Thank you for letting me read the advanced copy! It was a delightful read although I almost DNF’d in the middle! The premise was great: two people with struggles in life connect through book exchange and find their way through grief.
I almost quit because I got annoyed with Erin. The writing also got a little dull in the middle. I’m really glad I pushed it through. I loved how it ended.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ARC Review

Such a lovely book and is highly recommended for book lovers. This is a love letter to books and a love letter to life! This one is a bit of a deep read. It covers lots of triggering subjects, such as: mental illness, bipolar, cheating spouse and death of a loved one. So just know those heavy subjects are there. Still a very worthy read.

I loved the MMC James, he was such a dreamy main guy. He was thoughtful and reliable and generous… also well read and successful. Our FMC Erin is still reeling from a recent tragedy and needs to get back into her life, but can’t. Becoming pen pals is what helps her break though.

This was such an enjoyable premise and I loved the dual points of view. I enjoyed all the book references and the fun book swap community library. Also the mental health rep is always good to see represented.

What to expect:
❤️ Heartfelt
🖊️ Mystery pen pals
📖 Notes told through margins in books
❤️ Tear-jerker
🖊️ Emotional roller coaster
📖 Second chance
❤️ Enemies to lovers

Quotes:

"None of us know how to handle something we've never been through before. All we can do is learn from it. Use it to better ourselves."

"It makes me happy to think of someone else reading these books. Finding something in them that I didn't. Taking them somewhere that l've never been."

Thank you to the author Tessa Bickers and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of the book.

This book tackles some heavy topics and although it wasn’t at all the cute light hearted read I was expecting I didn’t totally dislike it. Just really packs an emotional punch on multiple levels I wasn’t prepared for. This is not a rom com in any sense of the word. If you know that going in you may enjoy it.

The Book Swap had such a cute premise, but it wasn't for me. I feel like the pacing was a bit slow and the storyline was disjointed. I wasn't invested enough to try and follow along.

I feel like classics lovers might appreciate this more though!

This is a second chance romance, but it does have a lot of miscommunication going on. Erin and James are best friends in high school. Something happens and they end their friendship. Years later they are pulled back together by a death of a mutual friend. They become reacquainted by writing notes back and forth in the margins of books at the free little library.

It has the young love reconnecting vibe and the books for people who love books vibe. They quote dozens of classic literature in this books- many that I have read and many I haven’t.


#netgalley #neygalleyarc #bookswap

I gave this 3 stars because:
1. I think Erin seeing her dead best friend was a mental health issue and it was never really dealt with or acknowledged that it was an issue.
2. Although I understand how betrayed and hurt Erin has felt, I think the stubbornness and holding a grudge was drawn out years too long and it was a little frustrating.
3. So frustrating that Erin kept treating James that way even years after what happened. I wish they had gotten together sooner so we could read more about their relationship together.

Now on to what I loved! I absolutely love the whole book-swap meet-cute scenario, it’s like a love letter to book lovers everywhere. I loved James’ character’s growth and how he grew as a person, friend, brother, and author. James and Joel’s friendship journey was a breath of fresh air from your typical male friendship and it’s a great role model for a deeper emotional relationship with friends. I’m also so happy that Erin and James finally found each other❤️

Excuse me???? You’ve Got Mail gone analog. This concept is so cute to me. And I appreciate the approach to including grief.

I was so excited to read this book after reading the blurb. However, it was a little bit more than I bargained for. I thought it was going to be a light and fun read but it was very heavy and not at all as advertised. It moved a bit slow and I struggled to finish it.

I love these characters. It is such a different idea for how to fall in love. I appreciate the dual POVs which gives insight into the main characters. The inner monologue of them gives such an idea to why they are perfect for each other. A must read this year.

Thank You NetGalley & Publishers for the chance to read and review this book. The Book Swap is a touching and thoughtful exploration of love, loss, and new beginnings. Erin, the protagonist, finds herself at a crossroads after quitting her job, leaving behind her demanding boss, Charlotte. As she navigates this transition, she forms a close bond with James, a kindred spirit who shares her love for books. Their connection deepens as they exchange stories, not just through the books they swap, but through their personal experiences as well.

The narrative beautifully captures the complexities of grief, especially as Erin copes with the loss of her friend to cancer. James becomes a source of comfort and strength, and their evolving relationship is tender and genuine. The book is rich with emotional depth, highlighting the healing power of connection and the importance of finding solace in the things we love. I’d give it 4 stars for its nuanced characters, engaging storyline, and the heartfelt way it portrays the intersection of love, friendship, and loss.

This book was a love letter to books and that alone was enough for me. I really appreciated the story here.

i was hearing a lot of great things about this book, and am definitely glad I read it, although I didn’t get connected to the characters as much as I wanted to. May have just been my timing of reading it though.

Rating: 2.5

I want to first thank Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. As I have decided to not finish it I will not be putting a review up on my Goodreads account. I applied for this book thinking that it would be a cute romance, but I realized that there is a good amount of miscommunication throughout which is a trope I despise. I found the writing to be a bit choppy and it just did not mesh well with my preferences.

