The Switch is an entertaining and very well written book. I highly recommend it. I received an advance audio book from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

Wow, that was a really good book!! I was expecting maybe on average a 3 or 4 star read, but no... Nope, this one gets allllll the stars

I loved how the narration switched and that there were actually 2 people doing the 2 main character's voices. It left absolutely no room for confusion about who's talking/what point of view I'm listening to ATM. The character development was spot on as well, I felt like I knew these women. I love when that happens.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with the audiobook so that I can share my thoughts and opinions with y'all 💛

This book have make my heart dance!! This story filled me with warmth and joy. I didn’t wanted it to end. It fascinating how the author shows the different stages of grief that a family went through and how even when the people whom thought were the strongest may also loose themselves because of it.
It was brilliant how O’leary presents an important topic as how alone and without purpose the elderly people might feel.
I can’t stop saying how much I loved this book!!
I fell in love with Hamleigh and all the Neighbourhood Watch/May Day committee members. How they care for each other and that we can get glimpses of everyone’s stories.
Seeing things through Eileen’s eyes was so fun. I want to be her when I grow old. I want another grandma like her so loving and full of life. I adore my grandma so IDK if im biased with this book but have I mentioned I loved it? If I didn’t a can tell you enough how much I love it!! <3

I read/listened to this audiobook thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio.

I loved Beth O’Leary’s The Flatshare, so I was excited to read her sophomore novel, The Switch.

After a panic attack during an important meeting, Leena is forced to take a two-month sabbatical from work to rest and regain her mental composure, but she struggles to let go of her responsibilities. Meanwhile, her grandmother, Eileen, is nearing her eightieth birthday and is looking for new love and some more excitement in her life, but struggling to find any age-appropriate bachelors or new things to do in her very small town. Leena goes to visit her grandmother one day, and they decide that what they need is to swap lives for those two months, letting Leena relax in the countryside and giving Eileen an adventure in London. What ensues is a heartwarming, funny story of second chances, friendships, the meaning of family, and unexpected romances.

Eileen is the coolest grandma ever. I love that we have a POV of an eighty-year-old woman, which is uncommon in literature. I feel like the younger generation subconsciously ostracizes the older generation because we don’t understand them, and they don’t understand us. But this book goes to show that there are a lot more similarities between generations than we realize, and that elderly people are still people—they’re not dead yet—and they are worth getting to know. I love how Leena creates such genuine bonds with all the elderly people in her grandma’s town. She even has a soft spot for cranky Arnold next door. I hope I can be like her someday.

It’s pretty easy to tell early on how the story’s going to end, like who Leena and Eileen are going to end up with, but it was fun to be on the journey with them regardless and see them struggle along the way.

It can be intimidating to step out of our comfort zones, but The Switch shows readers how much we can grow and learn from taking a leap of faith and doing something different and unexpected for once. I loved the morals and lessons this book taught.

This story is less romantic than The Flatshare, even though there’s romance in it. Like in her first novel, Beth O’Leary discusses some difficult topics in this novel too. We have grieving a death in the family, cheating, catfishing, anxiety and panic attacks, and getting out of an abusive relationship. And we also have a strong focus on friendships in the unlikeliest of places, the true meaning of family, and finding a lifelong love.

The Switch was super cute. I’d recommend it to any reader of contemporary literature. I don’t know if I’d say this is contemporary romance since the main plot for both characters was not romance but instead their goals to help their respective communities, but there is definitely a very tender romantic outcome for both of them as well.

What a fabulously quirky and fun audio read this was!

I loved the dual voices, the generation gap evident even in narration...I found myself laughing out loud more times than I could count.

The voice of the author’s writing is special and while an accent is prominent, I LOVED that about this story...as you can see, I’m a huge fan of British English. 😉

With Leena, I connected with her workaholic ways, the fact that she’s extremely high strung and has an immense amount of baggage to unpack emotionally...I cried at the raw emotion in her parts surrounding her mother and sister. It felt all too real.

And Eileen...oh, what I wouldn’t have have given to have a grandmother like her. Spunky and smart, independent and resourceful no matter her surroundings. I love how she gave no choice for people to just love and accept her...it made me want to hug her every time her chapters came up.

