"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

Eileen is 79 years old and looking for love in her small Yorkshire village. Leena is in her 20's, working a corporate job and living the fast paced London life. But when Leena is ordered to take a two month sabbatical from work after blowing a big presentation, she escapes to the rural countryside to stay with her grandmother Eileen. Here, they have the idea of switching lives. Eileen moves to hipster Shoreditch and moves in with Leena's flatmates Fitz and Martha, and uses online dating to find love. Meanwhile, Leena moves in to her grandmothers cottage and takes over her various village responsibilities- including chairing the weekly Neighbourhood Watch meetings!

Even though there were many parts of this book that were light hearted and comical, there are deeper underlying themes around grief, depression, infidelity and loneliness amongst the elderly which I felt was compassionately and sensitively explored. Loved every page- 5/5 star.

Thank you for the ARC @netgalley

A lovely read full of optimism and fun characters. The switch pulls together two threads, in such a good way as the flat share. Best read in a evening light and fun

I think O'Leary had big shoes to fill after an amazing debut like The Flatshare (one of my personal favourite romance novels). However, The Switch is a beautiful second novel. It follows two Eileen Cotton - Leena, a 20-something struggling in London after the death of the sister, and Eileen her 79-year-old grandma. The women make a switch, so Leena moves to the Yorkshire Dales while Eileen moves into Leena's Shoreditch apartment. Older women are rarely main protagonists in romance novels, so I found the angle of Eileen looking for love in her later years refreshing. The book is also cleverly told from both perspectives, which I think keeps the story flowing and engaging. With a slew of interesting and complex characters involved, The Switch is a delightful and heartwarming read about the importance of family, friends and community.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Oh, I really enjoyed this book, soooo much!
Initially, I wondered if it was going to be a fictional version of from 13 to 30, you know, that film where the girl wishes she was older and somehow ends up in her 30th decade.
But now, this was a book with a much more literal switch!.
Leena Cotton is suffering. She might be on the cusp of having a breakdown. In fact, she kinda does in the middle of an extremely important presentation at her high-flying job.
Being forced into a two month paid break by her boss means she decides to go back home. Leave the bustle of London for her family village in the north, to the home of her grandmother, Eileen Cotton.
Eileen has been struggling in her own way. in her golden years, with no husband any more, she wants options, and there are not many local to her.
What ends up happening is the switching of lifestyles of these two women, in a surprisingly entertaining way.
I loved both Leena and Eileen. I want a grandma like her!
There was excitement, love, conflict, and many cups of tea.
a perfect book!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Quercus for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the concept of this - 79-year-old Eileen swopping life in a Yorkshire village with that of her granddaughter Leena, who's in her twenties and lives in London. It was such an original idea and one which provided almost limitless opportunities for cross-generational and situational humour. Thankfully it was also one that delivered and was as good as the blurb suggested.

It has the predictability and formulaic approach of most romcoms ie resolutely single girl falls for conveniently local, hot, single guy or two people that seemingly can't stand each other fall in love. There's nothing wrong with that, however, because it's something that works and that I love but the generational life swop gave this romcom a fresh, unique spin.

As did the amazing cast of characters. It goes without saying that my favourite was obviously Eileen - a fiercely loyal, kind-hearted and enigmatic pensioner with lots of attitude, a quick wit and a blunt honesty that was hilarious. I was totally invested in her story, reading with a mix of admiration and protectiveness as she threw herself into online dating in London. She was truly inspirational and I can only hope that I'm like her when I'm her age.

The side characters were just as lovable as the main ones and really involved in the story. Again I particularly loved Arthur, Eileen's crotchety, nosy neighbour. Who forms an unlikely friendship with Leena. The plot is similar, in that alongside the core storyline there's plenty of other things and sub-plots going on involving the supporting cast.

