First off I would love to thank NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I was excited to read this because it seemed like a fun little cozy romance. It ended up being pretty hard for me to get through, because that isn’t at all what it was. The romance was a slow burn, which can be great in some cases but in this case it was probably the slowest burn I’ve ever read which just honestly killed it for me. It was a pretty heavy read. Not something I’d typically go for. The synopsis was a little misleading. I almost DNF’ed several times. But since it was an ARC, I decided to push through. I won’t be re reading once the final edited version comes out.

The Book Swap is my personal idea of romance. I am all for two characters falling in love over their passion for books.

In an age of social media, it doesn't seem too unusual to have conversations with someone without knowing who they are. In The Book Swap, they leave notes for each other in the margins of books in a little free library. Which just seems so much more romantic and unexpected than talking with someone on a books forum would be. This book was also well written, and it's going to stay with me for a while.

Two things that took away from this book being perfect: the beginning keeps talking about how the two main characters had a horrific unforgivable incident in the past that made the female main character hate the male main character. And I just wanted to yell at the book to just tell me already, rather than make a big huff about it without any details. The other thing being the parallel story about her best friend. I think it was important details, but felt like it could be a separate book on its own. But I was so in love with the book that those were easy to look past.

Overall, I loved this, and will be recommending it to everyone. Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the electronic advanced reader copy.

I have tried reading this book three separate times and I just cannot get into it. I’m sure it’s a lovely story for some but sadly not for me.

I enjoyed this so so much - it makes me want to pick up all the classics that I hated and find something that resonates in each of them.

I love that contemporary romances have gotten so much more in their feels - it's not just "girl meets boy, third act break-up and then all's well." There's real issues, real heartbreak, complicated life shit, true reasons behind the miscommunication... And then all's well. I know this puts some people off that just wanted mindless enjoyment, and this might have gone one miscommunication too far, but I felt all the reasons.

This was not the book I was expecting it to be, but it was so much better! It was quite the emotional rollercoaster. There were times that I was annoyed with both leads, Erin and James, but then they'd figure something out about themselves that made them such better characters! The character growth was absolutely "chefs kiss" and I did get teary eyed at the end. I really look forward to buying a physical copy of this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and to Harlequin Trade Publishing for my digital ARC!!

Unexpected in every way! A good way. I was expecting more of a romance/rom-com but there was so much more than just that throughout this book. A slow burn writing notes back and forth that highlighted the best of both Erin and James. Dealing with family issues, grief, life changes....it added so much. It took me a little bit to get into it but once I did, I didn't put it down and read the last 80% in one sitting. One I'd recommend!

I don’t know where to begin. This book was so good! It pulled different emotions out of me. I found myself laughing at some parts, then crying at others. It was more than a romance story. It was about love, forgiveness, heartbreak, grief, and finding oneself and discovering who you are in life. The characters had a lot of learning and growing. It touched on mental illness with James’ mom and how that can affect those living with it.
The book swap was so cute. As a person who loves to read, I love how the main characters became infatuated with each other through books. And there are so many books to be read!!! I absolutely loved this book!

I was drawn to this book based on the cute cover, the synopsis and my love of books about books. However, this book is not a light hearted love story as the cover suggests. This story deals with some heavy topics including death of a best friend, divorce, mental illness, depression, bullying, and family struggles. Overall, I think this book could be healing for someone grieving a loss or going through a rough patch but felt too heavy at times for me.
Most difficult was that the book was way too slow. I had a hard time connecting to either character but especially the female main character. I found her selfish and immature. It also felt too far fetched to me that she held a grudge for that long and refused to continue being friends with the male main character. Overall, the book didn’t work very well for me and it wasn’t what I thought it would be.

Thank you NetGalley for a prerelease of The Book Swap by Tessa Bickers.

What a great book! I’m a huge fan of book themed rom-coms - and this one didn’t disappoint. This is for lovers of You’ve Got Mail, Meet Me in the Margins by Melissa Ferguson, and Book Lovers by Emily Henry.

Thanks to Netgalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing for the E-ARC! So cute! Loved the characters and the bookish references. Will definitely read more from this author.

I enjoyed this story but it was definitely not what I was expecting based on the cover/blurb. I went into this expecting a cute RomCom and that's not what this is.

I loved the idea of our MCs communicating through annotations in the margins of classic books exchanged in a little free library and there was great potential as a super slow burn, childhood friends to enemies to lovers however this story has a very heavy focus on loss/grief, childhood trauma from bullies, mental illness, and family issues. There are so many side characters with their own things going on that the romance aspect definitely feels like a subplot.

