First I would like to thank NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

England, literary classics, little free library, and a correspondence between two readers.... What's not to love?!

I so enjoyed this fun little romance. Our characters were great and believable, with such heart-tugging back stories. We learned to love them and also get angry with them when the time was right. It gives hope to all of us single readers, hoping that somewhere out there is a person who loves to read as much as we do and who is ready to bare their soul to a stranger.

While not a great piece of classic literature on its own, it was warm and cozy, a good read between heavy hitters. Another author to be added to my list!

DNF. I didn't feel connected to the main characters, Erin and James. I went into this book thinking it was going to be more of a romcom. I was surprised by how heavy the book was. Besides the characters, I struggled with the writing. I found it choppy at points. The first chapter really threw me. I was thrown off by Erin talking to her dead best friend. I was very confused by it and had to go back to see if the chapter started off with a "past" heading. There were a bunch of little things like that that led to a DNF. Thank you to NetGalley and Graydon House for the ARC.

The story sounded so promising and the MMC sounded like an absolute sweetheart. I was looking forward to the meet cute but it felt like it was taking too long before they finally met each other. Unfortunately, I didn’t even get to the FMC before I stopped reading since it felt too slow and focused a lot on the MMC’s family life. I didn’t finish this book but I’m still might give it a shot when it’s released.

While I found the plot a bit busy and wouldn't strictly categorize it as a romance, it delves into figuring out what you want in all aspects of life—work, family, romance, and friends—and prioritizing them. These four elements shared equal focus, rather than romance dominating the story.

At times, the details from each aspect felt a bit slow and didn't always keep me engaged. However, the emotions experienced by the main characters, especially Erin, were deeply important, and the book handled them well. I just wasn't expecting such depth from a "romance" novel.

That being said, I really enjoyed the book swap plot. It was unique and cute, and I loved the sections where they shared notes with each other. I wish their romance had received more pages because it was definitely my favorite part to read!

Wow! This book exceeded my expectations. Happy tears. Sad tears. The Book Swap has them all!

The Book Swap is a dual POV s l o w burn that follows FMC, Erin, who is having a hard time grieving her best friend. She’s screwing her loser flatmate, quits her job, and hates her mom and life for a good portion of the book. Then we have our MMC, James, who was a bit of a social pariah in school with a severely mentally ill mother and almost-pop star father. James suffers with an inferiority complex but a heart of gold. The two share The Perfect History for a rekindling but not without the muddying of waters first.

I’m not going to lie, the first 40% felt very slow and anticlimactic. But I was hooked with the references to literature. Some of my favorite classics growing up were brought back to life through the pages of this book. I don’t think I made it through more than one page in the last few chapters without bawling my eyes out! The characters were relatable, every last one of them. Multidimensional and real.

This book is a must read for the book lovers who write in the margins, the hopeless romantics, and the girlies who’s heart’s swell when they read “And in that moment, we were infinite” in The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Fantastic debut from Tessa Bickers! I’d love to see this on the big screen. Can’t wait to read more in the future.

Erin has lost someone close to her, and in a desperate attempt to heal, ends up accidentally donating a beloved book, with a cherished memento, to a library box. She's devastated, until it is returned. Someone has read the notes she left in the margins, added their own, and left another book with notes of their own. As the story unfolds, you learn more about Erin and her book penpal, as well as some shared history they have. The story is so cozy and fun, but it does dive into difficult issues like grief, mental health, and family trauma. However, it's also full of love, redemption, and finding yourself when you've given up hope.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

First of all, the description and cover are very misleading. This is NOT a romance. It's grief-filled and depressing. I should have gone with my gut and DNF'd before I was halfway done. I hated Erin. I didn't like James for most of the book, either, but he grew on me towards the end. I was more invested in the side characters.

While there was a lot more to this love story than a simple romance, I found that actually a little misleading. The traumas of grief and bullying in the story were so prevalent that it felt a little too involved for the look of a light-hearted romance that it was represented as. I didn't find the main female character to be very kind or likable, which made it difficult to root for her.

This was a cute rom-com with such a great concept, that I thought I would love it. It follows Erin, who is still processing the death of her best friend, and her former friend James who betrayed her in the past. They begin an anonymous relationship by swapping notes back and forth via book margins from a little free library. This book tried to dig deeper than a typical rom-com, but I felt like it fell a little short with some of the flow of the plot and the character interactions and dialogue. I normally appreciate a dual POV, but this one was a little confusing some of the time. Overall, I enjoyed the story, and rooted in the characters. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was more of a story about grief, forgiveness, and second chances rather than romance though love is woven throughout this book. For a debut novel, I was impressed. There is no spice if you're looking for it but this is a very heartfelt and thoughtful story.

Erin is still reeling from the death of her best friend Bonnie. She's been gone for 3 years but Erin has not been able to move on. There are a lot of hurt feelings and abandonment fears that Erin has not processed. These fears stem from her mother and also a betrayal from her former friend James. As she begins to work through these feelings and figure out the next steps for her life, she starts a pen pal relationship with an unknown man who leaves her notes in the margins of books from the library.

This man turns out to be her former friend James. Unbeknownst to both of them, this friendship born out of anonymity and love for books, helps them grow and realize the choices they have made for their lives up to this point might not have been the right ones to make them happy. James is a kind, mild-mannered man focused on stability. He grew up being bullied and with a mom who struggled with mental health. As an adult, he is stuck going through the motions in a job he is good at but not passionate about. Through his conversations with his "margin girl, " he starts to work through what is important to him and his thoughts go back to the girl he loved but betrayed & lost years ago - Erin.

This story has major "You Got Mail" vibes. This is very much focused on their individual journeys. Still, as the details of their past relationship are breadcrumbed throughout the book, their current paths come together beautifully. It's only in the last 10% of the book that you see how their own journeys bring them back together.

