Robyn Harding's reads are always quick and intense. I've enjoyed her past stories and this one was no different. Toxic relationships and obsession are major themes.

Talk about some toxicity and non stop secrets. This book was filled with toxic relationships and I was here for it all. The secrets everyone was keeping were just so intense.

Don't come here looking for relatable characters, they are so unlikeable, most of them, but honestly it worked perfectly for this book. I loved that we got everyone POV it was just that more engaging.

I was so hooked to this book from the beginning, I needed my fix and know who was hiding what and what the outcome would be. It was really fast paced and bingeable you won't be able to put it down. It's filled with obsession, lies, secrets, sex and toxic relationships and I was here for it all.

The ending and the final twists make for a great conclusion. This book delivered what it had to deliver perfectly and it was a super fun read.

If you're looking for a fast paced, unbelievably toxic relationships and just a fun thrilling ride don't miss out !

✨️Thank you to @netgalley, @simonnandschusterca & @robynharding for my free ARC in exchange for an honest review. (I am so terribly sorry for the late review)

I loved this book! Thank you for the ARC. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that I wasn’t leaving reviews on netgalley and was solely sharing on Instagram. My apologies. Huge fan of this author! I actually received the tangible copy. Trying to clean up my netgally account.

This was definitely not my usual genre, but it was a fascinating read. There was something so addictive about the writing that pushes you through the chaos and the toxicity to reach that pivtol climax. What a wild ride.

Freya is like a starburst on a quiet island - where many have settled in and hunkered down into their lives, Freya shines bright and new, especially to Low, an outcast teenage girl craving connection, and Jamie, also a new resident on the island who'd just left home after being scammed (more to come on this). It was interesting seeing their different views of Freya and her glittering life - married to a hot but now disgraced former hockey player, a beautiful and confident influencer, and artist - it wasn't easy to fall for her, as a reader, but we all know those types of people who seek the spotlight and those who attract it.

There was a lot going on between the Low and Jamie. Low lives with her polyamorous, hippe parents (which is what got her ostracized in school to begin with), is named after a bird (Swallow, equally as horrifying as a child growing up in a world of bullies), and is generally friendless. She fixates on Freya, craving her attention, and doesn't like that she has to share Freya with anyone.

Jamie and her husband Brian just moved to the island after their adoption turned out to be a scam run by a seventeen year old. Sad about the loss of their unknown baby, they try to chase other dreams - her owning her own shop, and him being a YA novelist. She meets Freya through her art, and they become fast friends.

The characters were interesting, but the way the plot unfolds with its back and forth between Low and Jamie (both in their narrative perspectives and their possession of Freya's attention) it was like watching a high speed ping pong game with all bets in. It was riveting, kind of scary, and way out there. The last 20% had me hooked, but the book as a whole kept me enraptured throughout!

Interesting diversion, might give some of Robyn Harding's other books a shot now too!

TWs: Recreational drug use, infidelity, suicidal ideation, toxic friendship, toxic marriage, domestic abuse, fertility issues, mentions the idea of miscarriage, masochism, death, pregnancy, stalking, gun violence, infertility

Plot: 4.5/5
Characters: 4/5
World Building: 3.5/5
Pacing: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Overall: 4/5

eARC gifted via NetGalley by Simon and Schuster Canada in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book! I found it hard to put down. I highly recommend reading it! You won’t be disappointed.

Low's a lonely teenager. When she signs up for pottery classes with Freya everything changes.

I wish I didn't wait so long to read this one! It was great, I didn't want to stop reading! This is my second book from Robyn Harding and I need to read more ASAP! Highly recommend this one and also Her Pretty Face.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Available Now!

Half "utterly idiotic, cop-out, shyt show" stars !!

Thanx to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for an ecopy. This was released June 2020. I am providing an honest review.

Usually when a book is a mixed experience I will average out the various components and come up with an average. In this case I simple cannot for the last third of this book was below zero stars and I mean way below.

The book starts off as a solid three star domestic thriller of the intertwining of three terrible women (one is a teen) and how their lives intertwine in a wicked web of lies, deceit and jealousy. One woman is a psychopath, another is a insecure dependent and the teen is a manipulative awkward teen starved for attention. The plot is really well structured and although the psychology is pretty flimsy this reader was entertained with hopes that the book will steer the "mean girl" course and there will be some plausible and interesting climax.......is that too much to ask ? Really ?

What we get instead (in the second third) is a Jerry Springer/Maury episode of paternity tests among some fucked up unlikable people with some sex lies and videotape. Ok ok ok the book is now in 1.5 star category. Cringey and icky but perhaps there is hope for a realistic, thrilling and SATISFYING resolution.

Oh no ! The author decides to kick it up a thousand notches and make these unlikable (but somewhat understandable) women into complete utter monsters that makes absolutely no fuckin' psychological sense. Let's throw in as many twists, blood, violence and UTTER FUCKIN QUACKERY in the last third of the book. Absolutely disgusting !

In the end the last third was one of the LAMEST and COPOUT and BULLSHIT pieces of crap that has
met my reading eyes.

