I have always loved the idea of lending libraries, and any time I come across one I can't help but romanticize that street corner just a little bit. With that in mind, The Book Swap was right up my alley! The actual "book swap" moments of the book were far and above my favorites. As a story about mental health, healing, forgiveness, and family I thought this was challenging and insightful. However, as a romance, I felt like we weren't able to experience the same growth we see in other aspects of our main characters' lives.

It took me a bit to get into this one, but in the end I definitely liked it.

It covers a lot of substantive issues - mental health, loss, family dynamics, finding your career path, relationships - within the premise of a meet cute style romcom.

The main characters “meet” by exchanging books in a little free library and start to fall for each other before realizing they are actually frenemies from the past.

It’s a good read, with a lot of references and discussion of literary classics, perfect for those who love a book about a book!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

first off. Thank you netgalley for this arc and the opportunity to read this romance novel. I wanted to love this book because of how CUTE it sounds! I thought i was going into a cutesy little romance novel but it wasn’t quite that. There was a large theme of grief and loss. I really enjoyed seeing Erin come into her calling, loving her job as much as she did. But i did find her annoying at times for a FMC. The one thing that i wish was maybe done differently in the book was how Erin like hallucinated her best friend? and had FULL on convos with her. I think it was a bit strange for a coping mechanism!

I LOVED the side characters. I love when books are able to also make you fall in love with everyone in the book and not just the main characters of the novel. For a debut novel, it was overall an okay book!

The cover of this book is a bit deceiving when it comes to the tone of this novel. I thought this was going to be a light-hearted romance but it's not. This feels a lot more woman's fiction than it does romance. Told as a dual POV between the main characters James and Erin. Check out the synopsis to get a feel for the plot and then keep in mind a few of the trigger warnings if you are sensitive to that type of thing. There are some heavy themes in here. However, there is a feeling of enlightenment that both of these characters experience and they do it almost literally on their own. The story drags a little bit in the middle but I never felt inclined to give up the story.... I just wanted to get to the climax moment that happened quite literally at the end.
I had to sit on my review for a few days to figure out what I wanted to say and what rating I would give. To be fair..... I really liked this story a lot but most people will be expecting one thing when it's really not that type of book at all.
So I am taking a star off for the "window dressing" that misleads but the meat of this story is so good! I highly recommend!

Such a sweet read. I thought the idea of characters communicating through notes written in the margins of books was so romantic. Made me want to read to kill a mockingbird again!

✨Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.✨

A “You’ve Got Mail” but for book lovers. I love the many different novels mentioned throughout the book as the FMC and MMC exchange reads back and forth. I think if you like second chances and miscommunication tropes, this one is for you. Both main characters have past traumas that added layers to the personalities and character development.

Personally, while I really wanted to love this book, I found it difficult to get through. The concept sounded amazing, and there were moments when I was really turning the page to see what happened next, but the pacing was all over the place and frustrating. Specifically, the ending dragged too long.

Overall, I didn’t totally hate the book, and I believe Tessa Bickers did a wonderful job writing it. I just don’t think it was for me.

Thank You NetGalley for the arc. This was an enjoyable read and I really enjoyed the journey that the characters went on. It is heartfelt and I enjoyed all the references made with the book. I would recommend.

First anyone that loves books and reading this one is for us. I really enjoyed this book. The story about 2 book lovers sending notes through books what could be better than that? I flew through this one the story flowed good. It kept my interest wasn't bogged down by unnecessary stuff. There was a romance but it didn't take over the whole story like some tend to do. Erin, although she was a likable character she got on my nerves with the whole no communication thing. If she would of just talked to her friends and family from the start she would of saved herself a ton of grief over stuff. Gave it 4 stars- I will be recommend this one.

The Book Swap was a cute book! I will say there were times I was not following the story line, but eventually got the details sorted out. It was a feel good book that I’d recommend for a light read!

I was expecting this to be a sweet love story so it surprised me to find some depth in it. That it was more of a story about forgiveness and the meaning of success. The ghost Bonnie was a little weird but it was ok.

I plan to share this title a day or two before release on my Instagram.

Www.instagram.com/robinashleyreads

I recieved this book from Netgalley

This book was a quick read and really lovely. I went in thinking this was going to be a light read but I was wrong. With the main character dealing with a cacophony of emotions and dealing with grief, I can say that I really enjoyed how relatable it was. I enjoyed seeing the relationship unfold in the annotated notes. Good Read!

I really enjoyed certain aspects of this book. Obviously, as a reader, the fact the two main characters, Erin and James, are swapping books and sharing their thoughts and feelings on them is so fun. Seeing some classics and popular quotes was great, especially with the way the author then moved the story along with these books. The fact they also help each other through some life-changing decisions and reigniting their true passions through books gave me all the feels.

I wish there had been a lot more of the book swaps and going into depth a bit more at times as that was such a clever idea and made for some wonderful moments between the two characters even when they hadn't yet met each other. Their relationship was already developing on such a deep level through their love of books and being truly honest in what they were dealing with in life. This was really special and kept me interested in the story as it progressed. However, as we got further into the book, you'd just get a title and then very random conversations outside of the books themselves.

