A review by birdie126
The Book Swap by Tessa Bickers

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

So I picked this up thinking it would be a cutsy rom com, and boy was I surprised. This story covers south in terms of death, chronic illness, bullying, mental health and forgiveness. I feel like the beginning of this story was really slow off to start and honestly I haven’t read most of the classics these characters were so attached to but I had a really good time reading it, I think the look we get at Erin and James in forgiving and understanding others and even themselves is really well written and it’s really nice to see it portrayed in a way that feels realistic, it doesn’t just happen overnight it takes a lot of trial and error and it’s hard. I’m not gonna lie Erin wasn’t my fav MFC in the world but honestly I think that fits in for the story? The way she was dealing with things wasn’t healthy the grudges she was holding against her family and her friends wasn’t good for her, she was kinda being a crappy person but you can’t have growth if your already great. I love that we got to see her have the conversation with her mom and see that yes I’m trying but it’s not instantly better. This book made me feel a lot more things than I was ever imagining, as for the romance part of it, it really does feel like a sub-plot but I don’t think the impact would have been the same if it was this instalove everything’s better now connection, it’s a slow burn for sure and I would count it as a second chance romance. I’m so excited for this to debut and can’t wait to see what else Tessa writes 
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