One of my favourite books that I have read is Beth O'Leary's The Flatshare so I was very excited when I was given the opportunity to read The Switch.

I absolutely loved loved loved The Switch, an incredible read which I could not put down. Both of the two main characters Leena and Eileen are given so much depth and we learn so much about them - I felt like I was one of their friends.

The Switch is about two wonderful people who at two different stages of their lives switch homes, lives, neighbours and friends. A fabulously delightful read which I could not put down. I love Beth O'Leary's writing style - The Switch is such a heartwarming and uplifting read which I highly recommend. 5 stars ++++!

I can't wait for Beth O'Leary's next book, The Road Trip - out next year!

Leena Cotton is a stressed executive, living in Shoreditch, working all hours, until she has a meltdown/panic attack at a client pitch and is ordered to take a two month sabbatical. Leena's grandmother Eileen lives in a small village in Yorkshire, her husband left her for another woman and she is feeling stifled and unfulfilled in her life of Neighbourhood Watch, May Day celebrations and other minutiae of village life. Even worse, there are no eligible men for her, all the men in the village are too old, too boring, too right-wing, or her sworn enemy.

After bemoaning their fates Leena and Eileen decide to swap lives, Leena will move to Yorkshire and Eileen will move to London for two months, Eileen also hopes that this will give Leena and her mother Marian a chance to reconnect as the two of them have been at loggerheads for over a year.

Laugh as a nosey Yorkshire grandmother moves into a trendy warehouse conversion in Shoreditch, flat-sharing with a very pregnant, ,unmarried, lesbian and a single guy. Of course she sorts everyone out and manages to meet all of Leena's neighbours, something Leena has never done. Oh, and Eileen discovers internet dating and friends-with-benefits arrangements.

Meanwhile, Leena is discovering the joys of rural village life, fetes, fierce rivalry with neighbouring villages, gossips, Easter egg hunts and trying to organise the May Day event.

I requested this ARC ages ago, kept putting it off but as soon as I started this I could barely put it down, sweet, funny, charming, and even sad at times, I was fully invested in both Eileen and Leena's new lives. Highly recommended romance and laughs.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

The Flatshare was my favourite book in 2019 and I was really looking forward to reading The Switch. My expectations were high after that first book and Beth delivered once again, I loved the dual narrative and got attached to both main characters. Especially Eileen, I wish she were my grandmother too! I fell for the side characters as well (Jackson had me at rugby player), none of them too caricatural or exaggerated.
I highly recommend The Switch, it's a lovely story that makes you feel good.

Thank you to the publisher who provided me with an e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My goodness, this book! After finishing it, I just want to hug my mum and visit my grandma. A sorrowful, poignant and hilarious story about learning to accept loss and carry on with life no matter your age.

Leena and her Grandmother, Eileen, swap houses for 2 months after Leena breaks down at work in London, and Eileen realises there are no eligible men in her sleepy Yorkshire village. What follows is a fantastically funny account of love and heartbreak.

The moment I finished this book, I went online and purchased a copy for each of my two best friends, because its such a sweet, beautiful story that I needed to share it. Full of relatable characters and funny adventures, The Switch is a must read for anybody who has ever wanted to find themselves.

This review has been posted to Goodreads and will be submitted to Amazon after release.

After reading The Flat share which I loved. I was looking forward to reading The Switch by Beth 0’Leary.
Leena Cotton is a Senior consultant for Selmont Consulting in London. When she has a panic attack at a presentation. She has been fumbling through her work and life as a year ago, her sister died, and she still hasn’t got over the pain of her death. She is told that she needs to take 2 months annual leave and she doesn’t want to leave and leave her boyfriend Ethan who she works with. But her boss gives her an no ultimatum.
Leena’s Grandmother Eileen who lives in Hamleigh-in-Harksdale Yorkshire. Is looking to restart her life after her husband Wade ran off with the dance teacher four months previously. She is looking for someone to share the rest of her days. So, both Eileen and Leena hatch a plan to switch places for two months. While Leena takes over the Neighbour watch that her grandmother organised, and Eileen decides to sign up to a dating agency to meet eligible men. But both women’s time switched doesn’t run smoothly.
This is another lovely heart-warming story of two members of a family who are in different stages in life but, have a lot of similarities between them. Unlike The Flat share I thought at first that The switch was quite hard to get into. It is a quite slow burner of a book. But I am glad I preserved because this is a lovely story of family love, romance humor, but also grief. 4 stars from me.

I loved Beth's first book, The flat share, and The switch is just as good a read.

The switch kept my mind of the current situation that is going on around the world and I'm sure it will help other readers as well.

A great uplifting book.

A million stars.

Oh my gosh, I loved this book so much!

As with a lot of people at the moment, I have a LOT more spare time = more time to read. However I've been struggling to get into any of my tbr books because of the stress/anxiety. I've been desperately looking for something that'll help me SWITCH off and this did just the thing!

