it was impossible to listen to this as an audiobook soooooo hard. the download did not complete. will not be trying this again.

This book (audio) is insanely adorable. I was drawn to this one because it reminded me of The Holiday movie where the leads switch lives.
I love books set in England and always find myself wanting to be in their shoes.

I don’t think I’ve read a book like this before with a grandmother granddaughter relationship. It was very refreshing to look at how sometimes we may be sick of our lives but a new life isn’t always better.

This was a delightful listen thanks to the dual narration by Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones. British narrators add a cozy charm that makes almost any story entertaining. I loved the quirky characters, deep friendships, and fairy-tale ending.

What an amusing story.

Leena Cotton lives in London has been asked to take 2 months off from work, as she has clearly over-done it and needs the break. Eileen lives in the country. Nearing eighty, her husband has left her and she has decided to take on dating again to find companionship. Unfortunately, her options are fairly limited in her small town. As Leena and Eileen begin talking, they decide to trade places. Leena needs the break, and Eileen deserves her missed opportunity to "live it up" in London. What follows is quite an amusing, yet eye-opening adventure for each woman.

Overall a cute story. The grandmother cracked me up. She was determined to find love and had no issue speaking her mind to everyone she came in contact with. I enjoyed seeing Leena come to know herself and find her priorities in life.

Overall a cute story. It is fairly slow-paced, so just be aware of that when starting. Not a whole lot of surprises, but sometimes these romances don't need to have them. There was language and some fairly tame, intimate scenes. I mostly liked the narrators. At times Eileen's voice bugged me, but overall it was good.

Thank you NetGalley and Quercus for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A lovely heartwarming story!

Had me hooked from the beginning. Another great book by Beth O’Leary

I really enjoyed this.

One of my favorite things about this book was that while there were romantic things happening between characters, it didn’t define the characters. They were fully formed on their own, and the story wasn’t just about that. It’s also so rare to see older people portrayed as lively and interesting rather than sweet old people, and I loved it.

I usually prefer a single narrator, but having two really worked for this audiobook. It really helped bring it to life and make the story more real for me.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Macmillan, and Beth O’Leary for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

If you are a fan of The Flatshare, you will love this novel by Beth O'Leary! I'm not sure what I was expecting but I loved the dynamic between Eileen and Leena - a grandmother/granddaughter duo who swap lives for two months. It has a very "The Holiday" vibe. It was such a relatable story but I will say that I wanted MORE romance. The love stories were sweet but not the main focus. That being said, I do appreciate all the girl power!

I had a lot of problems trying to download the audiobook from the app and in the end it was archived before I could read it, so I did not get a chance to listen to it.

Three generations of a family deal with a tragedy in different ways. Grandmother Eileen and granddaughter Lena decide to swap lives for a couple of months for a different perspective on their lives. I loved the two different narrators for Eileen and Lena. Their styles added immensely to the character development.


This audiobook was an unexpected delight! I wasn't familiar with the author or narrators before this book, but I will definitely search out more from all of them.

This book felt like a warm, cozy blanket.

The whole cast of characters was very endearing, with a small preference for Eileen, everyone's dream grandmother. The writing is light and full of wit. The small English village setting was lovely. Everything about the story felt heartwarming, aside maybe from the heavier topic of Lena's sister death..

Reading the synopsis, I expected that the two main characters would actually switch bodies, in a magical realism sort of way. I was a bit surprised when that didn't happen,

I listened to the audiobook and the narration was just perfect.

Thanks NetGalley for the preview!

First I really loved this book but I struggled with both of the narrators. They were breathy and I did not like their voices.

The story was sweet and innovative! I loved Jackson and hated Ethan so very much and I'm please Leena ended up with Jackson. Samantha is also the most wonderful little character! Eileen was wonderfully spunky and her life in her tiny village is so fascinating. I went into this story thinking that the book would be simple but the tiny details kept me hooked and I could not stop listening to this story!

How do you cope with grief? Work your brains out or talk about it with someone? How do you cope with loneliness? Stay alone or find a change in perspective? This is what the story is about.

'The Switch' revolves around a woman and her grandmother, who switch their lives after the woman, Lena had a mental breakdown at work and the grandmother, Ilene watched her husband walk away from her. But most importantly, both of them process their grief on losing Lena's sister, Clara.

This is a really fun and light read written from two POVs, and the audiobook was narrated by two people, which was amazing altogether.

The main takeaway from the story is that a change in perspective can do you wonders. You have to watch your life as others to understand your own. It also brings forward the huge generation gap, which was funny by itself.

Written with a British undertone and set in London and Yorkshire, this story is really helpful in taking you out of a reading slump.

This is my First Audiobook in netgalley and I loved it. It was so funny and cute. I thought that audios from netgalley would different to listen to. But it was just like listening to one through audible. Now coming to the book, Its a typical switch (as the title states!), but told in a cute, entertaining way. If you want to end this year with a jolly read then pick this book.

In The Switch by Beth O'Leary we follow Leena, a hardworking woman who was just told to take a two month sabbatical after her presentation was a disaster, and Eileen, a 79 year old recently single woman wanting to make new connections. Leena and Eileen decide to switch places; Leena goes to Yorkshire and Eileen goes to London. We follow both characters on their journeys that spark new opportunities and personal growth.

I absolutely love the way Beth O'Leary writes characters; they feel so real and tangible. She has written some of my favorite characters I've read this year between The Flatshare and The Switch. The book touches on a variety of themes and emotions, which made the story so dynamic. I appreciated the discussion of grief and watching the family dynamics change and relationships grow throughout the story.

