⭐️4.5

Dealing with a tragedy, Erin Connolly accidentally donates her beloved favorite book to the local little library. It is not only filled with her own annotations, but a special memento from a loved one. Heartbroken, she searches every day for her book until it reappears with a new set of notes and a request to continue in another book. As they communicate through the margins in these books, Erin and Mystery Man begin to open themselves up and write honestly about their lives. Unbeknownst to them, they share a past that is dark and heavy, but connect again through the books and margin notes that forces them to face the sins of the past if they ever want to have a future.

Holy slow burn!!! This book shocked me in the beginning and pulled me right in. I LOVED the dual POV. Erin and James feel like real, raw people. I love their insights on life as they relate to the books they are reading. They are both dealing with heavy issues that hurt my heart. This book touches on really heavy topics and forces the main characters to take a good look at themselves and make changes. It was hard at times, but also freeing as they acknowledged their own wrongs. Definitely cried more than a few tears.

This isn’t just a love story between a couple, but a love story between best friends, sisters, and parents. It was beautiful how they blossomed and faced the hard things, they stopped taking the easy way out.

My only gripe is that sometimes I felt like Erin’s anger wasn’t warranted. It felt unfair for James, even if he did mess up a lot. Erin wasted so much time in their life needlessly holding a grudge! But she’s only human, I guess.

I really loved this book! It hit me hard and is so much more than just a romance. I can’t wait to see more from Tessa Bickers!

Thank you to Net Galley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

Ugly cried during this book. Lost a friend to cancer a few years ago and this book was exactly what I needed ❤️

The Book Swap is the poignant story of a unique, ongoing book swap with “You’ve Got Mail” vibes.

The story begins as Erin is sorting through her possessions and decides to donate a stack of books to the small community library. Later, she realizes that she has accidentally donated a book where she had placed a precious note written by her best friend who recently died. She rushes back to the library to retrieve the book but it’s not there. She returns to the library again and again hoping that whoever borrowed the book will return it with her note inside. When the book is returned, she is relieved to find her note but also intrigued by the note that the borrower leaves for her. This leads to an anonymous exchange of book recs and notes and a growing friendship. Will Erin and the Mystery Man meet?

The Book Swap is promoted as a romance, but the content is heavier than you might expect in a romance (and what the cover implies). We do get our HEA, but it’s a long road to get there. I do like the aspect of a friendship growing into love more than insta-love, so that’s refreshing for the genre! I also love that the story is told from a dual perspective and we hear from both main characters in his or her own words.

The heaviest themes involve Grief and Bullying. Erin struggles with the loss of her dear, best friend to cancer. It affects every aspect of her life and has caused some mental health issues (her best friend appears in her room and they carry on conversations). James has been a victim of extreme bullying by classmates in the past and was also emotionally abused (abandoned/cut off) by his parents as a child and older adolescent. Both Erin and James are stuck in life….in relationships and in pursuing their dreams.

This story centers around a small community library and a love of books. With “You’ve Got Mail” vibes, Erin and James leave book recs and margin notes to each other (many classics are mentioned) before their identities are eventually known to one another. A literary friendship and book talk is a fun part of the story for book nerds!

In addition to heavier themes such as bullying, grief and loss, guilt, and emotional abuse, there are some lighter and more hopeful themes such as second chance (slow burn) romance, new beginnings, friendship, book love, and finding your path/following your dreams. I need to note that I especially appreciated the friendship between James and his best friend, and the emphasis on men being real with each other and sharing from their hearts about their lives.

Content Consideration: cancer, death, grief, bullying, neglect/abandonment, mention of suicide

If you’re OK with heavier themes and appreciate multi-layered plots, I recommend The Book Swap for fans of books about books. I enjoyed the dual perspectives which helped to fully develop each main character.

Thanks #NetGalley @HTP_Books #GraydonHouse for a complimentary e ARC of #TheBookSwap upon my request. All opinions are my own.

When I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley, I expected it to be a cute, superficial romance, but I found it boring and slow-paced. It turned out to be more of a slow burn than anticipated, which didn’t work for me. I didn’t like Erin, the FMC, and I rooted more for James throughout the story. I enjoyed watching Erin eventually find her calling, and I admired how James rediscovered his passion for writing.

