The synopsis pulled me in. There were some tough topics, but the story was good and I enjoyed it. Thanks!

I loved loved loved this book! I laughed, I cried, I felt.

This book is not your typical romance and it was centered more on the character development and relationships rather than the romance. It centers around two characters in dual POV. The main characters being Erin and James. They both have tremendous self road blocks that are keeping them stuck in place. While at tumultuous times in their lives they both find great joy in books which is where this little library comes into play. James grabs one of Erin's books in the take a book leave a book library. They're both big on writing in the margins, which starts this book swap where neither are privy to the other's identity. Through this they begin seeing a new side to life and each start a road to self discovery. This deep connection also brings the two closer.

This book also contains some of the more intense realities of certain mental illnesses so be warned before going in.

That being said, I absolutely loved watching Erin and James grow. Their development felt real because of the constant set backs and self doubts while trying to push through and still become the person their each aspiring to be. I felt connected to both because I could see myself in both characters. Their flaws were real and it made them better people.

The love story was also so beautiful. It felt like a background piece to the growth but it was a great addition. I felt the emotion behind the two.

The side characters! The side characters were great. Joel had to be my favorite. I was always waiting to see what he would say or do next. But each side character has a piece of my heart too.

A fantastic read! Highly recommend.

I did not expect this book to make me as emotional as it is! I expected it to be a light and fluffy romance, but I was so surprised in a great way. There are heavy topics and themes throughout but it is done with such care, this was an amazing book.

We love a bookish themed romance story. I liked everything about this. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the gifted arc.

The Book Swap is a heartfelt exploration of grief, connection, and the transformative power of healing. Erin Connolly inadvertently donates her cherished copy of To Kill a Mockingbird, leading to an unexpected connection through annotated notes with a mysterious pen pal. This unique form of communication allows Erin to navigate her sorrow and rediscover hope.

The plot is so refreshing - I was expecting more of a rom-com, but this story was much more. It's heartfelt, with deep-rooted emotions that will tug at the heartstrings of all readers. The story captures the essence of human connection through the love of books, showcasing how literature can heal wounds and open doors to new possibilities. This beautifully written novel will resonate with anyone who believes in the enduring power of stories and words.

The premise of this book sounds lighter than it is. The romance is sweet, but fair warning the content can be heavy at times (mental/physical illness, grief, etc.). I still think it was a good read, but slower and heavier than expected.

Loved the premise, the plot, everything!!!! I was new to the author and thought they did great. Can’t wait to read more in the future!

I thought the synopsis of this book sounded promising.

However, I found that the plot moved slow and was predictable at times. Erin the female MC was hard to like and root for.

Great concept, ok execution.

Thank you to Harlequin trade publishing and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book to read and review.

I'll start my review off by saying this book was a lot heavier than I anticipated it being. It deals with mental health, death, and a terminal illness. None of those things are a bad thing, but I thought it was going to be a lot more light hearted.
Now, on to the good stuff. This book is incredible. I found myself so excited to dive back into it every time I had to leave it. The references to classic works and the pivotal role Perks of Being a Wallflower played in it reminded me why I fell in love with reading in the first place. Both of these characters are deeply flawed, and we see them work on processing through different things from their past that they have to get through in order to move forward in the life that they desire. I think I hated James and Erin at different times in the book and I'm glad I did, because in the end I was so in love with these characters because of how hard they worked to push through their stuff.
Set aside a weekend and pick up this book, I highly recommend it.

I found the switches between characters sometimes to be abrupt. At the beginning I didn't realize that we had switched to the other character in the second chapter. I think there just needs to be a label on the chapters.
I liked these characters and their love of books. I liked how they came together and overcame their differences.
The topic of grief is hard, and this beautifully illustrates how hard it can be. But how parts of life can be a chance to move on.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

A sweet romance story where 2 people begin chatting by commenting and asking questions written in books shared in a community free library. A nice story.

CW: terminal illness, bipolar disorder, bullying

I am absolutely a sucker for You've Got Mail/Shop Around the Corner stories in which the MCs fall in love through their correspondence, unaware that they are rivals or enemies IRL. Megan Bannen recently did a great job of capturing the right notes of the trope in The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy.

The Book Swap tries to recreate that magic, but the romance is weighed down by both MCs' emotional baggage (mostly grief and guilt, with a bit of career crisis thrown in for good measure). Debut author Tessa Bickers gets high marks for realistically showing how Erin and James individually work through their pain and emerge on the other side. The notes that they leave each other in the Little Free Library books are most interesting when they actually discuss their reactions to classics such as To Kill a Mockingbird and Great Expectations. Eventually, however, they give up the literary pretense, and just start writing personal questions and heartfelt responses, which tend towards cliched exhortations to "follow your dreams."

