I really enjoyed this dual perspective book about finding who you really are in the most unexpected of places.

Such a sweet story about family and love. A feel good women's fiction that is light and delightful. When Lina and her grandmother decide to switch lives to get out of their ruts, each discovers talents and things about themselves they never knew. Of course, there is also a healthy dose of romance for both Lina and her grandmother. The topic of grief was handled well without taking over the plot yet adding some depth. Warm and charming characters made this book a heartfelt read. I will definitely be reading more books from this author. I listened to the audio and the performance was first class.
A gracious thank you to MacMillan Audio and Netgalley for a free audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

The last book I read was about the Vietnam War, so I opted for something a little less daunting and a lot more fun this time around. I just finished reading a delightful book titled The Switch by UK author, Beth O’Leary. I breezed through it with a smile on my face; it’s a quirky, feel good book and I highly recommend it. Here’s a quick synopsis:

When London-based overachiever Leena Cotton is ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a big presentation at work, she escapes to her grandmother Eileen’s house for some overdue rest. Eileen is newly single and about to turn eighty. She’d like a second chance at love, but her tiny Yorkshire village doesn’t offer many eligible men. Once Leena learns of Eileen’s romantic predicament, she proposes a solution: a two-month swap.

What results is a sweet—albeit predictable—romantic comedy. Grandma sets up an online dating profile and has a torrid love affair (she’s 79 years old…the images that came to my mind were a little disturbing if I’m being honest), and granddaughter experiences a love of a different sort.

We’re not talking fine literature here, but I enjoyed this diversion from my usual fare.

Such a fun book to listen to. There were 2 viewpoints and 2 narrators and I loved them both. I especially enjoyed the interplay of the different generations in this funny and endearing story.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to an audio version of this novel. My review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.

This is by far my favourite read of 2020!
The relationships between the grandma and the grandchild is a breath of fresh air.
Eileen is witty, doesn’t allow rubbish and is a ray of sunshine to everyone that crosses her path.
Lina is the great picture of the 20-30 year olds in our society, focused on work and the feeling of never doing enough.

I loved that the online safety reminder was for the older generation too!

I could go on forever!
Definitely will read it again and again!

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title.

I absolutely loved The Flatshare and was excited to get a chance to listen to The Switch. While I didn’t love it nearly as much it was definitely a good story. I am looking forward to what she writes next.

I received a free audiobook to review from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
It's been several weeks since I finished listening to this book, but I loved it. The narrators for the dual perspectives were excellent and I loved how the stories wove back and forth.

This was a very sweet book. I really enjoyed the contrast between an older and younger character. I feel like this author's writing gets better and better and I cannot wait to see what they have in store next.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this gifted ALC of The Switch by Beth O'Leary.
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I loved ‘The Flatshare’ from O’Leary, so I had high expectations for ‘The Switch’. This was a super cute book, I was a little bummed the romance wasn’t as prominent but overall still made for an expected HEA.

Both of the lead female protagonist went through the loss of a loved one to cancer. Eileen and Leena, grandmother and granddaughter, switch lives (not Freaky Friday-ish) but decide to reside at one another houses and commit to each others prior engagements. For up and moving to other locations, they both adapted pretty well and made for great comedy. I wasn’t a fan of Leena (TW: domestic violence; emotional abuse) her romantic relationship didn’t sit right with me and how she put up blinders - especially against family members. This cleaned up too easily and left a bad feeling for that whole wrap up. Eileen’s quirky character kept me going and I looked forward to her POV! What is it about British stories that have quirky characters? Maybe I just love quirky characters in general.

I love when an audiobook has multiple authors for dual POV’s. I also loved that each narrator was age appropriate - definitely gave it a more reasonable listen. I do admit, the normal speed was too slow at moments and I needed to speed it up to 1.5x. I might’ve enjoyed this in print format better though.

If you’re a fan of ‘Matchmaking for Beginners’ by Maddie Dawson, then you most definitely need to read this!

