Tag yourself: I’m the 15 year old obsessed with Harry Styles (I’m 24 but once a directioner always a directioner 😙).

2.5 stars

I agree with the other reviewers stating that the book description is misleading. I wasn’t expecting the bullying scenes to be so descriptive that it threw me off guard. I think the author should have provided a list to forewarn the readers of the sensitive topics that were covered in this book.

I received an ARC copy from NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing in exchange for an honest review/Pub date: 09/03/24

I loved the premise of this book and had high hopes for it. It was a sweet read, but had a good amount of sadness. For some reason Erin rubbed me the wrong way though, and James’s mom ruined a lot of his storyline for me. I also found the timeline slightly wonky. The dual POV jumped back in time from where the last chapter ended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. The Book Swap is out in September 2024.

I really enjoyed Tessa Bickers debut, The Book Swap. Strong You’ve Got Mail vibes, but so much more thought-provoking. I was expecting this to be a lighthearted rom com, but was pleasantly surprised by the more serious subject matter- grief, loss, mental illness, depression, and what ultimately makes people happy and fulfilled. I love that the characters connected with these topics and each other through books. They often read to escape the heaviness of their lives and I can relate to that in a big way.

I struggled a little in the beginning to get into the story and connect with the main female character, Erin, but once she and James started swapping novels, I couldn’t put it down. I would have loved to see how their story progressed after their reconnection.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC!

This was a wonderful delight to read. From the moment I opened this book to start it, until the end I was intrigued.

This felt like somewhat of a romance and but geared more towards women's fiction. I loved the writing overall and particularly enjoyed the writer's astute psychological insights into both the FMC and MMC. I really enjoyed this idea of bookish penpals swapping notes and trying to figure each other out. The inclusion of mystery element surrounding their identities (that overlapped with their past) was also cleverly explored in the book. Another winning element is the inclusion of both POVs (FMC and MMC) so we get a sense of what each one's going through/thinking around the same time!

I feel like this book should come with a trigger warning though :) I was expecting it to be more lighthearted than it actually was! The story was quite intense in parts (especially the last half) and a little lighthearted at times. One of my main comments about the book is that most of the issues could have been resolved by communication (at least at some stage during the development of their relationship), something almost entirely lacking from the FMC's point of view. This is also evident in the FMC's own relationship with her family. As a result, it gets harder as the story progresses, to continue rooting for the FMC.

That being said, I do enjoy the author's writing style, seamlessly taking us from one scene to another and would definitely check out her upcoming books! Booklovers- If you like stories about personal growth with some heartwarming moments, this one is for you!

Rating 3.5/5

Thank you to Harlequin and the NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#TheBookSwap #NetGalley

This was more of a 2.5 rounded up. This book is a great choice for fans of Beth O'Leary, which admittedly is not usually my cup of tea. But if you fall into that category, then this is for you! I thought the plot was a little busy and wouldn't necessarily brand it as a romance-- it focused more on with kind of figuring out what you wanted in every aspect of life (work, family, romance, friends) and prioritizing it. Those four aspects all had equal shares of the book, rather than romance dominating the story. Additionally, the details from each of those aspects got a little slow at times, and didn't always keep me engaged. However, I do think that the emotions that the main characters (specifically Erin) were feeling are super important, and I thought the book did a good job of working through them-- I just definitely wasn't expecting that from a "romance" book.
That being said, though, I did really like the book swap plot. It was super unique and cute, and I loved the sections where they were sharing notes with each other. I wish that their romance had gotten even more pages throughout the book, because it was definitely my favorite part to read!

This was such a cute and quick read for me! I loved the love in this story and would recommend to anyone seeking an emotionally intelligent, lighthearted read!

As an avid reader and a lover of books that transport you through real life and into realms of fantasy and romance, I highly recommend Tessa Bickers’ “The Book Swap.” This novel is not just a story; it’s a journey through the power of words and the unexpected connections they can forge. With a compelling narrative that intertwines grief, love, and the serendipity of finding messages in the margins, it’s a book that resonates deeply with the heart. For anyone who cherishes the escapism of reading and the hope that comes with new beginnings, “The Book Swap” is a treasure waiting to be discovered.

Erin and her pen pal have a shared history that neither of them has guessed. Faced with painful reminders of the past—and the one person she swore never to forgive—Erin finds herself at a crossroads. One that could change her life forever.
love love love a book about books
such a fun and interesting read
I love it so much

A beautiful romance! I loved the characters. I laughed out loud, and rooted for the romance. A must for all rom com lovers!

This book was a 3.5 for me! The idea for this book was super cute and unique. I enjoyed the dual POV's! There was a lot of trauma to unpack from both sides but I did love the book swapping idea. It threw me off when I realized her friend was dead but could still see her due to emotional attachment ;(.
While I have my own trauma, as most of us do, I had a hard time connecting and loving the characters. It felt as if I was sitting on a bench and watching two people live out their lives but never forming any attachment for them. With my failure to love these characters, I had a had time picking up this book but I wanted to finish as quickly as possible to give a review in a timely manner.
I think with the right audience, this book would be a complete 5 stars. I recently lost someone I loved and some points really hit home and broke me in a good way.
Thank you for the approval of reading this arc :) I am excited to see how others will respond.

