📚The Book Swap by Tessa Bickers 📚

Thank you @htphive for this book surrounding classic ligature, friendship and growth.

Pages: 336
Book Goal 2025: 3/130

✨Have you done a buddy book swap with annotated books?✨

It’s interesting that I read this book recently as I have been seeing so many stories & reels about friends exchanging books that have been annotated. It has really peaked my interest and I think I want to do this.

The Book Swap is about our main character Erin who accidentally donates her favorite copy of “to kill a mockingbird”, that is annotated with all of her notes, feelings and discoveries, to a little library. She ends up being horrified but then discovers the book has been returned with newly added annotations alongside a copy of Great Expectations. Through this builds a relationship that is sort of pen-pal style through these classic books.

I can’t really say that the book swap is a romance as I found it was more about the friendships built and new perspectives on love, life and friendship overall.

Overall I think if you go into this book expecting romance, you will be slightly disappointed but if you want a book about pasts, overcoming things and friendship building that happens to tie in a love of literature then you’ll enjoy this.

I wanted to love this book. I really tried to stick it out. I just couldn't keep up with the bouncing around POV and writing style.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a review.

The premise of this book held a lot of possibility. And I was really hopeful, because I am a huge fan of little free libraries (I have one in my frontyard) and a well loved copy of my favorite book, To Kill a Mockingbird, sets the story in motion. The plotline was clever. But it was a struggle to finish this one. The flow of the book was choppy, at best. It felt like significant points of the story were addressed with a few words, and then pages were spent on insignificant parts. There were so many subplots with the supporting characters that it felt like there wasn't time to really dig into any of it. They were all very interesting side characters, but it was too much going on that then had to wrapped up in a hurry.

“Sometimes redemption isn’t just about saying sorry, it’s about how you recover from the mistakes you make. Bettering yourself is the best kind of apology you can make.” @tessabickerswrites

James and Erin were besties growing up… until one day they weren’t. Since their late teenage years they haven’t seen each other… until one day they do.

Erin is struggling in all the ways. She’s mourning her best friend, harbors severe abandonment issues, has not repaired her relationship with her mom, hates her job, and is barely making ends meet.

James has a job that’s engaging but not his passion, he splits his time between London and home to help his father with his mom who is bipolar, he’s missing his brother in NYC, and is carrying a lifetime of bullies and one bad decision on his back every day.

Neither of them know that they’ve stumbled upon the same lending library in London. By chance, James reads an adored book of Erin’s with notes in the margins. In the best “You’ve Got Mail” way, they begin a friendship within those margins that ignites their desire to dream once again.

This book has a strong mental health focus with a welcomed dose of two male friends realizing that true connection is asking the hard stuff and the “typical male friendship” doesn’t always allow one another to share the hard things. @ explores friendships, bonds between siblings, bonds between parents, and grief of all kinds while she gently reminds us that despite the struggle, by taking one step at a time, day by day, you just may walk right into your dreams bathed in sunshine.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I adored this book and I’m so happy I read it now instead of last year before its pub date. The humor and individual growth of each character was just what I needed today. I can’t wait to read everything she writes. I’m in my “late-but-getting-there” era and so thankful to @netgalley and @harlequinbooks for this #advancedreaderscopy pub date was 9/3/24

#2025bookchallengebook3of100
#thebookswap
#netgalley

I really enjoyed The Book Swap! It’s such a love letter to books and how they can connect people. Erin’s story of healing after loss felt real and heartfelt, and the pen pal twist kept me hooked. I loved the literary references and the notes in the margins—such a cool way to build their connection.

It’s definitely more emotional than the cover suggests, but that just made it even better for me. A beautiful, moving story about second chances and finding your way back to life.

Thanks to NetGalley and Graydon House for the chance to read this one!

Tessa Bickers’ novel “The Book Swap” was a large undertaking of a story, with many layers and timelines to connect and Bickers did it well. This is a story about grief and connection that centers around two main characters but also brings in their family members and friends from all stages of their lives to play parts in the narrative. This story felt nuanced and mirrored the jaggedness of real tricky relationships. There is a heavy focus on the main character’s best friend who has died and the very serious psychiatric conditions of the other main character’s mother. Both of these characters are important to the story but are both complicated and at times hard to read about. I appreciated the way Bickers brought the many characters’ stories to a close but I wish I got to see more of the two main characters in the next phase of their lives.

