I absolutely ADORED this book. Tessa Bickers' debut novel is a delight. Readers meet Erin Connolly as she processes her grief at the loss of her best friend. Erin is lost - jobless, living with a roommate-with-benefits, and trying to find some kind of purpose in life. After a mix-up at the local little free library, she first loses and then reclaims her favorite book, To Kill A Mockingbird. Only now in her annotated book, there are notes from another reader.

What ensues is a slow-burn love story between Erin and a mystery man. Within the pages of several classics, Erin not only finds herself but exactly what she has been missing in her life. My husband and I always joke that our love language is reading books, and The Book Swap really shows how it can be! If you're a fan of a rom-com with substance to it, this book is for you. Thanks to NetGalley and Graydon House for the chance to be an advanced reader!

Rating: ★★★★☆

"The Book Swap" by Tessa Bickers is a delightful and charming read that will resonate with book lovers everywhere. This novel offers a refreshing take on the world of literature, weaving a heartwarming tale that celebrates the power of stories and the unexpected connections they can create.

The story revolves around a group of individuals who participate in a local book swap, each bringing their own personal favorites to share. What follows is a journey of discovery as they explore new genres and authors, finding not only new perspectives on literature but also on life. The characters are relatable and well-developed, each with their own quirks and passions.

Bickers' writing style is engaging and immersive, making it easy to lose oneself in the narrative. The book expertly balances light-hearted moments with more poignant reflections on the complexities of relationships and the impact of literature on our lives.

One minor downside is that some plot points feel a bit predictable, and certain characters could benefit from deeper development. Nevertheless, the overall story is a joy to read, and the themes of friendship, love, and the transformative power of books shine through.

In summary, "The Book Swap" is a highly enjoyable read for anyone who appreciates books and the connections they foster. Tessa Bickers has crafted a feel-good novel that will leave readers with a smile on their faces and a renewed appreciation for the magic of storytelling.

4.5 stars
This debut novel tells the story of two strangers connected through comments in the margins of books swapped back and forth in a tiny free library. Erin has recently rage-quit her job and is still mourning the loss of her closest childhood friend. James is stuck between promotions at a job he’s not sure he even wants and going back to his hometown to help his father deal with his bipolar mother.

As they trade insights into various famous novels, they also each begin to examine their own lives and the assumptions they have held as truths. In the end, it’s life off the page that forces them to examine their perspectives on reality.

I enjoyed this book a lot, although I would classify it as women’s fiction or romantic fiction rather than as a romance. Definitely worth putting on your TBR.

I loved the premise of this book, and enjoyed the complexity of Erin and James’ backstories, especially their complicated family lives. However, their inner monologues were often a little self-indulgent or melodramatic, which made me less sympathetic to them as a reader.

Gwyn Jones is perfectly happy with her life in Graves Glen. She, her mom, and her cousin have formed a new and powerful coven; she’s running a successful witchcraft shop, Something Wicked; and she’s started mentoring some of the younger witches in town. As Halloween approaches, there’s only one problem—Llewellyn “Wells” Penhallow.

Wells has come to Graves Glen to re-establish his family’s connection to the town they founded as well as to make a new life for himself after years of being the dutiful son in Wales. When he opens up a shop of his own, Penhallow’s, just across the street from Something Wicked, he quickly learns he’s gotten more than he bargained for in going up against Gwyn.

When their professional competition leads to a very personal—and very hot—kiss, both Wells and Gwyn are determined to stay away from each other, convinced the kiss was just a magical fluke. But when a mysterious new coven of witches come to town and Gwyn’s powers begin fading, she and Wells must work together to figure out just what these new witches want and how to restore Gwyn’s magic before it’s too late.

4.5 stars! I genuinely was so pleasantly surprised by the depth of this heartbreaking and heartwarming story. I always screw myself by expecting sweet quick romcom type vibes with cartoon covers but this was incredible!

𝐵𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌

📚 The Book Swap : Tessa Bickers 📚

Format: eBook (NetGalley)
Publisher: Harlequin Publishing
Publication Date: September 3, 2024
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I went into this book thinking it was going to be another light-hearted romantic comedy, and I was completely wrong. Tessa Bickers tells a heartwarming and heartbreaking story of two people who were struck by tragedy in two very different ways. The books deals with themes of grief, loss, and finding yourself. It also pays homage to many classic novels.