Beth O'Leary is a brilliant storyteller, capturing the idiosyncrasies of the characters and British life perfectly with her trademark observational humour. Her portrayal of village life where everybody knows everybody's business versus London where people are immediately suspicious of anybody who tries to make eye contact let alone strike up a conversation.

I would say, however, that I found the alternating narrative slightly confusing at times as both characters were so interlinked in terms of their back stories, supporting cast and life swop that sometimes I had to double-check whose chapter it was. Not that it detracted from my enjoyment but I also found it slightly repetitive. Both characters needed a life change as they struggled to cope following the death of a family member, hence the life swop. And, whilst this was important and the catalyst for the entire story we were unnecessarily reminded of the fact again and again.

I really enjoyed this though, giving it a 4.5 rating, rounded up to 5 stars.

I was so looking forward to reading this book and was not disappointed - Beth O'Leary has done it again! I loved the fact that this was a story told from two perspectives - that of Leena, a young, professional city girl and her glamorous granny Eileen, a country lady. When the opportunity comes around for these two characters to live in each other's homes we are taken on a fantastic journey as they adapt to different lifestyles, meeting new people and finding out lots about themselves in the process. Whilst this kind of storyline has been told in the past, I cannot recall it ever involving characters of different age groups and it was really interesting to get inside Eileen's mind and to see things from the perspective of a more mature lady. The descriptions of the locations were enjoyable and there is a very engaging supporting cast. The author has a gift of making you really care about the characters and without giving too much away, there was a most pleasing love interest. The book also explores the difficult relationship Leena has been experiencing with her mother, following the tragic death of her sister and takes the reader on a roller-coaster ride of emotions.

Definitely recommended.

I dont know if it because of the times that we are living in at this current moment but this was everything i needed right now!

When i read this synopsis for this book it gave me 'the holiday' (Cameron Diaz and Kate winslet) feels and considering i rewatch that movie every christmas to me that was a great thing and i tell you this did not fail.

Difference being with 'The Switch' is that instead of following 2 women the same age with no ties to each other you are instead following Leena and her grandmother Eileen and it was SO GOOD!

I went in thinking I would be less interested in Eileens/Grandmas timeline but i ended up favouring it over Leenas. I think because it is a different perspective than what i am used to it was refreshing, new and fun not too mention Eileens strong and sassy character just made it all the more interesting to read. It was so fun to see her on her journey and also helping the youngens and all the flat mates with their lives.

I did still love Leenas side and I loved the romance in it and that it wasn't an easy or unbelievable storyline for either the men in the book. Also 100% loved Jackson and his vibe and 100% hated Ethan and his slimy, belittling behaviours. I also so enjoyed the setting of yorkshire and all the great relationships Leena forms with all the oldies. Made me think alot about my nana.

Although it sounds all fluffy and fun their was some tougher topics in there for example grief, infidelity, emotional abuse. But all in all it was a great book and i absolutely loved it! I wish it would get made into a movie and i cannot wait to read 'The flatshare' by Beth O' Leary now too

Thanks Netgalley and Beth O Leary for sending me an arc

A grandmother and her granddaughter decide to swap homes with interesting results. Living in London is totally different from living in The Dales yet they each seem to fit in equally well in either.
Really interesting characters - the Gran, mother, granddaughter and all the surrounding neighbours

Meant to be working at home today. I just thought i'd have a cuppa and a chapter of this book before I started. Big mistake! Several hours later I've just finished this brilliant book but got no work done! I absolutely loved this book. It involves two different characters swapping lives for a period of time, getting out of their depth before discovering more about themselves and changing their lives as a result. Yes its been done before but this one involved a swap between a woman and her grandmother and it was just perfect. I particularly loved Eileen's story (a surprise as I thought i'd relate to Leena's story more) ; she was wise, feisty and oh so realistic but also made me think about the loneliness of old people in today's fast-paced society. This book had it all: self-discovery, angst, reconciliation,romance, friendships and even a sprinkle of cute animals. What more could you want?

