Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy of this title.

I loved the premise of this book. Two "strangers" end up reading the same book from a little library. When James reads the shared copy, he meets the girl in the margins, Erin. She leaves notes, thoughts, and questions throughout the book. Curiosity and a sense of familiarity leads him to write back and suggest meeting in a different book next time.
What starts as superficial conversation leads to deeper questions for one another. The familiarity they feel is revealed when they realize they were high school friends and shared a mutual crush on one another. James was severely bullied and in an attempt to save himself, he ends up betraying Erin, ruining their friendship. Desperate to not lose her again, James and Erin are forced to face the past.

I really loved James' character. He is so endearing and strong despite having everyone turn against him. His loneliness allows him to forgive easily. The kid who was bullied ends up being a strong, successful adult and I love the author for that. Erin on the other hand was shallow, judgemental, and selfish. The best part of the book was her being told so. James deserves better than Erin, but he makes lemonade out of lemons.

This is a debut novel and I loved the authors pacing, character development, and writing style. Told first person and dual POV, this novel will tug at your heart strings and make you want to visit your nearest little library.

2.5 - ⭐⭐💫

The Book Swap is an adult contemporary fiction story following two ex-friends/lovers as they grapple with their changing lives but find solace with a love of words.

Erin has spent the last few years pushing through tragedy and the unbearable load of work when, in a moment of frustration, she accidentally donates a tattered annotated copy of To Kill A Mockingbird which houses a prized possession of hers, to a community library. Thinking all has been lost she is surprised to find her book returned a week later...with responses to every one of her annotations and an invitation to continue to discuss in another book.

James is a young man with a well paying job but no enthusiasm. He spends his time racing to work and to his family home to support his father with a mother struggling to manage her mania when he is prompted by a memory of a passion he used to have...writing. When he comes across a tattered copy of a classic he remembers fondly he gets an idea...will Erin and James find a connection outside of words or will their hopes and dreams be lost among the pages?

This book was not for me.

The premise grabbed my attention but I felt the story was very disjointed and the characters weren't always likeable.

Erin is still grieving the loss of her best friend and there are aspects to that that need unpacking throughout the novel. I felt her relationship with her family didn't have enough depth for me to really empathize with the level of anger she felt for them...and also her ex boyfriend who she has hated for years over something he did as a teenager. She attempted to make good situations out of bad but something felt like the bad was caused by her rose coloured glasses.

James is a character really struggling to make a decision and he takes it out on his family more often than not. I do not get why he roasts his dad's choice to not continue a music career BUT I do understand why he did the things he did as a teenager. I also felt there was a soft side we do get to hear about him that stuck with me.

This book has reference to spice but it is not detailed at all. It is just a quick reference of her saying, "Sure. Why not!" I would say maybe 0.5 out of 5 spicy peppers. I also wasn't a fan of it being with some random guy when we're supposed to root for these two together. This is a sort of second chance romance that they don't know initially about. At the same time I felt nothing for their connection.

Overall, this book is a much darker book than I initially anticipated. It deals with grief, family dysfunction, feeling stuck, and more. I wouldn't call it a romance though there are elements of romance explored...but not enough for me. I just couldn't find a way to connect and empathize with the characters.

Thank you so much for Harlequin Trade Publishing for this arc!

I loved this book so much! Little free library, notes in the margins of books, falling in love in the pages. This was a wonderful story about finding yourself, grief, love, old secrets. I laughed several times as well. I will definitely be recommending this one to friends!

THE BOOK SWAP is a romance about two estranged friends who unknowingly find themselves swapping books and notes in the margin. erin and james are both dealing with a lot in their lives, so they find comfort in each other as they share their thoughts on books and life. but it turns out they also share a lot of history which makes things complicated when they realize who "mystery man" and "margin girl" were.

i was a little iffy about this book when i first started, because i found erin to be a bit immature and hard to connect with. but i'm really glad i pushed through, because the more i discovered about erin and james's history, the more i understood each of their perspective's and why they acted the way they did. this book deals with a lot of heavy topics such as grief, terminal illness, and mental health, but it does do delicately and with love, and i really enjoyed it.

read if you like:
- secret identity
- second chance
- books about books

thanks to netgalley and graydon house for the advanced copy! THE BOOK SWAP comes out september 3.

