I made it halfway through this novel, and decided not to finish. I just wasn’t enjoying it or looking forward to picking it up. I think it’s sweet, and maybe if I’d read all the books mentioned I’d be more into it— but I’ve only read 1 or 2 and don’t feel overly passionate about them. I almost feel left out of the story a bit.

Totally adored this book. Felt for the characters and connected to their stories. Felt real enough with just enough hopeful, serendipitous energy to keep me feeling good. Thanks for the ARC copy!

I was really excited for the premise of this book. Secret book lovers using a free library almost as pen pals. I was really excited to see the FMC and MMC grow in their personal lives and how their new mystery pal helped them.

I found parts of the story to be very chopping. Flash backs or thoughts that seemed to happen randomly. This took away for me from the major premise of the story. Additionally the FMM really didn’t have a huge growth. She did acknowledge by the end her shortcomings but we didn’t really get to see that.

All in all, liked it. I didn’t want to stop reading it and felt like it was a unique story.

Can a book be your friend?

Erin definitely thinks so.

One day Erin was frantically cleaning off her bookshelves to take to the community library because she wanted a new start.

She hadn't realized that she had given away her copy of To Kill A Mockingbird that she had written in with annotations and comments.

She was devastated and ran to the community library to get it back. It wasn’t there.

She checked every day and finally it was there.

To her surprise someone had written back to her and commented on her comments.

We follow Erin and a mystery man as they go back and forth writing in books and carrying on with something similar to having a pen pal as they write comments to their comments in classics such as To Kill A Mockingbird, Great Expectations, Wuthering Heights, and others.

It was fun, but very confusing and not a book I was anxious to get back to. 3/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

As an English major AND a librarian AND a romance reader, how could I not love The Book Swap by Tessa Bickers?! Watching the relationship unfold between Erin and her Mystery Man over the pages of beloved books is delightful, plus they're each on their own individual journeys of self-discovery. A must read for book lovers everywhere!

This book is advertised as "a love letter to books" and that is exactly how I felt reading it! Erin is a lover of books and begins exchanging notes with a mystery guy by writing notes in the margins (which is so cute and romantic I LOVE). I love when books have a penpal/secret friendship kind of trope! I do think I would have enjoyed it even more if I would have read all of the referenced classics in this though. Overall a feel good, quick read! Would definitely recommend.

recipe as follows:
✔︎ enemies-to-lovers where it's truly just based on misunderstanding and not communicating
✔︎ second-chance romance
✔︎ tragedy-bonding
✔︎ references to [book:perks of being a wallflower] that remind you of how cringe everyone was in high school (realistic)

cute, but a bit trite with the slightly-obvious trope-farming. fun writing and interesting side characters supported well and i still finished it quickly. a light palate cleanser for marginalia enthusiasts and little free library lovers.

many thanks to harlequin trade, graydon house, and netgalley for the advance reader copy.

This book was nice and not at all what I was expecting. I know that romance is romance, but I often enjoy a romance book with a little more than JUST the romance itself. And this had that. I noticed from the start that it would be tackling bigger themes than I had anticipated. And that was okay for me, really! However, at the end of it, it was still a romance, and I just didn't really buy the romance.

I liked that they interacted through the book. That was nice. But that can only go on for so long, and there was just so much going on, it kind of felt like the author may have wanted to add in too much, and with everything, it felt like it should have just been listed as fiction or chick lit or women's fiction.

It was pretty good. Not my favorite, but I liked it enough to read to the end.

Erin’s life is in turmoil when she decides to declutter her apartment. She accidentally donates her favorite book, containing a special memento and her annotations to a community free library. When the book is returned a week later, it is filled with fresh notes in the margins and an invitation to meet her newfound pen pal in the margins of another novel. Erin and her Mystery Man fill the pages of their favorite novels with annotations and questions for each other as their unconventional book exchange continues. Sharing their innermost thoughts with only each other, their friendship blossoms into more until their true identities are revealed and their tumultuous past plays havoc with their future.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC! This was such an easy read, I finished it in a day.