I knew I'd love this as soon as I read the synopsis - Leena (29) and her grandmother Eileen (79) swap lives for two months after Leena is given a sabbatical. Leena has a high-flying consultancy job in London whereas Eileen lives a (seemingly) quiet life in the countryside. Leena needs a break to destress and Eileen is looking for love - will the swap help them achieve this??

This book made me happy, sad, angry and everything in between. Just an absolute delight and I highly recommend it, especially if you loved The Flatshare. It's everything I'd want from a follow up.

In need for a feel good book with all the chaos going on around us?

Look no further … The Switch by Beth O ‘ Leary has you covered! Although, it’s not out just yet, but it is available for pre-order now. Coming April 16th! Thank you to @QuercusBooks for my advance copy.

The story follows, grandmother Eileen, and granddaughter Leena, who ‘swap’ lives for a few months! 79 year old Eileen now finds herself living the London city life, and Leena, on a break from work, is now in a small rural town … very different to what she is used to!

It’s adorable, cute, and had such a feel good vibe about it. I really enjoyed the alternating point of view chapters between Eileen and Leena. Their personalities really came to life throughout the pages.

I fell in love O’Leary’s writing style in her first book, The Flat Share, and you’ll find the same easy flow, fun writing style in The Switch!

Such an uplifting book getting ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me!

You guys going to be reading this? (you definitely should be!)
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4.5 stars
I loved this book.
It was the perfect escape that I didn’t knew I need and I just couldn’t stop reading.
The writing and the mixed characters are adding so much to this great story.
It’s definitely a must read book for everyone.


Thanks to the publisher and the author for my review copy.

Simply Gorgeous and Uplifting!

Last year I gushed over The Flatshare, well in my opinion Beth O'Leary has exceeded my expectations even more with The Switch, and believe me I'm going to be spending the remainder of the year (and longer) raving about this beautiful, heartwarming book, and recommending it to every reader I encounter.

When wound tight, workaholic Leena Cotton experiences a panic attack during a big presentation her company orders her to take two months leave. Dreading the endless time on her hands, Leena heads to Yorkshire to visit her grandmother, Eileen.

Meanwhile, Eileen Cotton is searching for love, companionship, and craving a little excitement, but it's slim pickings in her tiny village of Hamleigh-in-Harksdale.

Then, Leena suggests a novel idea, why not swap places for eight weeks? Leena will move into her grandmother's house, and take on all her chores, responsibilities, and community projects to keep herself busy, and Eileen will live it up in London, sharing her granddaughter's flat with her two roommates - she's bound to encounter heaps of men in a city of nearly nine million? It's the perfect solution with hilarious, entertaining, heartwarming and swoon-worthy results.

The Switch completely embraced the notions of family, friendship, belonging, bridging the generational gap, taking a gamble and stepping outside one's comfort zone, and community spirit. Reading it this past week has been an enthralling and soothing experience. Even though Eileen and Leena don't swap identities it does share common themes with movies like Freaky Friday such as placing yourself in someone else’s shoes and the highs and lows that come with it, as well as a new appreciation for the person they're replacing and all they do, resulting in an even closer relationship.

Light in tone for the most part, but like The Flatshare, does incorporate serious topics such as grief, loss, loneliness, domestic abuse, mental illness, unhealthy coping strategies, and cheating. Eileen and Leena were both wonderful and interesting, and both their stories were affecting and relatable, and the characters they came into contact with – memorable and magnificent. The two settings encompassed all the idyll and beauty of a tiny English village and it's quirky and charming characters, and the ‘buzzing with energy' non-stop, fast-paced exhilaration of London life.

I guarantee The Switch is going to capture the hearts and minds of readers everywhere. The perfect choice to curl up with this April.

I'd like to thank Netgalley, Quercus Books, and Beth O’Leary for the e-ARC.

Publication Date: 16th April, 2020.

The Switch was my first Beth O'Leary book so I was very thankful to NetGalley and Quercus Books for an advanced copy.

This is a delightfully warm book, full of women with guts that I couldn't help but fall in love with.

The story follows one woman and her Grandmother who swap lives and what ensues is a heartwarming, funny, and uplifting read. This is a story of grief, of love and loss, of friendship and good old fashioned community spirit that made me feel immersed and not want to put it down.

I thoroughly recommend this book for the perfect read to enjoy and make you feel like your somewhere else.

A great 4/5 from me.

What a lovely read! There's nothing I love more than a pick-me-up and make-me-feel-good novel and Beth O'Leary's second book is exactly that. It's a story of loss, friendship, family, love and courage and I enjoyed it very much. Grandma Eileen was a fantastic character and made me feel like things don't end as we grow older. There's always love and things to fight for.

