Some life lessons taken from 'The Switch':
1) Remember to ask myself WWWCD*?
and
2) being nosey can be decidedly useful.

*What would Eileen Cotton do?

In 'The Switch' by Beth O'Leary, Leena Cotton is forced to take a long overdue sabbatical and decides to visit her grandmother Eileen. While recoopurating, Leena developes the ingenious idea of swapping lives - bored octagenarian Eileen can temporarily live in Leena's flat in London and Leena can adopt, Eileen's stress free, easy life in rural Yorkshire.

Needless to say, both women discover that neither have a true notion of the other's life and both receive numerous shocks over the coming weeks. They experience their 'new' lives and learn how to accept differences experiences, people and slowly come to make positive changes around them.

It would be so easy to dismiss this book as nothing other than a typical, predictable 'chick-lit'. but thankfully O'Leary is an accomplished author and not only creates well-rounded and interesting characters with a tragic back-story which engages the readers attention.

The story was so charming and heart warming. The reader is constantly supporting our two protoganists and laughing at their mistakes, while crying at they learn to confront the tragedy in their lives. Such a wonderful, feel good and positive read.

Thank you to the Beth O'Leary, Macmillan Audio and Net Galley for an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book is amazing! It follows a grandmother and her granddaughter who are stuck in a rut in life and decide to switch lives. I love how much they learn about each other from their lives. Leena learns to appreciate what an amazing woman her grandmother is and the value of living in a small town. Eileen learns prioritizing yourself is important and also how to use a cell phone and dating websites. This book is also a great exploration of what it's like to grieve the ones you've lost and the toll it can take on the family. Grieving is not linear for anyone and this book does a good job at showing this. This is a fun read and I highly recommend the audiobook.

I enjoyed The Switch by Beth O'Leary. This was a fun romance and also a family drama. The characters were well developed and interesting. I enjoyed the narrator. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Net Galley for an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I loved author brought two generations together and touched on the important things in life. It is such as sweet story held in a charming village that I would love to visit.

I highly recommend this story in audiobook form. Great narration that sweeps you up into the story.

I want to thank NetGalley, the author and publisher for this audiobook. Opinions expressed in this review are honest, my own and left voluntarily.

As I read the description of this, I thought it would be similar to the movie The Holiday. While it had some similarities, it definitely is a wonderful story all on its own. I love the Beth O'Leary can take a grandmother and granddaughter duo and make them into a fresh and new story. The kind of story that you want to root for both and can't wait to see what they discover about themselves.

Both women decided to switch homes and personal responsibilities for two months. It was not meant to be a way to mourn and grieve the lost of a loved one, but it turns out to be the best way for them to do so. An huge accomplishment in itself, they both learn so much more about their own lives and what they are capable of.

I enjoyed watched Leena and Eileen discover that their limits are boundless. It was truly heartwarming and a great reminder that it's ok to take the small town route because sometimes the hustle and bustle of the big city isn't always meant as a long term goal.

This book was great on so many levels!!! I loved the points of view from the grandmother and the granddaughter and how they understand more about each other in the end. Makes me wish my grandmother was still with me so I could switch places with her and see what her life was really like.

This was a cute listen!
Lena is a girl grieving the loss of her sister and stuck in a rut. When Lena is told to take some time off work (8 weeks) she goes to visit her grandmother, Eileen. There, the two hatch a plan to switch lives for a bit because they could both use a break.
This was so much fun to listen to. The narrators go back and forth between Lena and Eileen. It kind of reminded of the movie The Holiday except that it wasn't at Christmas.

Oh my goodness, The Switch was such a super cute listen!

Leena is in her 20s, her grandmother Eileen is 79. Both of them are tired of being stuck in their rut. When Leena learns she’s being forced to take a 2 month sabbatical from work, she escapes to her grandmother’s to unwind.

That’s when they match a plan - a two-month swap. Leena will live in her grandmother’s home and take care of her projects in rural Yorkshire; and Eileen will move into Leena’s flat in London.

