After a personal tragedy, Erin accidentally donates her prized possession. A heavily annotated copy of To Kill a Mockingbird with personal notes from someone she’s lost. She’s devastated only to find her copy back in the mini library a week later with additional notes in the margins and an invitation to another book. This is where the You’ve Got Mail style relationship begins but in the margins this time!

This story was so impactful and had me so emotional at times. The topic of grief was handled beautifully and showed that we don’t always do what we think we might do in any given situation. We are human and handle things in different ways which can lead to overwhelming guilt. This book tapped into human relationships so well and I absolutely adored it! I did feel that it took way too long to get going in the beginning and there was one part I thought was not necessary at all but overall, I loved it.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Tessa Bickers, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing this free ARC. This is my honest review! This publishes on September 3rd.

I have posted my review on Goodreads, my Facebook book club, and will make a TikTok to post before the pub date.

Disclaimer: do not judge this book by its cover. After reading other reviews, I saw that the cartoon design was misleading, this is not a light romance but more of a poignant drama. With that in mind, I actually enjoyed this novel.

The Book Swap was emotional and frustrating at times, dealing with very real topics like grief, loss, mental illness, bullying, growing up and finding purpose in life. Told from two POVs, childhood friends Erin and James unknowingly exchange annotated books through a little library.

At first I thought Erin wasn’t very likable but I understood her struggle with grieving her best friend Bonnie, kind of adrift in life and hoping to live just like her friend wished her to. When she loses her cherished copy of To Kill a Mockingbird by leaving it in the library, it started this interesting story of reading between the lines. There are many great book references throughout, and I really liked how Erin and James could express their emotions in the margins of these books. This helped them finally see the good things they can accomplish whether in their jobs or with family.

There are a lot of emotional experiences packed into this book and I felt the characters went through a lot to finally accept themselves in the end. Erin’s strained relationship with her mother, as well as James’ obligation to help his father with his mentally ill mother. There are a few secondary characters like Erin’s sister Georgia or James’ friend Joel, that added great interactions and sounding boards for our protagonists. Not to be forgotten, the flashbacks and scenes with Bonnie for both characters added an extra layer of interest and affection for me.

I recommend this to fans of literary fiction and maybe The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Thank you to Graydon House for the review copy.

I was so excited to receive an ARC of this book, as many people on IG spoke to highly of it. I went in without reading the synopsis, and I am glad that I did!
Spoilers ahead.
Wow, what an emotional book. I loved how this book was told from both Erin and James's POVs. It allowed you to connect with them on a very raw level. I love that the Little Library and annotating books provided so much hope for both of them, while they were dealing with very difficult personal present and past lives. I love how long their "annotating relationship" went on, when it could have been so easily "ruined" by sharing a cell phone number or email address. Tessa's writing was beautiful and vulnerable. Definitely a 5 star read.

An adorable read that any fan of classic literature will be sure to love! It references many classic literary tales especially To Kill A Mockingbird! I went in expecting more of a lighthearted romance, but this book has many more intense themes that might be hard for some readers. That being said it's worth the read if you are looking for something with more depth to it. It's emotional and beautifully written, slow to start but then finishes strong!

Thank you NetGalley for this Arc!

This book snuck up on me on how hard it would pull at my heartstrings. It handled the grief of both death and the ending of varying types of adult friendships in such a personal and realistic way. I could connect with both the FMC and MMC in their own personal battles they both were facing, but it was really the side characters that made this book beautiful. The siblings relationships were perfection. The anger towards their parents felt so real. The growing adult friendship between Erin and Cassie really blew me away. I thought I was gonna get out without crying until 92% in and I saw the dedication the MMC wrote for the FMC and my heart was exploding out of my chest. I love this book.

The Book Swap will give you many reads to fall in love with it along the way. It's a charming story about taking a chance on love. James discover Erin's note-filled book in a local bookshelf, he takes a chance and starts a conversation that will change their lives. He leaves her a note an and ask if she would want to meet up which could lead to great things for both of them. But what neither if them know is they have a complicated past. They will have to to forgive their pasts id they want this new future together. The book Swap was surprisingly emotional but beautiful written.