Erin recently lost her best friend, quit her job of 7 years, and is going through it. In an effort to overhaul her life, she purges her room and accidentally donates her beloved copy of To Kill a Mocking Bird to a little free library. After checking day after day, it returns and a mystery man has added his thoughts to the margins along hers. What follows is a story about loss, grief, love, and forgiveness.

Overall, this was an enjoyable story! I liked the premise, falling in love in the margins of the story, the family conflict they processed through, and the grieving process we got to see. Both Erin and James fight through a lot of their personal issues and end up realizing the importance of family and that they can't do it alone.

One thing I didn't love was the lack of background information. I wish that we had more foundation of Erin and Bonnie's relationship, it was hard to buy into the fact that they were BFF's when we didn't have a ton of proof of that. We did find out more about James and Erin's conflicts but it came out disjointed and I wish we had a clear picture from the beginning.

There were some cringy parts that I just didn't love and felt like the love story was rushed. Erin was often extremely rude and stuck in her ways which bothered me as well. It didn't feel like she was willing to move on her opinions and thoughts when she very clearly just needed to listen to others...

But truly, this was easy to read, understand, and I can see why this would appeal to may readers!

The book takes you through the lives of Erin and James old College (HS in America) friends who had a falling out; also through their love of books and the death of their friend Bonnie. It shows that the universe / God will always bring two people back together when they are truly meant to be no matter the odds. I loved the pen pal theme via the Little Community Library. The only thing is that it would probably only work in fiction, even though Erin says the community library is never busy, there would always be a chance that someone else would pick the books before them, lucky the one time it did almost happen God intervened and made it a great meeting for Erin and her future.

I did very much like this book. A great first book for this debut author. Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing- Graydon House for this eARC for my honest review. I’m looking forward to seeing how Tessa Bickers next books are.

Language: R (18+ swears, 12+ "f" + British swears); Mature Content: PG13+; Violence: G+
The beginning was slow, but the reasons I stopped reading were for frequent use of the f-word and for hints that there is probably sexual content later in the book that I don't want to read. It was a preemptive choice and not a reflection on the story itself being good or bad.
The mature content rating is for alcohol use, partial nudity, innuendo, and mentions of sex.

I really enjoyed this book!! I loved the premise and the setting for this book, it felt so fresh and different from anything I’ve read recently. I always enjoy a book that discusses mental health and personal struggles. Erin really was at a low point within herself and trying to process her grief and how to move on with her life after losing her best friend was a journey I enjoyed reading. I also liked James and his journey with overcoming his past and his family struggles.

The little free library and passing books back and forth was perfect. I loved that part so so much.

I’m also a sucker for a happy ending and this ending was amazing. What a fantastic debut book!

Calling this book a romance feels misleading. If it was instead called general fiction, I think I would have had a better mindset and expectations. Unfortunately, I expected a romance, yet I found myself not wanting the main characters to get together since they both need a lot of self growth before I can see them in a healthy relationship.

Erin remains self centered throughout the entire book. Yes, she has some growth in terms of figuring out what she wants to do with her life and starting to forgive people from her past. However, even in the end at Bonnie’s memorial, she makes James’ news about her.

James’s character, though equally flawed for most of the book, does seem to let go of his judgement while also learning to chase his own dreams

I did appreciated the tie-in to other great literature. Exchanging reading notes then getting to know each other through notes is normally a romance trope I like. But again, the flaws in both Janes and Erin made me rooting for their love story.

I received a free copy of this book; I wasn’t paid for this review.

I want to take a moment to think NetGalley as well as the publishing company for sending me an arc copy of this book and exchange my honest review.

I was beyond excited to get my hands on this book! However, with that being said, I really struggled in the beginning to get into the book. It felt almost like a chore to read this book and that really broke my heart. I want so desperately to love this book, but it just was not for me. I do recommend that you give this book a try because you may find it more enjoyable than I did.

This book has me feeling very conflicted. I genuinely dislike the protagonist, Erin, but her character development was very strong. She came across as one dimensional and I wasn’t a particular fan of her.

