This is a fun, easy listen. I enjoyed the storyline with the two characters, Lena and her grandmother Eileen, switching places. I might have found the constant switching back and forth confusing on audio but the narrators were well-chosen and their voices differentiated the characters easily. I especially enjoyed the perspectives of the two characters. This is what I need in an audiobook, an easy story to follow with superb narration.

Oh my goodness, I absolutely LOVED this book and the audiobook was incredible! I have been a fan of Beth O’Leary since I first read The Flatshare and The Switch did NOT disappoint!

This was the ultimate comfort read, while also dealing with heavier issues in such a real and honest way. The characters were so charming and well developed and I loved watching both Eileen’s help each other heal & embrace their new lives.

This book gave me all the feels and I just wanted to hug it when I finished!

Do you think your Grandma's cool? I know I do.. but this book takes "cool Grandma" to a whole new level. Meet Eileen and Leena Cotton, a grandmother-granddaughter duo that cannot be beat.

Eileen, an elderly woman living in rural Yorkshire, is a grandmother who had dreams of living in the big city when she was young.. Dreams that were never fulfilled because of marriage. Her husband, however, has decided to run off with another woman, and nothing is off the table now. Leena, Eileen's granddaughter, is clearly cut from the same fun-loving cloth as her grandmother. Leena is introduced as a young woman who has turned to work and her relationship to cope with her sister's death and the ensuing rocky relationship with her mother. When she is forced to take a leave of absence from work, Leena and her grandmother decide to swap places for two months - Leena will take over her grandma's small town commitments while Eileen goes to London on an adventure to meet people and have fun. Sounds great, right?

This book was the first Beth O'Leary book that I have experienced, and it definitely did not disappoint! It was a cute read that really spoke to the simple life lessons that intergenerational relationships can teach you. I was fortunate enough to listen to the audiobook copy, and highly recommend this book's audio version. Eileen and Leena were voiced by two seperate women who both did a beautiful job of narrating. The use of two unique narrators really highlighted the age and personality differences between the two characters. I found that I enjoyed hearing about both women's points of view and experiences in their new scenarios, but I really gravitated towards Eileen's chapters - maybe it was the sassy grandma vibe that really got to me.

There are only two *small* critiques I have of this book - I found the pacing of the narration slightly slow for my taste (which was fixable by listening on 1.25x speed) and I didn't love the effect that they used for phone calls - they made the narrator sound distant and slightly distorted. I understand the concept that was being practiced, but found that it fell a bit flat and ultimately just made the words slightly harder to understand.

I would say that this book was a sweet fiction novel that was "just right" - there was just the right amount of romance, drama and sass all the way through. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed listening. I definitely recommend picking up this book in one way or another - the audiobook was great, but the storyline was compelling and would make a physical copy a "can't-put-it-down" kind of read.

So grateful to have received this audiobook ARC from NetGalley.

This book was just what I needed. A sweet story about a grandmother & granddaughter who had seemed to have lost their way. Although the heart of this book is about the loss of their granddaughter/sister it’s not a sad dwelling on that. Eileen & Lena decide to switch places to reset their lives & refocus on who they are after their tragic loss. They didn’t even realize how much they’d lost their way until they were forced to find it again.

I went into this read thinking it was a romance- and while it had romantic aspects that wasn’t the point of the story. It was light and a fun way to read about self exploration. It made me want to trade places with my own grandmother and reset my way of thinking as well.

I loved the narrators as it switched from young Lena to and older Eileen. It gave both women such character. I don’t think I would’ve enjoyed this as much in print format as I did in audio. I could envision this as a movie the entire time- I’d love to see it played out!

Beth O’Leary writes the most charming romcoms & I adore her for it. The Flatshare was a favorite of mine from 2019, and The Switch is another ridiculously lovely read, light in tone but touches on heavier topics, all while balanced with the most delightful cast of characters & the world’s most charming village. This book had me chuckling out loud, smiling like a fool, & packing my bags to move to a teeny village in England. I really liked Leena & could totally empathize with her, but I truly loved Eileen. I want Eileen to be my grandma & also I want to be Eileen. She is perfect. If you liked The Holiday or Love Actually or the Four Weddings and a Funeral series, you’ll like this book. It’s filled with the same sparkly loveliness of those movies/show, & I adored it.