So I really cannot give this book more than HALF a star. Utter fail !

RATING: 3 STARS
2020; Simon & Schuster Canada

I enjoy Robyn Harding's writing, but this story was not for me. I was able to finish it, but it was a bit of a push. I didn't like the characters, but also didn't feel invested in them. I would read other reviews as others found this a gripping read. In this case, I was not the right reader for this novel. I look forward to Harding's next novel.

***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow!! This story definitely has twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end!! This is my first book by Robyn Harding and I will definitely be reading more of her books!
A lonely student, a women craving attention and a women looking for friendship. 3 women looking for connection, for friendship, for compassion and understanding.
A casual party leads to a night of regrets, of numerous secrets and unexpected consequences!

A definite must read if you love suspense!

Freya is beautiful, charismatic and loves being the center of attention. Low knows all of this and still loves her. As a teenager who is used to being overlooked and ostracized, she loves every moment of Freya’s attention. When Freya starts spending time with a new friend, Low’s obsession takes a negative turn.

Jamie loves her new friend Freya, she’s wonderful and the perfect cure to her sadness, plus even their husbands get along. During a couples night, things take a turn when they swap partners. Now Jamie is struggling to deal with the aftermath.

Freya blew into both of their lives and quickly takes over their worlds, in this creepy thriller where it is hard to tell who is the least sane. The plot of this book kept me on edge and was truly enthralling until the very end!

Again Robyn Harding didn’t disappoint. The book has everything. Obsession, drugs, twists and chaos. I devoured this book in two sitting and didn’t want to put it down. Robyn has a knack of making you change your plans when you start reading her books.

4 stars - My first book from this author and would love to read her other novels now! Intrigued right from the start.

This line is so true... “No list of thrillers is complete without Robyn Harding."

The QUEEN of thrillers. If you haven't - YOU MUST!

A story about sexual shenanigans, secrets, manipulation, and obsession - only to name a few of the fantastic highlights! The ending was so good... that's all I'll say.

How can you not want to read this? No spoilers here, just a huge fan wanting to read more Harding books!!!

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review. Please excuse my tardiness in posting my review as my TBR continuously grows and I keep finding so many book with so little time!

So much gratitude for this copy shared with me, always xo

This is the second book I've read rom this author and both times I felt like I could just breeze through the whole thing without putting it down. It takes a special talent to do that. Well done, Robyn!

4.5 stars

I LOVE Robyn Harding's stories. And I think this book became one of my favorites. Following the lives of two couples after a night of "sexual shenanigans" there are so many secrets and opportunities for peoples reputations to become completely destroyed. The story was fast paced and I read it in one sitting. I coulodn't put it down.

I’ve heard great things about Robyn Harding but had never picked up any of her books, until this one! My friend read The Arrangement and told me it was a very easy read and this one follows that principle. It’s a very quick and easy read, perfect for a rainy day or day at the beach!

This story was definitely mysterious and included many secrets and surprises throughout, it captured my attention from page 1.

However, the reason why this isn’t a five-star is because I despised every character! Robyn did a great job of picturing the characters as completely despicable that my hatred increased exponentially as the story progressed! Plus, I really get annoyed by characters that have an obsession with other characters, and that this obsession grows as the story progresses. Maybe I don’t understand how someone could be that obsessed with something, but I get really annoyed at that narrative in stories, and this storyline was certainly included in this book.

The one redeeming quality was the ending! Such a good ending! If you want a quick and easy thriller, I recommend picking up this one!

This was a really quick read and I did find myself not wanting to put it down until I finished but I didn’t love it as much as I expected.

One night of couple swapping and a teenage obsession this book had a really interesting plot. I loved the multiple POV but I also didn’t really like any character which i think was the point so I didn’t mind so much.

If you are looking for a twisty beach read this would definitely work.

Thank you Simon and Schuster for the ARC via Netgalley!

4 STARS

A riveting tale about the toxic relationship between two couples after a night of sexual shenanigans, and the manipulative teenager with an explosive secret at the center of it all.

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Looking for a book with super toxic characters, friendships and secrets? Look no further than Robyn Harding's THE SWAP! Full of unlikable characters, obsession and explosive secrets, I loved every minute of this book.

The relationships (or lack there of) between Low, Jamie and Freya were absolute train wrecks - and just like the saying goes, I couldn't look away. This is my second book by Harding and I will FOR SURE be reading the rest of her back list!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for my ARC! THE SWAP is out now.

Thank you Netgalley and the author. I first read The arrangement written by her and it was start to a good reader and writer relationship. I really like how she writes and this book did not disappoint. I really wonder where she gets these ideas from!!! I didn't really like the characters in this book but it was very readable and great pace. Excited to read her newest one. Thanks again!!

Harding is an author that many of my customers enjoy, so I was excited to receive the ARC for her latest 'The Swap'. Hear many great things about her unique storytelling ability, I felt kind of mwah mwah. It would not be the first book I would recommend, but if asked if it is entertaining - I would agree. So, I would give this book a 3.5! It’s quite gripping and fast paced, but the ending left me disappointed, you know the feeling of “that’s it?”