Like a lot of other reviewers, this book wasn't what I expected—in the best way. From the cover and description, I was expecting a lighthearted, penpal-esque romcom, but what I got was a beautiful exploration of grief, guilt, and love. It took me a few chapters to settle in because of this, but once I did, both leading characters had me hooked (especially James!) and I loved how present Bonnie was in the story, even after she'd passed away. Bickers does an incredible job navigating the past and present and incorporating these complex characters' relationships throughout.

Some big moments felt a little rushed and clunky, which kept this from being a 5-star review for me. I also wish we would've gotten an epilogue to see Erin and James in their happily ever after. This book was heavy at times (heart-breaking, even!) and these characters deserve their HEA! Still an impressive debut, Tessa Bickers will be a must-read author for me in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

This book seems like it would be a cute romance with books as a theme, but it actually goes a lot deeper than that, incorporating strong themes of grief and loss, along with heavier real-life themes. The romance is more subtle and slow. If you can enjoy a book that has a hearty dose of heavy, with a slow romance where characters evolve and grow, this is a good book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/Graydon House for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Definitely a slow burn. I fell in love with both characters. It was a lot deeper of a book than I was led to believe with the synopsis. It wasn’t just the silly romcom that i expected it to be. This could be a healing book for some.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Harlequin Trade Publishing for an ARC of the Book Swap in exchange for an honest review! Total rating: 3.75 stars. This book is the perfect romantic comedy with undertones of serious issues many people face in their daily lives. If that sounds like something you’d enjoy, I’d recommend this book for you! This Dual POV story follows Erin and James, former best friends that haven’t spoken in years. They both have their own struggles within themselves and their families that they face everyday. One day, while cleaning out her bookshelf, Erin accidentally gives her prized annotated copy of To Kill A Mockingbird away to a little free library where James picks it up. They begin exchanging books with one another anonymously, while communicating in the margins.

I’ll admit that throughout the first few chapters, I wasn’t exactly hooked with this story. I’m not the biggest fan of pop culture references in books, so that was probably the only thing in this book that turned me off of it and I noticed that immediately through the first few chapters. I was very pleasantly surprised as I continued to read that I found myself not being able to put this down. The Book Swap explores many mental health themes and provokes us to look inside ourselves rather than just at other people. It also charmingly relates real world problems with those experienced by fictional characters in the most adored classic books that many people read everyday. I really enjoyed watching both James and Erin find themselves while simultaneously healing their relationship together. I do feel as though some of the relationships in this book were unrealistic, as everyone (except the two main characters) were beyond self-aware and emotionally intelligent.

By the end of this book I was crying for everything Erin and James had lost and then gained throughout the story. It was a very beautiful take on a second chance romance. I think some of the writing could be more developed but for Tessa Bickers’ debut novel this was very good work and I can only see her improving from here.

The book Swap is centered around books which was instantly what drew me in. Erin loses one of her prized possessions a heavily annotated copy of to Kill a Mockingbird while trying to live with the grief of losing her best friend. James finds this copy and decides to write a response in the margins of Great Expectations. this sparks a friendship written in the margin of books and it blossoms into something more. What happens when they realize they are not strangers at all but have a shared history and that history includes something Erin claimed she would never forgive.

This book wasn't what I expected and I mean it in the best way possible. It deals with some heavy topics, so be warned. Both characters go through a lot before meeting each other and after their friendship ends. It's a second chance romance, but it's done wonderfully through anonymous book exchanges. The characters have hang ups that they learn to get over in order to move on to their happy. Well done.

This is somewhat a romance, but I think it is more about trauma and growth. This book covers topics of bullying, family issues, terminal illness and death, and even toxic workplaces.

I really wanted to love this book, but I will admit I had trouble fully connecting with the characters. I think that both main characters seemed to be stuck in the past and also some of the supporting characters were super mean and rude at times like the FMC’s best friend. The chemistry between the characters is super slow too.

It referenced a lot of classic books, some that I have read, but a lot that I haven’t. I think the target audience of this book may be someone who really enjoys classic literature. If you do, you will probably really enjoy this, it has tons of references.

I do believe that this author is a good writer and I would def try again, this book just wasn’t my favorite. I am sure plenty will enjoy it though!

