Any book that includes mentions of the classics grabs my attention. The premise of this story is an exchange of annotated books from a little library box. Erin is an avid reader who visits a little library to donate some of her books to declutter, but she mistakenly leaves one of her favorites, To Kill a Mockingbird with marginal notes and an important postcard from her friend Bonnie. When Erin realizes her error, she regularly returns to the library hoping her book will be returned. When it is with answers to her notes and additional marginalia, a friendship/romance blossoms between her and this “mystery man.” While on the surface, this read appears to be standard rom- com fare, it also touches on grief, belonging, and the search for meaning in a modern world. This novel itself isn’t a classic, but I would recommend it to readers who like a little more plot involvement in a rom-com.
Thanks to NetGalley and Graydon House for the advanced copy to read.

I was maybe not the perfect audience for this book, as the writing seemed more immature and I thought the layout was just kind of confusing overall. I found myself a little lost on what was actually going on at times. I had a soft stop for the mmc, such a sweetie, but unfortunately not a top romance for me.

Review posted to Goodreads 8/11/24

tw: death, suicide, terminal illness, bullying, mental health illnesses (may not be a complete list)

I'm not too sure how I feel about this book. It's an emotional read about grief and loss, while also a story about platonic and romantic love. The book follows Erin and James who meet again in the margins of her favorite book when she accidentally donates it to her local little library. Thus begins their relationship on paper that spans the majority of the book, where they share their past mistakes and present fears, all without knowing they have a shared history.

The story is heartbreaking at times, especially moments where Erin processes her grief. The romance aspects are slow to fruition, with dual POV of the main characters. Although I did get emotional reading the book, I'm not sure I fully enjoyed it. Something was missing for me, and I think it had to do with the main characters. I did not find myself rooting for them or attached to their character/development.

My rating: 3.75⭐️
Thank you for the arc!

I would've loved to read this book as it sounded cute and romantic but unfortunately, the copy I received didn't work.

An interesting read about love, loss, friendships, and navigating the hardships of life.

Erin was a complicated and troubled character. She is experiencing tremendous grief after the loss of her best friend. One day she stumbles upon a neighborhood library and thus begins the main part of the story.

James’s character is more likable. He’s dealing with his own troubles and grief but is less selfish compared to Erin. My heart ached in several parts for the bullying he endured in school.

This book is well written however the characters were not my favorite. Also I was expecting more romance?

Unfortunately I had to DNF. This one wasn't for me. The dialogue was a bit juvenile and I couldn't connect to any of the characters. Also, the prose was a bit too clunky for me.

This was a debut novel!? Well dang. I am terribly impressed. The depth of the character stories is insane, and while I thought this was a rom com, I am not upset that it was also rather heavy. And when I say heavy…I mean… there could be tears. The trauma that both of these characters have endured is something that most people cold never imagine and yet it was very clearly not far-fetched or overly dramatized. The repercussions of this trauma also reasonably plays out in their adult lives. I don’t think I ever questioned why either of them made the decisions they did, and that is saying something for the general world of romance literature. The pain they have experienced was effectively portrayed so that you understand their actions, and in my case, with no judgement. The growth in this book is very prominent throughout. The evolution of the friendships and family dynamics make this incredibly well developed. We all know I love a good set of side character friends, and this book is more than satisfactory, including friends met through life circumstances that grow into deep relationships, as well as, family members who know the main characters and care deeply for their well-being. While the book is incredibly sad and heart-wrenching at times, there is clearly more than enough love here, too. While this will sit heavy with me (possibly for a while), I am incredibly glad that I read it. I will be on the lookout for more books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced reader copy in return for an honest review

Think You’ve Got Mail, but with a little free library. 😍 This book is a love letter to other great books, and to all the classic romances in them. It was so easy to fall in love with Erin and James, to root for them both, and to cry for them at times. This story was so relatable, very raw at times, and yet incredibly hopeful. I don’t want to spoil anything, but I will just say that this is definitely a book I will read again. ❤️ 5 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publication and Tessa Bickers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 rounded up. The Book Swap is a cute story where Erin accidentally donates on of her cherished annotated books to a community library and finds herself exchanging books filled with notes with a stranger. They continue to communicate via book notes and eventually add questions to get to know each other. Only it turns out not to be a stranger.

I wouldn’t consider this a romance, I would have said Women’s Fiction, so that threw me and left me waiting for more relationship focus than we ended up with.

The book has some tough topics: mental health, grief, cancer death, toxic workplace, cheating and complicated family dynamics.

Erin could be pretty frustrating so I’m glad she recognized a few behaviors from therapy, her sister and James and could grow from them.

James was sweet but also had some qualities that contributed to a tough family dynamic, it was great to see him start to resolve that.

One thing that threw me off (other than this being considered a romance) was when the book exchange first happened - we read all about Erin getting the book back before James had even found the book.

The Book Swap" was a delightful surprise! I expected a light rom-com, but it turned out to be much more. Tessa Bickers crafts a story that goes deep into the human experience, exploring themes of grief, loss, and healing with great skill. The book took me on an emotional journey, being both heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time.

The slow-burn relationship between Erin Connolly and her Mystery Man, developed through notes in beloved classic books, was incredibly rewarding. I also loved the authentic and touching dynamic between Erin and her sister Bonnie, which really resonated with me. As a fan of classic literature, I appreciated the references to timeless works that added extra depth to the story.

My only minor wish was for an epilogue to see Erin and James' happily ever after. But maybe that's just the romantic in me wanting a bit more closure.

