The Book Swap [Frenzy #NetGalley]

I really enjoyed The Book Swap, which reminded me of a Little Free Library version of You've Got Mail, where two people connect over literature and develop feelings, not realizing that they already know one another. It was a cute and fun read.

A coming-of-age story for 30 somethings with the vibes of Bridget Jones and You've Got Mail. The perfect page-turner for millennial readers.

Thank you to the publishers for an early copy of this book! This was a romance dedicated to book lovers. The main characters swap books back and forth from a little free library and communicate through margin notes. They have a complicated history, but connect through the books they love. This was enjoyable, but I wished there was more in person interaction between the characters. There were a lot of side plots and side stories that got a little much at times as well. But this was a cute, fast, enjoyable read that I would recommend to any book lover.

Give me a small English town + a story about books and I’m in. I loved how the 2 the main characters rediscovered each other from the notes they’d leave in their favorite books in the neighborhood free library. What a sweet romance.

I didn’t really care for how Erin, one of the MCs, would talk with her dead BFF as though she was real. That really confused me at first and I felt like it was a little too dark for this type of book. I also found Erin’s refusal to forgive James, the other MC, quite frustrating. Like I already knew they were going to end up together and all of the stuff leading up to then end after her discovery was just kinda blah.

I really liked the underlying concept of this book and the use of the free book library in such a creative and lovely way. For me this book had a lot of deep topics: friend died, mental health, bullying but they were treated with respect and compassion and I really appreciated that and enjoyed reading about how different characters dealt with their challenges in different ways. I will be looking for more books from Tessa Bickers for sure!

“That’s the great thing about books. They’re there to teach you whatever you want to learn. They’re for all of us.”

The Book Swap is Tessa Bickers debut novel – and you can tell she is here for the long haul! Erin is in a rut – she is sick of her condescending boss, lives with a guy she hooks up with when drinking, and is mourning the loss of her best friend, Bonnie, who died several years ago. James is stuck in a job where he makes a lot of money but has no passion for what he is doing. He was bullied as a kid for having a one-hit-wonder of a father, and now he helps take care of his mother with severe bipolar depression. James, Erin and Bonnie were best friends in grade school until one day when something unthinkable happened – and now Erin and James see each other again for the first time at a yearly memorial get together honoring Bonnie.

Erin is set to change her life – and the last postcard Bonnie gave her insists that she moves forward, lives out her dreams and to be happy. When she accidentally donates a book to a local little library, with the postcard left inside, Erin is determined to get the postcard back, checking the library to see if the book has been returned. Thankfully, it has, and her novel with a lot of comments and notes in the margins now has responses back to her, with a note to meet her in a different book, left in the library. A friendship develops between two strangers – Margin Girl and Mystery Man – that will help heal them both and lead each of them on a new path of growth, forgiveness, and redemption.

I thought this was going to be a sweet romance novel, and while I wasn’t disappointed, I’m not sure I would classify this as romance. This book is about love in all its forms, friendship, getting out of our comfort zones, loss, grief, responsibilities, duties and guilt. Bickers navigates you on a tale that somehow warms your heart and leaves you deep in thought at the same time.

Family is front and center for both Erin and James, making this story much more endearing. There were so many layers to this book, and I loved that two lonely people were able to connect over their past experiences and love for books. It’s also a good reminder to hear “that the straightforward route isn’t always the best one;” sometimes there are a lot of twists and turns in our own personal stories!

I definitely had ‘You’ve Got Mail’ vibes from this novel! While it starts off great and then slows down some in the middle – make sure you stick with it, this has a great story line with an amazing supporting cast! I do wish there was an epilogue, but that’s the romance lover in me.

I give this 4 stars and can’t wait to see what Bickers does next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this arc, all opinions are my own!

“Giving someone hope is like giving them the wings they need to fly through life.”

“But love. A place to call home. A passion. That’s life. That’s living. The rest is just filler.”

Thanks NetGalley and Tessa for the ARC :) All my opinions are my own!

This was a very sweet and thoughtful book! I loved the way that the author wrote through the grieving process. Erin was a very relatable character and I really loved rooting for her the whole time! Erin and James built such a sweet relationship through their love of books and I had such a good time reading it.

This one snuck up on me. Just minding my own business, trucking along, getting frustrated with Erin and mildly swooning over James... when *bam* the feels hit.

Friends, this one is deep. The Book Swap lures you in with this gorgeous cover and unique premise and then slams you with grief and reconciliation and mental illness. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! But it was done oh so well. Erin struggles with forgiveness, abandonment, and mild self-centeredness; James struggles with expectations and definitions of success. Through their book margins, they help each other break past barriers. Brilliant.

Highly recommend, but you really need to be familiar with any content warnings before you get started. (Examples off the top of my head... death of a loved one, cheating spouse, mental illness/bipolar) And do not expect this to be a light and fluffy read.

