*4.5 stars rounded up*

O'Leary writes such incredible characters, that I feel as though I could pop round and have a brew with any one of them. Her books, especially the note they end on, make me feel so uplifted, fuzzy and hopeful and I'd bottle that feeling if I could!

We follow grandmother and granddaughter duo, Eileen and Leena, as they both realise they're stuck in life ruts for various reasons. After a workplace disaster on Leena's part, the pair decide to switch lives for two months: Eileen moves into Leena's busy London life, and Leena moves into her grandma's house, back to her Yorkshire hometown

O'Leary is incredible at capturing a character's voice and keeping each perspective so distinct. I never got confused as to whose perspective we were in because they spoke and thought so like themselves

I also really enjoyed that this book was partially set in Yorkshire, with northern protagonists. As a northerner I always appreciate a northern setting and character. I also loved that this focussed on familial love and connections; there was romance at the forefront as well but the main focus was family

I like that both this book and The Flatshare are light enjoyable contemporaries, but do also deal with darker topics that a lot of people have real-life experience with. She combines the two themes so perfectly

TW: grief, familial death, cancer, mention of domestic abuse

The first three our so chapters were slow i nearly gave up reading but then i got hooked and couldn't put it down. Truly loved the characters and adventures.

Highly recommend!

Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Leena and her grandmother Eileen are both fed up. Leena's been forced to take two weeks off work and Eileen is missing a sense of adventure after her husband left. So they decide to switch lives for two weeks. What could go wrong?

After reading The Flatshare, I was worried I wouldn't love The Switch as much but boy was I wrong. This was such a heartwarming novel that I sped through in days.

I adored THE FLATSHARE so downloading THE SWITCH, whilst obvious, was also a worry as I loved her first so much. Also having read, watched this trope until it’s been overdone like a cooked goose I was, to say the least, worried. However O’Leary’s take of Leena swapping with her gran was the proverbial breath of fresh air needed to swat images of Hayley Mills and Tom Hanks off the page. Another feelgood fantastic read.

Having loved The Flatshare, so I was looking forward to reading Beth O'Leary's second book, The Switch. I wasn't disappointed and thoroughly enjoyed reading this well written, amusing story. The story flows well and is easy to get into and once I had I didn't want to put it down.

The characters are great, genuinely relatable and loveable. Covering three generations of women, it was so nice to have well written older women, who aren't stereotypical t read about. I loved Eileen, she is so feisty and not letting turning eighty stop her, she made me chuckle. Leena was lovely, kind, confused and needing to forget her life straightened out. Their selection of friends of both ages are brilliant, wacky and funny and make this story very readable.

I would highly recommend this story, it's just what you want to curl up with and lose yourself in.

Beth O'Leary's debut, The Flatshare, was THE rom-com hit of 2019. At one point, it seemed like everyone on Goodreads and social media was reading - and loving - it. And with good reason too, as it was a delightful book with charming romantic leads, which tackled some difficult subjects with ease. So I was excited to read the follow-up, The Switch, which focuses on 70-something Eileen and her granddaughter Leena, both of whom are struggling in the aftermath of losing Leena's sister to cancer and so decide to switch homes and lives for two months. This set-up is a well-trodden one in the world of movie romcoms (think The Holiday or Freaky Friday) and survives the translation to page remarkably well. And although it didn't hold my attention throughout, that's more to do with this genre being outside my usual reading habits than any flaws in the writing.

Oh my goodness, this is the most wonderful book. I am so delighted to have been able to read this early.

Beth O Leary writes beautifully, her characters are real and lovable. The two Eileens in this book are both brilliant women and the other women around them are fabulous as well. It’s so appropriate that I read most of this on International Women’s Day, it really is a hurrah to sisterhood, literally.

This is an unputdownable book. I laughed, I cried, I fell in love with everything about it. I wouldn’t have thought Ms O Leary could write another book as good as The Flatshare but she has. This is an author to watch all right, she writes the best characters ever.

After reading and loving The Flat Share by Beth O’Leary last year I was almost scared to start The Switch as I really wasn’t sure if it could be as good. Well I started The Switch this morning and couldn’t put it down. The story is told with such empathy, humour and sincerity that I flew through it loving the main characters Eileen and Leena and living through their journeys to swap lives for a time by switching addresses, lives neighbours and friends.
Eileen and Leena are grandma and granddaughter who are close in relationship but not in distance. Eileen still lives in Yorkshire in a village near her daughter with her cats Ant and Dec and Leena lives in London with her friends. They are both struggling to come to terms with the death of Leena’s sister from cancer, with Leena blaming her mother for not exploring treatments to extend her sister’s life.
The Switch allows Eileen to experience internet dating and bring about the coming together of other lonely older folks in London. Leena becomes involved in organising a local
May Day and stumbles around befriending her nans elderly neighbour and others in the community.
Without spoiling the story their lives take very different turns and there is much joy and some heartache on both parts. It is a story of love, grief, hurt and coming together which I would wholeheartedly recommend.
Thank you to Netgalley for a chance to read and review this excellent 5⭐️novel.

