OMG OMG OMG!!! Am I ever gonna get done with this audiobook eva!! I so enjoyed this novel; I heard it not once but twice! Grandma Eileen is like the best grandma with her joyful energy. The audiobook's voice modifications with each actor really carried it to an entirely unique level. Did I miss holding the book as I was just hearing it? Na! Not at all!

I just cannot criticize this work, like certainly not at all. Though the story-line looks simple and basic, the cast engagement, the conversations, the overall aesthetics make it so fantabulously impressive. I would certainly suggest this book to everyone; you'll feel very light-hearted and grin and giggle at so many situations, you'll overlook all the negativity around you. And like me, you'll feel yourself making this book your forever companion.

Very enjoyable and sweet. Love the characters and the ones met along the way. I like the storyline of two characters views from different generations.

I have been wanting another book from this author ever since I read and loved The Flatshare.
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I found this book to be a charming relaxing read. It felt like a cozy fun loving book I could just snuggle in with when I had a few minutes of time and I found it delightful.
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I loved the importance it presented of family and working through the hard times together. I think most authors try to gloss over the hard things in life for their books to give them this unreal happily ever after feel.
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Instead this book shows you the delights you can find along the way even if your family and life are far from perfect.

4/5 stars
TW: death of a family member, cancer, grief/mourning, infidelity

The Switch follows Leena and her grandmother as they each seek a change of pace, leading them to switch lives. Truth be told, the premise really reminded me of the The Holiday. Anyways, Leena moves into her grandmother’s idyllic country cottage for two months of ‘rest,’ while her grandmother takes up holding in Leena’s London flat to search for love in a bigger pond. It was quite cute and wholesome story, if slightly predictable at times. It was fun to see the different ways Leena and Eileen would chaotically interfere with each other’s lives. Like playing chess with mixed up pieces. Honestly, it’s a shame that Eileen and Jackson weren’t in the same place more often. All their interactions had me cracking up. I also really loved Leena and cranky Arnold’s slowly blooming friendship. Very cute! Oh, and I wouldn’t have minded Jackson’s daughter getting more page time. She was adorable.

*Thank you Net Galley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

So I got off to a shaky start with The Switch! I honestly was *this* close to dnf’ing over halfway in but I’m so glad I didn’t because the last 30% is where it is at! I didn’t realise this book would be so much about grief and not so much a light rom-com and I think that’s where I struggled but I really liked how the story ended in a really feel-good way 💖 I listened to the audiobook via @netgalley and I have to say that this is the best audiobook I have listened to as far as the actors and sound effects, etc. so if you are going to read this book I would really recommend the audio version! The story follows a grandmother and granddaughter who switch lives for two months and I’m going to buy my grandma a copy, I hope she likes it! 🤞🏼💕
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TW: Grief, cancer, adultery, emotional abuse.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance listener copy of The Switch by Beth O’Leary. This was such a fun, sweet romance. It reminded me of the move The Holiday, with a grandmother and a granddaughter switching houses for two months while the granddaughter is on paid leave from work after she blew a huge presentation.

This story was so sweet. I really enjoyed the grandmother/granddaughter relationship and the romantic relationships. This is a fresh take on the romance genre.

I was a fan of Beth O'Leary after "The Flatshare", which my fellow librarians and I have been recommending like crazy. "The Switch" did not disappoint. I loved both storylines so much, so I didn't mind bouncing back and forth. Not to mention, all of the characters were AMAZING. It's quirky, romantic, and everything I want in a book. Leena and Eileen are dream goals when it comes to grandmother/daughter relationships. I also have zero complaints about the romantic relationships. I laughed, I got teary-eyed, and I was just HAPPY.

I highly recommend the audiobook, the narrators did a fantastic job and I will surely be keeping an eye on them in the future.

*Thanks to the folks at Netgalley for an eARC*

I really enjoyed this story and highly recommend the audiobook. This is a beautiful and sweet story about a family of women, a grandmother, mother and daughter. The daughter and her mother are estranged but when anxiety gets the best of the young woman at work during an important presentation, she is asked to take a long leave to regroup. She goes to her grandmother’s home, which is part of a retirement community and they decide to switch places in each other’s lives. The newfound understanding and experiences that they each have are wonderful to experience with them.
To top it off, the narration for the audiobook was terrific and really set the tone. I found that this added to my enjoyment of the story.
Highly recommend.
#TheSwitch #Netgalley #MacMillanAudio

This was a fun audiobook to listen to. The narration was excellent and really brought out the personality of the two main characters. It was fun to follow each woman’s journey during the switch and the ending was fantastic. Highly recommend on audio.