When Grandma Eileen switches lives with Granddaughter Eileen, both of them find and fill the gaps for each other that were left after Carla died. The characters are warm, old people are definitely interesting and capable of much good and much mischief, and the village politics is so well described you feel like one of them. I'd love to visit Eileen Cotton, but I wouldn't let her bake me any brownies. Nice romance to round it all out, very enjoyable read

This was such a lovely read. I was a fan of Beth O’Leary after reading The Flatshare last year so was really pleased to by accepted to read this.
Leena is coming to terms with her sister’s death and decides to use a work sabbatical to switch lives with her Grandma. She moves to Yorkshire and takes on the role of neighbourhood watch chair and May Day event organiser. Meanwhile Eileen, Leena’s Grandma spends a few months in London...something she didn’t get chance to do when she was younger. They both gain plenty from their experiences.
A really uplifting read which I really enjoyed and would definitely recommend.
Thanks Netgalley & Quercus

I won’t lie I massive high hopes for this after the flat share was one of my top 10 books of 2019.

This was definitely a worth adversary.

Eileen is the grandmother that we all want, she’s stubborn, feisty and hilarious and reminds me so much of my own grandmother.

It took me 3 weeks to read this whilst in a massive reading slump but I still really enjoyed this book, it’s heartwarming and captivating.

Dealing with the topic of grief, you feel their grief and pain as they navigate their way through it in different ways.

Reminds me so much of The Holiday and that’s one of my favourite movies.

4⭐️

Firstly, I want to say thank you to Netgalley and Quercus Books for sending me an e-arc of this book. The Switch is on of my most anticipated books of the year, The Flat Share was my favourite of all time last year so this excited me so much!

The Switch did not disappoint. I really did enjoy this book. I was fairly nervous going into this book, after loving The Flat Share so much I was worried that this was going to disappoint me. I'm so so glad that it didn't. 

I would like to say that before you go into this book please be aware of the trigger warnings. 

TW: cancer, death, grief, domestic abuse and adultery.

I'm not going to discuss these at length because none of the above are problematic. I understand that they will effect different people in different ways, and that they need to be handled with care however I can assure you that they are dealt with in such a delicate way. Each and every one of the above topics are dealt with in the sensitive way that they deserve.

I don't really know where to start. I think Beth's ability to create such brilliant, loveable but also relatable characters really helps me to love her books so much. Within a few chapters I have built such a strong emotional connection to them, I just feel like they are part of my life. I can feel everything they are feeling and I share their emotions. I feel like this is a really unique skill to have and one which I wish more authors had. Eileen and Leena, god, where do I start! How amazing are they? I literally love them both so much, especially Eileen. What a wonderful lady. Can I adopt her? Eileen, come and live with me please ... we can kick the husband out, we don't need him! All of the side characters, in the form of Eileen and Leena's friends were also a delight ... even Albert!

The Switch is the kind of book that you will fall head over heels in love with. Once you pick it up you will not want to put it down. It is so uplifting and charming, a book very difficult to review as no words that I can find give my feelings any kind of justice. I loved the humour in this book, I loved the relationships, I loved everything. 

Did I love it just as much as The Flat Share? No, probably not. But it came super close and I couldn't wish for anything more from this book. I really don't know what Beth O'Leary is going to come up with next!

What a lovely uplifting story. I loved the flat share and this one didn’t disappoint. I’m only sorry that the story ended. I’d love to know what happens next, hopefully they will be a sequel

As a fan of 'The Flatshare' I was thrilled to receive an advance review copy of 'The Switch', and it did not disappoint in any way. London-based workaholic high flier Leena Cotton has messed up an important presentation at work and as a consequence been told to take an enforced two-month sabbatical. Instead of flying off round the world to find herself, she heads back to her home village of Hamleigh-in-Harksdale and swaps lives with her formidably fabulous grandmother and namesake, Eileen Cotton who in turn moves to London. They live in each other's homes, socialise with each others friends and even swap mobile phones. There is much humour and wit in the story as recently divorced Eileen Senior embarks on a string of internet dates and Leena forms a will they-won't they relationship with 'distractingly fanciable' local schoolteacher, Jackson, whilst trying to maintain a long-distance relationship with slithery go-getter, Ethan. There is so much to enjoy as the Eileens assume the mantle of each other's lives and begin the process of healing from the death of beloved sister/granddaughter, Carla.

In the acknowledgements, Beth O'Leary writes writes that she wasn't sure she could do this (write a second book) but it is so charmingly written and so self-assured that readers will be left in no doubt that Beth will be delighting us for many more books to come (hopefully).

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Beth O'Leary's second novel has two protagonists: Eileen and Leena, a grandmother and granddaughter, who decided to swap houses since both of them are going through a rough patch.

When I first read the synopsis of this one, I felt immediately curious to read it,

My favorite character - was Eileen. She is so amazing! She has a lot of attitude and she's so funny.

Leena was also a good character, but not as good as Eileen.

There's also some amazing romances in here.. Actually, my only problem with the book was that I wished we had even more romance in here.

I highly recommend it if you want a dramatic book, with a lot of humor and romance as well.

Oh my word what an absolutely fabulous read this was. I was so excited to read this and yes it was everything I could hope for and more. Just brilliant,