Low is an intense eighteen year old who has spent her entire life in isolation from her peers. She has a seemingly addictive personality that makes one person the center of her highly focused obsessions.

Former hockey player and currently distraught, confused, and angry husband, Max feels at fault for upending his wife's entire life. He yearns for a sick and twisted version of love that they share.

Jamie is a lonely woman, barren despite her maternal longings. She is happy with her marriage to her college sweetheart, Brian, but is always wanting more for their life. When she finally finds a friend who becomes the reason she smiles again she doesn't realize how quickly her life will be turned upside-down.

And at the center of it all is Freya. Though she appears as an innocent young wife and former social media influencer, she is really a manipulative, charismatic, and vain person who changes the entire course of five lives when she suggests a night of salacious and seemingly innocent fun.

Harding writes evocative and intriguing characters that may appear normal by societal standards and then she pulls back the curtain... The Swap is a spell-binding tale that exposes secrets, insecurities, calculation and mania. You will not be able to put this one down!

The blurb and this author were too tempting to not read The Swap! Phew, glad I did! I thought this would be an easy romp of a read and would be about the fallout of one night of debauchery - I was wrong - it is easily read with the writing flowing, multi-dimensional and twists and turns that you cannot see coming. There is dysfunction everywhere you turn but it takes a bit to get at it all - so worth the investment!

Although I have one of Harding's earlier novels in my never-ending TBR, this is actually my first experience with her writing. Told in multiple perspectives, this story centers around the one character who never provides her own voice - Freya. Newly arrived to the remote island in the Pacific Northwest, Freya and her husband are looking for a fresh start in the wake of scandal. Low, an unhappy teenage girl cannot resist her own obsession with the new arrival. Jamie and her husband are also drawn to the couple - happy to finally have a true "couple" friend where both are equally liked. And while none of these people are actually likable - between secrets, manipulations and obsessions - their stories are surprisingly fascinating to watch unfold.

Harding brings both the island and her characters to life here. It's an entertaining and fast-paced read - with some definite surprises along the way - along with a few more predictable turns. I definitely did enjoy reading this one and I can see this being a great summery thriller to pass the time with! I am looking forward to reading more from Harding in the future!

was introduced to Harding’s thrillers with 2017’s The Party. This is the only novel since then she has written I do not have a review of. I do plan to re-read it at some point and will have a review of it up then. I have been lucky enough since then to grab ARCs on her novels, including Her Pretty Face and The Arrangement, both being novels I greatly enjoyed but that did not quite make it to the level I held The Party to.

I am excited to say that, for me, Harding’s newest release has not only made it to that level, but it has also made its new level on top.

We start off the novel being introduced to Low. Low is an outcast with a weird family dynamic who just cannot wait to leave her isolated island town. But then one day at school, she sees her. Immediately captivated by Freya, who Low becomes close to after signing up for personal pottery lessons, Low’s story is an up and down rollercoaster that is completely fascinating, heartbreaking, and uncomfortable, in parts.

Who is Freya? Freya is a former social media influencer, married to a former hockey star named Max, who together have moved to the island to start over after an…incident Max was involved in. We start this book watching Freya befriend this minor, telling her secrets, living off the adoration that she no longers gets via hearts and likes. We follow along as Low tries to decipher her feelings for Freya, an obsession that is just too fascinating as a reader.

Then…Jamie enters the picture. Jamie has recently moved to the island, as well, with her husband, Brian. The couple has been trying hard to conceive and not having any luck. They are hoping moving to the island will be a fresh start for them. Jamie and Freya become fast friends and Freya drops Low rather quickly. Jamie and Freya swap stories about their lives, their hardships, their secrets, their doubts. Then, on a couple’s date, partners are swapped. And one of the women becomes pregant….but by who? And how does Low fit into all of this mess?

Harding does an amazing job of keeping you guessing. These are characters that will stick with you, even though you maybe aren’t really rooting for any of them. This novel is fast-paced, incredibly engaging, and a book you just cannot put down. This book will be released tomorrow, June 23rd, and I highly recommend any thriller reader and fan go pick this up ASAP. This is a top book for me for 2020 so far and I think it will be staying at the top throughout the year.