This was an adorable women's fiction where two very different women swap lives. I lived for Eileen and her section of the story, but I could have done without Leena. Some of her choices just didn't make sense to me and I didn't love the romance plot line. I really liked the audiobook, the voice actors were really engaging and it was easy to fall in to the story. This wasn't a story I completely loved, but that is a "me" thing, not a book thing. I would highly recommend this to my friends who read a lot of women's fiction or don't love the explicit content of some of the contemporary romances out there currently.

it was a good audio book. the book was interesting and it was easy to understand. don't hesitate to try it out.

The first word that pops into my head when I think of this book is "fun." It was just such an enjoyable experience. I loved the way this story was told: alternating points of view from our 20-something, work-obsessed main character Leena, and her newly divorced grandmother, Eileen, who is looking for some fun.

First off, Eileen was an amazing character. She was such a BADASS. After getting out of her long time marriage that she realized she was really unhappy in, she decides to give online dating a try with the help of her Leena and her friends. She was also super funny, and I was entertained by all of her chapters. It was interesting to read from the perspective of someone so much older than me, but definitely in a good way.

Leena, on the other hand, is someone who likes to occupy herself with work and doesn't know how to slow down. Going away from the city and into the countryside allowed her a chance to reconnect with her mother and properly grieve the death of her sister. She had some ups and downs along the way (some of which made me a little frustrated), but I could understand where she was coming from. She felt really real to me, which is the most important aspect of characters to me in any novel.

The plot was also really joyous. There is a grumpy old neighbor, a funny neighborhood 'watch' group, a dog who I fell in love with, and more. The cast of characters were all really great, and the story was so light-hearted.

I know I keep saying that this book was really joyous, but there were certainly many heavier topics discussed in it as well (TW for death of a family member, grief, depression, and more). What I really liked about this book was that it had depth to it without being heavy. The story wasn't about the sad parts, but more so about the characters getting passed these things.

This book definitely got me out of my slump, as it was a really fast-paced story. The audiobook narration was also so wonderful. I highly recommend picking this book up if you are looking for something happy and hopeful.

Sweet comfortable journey through loss and self discovery for the women of the Cotton family.

Three generations are present in the story with events focusing mostly on the two women sharing a name, the grandmother Eileen and her granddaughter Leina as they literally switch places for two months. Eileen recovering from divorce, loss and just needing a change of pace makes her way from her cozy hamlet to the hipster arts district in London where she stays in Leina’s flat and gives Tinder a try. Leina after a nervous breakdown at work is put on sabbatical and goes to her grandmother’s quiet house to mind her “projects” and learn to unplug.

All the women are still mourning the loss of one of their own Leina’s sister - and learning how to be family after such anger and sadness has come between them.

Absolutely loved the narration and listening to the elderly neighbors become more human in Leina’s eyes; and hearing Eileen navigate the isolated tumult of city life and romance.

A funny cozy lovely read and frankly it was perfect for me in this time of pandemic isolation and smoke blackened skies so thank you Publisher for the opportunity and discovery of the author.

This was my first audiobook and I loved it! Great narration and the story was sad/sweet. If you enjoyed The Flateshare you should definitely read/listen to The Switch.

I have to say I think Beth O'Leary is my favorite new author find of this year. She writes with so much heart and humor and isn't afraid to tackle difficult subjects. In this story, a family is grieving the loss of a family member. Carla's death has affected them each in different ways. One of the ways to help them move past their grief is for Lena, a bright, London dwelling 20 something, to switch places with her country dwelling 79 year old grandma Eileen.

The adventures each has living in the others town are just so wonderful. You root for both characters as they find new passions, have dating troubles, and learn to make new lives for themselves with their family and friends. Highly recommend this book and author!

I really enjoyed The Switch! After I read The Flatshare I knew I wanted to listen to this one. The two narrators for the audio were great, because you felt like the young women and her grandma were really telling the story. The idea to switch lives is not new in stories but it was such a neat idea to switch from being in your twenties to being in your seventies. I love the grandma, she was just the best!

