Beth O’Leary writes the most charming romcoms & I adore her for it. The Flatshare was a favorite of mine from 2019, and The Switch is another ridiculously lovely read, light in tone but touches on heavier topics, all while balanced with the most delightful cast of characters & the world’s most charming village. This book had me chuckling out loud, smiling like a fool, & packing my bags to move to a teeny village in England. I really liked Leena & could totally empathize with her, but I truly loved Eileen. I want Eileen to be my grandma & also I want to be Eileen. She is perfect. If you liked The Holiday or Love Actually or the Four Weddings and a Funeral series, you’ll like this book. It’s filled with the same sparkly loveliness of those movies/show, & I adored it.

This was an adorable women's fiction where two very different women swap lives. I lived for Eileen and her section of the story, but I could have done without Leena. Some of her choices just didn't make sense to me and I didn't love the romance plot line. I really liked the audiobook, the voice actors were really engaging and it was easy to fall in to the story. This wasn't a story I completely loved, but that is a "me" thing, not a book thing. I would highly recommend this to my friends who read a lot of women's fiction or don't love the explicit content of some of the contemporary romances out there currently.

it was a good audio book. the book was interesting and it was easy to understand. don't hesitate to try it out.

The first word that pops into my head when I think of this book is "fun." It was just such an enjoyable experience. I loved the way this story was told: alternating points of view from our 20-something, work-obsessed main character Leena, and her newly divorced grandmother, Eileen, who is looking for some fun.

First off, Eileen was an amazing character. She was such a BADASS. After getting out of her long time marriage that she realized she was really unhappy in, she decides to give online dating a try with the help of her Leena and her friends. She was also super funny, and I was entertained by all of her chapters. It was interesting to read from the perspective of someone so much older than me, but definitely in a good way.

Leena, on the other hand, is someone who likes to occupy herself with work and doesn't know how to slow down. Going away from the city and into the countryside allowed her a chance to reconnect with her mother and properly grieve the death of her sister. She had some ups and downs along the way (some of which made me a little frustrated), but I could understand where she was coming from. She felt really real to me, which is the most important aspect of characters to me in any novel.

The plot was also really joyous. There is a grumpy old neighbor, a funny neighborhood 'watch' group, a dog who I fell in love with, and more. The cast of characters were all really great, and the story was so light-hearted.

I know I keep saying that this book was really joyous, but there were certainly many heavier topics discussed in it as well (TW for death of a family member, grief, depression, and more). What I really liked about this book was that it had depth to it without being heavy. The story wasn't about the sad parts, but more so about the characters getting passed these things.

This book definitely got me out of my slump, as it was a really fast-paced story. The audiobook narration was also so wonderful. I highly recommend picking this book up if you are looking for something happy and hopeful.

Sweet comfortable journey through loss and self discovery for the women of the Cotton family.

Three generations are present in the story with events focusing mostly on the two women sharing a name, the grandmother Eileen and her granddaughter Leina as they literally switch places for two months. Eileen recovering from divorce, loss and just needing a change of pace makes her way from her cozy hamlet to the hipster arts district in London where she stays in Leina’s flat and gives Tinder a try. Leina after a nervous breakdown at work is put on sabbatical and goes to her grandmother’s quiet house to mind her “projects” and learn to unplug.

All the women are still mourning the loss of one of their own Leina’s sister - and learning how to be family after such anger and sadness has come between them.

Absolutely loved the narration and listening to the elderly neighbors become more human in Leina’s eyes; and hearing Eileen navigate the isolated tumult of city life and romance.

A funny cozy lovely read and frankly it was perfect for me in this time of pandemic isolation and smoke blackened skies so thank you Publisher for the opportunity and discovery of the author.

This was my first audiobook and I loved it! Great narration and the story was sad/sweet. If you enjoyed The Flateshare you should definitely read/listen to The Switch.

I have to say I think Beth O'Leary is my favorite new author find of this year. She writes with so much heart and humor and isn't afraid to tackle difficult subjects. In this story, a family is grieving the loss of a family member. Carla's death has affected them each in different ways. One of the ways to help them move past their grief is for Lena, a bright, London dwelling 20 something, to switch places with her country dwelling 79 year old grandma Eileen.

The adventures each has living in the others town are just so wonderful. You root for both characters as they find new passions, have dating troubles, and learn to make new lives for themselves with their family and friends. Highly recommend this book and author!

I really enjoyed The Switch! After I read The Flatshare I knew I wanted to listen to this one. The two narrators for the audio were great, because you felt like the young women and her grandma were really telling the story. The idea to switch lives is not new in stories but it was such a neat idea to switch from being in your twenties to being in your seventies. I love the grandma, she was just the best!

This is the first time I tried the audiobook from Netgalley and I enjoyed the experience. The story is told in alternative chapters of Leena's and her grandmother Eileen's POV and I was so happy to hear different voice actors for each perspective. Especially Eileen's voice actor was a delight to listen to and she made me laugh so many times!
As for the story, it was a light read and perfect to read if you want to read about family relationships. Overall I would rate this book 3.5/5 stars.

This is a very sweet and wholesome story that was a most welcome read/listen during. A burnt out 29 year old management consultant is put on forced paid leave from work for two months and switches locations with her 79 year old grandmother who cares for many in her small Yorkshire town. Even though both her mother and grandmother live in the small town, the younger Leena has not spent much time there since her sister died and on top of taking on her grandmother's projects, she has to reconcile her relationship with her mother. Eileen's husband has not long walked out on her and she spends so much time caring for her grieving daughter and the welfare of other community members that this two month swap gives her the opportunity to focus on her love life. I loved Leena's London friends and the Eileen's local community and I particularly loved thee relationships that form with each other's friends during the two month swap.

