Well that was just lovely! Adorable! Quaint! Charming! Take your pick of positive sounding British adjectives and you've got The Switch, which was just what I needed to. As crazy as 2020 has been, I needed a mental vacation and this hit the spot. If you liked The Flatshare, be sure to pick this up too.

#BookReview

The Switch
Author: Beth O'Leary
Genre: Chick lit

The duty of every chick lit novel is to create happiness in the mind and generate a smile on the face. This book does both successfully.

I'm not an avid reader of this genre so if a book leaves me smiling, you can bet that it has something different.

Eileen is a 79 year old grandmother who is tired of her routine life and craves excitement. She also wants a second chance at love and won't shy away from using dating apps to get a partner. But in the village, dating for the 70+ results in slim pickings.

Leena, her granddaughter, is still coping with PTSD after the untimely death of her sister. She is forced to go on a sabbatical by her workplace but isn't used to living life in the slow lane.

That's when the twain decide to switch places. Eileen will move to the city and Leena will move to the village. A perfect solution to both their problems. Or is it?

What I loved all the book was that unlike a typical chick lit, the romance comes secondary. The main focus of the book is on the beautiful relationship that Eileen and Leena share in spite of their generational differences. The story shows us the positive side of both the generations rather than sticking to the "old is gold" banalities.

I heard this in a audiobook narrated by British actors Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones, star of Hulu's Normal People. It was such a joy to hear them bring Eileen and Leena to life. While I would have still enjoyed this book had I read it, I feel their performance raised the book even higher.

Recommended for anyone looking for a light, enjoyable read.

I received an advance review copy of the audiobook for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Switch by Beth O Leary is my first venture towards the wonderful world of the Netgalley Shelf App and Audiobook ARCs. I was excited to grab this book because I’ve heard a lot of good things about her first book! Admittedly, though, I haven’t read that yet.

Unfortunately, though, for The Switch, I was not able to get the story I was expecting.

The book revolved around Leena, in her 20s, and her grandmother, Eileen. Both were experiencing some need for a break/something new so they switched their home setups. Eileen moved to the bustling city and Leena moved to the quiet village.

I have soft spot for grandmothers in books because I miss mine a lot. Its been a decade since we lost her, and reading books with grandmas make me remember our moments together…

However, my love for Eileen is overpowered with how Leena frustrated me. For someone in her 20s, her immaturity annoyed me a lot.

The writing style is very reminiscent to other British women’s fiction I’ve read. The story itself was very character-driven.. and that had harmed my appreciation of the book. I was bored for lots of its parts, but I do commend the little good moments scattered within.

All in all, I think this is a good book. It has the potential to be a favorite among many readers. It just so happened that we weren’t that good of a match. I’ll try checking out the Flat Share to see if that would’ve been a better choice.

Delightful! This book was just what I needed as an escape. I enjoyed the characters, and the dynamics between Grandmother, Mother and Daughter(s). I have a blog devoted to "Senior Lit" and I am always look for books that promote "Senior Women" as active, romantic, vibrant people who live interesting lives.
I felt like this book drove that point home!
"Eileen is newly single and about to turn eighty."
I thought the book also effectively dealt with serious issues such as grief, loss, loneliness, mental health and death that offered emotional tugs that were relatable and thought provoking.
This was the first book I read (listened to) by this Author. I certainly look forward to reading her other books.
Thank you NetGalley and Flatiron books for the opportunity to read and review this wonderful book!
jb
https://seniorbooklounge.blogspot.com/

This is my first audiobook and I loved it, the orators were great, easy to understand, great speaking and all the works, if I do more audiobooks I'm sure my vocabulary will be top notch and I absolutely love British English!

I heard a lot about Beth O'Leary from the bookstagram community through her book The Flatshare, haven't read it but hopefully soon. I saw The Switch on Netgalley and I decided to request for it and it certainly didn't disappoint me.

The switch is a fun, witty read, that also deals on some sad life issues.

Leena, self sufficient, boss lady has fumbled at a presentation. She needs a break after the death of her sister, she hasn't taken time to grieve and rest.

Her company decides to give her a paid leave which she grudgingly takes.

Now what does Leena do with her life? She has never been inactive and feels like a failure. She decides to visit her grandmum and her mum whom she has a strained relationship with.

Grandma Eileen, a recent divorcee wants to find a man and most of the men of her age are in London according to their dating app Leena registers her on😂.

They decide to switch places to help Grandma Eileen get a man and help Lina take a break as well as bond with her mum.

What happens during this period? What do these women learn about each other? What does life throw at them?

That's what you find out when you read this book. I really loved listening to The Switch. Grandma Eileen is a force of nature despite her age and Leena takes after her in her own way. These are alpha females who are still soft, emotional and mushy inside

I love how funny, sweet as well as realistic this book is. So many themes expressed like parenting, handling loss of loved ones, marriage and it's merits/demerits, understanding people around you and their pains, emotions, friendship, building relationships and so on.

