Oh man, what to say about this book. I really enjoyed every minute of it! The world is light and charming and I particularly loved getting Eileen's point of view in this. It really kept the pages moving for me because I couldn't decide who I liked best, Leena or her grandmother, and I wanted to keep reading to get to their next chapters.

This is definitely a light read, but it still touches on deeper topics like grief and it's handled really beautifully. I'm so sad it's over!

This book is the embodiment of wholesomeness!!
The beginning was a little slow for me and i feel like the characters took a while to become solid. They were kind of 2D in the beginning but after the midpoint and onward it was absolutely amazing. I just have to say that i got so attached to all the characters especially the grandma and Jackson and Bee, and just generally most of them are so lovable and you just want to protect them under your wing because they are precious but at the same time they are flawed humans and you accept them as they are. I would say this is a story about rediscovering yourself after the loss of a very close person (not a spoiler) and that's where the wholesomeness comes in because we get so see how the granddaughter and mother and grandmother find a way to be close again after the death of their loved one ripped them apart and we also see the formation of new relationships and friendships and just mmm this book spreads warmth all over you while talking about some difficult topics like grief. The last 150 pages had me squealing from happiness and a little frustration which is what bumped this book from a 3 to a 4 for me. Also if you like small english village vibes then give this a go for sure.

trigger warnings: death of a relative, grief, cheating

So this might just be my perfect book, not only does it have a kick arse old lady Eileen as one of the two main characters, it also has some romance in and even a dog as a side character!!
Eileen and Leena are having a tough time since the death of their relative and so decide to switch lives for two months, now I wondered how this was going to work, but let me tell you Beth O'Leary is a genius when it comes to dual narrative books. Both main characters were so well formed and even the side characters had me falling for them.
It is hard to come back with a second book when the first took the world by storm, but my gosh Beth has done a great job - in fact (don't hate me) I even liked it better than The Flatshare.
Top marks, highly recommend.
My thanks to the Publisher who sent me this copy and made my year.

Another amazing book by Beth O'Leary. This is a fab contemporary about a girl living the hectic life in London who switches lives with her grandmother who lives in small village in the English countryside. It is an addictive and heartwarming read which will keep you turning the pages. I loved Beth O'Leary's first book and this book did not disappoint and suffer from second book syndrome. I can't see to see what Beth O'Leary produces next. Would recommend this to all!

I absolutely loved The Flatshare so I was delighted to get an ARC of this newest offering from Beth O'Leary.
She is an author who comes up with unique premises for her books and that is so refreshing to see.

Somehow O'Leary manages to write books that explore how two characters' relationships develop despite distance between them - i.e. in The Flatshare the two characters had never met but communicated through post-it notes and in this one Leena (granddaughter) and Eileen (Grandmother) undergo some real changes in not only themselves but their relationship with one another despite living in different places.

It also has an impact on the relationship Leena has with her mother (Eileen's daughter). All three women are dealing with the loss of Leena's sister and how each character deals with this bereavement is excellently written and feels so genuine and authentic.

The romantic lives of both Leena and Eileen are explored and I thought it was wonderful that Eileen had a more active dating life than her granddaughter. Thankfully, Leena concentrates on her own wellbeing and that is great to see in books aimed at women - not everything needs to be about the romance!

The book is very funny at parts and O'Leary manages to blend serious issues with really very funny scenes.

Once again, her cast of characters are vivid and so realistic that I had no problems visualising them and believing in them.

I did prefer The Flatshare more but this was a really unique, refreshing and uplifting read.

Thanks to Quercus and Netgalley for this ARC.

I’m not sure if I believe in love at first sight, but I believe in love at first sentence when it comes to books. I was charmed by both characters - the two Eileens - right away. As Beth said, I was well and truly Eileened. Every single character written by Beth is like a best friend and her stories are incredibly warm and cozy. Even the secondary characters, like the neighbours in Hamleigh or Leena’s friends in Shoreditch, are always funny and relatable, with interesting and realistic lives of their own.

