12 Days of Book-Club-Mas

12 Days of Book-Club-Mas #8

by Kyle Ann Robertson, Kylie Minton, Kristin Kisska

Our Advent Calendar recipients will receive an anthology of about 400 pages featuring 12 short stories (each ~20 pages long) featuring one of the 12 gifts. Each story is written by a different author who wrote these tales specifically to bring our selected gifts to life! As you read each short story, you'll be prompted at key moments within them to open the corresponding gift for the day. These gifts are all incredibly useful, beautiful items, perfect for the bookworm in all of us! These gifts are not Christmas themed (only the wrapping is wintery to match the season!) and each item can be used and enjoyed year-round.

Genres: Christmas, Short Stories

357 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 2025

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stories were much better this year than last, and the gifts!

[Jamie Kipruto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the stories this year and most of the gifts were nice!

[Angela Verry · Rating 5 out of 5]

12 short stories, 12 captivating gifts to go with the stories.

Favorite Gifts:
12 — Absolutely stunning and will definitely be used!
11 — Who doesn’t need another?
7 — A total must-read! I put all my other books aside for this one.
Favorite Stories:
3, 6, and 8 — in no particular order 📚✨

[Heather Talley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whoops how hard is it to read one short story a night! Finally done! As always I love the anthology and the spirit/book club of it but I was a bit more conflicted this time on the short stories some were really good, some were meh, one was what the heck just happened, but a surprising number were not good for me this year. all the same I still enjoyed it overall and love that it supports a bunch of smaller authors.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

great gifts in the box!

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great mix of stories this year with some interesting standouts. Always a fun Christmas reading tradition.

[Emily McCrum · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories were much better than last year!

[Krissy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐️

I'm incredibly grateful that this book box came early this year because I wouldn't have had time to read the stories during Christmas. I will open the gifts during the 12 days of Christmas. The stories this year came from a wide variety of genres. Maybe a bit too wide. None of them felt very seasonal or even in the spirit of the holiday. I look forward to opening the gifts!

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have bought theses advent boxes for 4 years. Stories in the book are a mishmash and not very appropriate for the holiday season. Only 2 gifts out of the 12 are something I am going to keep. Probably last time I will purchase this box.

[Graeme Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

12 Days of Book-Club-Mas brings a clever, interactive twist to seasonal reading. Curated by Kyle Ann Robertson, Kylie Minton, and Kristin Kisska, this anthology features twelve original short stories, each inspired by a unique bookish gift and written by a different author.

The concept blends fiction with a tactile experience, encouraging readers to engage with each story while unwrapping a matching surprise. The collection is not strictly holiday themed, making it enjoyable year round. The stories vary in tone and style, offering variety while maintaining the unifying thread of celebration, community, and the joy of reading. This collection is especially appealing to book clubs, gift-givers, and readers who appreciate inventive formats and collaborative storytelling.

[Danielle Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to start and finish this early with all the Holiday plans. I think Once Upon A Book Club outdid themselves this year. I love the stories, they aren't all my style but its fun to read these short stories and then wonder where they would have went. The gifts were perfect pairings. I loved getting 4 new books, a sweet ornament, fun book lunch box, amazing charcuterie board, fun candle, spa face masks, and the book locket. The staff at OUABC really goes above and beyond to put together a fun appealing book lovers gift box. 🎁

[Brittany]

Always a fun experience of reading a short story each day and opening a corresponding bookish gift (or book!). Too hard to rate because each story is SO different, I think every genre is covered from romance to mystery to fantasy to horror. They do a great job of really incorporating the gift into the story, and are things I’ll be able to use or share : )

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I expected these to be Christmas stories but they weren't. Not at all. But I still enjoyed each of the short stories a lot. I liked the grouping of different authors and various styles of writings for an advent calendar — it was fun to read a story a day, and the book itself is GORGEOUS with its plaid edges!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy the yearly 12 Days of Book-mas box! The daily matching gifts make the stories come "alive". Of course some of the short stories resonate more to me & that's the beauty of the variety. Looking forward to 2026! 🎉😊

[Adrienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great 12 stories with presents from Once Upon a Book Club! Some stories weren’t great but most were and the presents this year were phenomenal! The present on the last day omg so amazing and honestly worth the money for just that one present!

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the stories were fun this year - better than last year’s collection overall. I also thought the gifts were much better than last year.

I wish they would sell the book without the gifts…a lot of it ends up as clutter for me, even though they are nice items.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

liked some stories, really didn't like others

[Liesl · Rating 4 out of 5]

the stories were much better this year and great gifts too!

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5⭐️. 12 unique stories that were pretty good. My favorite was Heaven Sent by Cate Collins.

[Beth Alfieri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stories varied, but for the most part were good, the gifts were well matched with the stories. Enjoyed the read and the gifts.

[Amy Mumbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

definitely a curve of stars throughout these short stories but a great experience overall!

[Sky Purple · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my 5th book advent calendar from Once Upon A Book Club and I'm never disappointed.

[Tonya | The Cultivated Library Co · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first year doing 12 Days of Book-Club-Mas! I love the concept!

I enjoyed the stories and found some new authors to follow!

[Alicia Peacock · Rating 3 out of 5]

The short stories were good but nothing was a wow for me.

[Monique Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first story in this anthology was absolutely horrible, which didn’t give me much hope going in. I’ve read six stories so far, and while a few were decent, several were outright terrible. At this point, the collection feels wildly inconsistent, and I’m struggling to stay invested.

[Lauren | TransportedLFL · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy getting this every year. It includes such a diverse array of stories from all types of genres. I'm not a huge fan of horror, but I even found the horror short stories well written. And I absolutely adored the short stories in my preferred genres. I'm always thrilled by the romance, fantasy, and magical stories especially.

[Easier_Read_Than_Done · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say that I was very pleasantly surprised by this anthology. Not only are all 12 of the stories incredibly unique, they are all different genres (cozy, gothic, romance, thriller, etc), so there is truly a story for every reader. The fact that these stories are not Christmas themed is also a plus because you can read them throughout the year and still enjoy them. Being exposed to some genres that I normally would have never considered made reading each day more fun. It is also a fantastic way to discover some talented new authors. I enjoyed so many of the stories, especially the story for day seven (It Beckons by Ella Dupuie) and day six (Even the Tide by Megan Lacroix). Looking forward to seeing more from these authors in the future, as well as several of the other authors featured. Excellent advent read and such a fun, immersive experience.

[ஐ Katya (Book Queen)ஐ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sadly I couldn't finish this. These are a mixed bag of 12 novellas. You never know what you're going to read. No descriptions. While I loved Day 2, I disliked Day 3, and Day 7 was so bad I had to stop reading. I don't read horror, and I'm upset it was included. Day 3 should include a trigger warning for Domestic Violence. The gifts were great as usual but the book, I didn't finish. We 2 out of 7 that bad, I didn't care to find out about the others. Based on a note with one gift, another remaining story is sketchy as the note was cryptic and creepy. Considering the price of the Boxed Set, I'll have to seriously reconsider if I buy next year's. This was my third year. I didn't always like every story, some I loved, but this last story almost gave me nightmares (Day 7) and Day 3 nearly set off my PTSD.

[Maria Parker · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

3.5 stars- the short stories were very good and most of the gifts were good too. Some I could have done without and were poo quality, but overall, I’m satisfied with the experience!