This is a delightful book about two souls both going through hardships in life and finding support in books and fellow book readers. Please please please check content warnings before you star this novel but I think it is absolutely worth the effort. I was expecting this to be a light-hearted rom-com but instead found it to be a heartwarming story about recovering from loss and forgiveness. The book has a slow start but once it gets going it is hard to put down. Kudos to Tessa Bickers for delivering this wonderful novel!

The Book Swap definitely read more like literary fiction compared to a romance novel. I loved the fact that it covered such hard topics like grief and bullying. However, I couldn't really connect with the FMC Erin since she really couldn't give anyone a chance to explain themselves about anything till the end of the story. Overall, it was a nice read but it definitely lost me at some points. Still a great novel from a debut author, I can't wait to see what other works she releases.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the e-arc!

📚Wow! I did NOT know what I was in for with this book.

📖I’ll be honest, I felt very confused at first and I wasn’t sure if it was the British tone or if it was the story….BUT THEN it all started to make sense! And it HOOKED me!

📚I absolutely loved the premise of this love story…with the characters falling in love over the magic notes of books they trade back and forth.

📖However, like any true love story, this book is wrought with grief, anger, forgiveness, unfairness, illness, death, and love.

📚The themes of this book were very heavy! There were times I just wanted to cover my minds eye as I pictured the scenes ☹️😢. But the BEAUTY that came out in the themes of growth and LIVING were so impactful!

📖If you’re looking for a lighthearted, cute book about books-this ain’t it. But if you want your life to be changed, your heart to be moved, and your perspective on life to be challenged….READ IT! It’s SO worth it!🤍

I felt like this was more about individual character growth rather than a second chance romance, but I loved it! It had me in my feels, or what I like to call a five star feelings book. Were both character unlikeable at times? Absolutely, but I think that’s the point. I really enjoyed when they got called on their flaws and were ultimately able to grow. I can recommend this to those that like books about bookish things, those that are looking for romance books without spice, and those that love real characters and their development.

3.5 stars

The Book Swap is the kind of book that is going to make you feel some hardcore feelings as it explores different iterations of loving relationships and what happens when those relationships change.

I went in expecting to read a romance, and this is not really a romance. More women’s fiction with a slightly romantic B-plot. At times the plot leans a little too heavily on miscommunication, which works when the characters are still children, but not so much when they’re adults.

There are heavier themes of bullying and loss that you wouldn’t necessarily expect from the illustrated cover. Which makes me wish that this book was being marketed differently. I think there will be some readers that are disappointed because they’re expecting genre romance, though I think the book works as a whole.

If you’re looking for an exploration of love in all its forms, and the ways in which characters have to process trauma and loss in order to move forward, this might be the book for you.

📖 Book Review 📖
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
First off, thank you to Graydon House for the eARC!

Based on the cover, I expected it to be a cozy romance, but this book dove into tough topics like grief and loss.

Pick up this book if you’re looking for a book on trauma and growth with some romance added in.

Also a good one for anyone who loves classic book references throughout.

Read this book if you like…
💜 third person POV
💜character growth
💜 some spice

Release date: September 3rd

#bookreview #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #arcreader #arcreviewer #arcreview #booklover

"It makes me happy to think of someone else reading these books. Finding something in them that I didn't. Taking them somewhere that I've never been."

This was everything I wanted a Little Free Library romance to be, and then some. I don't want to say too much, but this is a story full of loss, grief, second chances, and redemption – it's finding yourself in the margins of your favorite books.

Love love loved this one.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the e-arc!

Thank you to Graydon House/Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC.

The premise of this one sounded so cute: an FMC grieving the loss of her best friend loses her favorite book and then finds it in a community bookshelf (think a Little Free Library situation) annotated by a stranger. It’s You Got Mail meets annotated classic. Unfortunately for me, it was a miss.