I was a mix of exited and scared to read this book after enjoying Beth O'Learys debut "The Flatshare" so much last year, however I was pleasantly surprised by this.
The book follows Leena and her Grandmother Eileen as they deal with their own grief and go on a journey to "find themselves" (although not at all in the way I have made that sound!).
Leena is a high flying city girl working in London and living what I imagine to be the London life, an apartment that is too expensive with a boyfriend she barely sees as he is also a busy city guy. When she goes to visit her Grandma (after too long and a disaster at work) she decides that the best thing for both might be if they switch lives. Leena taking on her Grandmas role in the sleepy Yorkshire dales, and her Grandma finally getting to experience the London life she dreamed about as a young adult.
I really enjoyed that character development of both and loved that they both found themselves doing what they do in their old lives in their new ones, albeit in a different sense. Although some parts were predictable this was the perfect story to enjoy and help take my mind off the current situation going on in the UK.

Leena Cotton is a successful young executive on the cusp of starting her own business. She gets the wobbles at work and is forced to take a two month sabbatical to recover (and hopefully find her mojo). She is at a loss for what to do, as work has been a helpful distraction from coming to terms with the death of her sister some months previous. All at once, familiar things seem foreign and she is not sure where she fits.

Enter Eileen Cotton, Leena's grandmother, who is experiencing her own life discomforts. Eileen is struggling in the love department following Leena's grandfather leaving her for another woman. She's decided it's time to get back out there and mingle but she's assessed the local suitors and found them sadly lacking. She's going to need to look further afield.

So, Eileen and Leena decided to switch lives for two months. Leena will live in Eileen's cottage in a small Yorkshire community and Eileen will live in Leena's flat-share in London. It's safe to say neither know what to expect and both get more  than they bargain for when they leave their own lives behind.

This is the epitome of feel-good right here. It's a little slow to start as Leena and Eileen's characters are fleshed out and you sense them grappling with their individual circumstances. The pacing picks up though when the pair make their respective switches.

Eileen totally made this book for me and it was wonderful to see such a fun, rounded, cheeky character who was (gasp) over 50. Eileen defies ageist stereotypes left, right and centre - teaching the young pups a thing or two who think they know better because they are younger. Such a bittersweet and fun read about being kind to yourself, appreciating life, appreciating family, and making connections with community. Oh, and there's a couple of dalliances as well for good measure. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Australia for the free electronic advance reading copy of this book. Read it, you're going to love it.

It's due for release on 16 April 2020.

The Switch is the book we all need right at this moment.

Leena and her grandmother, Eileen, need a change a BIG change.

Both are grieving the death of Carla, Leena's sister, both are finding it hard to live in their current lives - Eileen's husband has run off with the dance teacher and Eileen struggles to keep up with her corporate job in London. Both need to escape.

They decide to switch - Leena will move to Yorkshire and take over her grandmother's neighbourhood watch duties, and Eileen will move to London to have an adventure. They have 2 months to escape the stress of their old lives, and find themselves a new way of living.

Eileen, 79, jumps straight into online dating in London, finding herself an actor who wants a torrid affair as well as sorting out the complicated life's of Leena's flatmates. While Leena gets herself caught up in neighbourhood watch, organising the May day fair and between doing both of those she crashes a mini bus, loses a puppy and finds herself a crush. Their old lives become a distant memory as they find happiness.

Both will question their relationships with each other, and with others. Both will open their heart to the community and the friendships you can find. Not only is this a touching novel dealing with grief, and difficult family relationships but is also a comfort with romance, naughty puppies, different generations coming together to better their community.

The Switch is just as addictive, sweet and comforting as Beth's debut novel, The Flat Share. If you're looking for an uplifting and comforting novel to keep you company, and to ease your mind from the endless bad news then this is the book for you. You can order The Switch from your favourite bookshop.


I was sent an ebook version from Netgalley.

During these uncertain times, The Switch is exactly the kind of wholesome content we all need right now.

