I loved the concept of this book, how it was written, and how beautifully it was executed. This book about a book was perfect. After experiencing a tremendous loss, Erin has trouble trusting anyone. She recently gave away an important book and after finding it, she finds notes written inside. This starts a book exchange between Erin and an unknown male. Erin and the mystery man exchange things that they don’t share with other people. They connect. The mystery man and Erin have a surprise connection that then makes everything come together. This was not a typical rom-com because it was so much more!

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I thought this book was going to be a fun rom-com. That was not the case. It was more of a book about heavy subjects with a side of romance. Definitely check the trigger warnings before reading.

I didn’t dislike this book, it just wasn’t what I was expecting. It might be something I reread later and end up liking more.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This novel was definitely not what I was expecting. Based on the cover I was hoping for a cute romance rom com feel of a book, however this was heavily focused on grief.

The MMC and FMC knew one another and this is sort of a second chance novel through grief. It was an okay novel however it felt a bit messy, jumbled and just not what I was hoping for in this book.

I was provided with an e-ARC of this by NetGalley, the author and publisher.

For a cartoon cover I was shocked at how much this book made me FEEL! What I was expecting was a rom com but what I got was a meaningful story about late 20 somethings dealing with grief, trauma, and the all too familiar quarter life crisis.

Bonnie, James and Erin were the best of friends back in high school. Think Perks of Being a Wallflower. The girls brought James in and became his first real friends after years of relentless bullying. They were INFINITE. Until James broke Erin’s trust and the friendship group with it.

Years and years later, Bonnie has passed away and Erin and James keep running into each other in chance encounters. Erin still holds a grudge for James’ betrayal and all James wants is a chance to explain himself. The two unknowingly start up an anonymous correspondence with each other where they slowly form a friendship again.

However, those looking for a romance do be warned this is much more about the characters individual journeys than it is about their relationship. The two spend this novel learning about themselves, how they treat people and how they want to spend their life going forward. I will say my hopeless romantic heart felt the ending was very underwhelming, but I enjoyed the time it took to get there! ALMOST got some tears outta me too.

I’m glad I read this! I loved all the book references too, makes me want to go back and brush up on some of the classics. If you love Mhairi MacFarlane I think you will love this as well. I’m excited to see what else this author has to offer.

The Book Swap was not what I was expecting. I thought I would find a cozy story about books and book lovers and it partly was. However, I found so much more than that. It is a story about grief and forgiveness, about finding yourself and living life.
I deeply enjoyed reading this book and enjoyed getting to know all the interesting characters. In all honesty, I did not love Erin for the majority part of the book but in the ending we can see a lot of growth and I liked that.
The story is heartwarming and funny at times but it also makes you cry and breaks your heart. The author managed to create a great combination of these elements and made it a gripping story that book lovers will surely enjoy.

After reading a couple thrillers I was looking to pick up a fun, heart warming romance book. Unfortunately, the cover of this book is misleading because it’s not the cozy, cute, romcom I believed it would be. It deals with some heavier topics, which is fine, but even when I figured out what the book actually was I just couldn’t get into it. The female main character is insufferable and I found myself rooting on her downfall. I considered DNFing this one but kept hoping I would end up enjoying it. I will say I did like the male main character and I appreciated how the author explored grief, mental health issues, and difficult family dynamics. I’m not sure if this was a case of wrong book wrong time or just false expectations from a misleading cover, but this was a miss for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!!

Tessa Bickers wrote a phenomenal story about grief, love, and purpose in life. The main characters have very hard back stories, and they are going through a lot of mental and emotional turmoil in essentially every aspect of their lives throughout the novel. There is beautiful commentary on life and happiness through the use of classic novels that the two main characters pass back and forth to each other with their own commentary scribbled in the margins. This was definitely a heavier read for me, but absolutely I would recommend this in a heart beat!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy!

For a book that is labeled romance, it wasn't very romantic in my opinion.

Things that some people may enjoy: Erin and James, the main characters, "build" their relationship through leaving notes in books. You also get a lot of details about each characters' personal lives, honestly too much in my opinion, it overshadows the "relationship" that is supposed to be building between the two.