I loved The Flatshare - for me it was the very definition of unputdownable and I have reread it since then.

So The Switch jumped to the top of my read list. It was highly enjoyable, very well written and moved forward at a decent pace - but it wasn’t unputdownable. The middle dragged a bit for me - and I think my expectations were way too high.

A really solid read, but don’t go in with expectations of the same type of story. They need to be appreciated as very different.

The Flatshare was one of my favourite reads of 2019. This book, the author's follow-up, is just as good. As with The Flatshare, the book adheres to the conventions of romantic comedies - you know exactly what's going to happen. And yet, she creates characters that are so wonderful, and warm that you root for them all the way! We once again hear from two different characters - this time around it's London-based Leena (in her late 20s) and her Yorkshire-based Grandmother Eileen (soon to be turning 80). A year on from the death of Leena's beloved sister, Leena and her Grandmother switch things up by swapping lives - Eileen goes to London in search of love, Leena goes to Yorkshire to find herself again. And it's all so bloomin' lovely. The array of supporting characters are so wonderfully constructed, forming communities you wish you could be a part of. This was such a pleasure to read that I was genuinely sad to finish it as it meant I had to say goodbye to the characters! Strong recommend!

The Switch is such a clever, fun story. I loved the idea of a grandmother and grandaughter swapping lives, and I enjoyed the growth and experiences each character undergoes. It was sweet, heartwarming, and touching. I laughed and cried. Another favourite from Beth O'Leary!

What a lovely, fluffy, charming book! The Switch had me laughing, smiling and even tearing up. Despite dealing with some serious topics such as grief, it had that feel good flavour to it which made it a lovely, little read. It was super easy to consume - both Leena and Eileen's perspectives were interesting and they had me reading on even after my bed time! The idea of switching lives was just so intriguing and fun. I loved the contrast of the quaint Yorkshire setting and the bustling metropolis that is London and how aspects from both came together to paint a vivid and realistic setting. I loved the busy bodies of the Neighbourhood Watch group; the eclectic mix of characters made this story for me and was definitely it's strong point. I loved how the two main protagonists and their growth as people dealing with immense grief was the main point of this story. There was some romance but friendships and family were definitely the strong point in all of this. I loved the discussion of grief and loneliness, of not battling up your emotions and feelings to really move on and grow. It definitely made for a more in depth, complex and overall interesting read.

It wasn't quite 4 or even 5 stars for me as I just felt like there was something missing. It's more of a 3
5 stars. I really can't put my finger on it. I really enjoyed this book but it didn't have the same pull as The Flatshare that I recently read and loved. But despite this I still enjoyed it and think it's a fun and fluffy read.

I loved this book! Eileen and Leena are very charming characters with such a lovely relationship. They are Grandmother and Grandaughter who decide to switch lives for a couple of months. It’s not a “Freaky Friday” body type of switch, more of a place swop as they move into each other’s homes when Leena takes a break from work. I liked that the perspective alternated between the two main characters and I felt equally invested in both. I had wrongly assumed that Leena, being younger, would be the main focus but was happily surprised to find that Eileen’s story was just as big a part. Also had a nice mix of lighter and more serious plot lines. I’d recommend to anyone looking for an uplifting read.

I absolutely adored The Flatshare, and I would go so far to say that The Switch was even better! I just love Beth O'Leary's style of writing, its gentle and very easy to read, whilst still managing to address some underlying issues facing society. The Switch made me laugh out loud in almost every one of its chapters. It's hilarious, heartwarming and genuinely moving.

A large part of the narrative addresses grief and how it can affect every aspect of your life. I loved the idea of the two Eileen's switching lives to help them both heal from the traumas of the past few years. I felt the way they were handling it was all very accurate. From reading the blurb, I was worried the plot would feel a little too farfetched, but I never felt like that whilst reading, it all felt very genuine and as though it could really happen.

The portrayal of life in Britain is just perfect, I feel like the book drips Britishness. I laughed constantly through Eileen's first days in London, because it's just so accurate. If you weren't born in London, it can be such a massive shock how people behave on a daily basis, and this was just captured so perfectly. Similarly life in little villages, and how minute details become huge parts of your life. The observational humour is simply brilliant!

