While The Book Swap has a whisper of romance, it mostly delves into trauma. It addresses issues such as bullying, family conflicts, terminal illness, death, and even toxic work environments. It tries to show personal growth

Although I wanted to love this book, I found it challenging to fully connect with the characters. Both main characters seemed trapped in their pasts, and I truly just did not like the FMC. Neither main character seemed to have any personal growth or chemistry until abruptly in the last chapter(s), which was jarring.

Despite this, I believe the author is talented, and I will definitely give their work another try. This particular book just wasn’t my favorite, but I’m sure others will enjoy it!

I thought this was a unique book and really enjoyed it! It had an interesting story and really made you like the characters.

I thought the Book Swap was overall a good book. I do like that it was dual pov to better understand what happened in the past between them. Both characters have gone through so much. The book gives glimpses to their journey with grief and mental health.
The book was a bit slow in the beginning for me and it took me a bit to get into. I did not feel like there was chemistry between the characters. It was cute how they were writing back and forth in books and asking each other questions, but I felt like there was something missing to feel that they had chemistry.

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin for the Arc!

I really enjoyed this one!! The cover is a little misleading as it screams romance and while there is romance involved- it was definitely more about grief, trauma and growth. The journeys of the main characters kept me interested, It was easy to follow, had likable characters and I flew through it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for a copy of this book!

I enjoyed this book. It was super quick- I read it in less than a day- and it was fun. The characters were simple, easy to follow and easy to love. The plot was solid and engaging but not fraught with holes or so difficult to understand it is exhausting. The tropes present in the book are thoughtfully and artfully used and, overall, it’s a good book. I struggled a bit with some of the characters in the beginning and found them to be a little too “woe-is-me” for my tastes but that balanced out later on. The characters are very dramatic, living behind their own little veils and believing their problems are always the worst and their view is always correct but it feels human, and natural, rather than forced and artificial. I did love that the characters were flawed. The premise is fun and really cute- I loved how the characters had their own language when speaking through the books. It had me rooting for them early on and smiling at their cuter moments. The ending happened a bit too quickly, I wanted to see the change happen more slowly rather than in an instant. I would recommend this book as it is fun, easy, and quick and perfect for coming out of a slump or filling a gap between mind-numbing series!

I’ve had this book on my shelf for a while and I found myself skimming through most of the book! I felt like the characters fell flat for me and Erin wasn’t relatable. I was expecting a lighthearted romance but there was a lot of grief and it lacked something for me. There is definitely an audience for this book just wasn’t for me!

The cover got me on this one, but what looked like it would be a cute romance was more of a story about trauma. It made it hard for me to then connect with the story, because I wish I knew more about that going in.

My expectations of this book may have just been off! I was expecting this more as a romance, since that is what has been marketed to me so far but unfortunately didn't feel that was the leading theme. This was still solid and I did enjoy it!

I have started this book three times now, and struggle to stay engaged.
I felt like the characters were difficult to connect with.
I finally have decided to DNF, which made me sad because I was really excited about the concept.

I was disappointed in this one.
The premise sounded really interesting, and the cover was beautifully done. What with the very frequent f-bombs and steamy sex scenes, the actual book was very hard for me to push through and finish, but I did because it was an accepted request from Netgalley

The premise of this book seemed really cute but I got about 15% of the way through it before I decided to DNF it. I thought the writing was not great, but I was willing to push past that for a light-hearted bookish romance. Unfortunately, I think I was more put off by the characters and the way their life is presented. It all felt very two-dimensional, or lacked maturity? Ultimately just not for me.

This was difficult to get through and I almost DNF’d it. Erin is completely unlikable. She has a piss poor attitude and truly thinks everything is about her. She is grieving her friend’s death from 3 years ago but it turns out she was a shitty friend when her friend needed her most. She’s also super childish.

James was likable but very flat. He’s been pining for Erin for 15 years even though she hates him and he has not seen or years from her in all that time. Side note, Erin hates him for something that happened when they were 15. He was an actual child.

Erin’s sister is a hot mess and super overbearing. Very annoying. She keeps trying to make Erin get her life together while her own is basically in shambles.

The plot was extremely predictable and the writing disjointed. It skipped around too much and in all honesty was boring. I started skimming and missed nothing. There were some dark subjects so trigger warnings are needed for some.

