3.5 ⭐️
This was a good story of loss, career challenges, finding oneself, personal growth and traumas. Unfortunately, the blurb and cover are misleading and would leave a reader under the impression this is a rom-com when honestly it did not even feel like much of a romance.

The FMC, Erin, and MMC, James, were high school friends who had a falling out. They lost their mutual best friend, Bonnie, to cancer, and her memory plays an intricate roll in shaping the characters and the story. After quitting the job she hated, Erin cleans out her book collection and puts it into one of those free libraries for others to enjoy. She realizes she accidentally left a cherished book in there, with not only her own personal notes in the margins, but a postcard Bonnie had left her. When she realizes this, she races to look for it—there in the library, is the book, but with replies in the margins to her annotations from someone else, James. Bonnie doesn’t know it’s James replying through, and visa-versa. They develop a connection swapping classic literature and writing to each other in the margins. Can writing in the margins rewrite their broken past though?

Honestly, I didn’t like the FMC. Erin was selfish, brash, dramatic and just overall lazy seeming and annoying. She played victim, but she was only really a victim to her own actions and their consequences. I did not mind the MMC, James, though I found him a tad boring. I could not for the life of me, even reading the retelling of their history, feel any deep connection or love in their pasts which made it hard for me to believe the developing second chance romance.

Overall, the book was good and the idea behind the book was great. I do think the character’s prior relationship needs a bit better fleshing out in order for readers to be more emotionally connected to the story.

There are some triggers I’d mention—Loss from cancer, heart attack, bi-polar disorder, broken homes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing me an ARC to read and review.

Like many other reviewers, I expected this to be a quick, cute rom-com read. But this book carried a surprising depth to it when dealing with loss, love and family issues. The premise reminded me of “Meet Me in the Margins” by Melissa Ferguson and I enjoyed references to the classics - I majored in English and Victorian literature so am a sucker for all nods to Dickens and Eliot. Solid 4 stars. A great debut novel with a writing style that is easy to read and keeps you entertained. For 5 stars, I would have liked to have Erin and James meet more in real life and the school behavior described seemed a bit elementary or middle school but they were supposed to be older.

I’ve been in SUCH a slump and this rom com was the perfect solution!! Erin and James are intertwined from the start and it’s doubly fun reading a dual-POV. This is a story about grief, life, love, and forgiveness, and it’s a sweet reminder that life never turns out the way you think it will!

Book Swap was at its core a sweet story about two high school friends that try to find each other again. The vehicle is innovative: they anonymously swap classics back and forth through a Free Library. However, their story is hard because they both have a lot of unprocessed trauma that causes a lot of challenges. This book should come with some TWs: death of a loved one, unprocessed grief, bipolar disorder- these MCs have had a rough time of it. It was hard to read and the dialogue was clunky at times. I liked some of the secondary characters; the MC's sister, for one. As the story progresses there is healing and hope and it ends in a good place, it can just be tough to work through it to get there. But life can be like that, too!

📖- The Book Swap
✍🏼- Tessa Bickers
📆- 9/5/24
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
⚠️ suicidal ideation,depression, abandonment, trauma

Thank-you @netgalley & @harlequinbooks for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review 🥰

𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚
📚Classic literatures
📕Buddy reading / blind date
📑Annotating

Erin has just lost her best friend, Bonnie,to cancer & the only thing that makes sense to her is to start living her life for Bonnie. She’s quit her job, and in process of starting a new chapter, she has decided to clean her room and get rid of things she doesn’t need. She’s packed up a luggage full of books she won’t read and taken them to a free little library. What she realizes later is that she accidentally gave away her favorite book, To Kill a Mockingbird that’s heavily annotated and within it, it has the last note her best friend gave her. After running back to look for it she realizes it’s gone. Devastated she tries her luck again and to her surprise her book has been returned but this time with an invitation to read Great Expectations.

She’s found a new friend within the margins of her favorite books. She opens herself up to this complete stranger but as time goes on she realizes she wants to meet this mystery man. Little do they both know, they share a past filled with good memories and not so good memories.


