Following on from the huge success of Flat Share, I dived into this book with great expectations. Unfortunately for me it just didn't hit the same high notes, it as a warm and funny story about relationships and how our lives move and change, but bittersweet at times. For me, this was a nice relaxed read but if I was hoping to be grioped, waiting for the ending and hoping for different scenarios to play out as I did with Flat Share, I was disappointed.

I’ve not read The Flatshare but I jumped at the chance of the audio version of this Beth O’Leary book!

Gorgeous characters. The settings were beautifully descriptive. And the back stories and lives of the characters were completely and utterly believable!

Alison Steadman was the crowning jewel in this incredible audiobook.

I am not the best audiobook reader, but I WANT to love them, so I keep trying & I've come to realize I have to absolutely LOVE the narrator, have a very engaging title, or be a thriller. While I was a little hesitant listening to this one - I absolute adored The Flatshare and wanted to love this one just as much - I was beyond thriller to receive a copy of this one to listen to thanks to Netgalley & MacMillan Audio in exchange for my personal review.

The narration was fantastic, so it definitely kept me interested, and I loved that this story was about the growth of grandma and granddaughter and not just a love story. It was charming and sweet, well-written and just what I needed!

I adored this book.

Lina, a young successful marketing exec living in London, has been avoiding the tsunami of grief occasioned by her sister's death by diving head first into work. But her anxiety is catching up to her and she needs a break.

Eileen's husband of 30 some years left her for another woman four months ago. Before she met and married him, she dreamed of living in London and making a difference in the world. She needs a new spark in her life.

And so - they switch lives. On leave from work, Lina takes up Eileen's projects with the Neighborhood Watch and the May Day Planning Committee, living in her grandmother's quaint cottage in the Yorkshire Dales. Eileen joins an online dating service and heads to London to live with Lina's hip flat mates and find a man.

I was skeptical about the premise here at first, but the characters themselves sucked me in. I particularly adored Eileen - her spunky, no nonsense, take the world by the horns attitude reminded me so much of my own grandmother. These characters are real and relatable and the story is heartwarming and absolutely charming, reminding us again that people - friends, neighbors, family - are the true treasures in life.

This book feels like being hugged and it was exactly what I needed! I really loved this one.

Lena and her Grandma Eileen decide to switch places for two months. Lena will take care of all of Eileen’s projects in the countryside while Eileen heads to the big city searching for love.

This book had romance in it, but I wouldn’t consider it a romance. This one focused a lot more on platonic and family bonds. The community/neighborhood aspect of it reminded me a bit of A Man Called Ove.

Read this one if you’re looking for something warm and feel-good that still has substance and a fresh plot!

So, Lena has a panic attack at work and what ensues is a mandated two month paid leave. Lena lives in the heart of London and makes a deal with her grandmother, Eileen, who lives two and a half hours away in the country. What they decide to do is switch places, Eileen will go live in Lena's flat in London where there will certainly be more available 70 or 80 something year old men and Lena will go live in the country and take care of her mom and have two months to relax and regroup. This audio book is quite predictable in what you think would happen to each of them in this situation and, as it does, it's still enjoyable to listen to.

I absolutely loved this book! It was my first NetGalley audiobook and I am thrilled that I had the opportunity to listen to it. When given the free time to shake things up a Grandmother and her Granddaughter decide to switch lives. Each of them moves into the other's home and meets the friends of the others. Life goes on and so they must each step up their game and take on the responsibilities of the other person too. This takes place in England so the language is fun and the age differences add color to the palet of characters. I would happily read another one to see where their lives go from here.

What a lovely, joyful escape into this character-driven novel. Exceeded my expectations and made me want to read more from Beth O'Leary.

Very cute, heartwarming story about a mid 20s girl and her grandma switching lives temporarily since both of them were unhappy. The writing was pleasant and engaging. A nice beach read or for cheering up!

More on my blog: https://www.howdidthatbookend.com/switch-beth-oleary/

This was such a nice, feel-good kind of a book!

I loved Eileen so much! She is such a badass grandma! She is kind, fun and eccentric in her own way, and she is so eager to try out new things. She stands up for herself and her kids and grandkids and her friends. She has faced her own share of difficulties and she has had her own share of grief. But despite of that she is ready to start a new chapter in her life.

I haven't seen such amazing representation of older generation in any contemporary novel. Younger people dont realize that their parents and grandparents might also feel like having a social life. Even they get lonely and even they might have their own goals and ambitions! I think the younger generation is too callous towards the difficulties, both emotional and physical, that the older generation faces, and I think the author has done a great job at highlighting these problems through a brilliant set of characters.

I loved everyone of Eileen's older friends from London as well as Hamleigh, Bazzle, Penelope and Arnold especially! I loved how Eileen tackled the busy and fast life in London while endearing everyone around her! She successfully manages to start a social club for the elderly around the town, and I loved the determination with which she does that, gving it all she has!

Leena is extremely workoholic and switching her life with her grandma to live in Hamleigh gives her a much needed break and a prespective at her life. She is struggling with her grief and I liked the delicacy with which this was handled.