While this was a miss for me, I did enjoy watching Erin, the FMC, find herself amidst grief. On the other hand, we also get to watch James, the MMC, ditch his high-paying corporate job to pursue his real passion in life. Both career pivots were inspiring and enjoyable to read about.

I also loved that this book explored bullying, mental illness, and loss. These are heavy themes and are very present in the book. I was expecting a lighthearted romcom, but instead, I was faced with these very deep issues. I loved the exploration, but I was not in the right mindset to read about it.

The romance has You Got Mail vibes in that the characters have a shared history but do not realize they are each other’s mystery love interests. There is also a big miscommunication plot line that I did not enjoy. However, this is a very clean romance that centers on trauma and a grief journey.

I went into this book with expectations of a romcom, and I think that is why it was a miss for me. This is not a romance book; it’s more of a plotline around trauma and growth with a heavy emphasis on bullying, terminal illness, death, toxic workplaces, and mental illness. I think I may have enjoyed it a bit more if I knew those themes would be the crux of this novel. Instead, I was left wanting in the romance department.

Do not go into this book expecting a cute, fun rom-com‼️ that is not this. this book is a dive into grief and big emotions. The romance was a little all over the place. I appreciated the book much more as a general fiction piece than a romance book. this was a story about learning to love again after losing so much of your heart.

I found out this is the author’s debut novel, which is crazy!! It’s so sweet because the MMC writes his first novel in the book. Like stop that’s so cute #twins

The FMC highkey got on my nerves. It was hard to root for her at times when I just wanted to scream at her from the pages. In some ways, I feel like her character flaws were on purpose?? Like yes, I’m not a big fan of her, but I also couldn’t put the book down so.

I read this book in one sitting. Something about this was addicting, even when I wanted to slap the characters upside the head.

Also the side characters?! So cute!! I loved them.

Read if you like:
- second chance romance
- dual pov
- emotional reads

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had a cute background but it was confusing on how it jumps from one point to another. I wouldn’t know exactly where we were for a little minute.

The Book Swap by Tessa Bickers 5⭐️

When I requested this book on NetGalley, I was expecting a cute little fluffy romcom about falling in love through annotations. What I was not expecting was an absolutely heart wrenching story of loss and how grief can be paralyzing. This book brought me to tears multiple times. The way Erin loved Bonnie and agonized over their friendship was palpable. Watching both our main characters reconnect with their siblings/family members was beautiful. I honestly did not like Erin as a main character. She can be very selfish and judgmental. It was nice to watch her realize that she needed to give people grace and take responsibility for her own life. James also had his flaws and I think that’s what made these two relatable in their struggles. I loved this book and will be recommending it to my friends!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Book Swap is about two twenty somethings in London who begin exchanging books at a local community library when Erin accidentally leaves a favorite book there after a clear out after a terrible day at work.. Her mystery man intrigued by all the notes left in the margins, adds a few of his own then returns the book and invites Erin to borrow the book that he has begun to annotate from the community library. From this simple premise comes a book full of tenderness and growth as both Erin and James begin to forgive the mistakes, and grudges of high school. A long and sometimes bumpy journey to HEA, I'm glad I came along for the ride.

I devoured this book in 24 hours. There was so much packed into one story. Some of the themes were really heavy such as bullying, abandonment, loss of a best friend, and mental health. But wow did Erin and James have me in a chokehold. Knowing they were swapping stories through a #lfl makes me NEED to buy a copy of this one and put it in a #littlefreelibrary near me. Truly a must read. It has me laughing and crying.

The Book Swap is a sweet romance built through the love of books. I mean what better way to meet the love of your life? Unfortunately when Erin accidentally starts a book swap with mystery man, it turns out it’s the opposite of the love of her life. The Book Swap was a quick and sweet read. The plot not only centered around our main characters but how each person has a role to play. If you’re into meet cute s and enemies to lovers this is a good read for you.