What a beautiful story, and a beautiful tribute to all of us that are constantly reading these stories!

This book is about Erin, and a *mystery man* that end up becoming reading "penpals" - annotating classic books in the margins for each other to find. As they do this, they fall into an easy friendship, which ends up becoming a little "more".

I excepted a lighthearted rom-com, but this book tackled a lot of heavy topics - grief, loss, heartache, and dives deep into the human experience. I laughed, cried, and felt all the feels reading this. This book will tug at your heartstrings, and really have you thinking about life, which is really what I'm looking for when I'm reading. Recommend!

Thank You To NetGalley, Tessa Bickers, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for granting me access to an ARC!

This was a decent book, but not in any way shape or form what I expected from a book which was portrayed as a RomCom. It was heavy. It was emotional, in the dark twisty grief ways. If that’s your jam, this one is for you. I was looking for a lighter read, though, which made it difficult to power through.

This was so much of a slow burn that it’s still burning. 🙂‍↕️

I went into this book thinking it’d be a nice cozy and romantic read. Absolutely not. This deals with grief and bullying, a parent who has a mental disorder. The passing of Bonnie and how Erin grieves is really sad but also I found the whole seeing her in her room aspect really odd. Plus I wasn’t a fan of Erin. She definitely was very self centered.

James…I am so confused with his storyline. Nothing was cohesive and the timelines felt so so off. I’m still confused how Erin’s sister was 6 months pregnant, had the baby like a day or two after and it wasn’t a problem? 😅

Anyways, I wouldn’t recommend this book. Don’t rush to read it.

Thank you NetGalley and Graydon House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank You To NetGalley, Harlequin , and the author Tessa Bickers for an opportunity to read this book for an honest review!

This book was nothing like what I expected from the cover and description of the book. It touches on some heavy topics so make sure to check on that before reading!

This book revolve around free little library which is actually my absolute favorite thing to exist in this world. I loved getting to know the characters and seeing them grow. Perfect beginning of fall book to read. Pacing was a little slow for me at the beginning but nonetheless, I enjoyed it!

Wow. This book was devastating. Heartbreaking. A miscommunication trope. I don’t even know if I would call this book a romance. It was more about two people who experienced the same loss navigating life and grief without each other because of miscommunication and pain but find their way back to each other through a free little library. The idea is so sweet and I love that they swapped books but I feel like this book really lacked the romance that suddenly showed up in the end.

Losing a loved one to cancer hits close to home for me so at times I felt I could really relate to Erin and James and even Bonnie and her family for that matter but the romance aspect just fell flat for me.

I’m literally crying in a mall food court after finishing this book, which I could not put down.

I don’t even know where to begin - infinity stars. This book absolutely captivated me and was just brilliant from the start. I cried and laughed a LOT. I’m kind of speechless and unsure what to even say. The vibes were very similar to The Perks of Being a Wallflower (IYKYK - the author will surely appreciate this!!!). This was a beautiful story about friendship, family, love, finding yourself, and learning to let go of the past to embrace the future.

I cannot say enough wonderful things about this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this eARC!

Have you ever read a book where you just know you should DNF it?!? But you are stupidly too stubborn to DNF because you were sent a review copy and would feel bad for DNFing. Hi yes I’m the problem it’s me.

I don’t even know where to begin with this review. I was pitched a magical realism romcom. Instead I was given an extremely heavy book revolving around topics of suicide, infidelity, depression, and bullying. I will admit I was 100% not in the headspace to read a book like this. But I felt blindsided because the synopsis didn’t indicate to me that type of book.

Overall, all I can say about this book is everyone in it needs therapy. And I in no way shape or form support the release between our two main characters. At least not with how it was ended. Because again everyone in this book needs therapy before any sort of healthy relationship can form.

This book was just not it. And it’s the first book I’ve read in 2024 where I honestly cannot recommend it.

Thank you though to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A story about grief, loss, and finding yourself despite your circumstances

Main Topics:
-Death of a friend
-Second chance romance
-Finding oneself
-A love letter to books

Quote 1: "What do people say these days? If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. Silence is violence."
Quote 2: "Thank you for giving me the freedom to be myself."
Quote 3: "Don't waste your heart's calling on saying yes to something just because you know you can do it. The straightforward route isn't always the best one."

This book follows two individuals who, despite their circumstances, decide to exchange notes in the margins of books from a free little library. I would say it is a love story, but it is so much more than that. This 'You've Got Mail '-resembling plot talks about grief, mental illness, and loss, while also encapsulating a love story that will leave you believing in love and wanting more. A main theme throughout this book is the need to find oneself and one’s passions. I loved witnessing the main characters' self-discovery journey while learning self-love. It pulled at my heartstrings in all the best ways. I was lucky enough to receive a digital ARC of this book, and I liked it so much! I will definitely be getting a physical copy of this book. Thank you, NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Tessa Bickers, for this copy.

