Wow.

This book seriously has it all.

Friendship. Lust. Blurred boundaries. Swinging. Loneliness. Babies. The works.

Managed to finish this book in literally one sitting. Written from multiple points of view - this book is intense and will keep you gripped to the very end.

4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Special thanks to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Swap was my first Robyn Harding novel and I can’t wait to read her others after not being able to put this one down.

Low is an awkward teenager and struggles to fit in anywhere so when Freya moves to town and she takes her poetry class and they connect she finally feels she has a sense of belonging until Jamie walks through the door.

One of the creepiest books I’ve picked up in a long time but I couldn’t get enough. An absolute page turner that kept me on the edge of my seat till the very end.

I want to thank Simon & Schuster Australia and Netgalley for generously providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review.

I found this novel mildly absorbing and engaging, but can’t really say that I liked it. I think it’s because none of the characters, even good-girl Jamie, is particularly likeable. Freya is awful and so is her husband, and I struggle to understand why both Low and Jamie were so obsessed with her. They writing style is also quite matter-of-fact and I don’t think it adequately got across the intensity of emotions that would have to have been in place in this kind of situation, and which might explain why Low and Jamie wanted to be on Freya’s friends list so much. For goodness sake, we have a murder that the perpetrator doesn’t appear to feel particularly guilty about, and a father who was just able to hand over his child to someone else without even batting and eyelid. They were all horrible, really, I didn’t like any of them and I didn’t really care what happened to them. Younger readers might like it more, but it wasn’t for me.

3.5 stars

Wow what a mess. The title says it all . Spouse swapping will always end up nasty and someone will get hurt. This was fast paced, very well written and I couldnt stop reading it.

The Swap is the fourth novel by Canadian author, Robyn Harding. Stuck out on an isolated island in the Pacific North-west of the continent, seventeen-year-old Low Morrison is smart, but friendless and bored, so when beautiful, charismatic Freya Light turns up at her high school offering pottery classes, Low is immediately drawn in. Low’s family life is unconventional, with parents, lovers and children openly cohabiting: Low craves normal, craves acceptance, and Freya embodies that.

Freya had transformed her social media influencer status into a lucrative concern until it all turned to dust when her gorgeous ice-hockey player husband, Maxime Beausoleil ruined it by aggressively overreacting to an illegal hit. Now they are exiled in Hawking and Freya seems grateful for Low’s company. Low revels in her crush, delusional in her adulation, until she is suddenly dropped for a new friend: Jamie Vincent.

Jamie and her husband are newcomers too: Brian a teacher turned YA fantasy writer while Jamie runs a gift shop that stocks Freya’s pottery. The couples hit it off, and one night, after some assisted merriment, the partners swap, unaware they are being observed, and wholly naïve of the far-reaching consequences of their behaviour.

Harding uses four narrators who describe what happened from different perspectives, with the benefit of hindsight. For the reader, it quickly becomes clear that Freya is a psychopath, using her allure to manipulate, targeting the vulnerable, the needy, and setting them up to compete for her attention.

Even when reality dawns, when faced with clear evidence of outright lies, those deceived by Freya make excuses for her, unable to break the strength of her spell: “I considered editing Freya out of my life, too. It was what Brian wanted – not that he’d said so specifically. But I had to agree that ending my friendship with my husband’s lover, who was also my lover’s wife, would make things a hell of a lot simpler. But I couldn’t let Freya go.”

Harding’s fourth novel is deliciously dark in places, with turns in the plot that even the most astute reader will not predict. She paints a vivid picture, fascinating to watch, of a woman who is able to turn every situation to serve her, fostering insecurity when it suits her, grooming those around her into facilitators and acolytes. All this with an underlying black humour that will have readers (perhaps involuntarily) laughing out loud. Utterly brilliant!!
This unbiased review is from a copy provided by Simon & Schuster Australia.

Low Morrison is not your average teen. You could blame her hippie parents or her dreary, isolated island hometown. Whatever the reason, Low just doesn’t fit in – and neither does newcomer Freya, an ethereal beauty and once-famous social media influencer.

After signing up for Freya’s pottery class, Low quickly falls under her spell. Buoyed by Low’s adoration, Freya is compelled to share her darkest secrets and deepest desires. Finally, Low feels a sense of belonging ... until Jamie walks through the studio door. Freya, Jamie and their husbands become fast friends, leaving Low alone once again.

Then one night, after a boozy dinner party, Freya suggests swapping partners. It should have been a harmless fling between consenting adults, but instead, it upends their lives.

