
Member Reviews

<i>"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."</i>
Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing/Graydon House and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for this review!
I know, I know. I am WAY behind on this beauty, but sometimes life just LIFES way too hard. So, I'm planning on spending the next 6 or so months trying to play catch up on some of the books just chilling on my NetGalley (and physical) shelf. Starting with this one!
This hit me WAY harder than I was anticipating. At this point, I've read enough Abby Jimenez and Katherine Center to handle the heavy topics that get sprinkled into these romantic comedies, but I wasn't prepared for this one. My heart broke multiple times for James, especially LITTLE James. Not giving anything away, but that sweet angel baby 😞
Needless to say, I was EXTREMELY happy to see the happy ending when it came!
📚 London, England
❤️ Second Chance Romance
📚 Managing Grief
❤️ Navigating Family Struggles
📚 Classic Books
❤️ Talking in the Margins
📚 Book Lovers
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#bookstagram #booksta #books #booksbooksbooks #avidreader #ilovereading #thetwistedlibrarian #professionalbookworm #thebookswap #tessabickers #book8of2025 #whatsnikkireading #whatsnikkilisteningto #london #secondchanceromance #managinggrief #navigatingfamilystruggles #classicbooks #booklovers #romance

Stopppp this was so cute! As a book lover (and Little Library lover) this made me so happy. A really heartwarming and sweet read. Thank you so much for the arc!

The Book Swap has a sweet concept that book lovers will appreciate—strangers connecting through shared stories and unexpected notes. The idea is charming, and there are some genuinely heartwarming moments. However, the plot felt a bit uneven, and the pacing dragged in places. The romance was cute but lacked the emotional depth I was hoping for. It’s an easy, cozy read perfect for a weekend afternoon, but it didn’t quite leave a lasting impression. Worth a read if you’re in the mood for something light and bookish.

"The Book Swap" is cute and emotional and left me wanting to visit my local Little Free Libraries. I adore the idea of two people communicating through notes in the margins of books, and falling in love this way. I don't usually gravitate towards second-chance romances, but I was moved by this one and I might look out for them in the future. I loved watching the characters of this book slowly heal from tragedy and find their way back to love. I enjoyed this emotional, sweet read and plan to read any future books by Tessa Bickers.

Absolutely adored this book!!! If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would in a heartbeat! This story was everything I wanted and more: heartfelt, hopeful, and filled with emotions that lingers well after I finished the last page.
The meet cute was perfect and totally believable. I could absolutely see this kind of story unfolding in real life, especially with the way it all began through something as charming and nostalgic as a little free library. The idea of writing in the margins of books? Pure magic. I loved how Erin and her mystery man connected through stories they both loved, it gave their bond such a beautiful foundation. The use of classic books added such a thoughtful and meaningful touch. The conversations they had in the margins felt intimate and vulnerable, like a secret world shared just between the two. And when their real life started to intertwine… I couldn’t read fast enough!!! I would absolutely recommend this book to my friends and followers!

Hopeful, reminiscent, heart-wrenching, and romance - this book had it all. Erin's choices in life, from the donation of a book to the reaction to betrayal to dealing with tragedy, come to a crossroads in the margins of the books she reads. I alternately disliked and liked characters as I met them and learned more about them, felt the struggles of Erin and her Mystery Man (this is a dual narrator storyline), and enjoyed the inclusion of several classic titles and a little free library.

I loved this book! It was a little too long / could have used a bit of editing, but the heart of the book is in the right place and what devoted reader hasn't imagined falling in love through notes in book?

This was a cute and heartwarming read, James and Erin truly helped each other heal from their heartbreaks. They were definitely cute together and the pen pal dynamic of the book was super cute!

This was such a great book! Great book references throughout the book. The ranging was just perfect!! I loved being able to read it early! Thank you!

Anything that has to do with books is an immediate yes for me. I loved everything including the "problem" and couldn't recommend this enough.

I love the idea of losing your favorite book with all your notes in the library only to have someone pick it up and add their own notes.
A book about books and many other issues.

This unfortunately just was not for me! I ended up dnfing because I just felt very confused and like we were jumping around a lot and not getting explanation for some things! I think that the premise of this has a lot of potential and wouldn’t discourage anyone from reading it just wasn’t for me!!

This was such a cute book! I loved that it was not just a sweet little romance, facilitated by a little free library, but it also touched on grief, friendships, forgiveness, family issues, etc. I really didn’t know what to expect with this book, but somehow still got so much more than expected!

Erin has recently lost her best friend. She knows she needs to keep on living. Erin accidentally donates her favorite book to the local free library. A week later her favorite book shows back up in the free library with notes added to the margins and an invitation to Great Expectations. Erin forms pen pals with a mystery reader. They swap books and share notes about their favorite books. This book was so good. Both characters face hardships in their own lives but form a friendship through books and find themselves again as adults.

In The Book Swap we follow Erin as she navigates her life in the wake of the death of her best friend, and James who is struggling helping his father with his mother’s mental health issues. When Erin trying to turn over a new leaf brings a bunch of books to a Tiny community library, she later discovers that she’s mistakenly donated one of her favorite books that has one of the last gifts she received from her deceased best friend in it. James returning home from a long stay with his parents find the book and connects with the annotations in it and decides to annotate back to Erin along with leaving a book for her. The two bond through book all the while not knowing that they share a painful past.
Really enjoyed this one and its examination of grief, and trauma. Both James and Erin have a lot of stuff going on and watching them navigate it was very compelling and worth the read.

This was not the lighthearted romcom I expected. The story follows two strangers who swap books and form a connection, but it takes a more emotional and sad turn as their struggles come to light. While the writing was good and the characters were well-developed, the tone was heavier than I anticipated. It’s a touching story, but if you’re looking for a fun romance, this might not be the right pick.

“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.”
The Book Swap by Tessa Bickers is a second-chance romance. Although this book is categorized as a romance, there was very little romance. If anything, it was just depressing. There are lots of heavy topics discussed, so be sure to check TWs before jumping in.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Well I thought this was gonna be a funny little rom com. A nice second chance romance with some miscommunication. Well it ripped my fricking heart out. The Book Swap had romance, grief, figuring out what you want to do for the rest of your life, mental health, and the ability to make me cry both sad and happy tears. Just pick it up...if I keep typing I'll cry again.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers!
Loved this story of Erin and James, and how a difficult past can still become a hopeful future. I definitely made a reading list of all the books they exchanged-some old favorites, and some that I’ve always meant to read!

Unfortunately, I went in with high expectations because I was enticed by the plot, but I found myself forcing myself to get through it. The characters were not likable, I was not invested in their story, and I could not relate to them, especially Erin. It was funny because I liked the side characters more! It was slow, quite boring, and again, the beginning was SO SLOW. This is the slowest of burns I've ever experienced. It was not memorable at all, but maybe I'm just picky. I'm sure other slow burn lovers might appreciate it more than I did.