The audiobook narrators were fantastic! I loved that there was a narrator for each of the main characters. They were so engaging and they really added something special to the characters.

I had such a ball listening to this heartwarming audiobook and I am looking forward to reading Beth O'Leary's next book!

The Switch is a charming story that follows a grandmother and granddaughter as they switch lives. The book is lighthearted but does highlight a few deeper topics (mental health, loss).

The audio has narrators for both of the main characters (the story is told in alternating chapters). The book is great narrated because it is heavy on dialog and the narrators did use different voices for different characters (with that said, I could not stand the screechy voice of Latitia).

There are a wide cast of characters and each has its own mini-story line. While there is a lot going on, the quirky and endearing cast of characters instill a sense of community throughout the book.

My one complaint is that this story could have done without the main characters finding their love match (a little hurriedly) at the end. It would have been nice to see the women (both of whom were cheated on) happy and thriving without a partner.

If you are looking for a feel good story with a happy ending, look no further.

This is just what I needed this year and right now as the nights are getting darker and my mood has dropped. This is a beautiful story of intergenerational differences, shared grief and how we can all learn something from each other no matter our age. Sometimes a change of scene is just what you need to help you see things from someone else's perspective.
I am really glad that I went for the audiobook version of this as Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones did a brilliant job, helping me to vividly see the characters in my head. I can this being a hit TV mini-series adaptation. It is warm, funny, relatable, a little cheesy and memorable.
If you're looking for something to cosy up to that will equally make you laugh and cry, then this is the book for you.

The premise may be quirky, but the underlying story being told has depth as it tackles confronting issues such as grief and betrayal and most of the family issues we find very difficult to confront with.
It is about understanding what really matters in life, about throwing away the excuses and living for the now, not solely for the future.

This book made me miss my grandma so much I needed to stop reading every once in a while. Also, the stories of the elderlies will break your heart. I loveee this book much as I love the Flatshare.

This is the perfect read for when you need a pick-me-up and need to remember all the things that are good in the world.

Leena Cotton is at a loss when she has a breakdown at a work meeting and is forced to take a 2 month sabbatical. Having recently lost her sister to cancer and become alienated from her mother in the process, she can't fathom what she will do with two months where she can't lose herself in work. Meanwhile, Leena's grandmother, Eileen, has been left by her philandering husband at the age of 79. She'd love to get back out there and meet a new man, but the dating pool in her small Yorkshire village is, well, puddle-sized.

When Leena discovers her grandmother's list of eligible bachelors in the village, all of whom have been found wanting, she decides her grandmother should try online dating. Unfortunately, the online dating landscape has little to offer. That is, unless Eileen goes to London. An idea is born, and suddenly Leena and Eileen are swapping lives. Leena will take over her grandmother's spot on the neighborhood watch committee and handle all of her projects, like planning the May Day festival, while Eileen will try out London life, moving into Leena's flat with Leena's roommates Fitz and Martha.

In alternating point of views, narrated perfectly by Daisy Edgar-Jones and Allison Steadman, the two women navigate the unknown, carving out places for themselves in their new surroundings. Each finds her new life challenging but rewarding, and each brings a little of herself to her new situation and leaves the lives of those around her better for it. Leena finds herself falling for a handsome country schoolteacher while Eileen has a fling with a West End theater actor only to find that maybe she's looking for love in the wrong place after all.

The book is filled with quirky, lovable, believable supporting characters, and the two Cotton women are admirable main characters. While definitely part of the romance genre, The Switch goes deeper to explore the need for genuine human connection among friends and even among strangers while also exploring themes of healing after loss. The Switch is a a lighthearted but by no means fluffy feel-good novel.

Highly recommended, especially on audio!

I absolutely adored this audiobook. To begin, the story itself was so refreshing. I took a lot of gerontology courses when I went to college and it really opened my eyes to the way people, in general, think about and act towards elderly people. I think "The Switch" perfectly captured those thoughts and actions while telling the story form the point of view from an older person and a younger person, so we're able to see both sides. And I liked that romantic aspect of the story focused more on Eileen, Leena's grandmother, rather than the other way around. It's so rare we see romance in popular novels focus on over seventies. I loved it. The story was beyond great.

Moving on to the audiobook itself, my favorite aspect was of course the dual narrators being Alison Steadman, narrating Eileen's chapters, and Daisy Edgar-Jones, narrating Leena's chapters. Alison Steadman brought me to tears on many occasions throughout this book, particularly the ending. I also thoroughly enjoyed her voicing the side characters--sometimes I forgot it was her voicing them! And Daisy Edgar Jones' voice was smooth and I could honestly listen to her talk all day. Her accent is great.

This audiobook really shines with these two ladies narrating for us. It was easy to slip back and forth between both points of view because their voices are so drastically different, and since they're both professional actresses, they were able to convey emotion like I've never experienced while listening to an audiobook. I adored every minute of it.

After having an anxiety attack during a critical work meeting, Leena Cotton is put on a two month work sabbatical that she does not want. When her Grandmother Eileen calls to talk, Leena offers to swap lives with her grandmother. Leena will take over Eileen's 'projects' in rural Yorkshire, and Eileen will move into Leena's flat in London and try online dating. Switching lives seems easy enough, but when things get bumpy it puts Leena and Eileen's relationship to the test and forces them to confront the familial issues they've been pointed avoiding.

I loved the alternating narrators, and the thoughtful social commentary about the intergenerational divide. This book was so good I went and checked out her first book in audio and I'm looking forward to listening to her next book!