This is by far one of the best debut novels I have read in a very long time, and is now one of my favorite reads. This is a beautifully unique love story that follows characters as they deal with very real hardships in life. It touches on some very hard topics such a loss, grief, forgiveness, bullying, and mental heath. Along with giving all the vibes and feels this books whole premise of strangers becoming pen pals in the margins of classic books it’s just so fun. I now want to go read some of the ones I’ve never gotten to along with already wanting to reread this one. I cannot wait for more from this author.

Are you kidding me?!? This was the most beautiful heartbreak that I've ever experienced.
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Both Erin and James are struggling with their own mental health and they're trying to navigate their way through life without their best friend.

I wanted nothing more than to scream at them both the whole book and I loved every second of it. After James finds out that Erin is the one leaving notes and trying to keep it from her while I fully know how she will react was such a frustrating feeling.

I absolutely cried my eyes out the last 3 chapters.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and of course Tessa Bickers for giving me the opportunity to read this book. Can't wait to explore more from Tessa!

I expected this to be more light hearted than it was chile it still was a quick read, it tackles tough topics and has depth but was a fun story that bring out all your emotions.

I love a good physical book and I love a romance and then throw in the way to meet each other being a free library…. You had me hooked.

Erin, who is spiralling and can’t seem to find her footing, by mistake, puts her beloved copy of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD in a local free library complete with a postcard from her recently deceased best friend and in this book she has all of her notes written in the margins.

She finally finds her book, but it’s been borrowed and returned with new notes.

James is dealing with a lot in his life, a job he doesn’t really like, a bi-polar mother, and the loss of two very important relationships in his life. Then he “checks out” Erin’s book and discovers a true fellow reader.

This was such an interesting book! Im calling a 3.5 stars. I couldn’t stop reading sometimes and other times I had to stop. It was an emotion-wringing book. I am not sure how to really review this! I liked Erin but I also really didn’t like her. The things that happened to James were dreadful! Yet they were both so damaged and not facing it. The growth was great. All the book notes-swoon!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

this is a story about grief over loss and dealing with mental illness and more. i liked the concept of a book being about books (as a book lover of course). with that being said, it was one of those stories you don’t want to read fast and rush through. it’s important to note it’s not a rom com but still worth the read.

The Book Swap was a very heartfelt story. I went in thinking it was going to be a fun light hearted romance story about two people who connect through books. And while it had that there were so many more deeper situations that the characters were going through. The romance is there but very much slow burn.

I have to be honest I had a bit of a slow start with the first few chapters. Didn’t get hooked into the story until Erin and James really begin communicating more through the books and when we also started learning about all the events that led to their falling out. Also when we start meeting their families and we see how much of the things Erin and James are going though is centered around them.

This book covers a lot of trauma like bullying, mental illness, death, suicide and personal struggles. I think it is what made the story feel more real and relatable. We see James and Erin find themselves through the words they wrote in the books exchanged and realize their true passions. I have to say the things James went through really made me feel for him, I know it is a book but the reality is that there are people that really suffer that type of bullying and it’s heartbreaking. I barely cry at books and the final scene of Erin with Bonnie made me tear up. Their character growth was really great.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and the author for the opportunity to read this ARC and share my hones opinion.

This was so much more than a rom-com. Book Swap was a deeper story about guilt, recovery, and friendship. I already love books about books, and the addition of a Little Free Library style (kind of) meet-cute was the cherry on top. Tessa’s writing was very reminiscent of Josie Silver, whom I also really enjoy. For me, it wasn’t a book that I wanted to race through to get to the ending by any means. But the writing style made you want to savor it a little bit more.

I’m not sure if it was the way the book was formatted (the digital ARC had some random spaces paragraph breaks) or if it was the pacing, but it seemed to jump around quite a bit in the second half of the book. It got to the point that I kept having to reread in confusion.

My other conflicting thoughts had to do with the “betrayal” that took place between Erin and James in their childhoods. It felt rather trivial to me, which made it difficult for me to believe. The initial conflict felt like it was one that would take place in a YA novel. I was relieved that everything ended up wrapping itself up in a way that made sense and that was true to the characters and story, even if they were a bit infuriating in the beginning.

Thank you to the publisher for providing this ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the premise of this book and backgrounds of each of the characters but for some reason it didn’t intrigue me throughout like I was hoping! I’m a big fan of the “You’ve Got Mail” story-line and how it brings characters together, and I’m not sure if it was the pacing or writing style that threw me off in this case, but I struggled getting through most of the book.
Erin and James come back into each other’s lives through their love of books, writing to each other in the margins of classics. However, they don’t know who the other is while they build-up this connection through loss and life struggles.
On paper, this book is right up my alley. But unfortunately it didn’t do it for me this time. When I got to parts about Bonnie or when James and Erin were interacting in person I was interested completely. Normally the rest of the story just adds to the whole slow-burn buildup but it didn’t have the same effect for me on this one!
2.5-3 out of 5⭐️
Spice- non-existent (just a good old fashion romance)