𝗠𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀💭
I honestly thought this book was going to be a cute romance novel but to my surprise it was more than that. The trauma, the abandonment issues, personal growth. It had me in a chokehold, because of all the trauma I could relate to it. It felt heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. Erin’s character developed strong. So much growth and realization. If anything this book has literally taught me, if a workplace is toxic quit, if you want to follow your dreams DO IT! Books literally teach us something new and they hold so much magic. This is why I love books & thank you Tessa Bickers for such a lovely book. I will be picking up a copy of this book and annotating it. I shed a few tears and that’s something I haven’t done in a long time.

#thebookswap #bookreview #romancebooks #addtotbr #taylorswift #bookworms

This was such a touching love story and one well-worth reading. It has so much heart and substance!

The author creates a story that delves deep into the human experience, deftly tackling themes of grief, loss, and the journey to healing. This book made me feel so many different emotions; it's simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking.

The blossoming relationship between the two characters, fostered through the annotated pages of beloved classics, captured my heart. Personally, I love a slow burn, and this was a great one to read! As a lover of classic literature myself, I relished the nods to timeless literary works scattered throughout the story. They added a layer of depth and resonance that I truly appreciated.

I highly recommend The Book Swap to readers who love books about books and who enjoy a well-thought-out romance that will leave you falling in love with the characters themselves.

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for this review copy in exchange of an honest review.

Why is it so hard to keep track of all characters? And why the hell there are so many characters and they sound similar. I needed something good after getting over finals and it is definitely not that. So Dnfing it.

loved the ending of this book and really liked Cassie and Georgia but I had some trouble with the main characters.

Erin’s trauma of losing her best friend really resonates but the issues with her mom fall flat. I understand how a teen may hold a grudge but at 31, how does she lack the understanding and empathy?? Also it sounds like the falling out with her mom happened when she was a teen, so for what, 10 plus years they didn’t speak? I just struggled with that

I also struggled with how wronged Erin felt by James when they were in school, it felt childish and again that she lacked empathy. What happened wasn’t his fault.

I felt deeply terrible for James but also struggle to imagine his family or doctor never told him his mother’s mental illness wasn’t his fault. And the kids at school tormenting him, assaulting him, because his dad was a one hit wonder who delivered pizza? I just don’t buy it.

The relationships between Erin and Cassie and Erin and Georgia, I just loved them. The side character should have their own spinoff books!!

Thanks for the ARC!!

I would do anything to read this for the first time again. It immediately sucked me in and I didn’t want it to end. The story telling, the background, and everything in between was beautiful.

4 ⭐️

For being a debut novel, the writing in this really impressed me! It almost felt like I was watching a movie as I read this. I was hooked from the first few pages and I loved the plot, the synopsis alone had me so intrigued. From the cover you’d think this is a romcom but it definitely leans literary fiction. It’s a veryy slow burn and focuses a lot on family and friend relationships, grief, finding your purpose and doing what brings you true happiness. The concept was so cool and the book exchanges/notes/questions were my favorite, I love reading about book lovers!! I think the friendship parts were slightly drawn out and I do wish there was a little bit more romance but I really enjoyed this and would highly recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the arc

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC.

"The Book Swap" by Tessa Bickers takes readers on a journey beyond the surface of a typical rom-com. While the initial pacing may require patience, the narrative gradually reveals itself to be more than a cute love story, and tackles themes such as trauma, mental health, bullying, and the path to healing.

Initially, the fmc is quite unlikeable, and at times you want to tell her to just grow up already (in fact, her sister does) but as the story unfolds, Bickers intricately crafts her journey of redemption. Through her character arc, readers witness a transformation that adds layers of complexity to the narrative. While instantly more likable, the mmc goes on his own path of discovery and forgiveness.

Bickers' treatment of weighty subjects lends the novel a gravitas that distinguishes it from lighter romantic fare. For those seeking a romance with substance and depth, "The Book Swap" offers a compelling and thought-provoking read.

This book was wayyyyyyy heavier than i was expecting. If you’re looking for a light/cozy cute read, this isn’t it. That being said, I enjoyed the last half of the book much better than the first half. The book centered on grief and loss and how to navigate and move on.

