This book was not what I expected, and I really liked what it turned out to be. It was a love story, but not a typical romance book. It was a story of grief and loss, betrayal and forgiveness, friendship and family.

Erin is deep in grief over losing her best friend to cancer when she accidentally donates her cherished copy of To Kill A Mockingbird to a little library. It surprisingly turns up a week later with new notes in the margins, and a pen pal friendship has begun. It is an emotional read that follows the characters’ journeys to healing.

This book beautifully references beloved classic novels while also being a fresh take on contemporary romance. I had a little trouble following the transitions in the timeline, but that is my only complaint. I highly enjoyed this book and recommend it to book lovers wanting an emotional story about second chances.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Tessa Bickers, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Margin Girl meet Mystery Man! Erin Connolly finds herself lost when she accidentally donates her treasured, annotated To Kill a Mockingbird to a local library. Heartbroken over the loss of this special keepsake, Erin is astonished when the book returns with new notes and an invitation in a copy of Great Expectations to connect with a mysterious pen pal. Through their exchanges in the margins of their favorite novels, Erin and her enigmatic counterpart develop a profound bond, uncovering both a shared past and the potential for something more. As Erin confronts painful reminders of her past and the person she swore never to forgive, she faces a pivotal choice that could alter the course of her life.

**Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Tessa Bickers for an eARC of The Book Swap.

Content warnings: bullying, cancer, grief, lasting psychological issues from bullying and grief

Erin Connolly has been living a half-life since the death of her best friend Bonnie, but she's determined to start living. She finally quits the job she hates, and starts cleaning up her apartment by donating the books she doesn't need to the little free library in a nearby park. Erin accidentally donates her copy of To Kill a Mockingbird with a card from Bonnie inside. She obsessively checks the library box until she finds her copy of the book with the card inside, only there have been some changes -- someone has written in the margins in response to all of Erin's notes.

Erin begins exchanging books with copious notes in the margins with her Mystery Man and it changes her life in unexpected ways. As she opens up more and more to her margins pen pal, she finds out more about herself and learns to let go of some of her past. But Erin also learns things she'd rather not know...

The flawed characters in this novel were refreshing at first, but they began to grate as they continued to make the same choices over and over again. The ending was predictable, but I'm still not sure if it was satisfying. Recommended for readers who enjoy flawed characters and the tropes of second-chance romance and enemies to lovers.

A love letter to all book readers! It is not only about romance, but also covers more difficult topics such as trauma and growth. It is extremely relatable even though I'm not sure I would have wanted to read about those topics in what I thought was a rom-com. Personally, I don't mind that in my romances and usually even prefer it if it is done well, so that didn't bother me. But definitely consider trigger warnings before reading! Some topics include: grief, loss of a loved one, mental health issues, bullying, terminal illness, and more.

The premise of this book was a neat way to build a relationship. Grieving the loss of a friend, Erin is trying to figure out life. Via a free library (and an mistaken donation), Erin connects with a mystery man through books. Their relationship builds through the margins. But here's the thing, she actually knows this guy, and there's a reason they lost touch. . . .This one was heavier on the feels than I anticipated. Not a critique, rather just a summation of my reading experience. I really dug the way that literature was woven into this story. It made me want to go read and reconnect with these classics, too.

Thanks to NetGalley for the look at this September 2024 release.

Thank you to Hive and Graydon House for my advance electronic copy via NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

Erin Connolly's life is a stalled mess: she hates her job, is still grieving the loss of her best friend, and is seemingly unable to find a man. When she accidentally leaves her favorite, heavily-annotated copy of To Kill a Mockingbird in her neighborhood little library (with an important keepsake inside), it's the final straw. But when the book shows up in the library a week later, she's stunned to see that someone has read through it and left their own comments as well. Plus, there's an invitation to continue the book discussions in another book, Great Expectations this time. And so begins a long conversation in the form of notes in the margins and the back of classic books, that has Erin longing to explore something more with the mystery writer. But when the mystery writer turns out to have a past with Erin, will they be able to take responsibility and forgive? Or will their shared tragedy be too great?