The book dealt with heavy themes like grief and loss, and while the characters struggled with these emotions, they maintained a sense of optimism, which I appreciated. The story also woven themes of bullying and mental illness. I liked the side characters, especially Cassie, Joel, Georgia, and Jordan, as they added much-needed depth to the story.

I didn’t enjoy the reliance on flashbacks to scenes where Bonnie was still alive. It felt weird and unnatural, which pulled me out of the narrative. I also felt misled by the advertising, which suggested there would be many references to classic books, but there weren’t as many as I had hoped.

Despite my criticisms, I can see how other readers might enjoy this book, and I think it’s worth giving a chance, especially since it’s a debut novel. While it wasn’t what I expected, it might be a good fit for a slower-paced read with emotional depth.

When we meet Erin Connolly, she is still trying to process the death of her best friend. Dissatisfied with her life in general, Erin abruptly quits her job and comes home to “Marie Kondo” her life. She gathers up a huge stack of books and donates them to the local community library, not realizing until later that she accidentally donated her heavily annotated copy of To Kill a Mockingbird, which also contained a treasured momento from her best friend.

Erin goes back to the library and is devastated to see someone has taken her book, but then later relieved when it is returned, filled with fresh annotations, as well as an invitation to meet her in Great Expectations, which has been left in the library filled with notes in the same handwriting as in her book.

Erin and this mystery man start a regular swapping of classic books. What starts just as simple literary commentary soon gives way to more personal comments as the two of them start to really bond.

What the reader realizes long before Erin and the mystery man is that the two of them not only have a shared history, but this mystery man is James, someone Erin swore she could never forgive. Will this wonderful relationship be cut short as soon as it begins or can Erin find a way to make peace and give James a second chance?

Oh gosh, you guys! I really enjoyed this one. I’m such a total book nerd when it comes to the classics so I was practically giddy waiting to see which book each of them would choose next. I also thought the whole idea of “meeting” and getting to know someone in the margins of swapped books was just so romantic! It was admittedly heartbreaking to realize Erin and James had a painful shared history, but because Erin had barely been living her life prior to reconnecting with James, I was hard core rooting for them to resolve their past issues and give each other a second chance.

Charming, a little bit heartbreaking, and an ode to the classics, The Book Swap is just a delightful read!

one of the greatest book ever written, i hope the writer will keep her style of writing and write more books in this perspective

A story of moving on. This was a great read. It kept my attention and I read it in one day. I enjoyed watching both the main characters navigate their own personal journeys through the trials that have been placed before them. I loved watching the romance blossom from inside the margins of a book. The ending left me satisfied as a reader. I will say, the main characters were way too old to be stuck in high school. I believe their trauma was real but at the age they were represented in the book, it just seemed like a stretch they would think about so much. I also enjoyed the message of following your dreams instead of a paycheck, but that POV is clearly from someone who has never been poor. Everyone just quitting their high paying jobs to follow their hearts is typically not how the real world works. All that said, I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an emotional read that covers heavy topics.

As much as I love a super steamy romance, there are times where all I want is a sweet cheesy romance, and “The Book Swap” more than checked that box for me. I liked this book for the simplicity in the love story…for how simple and pure it is to fall in love with someone within the margins of a book. This is book is not all unicorns and rainbows—both Erin and James have messy pasts and messy present lives that the reader sees them deal with. With as messy as their lives are though, the actual reading and romance part was so simple and heartwarming.
This is not a perfect read by any means. There are times I felt like the author included drama for drama’s sake, and it feels like every character in the book comes with some kind of conflict. This book also talks to some really heavy themes, so if you aren’t up for anything serious, you probably won’t like this book. As book nerd myself though, I really loved the way the romance plays out so I enjoyed this read. 3.5 stars/5.

**Thank you so much to NetGalley, Harlequin Trading and Tessa Bickers for the advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. I appreciate the opportunity!**

A love story centering a little free library sounded right up my alley and this book made me feel all the feelings. I enjoyed that Erin and James were around 30 and didn't have their lives and careers all figured out and I loved learning about their shared history through the dual POV narration. All of the characters felt so fully realized and many difficult topics were handled with such care throughout the story - but definitely check trigger warnings.

