I love the way grief is portrayed in this book. Everything, from the mental illness to the suffering, is written so accurately. The details in this book are extravagant and the author pays attention to even the tiniest thing. All of the character interactions have deep meaning and you’ll understand it all at the end. The way that Erin’s growth over time was written was beautiful to me. I felt like I was there with her, growing and maturing. I’m glad there was a happy ending for James and Erin, although it felt a tad bit rushed. Overall this book was such a nice read and I flew through it in a matter of hours!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

Books about books (or bookstores) are always a hit or miss for me, and this one was a miss. The opening chapter, where Erin quits her job was engaging and set an expectation for a fun read, but pace of the book felt like it almost came to a halt in the subsequent chapters. I couldn't find anything to hook into, to keep me reading.

I thought this book was so cute!!! There were so many characters but they all had a place in the story and I loved how everything was brought together at the end.

I thought this sounded like it would be a very cute romance from the description, but unfortunately the romance is more of a subplot. The main story was much heavier than I anticipated and focuses on navigating through grief. I had trouble getting into the story and connecting with the FMC. While I loved the idea of the story, I didn’t quite connect with it.

"The Book Swap" delves into themes of grief and moving forward after tragedy, offering a slow-burning romance intertwined with nods to classic literature. The portrayal of Erin's relationship with her sister adds authenticity to the narrative. While not entirely meeting romance expectations, it's a poignant read that resonates with the healing power of literature. Though rated 3.8 stars, it's still a worthwhile journey, especially for those seeking emotional depth in storytelling. Appreciation to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing | Graydon House, and Tessa Bickers for the advanced copy.

So, I recently finished reading "The Book Swap," and let me tell you, it's unlike any contemporary romance I've read before. Picture this: Erin, still reeling from the loss of her best friend, accidentally puts her treasured copy of "To Kill a Mockingbird" into a Little Free Library. What follows is a delightful exchange of annotated novels between Erin and James, sparking a unique textual conversation.

Now, I'll admit, when I picked up this book, I was expecting a cozy rom-com filled with bookish banter and cute moments. But boy, was I in for a surprise! Instead of light-hearted fluff, "The Book Swap" dives headfirst into some heavy themes – think loss, grief, trauma, and even terminal illness. And while the romance between Erin and James is there, it's more of a slow burn than the main focus of the story.

One thing that left me wishing for more was the lack of an epilogue. I mean, come on, I needed closure on Erin and James' relationship! But hey, I guess that's just part of the charm, right?

Overall, "The Book Swap" isn't your typical feel-good romance. It's raw, it's emotional, and it might just catch you off guard if you're expecting a light read. But if you're a fan of contemporary literary fiction and don't mind diving into some real-life complexities, then this book is definitely worth checking out. Huge thanks to NetGalley & Harlequin for letting me dive into this intriguing read!

This was a really great book. I was expecting a cute little story about love but this book had way more depth than I was expecting. The story gets told in the POV of Erin and James. We start learning about each of their lives and the struggles and grief that they each go through.
I loved the aspect of the book swap through the little neighborhood library. I felt that with each time they swapped books, I was just as excited as they were when reading their notes to each other.
The storyline itself is very cute but there is more to the story than just a cute romance. I couldn't put this book down because I wanted to know what happened with their love story!
Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing. All opinions are my own.

DNF @ 50%.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First off I'm sorry. I really wanted to like this book. I thought the cover was super cute and I was intrigued by the synopsis, but once I started reading the book it started feeling like a chore.

To start, it felt like it took FOREVER to get to the actual "book swap" part of the story, and even longer to get to any semblance of romance. This book is less romance and more an explanation of grief and how to navigate through it.

I also just was so incredibly annoyed with Erin. Look, I understand navigating life following the death of your best friend may be difficult but what was more difficult for me was how she made her life intentionally miserable, and made the people around her miserable as well. In her grown adult age she needs to grow up.

James also was just a flat character in my opinion, but if I'm being honest I was kinda just trying to get through as much of the book before I DNF'd it.

I think this book could be good for some people, but personally this was just not my cup of tea. I went in expecting a romance and didn't get it.

Books about books may actually be my favorite genre. The Book Swap is a contemporary romance novel with with the exchanging of books and annotations as a major plot device.

Erin, grieving the loss of her best friend, accidentally puts her prized copy of "To Kill a Mockingbird" in a Little Free Library. So begins a pseudo-text message conversation between Erin and James via annotations in the margins of novels. (I loved the references to classic literature throughout the story, it made the former Literature student in me giddy.)

The cover and blurb of the book had me ready to jump into a cozy, light read rom-com between book lovers. Unfortunately, that wasn't quite what happened. The Book Swap dives into some pretty deep themes of loss, grief, trauma, and terminal illnesses. The romance is a *very* slow burn and wasn't as much of a focal point in the story as I had expected. In fact, I wish there was an epilogue to let us know how things were going with Erin and James, but that was not provided.

Because of my expectations of how the story would play out, I wasn't mentally prepared for the emotions that this book brought up. I worry this may be the case for other readers who are expecting a rom-com based off the cover and blurb. I don't often read contemporary literary fiction because of the 'too real' aspect of the storyline. I know many people love that vibe, and I think those are the people who would really enjoy this novel!

Thank you to NetGalley & Harlequin for allowing me to read and review this arc of The Book Swap!

"Sometimes people are going through something you can't relate to, and you just have to show up."

The Book Swap is a beautiful book about two estranged friends unknowingly reconnecting in the margins of classic literature found in a little free library. It is also a deeply important reminder that everyone has difficulties in life that you may have no idea about. This book dealt with some difficult topics, and certainly brought me to tears a time or two, and is a great story of forgiveness and following your hearts desire.