This one had three of my favorite things: book references, a book swap community library, and a strong mental health rep! I loved all the book references, plus there are serious You've Got Mail plot points (albeit with a different slant). There are such strong vestiges of tragedy in the lives of both protagonists, including some serious baggage that they keep slogging along, together with an unhealthy avoidance of responsibility that manifests itself differently in each. I really didn't like the miscommunication trope, although I see why the author used it. It's absolutely tragic and yet hopeful, and I devoured it in one day, it was so good!

Triggers: death of a loved one, bullying, infidelity

I really enjoyed this book, I thought I was starting a lighthearted rom com but it was a beautifully tragic romance, with a happy ending. The characters James and Erin have been through so much in their lives. The story follows them as they rediscover themselves and their passions, along with each other through notes in margins in shared books. Sometimes I didn’t always know we were getting flashbacks, but I think that’s just the format of the uncorrected proof. I look forward to following what the author puts out next.

Erin and James find an unexpected connection with each other through the margins of books in a community little library. Erin accidentally puts one of her books in the little library. When she goes back to retrieve it, there are notes written back to her in the margins. They have no idea that they know each other, they have a history that goes back to high school that includes love, heartbreak and unresolved emotions. They are both grieving the loss of their best friend while dealing with issues. They both seem a little lost. We get both sides of their story because the chapters alternate between Erin and James.

Wow, this book is not what I expected! I went in thinking I was going to read some cute little romcom but instead I went on an emotional journey with Erin and James. This story deals with grief, bullying, mental illness, cancer and cancer. This one is a tear jerker, I was bawling the last couple of chapters. I think if you approach knowing this is not a quick read romcom, you will love it.

Review: I was so excited to get my hands on this one! It’s Tessa Bickers’ debut novel and I enjoyed it.

This movie reminded me so much of my favorite rom com ever- You’ve Got Mail! The two main character, Erin and James, used to be great friends but had a falling out after their friend Bonnie dies. Fast forward a few years, Erin is down, she quits her job, and lost her best friend. She accidentally returns her copy of To Kill a Mockingbird that had a gift from her best friend Bonnie. That leads to her a mystery man leaving notes and annotations to each other through classic books.

I liked the idea of the mystery for the two characters while writing in the books. I thought the premise was so cute and unique. As for the characters, I did connect with James’ story so much more. It had more depth and I could relate to. His story brought some depth to the book.

I do wish there were more flashback scenes to get to know Bonnie better. I didn’t really feel connected to her, and I think knowing her better would help me understand and care more about their group friendship. Also the book was a little slow to get started, so I encourage you to get through. It does pick up. The characters don’t have the steamiest chemistry, but it works.

If you like classical books and You’ve Got Mail, I think you’d enjoy this! This book comes out Sept. 3. Thanks to Harlequin and Netgalley for an advanced copy.

The Book Swap was an emotional and heartwarming read.

I thought the author did a great job tackling themes of grief and healing from loss. It was well represented and sensitive.

The emotional journey of Erin really tugged on my heartstrings. I haven't experienced a loss liked hers, but I could sympathize with her. I think the author did a great job representing Erin's grief and trying to heal from such devastating loss. When she realizes she accidentally donated "To Kill A Mockingbird" which was a gift from her late friend, her reaction was heartbreaking. When she finds it again, there are notes in the margins from a mystery man, hence the beginning of a budding romance.

I liked the romance here. I felt the characters truly connected on a deep level. This reminded me of the romance in Yours Truly with the characters interacting through letters first. It also had a bit of You've Got Mail vibes. I think annotating the book was a great way to get them to connect as it allowed them to be vulnerable and truly themselves. I thought the romance was beautifully written and swoon worthy. Very romantic. I love pen pals romances.

While this is an emotional read, it does have it's lighthearted moments. This is definitely a book for people who love books haha.

I am in awe this is a debut book, it's so fantastic. An emotional, heartwarming romantic tale.

