I loved the book swap, a story about Erin and a mystery man having life changing conversations in the margins of their favorite classic novels. While it started out a bit slow, seeing how Erin and James handled their own grief, miscommunication and growth all worked so well.
I typically do not like the miscommunication trope, but this author did it so well. I’d expected a lighter romance, but this was anything but between topics of grief, complex family issues, and the power of books.

First off, I love the classic books referenced in”the Book Swap”. A few books mentioned are: the great gatsby, to kill a mocking bird, beloved, great expectations.

When Erin accidentally donates her heavily annotated copy of To Kill a Mockingbird to her local little free library. Her copy contained a memento she can’t be without - she is devastated. I mean, who wouldn’t be? Luckily, for her, it turns back up, with a twist.

This book is everything a book lover wants.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for the chance to read this book prior to publication in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited going into this one as I thought the premise of swapping books via a little free library was really cute. But unfortunately it ended up being a miss for me. For one, I wouldn't have marketed this as a romance. The cute cover and synopsis were really misleading and I thought I was going into a second chance rom-com. It's not. It's stuffed full of heavy topics and not a light-hearted read at all. Also, it's not even really a second chance romance as the main characters didn't even have a first chance. So adjust your expectations going in and you may enjoy it more than I did.

For two, I don't mind a heavy read. So after I figured out it wasn't a rom-com, I still could have enjoyed it. BUT... main character was Erin was awful and although there's a bit of a character growth journey, she never redeemed herself enough to be likable. So I never found myself rooting for her happiness which made the romance aspect uninteresting. Definitely the most selfish and immature character I've read in a long while.

That said, I did like the classic book references, but sadly that was about it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Graydon House for providing me a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I am DNFing this book at 30% in.
I read about 30% in and just did not like it at all. So, I decided to restart and try again. I made it two chapters (%) in and finally gave up.

The title and description give off the vibes that this book would be a rom-com. Now, the book is listed as a romance and women’s fiction. But it barely feels like it fits any of those three categories. This just feels like a contemporary fiction novel. There are VERY heavy topics throughout the novel (mental health, grief, etc.).

This book has a writing style that just does not fit for me.
The FMC was unlikeable and intolerable. GO TO THERAPY.
The MMC was flat and had no personality. Everything about him was about those around him.
Once I finally got to the book swap portion (20% in) I did think it was sweet. But it also didn’t feel like a romance… And I may just not have read far enough.

I think this book could be for some readers, I was just not the correct demographic.
Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Graydon House, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Maybe it was the wrong time for this read but it fell flat for me. It was kind of hard to follow at first, and the writing felt a little disjointed. There was something about the slow plot that didn’t let me get fully invested. Not my favorite read but it could be for the right book lover.

While I received an arc for this book, I actually pre ordered a copy because I love books about books. Sadly, this was a DNF for me. I found the writing style one that didn’t agree with me. I may try again because my mood could be impacting this.

2.5 rounded to 3 ⭐️ this book is definitely one for book lovers. it follows erin and james, two former friends who had feelings for each other when they were younger but never acted on them, fast forwarding to the current timeline where they are strangers. they end up unknowingly becoming pen pals, sending messages and writing to each other through a book exchange from a local neighborhood bookshelf. i really thought the idea was so original!

unfortunately, both characters did have very stubborn tendencies and if they would have just talked it out, all things could have been solved years prior. erin had a lot of grief she was still working through with her friend who had passed away, to the point that she was still seeing all premonition of her. this book did have quite heavy grief and mentions of death.

i thought it was quite heavy on the characters and family relationships and did not have much romance unfortunately. the concept was really cute, but i did not connect with the characters and do wish that there was more second chance.

*i finished this book on september 13th*

Let me start by saying that I had zero expectations for this book. I thought the cover was cute and I love stories that have book related events and storylines. That being said, I was blown away. Plus it’s a debut novel! I was expecting a fluffy rom-com but it was so much more than that.

This story is a celebration of everything beautiful about storytelling. It's a heartfelt tribute to the act of reading, writing, and crafting a narrative. To those who guide us through grief and help us heal. To friends who will always hold a special place in our hearts. And to ourselves, for being courageous and pursuing our dreams, no matter how big or small.

I was all set to give this book 4 stars until I ugly cried my way through the last couple chapters making it my favorite kind of 5 star read. I will recommend this book to anyone who will listen.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tessa Bickers for the ARC!

The Book Swap is a story of love, loss, and forgiveness. The story focuses on Erin and James from childhood to adulthood while they go through heartache and bullying and the death of their best friend. During adulthood, they begin to heal and forgive themselves and other and find their way back to each other by being pen pals through a variety of books. I loved how this book shows how literature could connect people in shocking and unexpected ways. I wasn't expecting to like this book as much as I do now. Overall: 4.5/5

Thank you @netgalley and @graydonhousebooks for a copy of the book!