Love letter to all readers out there - to books and the power of connecting to others through reading. Pen-pals form in an unexpected way and this debut novel was hard to put down! It wasn't as engaging to me as some other romance novels I was reading around the same time, which makes my opinion a little lower. However I don't mean to say it wasn't enjoyable! I could totally see myself reading this again next year and loving it more.

3.5 - This book was not what I expected or what I thought the book was advertised as at all, although I really ended up liking the story that it was. I went into this book thinking it would be a cutesy romance with some book element, but it ended up being a book really focused on some heavy topics. This book definitely had a strong focus on grief and trauma, with some romance sprinkled in, in my opinion. Once I got over my initial confusion over what the book was about and settled into the characters and the story, I really enjoyed where the author took us.

Erin loses a book that was her best friends favorite and annotated by her. Erin had lost her best friend recently and the loss of the book brings up further grief. James finds the book and begins writing his own annotations and they begin corresponding by writing each other letters in the book. I loved the focus on the power of books and stories and the healing power of words. It was so cute to watch the relationship between Erin and James blossom, with the different literary references and focus on classic literature. I also enjoyed the relationship between Erin and her sister Bonnie. The journey that Erin goes through to work through her grief and heal enough to feel more like herself and start living her life again was very beautiful and encouraging. Sometimes, especially at the beginning, the writing and flipping between characters felt a bit disjointed, but by the second half of the book the writing flowed a lot better.

Overall, this was a cute romance that read more like a women's fiction, focusing on grief, trauma, and the power of books. Thank you to Graydon House and NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review!

The Book Swap immediately grabbed my attention, and I knew I had to read it. Erin and James, who knew each other years ago, cross paths again in the most interesting way. When Erin accidentally donates a book to a local library, James discovers it, starting a unique connection between them. Their 'conversation' unfolds in the margins of many favorite and classic books, revealing more about each other with every exchange, all while keeping their identities a mystery.

Although I found the shifts between past and present a bit confusing at first, I quickly got into the rhythm of the story and really enjoyed it. The references to classic books were a bonus, inspiring me to revisit some old favorites and discover a few I have never read. This is an impressive debut from the author, and I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more of her work in the future.

3.5- I love books about books so I had high hopes for ‘The Book Swap’ by Tessa Bickers. While it was overall entertaining, I just found that it moved a little too slow for my taste. I loved the family dynamics and the literary references throughout but just found myself wanting more when it was all said and done. Knowing this is Tessa Bickers’ debut novel, I am eager to see what else she writes in the future and to watch her grow as an author.
Thanks to Net Galley, Tessa Bickers, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for allowing me a sneak peek of this new release!

Thank you NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing for the e-arc for an honest review.

I so wanted to love this story. When I first read the synopsis I was not expecting to have such heavy topics be the discussed throughout the entirety of the book from both mcs. I went into this story thinking it was going to be light hearted romance because up until recent changes it was not mentioned to be anything but that. The romance side took more of a back seat when I don’t think that was the intention. There was so much conflict and growing happening within the characters separately that the relationship aspect fell very flat. I was not truly rooting for them to end up together. I was in fact rooting for them separately and if I were to have known what was to be expected and prepared for more of a general fiction book than a romance then I might of been able to enjoy it more? It was written well and I was interested in where the story was going. And is definitely not a book I wanted to DNF.

So if you go into this with the knowledge that this is more general fiction and you check the updated trigger warnings, I think you would enjoy it! I did very much enjoy their exchange of little margin notes. They were very cute! And you will find yourself rooting for these two (separately) during their growth and how they face their challenges.

The Book Swap” had a promising premise: romance, personal growth, clever introspective stories.. however the execution fell a bit flat for us. With that being said, we decided to rate this story 2⭐️. The pace felt a little slow, so the plot didn’t really hold our attention as much as we hoped. And to be honest, 2 blueberries DNF’d it. They couldn’t quite connect with the characters.

Nonetheless, although this wasn’t our cup of tea, it may be yours. So hey, give it shot and tell us what you think!

Going in I thought this was going to be a lighter rom-com, but that wasn’t the case. It’s a story about grief, letting go of past hurts, and personal growth, with some romance mixed in.

Both main characters have past and present hardships they’re dealing with, and I really enjoyed how the little library and annotating book swapping connected them and gave them both hope. I loved reading those parts!

I was also interested in learning about both their pasts and the details about what happened in them since it was revealed in bits, but sadly some of the things revealed made me have some dislike of the FMC, and I felt like there was some unnecessary miscommunication at the end.

I did love how The Hunger Games and hope being the only thing stronger than fear had inspired the FMC when she was younger. And the growth both MCs had.

Overall I enjoyed most of the story even though it wasn’t what I expected going in. I’d check the trigger warnings since there were some heavy topics that weren’t mentioned in the blurb.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing & NetGalley for the eARC to review! All thoughts and opinions are my own.