So, as the book swaps got less detailed and more side stories with side characters began happening, I started to lose a bit of interest. I understand the author threw in some heavy situations with the sub-characters to help make a point of how so many of us struggle alone and don't confide in each other. How there are many different types of grief, loss and disappointment. This was certainly powerful and tear-jerking, however it seemed to clash with the initial funny moments of the book swap. It also made the book very heavy very quickly which is not what I was expecting and seemed to clash with the storyline at times.

The last maybe 50 pages of the book was also very rushed with the climax as well as threw in some very heavy revelations. Some of the revelations also made me dislike Erin, as she suddenly became very self-centered and made me rethink a lot of her situations in the book. We get a 6 month time jump to "fix" things, but it felt very abrupt and as if things were brushed aside. I also feel like Erin should have redeemed herself due to some of the things she did, but she barely did anything. Even though she was in the wrong, she never explicitly apologized to James.

I saw such potential with this book and especially with the author's writing style. I am excited to see what else she writes as with some more experience, and I bit more editing, I believe another book could be great.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book.

4.5 stars!

First, thank you to net galley and harlequin trade publishing for an arc of the book swap by tessa bickers in exchange for my honest review.

I love books so much, that reading a book about books was an automatic hit for me! This story followed Erin and James, and dealt with topics ranging from love, friendship, terminal illness, grief, and self growth/journeys!

The slow burn definitely is a slow burn, but felt accurately paced given the life journeys happening in the background.

Favorite quote: “I promise to change into something colorful for you.”

CW/TW: cancer, death, abandonment, bullying, suicidal thoughts, divorce, and mental illness

This story was a delightfully fun surprise. I went into this thinking it was a light romcom but boy was I wrong. This book made me feel a lot of kind of ways and I’m here for it.

"A story of second chances and new beginnings, this is a love letter to books—and a love letter to life."

What on the surface sounded like just a lighthearted romcom, turned out to be so much more. The MCs, Erin and James, both find their second chance at love ("second chance" because they don't realize who the other person is, and that they have a shared past) as well as find healing in their own lives through being pen pals via the margins of their favorite books.

In her debut novel, Bickers portrays the complexities of life throughout this love story. The plot is very character driven as we see both main characters deal with issues such as loss, grief, difficult family & friend dynamics, second chances, healing, and personal growth throughout the book. I enjoyed that the conflicts were not just limited to the MCs, but extended to their relationships with the supporting characters as well. I feel it added some layers to the plot and gave you a well rounded view of their lives.

However, there were many parts in the book that seemed to drag on a bit, and the ending seemed a bit too much of a quick and easy HEA given the conflicts that presented themselves in the last 3/4 of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Graydon House, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Tessa Bickers for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Book Swap by Tessa Bickers follows 2 old friends, estranged since high school. who are reconnecting in the margins of various books in a little free library. The kicker is, they don't know they're talking to one another.

I really appreciated how grief was handled in this book (and as a very specific side-bar, that therapy was represented well and no one slept with their therapist). I think the author did a nice job of highlighting realistic, problematic core beliefs that were impacting her characters, without hitting you over the head with them. I also really enjoyed the literary refences throughout the book.

Thank you to Tessa Bickers and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC of The Book Swap in exchange for an honest review.

"The Book Swap" by Tessa Bickers is a poignant tale of healing and rediscovery through the magic of books. Erin Connolly, grappling with grief, accidentally donates her cherished annotated copy of "To Kill a Mockingbird" only to find it returned with new notes and an invitation from a mysterious pen pal. As they exchange thoughts in the margins of beloved classics like "Great Expectations," a transformative friendship blossoms, revealing shared histories and unexpected connections. Bickers skillfully weaves literary references into a narrative that explores forgiveness, second chances, and the profound impact of literature on our lives. This novel is a heartfelt ode to the power of books to guide us through life's challenges and to connect us with others in meaningful ways.

Was not my personal favorite, but classic literature lovers will enjoy pointing out the references! I love the idea of traveling annotated books!

Thank you for Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to read this book early. As a few of the other reviews mention this book has a lot more depth than you may think when initally reading the synopsis. When i first discovered Book Swap I was expecting a light romance read. While the book has romantic tropes it also dives into the issues of mental health (through multiple characters) and bullying. While i enjoyed the book having more substance than just being a surface level romance I struggled to get through some parts at ths beginning where it felt like the main characters were complaining about trivial things. I think once you become invested in the main characters it becomes easier to sympathize with the struggles they’ve experienced it just took me longer than I would normally want. I would still recommend reading if you enjoy romance with deeper character development and of course if you are a lover of characters who have their own love story for books. A great debut novel. I will continue to look out for books by Tessa Bickers in the future!

5 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Graydon House for my ARC.

This was a really beautiful, heartwarming and heartbreaking novel. It’s built around a romance shared between notes in the margins of exchanged books, but it’s so much more than a love story — or better put, about all kinds of love (romantic, familial, friendship). This book is complex and unique, and is sure to make you tear up. I loved the personal journeys each of the main characters went through and was so satisfied with the ending. What a great story!

TW: Mental illness, suicide, cancer, among many others