I love a book about books, and this one did not disappoint. There are so many references to classic books, and I loved that this was included. This is an intriguing story that seems like a typical romantic comedy, but has much more depth and seriousness as Erin is grieving the loss of her best friend, a life altering issue that causes her to struggle in every facet of her life. The one thing she has to rely on is books, but she doesn't realize that she's actually connected to James through books as well and it's the thing that brings them together. I loved all the literary references and the idea of a book swap with a mystery man through a small free library. This is a romance at its core, but it features so much more: complex family dynamics, loss, mental illness, divorce/affairs, terminal illness, career disillusionment, school bullying and the long term impact it has on someone, etc. Erin and James were so amazing together, and this book definitely made me want to go out and find a little library in my community!

Thank you to NetGalley, Tessa Bickers, and Harlequin for an eARC of this book.

I love a book about books, and this one did not disappoint. An intriguing story that seems like a typical rom-com, but has much more depth as Erin is grieving the loss of her best friend which causes her to struggle in every facet of her life. The one thing she has to rely on is books. I loved all the literary references and the idea of a book swap with a mystery man through a little free library. An engaging read for me.

Thank you netgalley for this ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Erin & James
Epistolary
Hidden identity
Friends to enemies to lovers
Mental health rep
“Ghostly” bff
Smallish hometown
No spice

It took me a minute to get used to the British English and the formatting for the ARC. As a lover of books and reading, I really enjoyed the premise. There’s something secretive and forbidden about trading notes in the margins of books. James and Erin’s anonymous relationship grows as they are both figuring out their path in life since neither were particularly happy at their jobs.

Not a romance bc there’s not epilogue or a HEA…although James does ask Erin to meet at Happy Ever After. The story ends when she gets tot he meeting spot.

Solid story from a debut author. Thanks NetGalley for providing the ARC.

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for the chance to read this book. I did love the concept and setting and the plot was grabbing me. However, it was hard to get into the book because of the characters and it fell flat. Thank you for the chance to read.

Any title that includes “Book” is going to capture me right away. I thought this would be a light-hearted romcom, but it wasn’t. Not my favorite.

I went into this debut book thinking it would be a fun, easy, rom-com read. This wasn’t that book. It dealt with some heavy subject matter, grief, loss, moving on . This book is heartwarming and heartbreaking. This story was a slow burn . Some trigger warnings are – mental illness, past bullying, death.. This was a good book in its own right but not a book that resonated with me.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This was a thoughtful and complex debut novel, please take your time reading it. Possibly some minor spoilers in my review so proceed with caution, but hopefully nothing major. Not a rom-com, for sure, but definitely romantic themes and ultimately a romantic coupling in the two main characters. Some trigger warnings: there are consistent themes of death, struggling with mental illness, and past bullying that's pretty severe. Erin is unhappy and frustrated at work and in her personal life, and she quits her fashion job at the beginning of the story. She's also dealing with survivor's guilt from the death of her best friend Bonnie. Erin accidentally gives away a book to a Little Free Library with the last card she ever got from Bonnie and is distraught. Enter Erin and Bonnie's school friend James, who is frustrated with his lucrative but unfulfilling job and struggles to help care for his mother who has Bipolar Disorder. He's living a half-life between London and his parents' home, and is unhappy in both places. He secretly dreams of becoming a writer but feels stuck in his current life. Both are linked by Bonnie and a shared school history, previously friendly but they are now estranged and Erin is antagonistic upon seeing an adult James. Although they don't realize it, they're also linked by annotations in the margins of the books they trade through the free community library cabinet. Both struggle in their relationships with their mothers, although for different reasons, and both are in unfulfilling temporary relationships in the beginning. Over the course of the book we see them both come to grips with Bonnie's death in their own ways, and eventually start to re-build their bond. There are bumps in the road, as there always are, and some are pretty hard to overcome. Ultimately there's a happy ending, thank goodness. I really did enjoy this book, it was heavy in some parts but definitely worth it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. So I definitely went into this book thinking that it was going to be one of those rom-com easy reads that is really feel good with some minor hiccups in the love story to propel the angst along. This book was not that. It dealt with some really difficult topics like mental illness and the difficulties that caregivers have to endure when their loved ones become emotionally abusive in the midst of their illness. It also dealt with grief and loss and the guilt that may accompany the death of a loved one. And in the midst of these things, there was a You’ve got Mail trope via notes in the margins of some classic novels. While this story is a romance, it involves so much more - complex family dynamics, loss, mental illness, divorce/affairs, terminal illness, career disillusionment, school bullying and the long term impact, etc. I felt like I’d been through the wringer by the time I finished reading. Overall, the story was well done for the most part-especially considering how much she crammed into the book. But I would not classify this as a super lighthearted rom-com.