The Book Swap was a surprising read for me and one that I very much enjoyed. While I was expecting it to be much heavier on the romance between our FMC and MMC, it was much more a story about grief and the ways we deal with it in life.

Our FMC, Erin is dealing quitting her job in the midst of handling her grief around her best friend dying a couple of years prior. In an effort to improve her life, she decides to Marie Kondo her life and ends up accidentally putting her beloved copy of To Kill a Mockingbird in her local Little Free Library that has the last card her best friend had given her. When she realizes, she rushes back to the LFL only to find out someone has already taken in.

Queue our MMC, James, coming on the scene. He ends up being the person that grabs the book and is surprised to find the margins completely full of little notes and laugh out loud comments that has him wanting to know more about the original owner. He ends up writing his own notes in the margins and returns it the LFL where Erin is surprised to find it waiting for her a few weeks later. Her and James end up book swapping through their favorite stories and learning more and more about each other. What neither of them knows... is that they actually attended the same high school and were best friends until they had a falling out over reasons that Erin never forgives James for.

Erin and James both have their share of family issues that they are dealing with, on top of trying to decide what their path in life should be. I loved the relationship between Erin and her sister and seeing James let his friends and family in instead of trying to carry all of life's burdens on his shoulders. while there is love that grows between them, I think this story is much more about growth and I thought both character arcs were well done. I just wish we would have gotten to see their love story a little bit longer as it did feel rushed in the end.

Overall, I really liked this one! I read the last 30% on a plane and was definitely trying to hide from my seatmates while I cried through the ending.

3.75 stars, rounded up to 4 stars

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for sending me this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest review!

2.5⭐️

My reading experience started out with a gripping and enticing first line, that then lead to a lot of vile language and not very likable characters.

There are gay & lesbian side characters. Casual sex as a way to avoid things, and wallow in their feelings. A lot of unhealthy ways to deal with grief throughout this book. Along with two disgusting sexual descriptions of body parts. Lots of content I don’t normally read and do not like.

Let’s talk a little about the story. I loved the writing in the margins back and forth part, the actual book swap part of this book. It was a great concept; and while I loved it I still think it could have been done better with better characters. This story was also not entirely centered around the book swap. The loss of the main characters best friend years ago seems like a bigger focus and more the center of the whole storyline. I didn’t prefer this. It’s not what I was looking for or expecting going into this book.

This concept just didn’t work for me the way it was executed here. There wasn’t enough of the characters past connection for the couple to really click as a second chance friends to lovers romance, like the author was trying to. I think this concept would have worked better with strangers, or as I said much more of the back story and connection actually there. We were more so told about it. Not as much shown.

So in conclusion, concept of the book was great and it did have some good moments because of that, but I didn’t prefer the way it was executed at all. Along with a lot of cussing, gay side characters, casual sex, bad ways of dealing with grief, etc. Not the book for me and I wouldn’t recommend you read it if any of that stuff is not for you either.

This book was much more than I bargained for. I rooted for the main characters, sobbed for them, laughed with them, got angry with and for them, and I felt all of the things.

Through this story, we follow Erin and James as they cope with discovering themselves and finding a way to truly live and not simply exist. This story covers heavy topics of grief and loss, dealing with mental illness within the family, and severe bullying of school-aged children. It is a second chance romance, but it is so much more. It is tragedy, hope, and unconditional love.

I absolutely loved the way Erin and her pen pal communicate through the margins of classic books swapped back and forth through a little free library.

The Book Swap by Tessa Bickers is a delightful and charming read that celebrates the love of books and the connections they create. The story revolves around two characters, each at a crossroads in their lives, who come together through an unexpected exchange of books. As they swap titles and share stories, they discover more about themselves and each other in ways they never anticipated.

Bickers' writing is warm and engaging, making it easy to fall into the world she creates. The characters are relatable and well-drawn, each with their own quirks and vulnerabilities that make them feel real. The plot moves at a comfortable pace, allowing readers to savor the unfolding relationships and the power of literature to bring people together.

What stands out most about The Book Swap is its gentle exploration of how books can be a source of comfort, inspiration, and even transformation. It’s a story about taking chances, opening up to new experiences, and finding connection in unexpected places. For anyone who has ever found solace in the pages of a book, this novel will resonate deeply.

