“𝙁𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙙𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙪𝙥 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙮 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙚.”
-𝘽𝙚𝙩𝙝 𝙊'𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙮, 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝

Short synopsis:
Eileen is sick of being 79.
Leena’s tired of living in her twenties.
Maybe it’s time they swapped places.

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The idea of having a two-month “swap” was interesting. I’m a big city girl and everyone around me knows it.

I was a mess when we stayed in a place without wifi. Although I have my book and downloaded music to accompany me, I still couldn’t enjoy it. It was during a phase when I shared every part of my life to social media—thinking that everyone cared and they have to know everything about me. 🤯

During the last two days of our vacation, I had no choice but to leave my phone in our accommodation because I didn’t wanna risk losing it underwater. 😂 Upon seeing the beautiful scenery, a realization hit me. I needed to correct my habit and learn to appreciate things, including the people around me. 💕 Now I don’t struggle as much and I don’t open my data/wifi whenever I need to take a break.🏝☀️
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When Leena was ordered to take a rest after blowing a presentation at work, she ran to her grandma’s house. And they took the challenge of a “two-month swap”. 👀

Eileen, single and about to turn 80, get to live in London and search for love through online dating, while Leena looks after everything in rural Yorkshire and learns that long-distance relationships are hard. Both of them couldn’t relate to each other’s life at first. They were also struggling with grief.

All in all, I liked the character developments in the book. ❤️ Although it was slow and kinda confusing because of the alternating POV, it’s still a wholesome and cozy read. 💕
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QOTD: Can you survive a vacation without wifi? 👀

* I was provided an audiobook arc by NetGalley in exchange for a review*

Let me first start by saying the audiobook would not finish downloading to my dismay so I ended up purchasing an e-book. If that doesn’t say enough about my determination to read this novel, then I’m not sure what will... Now, was it worth the hassle? Absolutely. In a Covid world, this wholesome full of heart book is exactly what we need. It is an endearing and sweet story, Leena and Eileen are both well written and their dynamic is part of the charm of this book. I really enjoyed this novel a lot. I do have to mention I went into this with a Freaky-Friday mindset, but know that it is only a apartment switch and nothing quite as outlandish.

Well, as the author predicted in her acknowledgments, I’ve been well and truly Eileened! What a heartwarming and adorable story. I loved every single minute of it. When I finished it a had a huge smile on my face (and a fair amount of tears). Although I had already read it, when given the chance to listen to the audiobook version I couldn't help but take it as I had heard both narrators, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Alison Steadman, did an amazing job, and they certainly did!

After suffering a panick attack at work, Lena and her grandma Eileen decide to swap their houses and lives for a couple of months, so Leena can get much needed rest in the small village where her grandma lives, and Eileen can experience the London scene she could not when she was younger. Meanwhile, they’re both mourning Leena’s sister death, who passed away from cancer a year before.

I found very interesting how the different generations of Cotton women coped with their grief, although I think Leena was not fair with her mum at first. I didn’t like how she directed her anger at her mum, as if she herself was the only one who had lost someone dear to her. All this added a layer of depth to the story that made it much more enjoyable.

I absolutely adored how both Leena and Eileen embraced the swap to their fullest, not being afraid of facing new things. Although I liked them both, my favorite, hands down, was Eileen. After all, she’s a big Agatha Christie fan, how am I not gonna love her? She was lovable, hilarious and I truly hope to reach her years with her stamina. It is so refreshing reading about older characters pursuing love.

I’ve always thought of myself as a big city guy but, after reading this, I wouldn’t mind at all to move to Hamleigh-in-Harksdale. I loved the sense of community and how all the characters were 100% there for their neighbors and friends. I fell in love with all the characters, both in London and the village, minus a couple of exceptions. You know who you are!

Beautiful story about family and friendship, loneliness in the old age and the loss of a loved one, taking a look at the grief and anger that can bring about and showing how everyone needs to heal in a different way and time.

I really liked The Switch! The audio was fantastic and did a great job of transporting me right into the character's lives!

