Thank you Netgalley, Booksgosocial and JE Rowney for the ARC of this book.

This was my second Rowney book and it didn't disappoint. It was a quick read that I binged in one sitting. A great mix of mystery, suspense and a satisfying ending.

It was well written and other than feeling like the protectiveness of the main characters mother was slightly overbearing/overprotective it was really enjoyable.

I can't wait to read more work from the author!

3.5/5 stars

Loved the premise of this book - Laura (depressed and desperately trying to ignore the divorce looming on her horizon) finds a note in her online book swap book that simply says “Help Me.” Can she actually track down the writer of this note and get to the bottom of the mystery?

The plot is very character driven (more like a cozy mystery), and is a slow burn start. Once Laura begins to track down the note writer, the place picks up, morphing into more of a suspense/thriller.

This is a quick, enjoyable read with short chapters that kept me turning the pages. I really enjoyed Laura’s perspective as a book lover. Two of my favorite lines:
-“She was an estate agent from Sheffield, not Jack Reacher.”
-“Well, we have each other. […] And we have books.”

The book swap by J.E. Rowney.
Laura has just moved back in with her mum after a separation from her husband. She receives a book from an online book club swap which contains a chilling note. Can Laura overcome her own fears to help a total stranger?
Also can she find them?
This was a slow but OK read. The plot was good but it was just slow. I did start to enjoy it around 60%. I did find Melanie creepy. I did like the ending. 4*.

The Book Swap started off with a great bookish thriller vibe. Woman receives a book in the mail from her anonymous online book swap group (do those things ever work?) and finds a "help me" note tucked in side. From there she makes a whole string of poor choices (hello... stranger danger!) in trying to find and help the person who wrote the note. I found nothing particularly wrong with the storyline; however, to call this a thriller is a huge stretch. The Book Swap would better fit in the cozy mystery genre. The only blood you see is a cut scalp after hitting one's head on a bannister. For it to be a thriller, I need more violence, blood, twists, and sex (sorry, but this is a super clean read).. But, if you have a 12-year old girl who wants to read her first grown-up thriller, this would be a good safe mystery that won['t generate an awkward questions.

Thank you #NetGalley and #BooksGoSocial for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

3.5 stars rounded up.
What a totally implausible and outrageous plot that was executed well enough.

Laura is in the process of a divorce and living with her mom, Catharine. The only thing keeping her from falling into a deep depression is the book swap she belongs to. She excited to dive into the thriller that has just arrived in the mail. When a note slips out of the pages that says "help me" she just knows she has to find out who wrote it. Why? ~ I'm not really sure as most probably wouldn't even think twice about it. But it does get Laura off the couch and back on track to living a more confident life.

Told in 3rd person by Laura as she and Carley (the stranger that sent her the book) set off to track down who wrote the note. The police are not taking them seriously, which totally makes sense because she doesn't have much to go on.
A super fast paced, under 200 page, read that has a couple suspenseful moments, but is otherwise a very unlikely story. The ending was nice and now I want a lemon muffin.

This is my 2nd book by this author. I did enjoy Other People's Lives more than this one, but I do look forward to her next book.

The book was a lot shorter than I was expecting it to be so I read it in one sitting! It wasn’t the thriller I was expecting it to be really, but overall I enjoyed the plot. The ending felt fairly predictable but the story was good and easy to follow. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me have early access to this book.

It took me awhile to get into this book since nothing much exciting happened until you get past the halfway point. It has an interesting plot, but I'm always skeptical of 2 people becoming best friends so quickly.

Laura recently separated from her husband Jamie and now lives with her mother, Catharine. She loves to read and has joined a Book Swap group online where members send other members books they think they would like to read. When Laura finds a note in her book that says "help me" she is determined to find out who the note belongs to...

I think most of that read would just toss the note. I've found several notes, receipts, and scraps of paper in used or library books and usually just glance at them and throw them out. For a self-proclaimed introvert like Laura, it's hard to believe that she would instantly be lured into this wild goose chase. I liked the little twist at the end and the motive, but it was easy to figure out, so not all that surprising. It was a good, quick read.

3.5 stars

The Book Swap by J.E. Rowney is a mystery novel (not really the psychological thriller it is being touted as).

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher BooksGoSocial and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Laura and her husband have separated, and she's not handling things well.  It's been 4 or 5 months, and she still hasn't been able to face going back to work.  She's currently living with her mom, and spending her days reading and watching television. 

She joined a "book-swap" group, and the recent book she received contains a note that Laura feels she must act on.  Someone could be in trouble.  She will have to overcome her own fears, and find her confidence if she is going to be of any assistance.  Unfortunately, she has no idea who sent the book.


My Opinions:
Well, another fast and entertaining read by this author.  Maybe it wasn't the greatest, but it was quite good.  Let's face it, a book club and a mystery....what more do you want?

It was maybe a little predictable, and I felt that Laura didn't really act her age.  Her actions were more of an 18 or 19 year old than that of someone who was 30.  It wasn't just the fact that she goes off with someone she doesn't really know in search of a mystery and probably danger,  but also her reactions to her break-up and her job.  Really, if she has that many anxiety issues, would she do this?

Perhaps the book was missing a little depth, but it was good enough that I will still be reading other books from this author.

2.5 ⭐️‘s rounded up.

I liked the concept of this one and it sounded like something I’d enjoy.

At just 188 it’s definitely a quick and easy read. It started off well and set up the character and plot line well. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting and I definitely wouldn’t call this it a thriller. But it worked well as a lighthearted, mystery type story and with good pacing - it’s easy to fly through.