In short, The Book Swap is a feel-good story that will appeal to book lovers and romantics alike. It’s a perfect read for those looking for something heartwarming and uplifting.

I won't lie, I went into reading this arc with very few expectations. Not that my expectations were low and I expected not to like it, but more that I've had a lot of good arcs to read through lately and this was one that I didn't even really remember requesting, so I wasn't sure what to expect. By the end? Crying one and off through the last few chapters and again in the acknowledgments because I was so moved. It's a book about two people who start writing each other notes back and forth in the margins of books they find and leave for one another at a little community free library. The catch as they know it? They've never met and this all started by chance. The actual catch? They were close friends in high school who had feelings for one another but then parted under horrible circumstances, one of them feeling betrayed. The way the book gives us both perspectives was a bit odd at first, because the parts in the present weren't chronological. One of them would find the newest book and we'd see their reaction, and then next we'd go back and see the person writing in it, etc. But the way the story revealed the past bit by bit, while characters dealt with grief, feelings of failure, family obligation, finding their long ignored dreams, and more, was beautiful. Eventually, I couldn't put it down. In other books and movies, the way it ended would have annoyed me (not enough time with the mains together at the end, etc.) but it felt right this time and didn't bother me at all. Their stories were so separate the entire time, while entirely intertwined, so it just made sense for them to need to figure out their own stuff before they finally made their ways back to one another. Also, the MMC was working on writing again after a long time and the whole writing/reading aspect of the story was timely for me, and inspiring. I was thoroughly impressed by this book and its debut author, and will absolutely read more from them in the future.

Synopsis: When Erin accidentally donates her favorite book, an annotated copy of To Kill a Mockingbird, to a little free library, she is devastated. The book turns back up a week later with fresh annotations and an invitation to continue the conversation in the margins of Great Expectations. This begins a pen pal relationship

Thoughts: I am really impressed that this is a debut novel! This book packed a lot in, tackling some tough feelings and relationships. My favorite aspect of the book was the pen pal relationship through notes in the margins of books - so cute! The first half of the book had me really hooked, but the second half basically entirely relies on miscommunication, and if you’ve been here awhile you know that is my least favorite trope. Overall, though, this was a sweet book with lots of heartwarming and tear-jerker moments.

Read this if you like:
📚 little free libraries
📚 classic literature
📚 pen pals
📚 second chance romance
📚 dealing with grief

I started out really enjoying this book, but the final third had me loving it. I originally expected a romance based on the cover style, but this was not that. This should be properly read as contemporary fiction with romance involved. It’s more about the way Erin and James acknowledge grief, overcome being stalled in careers and life paths they never intended to take, and come to terms with their less than ideal family dynamics. Add in some playful banter, expression of deep fears, fully-formed “side” characters, traumatic childhood experiences, and lots of book references as two characters begin a mysterious book swap by way of their local equivalent of a little free library, and you’ve got an emotional but funny story about love, loss, and what matters most. I think one of my favorite parts of this book was the way that the male characters were portrayed. They were emotionally in-tune with themselves (or on their way there), supportive as friends, and devoted as fathers. Were there a few convenient plot points? Sure. But they didn’t bother me enough to make a difference. The tears I shed two-thirds of the way through won me over and made me a big fan of this book. If I had any complaint, it’s that our main characters get such little time together in person. Their journey felt realistic and necessary though; I just would have liked a little more time with them at the end. I also had to overcome reading about a character who shared my name (thank goodness Cassie wasn’t the FMC!)

The bottom line: I was impressed with this debut and will be looking forward to more by this author in the future.

I want to give a huge thank you to netgalley and Tessa Bickers for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Going into the book swap, I wasn't particularly sure what to expect. Having never read a book by Bickers before, I went in with an open mind and an open-heart, ready to love the main characters and the storyline. While I did find myself enjoying the small references here and there, I just couldn't get into the book. Maybe it's one of those right book, wrong time type of situations, but i found myself reaching for other reads on my shelf and just working my way through this.

The one thing I do have to say is that the writing style is pretty easy to read and you can get through it pretty fast if you skim it. I feel like a lot of the other content in the book was like wading through mud and struggling to get out alive. While I'd be willing to give another one of Bicker's books a go, I do feel as if "The Book Swap" could have been a faster-paced, more exciting read. The premise gave me so much excitement, yet the book was so slow? So dull? I was expecting more.