💖 Second Chance
✌🏻 Dual POV
❤️‍🩹 Mental Health Rep
🫶 Found Family
❣️ Grief & Childhood Trauma
📝 Pen Pals & Secret Identities

After reading the description I felt this book would be right up my alley. I wanted to love this book, and I tried, but unfortunately I had to (soft) DNF. The concept is there, but both the writing and editing need improvements for it to reach it's full potential. I felt no connection to the MC, the dialogue lacked emotion or authenticity, and I felt as though I was running through the chapter. One minute they're doing one thing, and the next paragraph they're somewhere entirely different, and it continues that way.

This book was deeper than a light-hearted rom com and dealt with topics such as loss and grief. It had potential, but overall wasn’t my favorite. I was confused at times when trying to follow some of the dialogue between characters and the switching POVs.

What a fantastic romance novel! We meet Erin and quickly learn that she has put her life on a sort of hold as she still mourns the loss of her best friend. We meet James who is also putting his on life on a timeout in order to help his father take care of his mother. They are two people until they accidentally discover a book swap or little free library. I struggled with a few chapters as the descriptions of depression and bipolar disorder are somewhat triggering for me but overall, the back and forth between the two characters in their own lives and through the margins of books was delightful to read.

Book swap is a romance with a fun bookish premise. Tessa Bickers perfectly captures the moments of finding someone who loves books in the same way that you do--a reading soulmate if you will. She also captures those early dating nerves that are similar to online dating–when will they write back?! Will they like me back?!

The novel flipped from the present to the past. Those scenes were tough at times. The reader need context for why James and Erin have cut each other out of their lives. However, these scenes depicted graphic bullying and scary situations. It was a lot for a book that seems to be marketed as a romcom by the description and cover art.

The Book Swap delivers a bookish romance that is full of hope. If you are in need of a frothy, fluffy romcom I dont think this would be a good pick for you given the heavy topics of bullying, mental illness, and grief. But, if you are looking for a romance full of depth, reconciliation, love and compassion, then look no further!

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an eArc in exchange for my honest review!

While it took me awhile to get into (reading slump), I really ended up enjoying the story!

The history between the main characters really adds something to the whole "mystery person in the margins" idea that I haven't seen before. I think the history makes it even better than if they were perfect strangers having a meet-cute! Plus, it was basically friends to enemies to lovers and I love that.

This story gives the readers a look into how two very flawed people handle their own grief and trauma throughout their lives. They are imperfect, lost, and sometimes mean and it's refreshing to see in a book. Sometimes they can be painted as unlikable but it's all part of growing and learning. It's refreshing.

I would have LOVED a tiny epilogue. I wish these romances would normalize a little "after the happy ever after" blurb. I know the journey is the lead up, but I love seeing glimpses into their lives once they find and love each other.

Overall, it was a great read. A little slow and frusrating sometimes. Definitely prepare tissues if your'e an emotional wreck like me!

This book is a mix of sweet, sad and funny. After the death of her best friend, Erin is trying to move forward. She accidentally donates a copy of her favorite book that contains notes she wrote along the margins. When she goes back to the library to retrieve it, she finds someone has written her back. This leads to a mystery pen pal through classic books.. The characters have real depth and have many layers. You see a beautiful love story between friends and family.

Thank you for providing an e-arc copy of The Book Swap! I loved it! It was 4.5 stars for me! The themes of grief and struggling with a loved one with mental illness were so well done and powerful!!! The premise of the book was just adorable. I love the idea of passing books and notes back and forth through a Little Free Library. That’s just so heartwarming. And I really enjoyed the character development both individually and together. All in all, I will be recommending this book a lot!

3 1/2 stars.

I was expecting The Book Swap to be a traditional, light-hearted rom-com. Instead Tessa Bickers has crafted a story about romance, yes, but also about grief, family, forgiveness, mental health challenges and coming to terms with your past.

Erin is trying to find her path forward after tragedy. James is trying to navigate a job he doesn't love, a family in turmoil and his own losses. Coming together through their community library by sharing messages in the margins of books gives each of them the space to share themselves and tell each other truths that neither of them have shared with someone before. It does help to have read the books that the characters swap, but I don't think you miss anything if you haven't. There were a couple I either haven't read or read them so long ago I don't remember much about the books and I still enjoyed the marginalia. (Also, that is two book reviews in a month where I got to use the word marginalia!)

Yes, of course, rom-com shenanigans and miscommunications ensue. Aside from the two enjoyable main characters, the secondary characters in this book were wonderful. I loved the family dynamics and interactions, even when they were painful or awkward and I genuinely cared about the outcomes.

The Book Swap is a quick, charming book and my only complaint is the lack of an epilogue. I would have enjoyed a peek into a happily ever after.

This book will be published on September 3, 2024. Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Graydon House and NetGalley for the advance copy.

The Book Swap is possibly the saddest romance I've ever read. Don't get me wrong, it's good and I'm definitely recommending it. But damn, it's sad. Despite his massive fuck up in his youth, James is too good for Erin. He definitely deserves better. Erin won't forgive people, leading to impossibly high standards and missed opportunities. She's very childish until she gets a wakeup call and realizes, "maybe I'm the problem". I love the book swaps this novel gets its' name from and how deeply they connect via annotations in the margins.

3 stars

This is a slow heavy subject exposition book. I think if you are looking for a deep dive into loss and mental health this is for you. I really think the romance (very slow burn) and literature parts are more of a side plot. There was this thing with a side character Bonnie that was completely out of left field, and really made the narrative a bit jarring and confusing. Ultimately I liked the male MC and how they communicated through books left.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.