O'Leary has such a wonderful way of writing! Her character's are witty and full of charm and I adore them, especially in The Switch.

I found this book to be incredibly timely as well. Social isolation is a real thing with seniors but I think a lot of us have developed a whole new understanding so I that element really resonated with me.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I adored this book!
Charming - check
Sweet - check
Feel-good - check
Will definitely read author's other works - check

2020 sucks but this book was a greatly enjoyable interlude.

My thanks to Beth O'Leary, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the aARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really wanted to like this, because I loved the first book in this series. Unfortunately, I DNFed it.

I absolutely loved this book. I expected a romance, feel good book. And it was that but also so much more. This delded with grief and some moments had me in tears. I absolutely love the 2 main characters and all of their adventures and experiences. I would truly recommend this book to anyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an audio advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't finish this audiobook because the narration just didn't work for me. I'll definitely be picking up a physical copy of this book when it comes out in paperback in January to give it a second chance but I just couldn't get through this book with this narration I just wasn't gripped.

This was such a cute book!

I loved the generational differences between Leena and Eileen! This book gave me major "The Holiday" movie vibes, because these two are grandmother and granddaughter who switch places for a while. As they live each other's lives, they come to better understand one another and learn so much more about themselves in the process. I felt like I was part of the family as I listened to their story!!

The Switch was my first book by Beth O'Leary. I really enjoyed the story of the two main characters, Eileen Cotton and Leena Cotton. This gave an idea of loss and love but the story had lot of other plot lines running through the novel that made the whole storyline of these two women very entertaining, and kept me turning those pages as quickly as I could! These other plot lines also imbued the book with a real sense of community as so many of the side characters were involved in these more minor storylines.

I can highly recommend this as a great audiobook listen. It was quick and interesting and the narration was great.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for providing the audiobook.

This was a lovely book! I enjoyed the dual perspectives and I thought the characters were charming. I loved that Beth O'Leary explored romance with different age groups as well. It was sweet and adorable, and I thought that the juxtaposition of the grandmother and granddaughter was perfect. The story itself was a bit predictable, as many romances are, but that did not detract from my enjoyment of it. I listened to the audiobook version of this and mostly enjoyed it. The only issue I had with it was that occasionally the younger actress's voice was a little harsh with the "s" sounds. I ended up turning it down considerably for a few parts since it made me wince a little when louder (though then it was hard to hear). For the most part though I did like the actresses. They fit the parts well.

Many thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for the copy to review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook.
I did not read the author's debut The Flatshare, but I've been curious about it, and now I'm quite certain I will read it soon. I really enjoyed the way the book was written and the pacing of the story. I listened to this audiobook in probably two sittings, and couldn't put it down. It was shorter than I had thought but very entertaining.
The idea of switching houses and phones between a grandmother and granddaughter is so interesting. This book is a ride until the end. All characters are relatable and I loved all of them, it's that kind of book that you wish to befriend these characters.
I loved the narrators, it was a fantastic experience, and the accent was perfect. I wouldn't change a thing.
I highly recommend it!

DO NOT LISTEN TO THE AUDIOBOOK! Gah. I thought maybe the @netgalley version was just not edited or cleaned up. But, based on some of the written reviews on audible, it was the same. The dry mouth smacking sounds of the Ilene narrator are awful!! I had to take a lot of breaks to finish.😩
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BUT - The story is fantastic!😃 I think this could make a fun movie. I enjoyed the two perspectives and thought it had a lot of heart and a lot of fun. So many sweet characters. I loved everything about the story. It is the only reason I soldiered on listening. I'm truly confused at the production of the audio. It's a shame. I can only imagine I would have enjoyed this even more by reading it.
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Thank you, @netgalley!

The Switch is a heartwarming tale of a woman and her granddaughter swapping lives.

I really enjoyed the dual narration of this audiobook. I do feel, however, that I struggled to identify the different characters voices when listening to Leena's chapters. It got particularly frustrating when there was a lot of dialogue. My attention would slip for a second and I had no idea who was speaking anymore,

The plot in itself was quite predictable and I'm glad that the author decided to showcase an elderly couple as well as a younger couple. Elderly people are rarely portrayed in such a beautiful and sensitive way. I loved that aspect of the book a lot.