Erin, one of the main characters, begins the story by quitting her job, and talking to her dead best friend as if she’s still there. Shortly after she quits her job, she decides to Marie Kondo her life and gets rid of things that don’t bring her joy in her bedroom. She accidentally parts with her tattered and annotated copy of To Kill a Mockingbird that also contains a postcard written to her by her dead best friend, Bonnie. This is how she meets her Mystery Man when she finds her novel returned to the Little Free Library where she donated it. Mystery Man added his on annotations, and this is how their relationship takes off.

James, a former friends of Erin’s is just as lost as she is since the death of Bonnie, and the event that made him lose his friendship with Erin. He’s in a job he hates, but makes him money, and the best part of his life is when he finds the annotated copy of To Kill a Mockingbird at the Little Free Library.

The relationship between Erin and James blossoms throughout the book with neither of them knowing who the other is. They exchange multiple classics and get to know each other along the way. Eventually both learn to heal and love at the same time.

The only downfall for me was I really wanted an epilogue. I wanted to know more about what happened between Erin and James.

If you like romance mixed with real world problems, then this is the book for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Publishing for granting me this ARC!

I loved the concept of this book. Secret pen pal book club where you fall in love with the other person’s mind?? Sign me up!
Strong points: the books and the friendships. I loved seeing Erin and James’ notes back and forth as they each took little risks to deepen the relationship. I enjoyed seeing their book choices and analysis, as well as their little jokes and flirtations throughout the margins.
I find a lot of side characters in books to be annoying and clearly only there to help move the plot forward. Georgia, Cassie, Bonnie, and Joel didn’t feel like cookie cutters, and I found their conversations entertaining. I enjoyed that each of them brought different things out of James and Erin. Georgia and Erin in particular had a very believable relationship and sister chemistry. While romantic banter is a must, friendship banter isn’t always pulled off successfully. I believed these people were friends, and the legitimately made me laugh.
Weak points: the big conflict and the whole second half of the book. I feel like the intensity of James’ childhood bullying was somewhat confusing… maybe even unrealistic? I’m not saying bullying always makes sense, but it felt crazy intense, and I don’t get why no one was doing anything about it. The break in James and Erin’s friendship in the past did not sit right with me. It felt forced, and I think there could have been a way to write it differently where he still betrayed the same secret in a less fabricated way.
I found everything about James’ family situation extremely stressful and unresolved. I didn’t feel like the dad or brother’s stories made as much sense to me and it was harder to understand and connect with their characters. Most of the plot wrap up felt a little too convenient (everyone had the exact job openings they wanted when and where they wanted them). The romantic resolution was cute, but I feel like it could have used an epilogue.

I received this book as an ARC from Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley! Thank you so much!

This book took me a little while to get into, but once I did I couldn’t put it down! The main character, Erin, has a lot of trauma from past events. We learn more about her past as the story continues, and I appreciate the changes she goes through as she matures and starts seeing other perspectives. The second main character, James, can’t help but be loved by all. He has been dealt a rough hand in more ways than one.

Erin and James work through the story in a unique way— I love the author doesn’t focus on social media like so many other stories these days!

This story brings all the warm and fuzzies while being a great story about growth, change, and following your heart.

Definitely add this to your reading list!

I adored this one! The banter! The swooning! It was perfect. And it's book themed! What's not to love!?

What a good read! I truly enjoyed this book, I thought it was a sweet and unique storyline. Having a second-chance romance through secret notes and a community library is such an eccentric and darling little romance. I loved how both characters had their fair share of flaws as they went through their journey of grief and healing. I thought it portrayed grief in a beautiful and realistic light, I fell in love with and mourned Bonnie right with Erin and James. Some things I thought would have made this book even better would've been more details regarding James and Erin's history. I wanted to know more about how they fell for one another, what it was like when they were kids, if they thought of each other often during their years apart, etc. I think there was various areas that could've used some more descriptive details about how the characters were feeling, what was going on for them, or any resurfacing experiences from the past. Overall, it was a fun story and I'm eager to see it on the shelves! It has been a fantastic opportunity being able to read this arc and learn about James and Erin's stories!
3.5/5 stars

The Book Swap is based upon a storyline that is pure genius!! Imagine You’ve Got Mail but the messages are sent thru margins in a book? The references to the utterly brilliant classics in this book are unbelievable- Great Expectations, To Kill A Mockingbird, The Great Gatsby, & Wuthering Heights just to name a few. I could not get enough of this book. If you love books, you will love The Book Swap by Tessa Bickers.

