What a pleasure today to share my latest My Weekly magazine online review which is of The Book Swap by Tessa Bickers. My enormous thanks to Alainna Hadjigeorgiou  for sending me a copy some time ago.

Published by Hodder and Stoughton on 5th September 2024, The Book Swap is available for purchase through the links here.

The Book Swap

A REASON TO LIVE. 
Still grieving the death of her best friend, Erin knows she needs to start living – but has no idea how. Then she loses her favourite book, a heavily annotated and containing her friend’s final words to her.

A REASON TO LOVE.
When James finds Erin’s note-filled book in his local community library, it sparks a life-changing conversation. He writes his own message back, and soon they are locked in an anonymous book exchange, with no idea who the other person in the margins might be.

A REASON TO FORGIVE?
But Erin and James have a shared history that neither of them realise. How will Erin react when she discovers the other writer isn’t a stranger at all – but the person she once swore she’d never forgive?

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

My Review of The Book Swap

My full review of The Book Swap can be found on the My Weekly website here.

However, here I can say that The Book Swap completely took me by surprise. I had anticipated a light and engaging romance with references to books, but hadn’t anticipated the depth of emotion, the range of themes and the fabulous awareness of who we are as humans that makes The Book Swap simply glorious to read.

Do visit My Weekly to read my full review here.

About Tessa Bickers

Tessa Bickers has always been fascinated by people. What makes them different and what makes them the same. Those universal experiences from grief and loneliness, to heartbreak and love. She’s always told stories, either through songs or the books she’s been writing since her teens. All those years of her brother telling her she was nosy, when he didn’t understand it was purely for research purposes!

Tessa lives in Brixton with her partner, their young but very loud daughter and their one-eyed ginger cat, Rocky, with his mean left hook.

For further information, follow Tessa on Twitter/X @TessaBickers, or find her on Instagram.