I absolutely loved the idea of this book, which is initially why I wanted to read it so bad. Reading the summary really drew me in, but once I had started the book, it just didn't feel the same. I ended up dnf-ing at 80 pages. I tried so very hard to continue reading but I just could not make it through. The first part that made ne want to put the book down was at the very beginning with James and his mother. As someone who is bipolar, it is so tiring reading and see media that displays bipolar people as unstable, unable to care for themselves and hurting the people around them. Reading that bit had been very off putting, but of course I wanted to give the book a fair chance. But ad I continued on with the book nothing had really caught my attention. Reading how kids had bullied James because his father was a delivery driver jsut seems out of touch. Which is the feel I was getting with the book as a whole. Everything just felt very out of touch, very out dated.
The writing is good, the details are good, but I just feel the correct details are lacking.

3.5✨

This books started out slow but I’m glad I powered through! Reminiscent of You’ve Got Mail but with exchanges between the pages of Erin and James favorite books. As a therapist, I thought this book did an excellent job of depicting grief and mental illness. Although it may seem lighthearted, this book deals with some heavy topics, and does so really well!

•Dual POV
•Margins girl 🥹📖✏️
•”We are infinite”
•Meet me in…To Kill a Mockingbird, Middlemarch, Manchester Park, Beloved, Great Expectations
•Heroes (the tunnel scene, iykyk) 🎶

Thank you Tessa Bickers, Harlquin Publishing, and NetGalley for the eARC!

ARC Book Review!

The book swap by Tessa bickers


5 / 5⭐️

This book made me FEEL! It is a total letter to book lovers. Tessa Bickers displays loss beautifully. The loss of loved ones, the loss of childhood dreams and ambitions, the loss of the idealistic view parents are perceived in by their children.

I do wish the timeline of the story was a bit more clear. From my understanding the story happens over the course of a year but I think I would have enjoyed it if the author had set some dates under each chapter number. Giving the reader a bit more comprehension as to how much time is passing.

With that being said though, I would still describe it as utter perfection. It made me bawl. I really enjoyed how the author wrapped up the secondary characters as well. It felt like a full and complete happily ever after. I've already recommended it to multiple friends.

This book is for you if you like :

Dual POV
Grief rep
HEA



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#book #bookstagram #booklover
#arcreader #booknerd #romance #bookstagrammer #bookaddict #booksbooksbooks #bookish #prettygirlsreadbooks #mustread #kindle #kindleclub #kindlewhitepaper #nerdfam #sunnybabepr #fantasybooks #fantasynovelseries #fantas#catloveryreads #bookbuddy #bookcat #introvert #morallygrey #touchheranddie

After thinking about this book for a couple days, I really did enjoy it. It wasn't what I expected but was exactly what I needed.

Tessa Bickers' debut novel, The Book Swap, is a heartfelt exploration of grief, connection, and personal growth, wrapped in the comfort of beloved books. The story follows Erin Connolly, who, after a devastating loss, accidentally donates her cherished, annotated copy of To Kill a Mockingbird to a community library. The book returns with fresh notes and an invitation in another classic novel, setting off a transformative exchange with a mysterious pen pal.

Bickers sensitively portrays Erin's journey through grief, blending moments of humor and sadness with skill. The dialogue between Erin and her pen pal, written in the margins of classic novels, becomes a powerful tool for healing and self-discovery. This aspect of the story is both innovative and touching, offering a fresh take on how literature can impact our lives.

While the novel’s emotional depth and character development are commendable, some plot elements may feel predictable. Nevertheless, The Book Swap provides a moving narrative that resonates with anyone who finds solace in books and the promise of new beginnings.

Overall, this book is a beautifully written, emotionally engaging read that will appeal to fans of literary fiction. It’s a four-star gem that leaves readers both satisfied and reflective, celebrating the enduring power of literature to heal and inspire.

In reading the summary, we know that a tragedy occurs, yet this book promises to be a romance, a second chance and it really is. The fact that some of the great classic books brought the main characters together again is a testament to the magic of books. I felt the emotions of the characters, I understood both sides and I wasn't sure how it would end. There were so many great quotes throughout like, "That in allowing her to be herself, I have to be anyone but me". This book was beautifully written and I fell in love with James too. I think this story would be appealing to many kinds of people due to the content of this book. I can't wait to read more books from Tessa Bickers!