I'm not going to spoil the revelations of the MCs' shared past, except to say that IMO the author doesn't establish the previous bond between them emphatically enough, so its severance feels like a shame more than a tragedy. The book barely squeaks by with 4 stars for several reasons. I liked both MCs and the evolution of their relationships with their respective BFFs. I thought the family dynamics, especially James's, were insightfully portrayed. Although the romance didn't quite work for me, I respected the journey each MC took to get to their HEA. Ignore the light & fluffy vibes promised by the book cover, and proceed with caution if you are not in the mood for some pretty heavy shit.

Advanced reader copy received through Net Galley in exchange for objective review.

I really enjoyed this book. I was a little hesitant after the first chapter, however it really grew on me. I loved that these characters were each dealing with major personal struggles and that this story showed them growing from them and then falling in love. I also love that this really was romance and did not have any smut like other stories I have read.

4.5 stars

This was such a cute read, from a debut author no less!

I love me a Little Free Library story!!! I will definitely keep an eye out for any future publications from Bickers. This is the perfect summer romance book to pick up.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this debut novel by Tessa Bickers. It had a lot more meat to it than your typical rom-com. It's actually more of a romantic drama than a rom-com. As an avid reader, I also enjoyed the references to different classic novels. Overall, I really enjoyed this book!

The book for all book lovers and ones who have let a book slip away and then wish they could have it back. I loved this book so much! A great read for summer

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

Both Erin Connolly and James Parr are at a crossroad in their lives. Erin, still grappling with the devastating loss of her childhood best friend to cancer, is struggling with her mental health and a toxic work environment-- as well as the realization she had no idea how to be happy in her current life. James travels back and forth between his London home, where he works as a very successful business man despite his dream of becoming a writer, and his hometown of Frome where he helps his mother during the violent bouts of her uncontrolled bipolar disorder. Both are desperate for a change, for some way to move forward in their lives, but lack the impetus to make it happen.

In a fit of Marie Kondo inspiration, Erin accidentally donates a deeply beloved and incredibly annotated copy of <I>To Kill a Mockingbird</I>, and, when she realizes her accident it's too late. However, a few days later, the book reappears with additional annotations. What follows is an exchange of classic literature and a connection between two lost souls that may help them both into the next chapter of their lives.

As many other reviewers have noted-- THE BOOK SWAP is not a romance. Is there romance? Yes. However, it's a slow burn that <spoiler>doesn't come together until the literal last pages of the book.</spoiler> The primary focus of this books is the character's grappling with grief and loss, mental illness (specifically depression and bipolar disorder), forgiveness, bullying, cheating, an unexpected pregnancy, and quarter-life crisis'. There's a lot packed into the book folks. And a lot of it is handled thoughtfully and realistically, however, I struggled to connect with the FMC, Erin.

Erin is an inherently selfish and obtuse. She refuses therapy and help from her sister (who happens to BE a therapist) despite struggling with occasionally debilitating depression and hallucinating her dead best friend. Erin also refuses to listen to other people's points of view, and while this is addressed during the course of the story, it's hard to sympathize with someone who has ruined several relationships because she lacks basic empathy and the ability to listen while she's hurting (and she hurts for YEARS).

Overall, this book was SO CLOSE to being on the same par as Elenor Oliphant Is Completely Fine or Meredith, Alone-- but it just missed the mark for me.

I assumed that the book thing would happen immediately but I’m happy it didn’t. It starts off with background on both characters. Erin and James. Erin just quit her job after her best friend Bonnie died and she decided to Marie Kondo her life and get rid of everything that did not bring her joy. She put all her books in a little library. James has moved away from home and came back for an old friends funeral it’s Bonnie’s funeral. Someone asks him if he’s packed yet to go back and he responds saying he never really unpacked and she says of course you didn’t. Unpacking would be like committing to staying and the only way he can get through it is to remind himself it isn’t permanent. As someone who moved away from home at the age of 18 and has never moved back in, I felt that deep in my core. There’s one thing I don’t like about Erin which is made clear in the book. She very much has a victim mindset, and her sister tries to tell her to look at the ways she can change herself and Erin takes that as she’s attacking her. Part of therapy is both acknowledging the harm other people have done to you and how that affected and still affects you but also how you react to that. How you continue to do things. However, she grows. Everyone in this book grows and I love that so much. They go to therapy, they learn and they grow. Erin hears people out and apologizes and James actually apologizes I love it. Georgia is everyone’s big sister. Jesus Christ this book made me go through all the stages of grief in two days. It was amazing. Have tissues. It’s so much more than a love story and it needs to be read.