Eileen and Leena go through a month living each others lives and learn lessons as well as find love and  fulfillment.

A beautiful story, very funny and sweet, a cool and fast read too!

What a fantastic audiobook experience! The voices were spot on and the difference between grandmother and granddaughter was so well done. There was a wholesomeness to this romance bit more importantly it was a story of self discovery and family healing. I loved it!

The Switch is that story. It's been done before. It is fairly predictable. You know you've seen it before. But it's charming.

Leena and Eileen are granddaughter and grandmother. They are very much alike even with the two generations separating them. Both need to get away from their lives. Leena is having a nervous breakdown at work, so her boss forces her to take a two month paid vacation. (Quick aside...is that a thing? Anywhere? Just paying you to not work for a couple of months?) Eileen is realizing that just because her horrible husband up and left her and she is over 70, she'd not actually dead yet. Unfortunately, her small town is short on eligible bachelors. So they switch.

Big town for small town hijinks ensue. The twist this time is the two fitting into each other's lives. And they seem to do so far more easily than you would expect. Charmingly so. There is really very little conflict all things considered. The romances are pretty easy to see coming. One is more spicy than the other, but in a charming way. Are you seeing a theme?

I am not usually one to pick up a romance. I have been reading a lot of heavy things. This was a nice little palette cleanser. Sorry. A charming little palette cleanser. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes that kind of thing. It even warmed my cold little heart.

I squeaked this one out just before the end of the month!

This book was an absolute DELIGHT. I listened to it on audio and it was one of my top 5 audiobook performances of the year (def recommend).

This is such a charming story about a grandmother and granddaughter who decide to swap places in life. When I first read the synopsis I totally thought the parent-trap or Big, but was more Sweet Home Alabama. I knew early on how it would end, which typically bugs me because I’m just waiting for it the whole time. In the case of @betholearyauthor ‘s The Switch, I just really enjoyed the story and let myself get wrapped up in the witty dialogue.

Thanks @netgalley for this gifted audio copy! It was such a sweet way to round out my month!

QOTD: What has been a fave audiobook performance of yours?

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"Family can be so complicated, but if you just pick your own way of doing it you can end up with something pretty perfect all the same."

Beginning my journey in the audiobook world- I am glad this was my first one ! Thanks to NetGalley for making it available on their app/website. Three words to describe this book would be: warm, funny, and adventurous.

A quick synopsis: Leena and Eileen Cotton needed a change from their daily routine. Set in the picturesque UK country side and London these two ladies switch lives with each other over the next two months. This breath of fresh-air might just open their eyes to new realities and adventures. Might I just add, Eileen is pretty tech-savy as she enters the world of online dating at the ripe age of seventy-nine !

The story was simple and sweet. Its a story about a family who's still trying to grieve the loss of a loved one and how avoiding the pain by just delving yourself in a routine won't make the loss any easier to handle. Additionally, it is also about a change of scenery and perspective. Putting yourself in another persons shoes for sometime and maybe even bringing a change to your own life while living in another persons shoes. From the story we also learn how the older generation is undermined and overlooked, but in reality we can learn a lot from them; making use of the talents they have. And how lonely old people are if they don't have a family/community around them. At the end of the day we all crave human connection no matter what age we become. There was not a time where I felt bored during the story!

Beth O'Leary might just become my go-to author- absolutely loved the way she told this story. The narrators- Daisy-Edgar Jones and Alison Steadman were a blast to listen to! They were fun and not monotonous at all, you could feel all the emotions through their voice modulation. And when needed the narrators changed their voices accordingly suiting different characters in the book.

I loved the relationship between Eileen and Leena- making me crave a relationship just like theirs with my own grandmothers. Each character in the story brought out the best in each other, There was a hint of women empowerment and how women should support each other. Another theme which is hinted in the story is how women or anyone should not bear any kind of abuse in a relationship no matter what society/family says. Through the characters we also see different parenting styles and how parents are still learning the ins-outs of parenting even though the child is already grown up.

This story taught me that not all relationships are perfect and how we should learn to forgive each other because we all are still learning while living through experiences at the same time. Inclusivity- is another take away from this book and how we should include the older generation in our society.

On the whole, this was a great read! And would love to see a movie or might I say a Netflix adaptation of it soon.

"And remind myself for the hundredth time how important it is to support other women in business. I really, fully believe that. It’s a code I live by, and it’s how I plan to make it to the top. "

I really enjoyed this dual perspective book about finding who you really are in the most unexpected of places.