The Swap by Robyn Harding delves into the burgeoning relationship between an awkward high school student, Low, and her new friend/mentor, Freya. Freya is married to a former hockey player who left the sport after seriously injuring a fellow player. Add to this mix Jamie, a woman struggling with fertility issues and feeling down about herself. Jamie, Freya, and their husbands make a fateful decision one night that's witnessed by Low. From that moment on everything begins to unravel in a compelling read. Read and enjoy!

The Swap was a good thriller and marital drama that was as dark as it was entertaining. I wasn’t sure how it would end or how all the characters would be involved. Even though I did not like any of the characters, I was still hooked and invested in their drama. Freya was such a toxic person, but she was magnetic and both Low and Jamie were enthralled by her. Low was definitely more obsessed, but both of them were drawn to her and just couldn’t stay away.

Even though the book wasn’t fast paced, I still flew through the pages to find out what craziness would happen next. Freya kept cutting Low and Jamie out of her friend circle, using them both, then pretending they didn’t exist. There was the whole partner swap, the business aspect, the abuse, the pregnancy.. it was just such a mess and I couldn’t wait to see how the knot of craziness would unravel.

4.5 stars

This was just what I needed-something easy, fast paced, and not too complicated. This pulled me in from the start. The characters back stories intrigued me, especially Low, and the island and it’s hippie ways were the perfect backdrop for this domestic thriller.
While there isn’t a whole lot new here beyond that, it really all just worked for me.

If you’re looking for that perfect summer/beach day read, look no further!

ARC provided by NetGalley

4 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Well, that was a hot mess! A spectacular hot mess!

After reading Harding’s last book, The Arrangement (and loving it), I knew as soon as I saw this one that I absolutely HAD to have it. As I predicted, it was awesome!

This book puts the capital T in TOXIC! What do you get when you have a loner teenager, a beautiful woman and her former hockey husband, another couple, some mushrooms and the very poor decision to swap partners for the night? A dumpster fire of psychos that are nothing short of entertainment!

A simple, short review is necessary because it will give too much away. Just read it as soon as you can get your hands on it!

Thank you to NetGalley, Robyn Harding and Gallery Books for my advanced copy to read and review.

Thank you to Scout Press/ Gallery Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review! It will be released on June 23!

Synopsis: Low Morrison is an awkward teen, a loner by most standards. Enter Freya, the one-time instagram influencer and her ex hockey player husband Max. Low immediately signs up for pottery classes with Freya, leading her to become obsessed with her new and only friend. As they get closer and learn each other's deepest secrets, their friendship is interrupted by Jamie and her husband Brian, who are both desperate for a baby. After a drug-induced couples dinner, they end up having a Swap with each other’s spouses which immediately cause their world to unravel. This all leads Low to be on the sidelines watching - and she will do anything to be back in Freya’s good graces.

My Review:⭐️⭐⭐⭐ / 5 stars

This thriller made my jaw drop. The evident toxic relationships between Freya and Low, Freya and her husband, even Freya with Jamie and her supposed best friend Jamie. It was clear she was the common denominator of destruction in everyone’s lives, but there was also a magnetism to her turmoil and abuse. She is incredibly manipulative throughout - and as you keep reading, you see the impact her behavior causes on others. Low is such an interesting character, because you want to sympathize with her, but she is ungrateful and toxic herself. You find yourself cringing and it is an incredibly fast paced read and highly recommended.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. OMG! I can not tell you how many times I almost quit reading this book but my love of Robyn Harding made me continue. The beginning was very slow but then began the twists and turns. I never suspected the ending this book would have. If you are an avid psychological thriller fan this is a must read. Enjoy! 📚

Seventeen year old, Low, has never fit in. She's a skinny, six foot tall, red headed loner. Her parents aren't just swingers, on this island that has a lot of swingers, they are polyamorous, commune living, hippies and if Low wasn't already the brunt of jokes, her parent's lifestyle seals the deal. When Low meets beautiful, confident, manipulative, former social media star, Freya, she is primed to fall hard for her. Low wants Freya to want her as much as she wants Freya. A sad, lonely, awkward girl can dream and she dreams of everything Freya. 

