I loved The Flatshare, (didn’t everyone?) so I had high expectations and hopes for The Switch, I’ll admit, I was worried the author wouldn’t be able to follow up The flatshare with another success, but I needn’t have worried, because I loved this book. If I’m honest, the start was a little slow to get into, but once I got to know Leena and Eileen I couldn’t stop reading. I loved them both, and desperately wanted to see them find their happiness. This book had another interesting premise, humourous and light yet with serious undertones. A very uplifting and heartwarming book that I HIGHLY recommend you read!

Completely charming, with not just one heroine but two! Leena is an over-achiever with a high powered job in consulting. On facing burnout, she is ordered to take a sabbatical. She is close with her grandmother, Eileen, who is also looking for a change and is no ordinary old lady. They agree to a two-month house-swap with unexpected results. Eileen turns out to be a hit on the city dating scene and Leena starts to question her long term relationship while enjoying the slower pace of country life.

This rollicking story is full of fun and irony, but also touches on deeper topics of burn-out and loss to give balance and substance. Leena is very relatable but its feisty, no-nonsense, loyal, practical Eileen who steals the show. There are lots of interesting support characters and the story flows so easily. A lovely, romantic easy book which leaves you feeling positive and happy.

3.5 stars

THE SWITCH grabbed my attention from the first few pages with characters that were interesting from the start. In fact, the first 20% of this read was so strong, getting you on board with ‘the switch’.

Told in alternating POVs between Leena, a 20-something ambitious professional and Eileen, her 79 year old grandmother, these two swap residences. I did wonder how into Eileen’s POVs I would get, but honestly she was truly engaging and incredibly fun. The Yorkshire Dales versus London contexts were a fun contrast.

I would describe the storyline as cutely predictable and generally enjoyable. The characters in the dales were a little bit like ‘The Vicar of Dibley’, an eclectic mix and sometimes a bit stuffy. I did sometimes want to crank things up a bit. Meanwhile, Eileen in London was funny and her storyline was adorable. There were some serious tones to the story and while that was in the background, it brought somber notes to the characters and made them real.

The culmination and wrap up rushed to a sprint at the end but it made for a satisfying ending to this light and funny book.

Thank you to Quercus Books for the early review copy.

*** ARC kindly received from NetGalley, re-read via purchased copy of the Audible audiobook ***

If I could pick one word to sum up The Switch by Beth O’Leary, it would be gorgeous. A gorgeously joyous read, gorgeous, well written characters (Eileen is the near octogenarian that I didn’t realise I needed for a best friend!) the whole book leaves the reader with a gorgeous warm feeling which is so desperately needed in our current climate. I was worried as to whether Beth O’Leary’s second novel could be a patch on her debut, The Flatshare, but I really shouldn’t have had any concerns. This was equally well written and brilliantly entertaining. Also, as a big audiobook fan, special praise should head the way of Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones who both gave the perfect voices to Eileen and Leena. 5 stars all round!

This is one of those book that makes you think and are heartwarming and entertaining at the same time.
I think that Beth O'Leary is a talented storyteller and she does a great job at creating enjoyable story full of food for thought.
The story of Leena and Eileen made me smile more than once but there a darker undertone in the description of their trip to face and accept the loss of Carla. The grief is one the main elements in this story and there are moment when the description of the raw sufferance moved me to tears.
Being a consultant I also love the realistic description of the consultancy and laughed as some characters are typical of that environment.
I loved every moment of this story and I think I need to read it again.
It is a brilliant story and I strongly recommend it.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

The Switch - Beth O'Leary ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

All the stars. It couldn't be anything less. Bookstagram has eagerly anticipated this book and it's so clear to see why. I'm such a huge fan of The Flatshare so my excitement levels were through the roof when this beauty arrived in the post.

Thanks to @quercusbooks, @ellakroftpatel & @hannah_is_reading for my beautiful copy.

Meet Leena and Eileen, in completely different stages of their lives. After the death of her sister Leena coped the only way she knows how, throwing herself into work. But this didn't actually work. Eileen is Leenas grandmother and at 79 Eileen feels she needs to look for love again. So the decision is made for the pair to switch lives. How will Leena cope with being disconnected from her normal life? Will Eileen complete her quest for love?

Both Leena and Eileen are looking for them life changing moments.