This is such a sweet, enjoyable read. I almost never read books where the main character is elderly and Eileen was so much fun! She's still active, hooks up with men, befriends everyone, and loves to party. I aspire to be like her some day, not letting others get me down and doing what I like. Leena is pretty much the opposite of her grandmother, she's timid, gets pushed around, and isn't really living her life. She needed to come out of her shell and move past her grief for her sister.

The swap was a great idea and I wish I could do something like that. To live somewhere else for a while, get a change of pace and meet new people sounds awesome. Both women learned a lot from changing scenery and I enjoyed seeing them find love and happiness.

The plot is a bit slow, but in a good way where you don't feel rushed and just relish the story. The narrators were great and I liked that there were separate narrators for each woman. I'll definitely be checking out other books from this author!

I received a copy of this audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Huge thanks to Macmillan Audio for the ALC provided through Netgalley!!
The Audiobook was great, the narrators portrayed Leena and Eileen so well, it felt was very fun to listen to.

In the beginning of the year I read and loved The Flatshare and I was very excited for more books from Beth O’Leary.

The Switch was enjoyable, very easy to read and full of wholesome content. It had beautiful friendships and family bonds, which is something I loved about The Flatshare and definitely wanted more of. Eileen was a delight to read about and a great main character. She was a more engaging MC than Leena in my opinion.

Though I do wish I could’ve loved it more. It’s around 3.2/3.3 stars for me but I feel like it could’ve been a 5 stars read. It did deliver what the synopsis promised, but in a way that was slightly underwhelming for me. I expected to get more about how it’s not as easy as they expected, switching lives, especially from Eileen’s side, with how different London is from her home. But other than one or two things in the beginning she seemed to fit in perfectly in Leena’s life, sometimes it seemed she’s better at it than her grand-daughter!! Leena did struggle with filling in Eileen’s shoes quite a bit so it was more realistic. Eileen is just delightful and funny, and a force to be reckoned with, so I just wanted more about her adventures in the big city, before she settled into Leena’s life and started working on a ‘project’ too.

But I of course loved her story there. How she helped Leena’s friends find love and something they’re passionate about, and how she was just there for them all and built something wonderful for people who are a little lonely in the big city, something she was very passionate about . I feel like the self-discovery aspect of the book, which is the main theme along with grief, was done better for Eileen. For Leena it felt rushed and not fleshed out enough for me.

The author discussed grief, family dynamics after losing a loved one, and discovering who you are after going through such a hard time and it was all handled in a beautiful, realistic way, and I love how things ended with Marion.

The romance part of the book was a little predictable. That however didn’t bother me, I just wish there was more build up to it, especially on Leena’s side. It was another aspect of the book that I felt was very rushed. I feel like the book had the book been a little longer all these things I wanted more of/felt were rushed would have been given time to play out better and I would’ve enjoyed it more.

The epilogue was very sweet and one of my favorite chapters in the book. From start to end it was emotional, heartwarming and wholesome.

Overall it was a lovely read and I’m so excited for Beth’s next book. The Road trip sounds super fun and I can’t wait for April 2021!!

The Switch was definitely a pleasant surprise from what I was expecting. Leena Cotton and her Grandmother, Eileen, have a very close relationship. Leena is an overachiever who doesn't know how to relax or stop being a people-pleaser. Her job forces her to take a two month paid vacation to regroup. Eileen just became suddenly single at the age of 79 and had many regrets about not taking more exciting adventures. They decide to switch living spaces in two different locations with polar opposite ways of life.

I am in love with the characters and how they evolve during unexpected new life experiences. Eileen is so adorable and by the end, you want to be in her presents to learn from her. Leena transforms into a better version of herself when she re-evaluates her life goals in a small, quaint town. The narration of the novel was well done and added to the enjoyment of the story.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this book for an honest review.