Freya and her ex hockey player husband, Max, have been exiled to this island because Max broke another player's neck, in a fit of rage, which led to the player's death. Freya lost her massive and lucrative social media following and is not at all happy to be living in their beautiful seaside home. When Low starts taking pottery lessons from Freya, she is a nice distraction from boredom for Freya, for a while. Then Freya meets Jamie, a store owner, someone closer to her own age, and has less time for Low. 

"Wild and willing to do anything" Freya sets up an evening of 'shrooms for the foursome of Jamie, her husband, Brian, Max and herself, knowing that her aim is to do a bit of "swapping" despite Jamie not wanting to do so. The night ends with things happening that have Jamie and Brian embarrassed and unable to discuss with each other. And little did the foursome know that Low was outside watching and videoing the "swap". It's not long before Freya announces that she is pregnant and Jamie and Brian, who've been trying to have a baby for years, have even bigger doubts and questions about that night with Max and Freya. 

Low isn't going to stay out of this mess, when the angry sparks start flying...in fact, she is going to fuel the fire, thinking that somehow she can divide everyone and have Freya for herself. Did I mention that I think that Low is off her rocker? But Freya is more than her match when it comes to crazy!

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

Low has always been viewed as the weird kid; she stands out with her 6’1 lanky frame and her family’s polyamorous lifestyle. In her search to find somewhere that she will belong, she starts taking pottery lessons from Freya, an older married woman, and starts to develop a bit of an unhealthy obsession with her. Unfortunately for Low, Freya doesn’t exactly feel the same way toward Low and is more interested in spending time with her best friend, Jamie. At a small party at Freya’s house one night, some life-changing events take place that will forever alter the lives of Freya, Jamie, their husbands, and Low.

I don’t know what it is about Robyn Harding’s books, but I just get so sucked in right from the very beginning and this book was no different, so much so that I read it in under 24 hours. I hated Low and Freya so dang much, but I was so utterly invested in their characters at the same time which isn’t all that typical for me. This was an interesting thriller because although the characters talk about this event that is going to be the “point of no return”, the reader has no clue what the event is. The reader is constantly left guessing, almost right up until the end, which can typically be very frustrating, but in this story, it gave me that ever elusive “just one more chapter” vibe that I am always searching for in a good book. Highly recommend any of Robyn Harding’s books and I, for one, will be a lifelong reader.

The Swap was wonderful! Take a bucolic island, add in an intense and definitely a liitle unhinged teenager, throw in a definitely unhinged former Instagram influencer and her mostly silent and very unhappy husband, a woman who has moved to the island to forget her failed adoption attempt along with her college sweetheart husband...and what could possibly go wrong?

Everything, and this novel is a psychological thriller fan's dream! Aside from the obvious goings on, as evidenced by the title, the real draw of the story, for me, was one of the main narrators, eighteen year old Low, who is sick of her family and the island, but is waffling about her future. Let's just say that she definitely acts in ways you'd expect but by the end, even I, jaded thriller reader that I am, was amazed at the web she'd woven (and extracted herself from) and absolutely positive that she's a character I'd love to read more about! Low at 18 is cunning and emotional and terrifying. Can't imagine getting older will mellow her out.

If you enjoy psychological thrillers and character studies along with a healthy dose of "wtf? oh damn!" this has your name written all over it. Recommended!