I don't want to say too much, because this book just wasn't my cup of tea, I found myself struggling to finish it and there was no clear point in the book where it suddenly got interesting. This book would be better labeled as general fiction than romance.

The Book Swap is a cute will they/won't they second chance at love, story. It definitely leaned more heavily into the women's fiction genre than romance. Though the primary storyline was the relationship our two protagonists were developing in the pages of various books via a little free library name Eilen (okay swoon for that premise!!). The relationship storyline didn't seem to carry the book. Both characters had a lot of trauma that felt like it dominated the page. Erin was dealing with the lost of her best friend & her 'mystery man' ends up being a man from her past that has lots of trauma in his past including horrific bullying and helping care for his mentally ill mother. The pining & the bookish tropes were like catnip to me. Unfortunately, they felt few and far between and the tone of this book was more subdued in a way that I don't think really fit how it was being sold as. It's not open door and the couple barely get together to call it a HEA. I think it was probably a case of mistaken expectations for me. This is women's fiction that will appeal to people who like books about books, books without spice, and the messy drama of being young and having horrible things happen in your life and figuring out how to be who you want to be.

I got teary-eyed a few times, which truly means a lot. This book was beautiful! There were so many moments where I laughed, but also moments where I cried. Deep meanings within this book about grief, a loved one having depression, loss of friends, changing careers, and just truly finding out what you want to do in your life to make yourself happy.... but also learning to forgive. It's such a beautiful story and so well written. I was truly invested in all of the characters' lives and how they were woven together so neatly. I will absolutely be checking to see if this author has more books as I plan to devour all of them now! Perfect, deeply moving, and a beautiful ending to wrap it all up!

I received this from NetGalley and Graydon House to read/review. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.

DNF ~20%. I think this book was not for me. I was expecting more of a light-hearted story, and this book was rather heavy. For the part that I did read, the plot line was a bit hard to follow and there were a lot of characters to keep track of. I think the concept of the book is very interesting, but just beware that this is not a light romance--it is definitely a heavier story that tackles some tough themes.

The Book Swap was definitely different from what I was expecting. I wouldn't necessarily call it a light read... There are some prevalent triggers that I wasn't necessarily expecting that really define the characters. Erin and James have dealt with the death of a mutual friend and are impacted by this in different ways. I feel ambivalent about this book. The book swap story is incredibly cute and original, and makes me want to scour the local libraries for the gems. Erin and James are very flawed characters and as they continue to be stuck in their ways, I found them more unlikeable. There was a lot of scolding in my mind, with some of the self-destructive behaviour from both characters but mainly Erin. The other part was that the end felt a bit abrupt in terms of reconciling old feelings with new ones. One thing I will say though is that I loved her sister Georgia who is a badass and loves Erin very much.

Steam: 0
Heart Flutters: ❤️

At first glance, I expected a lighthearted rom-com. I was very wrong. Tessa Bickers goes deep into the human experience, tackling themes of grief, loss, and the journey to healing. This book made me feel so many different emotions, it's simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking. Unfortunately it felt a bit slow at times and fast paced at others. From the begging the flow was quick and then it died down which was a bit wierd to me. Then we have the relationship between Erin and her Mystery Man. A relationship fostered through the annotated pages of beloved classics, which was really cute. This is a slow burn so be prepared. Lastly we have the dynamic between Erin and her sister Bonnie, a sad melancholy connection that kinda works and shows different levels of grief

Sad and sweet, heart-wrenching and heartwarming. I loved this debut! A second-chance love story born in the margins of the main characters’ favorite classic novels. Eager trips to the neighborhood little free library to check for new books and new notes. Explorations of mental health, grief, forgiveness, and second chances both in career and relationships. So good!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this cute rom-com. While it wasn’t my favorite and I struggled with several parts, I overall enjoyed it and I’m glad I read it. The lead up did not keep my interest and this made it hard to follow. But I gave it a chance and pushed through. Around the half way mark, the book picks up and I found myself cheering for Erin and her mystery guy. The correspondence between the pages of a book was just adorable! And I loved what Erin said when she explained her reasoning behind it.