3 Stars

I was really excited going into this book because the premise sounded very sweet. It ended up not being a hit for me.

The book felt long, there was a lot going on in the book before the actual advertised plot started to occur. It fell flat for me. It is definitely a slow burn style book.

What I did like was the short chapters, classic book references, and the book feeling very modern.

I am a therapist so I loved the mental health representation and the different ways grief can manifest. The portrayal felt partly accurate, however, there was little growth in the book and it felt like more of “I am using my *insert whatever they are dealing with* to validate me doing *insert whatever silly thing they just decided on doing”.


Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC!

Thank you to the publisher Harlequin and NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. This review is published on GoodReads on 3/24/24.

This was my first ARC and it did not disappoint! Easily became one my favorite books!

I was drawn to this book from the cover and synopsis. But reading about the notes in the margins of the books, I ADORED it! Both main characters were very relatable. The Author, Tessa Bickers, did a wonderful job distinguishing the characters’ voices. Sometimes a book will blend the characters’ personalities, but she made them stand out.

Absolutely loved the relationship between Erin and Bonnie even if it was conjured up in her head for most of the book. I also really enjoyed the banter and connection between the sisters. It hit a soft spot in my heart.

This story made me want to go out and find a neighborhood free library! It was romantic, funny, inspiring and full of memorable quotes both by the author and from other books mentioned throughout.

I laughed through my tears and had chills from the last few chapters of the book.

This book will be released on September 3rd, 2024, and I can’t wait for more to read it!

& I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason!

This book held my heart in it's pages. Erin and James' relationship was everything to me. Learning to deal with grief and moving on, this book is so incredible for anyone going through anything similar.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Erin is at a crossroads: she recently quit her job, is still reeling from the death of her best friend, and has come across a little free lending library that she is using to salve the pain. In a Marie Kondo cleaning of her bookshelf, she accidentally gives away her favorite annotated book, To Kill a Mockingbird, and a stranger takes it from the lending library. This (un)happy accident turns into a bookish conversation with a stranger (or is he?) where the two swap outlined versions of their favorite novels, handwritten notes in the margins, and revealing questions in the back. When she finds out who the other person is it rocks her world and forces her to confront her past.

The story explores two former best friends and the shared trauma over the death of their high school friend, Bonnie, and all the grief that goes along with losing someone so young. It also explores mental health in a very raw way, showing how everyone around them has their own battle they’re fighting, and how it affects their family members. This book is messy, in a good and very realistic way, and feels cathartic - it allows the reader to go on a journey with Erin and James as they navigate adulthood while still feeling like children themselves. There were moments in this book where I felt it was a bit forced and sped along for the sake of the plot, things just happened that were wildly coincidental, and when third-person irony hit the scene it about killed me, but thankfully it resolved itself fairly quickly. All in all, I liked this book, and I liked the flawed personalities of Erin and James (because aren’t we all fantastically flawed?) and I think it does a good job of commenting on mental health, grief & trauma, and the patterns in which we all get stuck.

I so wanted to love this book. I was excited by the concept of people falling in love in the margins of classic books. And I love a second-chance romance story. I think the author is a gifted writer—the prose is lovely. It’s the characters themselves that I didn’t like. The author references The Perks of Being a Wallflower often and it felt like this book was supposed to mirror that book, but with adults. But while it makes sense for teenagers to be self-indulgent, self-centered, and immature, it’s hard to like adults who are are engaging with these patterns. And some of it felt so overboard—a son who blames himself for his mother’s bipolar disorder and never considers a generic predisposition; a woman who literally gets so depressed over life’s bumps that she literally won’t leave her house for months. Both of them stuck in their very narrow definitions of a successful life. There was some growth in the end, but it just felt a little painful for most of the book.