I enjoyed the concept of the book and appreciated the authors love of classic literature. Personally I struggled with the pacing and time jumps throughout the book which made it a bit more a difficult read for me.

Thank You To NetGalley, the author Tessa Bickers, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for granting me access to an e-Arc of this book in exchange for a honest review.

When I picked up this book, my expectations were for a meet cute romance centered around a Little Free Library. As a Little Free Library steward, that's what had me interested in the title from the start.

And it was a meet cute sort of romance, it does center around the use of the free library/book exchange as the device for connecting the two main characters. But I did not expect all the other layers I found while reading this book; themes around identities, roles in relationships with family and friendships, processing trauma (around things like family, high school, loss, etc). And the twist with the connection between the two main characters was absolutely something I did not expect going into this.

I really enjoyed this book for all the things I did not expect from it.

This is a 3.25 for me. For me I don't think this book is really being marketed properly as based on the description and cover. I thought this was going to be a romantic comedy with a bookish twist on a you got mail situation. For me reading this book it was not a romantic comedy and while there were romantic elements it felt more like that was a subplot. For me this book was a little heavier on subject matter as there was more focus on serious elements like the passing of a friend, grief, depression, cheating and rough family dynamics. This book was more focused on self-healing and growth as well as healing through a mutual love of books. None of that is a bad thing but when I am expecting one thing and get to reading it and it is something else then it does turn into a bit of a disappointment me to me. It was still an interesting book with an interesting concept I just don't think it is being marketed correctly. It is also being tagged as a 2nd chance romance but technically while there were feelings for one another they were never together and that to me is more of the one that got away than a 2nd chance romance.

As I said the romance kind of seemed like a bit of a subplot because while they did exchange books and write notes to one another the notes themselves were just standard getting to know one another and I personally didn't see anything in the notes that would stir feelings of love. I mean you can certainly bond over notes but these questions just at times felt like a bookish get to know you session which is a great starting point but to immediately jump to love just seems like a bit of a leap. Especially once they figured out who each other were and all their past history good and bad that once they apologized are immediately saying their in love with one another seems a bit much. I mean it's a book and once they apologize and set their differences aside it would totally make sense to start to rebuild the relationship and grow towards love but the leap without the work especially since this book seems to have a lot about working on yourself and growing seemed too easy.

As to the writing I do think this book starts off a little rough and was a little boring, but it does smooth itself out as it went on in terms of writing.

As to the characters themselves while I can appreciate and understand all the important elements the author is trying to portray it did at times make at least Erin a little unlikable. While I totally sympathize with her situation just like her sister tells her she is a little judgmental and willing to write someone or something off for one issue. Like she quit a sale job while she was unemployed because the manager was a little "weird" for wanting to mock play a customer interaction and dressed up. Is it unusual yes but Erin never had retail experience so who cares if the manager wanted to put on a hat to help teach her how to interact with customers. Like girl your unemployed and got bills just do the job while you look for something else. James wasn't always my favorite because he tried to push people into what he thought was success even when it's not something they wanted for themselves. But when you learn why him and Erin had the falling out and what he was going through at school and at home your heart does break for him a little. Doesn't make what he did right towards Erin but as you read what was happening in the scene it's understandable.

So, I do think this book had an interesting idea and concept and while the writing was a little rough at the start it did smooth out and there were moments in the book that my heart strings were tugged on. But I do think the marketing and cover do not accurately portray what this book is about and may disappoint some readers like me expecting one thing and getting another.

this book is about Erin who is still trying to cope with the loss of her best friend but knows she needs to move on but doesn't quite know how to do that. After a rough day at work where in the end she quits she decides the best thing to do is to get rid of all the clutter in her life starting with her room. But in her what brings me joy mindset cleanse she accidently donates to a small little library her annotated copy of To Kill a Mockingbird. She checks back frequently in hopes it will turn back up when it does, and it turns out the reader left his own comments and notes in the margins along with a note of another book notated for her to read Great Expectations. This starts a pen pal exchange through two lovers of books as they read through some classics and start asking questions and getting to know one another. As her feelings start to grow for her mystery man, she starts to wonder who he might be and if this friendship they are building could potentially become more. Little does she know that her mystery man is someone she knows that she has a rough past with. So, when identities become known will they be able to look past the cover and see the person they have been getting to know through the pages of their very loved books.

I received an ARC copy from netgally and HTP in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun book to read! It hooked me in quickly and the despite feeling like the main characters were both a bit immature and stuck holding onto issues from the past, they had great growth through the book and became more lovable with each chapter.