The Flatshare was one of my favourite books last year. At the time of reading, I was working abroad, and O’Leary’s rom-com was the perfect book to alleviate my sky-high anxiety and homesickness. So, having delighted in The Flatshare, The Switch was one of my most anticipated releases for 2020.

Reader, I loved every second.

In London, 29-year-old Leena Cotton is mentally and physically exhausted and her boss orders her to take a two-month sabbatical. Meanwhile, her 79-year-old Grandma, Eileen Cotton, is recently single after her husband leaving her for another woman and she fancies a second chance at love. With Leena in need of a break, and there being a dearth of men in Eileen’s tiny Yorkshire village, the women swap places.

Once again, I was swept up in Beth O’Leary’s fluent writing. From the outset, I fell in love with Leena and Eileen. I honestly thought I would have enjoyed Leena’s chapters best, but they were both as charming as each other. Eileen is nearly 80 years old but that by no means encumbers her joie de vivre. Rather, she tackles London’s hustle and bustle with a pep in her step, quickly befriends Leena’s flatmates and neighbours, and even gives online dating a shot (I may have to take some tips). What’s more, she is so brutally honest that she had me laughing out loud. If I can bear semblance to her when I’m in my late seventies, I’ll be thrilled. She is simply inspiring.

Back in Hamleigh-in-Harksdale, it was a joy to watch Leena learn to love herself again. Over the course of the two months, she takes charge of the May Day celebration arrangements, nails a brownie recipe, and forms unconventional friendships; her interactions with her grumpy neighbour, Arnold, made my heart swell with happiness, and the romance was just as sugary sweet as it was in The Flatshare. The swap proves to be the perfect way to aid the healing of both women from the trauma of the past couple of years. The Cotton ladies by no means overshadow The Switch’s secondary characters. I would pack up and move to my own cottage in rural Hamleigh-in-Harksdale tomorrow if I could to live among such a charming close-knit community.

Overall, Beth O’Leary is quickly becoming an auto-read author of mine. The Switch is an uplifting read that will capture the hearts and minds of readers of all ages everywhere. The perfect book to curl up with this April.

It took me two days to read this book, I really struggled to put it down! A grandmother and her granddaughter switch lives for two months to have some time out of their usual lives. Eileen is a hit in London but Leena takes some time to adjust to her new life.

These two characters were just so likeable, and I grew to fall in love with most of the characters (especially the ones in Yorkshire) and really wanted the best outcome for all. O’Leary covers love and loss so cleverly, you really feel every emotion that her characters feel.

I would definitely recommend The Switch!

Well this bundle of cuteness was exactly what I needed while having to stay in due to 'one thing and another'.

Leena is forced to take a break from her busy London life while her grandma Eileen, is ready to look for love after being left by her husband. The family as a whole has had a bit of a hard time recently and they all have things to work through. Leena and her grandma swap lives giving Eileen the a larger selection of men in London while Leena can take care of her responsibilities in Yorkshire giving her the opportunity to reconnect with her mum.

I felt like these characters became my friends for the duration of my reading experience. I enjoyed both story lines. It was a very light and easy read, with the darker topic of grief woven in.

I sped through this book. I think I now need to try The Flatshare.

I loved this book! Funny and heartwarming, the perfect read for right now. The characters that switch are well written and the journey's they go on well thought out. After initially wondering if I would engage as well with Eileen I loved her and she became the book's hero in my eyes. I couldn't recommend this highly enough,

