Who Needs a Date! How to Host the Ultimate Galentine’s Book Bash

Forget the overpriced set menus and the pressure of a "perfect" romantic evening. This year, we’re trading red roses for well-worn pages and candlelit dinners for a couch full of your favourite people. Valentine’s Day is getting a makeover, and we’re calling it Galentine’s: The Bookish Edition. Whether you’re celebrating your ride-or-die besties or your favourite fictional characters, there’s nothing quite like a night dedicated to good stories and even better company. So, grab your slippers, clear the coffee table, and let us show you how to host a stress-free literary soirée where the drinks are perfectly mixed and the plot twists are the only drama allowed.

Since it’s Galentine’s, consider themes of found family, female friendship, or self-discovery.

• Try a Thriller: High stakes and plot twists are great for "shouting across the coffee table" energy.

• Try a Retelling: A modern spin on a classic (like a feminist retelling of Greek mythology) gives you the original to compare it to

Here are a few recommendations from Booxies Team to help you get started:

The Long Night by Christian White

Em has lived a quiet life with her complicated mother and is now looking for love and a potential escape from her small hometown. When a masked man kidnaps her in the dark of night, though, she is drawn into a terrifying world.

Jodie has been trying to forget a troubling time in her life, pouring her trauma into her work and out of her mind. Until one night her daughter is kidnapped and Jodie is dragged back into the violence.

As Em and Jodie race into the darkness, the agony of the past rushes up to meet them. It will take all their devotion and courage to escape this night alive.

Bold, vivid and heart-racingly intense, The Long Night is the darkest and most exhilarating novel yet from bestselling author Christian White.

Good Girl by Aria Aber

In Berlin's underground, where techno rattles buildings still scarred with the violence of the last century, nineteen-year-old Nila finds her tribe. In their company she can escape the parallel city that made her, the public housing block packed with refugees and immigrants, where the bathrooms are infested with silverfish and the walls outside are graffitied with swastikas.

Escaping into the clubs, Nila tries to outrun the shadow of her dead mother, once a feminist revolutionary; her catatonic, defeated father; and the cab-driver uncles who seem to idle on every corner. To anyone who asks, her family is Greek, not Afghani.

And then Nila meets American writer Marlowe Woods, whose literary celebrity, though fading, opens her eyes to a world of patrons and festivals, one that imbues her dreams of life as an artist with new possibility. But as she finds herself drawn further into his orbit and ugly, barely submerged tensions begin to roil and claw beneath the city's cosmopolitan veneer, everything she hopes for, hates, and believes about herself will be challenged.

Chosen Family by Madeleine Gray

A sexy, romantic, queer, epic literary novel for all readers by the award-winning author of the internationally acclaimed bestseller Green Dot.

Books about friendship are not often described as love stories, but this is one.

Nell Argall and Eve Bowman are both brilliant, odd and friendless. Traumatised in their first year of high school, their lives are changed forever when they meet.

Set in Sydney over eighteen years, Chosen Family follows Nell and Eve as they grow into themselves, as they both love and destroy each other. From school, to university, to careers, to motherhood, Nell’s and Eve’s is a relationship that is a life-raft that is also a poison apple that is also a Medusan stare, frozen in time.

Together, Nell and Eve are a double helix. Love, guilt, shame, joy – these emotions twist and turn between them. Can the wounds of adolescent betrayal ever really heal? Can we ever really understand what is going on in someone else’s head? And what’s love got to do, got to do with it?

The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey

A creepy, compelling novel that takes place in a version of our world where some lives are valued less than others. It will shock you with each new revelation.

England, 1979. Vincent, Lawrence and William are the last remaining residents of a secluded New Forest home, part of the government’s Sycamore Scheme. Every day, the triplets do their chores, play their games and take their medicine, under the watchful eyes of three mothers: Mother Morning, Mother Afternoon and Mother Night.

Their nightmares are recorded in The Book of Dreams.
Their lessons are taken from The Book of Knowledge.
And their sins are reported in The Book of Guilt.

All the boys want is to be sent to the Big House in Margate, where they imagine a life of sun, sea and fairground rides. But, as the government looks to shut down the Sycamore Homes, the triplets begin to question everything they have been told.

Gradually surrendering its dark secrets, The Book of Guilt is a profoundly unnerving exploration of belonging in a world where some lives are valued less than others.

Hekate by Nikita Gill

A propulsive, electrifying and enraging retelling in verse of the life of Greek goddess Hekate, child of war turned all-powerful goddess of witchcraft and necromancy, by internationally bestselling poet Nikita Gill.

Born into a world on fire, Godling Hekate has never known safety. After her parents are on the losing side of the war between the ruling Titans and new Olympian Gods, Hekate is taken by her mother Asteria to the Underworld, where Styx and Hades agree to raise her. Meanwhile, Asteria is pursued across the world by Zeus and Poseidon and, to escape their clutches, transforms herself into an island in a stormy sea.

Orphaned and alone, Hekate grows up amongst the horrors and beauties of the Underworld, desperate to find her divine purpose and a sense of belonging in the land of the dead.