My biggest gripe with the book is that there are way too many coincidental events. One or two in a book is fine, but this story had over half a dozen which threw me off entirely. Being at the same place at the same time could happen here or there, but it was happening in every other chapter.

I did enjoy the parts about love and loss, and I think the author handled the theme well. However, I think the depiction of bipolar disorder was lacking and unrealistic.

I loved the premise of falling in love through little free libraries, and the references to The Perks of Being a Wallflower were great. It’s one of my favourite books, so I loved seeing it incorporated in this story.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, but I think it could use another round of editing.

This book was not for me. When novels name drop clothing brands and fashion accessories, which I do not understand and feel like I should look up to understand the relevance, it turns me off. I know that is a small thing, but when I am reading a romance or women’s fiction novel it a small thing that makes a novel a little less enjoyable.

Character wise, I am really concerned about Erin and her constant visions of her best friend. Even when she’s looking to see if she is still there when diving into bed with her roommate that she casually hooks up with, especially when one of them comes home drunk. Great relationship there and doesn’t make me feel Erin has any self worth. When she finally does stand her ground to Collum, it’s not surprising his reaction. James, is not really any better with Helena, you sleep with her regularly, then freak out when she starts to hope there is something more going on? Guys leading girls on and girls leading guys on. Overall, I enjoy James’ character and storyline more than Erin’s.

In the end, I will probably not be suggesting this to book club as it was a stretch for me to try and finish it. I liked the premise, but I didn’t feel like I got much of the margin interaction outside the first book or two, after that it just became questions.

"The Book Swap" by Tessa Bickers is a charming and heartwarming novel that celebrates the magic of books and the connections they foster. The story centers on two strangers, Emily and James, who unwittingly exchange books through a mysterious book swap service. As they delve into each other's chosen titles, they uncover hidden aspects of their own lives and form an unexpected bond.

Bickers' writing is engaging and evocative, bringing the characters to life with vivid detail and emotional depth. Emily and James are wonderfully relatable, each grappling with personal struggles that make their journey of self-discovery all the more poignant.

The plot is well-paced, with a perfect blend of humor, romance, and introspection. The author's ability to interweave the characters' stories through the books they read is both clever and touching, highlighting the transformative power of literature.

Overall, "The Book Swap" is a delightful read that will resonate with book lovers and romantics alike. It’s a testament to the idea that sometimes, the right book can change your life. I would give it a glowing 4.5 out of 5 stars for its heartfelt narrative and memorable characters.

Tessa Bickers' "The Book Swap" was a surprise hit for me. At first, I thought it was just another romantic comedy, but it turned out to be so much more. The story dives into deep themes like grief, loss, and healing, all while being centered around the main character, Erin Connolly.

Erin’s life is a bit of a mess after losing her best friend and quitting her job. She tries to move on by donating books to a little community library, including her favorite copy of "To Kill a Mockingbird." She soon realizes her mistake when she finds out it has been taken, but later, it reappears with notes scribbled in the margins by a mystery person.

Enter James, the mystery note-writer. He’s back home from London to care for his mom, who has some serious health issues. James and Erin’s connection grows through their shared love of books, particularly through the notes they leave each other. The way their relationship develops slowly but surely is really heartwarming, and their bond over literature is super relatable for any book lover.

The story isn’t just about romance, though. It deals with tough topics like bullying, family problems, and figuring out what you want to do with your life. Erin’s relationship with her sister Bonnie feels very real and touching, which adds another layer to the story.

However, the slow pace of the romance might not be for everyone. Plus, if you're not into classic literature, some of the references might go over your head. Also, some of the side characters can be pretty mean, which might be off-putting for some readers.

Despite these small issues, "The Book Swap" is a book that makes you feel a lot of different emotions. The writing is really good, making you laugh and cry in equal measure. Even though I wished for a bit more closure at the end, the story is still very satisfying and leaves you thinking about the power of books and human connections.

Overall, "The Book Swap" is a heartfelt story that will make you appreciate the magic of books and the bonds they create. It's definitely worth a read if you love literature and stories about personal growth.

A book about second chances and books?? Yes please! Pick up The Book Swap. You will not regret it. It was a great read!