The Switch is a story with an incredibly original and wonderful plot. I can’t remember the last time I’ve read about an elderly lady looking for love in busy London, and Eileen was a real character! Her granddaughter, Leena, struggled with things of her own - her high-profile job as a consultant, her relationship and feeling burnt out. I think a lot of us can relate to those issues and as such, it’s easy to truly feel for Leena and be able to step into her shoes. The story gets really hilarious as soon as they swap lives - Leena’s life in rural Yorkshire poses many new obstacles, and Eileen learns to navigate the high life in London, including trying out online dating!

Aside from being an incredibly warm story of trying to find yourself and love over 70, The Switch is also about mother/daughter relationships, friendship, grief and community. All of those are very important aspects of each of our lives and Beth tackles them with the incredible lightness of her writing style, making the reader fall in love with her stories from start to finish.

The Switch is the charming multigenerational story of the Cotton family. Leena Cotton and her grandmother, Eileen Cotton, decide to switch places for two months: with Leena leaving London to live in her grandmother’s home located in a small village in the Yorkshire Dales, and Eileen going to live with Leena’s flat mates in London.

Both Cotton ladies represent identity loss. Eileen has woke up from her life of complacency that comes with living through habit, and realised she wants an adventure to find herself. And Leena represents a character who’s lost her way through grief, and has buried herself under work to cope. This made both women relatable in their own right, and it was emotional to see their moments of realisation, their healing processes etc.

I enjoyed this story - it was mostly breezy and easy to read. It was such a cosy book, all the while dealing with serious problems like adultery, bereavement and depression. There were moments where Eileen really made me laugh. She was sassy and unabashedly shameless.

O’Leary captured the small village sentiment well, where everybody knows everybody’s business. There were supporting characters that were all well illustrated as to make them easily memorable, that is to say, as soon as they came into a scene, I wasn’t confused for a moment as to who they were. In fact, the supporting characters were probably my favourite thing about The Switch.

So, at the heart of The Switch is a sense of community and family values, that makes this a kaleidoscope of emotions: hurt, sympathy, elation, warmth and heart.

Leena’s earlier chapters were a little dull in comparison to Eileen’s, but this improved as the read went on. As well, I felt the happily ever after climax and epilogue could have been smoothed out more.

Another thing I have to praise was the clever use of other pieces of work, and the British culture. I LOVED Eileen’s cats names! And I really loved the metaphorical roles Leena gave herself and Arnold.

Truly a heartwarming story about the journey of healing from bereavement and coping with life upheavals. Perfect for fans of Grace & Frankie and The Holiday, or if you’re simply looking for a pick me up read, The Switch won’t disappoint.

Thank you so, so much to Quercus and Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC, in exchange for this honest review.

I unfortunately just could not get into the storyline of this book. The characters were a bit non-descript for me and the storyline just a bit out there for my liking.

After reading Beth O'Leary's first book, The Flat Share, which was funny, feel good, fresh and totally surprising - I was massively looking forward to her second book, The Switch.

However, The Switch didn't really hit the mark for me. The story of a Grandmother and Grandaughter switching lives (albeit partially), swapping houses and towns was just a bit too ridiculous to believe. I couldn't warm to the main characters and the supporting cast were really clones of those endured in the scores of 70s and 80s British Sit-Coms I've seen over the years.

The funny bits weren't funny and the sad bits weren't sad. Everything was all a bit too predictable and pedestrian. Which is a shame, as O'Leary's first book gave me some genuine laugh out loud moments.

I won't give up on this author, due to the quality of her first book. This book, I won't remember with any great degree of fondness.

2 stars

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Thank you very much NetGalley for an advance copy of The Switch in exchange for my honest opinion!

I requested this book straight away after I finished and adored The Flatshare, which has become a new all times favourite!

Well, this one was an extremely cute read too!

I found the idea of switching very unusual and fun from the beginning and I thought that I wish everyone could do something like that every now and then!

Leena and Eileen. Eileen and Leena. Our main characters couldn't be more lovable with each other, they couldn't care more and they really did try hard with this switching houses thing!

I also liked how we were introduced to their personal problems and how that became an important and very interesting part of the story.

The Switch didn't start off as well as they both expected! Things turned out a little bit more complicated but I loved seeing how they both kept going through the struggles they found and turned them into positive stuff.

I loved Leena's relationship with her mum. I thought it was so hard and painful to know the point they were in but I really liked how it developed and everything they achieved throughout the book.