And provides Low with the perfect opportunity to unleash her growing resentment.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and it won’t be the last.
This book had me hooked from the first page and I did not stop reading until I finished it.
The characters were unlike able and crazy but in a Fascinating way that kept you turning the pages to see how this toxic relationship would end.
I absolutely loved this book.

he summary
The Swap follows Low, a queer teen from a polyamorous family who has thus been alienated from her small island community. One day, she sees Freya, a new arrival, signs up for her pottery class- and so starts the obsession. If I were to sum up this book in one word it would be obsession. Freya is charismatic, sociopathic and manipulative- an expert at winning over vulnerable people like Low. Low quickly becomes swept away with her adoration and- you guessed it- obsession. She becomes resentful of Freya's best friend Jamie who has similarly fallen prey to Freya's charms. One night, Freya and Jamie swap husbands which sparks a dark chain of events.

the writing
Robyn Harding's writing was really well suited to the story. I enjoyed the multiple POVs included, while I found a few to be unnecessary. I found the writing to be addictive, easy to fly through and distinct for each character.

“At home, I was an afterthought. At school, I was a pariah. At Freya’s studio, I was everything. Freya was a best friend, a parent, and a crush all wrapped up in one worldly, glamorous package. Later, people would say I was obsessed with her, but I wasn’t. With Freya, I was home.”

the characters
I didn't particularly care for any other characters, which i think was the point. I understood that they were all meant to be unlikeable and morally grey, but it still impacted slightly on my enjoyment of the story. I think if there was the inclusion of someone I could root for it would have added to the suspense of the story, because I would have actually cared what happened to them. Instead, I spent the whole story almost wishing something would happen to them (particularly Low and Freya who really got on my nerves)

the suspense
this is where my enjoyment faltered. While this was marketed as a suspense-thriller, I found it more like a literary drama for the majority of the book. I didn't have that foreboding or unsettling feeling that I need in thrillers to pull me in. It was only in the ending that The Swap felt satisfactorily thrilling.

the ending
I really loved the ending. The slow burn of the rest of the novel finally payed off in the end. However, the finale could not completely make up for the, not boring per se, but monotonous build up.

the verdict
overall, this was a satisfactory read that makes me really excited to dive into some of Robyn Harding's backlist which I have heard such good things about. I found this book to hold much potential, and while the story wasn't entirely for me, I have hope that another of her books will click better with me. I would still recommend this if the premise interests you, and I think my 3.5 stars is definitely the minority considering all the 5 star ratings I have seen!

★★★☆☆.5 stars

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Australia for this ARC!

Release Date: 8 July 2020

The Swap is a wickedly delicious and addictive tale of obsession, sex and toxic relationships.

Heading the cast is Freya, a classy, beautiful narcissist and manipulator of the highest order. Previously a social media influencer until her husband Max made a bad mistake. She and Max have retreated to a small island near Seattle, where she has her own pottery studio, but really she wants nothing more to be back in the limelight.

Next are her two 'friends', Jamie, a slightly boring woman who owns the shop where Freya sells her pottery. Jamie and her husband Brian came to the island for a fresh start after getting caught out by a surrogate baby scam. Jamie really wants a child but she and Brian can’t have their own baby.

Seventeen year old Low (short for Swallow – her parents are hippies) is a six foot tall, gangly redhead who doesn’t fit in to her family or the teenage community on the island. When she sees confident, elegant Freya pin up a notice on the school board for for pottery classes she’s hooked. And so begins her obsession with Freya and a toxic relationship that will have Freya playing Jamie and Low off against each other. Her obsession will find her watching outside Freya’s house on a night when the two couples get together for a drug-fuelled evening that will change all their lives.

Told in the voices of Low, Jamie, Max and Brian, we can only guess at Freya’s motives and thoughts. This was a fast paced, absorbing and totally fun read!

This is the second book by Robyn Harding that I have read now and it definitely won't be my last, she is going straight onto my auto-read list! I absolutely love a gripping story with twists that I don't/didn't see coming and this sure delivered. These characters...wow talk about crazy women! I found it hard to really like any of the main characters, yet actually found myself feeling sympathy for each of them at some point in the book. This story was unlike anything I have read (so far) and it was refreshing to find a thrilling drama that held my interest and surprised me by the end. Stayed up way past my bedtime last night to finish this one and I have no regrets at all haha! Thank you so much to Net Galley, Simon & Schuster Australia and Robyn Harding for such a great eARC and opportunity to honestly review.

I love a Robyn Harding novel and once again she has nailed it with The Swap. It is a twisty and addictive story of friendships, betrayal and jealously to the extreme. I could have easily read this in one sitting if I had started it earlier in the evening. I couldn't wait to get back to it and find out how it was all going to play out. And that ending - was not what I was expecting. If you love psychological thrillers, Robyn Harding is an author you need to read.