I received a complimentary copy of the audiobook from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

After a panic attack at work, Leena is forced to take a two-month sabbatical. Her grandmother Eileen begins a search for love after becoming single. The two decide to swap lives. Leena will live in her grandmother’s small town and Eileen will look for love in the big city. They trade lifestyles & homes.

This is such a delightful audio! Lovely characters In funny & touching situations. Listening to Eileen adapt to a dating website & messaging had me laughing out loud a few times. And the accents made for a relaxing listening experience.

The story was lighthearted yet also sends a powerful message about do-overs & empowerment. Plenty to love in this story line!

I throughly enjoyed the audio & recommend it!

Loved this sweet, charming novel! Eileen and Leena were both lovely characters and I couldn't help but fall in love with their stories. The plot is basically a young professional and her quirky grandmother switch flats for a couple of months after Leena is forced to take some time off from work when she blows a super important presentation.

I loved the theme of it never being too late to really discover yourself, and during this crazy quarantine pandemic time, this is such a great message. If you need a good, positive story with fantastic characters and a great plot, this book is a fantastic choice.

Also, the audio version of this book is SUPERB. I love Daisy Edgar-Jones!!

4 out of 5 stars for The Switch by Beth O'Leary.

Huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and McMillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review this book.

This was so much fun to read/listen to.
I haven’t read a chick lit in a while and this was one of those that grab you from the beginning.
I was transported into it the moment I pressed the play button. It has duel POV and both narrators were amazing.

The story follows Leena and her grandmother Eileen as they try to overcome lose and disappointments, they switch their lives around with Eileen, at 79 going to stay in London and find adventure and Leena staying in a small town trying to calm her life down.

What follows is enlightening, hilarious and healing

I was a bit surprised at how all the young people in London took to Eileen, she was amazing.

I liked it every time they mentioned Agatha Christie, because I was reading a book of hers simultaneously.
Also Jackson can totally be Henry Cavill.

It is a good light fun read.
Will definitely check more from both author and narrators.

I love when an excellent story has equally outstanding narration. The voice actors for Leena and her grandmother Eileen are excellent-adding much depth to their characters. The book deals with grief and how it impacts families, and I also appreciate how this book convincingly talks about romance and sex for an older character and doesn't shy away from it-hooray for age inclusivity!

I loved this quirky comedy novel. The grandmother-granddaughter pair reminded me more of my own grandmother. It was fun to listen!! Definitely read/listen this for a heartfelt light read!

Thank you Macmillan Audio, Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Look, it's 2020. My brain can only handle so much right now. I have been in a reading slump for a few weeks. I just want a warm-hug of a predictable romcom to ease my tired mind. I don't want to redesign the wheel. I want reassurance. I want predictability. I want a fairy tale escape to the Yorkshire dales and the reassurance of a stiff-upper-lipped no-nonsense Gran to tell me it's going to be okay. I want to listen to some CALMING REGIONAL ENGLISH ACCENTS, CONSARN IT. I want the pretty-boy with great hair to learn his lesson and the handsome, crooked-nosed single dad to get a happy ending. I want there to be magic in the city mouse/country mouse granddaughter/grandmother life-swap. I WANT MULTI-GENERATIONAL LOVE STORIES AND LASTING FRIENDSHIPS. I want the book to go exactly the way I think it's going to go. (...There is enough uncertainty in my life right now, thank you very much.)

This book is basically if Jojo Moyes wrote The Holiday (the movie) after binge-watching The Great British Bake-off (love the Grans!), and I. Am. Here for it. (Honestly, I would watch this movie. Can this be a movie?)

The audiobook was well-done, with age-appropriate narrators for the alternating Leena/Eileen chapters. Both narrators captured their characters well--from humor and joy, to mourning and melancholy. The only thing I didn't love was the phone sound effect for the phone calls, which I felt was an unnecessary, distracting layer, especially since there were no other sound-effects.


With thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this delightful audiobook ahead of publication!

<i>A huge thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free eARC audio in exchange for an honest review!</i>

Trigger warnings: <spoiler>Mentions of family member who died of cancer- this is a big part of the story, (background) abusive relationships, cheating</spoiler>

Due to the nature of NetGalley's audiobooks I had a hard time with this at the beginning. Because I couldn't speed it up (it sounds godawful) it felt so incredibly slow, even though the story really wasn't. After the 50% mark I managed to speed it up a bit, and today even more, and I absolutely loved it from there on out! So I really hope NetGalley will get on this because it is really influencing my view of a book.

Having said that, this book was delightful! I personally much preferred Eileen's story than Leena's. I'm 26 and therefore much closer to Leena's age than Eileen's 79, but I just loved Eileen. She is fucking badass and will go for what she wants. She is also a great mother and grandmother. I cannot put into words how much joy she gave me! The same goes for the cast of elderly characters around Leena. It's ironic, given that in real life the elderly often piss me off with their disregard to literally anything or anyone else (this is a generalisation of course but still), but in this book, and in many other books actually!, I loved them. Betsey took me the longest to warm up to, but given her story it makes sense looking back. Arnold is a personal favorite, haha!

Leena is just exhausting, really. I didn't hate her, I just wanted to yell at her a lot to stop being so childish. It all works out in the end, of course, and I was glad for her, but honestly. How can you still be so naive when you are a workaholic?? I'm sure it's possible, but for me it just felt off. Like O'Leary tried too hard to make her cute/quirky/I don't even know. I did love her friends, who spent time with Eileen. Perfect combo. Fitz, my love!

Basically it all comes down to Eileen. I'm sure the youngsters would have annoyed me without her, but she balances them out and calls them out on their bullshit. Perhaps she is a bit pushy and too meddling, but I can't find it in me to like her less for it.

I know this book is classed as a romance, but honestly it's not. This is a story about finding yourself, about who you really are, and who you can be if you let yourself. I found it really empowering, especially in Eileen's case. It has a romance, and you can spot the endgames from miles away, but the conclusion of them is so incredibly rushed it's disappointing. Would have liked it to be either more fleshed out, or disregarded entirely, ending with two badass women not needing a man to be happy. But alas.

All in all I really enjoyed this book and I cannot wait to finally dive into The Flatshare sometime soon!

In The Switch by Beth O’Leary, readers are thrown into the lives of Eileen and Leena as they try to find happiness in their lives. For Eileen, she is tired of being 79 and living day after day interacting with the same people. For Leena, she is forced into taking time off of work, but she doesn’t know what to do with herself. When Leena goes up to visit her grandmother, Eileen, they decide to help each other get a change of perspective by swapping lives for two months; Eileen goes to London for two months and Leena goes to Yorkshire.

In this heartwarming, witty romance, O’Leary takes readers on a journey as Eileen and Leena take on each other's lives. We see each character grow as they are met with unexpected challenges and opportunities that help them heal from past heartaches. This story hits on topics of grief and self-discovery as the characters try to figure out who they are.

Daisy Edgar-Jones and Alison Steadman do an amazing job at narrating this audiobook, and with their energetic and warm narration, readers are drawn into the story as they take you through the lives of Eileen and Leena. Using two narrators to bring to life O’Leary’s characters was crucial as it helped separate the journeys that Eileen and Leena went on.

O’Leary uses a compelling writing style to draw readers into the lives of Eileen and Leena. By just a few chapters into their stories, you are rooting for them to find happiness and laughing at the mistakes that they make along the way. Told through alternating perspectives, readers get wrapped up in the lives of the narrators as they attempt to find happiness. This story takes place across two locations; the hills of Yorkshire and the bustling city of London.