The Swap, wow, just wow! I liked this book so much and consumed it in one day. So well written and just enough drama and suspense to keep you turning the pages at a fast pace. The whole time I was reading this book I kept thinking what a good movie it would make! The characters are all so different but all likeable in some way, and their relationships with each other, and how the women all play off each other was so good. I really liked it!
Being new to town isn't easy, especially when you come with baggage. Freya and her husband have moved to the Pacific Northwest for a fresh start, and hopefully get far far away from the gossip. Freya decides to offer pottery classes to stay busy and hopefully make some new friends. Being young and beautiful has gotten her everything she could want in the past, but not anymore. The owner of the little gift shop in town is happy to sell some of Freya's pieces and the two become fast friends. They spend time together having lunch or coffee, and talk about their marriage and the fact neither of them has children. Freya simply doesn't want kids and Jamie is too embarrassed to share that she would love to have a family, but it doesn't seem to be in the cards for her and Brian. Freya decides to invite the couple over and have some drinks, and even some recreational drugs to lighten the mood and let everyone feel free to do whatever they want. Jamie and Brian are a very traditional couple and not interested in exploring, unlike Freya who has no problem announcing she's no stranger to adding partners to her marriage on occasion.
Low lives a very unusual and unconventional life. Being known as the girl who lives in a sex cult doesn't make it easy to find friends. So when she she's this movie star like woman posting a flyer at her high school Low wants to know what it's for, and whatever it is she wants to be a part of it. She's never wanted to take a pottery class, and really isn't interested in the classes, she just wants to be close to Freya. Week after week Freya showers Low with praise, telling her what a good friend she is, lets her hang out and drink with her, and even helps her get a job at the gift shop. When Freya needs her she's so good to her, but when she doesn't she becomes so cruel and vicious to Low. Low must do everything she can to keep Freya close to her, and push her other friend away.
Jamie just opened her gift shop and it's everything she hoped it would be. A place for local artists to sell their goods to the tourist. She loves Freya's pottery pieces and the two have become close friends. They meet often and gossip and share about their lives and things they wish they'd done differently and goals they have for the future. Freya asks a lot of personal questions about Jamie's dating and sex life. She wants to know if Jamie and Brian would ever be into a swap and invites the couple over for a night of fun. Jamie knows a night of letting loose will be good for her marriage but she told Freya she knows Brian would never want to partake in any sort of swap. Little does she know Freya has the night and all activities planned out, and after this night nothing will ever be the same.

Low Morrison grows up on an isolated island, known for its free-loving ways. Her parents take this to the next level, living a polyamorous life that leaves Low embarrassed, ashamed, and a social outcast. When she spots the beautiful Freya at her school, she's enthralled. She sees Freya hanging up signs for a pottery class and knows she must join. She's Freya's only student and quickly becomes besotted with her teacher. Freya has no problem sharing all of her secrets and desires with her young apprentice. That's until Freya meets Jamie, who owns a local shop in town. The two become quick friends, leaving Low feeling left out and an outcast once again. One night Freya and her husband Max invite Jamie and her husband Brian over for dinner; they have no idea a jealous Low is lurking in the shadows. The foursome partake in drugs and a crazy night occurs, changing their lives forever. It also gives Low a chance to hold something over their heads.

This was a slightly insane and improbable thriller that I sped through in an entire day. It was fast-paced and nearly impossible to put down, as you just knew the characters were hurtling toward disaster. It's filled with a variety of fairly unsympathetic characters, though I felt for Low, unwanted in her own busy family and toyed with by Freya, who cares only for herself.

"I'd had to share all my life. I was done with it."

The story is told from Low's perspective, along with Brian, Jamie, and Max. We never hear directly from Freya, whom all of these characters seem to hold on a pedestal. Why exactly, we can never be sure, as she seems self-centered and cruel, playing with and torturing each of them to get exactly what she wants.

I found this to be a spellbinding read--it pulls you in as only Harding can do. Low's obsession, Freya's narcissism, Jamie's naivete. We can sense it all combining into something propulsive and horrible.

Overall, while I didn't love this one quite as much as The Arrangement, Harding's previous novel, I still enjoyed it. It's a fast-paced and creepy read, plus it's different and fun. 4 stars.

This is a crazy train of a ride and I was all in for it!

Two couples and a lonely, awkward teenager are involved in this toxic mess. Low is a high school senior when she sees beautiful Freya at her school offering pottery classes. Low was instantly interested in her and soon has an almost obsessive fascination with Freya. Things are going well for Low and her friendship with Freya until the summer when Jamie and her husband, Brian, enter the picture.

Jamie and Brian become friends with Freya and her husband, Max. Low doesn't like this budding relationship and soon becomes jealous of it and being tossed aside by Freya. After one night involving some magic mushrooms, Jamie and Freya swap partners for the night and the events that follow are interesting (to say the least)!

I really enjoy this author's writing. I was intrigued from the first page when all I was reading about was Low. I loved getting the other POVs thrown in there from Brian and Max. (and Jamie's, too.) I even felt bad for Max in more ways than one. The premise for this story is so original and I was so happy that I had no idea how it was going to end. I was completely surprised by it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

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This was a heck of a book that I essentially finished in 1-2 reading breaks. The story was so dark and yet I couldn't look away. There is no one to root for, here, but I had to know how the book ended. The story switches between several points of view, but this is a story of a lonely high school student (Low), a former insta-famous bored artist (Freya), and lonely in her marriage store owner who just wants a baby (Jamie). Even though I could see where the book was heading, I had to get to the ending. This is a book that's about obsession and the desire to be liked, and how both are destructive whether we give into them or not.