Low is a socially awkward teenager. She has no friends and lives with her hippy parents (and their partners) on the island. She just does not fit in and keeps to herself. Until she sees newcomer Freya. She is an Instagram influencer from LA who has just moved to the island with her ex hockey player husband for a quiet life. Despite the age different they seem to hit it off when Low attends a pottery class run by Freya. Low becomes obsessed with the woman and will do anything for her. Freya has also friended Jamie and her husband Brian. One night while having a few drinks, Freya suggests a partner swap....and that is where the fun begins.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster Australia for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.

I loved the pace of this delightfully wicked thriller, the author never disappoints. The Swap is a dark, twisted, saucy tale of obsession and lies.

Swallow mostly known as ‘Low’ is a seventeen year old teen, that doesn’t fit in at school and is from a polyamorous hippie family. She is fascinated and becomes obsessed with ethereal blonde and former social media star Freya who is new to the island and making a fresh start. Low signs up for her pottery classes hoping to get closer to her girl crush.

Freya befriends gift shop owner Jamie who cannot conceive and was a victim of a surrogate mother scam. Low becomes jealous of the women's growing friendship.

Freya and her handsome professional hockey player husband Max invite Jamie and her husband Brian over for a drug induced night of magic mushroom tea which leads to decisions of regret and devastation.

Themes for this story are sociopathic behaviour, spouse swapping, violence, abuse, superficial friendships, toxic relationships, jealously, narcissism and loneliness. Totally absorbing read with an explosive ending.

Robyn Harding never fails to amaze me. This book is incredible. It's a dark, disturbing story about obsession and lies.

The characters in this novel are all amazing. I never knew who to trust, nor could I have predicted what would have happened.

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this E-book to review via Netgalley.

Low, 17 years old teenager who raised in polyamoroid family, with little to no friends as she feels she doesn't fit with anybody.
Thing changes when she meets Freya, a used to be influencer who moved to the island following her husband's abusive scandal.
Another couple, Brian and Jamie, looking for a fresh start by moving to the island and starts their couple friendship with Freya and Max.

This is a psychological domestic thriller, which involves marital issue, friendship, secrets and betrayal. It's about obsession and toxic relationship with scandalous plot and unexpected ending. It definitely will be a big hit on publication date on July 2020.

THANKS Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Australia for an electronic ARC.

In her latest psychological domestic thriller Robyn Harding explores poisonous female friendships, jealously, obsession, adultery, and the old proverb of two's company, three’s a crowd.

Freya Light was living the high life in LA, a successful Instagram celebrity with half a million followers, until her husband's professional scandal saw it all taken from her. Forced to move to a small island community leaves Freya feeling resentful and bored.

Teenager Low Morrison has always felt like she doesn't fit in anywhere. Not with her peers, nor with her parent’s polyamorous lifestyle. Then, she meets glamorous, seductive Freya, and immediately develops a fascination with her.

Jamie Vincent, and her husband Brian, moved to the island for a fresh start. When Freya walks into her gift shop Jamie is quickly drawn to her charm and extroversion. Even their husbands get along, and the two couples are soon socialising as a foursome.

Until one night of partying ruins it all.

Unsettling, disturbing, sexy, fun, ironic, and let's not forget twisted and twisty. I finished The Swap in a day, and couldn't put it down. And any book that holds my attention so firmly in these uncertain and ever-changing times is a winner in my book. Freya is cold, calculating, damaged, and self-absorbed and her treatment of everyone in her vicinity is manipulative, hurtful, and harmful. I love that you were never given her POV adding to the air of mystique and unpredictability surrounding her, and you never knew how crazy or dangerous she was going to get. Jamie and Low were both naïve and fragile, the perfect targets for Freya, and it was scary to witness how dependent on her they became and how much of a hold and influence she had over them. Both were likeable characters and I was very afraid for their sanity and safety.

Don't ask me why because the plots were remarkably different, but The Swap gave me a Jennifer Hillier – Little Secrets vibe, maybe because both involve marital issues, secrets and betrayal, were emotionally impacting, and fast-paced, addicting, easy reads? So, if you liked that one then I think you will enjoy this novel.

Robyn Harding couldn't have done a better job with The Swap, and I'm predicting it is going to make a lot of people's top favourite lists for 2020. I know it will be on mine.

I'd like to thank Netgalley, Simon & Schuster (Australia), and Robyn Harding for the e-ARC.

Publication Date: 8th July, 2020.