I received a copy of this ebook arc through NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing. I gave this book 4 stars.

This book is written through dual points of views, Erin and James. They were childhood friends who both went through some traumatic during school, along with their best friend Bonnie.

The book begins with Erin and James both older and grown up, living separate lives and no longer in touch. They are both feeling pretty depressed and down due to different reason, and both lacking confidence in themselves.

While this book is a slow burn romance, it is very much contemporary as well. While both characters move forward, they both find some peace and life again in unusual places.

This book was a little slow paced. At first I didn’t think I’d enjoy it, but I ended up really rooting for the characters. It also started out pretty sad and down. But I was invested in seeing where each of these characters ended up. I was expecting a romcom but it was much more of a contemporary romance.

I do recommend this book! Just keep in mind it’s slower paced but rewarding.

4/5

I first want to thank Harlequin Trade Publishing for approving my request to read this eARC via NetGalley of Tessa Bicker's "The Book Swap". I am glad I was approved. And if you like the premise, and anything jumps out for you from this review you should check it out when it is released September 3, 2024.

Now, this book is very well written. So well in fact that it was just too heavy for what it was advertised as being - a funny, heartwarming, contemporary romance of second-chance love. I don't know what subgenre of romance this would fall under, per se, but wouldn't recommend if you are looking for 'fluff' and a break from reality. I like romance books with substance – such as written by Emily Henry and Lyssa Kay Adams, just to name a few - but when they are too far removed from the romance, can we just label them as contemporary drama? Or, where do they fall? If ya'll could let me know and also label them on Goodreads and The StoryGraph, I'd greatly appreciate it.

To be honest, I almost DNF'd the book after the first chapter. The first chapter mentions the toxic workplace (triggers below), which is currently one of my only 'NO THANK YOU' triggers. It actually brought on a stress nightmare and a day full of anxiety. So, I typically avoid that topic in my chosen reading. I decided to persist as Erin rage quits the job the same chapter so pushed on and hoped for the best.

I know I was drawn to the book as a modern day "Diving Rivals", but was hoping for something lighter, and certainly something more in the adult fiction category of spice. This would be a 0/5 on the spice scale. Implied relations and one kiss with the MC, James, just doesn't cut it for me. So, closed door romance all the way through. I know many do appreciate a good closed door, so this may be for you!

I requested this book for the idea of mystery pen-pals, presented here as mystery annotators labeled Mystery Man and Margins Girl. We do get dual point of view (my absolute fave). And I appreciated the unique mystery romance through the exchanging of books via a free little library in a public park. That aspect almost had me wishing I had a mystery pen-pal, and am considering annotating myself (but how do ya'll write up your books?!?).

What this book has going for it is time. The story itself takes place over a year and six months. So, maybe believable to most in how we get our two main characters back together. I won't deny there is personal growth on both sides, and quite a bit of positive change in the areas of family relations and career exploration. Allowing passage of time within the tale itself lends well to these developments. Unfortunately, I just didn't feel that it overcame 15 years of baggage, including grudges, PTSD and a general lack of copying skills.

Erin is actually the worst in those aspects. She seems to lack emotional intelligence or any kind of coping skills for stressful, life changing events. And she tied way too much of her identity to others. This is probably why I preferred James, though he himself has not addressed his own backstory of drama. Both should have been in therapy immediately following their respective experiences in high school (FYI - in England and much of the world high school is referred to as college). Not sure why it was 15 years before anyone – family or friend or self – to take any steps towards an intervention...

Again, I'll reiterate that this book is very well written, and plays out strongly as a small town (with a lil city moments thrown in) drama. The cast of characters feels diverse (definitely some great side characters) and the flashbacks to what happened in 10th grade and since felt natural, though the general chatter implying something happened versus just revealing what had was repetitive.

In the end though, if I'd been friend or family member to either James or Erin I would place great caution on the happy ending ideal they still seemed to believe was their desire and fate. There really was just too many ugly years, not enough therapy, and a tendency for the parties to tie their happiness to others for me to genuinely believe they should have ended up together.

And just so we are all clear on what I mean when I say heavy, I'm going to write out some trigger warnings for you all here:

Graphic: Chronic illness (bipolar disorder), death, grief, terminal illness, mental illness, cancer, bullying, unaddressed trauma, panic attacks, PTSD, estranged family, hallucinations
Moderate: Infidelity/adultery, pregnancy, medical content, therapy, emotional abuse
Light: Toxic workplace