This is the first time I tried the audiobook from Netgalley and I enjoyed the experience. The story is told in alternative chapters of Leena's and her grandmother Eileen's POV and I was so happy to hear different voice actors for each perspective. Especially Eileen's voice actor was a delight to listen to and she made me laugh so many times!
As for the story, it was a light read and perfect to read if you want to read about family relationships. Overall I would rate this book 3.5/5 stars.

This is a very sweet and wholesome story that was a most welcome read/listen during. A burnt out 29 year old management consultant is put on forced paid leave from work for two months and switches locations with her 79 year old grandmother who cares for many in her small Yorkshire town. Even though both her mother and grandmother live in the small town, the younger Leena has not spent much time there since her sister died and on top of taking on her grandmother's projects, she has to reconcile her relationship with her mother. Eileen's husband has not long walked out on her and she spends so much time caring for her grieving daughter and the welfare of other community members that this two month swap gives her the opportunity to focus on her love life. I loved Leena's London friends and the Eileen's local community and I particularly loved thee relationships that form with each other's friends during the two month swap.

I listed to the audio version of this book and the narrators were wonderful. Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People's Marianne) and Alison Steadman (Gavin and Stacey's Pam) were both perfectly cast. As the narrators switch between each chapter to progress the story, if one chapter relay
a conversation between the two protagonists it would be read entirely by that chapter's narrator as opposed to being voiced by the character as happens in some multi-narrator audiobooks. Highly recommend consuming this as an audiobook. It was very easy to pick up during walks or while pottering around the house. The voice actors were perfectly cast and it was like tuning into to a serial television show in the best way. 3.5 stars

This was a fun book, I always enjoy this author though!! It's a nice little escape when everything feels so heavy!!

This book was such a delight! I loved O’Leary’s previous novel ‘The Flatshare’ and was just as excited to pick this one up. I was a little concerned that one of the MC’s was a 79-year old woman and I wouldn’t be able to connect with her, but honestly I shouldn’t have been worried. Both Eileen and Leena were great, and all the old characters are really what had the story so fun! It was heartwarming and funny and just wonderful all around.

The audiobook was great and I loved the dual POVs and both narrators. The only thing I didn’t like was the phone calls, they sounded echoey and it was sometimes hard to understand what the characters were saying

Highly recommend! This audiobook was a delight and Beth O'Leary’s storytelling is amazing! The narrators did a fabulous job and I was invested in the story from the start, could not stop listening

This isn't the sort of book I normally go for.

So, really, I shouldn't be surprised when I found out very quickly that I wasn't loving it. Strangely, however, I didn't dislike it. It was a simple story that is easily digestible and easy to read. A granddaughter, Leena, and her grandmother, Eileen, switch lives for a bit--the former living an interesting life in London flat, the latter living in a small, quiet village--to basically figure themselves out and sort out their lives.

I liked the narrator for Leena a lot; she was expressive but not overly so, and enunciated words clearly. I really didn't care for Eileen's narrator; the reading itself was fine, but I couldn't look past the... what would you call it? The "mouth noises" as she spoke. The tongue moving spit away, basically. You don't hear it much in real life conversation, but it's piercing in an audiobook.

Regardless, it's a light read that's good for people who want that sort of book; not too serious, just perky enough to make you smile, and makes the daily commute a bit easier. Sometimes you need a book like that even if you don't love it, hence the 3 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of the book for an honest review!

#bookreview #TheSwitch ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I got this audio book #arc and it was fun to listen to. It was quirky and charming but maybe moved a little too slow for me. I liked the characters but felt like sometimes they were missing that connection I'm usually looking for. I did like the storyline and the alternating perspectives. Overall it was still enjoyable and I would recommend checking it out.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing access to the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

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This would be the first time I would be reviewing and in essence completing an audiobook. The story for Beth Leary's The Switch is basically catnip for me. With a generational conflict, family drama, getting back on your feet again and a finding oneself plot plus wonderful female characters and great writing it is easy to love this book. But reviewing it as an audiobook is a different view for me. It took awhile for me to get used to media, for one when I hear a dialogue or a narration I automatically shift to something visual. The narrators voices were wonderful with a different one reading from the point of view of Leena and another one for Eileen. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book once I got the hang of listening to it rather than reading.