Reviewing Etsy’s “Blind Date with a Book”
For the past couple years I’ve been looking for a reason to get back into reading again because it used to be one of my favorite things to do. But, like many childhood bookworms, the amount of books I read per year got slimmer and slimmer as I got older. While balancing new responsibilities and interests, reading unfortunately fell to the way-side.
Last year’s upheaval of all of our lives however left me nostalgic for the feeling I used to get while reading. I just didn’t have a catalyst to get me back into it. That was, of course, until I found a show called Bridgerton on Netflix.
From the first scene, Bridgerton had me hooked. The drama. The regency era costumes. The characters. I fell in love with it all. So, when I found out that the show was based on an eight-novel series by Julia Quinn I decided I was going to read every single one.
A few months later I ordered the eight paperbacks and for one week in the middle of April I binge-read the entire series. I’m talking hours of laying in bed, reading chapter after chapter, and book after book. It felt good to be absorbed in a book and not my phone for once, but I couldn’t figure out what to read next.
Enter Etsy.
I was doing my habitual scrolling of Etsy one afternoon when I saw a recommendation that stuck out to me. Blind Date with a Book. The premise is that you buy a book, but you have no idea what it is until it actually arrives. Perfect for someone who’s indecisive like me or booklovers who want to try something new.
Most of the listings looked similar with books wrapped with light brown paper to hide the covers and a string to hold them together. What set listings apart were the additional gifts sellers would include with the order. Some shops included stickers, bookmarks, and drink packets, to name a few.
Each seller has different genre options available, but some of the most common are Young Adult, Mystery, Horror, Romance, Classics, Sci-Fi, and Nonfiction. The average price range for these books was between $10 and $40, but there were definitely a lot of options on the higher and lower ends of the spectrum.
After browsing through a lot of listings, I decided on three. The shipping time wasn’t too bad, but waiting was hard because I was so excited.
First up was Blind Date With a Book | Choose Your Genre | Includes Bookmark, Hot Beverage, & Bookish Stickers | Surprise Reading Experience from Etsy seller Ktxx22FromMyShelves.
The listing photo caught my eye from the search page, but the promise of cute stickers and a handwritten description of the book on the outside of the packaging sold me. I decided to choose a Fantasy book from this seller and sent her my Goodreads profile for some personalization.
Here’s what I received.
The handwritten hints on the front were “304 pages”, “Super Assassins”, “Genetic Modification”, “Set in the near future”, “Fantasy Rom Com”, and “Perfect for fans of Die Hard and Mr. & Mrs. Smith”.
The black tea was a surprise to me because I bought it a few weeks before the seller added a drink choice to the listing, but I appreciated it nonetheless. I loved the little stickers and I liked how the seller tied in a space theme with one of the stickers and the bookmark. I also got a nice note from the seller on a separate book themed postcard.
The book from Blind Date 1 was Automatic Reload by Ferrett Steinmetz.
The book blurb is “Meet Mat, a tortured mercenary who has become THE PERFECT SHOT, and Silvia, an idealistic woman genetically engineered to MURDER YOU TO DEATH.
Together, they run from the shadiest corporation in the world… and realize their messed-up brain chemistry cannot overpower their very real chemistry.”
This book isn’t something I’d usually pick out at a bookstore, but it ended up being the one I’m most excited to read. Sci-Fi romance adventure? I’m in. It’s going to be one first I read when I start the pile.
Next was Blind Date with a Book! Mystery Book, You Choose Genre from Etsy seller OmNomShoppe.
What hooked me into this listing was honestly the opportunity to get hot chocolate with my book. I mean, just imagine it. It’s a cold fall evening and you’re sipping a nice cup of hot chocolate while snuggling up with a blanket on the couch and reading. The fall fantasy sold itself.
I also thought it was pretty cool that this seller was from Nevada, so that sealed the deal. I ended up ordering a Young Adult Contemporary Fiction with hot chocolate from this seller.
I loved the reading raven stamp on the packaging and I’ll take this time to add that it was hard to unwrap these blind date books because I didn’t want to ruin the packaging. This seller had the most aesthetically pleasing packaging out of all three and I even got a scrunchie, a lollipop and extra stickers free of charge.
The book I got from Blind Date 2 was Admission by Julie Buxbaum.
The book blurb is “A teenage girl named Chloe who has just discovered that her parents faked her way into her dream school — and now her mother, a B-list actress best known as a charming sitcom mom, may end up going to jail for it.”
The premise of this book reminds me of the 2019 Olivia Jade, Lori Loughlin college admissions scandal and I wonder if it was inspired by the situation. At first I was unsure about how much I would like this book, but it’s been growing on me lately.
Overall though, I am pretty happy with this Blind Date. The packaging was cute and I got my hot chocolate so I consider it a win.
And last, but not least was Blind Date with a Book and a Tea Cup Candle | Long Distance Gift | Gifts for a Book Lover | Self Care Gift | Mystery Book | Surprise Gift | from Etsy seller BadArtGoodVibes.
What drew me to this listing was the promise of a tea cup candle. It was a bit more expensive because of that but the price also paid for quicker shipping. I will admit that opening up the tea cup was the highlight of my Blind Date with a Book experience. I ordered a Young Adult novel and a candle with her Apples Peaches Pumpkin scent.
According to the bottom of my teacup, it was hand-painted in Japan. It’s so cool to think about the journey the teacup must have been through to get from one side of the world to the other. One thing I will say is that “Apples Peaches Pumpkin” doesn’t really smell like any of those things. It actually has a distinct cinnamon scent that I’m not the biggest fan of. If you do end up buying from this seller, check their other candle listings for scent references so you don’t end up in a situation like mine.
The book I got from Blind Date 3 was Loser/Queen by Jodi Lynn Anderson. The book blurb is
“Cammy Hall is what anyone would describe as a loser. She lives with her grandparents and has adopted their way of life… right down to the comfortable shoes and early bedtime. And can she help it that she actually likes to knit? Cammy’s used to being an outsider; after years of humiliating moments, her goal is simply to fly under the radar. Then she suddenly starts receiving mysterious text messages that lead her right to all the embarrassing secrets about the most popular kids in school. Cammy never expected to be able to climb up the high school food chain, and the agenda of the texter may be questionable—but how can she possibly give up the chance to be Queen?”
Honestly, I’m not that excited to read a Pretty Little Liars x Knitting story at the moment, but I’ll give the book the benefit of the doubt. The candle was definitely the highlight of this Blind Date, but that comes with the territory.
My overall experience with Blind Date books was a positive one. It was a nice way to treat myself and have some fun while doing it. I think I’ll try a Blind Date with a Book again but with different genres and different sellers to shake things up.
I definitely would recommend Blind Date with a Book to anyone who wants a new book, but can’t make a decision or just wants to be surprised. With the holidays coming up it would be a perfect gift for any book lovers in your life as well. You can support small businesses and get a cool book experience in return!