Such a sweet story about family and love. A feel good women's fiction that is light and delightful. When Lina and her grandmother decide to switch lives to get out of their ruts, each discovers talents and things about themselves they never knew. Of course, there is also a healthy dose of romance for both Lina and her grandmother. The topic of grief was handled well without taking over the plot yet adding some depth. Warm and charming characters made this book a heartfelt read. I will definitely be reading more books from this author. I listened to the audio and the performance was first class.
A gracious thank you to MacMillan Audio and Netgalley for a free audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

The last book I read was about the Vietnam War, so I opted for something a little less daunting and a lot more fun this time around. I just finished reading a delightful book titled The Switch by UK author, Beth O’Leary. I breezed through it with a smile on my face; it’s a quirky, feel good book and I highly recommend it. Here’s a quick synopsis:

When London-based overachiever Leena Cotton is ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a big presentation at work, she escapes to her grandmother Eileen’s house for some overdue rest. Eileen is newly single and about to turn eighty. She’d like a second chance at love, but her tiny Yorkshire village doesn’t offer many eligible men. Once Leena learns of Eileen’s romantic predicament, she proposes a solution: a two-month swap.

What results is a sweet—albeit predictable—romantic comedy. Grandma sets up an online dating profile and has a torrid love affair (she’s 79 years old…the images that came to my mind were a little disturbing if I’m being honest), and granddaughter experiences a love of a different sort.

We’re not talking fine literature here, but I enjoyed this diversion from my usual fare.

Such a fun book to listen to. There were 2 viewpoints and 2 narrators and I loved them both. I especially enjoyed the interplay of the different generations in this funny and endearing story.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to an audio version of this novel. My review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.

This is by far my favourite read of 2020!
The relationships between the grandma and the grandchild is a breath of fresh air.
Eileen is witty, doesn’t allow rubbish and is a ray of sunshine to everyone that crosses her path.
Lina is the great picture of the 20-30 year olds in our society, focused on work and the feeling of never doing enough.

I loved that the online safety reminder was for the older generation too!

I could go on forever!
Definitely will read it again and again!

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title.

I absolutely loved The Flatshare and was excited to get a chance to listen to The Switch. While I didn’t love it nearly as much it was definitely a good story. I am looking forward to what she writes next.

I received a free audiobook to review from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
It's been several weeks since I finished listening to this book, but I loved it. The narrators for the dual perspectives were excellent and I loved how the stories wove back and forth.

This was a very sweet book. I really enjoyed the contrast between an older and younger character. I feel like this author's writing gets better and better and I cannot wait to see what they have in store next.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this gifted ALC of The Switch by Beth O'Leary.
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I loved ‘The Flatshare’ from O’Leary, so I had high expectations for ‘The Switch’. This was a super cute book, I was a little bummed the romance wasn’t as prominent but overall still made for an expected HEA.

Both of the lead female protagonist went through the loss of a loved one to cancer. Eileen and Leena, grandmother and granddaughter, switch lives (not Freaky Friday-ish) but decide to reside at one another houses and commit to each others prior engagements. For up and moving to other locations, they both adapted pretty well and made for great comedy. I wasn’t a fan of Leena (TW: domestic violence; emotional abuse) her romantic relationship didn’t sit right with me and how she put up blinders - especially against family members. This cleaned up too easily and left a bad feeling for that whole wrap up. Eileen’s quirky character kept me going and I looked forward to her POV! What is it about British stories that have quirky characters? Maybe I just love quirky characters in general.

I love when an audiobook has multiple authors for dual POV’s. I also loved that each narrator was age appropriate - definitely gave it a more reasonable listen. I do admit, the normal speed was too slow at moments and I needed to speed it up to 1.5x. I might’ve enjoyed this in print format better though.

If you’re a fan of ‘Matchmaking for Beginners’ by Maddie Dawson, then you most definitely need to read this!

I received a complimentary copy of the audiobook from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

After a panic attack at work, Leena is forced to take a two-month sabbatical. Her grandmother Eileen begins a search for love after becoming single. The two decide to swap lives. Leena will live in her grandmother’s small town and Eileen will look for love in the big city. They trade lifestyles & homes.

This is such a delightful audio! Lovely characters In funny & touching situations. Listening to Eileen adapt to a dating website & messaging had me laughing out loud a few times. And the accents made for a relaxing listening experience.

The story was lighthearted yet also sends a powerful message about do-overs & empowerment. Plenty to love in this story line!

I throughly enjoyed the audio & recommend it!

Loved this sweet, charming novel! Eileen and Leena were both lovely characters and I couldn't help but fall in love with their stories. The plot is basically a young professional and her quirky grandmother switch flats for a couple of months after Leena is forced to take some time off from work when she blows a super important presentation.

I loved the theme of it never being too late to really discover yourself, and during this crazy quarantine pandemic time, this is such a great message. If you need a good, positive story with fantastic characters and a great plot, this book is a fantastic choice.

Also, the audio version of this book is SUPERB. I love Daisy Edgar-Jones!!

4 out of 5 stars for The Switch by Beth O'Leary.

Huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and McMillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review this book.