their article Get Kids Reading with These Book Subscription Boxes

"Boxes are curated by women and the majority are sourced with female readers in mind, mainly featuring strong female characters. It’s all the wonder of a book club without leaving your living room! This would be a great gift idea to get for any mom who loves reading!"

All Beautiful Mommies featured us in their article Unique Gift Ideas for Mom She'll Love!

"These monthly subscription boxes don't just bring you reading material, they give you an experience. Each one comes with a newly released book and 3-5 wrapped gifts, each labeled with page numbers so you can open them on the appropriate page to bring moments from the book to life."

Town&Country featured us in their article 18 Best Book Subscriptions.

BookRiot featured our David Copperfield Classic Box in their article The Best Book Subscriptions For this 2022 Holiday Season.

Business Insider featured our June 2022 box, which included Fake It Till You Bake It by Jamie Wesley in their Gifts for Readers gift guide!

"A subscription book service is going the extra mile to make sure its readers are fully immersed in the story."

AMNY reviewed our June 2022 box, featuring Fake It Till You Bake It by Jamie Wesley and spoke with our team about our curation process, the origins of the box, and more behind-the-scenes details!

"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."

See, Shop, Love! reviewed our June 2022 box, featuring Fake It Till You Bake It by Jamie Wesley.

"Once Upon a Book Club is a bookworm’s dream come true: a monthly delivery service of an oversized book box filled with a surprise book selection and an array of specially curated gifts to bring that book to life. The Arizona based business is the brainchild of Michelle Wolett, who also owns Chick-Lit Designs (recreating favorite books into cell phone and tablet cases).

Michelle joined Olivia for the podcast to talk about the business that originated as a gift for her Mom- to motivate her to read Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale. Michelle tells Olivia about how she quickly went from idea to action, navigating the growth of the business, how she approaches book selection, and how she wants the gifts to appeal to all the senses, adding touch or scent to bring the books to life. “The magical experience of it is really the selling point,” she says."

"The Once Upon a Book Club boxes are designed to be an experience and they highly recommend only opening the gifts as you read the featured book to fully understand the connection each item has to the story. As you read, there will be sticky notes to prompt exactly when to open each gift. I am sure that she will love the way they chose to bring the novels to life!"

Champagne Living included us in their article, Mother's Day Gifts for the Mom Who is Passionate About Her Hobbies.

"Calling all bookworms and young adult fiction enthusiasts! If you’re on the hunt for captivating reads that transport you to extraordinary worlds or want to stay up-to-date with the latest releases in the YA genre, look no further than YA book subscription boxes. With these curated boxes, your quest for new favorites and unexplored authors becomes a delightful journey!"

Hello Subscription included us in their article, The 7 Best YA Book Subscription Boxes in 2025: Thrilling Drama & Captivating Storylines.

MSN included us in their gift guide, 12 Days of Book Gifting for 2022 for the holidays.

"We've already told our homeschool friends all about it! Of allllllll the subscription boxes out there, this might just be my favorite...What a fun and inspiring way to keep them eager to finish their books! Absolutely genius and so fun."

The Quirky Mom Next Door reviewed our May 2023 Tween box.

We were featured in NewTechReview's 2022 gift guide as a recommendation for people who love books.

"Best gift idea for book lovers! Of all the book clubs I have experienced, this one tops them all."

Parenting Healthy reviewed our September 2022 Adult box on their Instagram account.