This book encompasses love, community and friendships with it's wonderful characters. The sense of community in this book is something that really stood out for me.

This book is full of heart and warmth and oh so uplifting. The Switch was just what I needed at this difficult time.

An absolute joy to read. A book that holds a warm hug 📚

My Thoughts: Firstly, let me say I’ve been looking forward to this book before I even knew anything about it. the flatshare was if my favourite books last year and I was eagerly awaiting her next release to see what she came up with next & I was definitely not disappointed.

This one follows 79 year old Eileen and her 29 year old granddaughter and namesake Leena, Leena has just been given a 3 month sabbatical from work after struggling to come to terms with the death of her sister a year ago. She leaves her busy life in London and goes to see her grandma in the Yorkshire Dales.

Eileen is a single woman after her husband left her, so she’s thrown herself into helping her neighbourhood with anything possible, taking minutes in their neighbourhood watch meetings, helping to organise the May Day celebrations and just being there for her daughter which can sometimes feel like a full time job, but now she feels ready to move in and find love again so Leena sets her up an online dating profile.

After realising that her grandmas options are slim in the Yorkshire Dales Leena comes up with the crazy idea that they should switch lives for 2 month, promising to look after everything there so her grandma can lead the life she wanted to when she was younger, in London!


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The story had me gripped from the very start, I honestly don’t want to say too much about it, but it covers so much, there is loss, grief, new found love, acceptance & a whole lot more, it had me laughing, it had me crying & if I’m being completely honest I felt like I was part of the story. I was so invested in the characters and their lives that I just wanted the best for them all.

After reading both of her books and giving them both 5 stars, I think it’s fair to say that Beth O’Leary has become an autobuy author for me!

🐧❤️

Oh, this book. It was everything I wanted and more. I had received a copy of this book a couple of weeks ago, (yes Netgalley wishes do come true!) but I had put it off until now. I loved Beth O'Leary's Flatshare like most people and didn't want to be let down with her second novel. I really needn't have worried.

The Switch had everything I love in a contemporary women's fiction. A wonderful older person who has no qualms and says it like it is. Life is too short to beat about the bush. This is Eileen, a wonderful humourous character who has moved to London for a couple of months looking for love.

Her granddaughter Leena, was brilliant too. Wrong decisions, hilarious mishaps and making enemies of your village neighbours. Yep, that's Leena.

What I loved about The Switch was that whilst it was humorous and full of laughs it also touched on some serious topics. Grief, the loss of a family member, mental health, cancer, infidelity, finding yourself again. All handled honestly and with grace and care.

I loved the alternating chapters between Eileen and Leena, their characters developing, opening up and interacting with a wonderful cast in both London and the village.

I really would love to read more about them, they drew me in to the Cotton family. I didn't want the book to end or for me to leave this uplifting and comforting world.

A full whole-hearted recommendation from me.

I read Beth O'Leary's debut The Flatshare at the beginning of the year and loved it but I have to say that I fell head over heels while reading The Switch. I fell in love with the characters, the setup, just everything about it. There was something so heart warming about The Switch and the whole community feel throughout was lovely. It made you want to jump into the pages and be a part of that world. It tackled loads of important themes so well, like grief and the many emotions that brings as well as family and the different forms that word can take. Of course it also delves into love, friendship and relationships too but it really does feel like that is only part of what this book encompasses. It's a story of reconnection and finding yourself, not necessarily for the first time, but bringing yourself back after being lost for a while.

I adored The Switch. Once again Beth O’Leary has written an absolute corker of a book. The switch features Leena Cotton, she’s burned herself out in London and is forced to take a two month sabbatical from work. Deciding to visit her grandma Eileen up in the Yorkshire Dales for a break, the pair come up with the plan to switch lives. Leena will stay at her grandmother’s house and carry out the day to day tasks such as walking Jackson’s dog, being in charge of neighbourhood watch meetings and catching up on the local gossip. Meanwhile, Eileen is off to experience eight weeks in trendy Shoreditch!

I found this book to be full of warm and likeable characters, it’s will written and I found it impossible to put down. Thank you to NetGalley, Quercus Books and the author for the chance to review.

I can’t believe I’ve stayed up all night finishing this but it was such a compelling story, I couldn’t put it down.