Overall, I felt completely whole after reading (listening to) this book...I look forward to more from this author.

**4.5 Sassy Gran, Stars**

This book blew me away! I was unable to but it down. Perfect, dazzlingly, very well written. The details the author described throughout the book was so amazing. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

I'll be honest, this wasn't my favorite audiobook.

I didn't really like the narrators, I didn't quite follow the story, and it took me forever to get through.

I'll def read the book to better grasp this story, but unfortunately this audiobook wasn't for me!

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Switch reminded me of the movie The Holiday. Ya know, the one with Jack Black. In it, you will meet Leena and Eileen. They are related and very cute. After making a huge mistake at work, she decides it's high time for a vacation. A 2 month long one. Oh lord, that sounds dreamy.

So she decides to switch places with her grandmother Eileen. Not like Freaky Friday, not just like in the movie I mentioned they just switch homes. Eileen is a-okay with this because at almost 80 years old.. she is ready for a second chance at love.

Out of the two, I did love Eileen a bit more. There was just something about her, call it a spark. She was just way too cute and I loved everything about her. Then there's Leena, who was okay, but damnnnn I just wanted her to pick Jackson. In a way, they both needed a second chance at love. Something better than before.

In the end, it was cute and I'm very happy what happened to everyone.

4 stars

Fun fact; somewhere in my stone cold heart, I have a tiny soft spot for grandmas. I don’t know why but I just really enjoy their company. I won’t swoon over babies but whenever I see a nice old grandma I grew ridiculously soft. Let me tell you, grandmas are the best company you could ever have!

Now the reason I’m mentioning that is because I truly adored Eileen (the 79 years old grandma) I adored her character and her charming personality. Her chapters were a delight to read and I truly wished she was real so I could meet her. She was the shining star of this book.

Even though the plot was simple and kinda predictable, the book was still a delightful heartwarming read. I loved listening to this one on audio (so thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for providing the audiobook) it was so well done. The narrators did a splendid job. Overall, this was a really cute book to read.

I think the world sort of needs a book like this right about now. A slow ride, with cute characters and a wholesome premise, but the story itself fell short for me. I feel as if I have seen/read this before, except this time both characters just didn’t really hit the mark for me. I did listen to the audio version, so maybe I would have had different feelings had I read the actual book. I just feel that fictional books miss the mark when it comes to audio.

If you enjoy slow books, with the whole “switching your life” aspect in a sleepy English town-this may be the perfect book for you. I wanted to love it, but just could not.

This book was a perfect summer read and a wonderful follow up to THE FLATSHARE.

The story is told from dual POVs of 79 year old Elaine and her granddaughter Leena in alternating chapters as they switch lives for 2 months. Elaine heads to a shared flat in London while Leena moves to a tiny village in the countryside. They both must learn to live way outside their comfort zone but luckily they each have a wonderful cast of supporting characters to help them along the way.

THE SWITCH is full of heart and humour and also tackles some important subjects in a way that never feels heavy. O’Leary’s writing is totally immersive and highly readable. I didn’t want this one to end.

Thank you to the publisher for the advance listening copy.

The Switch- listened to this as an audiobook, I thought this a lovely easy listen. I enjoyed the stories of both young and old and the relationships between them. #the switch #netgalley

I loved The Flatshare, so I was really excited to listen to the audiobook of The Switch. When I started The Switch, I wasn't sure I would like it--I'm not usually a fan of novels and movies centered around a city girl relocating to the country. However, I really liked it. I enjoyed the close relationship between Lena and Eileen, her grandmother. I really loved how full of life Eileen and the other elderly characters are. I'm looking forward to Beth O'Leary's next book!

I went into this book expecting a light read with some romance and family drama mixed in. There was very little romance and the drama wasn't that dramatic. The book turned out to be rather boring. I kept reading hoping it would get better but it didn't. I would not recommend this book and I'm not sure I would this author's next work.

For the love of quaint English villages, Yorkie accents and old school crisis management.

Meet the ladies!

Leena is a 29 year old overachiever who suffers a panic attack at work ang goes on paid leave for eight whole weeks to pull herself together. Lena had a horrible year after losing her sister to cancer, something that marred her relationship with her mother.