I loved Eileen - every meddling moment and romantic encounter of Eileen’s time in London. While Leena is much closer to my age and personality, I connected more with Eileen.

The narrators, Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones really brought this book to life! This was the perfect audiobook to listen to while commuting - some love and romance, definitely times when I found myself laughing out loud.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the review copy in exchange for my honest review.

My inaugural listen with NetGalley audio! It was one I was highly anticipating and definitely delivered on those expectations.

I was so charmed by author Beth O'Leary's debut The Flatshare, I was all in for her next novel. The Switch was by turns hilarious, heartbreaking and poignant.

Three generations are reeling after Leena's sister Karla dies after a valiant battle with cancer. When exhausted, grief stricken, overachieving Leena is forced to take a two month sabbatical from work, she escapes to her grandmother Eileen's cottage in the Yorkshire countryside. While Leena has a strong relationship with her grandmother, things are strained between she and her mother Marian.

Grandma Eileen is wrestling with dissatisfaction with her own life. She finds her village a bit lacking in excitement and after a divorce is considering the possibility of romance. She also is keeping secrets from Leena about how Marian is handling grief.

Maybe if Leena and Eileen switched places for two months they will both find what they are seeking? Grandma Eileen moves in with Leena's roommates in her London flat and enters the world of senior online dating. Leena takes over all of Eileen's organizational duties back in Hamleigh-in-Harksdale, and continues to avoid her mother.

I LOVE inter generational stories and delighted in the relationship between Leena and Eileen. Eileen is clearly the star in this story, well it's clear to ME. Senior citizens are rarely explored in-depth or move beyond stereotyped caricatures. This look at not only Leena, but her community was a refreshing departure.

I also am drawn to stories about grief and this one clearly illustrates how differently it impacts each individual. This sophomore effort from O'Leary was a hit with me and especially enjoyable on audio. Highly anticipating her next, The Road Trip.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and Libro.fm for the complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest opinion.

To be honest, if I had read this book it would probably have gotten 4 stars from me. However, I listened to this story and the narrators were so amazing that an extra star was added to my review.

I absolutely loved the grandmother, 79 year old Eileen Cotton. I wish we could all have a grandma like her!

Throughout this story in which grandma from a Yorkshire village swaps lives with granddaughter Leena in London I cried and smiled as I was so touched by it. There are several laugh out loud moments, trust me, I got some strange looks laughing with my headphones on while doing chores around the house.

I like how it touches on what is most important in life, fast paced life and attending all sorts of parties in a big city is not the ideal life for everyone. Many people, myself included prefer a slower paced life with more green around us and surrounded by friends and/or family.

I have already been recommending this book and especially the audio version to friends and family.

This audiobook made me want to make a pot of tea and dream of all things British. The narrators were lovely. Perfectly cast in their roles and the story was just what I needed during a pandemic that has us stuck inside.. The story was heartwarming and delightful despite the fact that it had me sobbing real tears at the end. I highly recommend The Switch and now I am going to go check out the authors other books.

What a lovely book! I laughed, I cried and everything in-between. The story was fresh and the narration was perfect. I want more of the Cotton women!

CW: domestic abuse, dealing with grief

The Switch tells a story of two women, Eileen and Leena, who after their share of decide to switch places in hopes of finding themselves once again. This experience brings in a variety of emotions and realizations for Eileen and Leena.

Leena drowns herself in work after her sister dies. Burying herself in it, she becomes overloaded and loses herself. She was losing a grip on everything and when her work forced her into a two month sabbatical, she felt as if the world was going to unravel. Her grandmother, Eileen, encourages her to come stay with her in a quiet countryside where she can get away. Then comes the idea to switch. They would switch houses, technology and responsibilities. Leena is now part of Neighborhood Watch, dealing with a nosy neighbor, and more.