Though I must say, I loved Eileen more than Leena!

The plot for this is predictable, and though each character has unique traits, theres not much cultural diversity. I loved this mainly because of Eileen and the light cozy feels.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the providing me with the audiobook. The above words reflect my honest opinion.

Management consultant Leena Cotton has reached a breaking point. It’s been almost a year since her sister Carla died and she’s lost her focus. It took a meltdown during an important presentation for her to take a two-month sabbatical, forced upon her by her company. Her beloved grandmother Eileen invites her to leave London and return to her hometown for a mental health break. Once there, Leena helps the recently divorced grandmother, Eileen, set up a dating site profile but realizes pickings are slim in their small Yorkshire town. Eileen comes up with the idea that they switch locations for the next two months. She’ll live with Leena’s flatmates and Leena can stay and assume her responsibilities. They decide to do it and what follows is a delightful journey.

I didn’t love this quite as much as I loved The Flatshare (which was my 5th fav. book last year) but I still enjoyed it very much. I thought Eileen was more interesting than Lena and realized that while I read a lot of books from the perspective of struggling-20-somethings (perhaps b/c I’m a messy 20-something myself), I don’t read nearly enough fiction from the POV of older adults. It was fun. V. cute! I’m not a huge romance person and LOVE that the romance here didn’t take center stage. Overall, it’s a story of family and growth and the romance was a part of that but it wasn’t sickly sweet. Big fan! The audiobook narration was very well done. At this point, i have a ton of faith in Beth O’Leary and will check out whatever she publishes.

Lenna Cotton is forced to take a two month sabbatical from her work after messing up on a presentation for work. She visits her grandmother Eileen in the country and together they decided to do a switch. Leena will live in the country while her grandmother moves to London.

Leena and Eileen both have struggles they need to overcome and with a change in their environment they are both able to find themselves. They make new friends, meet new men, and make wonderful changes in their new neighborhoods.

I listened to this book on audio and I really enjoyed the narrator. I found Eileen so sweet and a grandmother I would have loved to have. It was wonderful to see the strong relationship Eileen and Lenna had with each other as well as with their community.

I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading Beth O’Leary’s other books.

I really liked this book. Takes you away from our present pandemic times and takes you to London and adventurous with a grandmother and her granddaughter. Very hilarious in parts, and also heart warming. I have read other books since this one, but still remember this relaxing fun read.. What a joy.

This book was just what I needed- sweet, funny and heartwarming while exploring love, loss and family. I loved Leena’s feistiness.

I received audio arc from Netgalley.

Sooooo where do I start? I did enjoy this book. It's not one of my favorites. I felt like I personally just couldn't connect with the story, but I still thought it was good. It felt a teeny bit slow to me.

I was really hoping I would like this a bit more than I did, but hey, you can't love everything! My problem was not being able to connect to the characters. And I think the main reason for that is the fact that I mainly read YA and sometimes I read Adult Romance, so this is just new territory for me.

I went into this thinking that it would be more focused on the romance, so that's my own fault 😂. Overall I thought it was pretty good.

The narration of this audio book was absolutely excellent. I felt like the casting (if that is the right word) could not be better. However, I did not feel that the story moved very quickly, and I found myself loosing focus. It's also the first time that I was listening to an ebook of this genre, and I'm not sure reviewing audiobooks is the path for me. I just have a difficult time focusing on a story when I haven't had a chance to read it first - I usually only do audiobooks as rereads. So, I strongly believe that this might appeal to other readers - just wasn't a fit for me, despite the excellent narration.

This book was so much more than I thought it was going to be. I thought, going in, that it was going to be just a cute romance. It was that, but it was also a story about family, and dealing with the loss of a loved one, and how to grow beyond that loss. It was emotional and funny and is probably one of my favorite reads of the year.

All of the characters were well developed. I found myself equally intrigued by and invested in the side characters stories just as much as I was the main characters’. The writing was engaging and I couldn’t put this book down.

I fully intend to read more Beth O’Leary in the near future. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

4.5 stars!
This was such a charming, heartfelt and (at times) funny read, I was very pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed the characters and how the story developed. The ending was perfect :)
If you enjoy romantic comedies or just need to read something soulwarming in these stressful times, then this might be the book for you!


I was kindly provided an e-audiobook of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, I loved this novel. So cute, heart-warming and wholesome!
The story is about a grandmother Eileen and a granddaughter Leena who decide to switch places for awhile - Eileen goes to London and Leena back to her small hometown. Eileen gets to know Leena’s young roommates and try online dating and Leena tries to fill her grandma’s shoes organising small town activities and getting to know Eileen’s elderly friends.
The story is full of cosy small town vibes, funny moments that make you chuckle, cute romance and wholesome characters. It’s the ultimate feel-good novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Imagine the movie The Holiday, but cozier, more family-focused, and more boring.

In defense of this book, I am by no means the target audience. The writing of this story is relatively engaging, and the characters (particularly Eileen) are genuine and pleasant to read about. That being said, the pacing and plot of this story just didn’t have enough momentum for me to love. I recommend it to people who like romantic, heart warming, simple stories.