Eileen, Leena's grandmother, is a 79 year old lady who wants to start over after her husband walked out on her, her granddaughter died, and her daughter's life broke to pieces. Eileen is a force of nature in her home village of Hamley. Funny and fearless.

Leena and Eileen switch places for 8 weeks, prompting Leena to reconnect with her old self before that horrible year and nudging Eileen towards a new adventure of dating and socializing in London.

My favourite parts were those of Eileen. Although she is a granny, she is far more vivacious and hilarious than Leena. My second favourite is Eyleen's neighbours. Leena, however, takes the wooden spoon. She comes across as a cliched type A personality who wants to be always in control and ends up losing it all.

This one was fun to read/listen to. I was hovering between 3 and 4 stars, then finally settled on 3.5 pumped up because the audiobook was actually good. It's my first audiobook by Alison Steadman, but I will be looking out for her narrations from now on. I'm also in the mind of checking Beth O'leary's backlist. I love her sense of humour.

After reading, and loving, The Flatshare, I had high hopes for The Switch. Both the main characters, Eileen and Lena, are lovable and relatable, and I found myself rooting for them throughout the novel. However, the book does drag in the middle, and while I picked up on the chemistry between Eileen and Arnold right away, I had a hard time buying into Lena and Jackson. The chemistry was lacking and underdeveloped. All in all I enjoyed the book, but I enjoyed The Flat share far more.

***Thanks to MacMillan Audio via NetGalley for providing a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.***

What a delightful read! I loved Beth O'Leary's debut, The Flatshare, and her second novel follows it up very well. It worked wonderfully as an audiobook, with two narrators alternating as the main characters, Leena Cotton and her grandmother, Eileen. Like O'Leary's previous novel, The Switch throws two characters who have seen better days into an unusual circumstance and follows what comes of it. Leena and Eileen decide that their lives both need change, and so they switch - Leena assuming her grandmother's duties on the Neighborhood Watch in her small town, and Eileen moving into to her Millennial granddaughter's flat in a hip neighborhood of London. Of course, hi-jinks ensue, bonds are formed and broken, and they both learn that the change their new environments provide is really change that they had within themselves all along. I loved this read, and it cements Beth O'Leary as an author I'll be anxiously awaiting new novels from in the future!

After reading The Flatshare, I was thrilled to get my hands on Beth O'leary's latest novel. I really enjoyed the voices in the audiobook - good narrators can make or break an audiobook for me, and in this case I think in enhanced the experience (particularly the reading of Eileen's final speech in the book.) I found The Switch to be a very cozy book to read/listen to. Like in the Flatshare, these are real people dealing with real life situations. While there is a romance (several actually!) it's not just fluff. I loved all of the characters, especially the elder Eileen. I would love to know her. In fact, I think I need to move to Yorkshire and find my own assortment of lovely neighbors.

4.5 stars

This book was incredibly cute and funny to listen to. I loved the concept of switching lives, especially with a grandmother and her granddaughter. Because of how far apart Leena and Eileen were in age, the lived almost opposite lives. The switch then obviously presented some initial challenges for them with not only the cities they lived in, but what they each did on a day to day basis. It was hilarious seeing the two navigate the change. But over the two month period, they began to learn more about themselves and ultimately what they really wanted out of their lives. And, they found love along the way, so that never hurts.

Not only did they have this self-discovery, but their relationships with Leena’s mother began to heal. It was beautiful to see them come together again after losing Carla. I think this, as well as all the other supporting characters, added another depth to the story. Each person supported them in their adventure.

Overall, this was a super fun audiobook to listen to because the voice actors did a really great job of bringing Leena and Eileen to life. It made it that much more fun to hear these characters outside of the pages of the book.

4.25 Stars!

This was a really cute read! I was skeptical of the senior citizen romance but it Eileen is sassy and I love her. I am always down for a good life swap story and this really made me want to watch The Holiday. I wasn't as interested in Leena's arc but it wrapped up nicely and I would 100% love to live in Hamleigh. It was full of self discovery, grief, family and humor.

Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones are great narrators but Alison Steadman was absolutely perfect for the role of Eileen.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the Publisher for the audio arc!