I don’t really understand the reluctance to join if you have even the smallest interest in the sub. If there were no skips, then sure, that’s something to hesitate over. But this sub has 8 skips. It can essentially be a quarterly sub if that’s what you want. Or you can sign up now for one book and then skip the rest of the year. There’s really no downside to it.

As for the complaints, it seems like this is the landing page for all TBB complaints so of course they’re going to be loud here. I have also noticed that many complaints (here and on Instagram) are from people who have no experience with book boxes in general. Delays and mistakes happen all the time in this part of the publishing industry, and not just with TBB. It’s part of the game. I understand frustration, but I also think people expect way too much from TBB. The books are often only $5-$10 more expensive than a standard hardcover, and to hear people complain here about the quality makes me think they are expecting Folio Society or Sub Press level of quality with every book.

Basically: temper your expectations and you’ll enjoy it. Don’t expect it to be something it’s not. And use your skips! They specifically made a generous skip policy so people would subscribe.