Overall, "The Book Swap" is a wonderful story that will tug at your heartstrings, make you laugh, and leave you pondering life's mysteries. It’s a must-read for anyone who loves the magic of books.

Really did love the story line and the characters. It was a bit hard for me to get into the reading or grasp the story at first. I had to try a couple of times but once I did, I liked reading it. Not sure if it was the style of writing but something was off for me. Nonetheless, there is potential for this to be a great book!

Unfortunately this is a DNF for me @58%.

I really tried to stay with it but the writing is very disjointed. I had a hard time following along with what was actually going on? The POV jumps and time jumps - I never knew what I was supposed to be imagining going on?

The characters were not likable at all. I will admit, I was mislead by this cover and expected warmer, more comforting types of characters and instead found them jarring, rude and just all around rough.

This is not a light meet cute romcom- it's a group of friends that are kind of assholes to each other and it deals with heavier topics. The cover is pretty deceiving - I was expecting one thing and got something else entirely.


↬ ಇ The FMC, Erin is going through an extremely hard time after the death of her best friend. On top of that she loses her favorite book To Kill a Mockingbird that is heavily annotated and has her best friends last gift inside.

↬ 𐙚 The MMC, James finds her book at his local community bookshelf and it sparks an interest in him. Sending a message to her in his favorite book Great Expectations for her to find him and her book.



A huge thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing | Graydon House and Tessa Bickers for the complementary digital copy -all thoughts/opinions are my own. 💐💖

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 Stars, rounded up

I love the premise of book lovers exchanging feedback and "love notes" in books. So, I went into this book expecting a second chance rom-com with hilarious one liners between the MCs. While there was a few LOLs, there were more tears as the dual POVs went through the grief of losing a friend, finding the right career path and making new friends.

When Erin accidentally donates her well-worn copy of To Kill a Mockingbird to the local "take-a-book, leave-a-book" library, it's picked up by none other than James, the boy she loved in high school. He reads her margin comments and decides to comment on them, returning the book with a recommendation to grab another classic that he's marked up with his margin comments. The fun thing is that neither of them knows it's someone from their past making these comments; they refer to each other as "Mystery Man" and "Margins Girl." The scene is set.

The book started off slowly and definitely picked up at the end when we start getting more background about what happened during high school (and why). Mix in the grief of losing a best friend, a family member with mental health challenges, extreme bullying, questioning career choices and you've got a great women's literature book. I'd say it was about 95% women's literature and 5% romance, so if that floats your boat, this book is for you!

I LOVED this book so much!! I was so upset when after the first chapter, I couldn’t open my copy on NetGalley. But I waited a bit and then was able to open it again. I am so happy that I was able to because I absolutely loved every minute of this book! I knew I would when I found out that the book revolved around a little free library book swap. It was a super cute rom-com and I found myself laughing, smiling, and crying all within the same chapter. I definitely recommend picking up this gem when it comes out soon!!

🐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐒𝐰𝐚𝐩 𝐛𝐲 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚 𝐁𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬🐝

Erin’s life is a mess. She’s trying her best in a job she doesn’t want and feels like what she does is never good enough.

On an impulse she quits, without a plan or any idea of what she’ll do now. Slowly spiraling into a cycle of gloom, she decides to get rid of some books. She donates them to a small community library and accidentally loses her favorite one: a very special annotated copy of To Kill A Mockingbird.

After multiple visits to the library the book appears, but now with some fresh annotations. This starts a book exchange with a new penpal, Mystery Man.

As she continues a journey through some beloved classics she will start revisiting the past that has haunted her, and now she will ask herself WWBD? (What would Bonnie Do?)

This novel is a very dense story. It explores some difficult topics that may be triggering for some readers. However, it is also infused with empathy and honesty. It offers a deeply emotional perspective on grief and its lasting effects, even years after a loss.

For me it was hard at times to read this but I think its a great story. I actually think it would make a great movie. I enjoyed the book exchange and loved the references to The Perks of Being a Wallflower. The notes made me think of Dash & Lily, so if you like that, you’ll enjoy this book. There’s not a lot of romance in it, so do not read it expecting to be a romance novel or you’ll be disappointed. It is more about the friendship than the feelings they had for each other, but it was beautiful as it is.

Trigger warnings:

Terminal illness
Mental illness
Bullying
Emotional abuse
Death
Grief

I rate this book 4/5.

Huge thanks to @netgalley and @tessabickerswrites for the ARC.💖

This book started out great and had much promise. Unfortunately, as it went on, I found myself unable to mesh well with the main character and grew distant from the story. I did not finish reading the whole book around 50%.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for allowing me access to the ARC.

I am not quite sure what to say to this one. I really liked the main guy, James. His character was great, as well as pretty much all the secondary characters. I just couldn't be a fan of the female lead, Erin. She seemed really dysfunctional, irrational, and I actually started liking her less as time went on. She peaked early with quitting her job and after that it was downhill for her character for me. Made it hard to like the book. But changing the things I didn't like about her would have unraveled the plot so I'm not sure how it could have been different.

the story in this was TOOO MUCHH I loved it! the references, the characters, the love… obsessed!! highly recommended

I absolutely loved The Book Swap! If you love books, stories about books, great family/friend relationships, romance.... you will love this book too! I couldn't put it down and cannot wait to read more by Tessa Bickers!

I tried. I really really tried to enjoy this book. I think the story is an incredibly cute concept and I wanted so badly to love it. However, I struggled with the POV switches and the pacing. If the POV/past experiences had been a bit more clear upon starting the chapter that would’ve made it so much easier to get through. At the end of the day it was just not for me.