The premise is refreshing and not something I was expecting to enjoy, I’ll be honest. However, I find that Beth O’Leary can do no wrong in my eyes and I’ll love everything she writes. It’s a heartwarming story about family, both biological and chosen, new beginnings and forgiveness.

I usually write long reviews but I really can’t think of anything I disliked other than Ethan and Ceci because they’re fucking cunts.

If you’ve loved The Flatshare, I’m pretty sure you’ll love O’Leary’s newest novel. I highly recommend it to everyone looking for something different.

The Switch by Beth O'leary
I loved this book. As a big fan of The Flatshare I was delighted to get my hands on The Switch. I loved the two main characters, especially Eileen.
This book was a breath of fresh air, a lovely light an easy read.
The book does deal with grief and loss, but in a way that felt sensitive and real.
I loved Eileen's attitude that life is for living, and when you want something in life you must go for it. It's also lovely to read a book with an older character.
If you loved the Flatshare, then you should enjoy this book too.

Beth O'Leary strikes again!! Absolutely love this book, what a breath of fresh air and the perfect easy read for our current times. Characters written beautifully, so easy to relate to. Hit the nail on the head, I eagerly anticipate whatever O'Leary is going to come up with next!

Light, a little formulaic, but heartily delightful.

I really liked The Flatshare last year, and O'Leary's follow-up, The Switch, proved a bit of a tonic in these Lockdown days of Groundhog-like monotony.

I'll mix my genres up, read heavy literary works and then lighter frothy books, non-fiction, anything that takes my interest. O'Leary's debut meant I was always going to try her next, and I did thoroughly enjoy the story of Leena and Eileen.

With a family tragedy dogging their lives, Leena's insane London job is starting to suffer as she struggles with her grief. Grandmother Eileen is a spry 79 and has recently seen her husband move out with another woman, and prospects for love are very slim in her little Yorkshire village. The two decide, as you do, to swap - houses, phones, lives. City girl Leena is faced with Neighbourhood Watch meetings, grumpy neighbours and walking a teacher's overactive puppy. Eileen finds a city of uncaring neighbours, lots of Leena's young friends with issues she's itching to solve, and a world of internet dating to discover.

There is a lot here that you'll be able to predict. Not that I cared. It was a journey I was happy to take, I really liked both Leena and Eileen (though Eileen in particular was rather exhaustingly perky for a 79-year-old!). There's a male version of a(n anti) Manic Dream Pixie, curmudgeonly old men who may not be quite so crotchety as they seem, and lots of nice 'old person trying out the Internet' scenes that familiar younger readers will smile at.

I enjoyed the dual locations, ages and storylines taking place simultaneously, with old and young women slotting into a new role (quite easily it turns out) and bringing their own energy, skills and personalities to a new setting. There's a thread of plot concerning the family tragedy, which is tied in nicely with both plotlines, and romantic storylines for both women that go just as you'd expect.

A wonderfully warm way to while away a few hours in the house.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing an advance reading copy.

I was lucky to read an advanced copy of this book and I absolutely loved it. A brilliant follow up to the Flat Share - I laughed, I cried, I loved every moment!

Leena's working herself into a breakdown in the city. Eileen is looking for love , but her tiny village doesn't offer much hope. Swapping for two months only makes sense!

Doesn't it?

BETH O'LEARY BOOKS ARE MEANT TO BE FUNNY THEY'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO MAKE ME CRY WHAT EVEN WAS GOING ON THERE

Right. Now that that's out of the way...

I loved this book. It's funny, sweet, touches on important things without being too heavy. Leena has lost her sister, Eileen's granddaughter, about a year before the events of this book, and she, her grandmother and her mother are all coping in different ways. The book makes a point of saying that people grieve in different ways and that even if those ways don't make any sense to you, it doesn't make them less valid.

Leela and Eileen are fabulous characters. I love how their points of view and lifestyles, although completely out of place in their new situations, end up being exactly what's needed in those places. The supporting cast is fantastic as well; although both are brilliant, I think I like the London crew just a little bit more. How can you not love a crew that has Fitz on it, after all?

I'll be looking forward to reading more from Beth, and I absolutely recommend this to anyone who wants something funny and touching.




(I'm out of the habit of featuring a quote, but I may have to start it back up again. I couldn't let this one pass.)

'If a woman needs a place to stay, and I've got a bed to offer, then, well. That's that.'