The last third of the book was a wild ride of emotions. I can't remember when was the last time I felt so many things at the same time about a book. Happiness, sadness, anxiety, fear, joy, hope, rage, excitement, etc.

I ended up shedding a tear or two because of how amazing this book was!

Beth O'Leary has definitely become a favourite author and I will 100% read anything she publishes from now on.

Grandmother Eileen and granddaughter Leena switch lives in hope of change, adventure and reconciling. Eileen lives in a small Yorkshire village and is dealing with separating from her cheating husband, and Leena has been asked to take leave from her job in London.

Switching lives at first fills them both with dread and guilt of leaving each other’s friends and responsibilities behind them. After time they both adapt to their new lives and make new friendships and revelations along the way.

As she mastered in her debut The Flatshare, O’Leary brings us fantastic side-splitting humour, sentimental moments, and relatable scenarios of our own. For me O’Leary is my favourite comfort read author besides Austen. I love that I don’t want to put her books down, and yearn for peace and quiet so I can devour them! I can’t wait to read more from this great author.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus books for letting me read this.
Beth O'Leary has done it again. It's so wonderful to experience this journey with Eileen and Leena. Both grandmother and granddaughter swap living arrangements temporarily, and what follows, is a well orchestrated series of events full of laughter, tears and love. It's just one of those books that you have to read in order to know how special it is.
This author is fast becoming an instant read for me.
4.5 stars

I have been well and truly Eileened and I am incredibly grateful. This warm-hearted book cheered me up on a drizzly wet Sunday when the world is descending into panic, it brought me sunshine and hope.
I read "The Flat Share" last year and fell utterly in love with Ms O'Leary's writing style, as well as her genuine celebration of the goodness of people. It meant though that I was a little nervous when I read that she was about to publish her second novel, just because it can be devastating when things don't live up to your ludicrously high expectations but "The Switch" did not disappoint. Not for a second. It is funny, romantic and thoroughly absorbing and I'm genuinely sorry that I finished it so quickly.
I feel I need Leeny and her grandmother Eileen in my life, they are such wonderfully drawn characters and I have loved spending every minute with them. I cannot recommend this book highly enough and just like when I sent copies of "The Flat Share" to so many people last year, I think I'll be doing the same thing with this book. Life can be dark and gloomy, but this book teaches you that we can all come through those dark periods and emerge stronger and braver for surviving the hard time.

I really enjoyed this book. Leena and her grandmother - aged 79 - swop their lives for 2 months. Leena takes on her grandma’s mantle in rural Yorkshire while Eileen tries online dating and warehouse living in London. Both have had to deal with the death of Leena’s sister and Leena needs to deal with her unresolved anger with her mother. All three need time and space to reevaluate their lives. A difficult subject but dealt with by the author with a lightness of touch and humour.

A delightful read.

I loved Beth O’Leary’s debut novel so was so excited to read this one and it didn’t disappoint at all! Funny and engaging and frustrating with well rounded characters who felt like neighbours from my childhood- very British and traits and stereotypes were blended with surprising character choices and actions which felt engaging and real. Just a lovely story which never slowed down or felt stale. Total winner!

Having read Beth O'Leary's The Flatshare and thoroughly enjoyed it I eagerly looked forward to reading The Switch and I was not disappointed.
This is a beautiful feel good hug of a book alternating between Eileen, the grandmother, and Leena, the granddaughter as they swap lives, phones, friends and houses for two months. Both of them are grieving and trying to cope with the death of Leena's sister. Eileen, 79, is also mourning the breakdown of her marriage and yearns for an adventure in her life. I loved reading both stories, Eileen in London, her online dating foray and her can do attitude and Leena in the Yorkshire Dales becoming embroiled in Neighbourhood Watch and village life, where everyone knows everyone.....and their business. It's a heart-warming story, an easy reading book that will make you laugh, care and cry, in fact its the perfect book for a curl up duvet day or a lying in the sun holiday read.
#bemoreEileen

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advance copy of this book.