My Two Cents: Centered around a small town Pacific Coast island village, an awkward teenager (Low) becomes enamored with a new celebrity couple that recently moved in (Freya and Max). When a new couple (Jamie and Brian) moves to the island and becomes friends with Freya, Low infiltrates herself into their lives and becomes increasingly obsessive.

This book was a breeze to read through! The chapters changed perspective every few chapters and were very short, ending each character’s narrative with so much foreshadowing that I couldn’t help but keep going! 

I really enjoyed this book for the entertainment factor and the suspense that permeated the entire story. Knowing from the description that the two main couples end up swapping partners on a drunken night, I expected most of the drama to climax around that event. However, when that night came and went about mid-way through the novel, the foreshadowing only became more elusive and kept me telling myself “just one more chapter… I’ll stop when it changes perspective…”

Typically, I tend to relate to one or more of the main characters and that's what makes the story that much more real to me. In this case, I can’t say I related or even really liked any of the characters, but being inside their heads and understanding why they did the things they did still drew me in. This is probably one of the few books where I loved the book itself, but disliked every single character. Max was probably the one redeemable player and even that I only came to conclude at the end when we finally saw a brief birds-eye-view of his feelings throughout the chaos.

Besides Max, the other characters – Low, Freya, Jamie, and Brian – were horribly selfish and dysfunctional. I could sympathize with them in some ways, but it didn’t excuse their behavior. I don’t want to spill any beans so I’ll just say that Low had a fleeting moment in which I thought she had grown as a person, but in the end I think she was still chasing the same obsession and demons.

Overall, despite disliking the characters, they worked for the story which felt plausible, in large part thanks to the setting that brought it all together. This is a great book if you’re looking for something fun, but dramatic this summer!

The Swap by Robyn Harding is a roller coaster`of a read. The story is told thru the eyes of the characters Low, Freya, jamie, and Max. Part of me feels for Low, not just because of her upbringing, but how she feels about it, How she struggled growing up in a polyamorous family, seemingly unloved by her family., aloner in school, and when Freya comes into her life, something breaks open in her.
Freya, from what I can say about her. Could some of Freya's actions be connected to mental health and manipulation? Part of me knows why people are drawn to her. Yes, she is a beautiful woman, seems to be a free spirit, but there is something darker underneath the surface. Jamie, Freya's new friend, new comer to the island and I felt drawn to Jamie. Jamie is really torn with her friendship with Freya, especially after Freya's ideas come to light and Jamie cannot seem to get past a certain moment that happened over at Max and Freya's house. I give a lot of compassion, stregth, and heart to Jamie. After Jamie learns that her seemingly best friend has easily come to have the one thing that Jamie has always desired.
Max, the man who has a tortured past and who cannot push back of something he truly had no control, Max deals with the tragedy with the notion that thru Freya, he is paying his dues for what happened. Not to mention, how much is a willing person able to take?
Truly a work of art by Robyn Harding. Robyn knows how to keep her readers drawn into this masterpiece. I truly did not see the ending to be the way that it was, and oh my...

I hardly know where to start with this one, let’s just say that it was a fast-paced compelling thriller and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough! In fact, I read this one in just one day. The characters bring wacky to a whole new level.

The setting is an island off the Pacific Northwest with some out-there characters! We have a polyamorous group of characters and there’s a laxness about monogamy for much of the island. Newcomers Freya and Max are a good-looking dynamic couple. Max is a former star hockey player, now disgraced from the sport; and his beautiful wife Freya used to be an Instagram influencer before Max’s actions turned off many of her followers.

Add a gawky teenager, Low, to the mix and you can imagine the eclectic mix coming together. Low becomes entranced by Freya when she takes her pottery classes. Freya develops a friendship with Jamie and there’s a pivotal dinner party with their spouses that has ramifications for the rest of the book. There are some big twists as the story progresses and kept me on my toes!

This was my second read from this author and I will definitely keep reading her new books!