Nicola is already opening the rear passenger door. I move to help her in, on autopilot.

'Let's get you back to my house, eh, love,' she says to Betsy as she settles. 'I'll put the kettle on, we can have a nice hot cuppa. then I'll do us fish pie for tea.'

It takes all my effort not to cry as I take the keys from a very worried-looking Penelope and sit myself down in the driver's seat. These people. There's such a fierceness to them, such a lovingness. When I got here, I thought their lives were small and silly, but I was wrong. They're some of the biggest people I know.

The premise sounded promising: Grandmother Eileen and granddaughter Leena switch lives for the duration of two months. Then the beginning of the book was engaging and I was glad that I picked it up. But sometime around the sixty percent mark, the book started to lose its steam and I started to get bored. I can’t fault the characters, I liked them especially the older sassy Eileen whose manner I found pretty funny and her next door neighbour Arnold, with whom Eileen didn’t seem to get on since as long as they lived next to each other, charming. It was just the action, or lack of it, that wasn’t really doing it for me. At times the storyline felt a bit silly and far-fetched (such as the ease in which one of the older characters suddenly decided to leave her husband after one chat with Leena, and the husband readily agreeing to move out of their shared home) and it failed to engage me. Towards the end I just didn’t really care what happened. Three stars for the characters, the style of writing and the feel-good component.

Leena was named after the grandma Eileen, at the time they thought that grandma was going to pass away but as she survived. Having two Eileen's in the family became confusing so younger Eileen switch to Leena. The bond between grandma and granddaughter goes beyond just sharing a name despite living different lives miles apart.

Leena is living in London mourning the loss of her younger sister, who suddenly finds herself with a two-month leave of absence from work. Whilst Eileen lives in a small village in Yorkshire discovering what life is like after her husband Wade left her for a younger woman. Committed to being chair of committees, driving the bingo van and very much part of village life.

A chance conversation about how life could have been for Eileen had she taken a job in London before she met Wade gives Leena an idea to switch lives for two months. Grandma will live in London and discover the dating scene, check out all the places she wanted to do as a young lady, Whilst Leena will move to Yorkshire and discover whether she can adjust to a slower, tech-free life. Taking on her Grandma's duties, all carefully noted down in a file which her Grandma has left behind for her.

A charming story of discovering what was missing in either of their lives and building relationships.

This is the story of Lenna, an over worked and exhausted young woman, living in London, who has not dealt with her grief over loosing her sister and her grandmother, Eleanor, who is always helping others and getting involved in the community. She is lonely and wants to find love but has limited options where she lives. Cue a life swap!

I first requested this on net galley after reading (And loving) the flat share by the same author. After reading 5% I knew I needed to read a physical copy to be able to enjoy and do it the most justice so I pre-ordered my copy and waited.

It arrived on publication day and was in my possession for less than 12 hours before I finished it. I LOVED IT!

I was really worried that this wouldn’t live up to my expectations from the flatshare and I was still unsure to start with, the story was good and the characters were strong but it didn’t seem to have the humour that I loved from the flat share but as soon as Arthur starts interacting with the characters, there it was! From that moment I absolutely fell in love with the book!

I really enjoying thinking about all the people that are behind the doors in flats in London and that maybe sometimes they just need a little understanding and someone to take the time to see them properly.

My favourite idea by far was Lenna befriending the grumpy neighbour next door and I could have read a whole book just in their friendship!!

Thank you so much Beth for another absolutely fantastic book.

The story is based around a grandmother and granddaughter switching lives completely for a couple of months due to numerous circumstances. I won’t give a more detailed synopsis though because I would urge you to read the book!

The book revolves predominantly around family and friends, with a great cast of characters from both Eileen and Leena’s life. I loved Eileen’s friendships with Leena’s London friends and I loved how Leena got stuck in with village life and inadvertently ruffled a lot of feathers! It was funny and heart-warning and really demonstrated a community spirit which is definitely needed in these trying times.

Although there is romance in the book, it is definitely not the forefront. This is not a bad thing at all, but I wish there had been a bit more focus on some of the romantic relationships featured. This is probably because I’m a sucker for a romance though!

The Switch was a perfect getaway from lockdown life and I would definitely recommend it.

Many thanks to netgalley and Quercus Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.