I would love to have seen an epilogue with some insight on how the relationship played out

Thank you to Netgally, Harlequin Trade Publishing | Graydon House, and Tessa Bickers for the opportunity to read and leave an honest review for this ARC

Loved this book though I wouldn’t classify it as a romance - it’s much deeper than that. It’s well-written with great character development and past/present timelines are my favorite. Erin and James touched my heart.
This novel touches on love, grief, mental illness and how our childhood often affects us into adulthood.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to Tessa Bickers and Harlequin Trade Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC. The Book Swap publishes on September 3rd, 2024.

The Book Swap is a story two people who connect through writing in the margins of classic books. It’s about grief, second chances, family issues, and mental health. As the book progress, Bickers does a wonderful job balancing the main characters building a relationship while also building on their personal growth. I fell in love with James’ storyline. He went through so much growing up and then again as he navigated adulthood. What he wrote in those margins was so beautiful.

If you liked Dash and Lily on Netflix, you’ll LOVE this book.

Favorite quotes:
“If I can’t marry Harry Styles, I’m never getting married,”

“7. If you could be a character from any book, who would you be, and why? Atticus Finch, for obvious reasons. My new purpose is for someone to call me a ‘dreamboat’ before I die.”

Tropes:
Second chance
Hate to love
Fated


-this review can be found on instagram and Goodreads.
-review was posted 5/2/24

The Book Swap by Tess Bickers 📚
Thank you to @netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
(3.5 rounded up) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My thoughts: This book had such a slow beginning but I ended up enjoying it in the end. It was so cute, so beautifully written. The characters had such a heartbreaking past. It just shows you how much more beautiful life could be if we forgave. Forgiveness is important, not just for others, but mostly yourself. This also brought awareness to always be kind. You never know what someone else is going through.

This is one of my top reads for 2024. The character building and literary references were amazing.

It’s labeled as a romance which I think might confuse people who are used to clear cut romances where the main characters are in constant contact by the end of chapter 1. This is a slow burn with a lot of reflection by James and Erin.

The book jumps between the present and the past to really tie everything together. A lot of topics are touched on. How our childhood trauma follows us into adulthood. How our parents shape us. What an easy path vs following your heart looks like. Erin is stuck in the past, complete with “seeing” her dead friend living with her. James has both grown up while desperately seeking parental approval. They share books anonymously through a lending library. Which reminded me of Divine Rivals.

So is it a love story? There is a love of books. A love of family. Rejoicing at following dreams. And a lot of love between couples.

Definitely low spice. Some closed door mentions. Quite a bit of bullying described among kids. Excellent characters and settings. It all flowed well and I really felt connected to the characters. Recommended for those who enjoy literary fiction with romance, character studies or complex human relationships.

4.25 ⭐️
This book was really good, I was quite shocked it was Tessa Bickers first novel! This book reminds me of “You Got Mail” with a childhood friends to lovers twist! Erin and James were really good together and had such a sweet story. I love how she incorporated so many classic books and I loved the way they communicated to each other between the margins of their books! This was such a creative use of a Little Free Library. This book does deal with some heavier topics but I thought she handled them with grace and care. What really stood out to me was the guilt and pressure that comes with being a caretaker for a parent while in your 20s. This isn’t something I’ve ever read about in a book before and I found it so impactful.

Thank you so much to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley so this ARC in exchange for an honest review! My Goodreads review is linked to this and when I post my Instagram review I will link it here as well!

I wanted to love The Book Swap, especially with such an adorable cover hinting at a cute rom-com. Unfortunately, I couldn't get past the halfway mark. Reading this book started to feel like a bit of a chore. I caught myself skimming pretty early on, which is never a good sign for me.

The plot turned towards heavier themes rather quickly, which threw me off a bit. It’s not that I mind a deeper story, but I was expecting something light and breezy, and this shift might be because the book might've been mismarketed.

I also didn't like the main characters, Erin and James. Maybe I wasn’t in the right headspace for this kind of story, which can totally change how you feel about a book.

Big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC! It’s always great to get a chance to dive into new stories, even if this one wasn’t quite for me.

I tried getting into this one but it was a quick DNF for me, unfortunately. The story was very confusingly written which made it difficult to connect to the characters or their lives. I was really excited for this one so it's a sad thing to have to do but I don't think I could make it through the entire book.

This was cute! It had a lot of depth in regards to real life situations and emotions! As a person who loves books I appreciated the nods to classics! Great story & thoroughly enjoyed!

This book was not my typical read. I had been reading a lot of fantasy and needed a palette cleanser and this felt just right. The characters are so much fun and I am such a sucker for a dual POV. It was written in a way that kept me interested until the very last second as I was constantly waiting to find out when the characters would discover each other! I loved this.