I think in parts I lost sight of what I was reading. It almost felt a little bit more like a YA style story involving teens rather than adults - perhaps would have even worked better in this style. This might be because it was a short story too though, a bit more bulking out may have made certain aspects not seem so random and far fetched.

It was an interesting premise and I feel if it was a full length novel, rather than the shorter novella format, it might have translated better. Sadly to me it just felt a little rushed and underdeveloped. That said, it was an easy, enjoyable read and I would read this author again.

I had high hopes but this book kind of fell flat for me. The main character did have growth but I just didn’t connect with her at all. The mystery/suspense was good and it was a compassionate read.

Laura has been separated from her husband for a few months and living back at her mums house. She’s left her job and spends most of her day reading.
When she receives a new book via a book swap program, Laura finds a note that says ‘help me’. She steps out of her comfort zone to investigate the note, along with a new friend. Together, they get to the bottom of the note. Will they be able to help the former owner of the book?

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Book Swap
⭐️⭐️.5
Genre: Mystery
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 8/26/22
Author: J.E. Rowney
Publisher: Little Fox Publishing
Pages: 188
Goodreads Rating: 3.36

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Little Fox Publishing and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Newly-separated Laura is back home living with her mum. She spends her days reading and escaping from the realities of her new life alone - until that life suddenly becomes more complicated than she could ever have imagined. When a novel received from an online book swap contains a chilling note, Laura has to overcome her own fears to help a stranger. First, she must uncover just exactly who is it that needs to be saved, and from what.

My Thoughts: The premise of the plot was what attracted me to this book, other than the beautiful book cover. This was super short and I read in one sitting. I felt it needed something a little more. Since I read the author’s previous book, I had high expectations for this book, while not a bad book, I was just hoping for more. The story is narrated it the third person perspective. The author’s writing style was creative, plot was intriguing, and kept me engaged from cover to cover. While I did like the premise, I kept asking myself why would she go looking for the author of a random note with no other threats. The ending was wrapped up good.

4/5 stars

Thank you to Netgally, the publishers, and J. E. Rowney for allowing me to read and review this book.

This book is a short and easy read. It is only 188 pages and goes by quickly. It is super easy to follow and interesting. Although you don't get as much into each character's history and background as you would in a 300+ page thriller, you get to know them enough for the story.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a quick and easy thriller to read. Also, for anyone who doesn't like super dark or scary types of books.

I haven’t read anything by this author before, so I went into this knowing nothing.
What I got was a quick read, not so much the thriller I was looking for, but an easy read nonetheless.
There wasn’t really anything that stood out for me in this book, nothing that jumped off of the page and grabbed my attention, more lighthearted than most thrillers I read. There could have been more detail given to the characters to make them more relatable/believable.
It wasn’t a great book, but it also wasn’t bad either. It’s not one that will stick with me in the future though.
2.5/5 stars.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my arc.

A prolific author J E Rowney’s The Book Swap is a standalone thriller that begins with a book swap. Laura has recently moved back in with her mother after a marriage separation and has joined an online reader’s book exchange. Her life gets complicated when she discovers a note in a book asking for help. Laura is curious about who wrote the note and what type of help they need. With encouragement from her mother and assistance from another book club member, Laura must battle her anxieties in order to solve the mystery. Overall, a disappointingly if very gentle crime thriller that lacks sufficient tension and grit, so only a two star rating. With thanks to BooksGoSocial and the author, for an uncorrected advanced reader copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and freely given.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read an advance copy of The book swap by J.E. .Rowney. This was a new author for me, and i found myself getting quickly into the story of Laura, who has moved in with her mother after separating from her husband. She is having a hard time dealing with the break up, and loses herself into reading books, joining a online group that swaps books. But she is thrown off course when her latest book arrives with a note, Help me...but no other information. what can she do...what would you do? This was a quick read, and I enjoyed it, but expected a bit more from the plot.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. I went into this book pretty blind, knowing it was about a book swap was enough to nudge my interest. I did go in with some expectations though, I wanted a thriller, which this book wasn't, it was more of a light hearted mystery. It wasn't a page turner for me, that being said it's a relatively short book so I did finish it in a day, it just didn't have the twists and dark, disturbing characters that I prefer to read about. That being said if you like more of a mystery kind of read with some warm hearted friendship moments thrown in, this could well be the perfect read for you. ⭐⭐ #thebookswap #jerowney #netgalley #tea_sipping_bookworm #litsy #thestorygraph #goodreads #amazonkindle #bookqueen #bookstagram #mystery

Laura is separated and living at home. She finds a note in her new book and it says, Help me. She goes on a mini adventure to find the author of this note. This journey is perplexing and takes her out of comfort zone. An adventure that will keep the story interesting. A short story with drama and a mystery all packed in a short amount of time.

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and Little Fox Publishing for this ARC, I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Interesting concept and a new to me author. I enjoyed the book and it read a fun read, definitely not a 'typical' thriller

This was a thrilling, exciting quick read. It started with a bang and just didn’t let up at all. I read it in a day and loves the intrigue. A great unusual story-line. Another new author which is always a plus for me especially if I’ve enjoyed the book. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

As a self-proclaimed book nerd and a member of several book swapping groups, this book had my attention from the get-go. What would you do if you received a book from a stranger one day, a note fell out of the book and all it said was Help Me? I personally would have used the note as a book mark, and that would have been the end of that.
I found The Book Swap to be a light hearted mystery about the lengths one will go to help a stranger. This is definitely not a thriller. If you go into it with the hopes of twists and turns, you will be disappointed. However, if you are looking for a mystery that displays human compassion and triumph over adversity, this could be for you. This is a fast read and kept me interested as the story unfolded. This was the second book I’ve read by this author, and it definitely won’t be the last. I’m a fan
This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from BooksGoSocial and NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.