THE BOOK SWAP really turned out to be a wonderful read for me. Secrets are not so easy to hide, what happens if it all comes out? THE BOOK SWAP is all about Erin Connolly trying to come to terms with a recent death that has left her absolutely drowning in grief and not being able to move forward. One day, she figures that maybe moving forward could start with her cleaning out the clutter in her home. She starts with her books and decides to donate them to a community little free library. But things turn out very badly when she realizes one of her favorite books was donated. Like a mad woman, she races down to the library and the book isn't there. After checking the library for almost a week, she finds the book. Once she is home she discovers that someone has added their own notes to the notes Erin wrote in the margins. This begins a new friendship for Erin. But the friendship isn't really new as Erin will soon find out.


I really enjoyed the small town setting. There is a great set of characters and I wish I could read more about the secondary characters as well. I think the pacing in the book is great and gave a good foundation for the story.. I had a great time reading THE BOOK SWAP. Tessa Bickers pulled me right in and hooked me from the very first page. She is now an auto buy author for me. Her characters feel very real. They aren’t perfect and while they all have flaws they are also very lovable. I now know I will devour everything this awesome author writes and do it all easily with a smile on my face and tears in my eyes. How can a book about books not capture the reader's heart?


THE BOOK SWAP is a sweet novel about letting go of the past and making amends. Of rediscovering what its like to be in love again, friendships and of coming to terms with loss. In a week where I have started four or five books and given each up at between 30% and 50% I read THE BOOK SWAP straight through because the story is an easy read with engaging characters, a fun plot, and a believable storyline. Tessa Bickers writes snappy dialogue, fantastic female friendships, and laugh out loud moments to give the story the perfect balance of humor and “will somebody pass the dang tissues?! Erin deals with some heavy situations, and several shocking revelations change everything for her. Hang on to your seats, trust me!! THE BOOK SWAP is my first book by Tessa Bickers and it won’t be my last!


I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I DNFed (Did Not Finish) this book. I made it 17% into it before I DNFed. I went into this book expecting a cute little romance, with a cute little meet cute. This book delivered deep topics; ranging from bullying, to mental illness, and then to death. There's nothing wrong with a book addressing these topics, I just was unprepared to read about them.
The beginning felt very slow. The book was also very focused on these characters past lives. Which unfortunately I was not interested in reading about.
I implore other readers to give this book a shot if it sounds intriguing to them.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the chance to read this Advanced Readers Copy

I loved the premise of this book, it definitely felt like a book written for book lovers, I think if was a little hard to get into but once it got going I really enjoyed it.

This book was so good. I loved the characters and how they interacted and overall the plot of the book was truly increcible I would recommend this book over and over again.

The Book Swap is marketed as a romance, but it felt more like a fiction book with romantic elements. As a romance lover, I wanted a bit more wooing and more interactions between the two main characters. While it does explore a budding connection between Erin and James through the shared love of annotated classic books, the romance is only part of the story. Anyone who appreciates literature will find themselves immersed in the numerous references to classic novels, which added a layer of depth I really appreciated. However, I feel you might need a love for classics to fully enjoy these moments.

Erin, as a character, was difficult for me to root for. Her reactions to life's challenges often felt overly dramatic, which made it hard to connect with her journey at times. That said, the novel beautifully explores grief and the process of finding oneself again after tragedy. Erin and James’ individual journeys of self-discovery, healing, and forging new paths resonated deeply with me.

The book's premise, where they swap books via a free little library, is undeniably charming, but I wish I could have connected with the characters more. The dynamic between Erin and her sister, Bonnie, added some emotional weight, but overall, I felt the book’s conclusion was too abrupt, leaving me wanting a bit more of Erin and James’ happily ever after.

For readers who enjoy stories steeped in classic literature, grief, and self-growth, The Book Swap might be a delightful find. However, if you're looking for a typical romance, this might feel more like a character-driven story with romantic elements rather than a full-blown love story.