4.2 Stars!
This was a hug for 2020. Sweet, endearing, and warm hearted, The Switch by Beth O’Leary was the perfect summer read to sweeten a tough year.

Leena Cotton, a hardworking career driven young woman, has just been placed on a 2-month sabbatical after an embarrassing day at work. She flees home to her Grandmother’s Yorkshire village to have a tea and chat, only to find her Grandmother, Eileen, in a predicament of her own. At age 79, Eileen is ready to find love again, but there are few available gentlemen in the country. With generosity and a big heart, Leena pitches the brilliant idea for them to switch lives for a few months. Leena will stay in Yorkshire and look after her mum, walk dogs, and take over her Grandmother’s responsibilities including planning the village’s annual May celebration. Meanwhile, Eileen will stay in Leena’s London flat to experience the big city and all the dating adventures it has to offer. There are great themes of friendship, family, finding love, and grieving loss all throughout this split narrative between grandmother and granddaughter. I also loved O'Leary's underlining ideals that it's okay for career women to take a break, and for older women to keep on playing!

I was lucky enough to listen by audiobook and the narrations by Alison Steadman, and Daisy Edgar-Jones were a great match! Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance copy of this Audiobook. I truly enjoyed it!

Thank you Netgalley for this gem of a book! I was able to listen to it through the new app! I thought it was a great story of switching places. One always seems to need a break or change in life and this is what they needed to find themselves again. I have recommended it to my friends.

Sweet and charming, funny and fun, 'The Switch' is a lovely escape from day-to-day life.

A year after losing her sister to cancer, Leena Cotton is desperate to have her busy London life back on track but can't stop the waves of anxiety, panic, and grief that still swamp her. Her relationship with her mother is fractured, but she has her grandmother Eileen to rely on. Indeed, Eileen is the sort everyone depends on, strong-hearted and can-do, but she feels stuck in her life in the Yorkshire Dales. She's newly single and eager to jump-start a love life she thought was over years ago. In a burst of adventurous inspiration, Eileen and Leena agree to swap places for two months. Eileen will revive her youthful dreams of being a girl-about-town in London with a few boyfriends on the string, and Leena will learn how to unplug and relax in Yorkshire, separated from the lifelines of her smartphone and laptop.

Each woman feels like this could be the greatest mistake of her life, but as they navigate new friendships, old enemies, unexpected attractions, and final revelations, they learn that they had to live someone else's life to understand what they really needed for themselves.

'The Switch' is slight but light, easy as a spring breeze, with stakes that are highly relatable rather than harrowing. A pleasant escape from the everyday, readers will enjoy the stumbles and victories Eileen and Leena experience along the way, and listeners will be drawn in by the fresh and engaging performances by Alison Steadman (as Eileen) and Daisy Edgar-Jones (as Leena), narrated in alternating points of view. A sweet, heartwarming novel with a satisfying, feel-good ending.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance copy of the eAudiobook.

Thanks to NetGalley,Macmillan Audio and the author Beth O'Leary for the ALC of The Switch.
The Switch was a charming tale with so much wholesomeness and a tad bit of poignancy. Its mostly about the lives of two women a Grandmother Eileen and her granddaughter Leena who having been through a rough patch decide it would be a good idea to escape the realities of their lives for sometime by swapping their respective homes with each other to rediscover themselves. Sounds so interesting already innit? Its exactly that as their swapped lives in london and Yorkshire unfolds.This was not so much a love story(from what i was expecting) as it was for a complicated and heartwarming relationship hurdles of a mother-daughter and a grandmother-granddaughter duo respectively. No points for guessing this but Eileen was my absolute favorite with her witty,warm and extroverted personality. She was full of life. Had so much appreciation for things and people around her i just wished i had a friend with the same personality as hers. They way she made people around her feel was beyond endearing. It was also refreshing for once to see an elderly women go about on a dating expedition without any qualms or reservations. This story also deals with a very hard hitting reality of loss and living and coping through it. That part of the story really did break me now and then. But the way these women wanted to be there for each other and yet not know how exactly to do it was rather too real. At one point Arnold says "May be fixing each other is Cotton's love language" and that pretty much sums up their relationship in a sentence. Leena was not as impressive as her grandma but comeon now i don't think anyone else stands a chance before Eileen but i found Leena rather too aloof at times and a champion at making bad decisions. The lovestory between her and Jackson seemed rather too forced to me for the sake of the story. I don't really have any other complaints otherwise with this beautiful book. It was so well written and beautifully narrated. Loved listening to it.