This book was a hard one to get through, would have loved a little less trauma in a romance. The little free library is such a fun idea though.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

“Books teach us, and I want to make sure I’m learning everything they’re offering. I write in the margins to remember the book. To keep the words in my heart.”

This is such a sweet story — the perfect romance for lovers of little free libraries and second chances.

I loved James & Erin’s story, and I particularly loved the character of Bonnie (did anyone else picture Bonnie from TVD? Or was that just me?).

This story is sweet, sad, and full of so much sass woven through out the sentimental.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice: 🌶️/ 5

I loved this story, it felt so much more complex than a love story shared in book margins. The story had a lot of harder topics included such as suicide, cancer, mental illness so readers should check triggers before reading.

4 ⭐️

You’ve Got Mail meets London in book form - that’s rhetorical only way I can describe this book! I enjoyed this sweet story of young friends, to enemies, to adult lovers and all of life’s struggles and victories between. I especially loved the book theme throughout!

Trigger warning: cancer, mental health.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Graydon House for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

A little book library! Messages from a secret pen pal...a deep connection with an unknown person...who turns out to be someone you know!!

I loved the concept with the messages in the book. The backstory and the current day timeline both had some deep grief-filled and traumatic situations. My heart broke for both Erin and James. There were some sweet and fun moments, but also a lot of dark times. This was not the rom-com I was expecting, but I still enjoyed it!

4 stars

This was a perfectly fine book, but for some reason I just couldn't get into it. Romance/contemporary fiction usually takes me several days at the most to finish, and this took a month and a half. Perhaps the writing style just isn't for me, or I didn't care for the characters very much, but I can't really point to anything specific this book did wrong, just that I didn't gel with it. If the blurb sounds interesting to you, give it a shot.

“Books teach us, and I want to make sure I’m learning everything they’re offering. I write in the margins to remember the book. To keep the words in my heart.”

TLDR: A beautiful debut about second chances and new beginnings. It’s a love letter to books and to life and one I’ll be thinking about for a very long time.

This book completely took me by surprise. I had been warned it contained some heavier topics which was so helpful for this mood reader, especially since I tend to like the Com with my Rom. This however, was not that. It’s a journey of grief and growth and healing with bits of humor that had me all in my feels.

The connection between James and Erin was captivating. I enjoyed the growth they both experienced. I was equally invested in the side characters. Their lives were woven together so beautifully.

Tropes + things
second chances
self discovery
grief + healing
book about books
mystery penpal
community/little free libraries
mental health rep
dual POV/1st person

I was blown away this is the author’s debut novel. I am looking forward to reading her future work.

This was a ok read for me. There were parts of it that I loved. One part in particular I enjoyed was the book swapping.
There is no spice in the story. I am not a fan of a lot of spice. But, this story could have used just a bit of spice.
The Book Swap is a romcom that I did enjoy reading. I would like to go back and read it again one day.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

3.5 stars.

"The Book Swap" by Tessa Bickers is a lot heavier than I expected it to be. That doesn't detract from how good this book is. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. I made my heart squeeze and ache the entire time I read it. It's cute, reflective, intimate, and interestingly explores grief. and loss. The strongest parts involve the main characters, Erin and James, who each have quite a bit of individual baggage in their lives. When they begin exchanging books at the little library, they divulge who they really are and who they want to be to each other in the process. These moments made my heart swell. But, as with all books like this, things eventually go wrong. I am glad this was a dual point of view book because without it, I fear James would have been basically erased. His character would have been stronger and more bold. Erin definitely needs to go to therapy, hahaha. The story has quite a few moving parts, which bog it down here and there. My focus felt all over the place, but overall, I found this to be an engaging and compelling read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tessa Bickers, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Graydon House for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

This book was a slow start for me but it didnt take long for me to become entranced in the story of James and Erin - heartache, laughter, intellect - this book had it all. Well done Tessa Bickers!

5 stars!

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader copy!

Publish date; 09/03/2024