I listed to the audio version of this book and the narrators were wonderful. Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People's Marianne) and Alison Steadman (Gavin and Stacey's Pam) were both perfectly cast. As the narrators switch between each chapter to progress the story, if one chapter relay
a conversation between the two protagonists it would be read entirely by that chapter's narrator as opposed to being voiced by the character as happens in some multi-narrator audiobooks. Highly recommend consuming this as an audiobook. It was very easy to pick up during walks or while pottering around the house. The voice actors were perfectly cast and it was like tuning into to a serial television show in the best way. 3.5 stars

This was a fun book, I always enjoy this author though!! It's a nice little escape when everything feels so heavy!!

This book was such a delight! I loved O’Leary’s previous novel ‘The Flatshare’ and was just as excited to pick this one up. I was a little concerned that one of the MC’s was a 79-year old woman and I wouldn’t be able to connect with her, but honestly I shouldn’t have been worried. Both Eileen and Leena were great, and all the old characters are really what had the story so fun! It was heartwarming and funny and just wonderful all around.

The audiobook was great and I loved the dual POVs and both narrators. The only thing I didn’t like was the phone calls, they sounded echoey and it was sometimes hard to understand what the characters were saying

Highly recommend! This audiobook was a delight and Beth O'Leary’s storytelling is amazing! The narrators did a fabulous job and I was invested in the story from the start, could not stop listening

This isn't the sort of book I normally go for.

So, really, I shouldn't be surprised when I found out very quickly that I wasn't loving it. Strangely, however, I didn't dislike it. It was a simple story that is easily digestible and easy to read. A granddaughter, Leena, and her grandmother, Eileen, switch lives for a bit--the former living an interesting life in London flat, the latter living in a small, quiet village--to basically figure themselves out and sort out their lives.

I liked the narrator for Leena a lot; she was expressive but not overly so, and enunciated words clearly. I really didn't care for Eileen's narrator; the reading itself was fine, but I couldn't look past the... what would you call it? The "mouth noises" as she spoke. The tongue moving spit away, basically. You don't hear it much in real life conversation, but it's piercing in an audiobook.

Regardless, it's a light read that's good for people who want that sort of book; not too serious, just perky enough to make you smile, and makes the daily commute a bit easier. Sometimes you need a book like that even if you don't love it, hence the 3 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of the book for an honest review!

#bookreview #TheSwitch ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I got this audio book #arc and it was fun to listen to. It was quirky and charming but maybe moved a little too slow for me. I liked the characters but felt like sometimes they were missing that connection I'm usually looking for. I did like the storyline and the alternating perspectives. Overall it was still enjoyable and I would recommend checking it out.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing access to the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

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This would be the first time I would be reviewing and in essence completing an audiobook. The story for Beth Leary's The Switch is basically catnip for me. With a generational conflict, family drama, getting back on your feet again and a finding oneself plot plus wonderful female characters and great writing it is easy to love this book. But reviewing it as an audiobook is a different view for me. It took awhile for me to get used to media, for one when I hear a dialogue or a narration I automatically shift to something visual. The narrators voices were wonderful with a different one reading from the point of view of Leena and another one for Eileen. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book once I got the hang of listening to it rather than reading.

This was such a fun audio experience. I loved the narrators and the care that they put into this story.

The dichotomy of this story was so refreshing and delightful. I loved the differences between the Eileens and their stories. I'm definitely going to be reading The Flatshare now.

It's the second book I've read or better said listened by Beth O'leary, and I can't help but appreciate the way each character goes their own way touching on so different themes to get to the end of the book and leave the reader with a smile in his face. Is not what I expected by a switch of life, nothing with magic as I think it was, make me think a little of "The Holiday" movie , a grand mother and her gran daugther sweap houses and phones,wearing and walking in the others shoes
.
Eileen and Lena are two wonderful characters, I suffered a bit on Lena's side, I cry a little too, but she also made me laugh a lot. It is a good book to accompany with cup of tea, so enjoyable and it beautiful narrated

“When 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 long-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 gentlemen. So they decide to try a two-month swap.”

I enjoyed this book. It’s an original plot with interesting and relatable characters. It’s was interesting to see how three generations handle a big loss and how they coped. The only negative is that the “catfish” part seemed to be added just for the sake of an extra paragraph or two.

I liked the narrator, she was a good fit for the story and setting. It was easy to distinguish between characters which is always a plus!


DISCLAIMER: I received this audiobook free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this audiobook. Daisy Edgar-Jones and Alison Steadman were perfect voices for the characters of Leena and Eileen and the dual narration that we saw in O'Leary's debut novel was equally as effective and absorbing for the readers of this story. Leena and her grandmother Eileen decide to switch their lives after a year of immeasurable and hidden grief after the death of Leena's sister Carla. As Leena decides to press on with her high paying, high demand job in London as a PR Executive her turmoil catches up with her and she is advised to spend two months leave to recoup. In contrast, Eileen is also in a slump after the death of her granddaughter and the abandonment of her husband for another woman shortly after, looking for excitement and romance in her small Yorkshire village where the pick of men is slim, and the hot drama at the local 'neighbourhood watch' meetings consist of mainly biscuits and squirrels. The two ladies switching their lives gives them a chance to heal, reflect, and ultimately become closer once again.

O'Leary carves out all of the characters in her novel with charming wit, I found myself laughing out loud at the bold and brass members of the Hamley neighbourhood watch and Leena's trendy and modern London friends. I was absolutely consumed in the narrative and finished the novel in just under two days. I would absolutely recommend for a delightful pick-me-up and some laugh out loud fun.