"The Book Swap" was a wonderful story. It is certainly not all happiness and light. Erin is estranged from her mother; is still grieving the death of her best friend, Bonnie, years ago; and quits a job she hates but has no idea what to do next. James is also in a job that he does not find fulfilling and he has his own family issues. His mother has bipolar and when she has a bad manic episode, James drops everything to go home and help his father out. However, that is a tough task, not only because of the difficulty of trying to help someone whose mind is making them temporarily irrational, but also because James blames himself for his mother being bipolar (as her symptoms manifested after her pregnancy with him), and because as much as he loves his father and respects everything he does for his wife/James' mother, James is also disappointed and embarrassed by his father, who had a hit song when he was younger but gave up his music career to be a stay-at-home father and to help care for his wife, taking on jobs such as pizza delivery to help makes end meet. James was bullied in school, and having a "one-hit wonder" dad who was now delivering pizzas provided plenty of fodder for the bullies. One of the few bright spots in school was his friendship with Erin and Bonnie, until a fateful decision ruined everything.

After Erin quit her job, she gave away a bunch of her belongings, including donating books to a little free library. Unfortunately, mixed in with those books was her much loved copy of "To Kill a Mockingbird", full of underlined passages and margin notes. Also tucked into the book was a card that Bonnie gave her shortly before her death. When she realizes her mistake, she rushes back to the library to try to retrieve the book, but it is not there. She returns daily, hoping someone has returned it. When the book finally reappears, Erin discovers that someone else has added their own margin notes, sometimes responding to her notes, sometimes agreeing with her sentiments, sometimes adding thoughts of their own. At the end of the book, the mystery person has written "Meet me in Great Expectations." A copy of "Great Expectations" is in the little library, with margin notes. Thus begins a book exchange, where they continue to share books -- Wuthering Heights, Mansfield Park, The Great Gatsby, etc. -- with margin notes but also start asking each other questions and sharing bits of their lives.

James had aspirations of being a writer but had given up on that. However, comments by his best friend, Joel, as well as the notes from "Margins Girl", have inspired him to attempt to write again. The book he sets out to write is in essence an apology to Erin for what happened in school. The exchange of margin notes and questions and answers will also have a profound effect on Erin, reminding her of why she loves books so much and of her past interest in being a teacher. Attempting to secure the copy of "Mansfield Park" and the notes inside will inadvertently result in a tutoring job helping a teenager girl prepare for her GCSEs. James will be the first to realize the identity of the mystery correspondent, which complicates things, because he does not want the correspondence to end but knows that if Erin finds out, she will feel angry and betrayed again.

The love of classic literature and the comments that James and Erin share in the margins of the books is one of the great aspects of the story. The other great aspect is witnessing James and Erin facing their fears, talking with family and friends and realizing how their assumptions about and conceptions of themselves and others (especially family) have held them back and hindered their relationships with others. Multiple characters in the story take bold steps to try to lead more meaningful and fulfilling lives.