I'm going to tell you right now that you can't judge this book by its cover. Just looking at that cutie cover, you may think this is a light-hearted and fun rom-com, and it absolutely is anything BUT one.

The Book Swap is part You've Got Mail meets a Little Free Library. The romance parts of this story are adorable and oh so sweet. It's a true love letter to the classics and the joy of finding someone to nerd out about books with. However, this is really a story about dealing with depression, being a caregiver to someone with chronic illnesss, grief, bullying, and finding what gives you joy and purpose. Heavy, right?

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Be ready for a very slow burn romance and a lot of heavy-hitter topics along the way.

Bottom line: Recommend, but please read more about it before starting. It may not be a book for all romance readers.



#netgalley #reviews #books #littlefreelibrary

I should mark this as a DNF but I'm going to post this instead. This book had promise. It should have been at least a four star read. If it would not have had the use of the "F" word so much I would have finished it. It started out slow but I was willing to keep going until I just could not take it anymore. There is no need to over use such an ugly word like this one.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

I wasn't expecting the book to end like this. but it did have a slow start to it and picked up a little in the middle of the book.

I was thinking this book would be cutesy, but it also touched on topics like grief, depression, and mental illness. I didn’t have an issue with this, it was just different than what I was expecting. There was some cute boy likes girl/girl likes boy mixed in. I didn’t connect with this book as much as other romantic style books I’ve read and I wasn’t as excited to read it. Not a bad read (and I believe this is the first book by this author) by any means and I’d definitely check out other titles she puts out in the future. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

Let me set the scene: you accidentally donated your favorite book to a little library. You go back and find your book with new notes in the margins. That is what happens to Erin Connolly. She begins a friendship with a Mystery Man between the margins of several books. I LOVED THIS book! Erin is in her 30s but is still struggling to find a job/career she enjoys for several reasons and her Mystery Man is in a similar situation. They connected through their love of books.

This book was so sweet and was such a unique way of covering hard topics such as loss and depression. The juxtaposition of a rom-com and grief in one story was beautifully done. This is my first book by Tessa Bickers, but I will definitely be reading more!

The perfect book for book lovers.

So, I picked this book up once and it didn't resonate with me after the first chapter. I put it down and knew I would come back to it later. When I did, I couldn't put it down.

I would say it leans a bit more women's fiction than romance in the sense that we don't see the MC's on page together as much a we might in a typical romance.

The literary references and they way that fall in love is ever book lovers dream. I would highly recommend this one!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is a story for book lovers everywhere. Erin accidentally put her annotated copy of To Kill a Mockingbird in a little free library. It is her favorite book. When she goes to retrieve it, the book is gone. The book returns from someone who has also annotated the same book. This starts a trading of books that are classic. While reading the comments they get to know each other. What will happen when they actually meet?

This is a book that is full of the love of reading. Erin is a character that is grieving and this colors her whole world. She cannot seem to get on with her life. Will this bookish friend help her to move on or is she permanently stuck? You will have to read the book to find out. I really enjoyed this book as I am definitely a book lover. I would highly recommend reading this book.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #TessaBickers, and #GraydonHouse for a copy of this book.
#TheBookSwap

The Book Swap is a book for book nerds. It is a second chance romance of two high school friends, Erin and James, who had a falling out and then years later, unbeknownst to them, they start exchanging books and notes via a little free library. They communicate by writing notes and questions in various classic novels and leaving them for each other to find. This was adorable and heartwarming. I loved how they signed off with things like “meet me at Wuthering Heights”. I loved how these two have lived through and were currently living through tragedy and tough times and these book conversations were getting them through it. So clever and so sweet.

I’m not sure what I expected of this one, but it didn’t meet whatever goals I had in mind.
Erin, quite frankly, was annoying and had a lot of issues. Very self-centered. I understand grieving, but the majority of the book centered around her deceased best friend which just kept taking away from the plot.
James I actually liked and pitied for most of the book.
The whole realization after the library exchanges fell flat for me, as well as the fact that they both just kept meeting by chance, it seemed way too set up.
The ending didn’t do it for me either.

I loved that they both wanted to chase their dreams, I wish more of their journeys had been in here. I wanted to love it, but I just don’t.

If you are a book lover who enjoys the classics, you will love this romance book. A lot of the great love stories are mentioned and quoted in this book. Told in dual pov as well as well as past and present timelines, you have these two main characters who each have a lot of stuff going on in their lives but they manage to find each other through books. What starts off as a simple mistake leads to them two interacting via books they pull from the local littel free library. They write notes to one another without know who each other are. Little do they know they actually know each other very well. I will say it took me a bit to get into this book as I felt it started off slow. It did gradually get better as the book went on. It ended up being a cute story with a happily ever after.