Eileen was just wonderful to read, I thought she was absolutely fantastic. I loved her so much and I could read another 100 books from her perspective. Her brutal honesty and continued lust for life was inspiring and beautiful. Leena struggled to stand up against her grandmother, but I really enjoyed watching her grow and learn to love herself again. Her relationship with Jackson was dreamy, and I was rooting for them from pretty much the first appearance he made.

Not to be overshadowed by the leading ladies, there are so many amazing side characters to fall in love with. Fitz stood out to me, always willing to embrace Eileen and the older ladies that have found their way into his life, the banter they shared was wonderful. I also adored pretty much every resident of Hamleigh-in-Harksdale, and if I could, I'd be packing up and moving there tomorrow. There are lots of themes explored with these fantastic people, loneliness, domestic violence, parental relationships and many more.

Beth O'Leary is rapidly cementing herself as one of my favourite authors, her books are a warm hug and a mug of hot chocolate on a chilly day, just perfection. I can't wait to see what she writes next, and big thanks to Quercus for the chance to read an early copy of this beautiful tale!

I loved Beth's first book The Flatshare so much it was one of my favourite reads in 2019 so I was really looking forward to The Switch and I'm pleased to say I wasn't disappointed. This book had everything for me and when I wasn't reading it I was thinking about it. Such a funny, warm read

Well what can I say? I am going to say what usually say is a cliché but
I loved this book! It pulled me in from the start!
Eileen Cotton is a fiesty but amazing older lady who is the matriarch of not only her family but also her local community.
She is a force to be reckoned with for certain but she has a heart of gold and an answer for everything!
Her grand daughter Leena is the opposite.. She hurries about whilst all the time having her head buried in the sand.
Leena's sister Carla died of cancer and this broke the family. Leena's mum (Eileen's daughter) has been falling apart since it happened and Leena has thrown herself in to her work. She is angry with her mum. After having a panic attack at work she decides to switch lives with her grandmother as Eileen has always wanted the London adventure whilst Leena needs to get away from itm
In the 8 weeks that they swap lives they both learn a lot about themselves and each other. A fantastic read which I will be recommending to anyone who will listen!
Thank you to netgalley for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adored the author's first book. It was sweet but not too fluffy.

When I read the blurb for this book, it really caught my attention. How would a young lady and and elderly woman manage to swap lives?

This book has me hooked from the first page. It had me giggling and also gave me all the feels at the same time. I really enjoyed it, I wanted to devour it but at the same time I did not want it to end. I read it sparingly so that I could savour it. I'm not a huge fan of romance (I really was before) but what I do like about her books is that they are not too corny and they are heartwarming and just make you feel good. You're in for a a treat with this one.

This author is now officially one of my favourites and I cannot wait till she releases a new book again.

Firstly thanks to Netgalley for approving me to read this as an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I loved reading Flatshare last year and was beyond excited to get stuck into Beth’s latest book.

This story was so different and not what I imagined it to be.

The fact that the switch was between granddaughter and grandma held a special place in my heart and oh my how I fell in love with Eileen Cotton. She made me laugh out loud on several occasions and she made me miss my own Grandma terribly.

This story is full of love, laughter and tears.

The characters well and truly make this book and I’m a bit gutted it’s over. I would recommend if you enjoyed Flatshare.

Fantastic! After reading the flatshare I was beyond excited to read this and it didn’t disappoint! I loved the unique plot, and loved both characters! I can’t wait to see what Beth O’Leary writes next

The story is about Eileen and Leena, who are grandmother and granddaughter, they both need a change in their lives and so the decide to switch places. They have to also takes each other's responsibilities, which soon helped them discover that it isn't as easy as it looks from the outside.

Eileen hopes to find someone who can be a friend and a companion. She is looking for a new adventure at London. Eileen challenges herself to go out of her comfort zone, to meet new people and try new things.

While Leena begins to let her hair down, figuratively and literally, and enjoys herself more than she expected. From the beginning Leena is in a relationship with Ethan, someone who helped her though a difficult time, her loyalty to him comes more from a place of gratitude than love. While on her grandmother's village she meets Jackson, a father to a sweet little girl, but she doesn't act on her feelings. I wish there was more romance between Jackson and Leena through the story, their interactions were exciting.

With time both heroines learn that finding the one person might be easier than it seems if you only look at the right place.

The people in the village had different and remarkable personalitie, they were very fun to read, they are the people anyone would want as a neighbour, always there for each other.

The Switch is a book about finding yourself after a big loss, finding the strength inside you and with the help of those around you, to keep going.

*I received an arc from the publisher through Netgalley.