From the publisher:
https://amzn.to/4epTDjfA story of second chances and new beginnings, this is a love letter to books—and a love letter to life
Still reeling from a recent tragedy, Erin Connolly knows she needs to start living, but has no idea how. When she accidentally donates her favorite book—a heavily annotated copy of To Kill a Mockingbird containing a memento she can’t be without—to a local little community library, she’s devastated. But then the book turns up a week later, back in the library with fresh notes in the margins, along with an invitation in a copy of Great Expectations to meet her newfound pen pal.
A life-changing conversation, written only in the margins of beloved classic books, begins between Erin and her Mystery Man. Following each other through the pages of their favorite novels as the book exchange continues, they both begin to open up, falling into a friendship…and maybe something more.
But 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.
A book-lovers dream! References to the following classics can be found in The Book Swap:
- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
- GREAT EXPECTATIONS
- WUTHERING HEIGHTS
- MANSFIELD PARK
- THE GREAT GATSBY
- MIDDLEMARCH
- BELOVED
- ON THE ROAD
- THE BELL JAR
“A lovely and lively tale of second chances, following one’s dreams, and books. Bickers deals with sensitive topics with a deft and delicate hand…Highly recommended.” – Booklist starred review
“Bickers charms in her depiction of how James and Erin bond through literature, and how literature changes their lives. This will have bookworms swooning.” – Publishers Weekly
This debut novel borrows heavily from “You’ve Got Mail” but takes it in a slightly more bookish direction. Erin has lost her best friend, and when she accidentally leaves her favorite book along with the last gift from her friend in the local Little Free Library, she is understandably upset. She returns daily until luckily, someone brings it back. Erin loves writing in the margins of books, and this one is no different. But when she gets it back, she realizes someone else has added to the marginalia, and invited her to read his favorite book.
James always had a love of literature and wanted to be a writer when he was young. Instead, he changed majors and ended up a corporate trainer, raking in the big bucks but not especially liking the work. Sharing thoughts about great works of literature is awakening his inner writer though, and he finds himself at a crossroads.
Unbeknownst to them, James and Erin have a history together, and it is not a good one. As books are shared, eventually James finds out who his mystery pen pal of the books is, and he is torn about what to do about it. When Erin finds out, things really come to a head and they both have to deal with the consequences.
A romance in letters is the fun part of this read, but the story moves back and forth in time as their back story and current story collide. I can understand why librarians voted it one of their favorite reads for September, but unfortunately, I loved the concept more than the actual book. I found it very slow, especially the first half, and the ending wasn’t entirely satisfactory to me. Maybe an epilogue would have helped there. While it’s not the best debut I’ve ever read, I would definitely pick up another book by this author.
9/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
THE BOOK SWAP by Tessa Bickers. Graydon House; Original edition (September 3, 2024). ISBN: 978-1525836701. 336p.
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