As someone who has a Little Free Library of her own, I immediately loved this concept. However, I DNFed at ~30% (chapter 9). I really could not connect with the FMC, Erin. The start was a little slow for my taste, and I felt like it was a bit heavier than it seemed based on the description.

This book was fantastic! The FMC could come off a tad bit self-absorbed in the beginning, but I feel like she eventually addressees these issues in therapy. The MMC is a touch self-sacrificing, but only thanks to the guilt he holds inside. The other characters are all pretty great, except for the flat mate. He just makes me think of Carl from Aqua Teen Hunger Force. The banter back & forth between the books between two unknown people, excellent. I love when the characters in a book are book lovers, it immediately enhances the story. This book is inspiring, emotional, and funny. I think it's simply a book on life and how everyone's goal life might look a little different, but we have to choose to focus on the right things. The friendships formed and the friendships restored are beautiful. I feel like The Book Swap covered a lot of ground and was truly just a lovely story. I think it gives similar vibes to Midnight Library or a TJ Klune book. It's just a book that feels good to read, but makes you do a little self reflection too.

I loved this story - it wasn’t a cutesy romance. Bickers wove classical novels into this story, showing that a love of reading and books can bring people together. 4.5 ⭐️
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6427368710

https://www.instagram.com/p/C5vnzz4OO4t/?igsh=MWhhYnIwbjRubHVteg==

The idea of two people falling in love through the notes in the margins of books in a little free library was a concept that I immediately loved. However, The Book Swap took a different direction than I anticipated. Instead of a straightforward romance, the story delved into deeper themes such as trauma, personal growth, bullying, family issues, terminal illness and death, and toxic workplaces.

While the book offered moments of romance, these were often overshadowed by the heavier subject matter. Bickers' prose was lovely and well-crafted, so despite that it was still a very easy book to read. I very much enjoyed the writing style.

But...despite the intriguing setup and strong writing, I struggled to connect with the characters. They often felt self-indulgent and self-centered for adults, which made it difficult for me to empathize with them. For example, one character blamed himself for his mother's bipolar disorder without considering genetics, while another became so overwhelmed by life's challenges that she isolated herself for months. Both characters seemed stuck in their narrow views of what it meant to live a successful life.

I did appreciate seeing both characters make some progress in their lives by the end of the book.

I appreciated the parallels to The Perks of Being a Wallflower, but it just didn't work for me here.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with this ARC.

Though I didn't fall in love with The Book Swap as much as I had hoped, I appreciate the opportunity to read it and look forward to seeing how Tessa Bickers' writing evolves in future works.

I feel like this book was really slow, the characters were not connecting with me and i felt like it would get really heavy all the sudden and it felt like it would come out of left field. I think books that deal with heavier topics need to really find the balance of joy and fun and dealing with harder topics and I felt like this book just didn’t quite get that.

Going into this book, I was expecting a cutesy romance, but there was so much more. Beyond the romance, the story delves into deeper themes of grief, loss, and the complexities of moving forward after tragedy. The romance is very much a slow burn, almost too slow to be engaged, but it was still a great connection. The nods to classic literature serve as backdrop for the romance, which allows for deeper emotional truths. Also, I enjoyed the relationship of Erin with her sister Bonnie; it adds a layer of authenticity that portrays the difficulties of siblings and their dynamics.

"The Book Swap" may not fit my romance standards, especially from my expectations being completely different than what it truly was, I do believe others would enjoy this. It's a story that will resonate with anyone who has experienced loss or found solace in the pages of a book, reminding us of the healing power of literature and the importance of forging connections, even in the midst of pain.

Although I rate this 3 stars, I still liked it, just maybe didn't love it and it wasn't for me. I may have to sit on this and come back to it later!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing | Graydon House, and Tessa Bickers for granting me this advanced review copy.

You can see a more in depth review of this book on my blog here: https://leylaslibrary.wordpress.com/2024/04/21/the-book-swap/

I got to read the book as an ARC through NetGalley.
I unfortunately DNF'd this book in the 3rd chapter due to the FMC being frustrating. When it comes to females portrayed as damsels I can get behind it but the self deprecating things where a bit much. Also if her sister was really a therapist I find it really hard to believe she would tell her sister who was grieving her friend to basically get over it.

Pulls at the heartstrings while taking you through a stroll through the pages of classics. Perfect for book lovers!

I requested this book because I loved the premise. It's a second chance romance where the two characters fall in love by communicating through the margins of books they love. They don't know they are communicating with their childhood crush.

It's such a great premise, and the description and cover art on NetGalley suggested a sweet, fairly light romance. However, the focus of this book was more on healing from grief than falling in love. It was much heavier than I was expecting, and I was frustrated with both of the characters' wallowing. It felt heavy handed at times.

Based on the description, I was hoping this book would be amazing, but it was only ok.

What an adorably entertaining read! I loved the premise of secret pen pals communicating through their favorite novels... "Meet me in..." almost made me swoon.

Erin, the FMC, I will admit was at times, difficult to relate to. Her guard was all the way up, especially when it came to James, our MMC. The only person that she even remotely opened up to was her Mystery Man.

James, our MMC, was certainly the more relatable character. Despite everything that life had thrown at him, he was still able to open himself up to the possibility of love. And when it came to Erin, he was all in.

Their relationship starts off rocky at best, but their happily ever after is hard-earned which makes the story that much more enjoyable to read. This is definitely a slow burn romance "IRL", despite moving quite quickly between the pages of their favorite stories. This story gets a high score from me for the premise alone!

4.3 ⭐️