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.

The Book Swap is promoted as a romance but I felt the heavy topics in this book overshadowed the romance. Definitely research the subject matter in The Book Swap before reading to avoid triggers. I really enjoyed the premise of two individuals writing notes in the margins of classic books and exchanging them back and forth through a free library. For me, this book would have been stronger if it had focused solely on the romance. I mean, on Goodreads the title is listed as "The Book Swap: The romance novel about book lovers and for book lovers - uplifting, moving, and full of love". I never would have expected to find grief, bullying, mental illness, cancer, strained family relationships, death of a loved one, and toxic work environments in a book with that title. This is Tessa Bicker's debut novel and she is a strong writer, but I wish she had saved these heavy topics for another novel.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Tessa Bickers for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. The Book Swap publishes on September 3, 2024.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I went in expecting something totally different than what this book turned out to be but I loved it! If you’re a book lover, writer, literary gal in any way this book is for you. It’s truly a love letter to books. This book captures grief, friendship, family dynamics, mental health and so much more. It was just beautiful 👏🏻 I found myself relating to Erin more as her character developed and she became self-aware. James also developed beautifully and learned how to stand his ground. By the ending of this book, I was cheering them on as a couple and wanted their slow burn to hurry it up.

Summary:
Erin is stuck in a cycle of grief and Depression after losing her best friend to cancer. She accidentally donates her beloved book to a little library in town and is reeling from this, until it turns back up a week later with notes written in the margins. This starts the cutest pen pal relationship with James, her ex-best friend from high school who ruined her trust and is no longer allowed in her life. Neither of them know at the time, who they’re corresponding with. These notes only grow deeper into getting to know one another. However, they both have battles of their own that they’re facing and this feels like a break from it all. I won’t give anything else away, YOU MUST READ NOW 🤭

Expect:
-mental health rep
-slow burn romance
-classic novel mentions
-small town
-cancer battle
-second chance
-enemies to lovers
-girl friendship

Thank you NetGalley, the author and Harlequin Publishing for this ARC copy in exchange for an honest review ✨

This was too cute, and overall such a fun idea. I love that it took place in little libraries and had a wide variety of titles included.

Another solid 3.5 star book. I really liked the idea of this story and rhe exchanging margin notes. I think both characters spent too much time angry about the past, especially at 31. Overall, the premise was really cute. Sometimes fhe prose felt confusing, especially when mentioning side characters.

The Book Swap puts a unique twist on the epistolary novel by having the main leads fall in love through the margins of books. For book lovers, the references to various other novels is an additional treat to reading the correspondence between two former friends turned enemies turned anonymous pen pals.

Erin, the female lead, comes off as very negative and quite a bit self centered. When reading the first chapter, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to come to like Erin, but even though I wouldn’t say I eventually grew to love her, I did understand her and that made me invested in her journey. Erin has legitimate reasons to wallow in despair. Her job sucks, she’s still grieving the loss of a friend, and because she’s experienced betrayal in the past, she keeps most people at arm's length. She’s not looking for a relationship, which is why it’s heartwarming to see her be vulnerable to a complete stranger who has decided to return the book she accidentally donated with his notes added to her own in the margins.

As the two strike up a communication, they remain in the dark as to the other’s identity, but we quickly learn that Erin’s correspondent is a former classmate/friend whom she hasn’t spoken to in years. Unlike in other books where the rift occurred because of some silly miscommunication, the reason Erin and James no longer talk is legitimate. It’s bad enough that it paints James in a terrible light; but just as I felt compelled to give Erin grace due to her grief, it's also easy to extend it to James when confronted with the experiences that led him to make the decision which tore them apart.

One of the best things about this book is that it really explores the relationships not only between the romantic leads, but also between them and their family and friends. James’ mother is bipolar and James has been a caretaker for her since he was a child. Other difficult circumstances that affect these characters are terminal illness, infidelity, and unexpected pregnancy. Even though it seems like a lot to put into these pages, the way these things come up throughout the novel fit with the lives of these characters. Through these relationships we learn why it’s so hard for Erin and James to get a grip on their lives and to find happiness for themselves.

Between the combination of the notes within the books and the conversations the leads have with supporting characters, there is always something happening that is causing Erin and James to grow. Because of this it wasn’t until the end that I realized that the actual physical interactions between the main leads are few and far between. Once I noticed it, I wished we’d gotten to see them interact more, but really that was more after the fact than something that bothered me while actually reading the book.

Although I like the cover of the book on Netgalley (this review was created off the provided advanced copy), I feel that it misled me into thinking that this book would be lighter in tone than it was. In mood, this book reminded me of Talking at Night and not only because they both take place across the pond. Both books revolve around previous classmates whose ill fated crush never really goes away as they grow into adulthood. Although they try to leave behind the circumstances that pushed them apart and move on with different people, they can’t replicate the same connection they had with anyone else.

I feel in love with these two corresponding through their annotation notes within books they trade at their little free library. Add in that this is a second chance for them both while dealing with loss, mental health, and family drama. This story pulled at my heart strings and left with all the feels!!

"The Book Swap" by Tessa Bickers is a charming tale of former friends who unknowingly reconnect years later. The characters are interesting and kept me engaged throughout the story. If you love books and sweet love stories, this one is definitely worth a read!

Thank you to Graydon House and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

I am going to be honest, this is the first book I have DNF’ed all year. The synopsis and book cover lead the reader to believe it was going to be a cozy romance that begins in the margins of books between Erin and James, but I feel like it was a bit misleading. The book is quite heavy, dealing with the topics of cancer and death, mental health (bipolar disorder and suicide), and childhood bullying (they younger versions of the characters were horrible to one another). Those topics aren’t usually cause for me to stop reading a book, my biggest gripes were really with the disjointed writing (jumping from character to character and between the past and present) and how dragged out the plot. This book probably could’ve been wrapped up 3/4ths of the way through if the writing was more concise. I did enjoy the adult relationship between Erin and her sister, Georgia – it was very sweet and supportive. I can appreciate what the author was attempting to do, but the book just wasn’t for me.

I loved this book. We all can understand having that favorite book, which creates a great story. This book was in a Duo POV, which Erin and a Mystery Man, James, are swapping her favorite book back and forth with messages. Little do they know; they have a past connection from high school. This was a great read, and I would recommend it to all.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this advanced copy.