After her husbands infidelity, Eileen is struggling with the thought of starting over in her late 70s. But now in London, Eileen finds herself diving into a number of things. She starts up a social club for the elderly and sometimes forgotten folks of London, joins a dating site all the while helping Leena's friends (and trying to make sure that Leena and her mother are getting along and taking care of each other).

Throughout this book, the readers really get to learn more about Leena and Eileen. We see everything they can handle and how they've learned to handle the number of things that life throws at them. I loved getting to know these Cotton women and see them grow throughout the two months of switching lives.

The Switch is a book that I've already tossed at people, insisting that they read it. It's a heartwarming story that has romance, but really focuses on the growth of Eileen and Leena which is what I truly adored.

Such a heartwarming read. Following the death of her sister, and subsequently blowing a big work presentation, Leena whisks away from London to her grandmother's house in the countryside for a sabbatical.

Eileen, Leena's grandmother, is in her 80s and recently single. With Leena's arrival, they decide to swap lives for a bit- Eileen heads to London with Leena's phone and lives in Leena's flat there to try her hand at dating while Leena settles into her grandma's life in the countryside helping with her community initiatives.

The audiobook narration was fantastic! I loved the flip between Leena's and Eileen's voices. The accents are just lovely.

Is it really an adventure if you don’t make at least one rather ill-advised decision?

This story was so super duper cute! It was all about Family, forgiveness& fun

Eileen was the grandmother I wish I had! She was so full of life, with a take charge attitude. I loved Grandma taking the opportunity to go on an adventure, something she’d always wanted to do, as well as her budding friendship with Letitia, an overlooked neighbor in the building. Grandma’s reading and the tea bag formed “male genitals” which was a sign that “good things were coming her way”. I heard that 👏🏾 Too funny!

This was such a sweet, cozy, beautiful book. It tackles such important themes with ease! It just grips you. This is my first book by the author, although I must say, I’ve been meaning to read The Flatshare for a while…

I love this type of heartwarming books that make you think, and that take a look at life in a new light…

In this one, our two main characters, Leena and her grandmother Eileen change not only houses but lives. While Leena moves to the country side where she is supposed to rest and take time for herself, her granny Eileen moves to London to her flat where she takes to online dating.

There’s some amazing characters in this book, my personal favs being Eileen and Leena’s new fav neighbor!

This audiobook was amazingly well done, the voices fit the characters incredibly well and it made it even more enjoyable. With a lot of my time passing at work, audiobooks are my fav thing, since after a long day of work it tends to be difficult to grab and read a book. I listened this through in two ‘sittings’, and had the best of times – it was more than I expected, and I’m in LOVE with Eileen! She is an amazing character and the audiobook really did justice in bringing her to life.

I also tend to love books with a tiny community, in a more rural setting, and this book is no different. I loved rural Yorkshire and all the things going on in it, it’s the same feeling I have with Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls!

TW – Depression, Cancer and Grief.

The follow up to Beth’s debut was JUST AS AMAZING. I can’t wait did more from her. This one again handles tough topics with grace, humour and love. I absolutely adored it!

I loved this book so much. It had me lol and grandma. If my grandma was like her I dunno what I would do.

Lovely! Loved the narrators and the format really worked in audio. I would say that the audio wasn't top quality, a little bit shrill, which meant I couldn't listen to it before bedtime - but that might be to do with file size uploads. I was hooked on the story and rooting for all of the characters. I do wonder if the references to 'oop north' , the north being rural and unconnected, could have been challenged a bit especially as being a northerner it get tiring being mocked for my accent in London!
All in all, a super lovely, uplifting romance for dark times.

THE SWITCH is another lovely book from Beth O'Leary. I appreciated it dealt with multiple generations, and I love how the characters build up a community around them. It reminded me a bit of the movie THE HOLIDAY, where two women start out feeling quite alone, but by the end, have a very full life where they are not only happy with the world around them, but with themselves, too. I especially liked LISTENING to this book. I'm not always an audio book person, but the people reading did a great job and their voices matched the characters as I imagined them. Would highly recommend.