3.5☆


This wonderful book covers some of the heaviest topics like grief, infidelity, insecurity, anxiety, and coming to terms with life as it is. I was surprised how well it was executed and how delicately it dealt with those topics.

At first sight, it may seem as another romance book, but I would argue that it isn't just that. It's so much more. It conveys the life-changing journey of two strong women dealing with grief. It shows how losing someone we love changes us forever and what we become because of it.

However, I have to point out that at times the book felt a bit flat and plain, which kept me from enjoying it fully. But that's me nitpicking.

I would recommend it to anybody, actually. It really shouldn't be restricted as only for women.

This was a cute listen. I loved The Flatshare by the author and was super hyped for this one. While it was cute and dived into family relationships and dating, it was a bit on the boring and tropy side for me. It was cute and worth the read just not what I wanted.

The Switch was one of my most anticipated books of 2020, so much so that I debated buying it from the UK to get it a few months early until my friend bought it for me & it arrived in the mail!! The premise of this book sounded fantastic, and it was. Leena and her grandmother (and her mother) have both had a rough year after Leena's only beloved sister lost her battle with cancer. Leena has a panic attack at work one day and is told to take 2 months of paid vacation. She goes down to visit her grandmother in a quaint English (adorable) town called Hamleigh and ultimately convinces her grandmother to swap places for 2 months.
This book is told in two perspectives, and I loved them both. I am a total sucker for small-town characters, and the ones in this book were fantastic. I loved Leena's friends in London too whom her grandmother Eileen spends time with. There were really just so many lovely characters to root for and love in this book.
In many ways, this reminds me of the movie The Holiday, but with one of the house swap people being 79, there were some different layers to the plot, including a lot of no-nonsense life wisdom.
I loved this book so much and in a completely different way than I loved her debut, The Flatshare.

Review for the audiobook:
I listened to this entire book shortly after I read it in print and LOVED the audiobook too. The narration was spot on and really brought the characters to life!

Beth O’Leary stuns again! I love the story of Leena and her grandmother Eileen, how they grew closer by living each other’s lives for a while. They also learned about themselves and grew to have a deeper appreciation for their place in the world. While the two women do have romantic interests (more than one each!), their love lives take a back seat to their growth as individuals. While they are learning about themselves, they are also still grieving the loss of someone close to them, Leena’s sister. This brings it’s own set of baggage, especially between Leena and her mother. I also love the nosy neighbors Leena falls in with and that Lena’s friends guide Eileen around the city. I can’t say enough good things about this book!


I’ve listened to a few audiobooks, and normally I’d rather read a hard copy or ebook but this audiobook is fantastic! The narrators really projected the emotions of the characters while also giving the listener room to imagine the characters their own way.
I love that this story was so different from The Flatshare but also used space as a theme for bringing people together. I can’t wait to read what’s next from O’Leary!

To answer the most pressing question about this book: No, I didn't like it as much as The Flatshare. But I did quite like it! It's about Leena and Eileen, granddaughter and grandmother, who decide to switch lives for two months. Leena will take a much needed sabbatical from her job and look after her grandmother's small town affairs, while Eileen will move to London for a second chance at love after her marriage of decades dissolves. Entertaining mixups and self knowledge discoveries ensue. Pleasant and enjoyable but ultimately forgettable for me.
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This was great on audio - easy to listen to, enough depth to move me and make me care but not too many details to bog me down. I will warn you that this is definitely not romance (although there is a fair amount of romance), but it's got a lot to offer in terms of charm and a big cast of endearing characters. Kind of hoping O'Leary writes a dedicated romance next, though!

This is, on the surface, a romance, But it's a story about grief, family, and love. It's about healing, hope, what really matters. I loved it.

Loved listening to this funny and sweet rom com! Grandmother Eileen (she is a hoot!) and grand daughter Lena switch places and learn more about each other s lives and and their own as well. They begin healing after the loss of Lena's sister and Lena's eccentric but lovable mom pops into the story as she too begins the healing process. Family, relationships, loss and grief, rediscovery and romance. Loved it :)

A fun book that I listened during the summer. Eileen was my favorite character :)
A bit predictable, but sweet romances, fun characters and a family that needs healing.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!