Unfortunately I felt slightly disconnected to the story and it did not invoke the emotions I thought it would. I guess there was a bit too much secondhand embarrassment for my liking.

Overall, I can see this audiobook being a huge success and it's such a fast and entertaining read.

I tried. I really did. Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book. The only way I got through the first book was by listening to it on audio because of the unique writing style.
With this book (minus the annoyance of the netgalley app not working well to listen to audiobooks) I just couldn't bring myself to finish. I just didn't connect with the grandma's story line and found both main characters to be boring. I am sad because I was hoping to love this romance, but alas, it just wasn't for me.

Not my cup of tea but I sooo badly wanted to like it because the reviews were dazzling.

I felt like there wasn’t enough conflict in the book, everything was monotone and it took me forever to finish it because I would fall asleep in the middle of a chapter.

I liked this novel but I do not think it is anything to write home about. If you are interested in it give it a go, but if you aren’t skip it.

The story definitely had good vibes and was fun to listen to. It is a feel good story, which I love. The actual story could have been taken a step further, there was not much depth to it so it was hard to connect to. At times the book was very slow and boring but if you can get past that, it’s worth it.
The characters brought the story to life, there are so many interesting characters in the novel and it is easy to connect to them.

Overall, I enjoyed the book but it’s not something I will think about again. I’m interested to look into the authors other books and hope they have more depth.

This was a fantastic read. I listened to this book. It was very heartwarming story. The relationship between grandma and granddaughter is a special bond. I laughed out loud during many parts. Highly recommend this book!

I absolutely loved The Flatshare, so I was excited for The Switch. While they’re very different books, this was just as good. It’s definitely more Women’s Fiction, where the Flatshare was a romance. The Switch is about Eileen and Lena - a grandmother and granddaughter who switch lives after Lena gets put on mandatory leave from work after her sister’s death. Eileen takes the opportunity to explore London and the big city life she gave up to marry Lena’s grandfather. Lena explores country life and tries to mend her relationship with her mother. Eileen takes up online dating. It was such a cute book - and I finished it which I didn’t do a lot of in August.

First, a big thank you to NetGalley for providing me this audiobook.

A few months ago, I read The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary. I totally loved it! It was my first contemporary read, and since then I want to read much more. So when I saw the audiobook version of The Switch, I new I had to read it.

It took me a while to get trough, but that wasn't because I didn't like it. I just sometimes get in a phase where I don't listen to audiobooks anymore, or can't find the right moment to do so.

So during the times where I did listen to it, I really enjoyed it. Beth O'Leary's writing style is beautiful and the narrators were very nice to listen to. The whole concept of a 'switch' was very unique to me.

Leena is having a hard time at work. After having a panic attack at work, she is forced to go on a 2 month break. Meanwhile, Leena's grandmother Eileen wants to live her life to the fullest. After her ex husband Wade left (after leaving her for their dance instructor), she's ready to get into a romantic relationship again. But in her small town, there aren't many options. So, she makes a list with all the romantic possibilities. After a while she discovers there isn't much choice. Then they decide to swap houses.

Leena has some trouble with her mother. After Leena's sister Carla died, the relationship between her and her mother had been very bad. So when she moves back to her hometown, she needs to come eye to eye with her mom. And she also has to finish some projects her grandmother has started on before the swap.

Eileen moving to London is a whole different story. She makes a dating profile and soon she meets some nice men. She's also becoming friends with Leena's neighbor Leticia. Eileens adventure in London is a funny, but also beautiful one.

This was a beautiful story about two people who are a bit stuck in life, and want to change something. Beth O'Leary also learns us a few lessons about dealing with losing a loved one, and dealing with depression. And, of course, she set up a very cute grandma who is willing to do everything for her granddaughter. Beth O'Leary is defenitely going to be an auto-buy author!