Thank you NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing for an ARC copy of this book.

(2/5) I struggled to fully read this book. I think this would’ve better been categorized as a contemporary fiction book with a sice plot of romance, because this book was truly just about self improvement. Which brings me to my next point: this book is the epitome of “therapy fixes everything”. It seemed that the entire book was just the mcs realizing they were assholes and needed to improve themselves, which miraculously happened with the help of 1 year of therapy. Also, this book never excited me. I mean, it’s obvious how it was going to end, the main characters easily fixed all of their problems, and there were really no plot points that really immersed me in the story.

This ended up being a much denser read than I anticipated. This book heavily discusses bullying, infidelity, death and mental health disorders. Based on the blurb, I thought the premise was intriguing and a very cute idea for a romance. However, I am not sure that I would push this as a romance novel at all, especially when the main characters don't get together until the very last pages of the book. I found the romance aspect of this book to be unsatisfying and I didn't find myself rooting for James and Erin's relationship. I did enjoy Erin's relationships with her best friend and her sister. I think I could have read an entire book about just that.

I wasn't a huge fan of the dual POV because I didn't find much difference between the voice in the narrative when it would switch between Erin and James. I had to keep reminding myself who's POV I was reading. I think this book just hit too many heavy topics, too frequently for me. This was not a bad read, just not the book for me.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc copy of this book! This book largely focuses on Erin and James, their personal struggles, loss, love, and forgiveness. The chapters alternate between the two main characters POVS, each mixing in both past and present events. I found it a little hard to piece everything together at the beginning. The book had a slow start but I eventually enjoyed it when the book swap begins. I loved that part of the story line. Over all a cute read.

First let me start by thanking NetGalley and author Tessa Bickers for this digital ARC.

This is Tessa Bickers’ debut novel and if I wasn’t told that, I would have never guessed it. The Book Swap has become one of my favorite reads of the year so far earning a well deserved 5/5 stars.
I don’t like to write reviews that have real spoilers because I feel that it takes away from the joy of reading a book with clear eyes. What I will say is this is a beautiful story about love in many different forms, personal growth, loss in one’s life and the importance of finding what makes you happy and inspires you to do more. This is a dual POV book and the way these two main characters stories wind together is perfectly written. It’s a book for book lovers who really just love what books can mean to a person and for those who have an appreciation for some classics.
This book put me through the wringer of emotions, smiling, laughing, blushing(not really spicy/a slow burn for those that want to know), and crying quite a few times haha.
I can’t wait to get the physical copy of this book to really channel my inner Lucy/James and fill in the margins with all my thoughts!

I do think it’s important to note this book deals with the loss of a loved one and a few different mental health diagnoses.
While the author does write these topics with sensitivity and respect, it’s good to know what you are getting into especially if you’re sensitive to such topics.

I actually really loved this book and if it were sold as fiction I would rate it five stars. However, I did feel as though this was mis categorized as it was first and foremost a moving story of coping through immense grief. I absolutely loved the characters but was far more invested in the fmc and how she would cope with her grief and the mmc and how he would manage his family than in their relationship which was very secondary to the plot.

The cover of this story was ultimately its downfall for me. What I thought was a lighthearted romance via books, a la Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares, was instead a heavy look at grief. It was by no means a cheerful read.

There were quite a few side plots and I found myself praying the next chapter would ground us once again in the book swaps. Unfortunately this took me way to long to find the energy to slough through.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
I loved the premise of this book as a huge Little Free Library stan. It was a truly heartwarming tale, though a little less romance and a little more deep in the feels than k usually want. But a lovely story nonetheless.

guys i wanted to love this. i really really did! but this was just not for me. plot wise this is SLOW hence my not finishing it :/ and it's just not really a romance - or at least that's very much not the focus. if you go into it knowing that it's not super light hearted and that it's not romance centered than you could enjoy it more i think. even though it wasn't my cup of tea, the writing was not bad, so if this still sounds good to you then you'll probably quite enjoy it!! huge thanks to netgalley and harlequin publishing for allowing me to read the arc in exchange for an honest review.