3.5 stars

This book is following two POV, Erin and James, as they both navigate work, family, romance, and lost dreams. They were childhood friends but they had a huge falling out. They both are mourning the loss of their mutual friend.

I enjoyed some of the family dynamics and the book swapping premise. It took the book a long time to get to the height of the story. It felt a bit dragged out in the middle and end. However, life has setbacks and miscommunications, right?

Has potential - This story was a bit of a trigger for me and I had some difficulties getting through. It didn't feel quite like a romantic comedy. It was a story worth reading, but maybe not as light as I thought it would be. I would like to read another book from this author in the future.

The Book Swap by Tessa Bickers really surprised me. I expected a sweet romance set around a book mistakenly discarded in a community library featuring some literary classics. And while that is a central part of the plot, the book tackles bigger themes of grief, mental illness and where to find happiness.

In the opening chapters, Erin quits her job and says goodbye to a toxic boss. She decides to turn her life upside down and Marie Kondo’s her apartment - taking her beloved, annotated copy of To Kill A Mockingbird to a community library in error. When she finds the book again, someone has responded to her through more notes, questions and annotations - which begins a delightful back and forth with a mystery man.

I found Erin tough to like as the FMC. She undergoes some growth throughout the book and embarks on finding her calling after being inspired by her pen pal. The book had quite a few secondary characters and quite a lot happening outside of the main plot of the book exchange. I did like James more, but was confused by parts of his personality and actions.

The book spans quite a bit of time, and there were many moments where I wanted it to be faster paced or was confused for a moment of where we were in the timeline.

I was definitely touched by parts of this book, and appreciated that it didn’t shy away from tough topics.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

**Thank you to Harlequin for this free digital review copy.**

You think this is going to be a cute rom-com, and while that's partially the case, there were a lot of heavy topics involved. If you're sensitive, be cautious.

I loved the setup of this story, where two people are falling in love over each other's annotations in books left in a little free library, but the characters themselves drove me a little nuts. This book is a pretty slow burn, and the backstory is also slowly revealed, and it was just not satisfying to me. But it kept me turning pages and wanting to see how things would turn out in the end. Erin has held a grudge against James for years, and when we finally found out why, it came across as lackluster and unjustified to me. Nothing that happens in high school should hold this much weight in somebody's adult life. James is so focused on what he thinks is the "right" way to live that he fails to respect and appreciate when people choose to go a different way. A simple conversation could have done wonders for this couple, and that is one of my biggest pet peeves in romance novels. All of the side characters were way more likable than the main characters in this story, and I teared up a few times over some of the storylines.

OH MY STARS 🥲🫶🏻
I loved this corny , you can see the ending from a mile away , book about a little book library.
These libraries are integral parts of communities for book lovers and I loved the story this one spun.
Never in a million years would you think Erin and James would reconcile and yet some how they helped each other grow and come back together in the most beautifully cliche way 🥰
Still reeling from the fast paced ending but soooo well done. It’s so much more than a romance 💘

Thank you NetGalley and Graydon House for an ebook of "The Book Swap" by Tessa Bickers in exchange for an honest review. I'm not much of a romance reader, but I thought this was so cute! I finished it in one sitting and would recommend for anyone who loves romance or books about books! This contemporary chick lit is filled with drama, second chances, and intense themes that I would check before reading.

This was a cute romcom but ultimately forgettable. I loved all the book talk and how chaste everything was but wanted a more grand and romantic ending. I did love the setup, but I’m seeing so many romcoms with heavy themes instead of comedy, and they are all blending together.

I went into this not knowing the heavy topics that would surface in this book. I do wish that they would have been included in the NetGalley description.

TW/CW - grieving, cancer, bullying, mental illness.

With that being said, I loved this story. It’s a beautiful story of two people putting the pieces of themselves back together and the growth that Erin and James experience is perfection. The fact that they wrote to each other in the margin of books, ugh so cute.

I loved how relatable Erin was. I kept thinking to myself, wow me too, when I read her POV. There were a few times, in both of their POVs, where I found myself tearing up. The serious themes in The Book Swap are all things that many people can relate to, but like I said earlier I do wish it was stated somewhere that there were heavy topics. Based off the cover and synopsis I went into this expecting a cute romance.