One of the most powerful moments in the book is when James' best friend Joel tells him that the coworker who sat across from him for four years committed suicide the day before. Joel knew something was wrong with his coworker, but their conversation had never gone beyond the superficial. He regrets not asking his coworker what was wrong, and then laments how men don't really talk to each other, don't really share their struggles, and how there should not be shame in doing so. As the conversation between James and Joel progresses, they realize how their conversations are really not deep either. While they know a lot about each other, much of that knowledge is surface level. They keep talking, opening up to each other in ways they never have before, and that openness will ultimately help both of them make much needed life changes. What Joel says is so true. People, especially men, are often afraid to be open and vulnerable with each other, even with those to whom they are closest.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an egalley of this debut book to read and give an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I adore a book about books. And this one promised some fun with a kind of You've Got Mail or Sleepless in Seattle theme to it. I was exicted to jump in and meet the characters and see how their story progressed.
The guts of the book have great promise. Unfortunately, the execution was far from good.
The character development is subpar. The FMC was very self-absorbed. I could see the possibility of growth for this character. I can see how her tragic past may have shaped her. But overall she doesn't grow. It's not until the very end that we see any empathy from her towards the other characters in the book. I did enjoy the MMC. He has a hard background fraught with mental health issues in his family. I would have liked to see more depth with this. Mental health is so important and I feel like the author truly needed to do more research in the area of Bipolar in order to really represent it appropriately. Even the side characters are not all that interesting and I had no real idea of who they were. I could not connect with anyone in the story.
As for the romance, it is truly slow burn. And it takes place within the pages of books, which was kind of neat. The two main characters annotate and leave information in the margins and at the backs of the books in order to communicate and get to know each other. I love the idea of that exchange taking place within a free little library but did find it rather unbelievable that the books would remain in the library and allow the characters to exchange them that way. I have many free little libraries where I live and the books are constantly changed over. Even with this I was still hoping I'd see the chemistry form and a romance truly bloom between the characters but I just did not feel their connection at all.
The pacing of this one was super slow for me. There were so many times I considered not finishing it. But I wanted to push in the hopes it would redeem itself. I honestly didn't have the desire to keep picking it up. I kept hoping when I did it would get better but it just didn't. The writing was so much telling rather than showing. The whole book had the characters showing us what they were doing and it took me out of the story completely.
The thing that threw me most was the timeline. The entire book takes place over about a year and a half but it does not flow that way at all. You go from one point jumping to months ahead without any indication it actually happened. It made the story feel very disjointed.
The links to all the classic literature may appeal to classic book lovers.
I went into this thinking it would be a meet cute romcom. That was not the case at all. There are a lot of heavy topics in this one: mental health, death, terminal illness, grief, pregnancy, infidelity, and bullying. There should absolutely be trigger warnings that go along with this one. I honestly would not even label this title a romance given the trajectory of the main characters and what they go through during the course of the book.

Loved all of the characters of this book - confused why there was really no involvement from the main character's dad considering all of the drama with her mom. Also wish we got an epilogue of the main couple.

I wanted to like this book more so badly. I loved the premise—You’ve Got Mail but instead of emails they’re writing in the margins of classic books exchanged through a little free library. This honestly sounded like it was going to be my new favorite book. I think what fell short for me was ultimately how it was marketed vs the intensity of this story. I went on expecting a romcom, but instead found a very heavy book about grief, bullying, mental illness, cancer, strained family relationships, death of a loved one, and toxic work environments with a bit of romance thrown in. It was a bit overwhelming to be honest. The heaviness and focus around these topics really took away the feeling that I was reading a romance book at all.

While I enjoyed aspects of this story, it’s always challenging when a book doesn’t meet your expectations. I really liked the themes around feelings lost in life, making big changes to follow your dreams, and rebuilding trust in relationships (both on a friendship and family level). I think if you go into this expecting more of a general fiction book with characters tackling some of the challenges around grief and uncertainty, you’ll like this one, but I would really encourage potential readers to check trigger warnings before picking this one up. It was a good book—just not the book I thought I was picking up.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Book Swap, is Tessa Bickers' debut novel, a contemporary romance which shows a lot of promise for this new author.

The Book Swap is written in first person in alternating points of view from the perspective of Erin, and 30 year old, recently unemployed young woman, and James, her former friend from school days. Erin and James are both dealing with deep rooted personal issues when they unwittingly start a relationship via annotations in books placed in a little free library. The problem arises when they each realize that they have a complicated history with the person they've been communicating with.

I enjoyed the Book Swap, I found it both funny and moving. I enjoyed how the author used annotations in a book to spark the relationship between Erin and James, and thought the premise of annotating and exchanging books made for an interesting story.

My biggest issue with this book was Erin. For much of the story, she seemed to me to be whiny, inconsiderate, and selfish. I realize she was dealing with a lot in her personal life, but so were most of the characters in the book and they did not come across as badly as she did. I was happy that by the end of the book she seemed to have turned a corner and became a more empathetic, thoughtful person.

The Book Swap was a fun, quick read, with a few tearful moments and I would recommend it to any lover of books and romance. I look forward to checking out more books by this author in the future.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.