Overall this was “You’ve Got Mail” from Temu and instead of email it’s messages in book margins.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Book Swap by Tessa Bickers tells us of Erin Connolly who quits her job and tries to get her life in order by organizing and donating books from her book collection. She accidently donates her very special and heavily annotated copy of To Kill a Mockingbird to a little community library. She is devastated that when she returns it is going. She checks and checks for the book and one day it appears with more notes from a mystery man, and an invitation to read another novel together. I have begun checking out Little Free Libraries a little more carefully after reading this book!

This story invited me on a heartfelt journey. I was so engaged in learning more about Erin and the Mystery Man. The characters in the story were so interesting and felt like people I personally knew by the end of the story. The author delves into grief, forgiveness, healing, and the beauty of second chances. I was invested and drawn into the story which was beautiful and gritty at the same time. I enjoyed it so much!

The Book Swap by Tessa Bickers is a story for anyone who loves books, has felt grief, and believes in personal change and second chances. I greatly recommend.

I was given a copy by the publisher and not required to write a positive review.

This book falls into the category of a decent read, but it doesn’t quite reach its full potential. The storyline is straightforward and easy to follow, but it lacks the depth or complexity that might make it truly memorable. The characters are somewhat developed, but they don’t stand out as particularly unique or compelling. The writing is competent, with no glaring issues, but it also doesn’t have that spark that makes a book hard to put down. There are moments of interest, but they’re scattered, and the pacing can feel uneven at times. Overall, it’s a solid, if unremarkable, read. If you’re looking for something to pass the time, this book will do the job, but don’t expect it to leave a lasting impression.

Such a fun read! I had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed my time! I’ll be sure to recommend this one! Thank you for the opportunity to read an arc!

Thank you to the author and @netgalley for providing this ARC

Erin donates her favorite book to a community library, but it's lost. When it returns with fresh notes and an invitation to meet her pen pal, she forms a connection through classic books. Unfortunately, their shared past may jeopardize their friendship and potential romance before it even starts.

The cover makes this look like a light rom-com, but this book has so much depth, as well as some very touching and impactful themes and dialogue.

This debut novel reads like it's from an established author. It is insightful and poignant, featuring flawed characters and their self-discovery through natural and uncomplicated storytelling. I really appreciated all the classic book references and how they revealed little bits of each character over time. A solid first book that has me anticipating what the author will write next.

Unfortunately this is a DNF for me. I just couldn't get into it and found myself confused throughout. The two different POVs felt disjointed and something about the writing style was hard to follow.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Book Swap by Tessa Bickers. The idea of old friends unknowingly communicating through the margins of books and getting to know one another all over again totally tickled the bookishness in me! Although some of the events in the book seemed overly dramatized, the plot was good and it was an enjoyable read featuring complicated family dynamics, grief and loss, as well as romance and friendships. Thanks NetGalley and Tessa Bickers for letting me enjoy your debut novel!!

Ahhh, a love letter to books about books! This one was cute - totally predictable, absolutely sweet and the enemies to secret courting to lovers might be in my top three. A book lovers dream - I loved the annotation, the highlighted passages and the way Bickers draws you in with the references to books that obviously mean so much to her. This is a perfect book-loving book club type of book!

I really enjoyed this story that had all the You’ve Got Mail vibes! Erin dislikes her job and is feeling lost in the years following the death of her best friend. James has only ever wanted to feel secure and has spent his adulthood chasing stability at the expense of his own happiness. When Erin loses a book in a little free library by mistake, she’s incredibly distraught, until she happens to find it back in that little free library, with margin notes to match her own. Erin and James begin swapping books back and forth, writing and getting to know one another in the margins. What they don’t realize is they were formerly childhood best friends turned ex-best friends following an incident that hurt Erin deeply. Can the margin writers fall in love or will their relationship be doomed when they find out who’s on the other end?

I loved the cast of characters, including Erin’s deceased best friend who kept popping into her room to have deep chats with Erin, and James’ best friend Joel, who really brought humor to a somewhat heavier story. I found myself laughing and crying throughout!

Read this story if you like childhood friends to lovers, stories about finding yourself, mental health representation, and stories with complicated family dynamics.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author Tessa Bickers, and Harlequin Trade Publishing / Graydon House for providing an early copy in exchange for my honest review.