When Leena Cotton is ordered to take a two-month sabbatical, she escapes to her grandmother Eileen's house for some much needed rest. Eileen is newly single and about to turn eighty. She’s like a second chance at love. So they decide to try a two-Monty swap. Eileen will live in London to look for love while Lena will look after everything in rural Yorkshire. Stepping into each other’s shoes proves more difficult than they expected.

I had the print copy of this book but when I found out there was an audio copy available on net galley I had to snatch it up. I’m a sucker for British accents and I’m slow glad I did. It brought so much more into the story. I love British humor too so I was chuckling the whole way through listening! This is such a cute story and was a much needed escape from some heavy reads lately. Eileen and Lena are such likable characters and it was so fun to see them acclimate to their “new” lives. The relationship they share is so sweet too. The cast of characters in London and Yorkshire are also fun to get to know.

Overall 4 1/2 stars from me. This was a fun escape to listen to on my commutes and walks and am so glad I listened to it on audio. This is an enjoyable book for escape and quick read!

Wow. This light chick lit read was more than meets the eye. It went well beyond a fun, light-hearted summer read. I found the characters endearing! I couldn't put it down!

The main characters are Leena, a 20-something workaholic and her 79-year-old grandmother. Both are working through identity issues and grief of losing Leena's sister to cancer a year ago.

I love stories like this with strong female characters whose identity and growth are NOT dependent on their relationship to a man. I appreciated how they addressed heavier issues of grief and loss. In this way, it reminded me a bit of Abby Jimenez's Happily Ever After Playlist which I also loved! I rarely give this type of book 5 stars but this is one that made me really happy to read!

Thanks to NETGALLEY for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

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•{Favourite Line}•
"You were healing. You’re still healing. You’ll maybe always be healing. And that’s OK. It’ll just be part of what makes you you."
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TW : Death of family member, Grief, Depression, Anxiety
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This book follows our two main characters : Leena, who is in need for a vacation from her busy life in London, and her grandmother Eileen, who needs the busy to indulge herself while in search of love. It's a really cute story with such importance to relationship among family and discusses grief and cope in a very good way.
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About the Audiobook : I loved the narrators for both the Characters, and the voice variations that was done. It was simple things like, voicemail voice, a sigh while talking, clacking sound while walking and Eileen's sassy comebacks, all the small things made so much difference! Eileen's voice gave me such peace and the book flew by before I could realize it! I think the audiobook experience made me fall in love with the book more!
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About the Book : Okay first, when I read the vblurb , I was skeptical as to how the book would be developed, but I was definitely surprised in a good way! I really loved the dynamics between the two main characters and how they were portrayed. I really loved Eileen and her character so much. She has sass, confidence and brains and took matters into her own hands. Leena was quite reserved at first, but she got inspiration from her grandma and started becoming a better version of herself.
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Second, I absolutely loved the bond between Eileen and Leena! The contrast between Eileen and Leens was so apparent that it gives you so much joy to see them learn about the opposite side and grow. It doesn't focus mainly on the romance aspect, but it's more familial relationship oriented and deals with emotions related to losing a loved one, grief, depression and anxiety. The bond between Leena and her mother was really interesting to read about. I think the mental health representation was done in a believable way and I liked that.
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Coming to the storyline and Character arc, I think Eileen takes the cup for thame arc. I loved seeing her adapt to the new environment and convert every one in the apartment building into a club! Her energy was infections and I enjoyed it so much! I really loved all the side Characters , and they gave the story that needed boost. I didn't care for the romance part, but it was still cute. (I might also think it was unnecessary drama? ) . I absolutely loved that ending chapter so much! It made me so emotional and I kinda low-key loved the three fierce ladies and called them 'The Powerpuff Girls' in my head!
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Overall, I loved the storyline, the Characters, Eileen's sassy attitude, Leena's temper, the story setting, the small town vibes and the side Characters. If it was not for that romance part, I would have given it a 5 star.
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Thank you @netgalley for the audiobook review copy!