I read and loved The Flatshare. It was a book everyone was talking about and I recommended it to everyone I met. This does mean however that the pressure is on for an author to write a second novel which is as good, if not better, than the debut when this happens.
I am happy to declare that with The Switch Beth O'Leary has managed to write another hugely enjoyable novel, with amazing characters based on another quirky concept, that of a twenty-nine year old city dwelling career girl swapping places with her seventy-nine year old grandmother.
Leena is an ambitious career girl living and working in London when she swaps places to live in a tiny village in the Yorkshire Dales. She is burnt out and given a 2 month sabbatical but it isn't just long working hours that are taking its toll, it is also that Leena is grieving for her younger sister Carla, who died from cancer.
Although there are plenty of real life 'big' topics explored throughout the narrative, such as death, loneliness, depression and domestic abuse, these characters' histories combine to make every character likeable, and real, to such an extent that I wanted to be part of their friendship group, to enjoy a cup of tea with them or proffer a shoulder to cry on.
In Hamleigh-in-Harksdale there is Eileen, Leena's energetic and sprightly grandmother, full of life and central to village affairs. Jackson is a primary school teacher and has a tearaway hound, Arnold is grumpy and doesn't know how to use a front door and Basil will not stop ranting about squirrels at the weekly Neighbourhood Watch meetings, to name but a few of the village residents.
In Shoreditch, there is Fitz who just needs a helping hand with life in general, 'vintage' Letitia who never sees a soul, pregnant Martha with a girlfriend abroad, and the dashingly gorgeous elderly actor Tod, again to name but a few.
We watch Leena and Eileen's lives blossom as the former learns to appreciate the joys of older people, helping a community and taking the first tentative steps towards reconnecting with her Mum Marian, and the latter, Eileen, learns all about social media, online dating and how to bring people together in a big city with her Silver Shoreditch's Social Club.
Beth has warmth, compassion and sensitivity at the tip of her writing fingers and has produced the type of read that lifts one's spirits and puts a smile and some sunshine in the middle of the reader's heart. As I raced through the pages I was literally basking in that warmth, feeling hopeful, inspired and so in awe of the characters' bravery and determination.
And of course Beth likes to write about love so there is romance guaranteed and happy ever afters, which is always a winner with me. It might not be difficult to second guess who will pair up with who, but it doesn't stop you from beaming from ear to ear when it happens. After all, who says dreams can't come true?! And who says neighbourhoods can't unite in an age where so many of us don't know who lives next door?
I laughed (a lot) and cried a bi,t but above all I fell in love when reading The Switch.
I am now packing my suitcase in search of someone who is willing to swap places with me!

This book was so wholesome and warm I’m genuinely annoyed at myself for finishing it so quickly. Reading it was like taking a long bubble bath that stays the perfect temperature, surrounded by candles and spa music.
If you’re struggling atm I’d really recommend The Switch, it took my mind completely away from everything with its endless list of likeable yet relatable characters and heartwarming story.

3.5

This is a really nice story. Lovely characters that some not so nice things have happened to and then some really nice things happen. It took me a while to read this and this genre doesn't really grip me enough . I guessed the ending for each. character also but it was still a lovely book 🙂

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for a review.

What a little ray of sunshine this book was, in a dark and gloomy time. The Switch by Beth O'Leary is the follow up to one of my favourite reads of last year, The Flatshare. This novel, though unrelated to O'Leary's first novel, is still such a comfort with warm, real feeling characters with good intentions in what can feel like a bleak and cruel world. Other than this similarity, it is very different to The Flatshare and focuses more on family and community rather than romance (though that is there too, don't worry!). The book follows two characters: Leena is a young workaholic Londoner who is still reeling from her sister's untimely death, and is at a loose end once she is asked to take a two month sabbatical from her job to recover. Eileen is her generous, plucky grandmother who needs to widen her horizons beyond her small village now that she is looking for love again after her husband running off with a dance instructor. They decide the only thing for it is to switch lives, and before they know it Leena is plunged into village and way over her head in planning commities and resident's associations and Eileen is walking into traffic, drinking flat whites and trying to get to grips with online dating. Soon they learn more about themselves and each other than they knew possible, and start to wonder if they have to switch back at all.
If I could have seven more Beth O'Leary novels right now I'd be so happy and with a few pages a day would feel ready to face anything.