3.5 What a cute, cozy read. The book really focused on personal growth for the characters, and the love story was a side plot. I enjoyed how the characters were relatable. They had issues that took time to resolve (and you got to actually see them struggle with the process!). Everything tied up quite nicely without it feeling like the author was rushing to do so. I think people who liked the book The Flatshare will also be fans of this book.

I decided to DNF on page 168, around halfway through. I’m grateful to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for letting me have an ARC, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to finish once I reached halfway and was wondering how it could get teased out for another half. I think the premise of this book, a library meet-cute and writing in the margins, was wildly romantic and cute-but not 350 pages cute. It was just becoming tedious and I wanted to love it very badly as a book lover, but I could not.

What a fun book centric book, throw in a little growing up, and a little love story. Can't wait for more!

Still reeling from a recent tragedy, Erin Connolly knows she needs to start living, but has no idea how. When she accidentally donates her favorite book—a heavily annotated copy of To Kill a Mockingbird containing a memento she can’t be without—to a local little community library, she’s devastated. But then the book turns up a week later, back in the library with fresh notes in the margins, along with an invitation in a copy of Great Expectations to meet her newfound pen pal.

A life-changing conversation, written only in the margins of beloved classic books, begins between Erin and her Mystery Man. Following each other through the pages of their favorite novels as the book exchange continues, they both begin to open up, falling into a friendship…and maybe something more.

But Erin and her pen pal have a shared history that neither of them has guessed. Faced with painful reminders of the past—and the one person she swore never to forgive—Erin finds herself at a crossroads. One that could change her life forever.

I expected a pretty basic romance based on the blurb and the title and this novel definitely contained more in depth topics than I expected, I was able to read this debut novel by Tessa Bickers thru NetGalley and it coincided with my love of books. As another reviewer said it covers topics including bullying, family issues, terminal illness and death, and even toxic workplaces. The author made it intriguing since you didn’t find out the real problem between the main characters till well into the book.

4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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

Was a very slow burn on the romance department, but it's so much more than that!! I experienced just about every emotion reading this.

-Dual POV
-Second Chance
-Family Drama
-Self Growth
-Grief/Loss

I'm not one to spoil anything, so thats all you get from me 😉

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Publishing for this ARC! 🩷

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this!

This book has everything: self discovery, love, dealing with grief and hardship, forgiveness and friendship.

It took me a little bit to really get into the story, but once I did I blasted through the rest of the book. I loved the story and how the author touched on grief and battling with hardships, with both Erin and James. I loved James so much and I felt so protective over this sweet man 🥺

The last 50 pages had me sobbing because it was so touching and pulled at my heart strings so much 😭

Great book! ❤️

Review published on Goodreads and The StoryGraph on 5/10/2024:
The Book Swap was such an enjoyable read. I grew to love all of the characters and couldn’t stop turning the pages to learn more about them. The two main characters, James and Erin, have such a complicated history, and it was intriguing to piece apart how their relationship fit together in the past and what that meant for them now. And the secondary characters were just as lovely and developed. Having the book centered around literature and how it brings people together was a theme that I particularly loved. Highly recommend this book, be prepared for some tears!

This book was ADORABLE. I swooned over every word through this whole book and could not get enough of it. It had "You've Got Mail" vibes but instead of AOL messenger, it was notes through a Little Free Library.

The pros:
- the character depth. I loved James' character especially and how he grew as an individual. Erin was a bit more frustrating but she redeemed herself in the end.
- the romance. There is NO spice in this book for those wondering. However, it was beautiful to watch it (read it?) unfold.
- the throwback to classic books. I loved all the references of the classic books that both James and Erin read/exchanged. It felt so nostalgic for me.

The cons:
- Sometimes it was confusing when Erin was talking to Bonnie (her dead best friend). At first, I was like "does she have a brain tumor - she's seeing things." But it made sense once i realized it was her coping mechanism.
- Erin's character. She was frustrating throughout the entirety of the book - never giving ANYONE the benefit of the doubt. I truly hated her as a character. But I also think we were supposed to feel that way and then she was redeemed.

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