This book. THIS BOOOOK. Oh my god. My heart is so full of love and happiness and emotions.
I was kindly sent a e-arc of this book via NetGalley and I started reading it the same day I got the email to say I had been approved by Quercus because I adored The Flatshare and I have been really excited for Beth O’Leary’s next book. When I initially read the synopsis I have to admit that I wasn’t THAT interested but I still really wanted to read it. Anyway, here we are, after having just spent four hours straight curled up on the sofa, unmoving, completely addicted to the book, and I have literally JUST finished it and thought, I need to write my review straight away, because I need to convey how uplifting and gorgeous this book was while I’m in the immediate happy book drunk phase after just finishing an incredible book.
From start to finish I was hooked. Within the first two chapters I had already burst out laughing and I had cried. Now, disclaimer, I AM an emotional person, but to be laughing and crying within two chapters is a new record, even for me.
Incase you haven’t read the blurb, Leena and Eileen Cotton are both facing slumps in their lives. As granddaughter and grandmother they come to the decision that swapping lifestyles for two months might help level them out and get them out of their slumps. Leena travels up to the Yorkshire dales to stay in her grandmother’s cottage and try to reconcile a broken relationship with her mother. While Eileen moves into her granddaughters converted London apartment in an attempt to broaden her horizons and find someone to share her life with.
This story was so beautiful. It had romance, it had drama, it had community spirit, but my favourite part was the strength you see building in the characters, especially Leena and Eileen. The strength you see from these women, even when they don’t feel that strength themselves is both astonishing and empowering, and if there’s one thing I’ve taken from this story, it’s to be your OWN Eileen Cotton.
One of my favourite aspects of this book is the age group of the characters. I LOVED that so many elderly characters are such a vital part of the plot and such important powerful characters. I love that O’Leary didn’t shy away from the fact that 79 year olds MIGHT wanna throw on black lacey underwear and have a fling. I love that they weren’t depicted as solely fragile characters. Too many books play on old people as something scary and fragile, this completely spun that around. These oldies were bad. ass.

My only issue with the book is that it felt a little rushed at the end. Just the last chapter and the epilogue. I wanted a little more, but then again I probably feel that way because I didn’t want it to end!


I got well and truly Eileened and I loved every minute of it.

Having adored The Flatshare I was over the moon to read Beth's latest novel which I thoroughly enjoyed. It's filled with serious issues, family, sadness, friendship, laugh out loud moments and romance.

High flyer and City exec Leena Cotton fluffs an important presentation and her boss tells her to take a two month sabbatical and come back refreshed. She's never not worked and doesn't know what she's going to do. She returns to visit her grandmother in the rural sleeply village in Yorkshire where Leena's mum and gran lives.. Her gran is sympathetic but thinks Leena needs to slow down especially to really get over her sisters death but also to make peace with her mum.

They decide on a swap - newly single 79 year old gran, Eileen is going to move in to Leena's London flat with her flatmates and find love while Leena is going to slow down and take over her gran's community tasks. Nothing can go wrong - or can it.....

What follows is an amusing tale of Eileen finding love (and sex!) on the internet and Leena having time to relax and chat things through with her mum - which works to a certain extent.. I loved all the characters (esp the elderly residents of the village) and of course her friendship with the handsome school teacher and his dog! An absolutely fantastic read which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I loved The Flatshare and was so excited to see The Switch pop up and it didn't disappoint. The Switch is a superb concept that reels you in from the first few pages and holds you firmly in the grip of Eileen and Leena until you reach the very last page.

This book is full of heart and is overflowing with love and compassion, it demonstrates the value of true friends and highlights loneliness in the older generation across the country.

I loved the energy of Eileen and the determined attitude of Leena and know without a doubt they are who you would always want in your corner as they are a force to be reckoned with. I laughed and cried reading this book and I have definitely found an author who I will be eagerly awaiting further releases. If you want something to make your heart burst and feel full of all that is important love and family then grab yourself a copy!

Genuinely did not know how Beth would top the Flatshare as it was one of my favourite books of last year but I thoroughly enjoyed this. It was just as charming and engaging and well written though I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as her debut novel, only slightly. There were no unseen twists and turns in the plot but sometimes it’s comforting to read a nice feel good novel. Thanks to the author, Netgalley and Quercus for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review - Beth is fast becoming one of my favourite authors!!