Really was expecting a cute romcom from the cover and description, but this book covers much deeper topics and is more serious than anything. The characters were well-developed, the story is interesting, but the cover does NOT match the actual story. Thank you to NetGalley, Tessa Bickers, and Graydon House for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

A tender story about healing and connection, where two people fall in love through shared notes in classic novels. With nine beloved books weaving through the narrative, this charming romance celebrates how literature can mend hearts and bring people together in unexpected ways.

📚Jenny’s Review☕️

Genre: Romance/RomCom
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Erin Connelly experiences a personally tragedy and struggles to regain her footing after. One day, she reaches her limit at work and basically blows up her life. In the midst of this, she donates a bunch of books to a little sidewalk library. Unfortunately, she unknowingly includes her heavily annotated copy of To Kill A Mockingbird. This begins a back and forth annotation romance between her and “Mystery Man.”

I loved the concept of this book and the cameos from some classic literature. I was torn at the end of my overall feelings because I didn’t love it as much as I thought it would. Here’s why:

👍🏻:
-Love story pen pal style in the margins of books
-Palette cleanser romance read
-Mental health representation
-Adult style coming of age in terms of finding your calling

👎🏻:
-Plot felt a bit chaotic at times
-Erin’s deep rooted hatred of James since high school. She has held onto this plus multiple grudges for YEARS and still acts like a teenager about them imo. Her character seems very immature for her age. She was hard to root for.
-Along those same lines, when you find out what he did in high school and how it unfolded, her hatred for him seems even more unnecessary.
-James’ never faltering love for Erin even after everything that happened and how she still acts towards him.
-Lack of communication between characters

This debut novel tackled many layers of interpersonal and family struggles. I felt the slow burn between the characters was a bit too slow for me, so I would say this felt more of a story about the personal growth of the two characters. I enjoyed the books in the book.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing & Graydon House, and NetGally for this ARC.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

I’m a lover of books about books and this didn’t disappoint on that end. I loved as each book was chosen and why, and hearing each characters thoughts on those books. Loved reading about the exchanges as well and it all being unknown of who the other is. While there is a romance in this story, I would t call it a romance book. The romance is a 2nd thought and I enjoyed that. Once I finished it, I wanted to start annotating my books a lot more for that future person who will find it at a used bookstore when I’m gone and the feeling it may give them. This book made used books feel like treasures. What reader doesn’t love that?

I couldn't finish the book it was so boring and no romance. I read it until almost half way through.But I just couldn't do it anymore since it wasn't getting any better.

Love this love this love this love this.

As a fellow bookworm (obviously) I loved the literature references that melded this story. This book and character journey was a great reminder that grief takes time, and it's okay to give yourself space for healing.

I, like many others, was expecting a romcom. Maybe it's the cover that gives romcom vibes. This is not that. It's not a bad book. In fact, it's quite good. It's just heavier and more emotional than I was expecting. I wasn't in the right headspace for it, and maybe that's why I couldn't 100% get into it. Overall, a good read, just don't expect a romcom.

Dnf @ 55%

I attempted to read this one on my kindle months ago but took a break to make sure I was in the mood for this read. After a while I decided to pick it up again but on audio instead and the book still didn’t interest me at all. I found myself bored and didn’t want to force myself to read something I wasn’t enjoying. Wasn’t a bad book but I just don’t think it was for me

When I requested this book I thought it was a rom com but it wasnt. It was about trauma and grief. I enjoyed the main characters and would recommend this to a friend with a warning.

This was such a unique romance! The premise seems like it would be a romcom, but it is decidedly not. It deals with a ton of heavy topics, from death to mental illness to family alienation to adultery and more. But it does it in a way that is not depressing - it just feels real to life. Both main characters grow significantly over the course of the book. It has hopeful themes even among the tough concepts. I would recommend it, especially for those who prefer literary fiction but want to dip their toe in romance.

Thank you to the publisher - I received a complimentary eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed so many aspects of this book. From the characters’ growth to their silly quirks. I think this shows how when you lose someone you love it can hurt other relationships in your life and it can even hold you back. I loved the aspect of the little library and it was so fun to see the love story develop. This was such a fun read!

This book was beautiful! It made me cry, laugh, and giggle all throughout the book. I was truly I bbc ested in all of the characters and how they would overcome their trauma!