When Hekate finally uncovers her powers and ascends to Goddess status, she realises that even the most powerful Olympians are terrified of her. But when immortal war breaks out again, threatening to destroy everything from Mount Olympus to the Underworld itself, the Goddess of witchcraft and necromancy is the only one who can bring the deadly conflict to an end. . .

Don't Let Him in by Lisa Jewell

He’s the perfect man.

He says he loves you.

You think he might even be made for you.

Before long he’s moved into your house – and into your heart.

And then he leaves for days at a time. You don’t know where he’s gone or who he’s with.

And you realise - if you looked back - you’d say to yourself:

DON’T LET HIM IN.

Don’t miss the new read-in-one-sitting Lisa Jewell novel; a cautionary story that could happen to you

The New Age of Sexism by Laura Bates

AI is here, bringing a seismic shift in the way our society operates. Might this mean a future reimagined on equitable terms for women and marginalised groups everywhere?

Not unless we fight for it. At present, power remains largely in the hands of a few rich, white men. New AI-driven technologies, with misogyny baked into their design, are putting women in danger, their rights and safety sacrificed at the altar of profitability and reckless speed.

In The New Age of Sexism, Sunday Times bestselling author and campaigner Laura Bates takes us deep into the heart of this rapidly evolving world. She explores the metaverse, confronts deepfake pornography, travels to cyber brothels, tests chatbots, and hears from schools in the grip of online sexual abuse, showing how our lives – from education to work, sex to entertainment – are being infiltrated by easily accessible technologies that are changing the way we live and love. What she finds is a wild west where existing forms of discrimination, inequality and harassment are being coded into the future we will all have little choice about living in – unless we seize this moment to demand change.

Gripping, courageous and eye-opening, The New Age of Sexism exposes a phenomenon we can’t afford to ignore any longer. Our future is on the line. We need to act now, before it is too late.

Sip, Don’t Shake: The Ultimate Hostess Hack

Let’s face it: no one wants to be stuck in the kitchen measuring out simple syrup and scouring the cupboards for a clean strainer while the rest of the group is debating the latest plot twist. The goal of a Booxies-inspired Galentine’s is maximum relaxation and minimum fuss. That is where our curated ready-to-drink cocktails become your secret hosting weapon.

 

• Ditch the "Bar Manager" Role: Traditionally, hosting a cocktail evening meant playing bartender all night. With our premium RTDs, you simply crack the seal, pour over ice, and garnish. You spend less time measuring and more time immersed in the conversation.

• Consistency in Every Glass: There’s nothing worse than a drink that’s too tart or far too strong. Our cocktails are expertly balanced and pre-mixed by professionals, ensuring the first sip is just as delicious as the last.

• No Mess, No Stress: Forget the sticky countertops, the pile of dishes, and the frantic hunt for a cocktail shaker that actually fits. All you need are a few beautiful glasses and a bowl of ice. When the night is over, you won’t be facing a sink full of barware, just a few recyclable bottles and a lot of happy memories.

• A Flavour for Every Chapter: Whether your book club is diving into a sun-drenched summer romance or a dark, moody noir, you can match the mood of the book to the drink. A crisp Gin Gimlet for the sharp-witted protagonist, or perhaps a rich Espresso Martini for those late-night "just one more chapter" sessions.

Booxie Tip: Want to elevate the experience? Pre-chill your glassware in the freezer for 20 minutes before your guests arrive. It’s a tiny detail that makes a premium RTD feel like a five-star lounge experience.

Here are some of our RTD recommended drinks for the best Galentine's night in

• Espresso Martini Cocktails from Curatif
• Zonello Limoncello Spritz cans or bottles from Zonzo Estate
• Bloody Shiraz Gin & Tonic from Four Pillars
• Negroni Spritz from Noot for those who prefer a Non-Alc option

The Ultimate "Thank You": A Booxie for Every Guest

If you want to truly win at hosting, send your guests home with a curated Booxie of their own. It’s the ultimate "thank you for coming" gesture that ensures the Galentine’s magic continues long after the final page of your book club read is turned.

• Tailor the Tale: Instead of giving everyone the same thing, why not pick a different Booxie for each friend based on their unique personality? Give the "thriller seeker" of the group a dark mystery, and the "hopeless romantic" a sweeping contemporary drama. It shows you’ve put real thought into their individual tastes.

• The "Unboxing" Moment: Make the unboxing part of the evening’s entertainment. There’s a certain joy in everyone opening their Booxies together, discovering their new favourite cocktail, and swapping notes on the treats inside. It’s a shared experience that builds even more excitement for your next meetup.

• A Ready-Made Night In: By gifting a Booxie, you’re essentially giving your friends their next "self-care" evening on a silver platter. They’ve already got the book, the drink, and the snacks—all they need to do is find a quiet corner and enjoy.

• Customise the Message: Don’t forget that Booxies allow for a personalised touch. Add a handwritten note to each box mentioning an inside joke or a reason why you value their friendship. In an age of digital pings, a physical note goes a long way.

Booxie Tip: If you’re hosting a larger group, our one off Mystery Booxies are the perfect size for party favours. or feel free to get in touch with us at hello@booxies.com to organise an even more tailored experience for your guests