A cozy escape that’s got romcom movie written all over it✨ The Switch by Beth O’Leary B O O K R E V I E W

(Thanks to @librofm and @netgalley for the #gifted audio copy from @macmillan.audio. Out tomorrow!)

The two Eileen and Leena are stuck — a generation and cross country train ride are the only things that separates them. Leena’s been forced into a sabbatical after her grief-induced anxiety makes her club a big presentation at work. Eileen, her grandmother, is newly single and is determined to not spend her 8th decade alone. So, in classic chick flick style, they hatch a plan to switch lives: Leena will come live in her grandmother’s small town community, try to repair her strained relationship with her mother and plan the village May Day parade while she’s at it — and Eileen will dive into the robust dating pool of London and give Leena’s roommates desperately needed life advice.

This was a great romp. It’s not a story full of rainbows and bland Hallmark Channel messages — both leading ladies are dealing with grief over losing Leena’s sister to cancer on top of recent fallouts in their own lives. But the “side quests” along the way help them both grow and find their way. The friends and frenemies in both storylines are delightful and could fill their own spinoff stories in their own right.

Know that if you came from O’Leary’s first book The Flatshare and wanted more focus on the romance that you won’t find it here — while there are relationships for both women (and praise be for older woman romance rep!), it’s not at all the main focus and I’d more comfortably call this contemporary or “women’s fiction.” What’s more: I think this story can easily stand on its own ~without~ the romance: sure the two men and the HEAs are cute, but the journeys Leena and Eileen take are complete well before those final couplings.

Narrators Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones gave a great performance, with emotional/good humor to really bring both Leena and Eileen’s personality to life. Having two narrators was a great choice for a dual POV story like this to keep the reader rooted in which storyline was happening, and the casting was on point.

Bonus: As a sommelier pairing of movies that I got ~vibes~ of while listening to the audiobook were two Cameron Diaz flicks: The Holiday (for the switch premise obviously) and In Her Shoes, for the self discovery after rock bottom aspects

TL:DR: it’s a fun story that could definitely lighten up any dark 2020 weekend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

One wanted the quiet life in the countryside and the other wanted the fast life of the city. So they switched. ⠀
This book is so delightful. It is so nice every once in awhile to take a break from #allthethrillers and read something a little slower, a little more endearing, and a lot more appropriate for the times. ⠀
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I read @betholearyauthor ‘s last book the #flatshare and although #contemporaryromance is not my forte, I really enjoyed it. So I jumped at the chance to read her follow-up THE SWITCH ⠀
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After a panic attack at work, Leena is required to take some time off. Eileen is tired of the ho hum life in the country. Leena comes up with the idea that they switch homes for her upcoming time off. ⠀
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From there we follow both women’s adjustments and adventures in their new surroundings. And there might even be a romantic situation or two. 😉⠀
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So fun!⠀
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THE SWITCH⠀
Beth O’Leary ⠀
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Releases August 18, 2020⠀
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Thank you @netgalley and @macmillanaudio for a free ALC in exchange for my honest review!

The Switch is a heartwarming story of a grandmother and her granddaughter going on an adventure by swapping places to shake their lives up, and their journey to finding their way back home.

The narration on this book left a lot to be desired for me. The voices for some characters felt too forced and fake. And even after speeding it up, it was still too slow paced and stilted for me. I did eventually get use to it, but I would have rather read the physical book than listened to this one.

However, I did enjoy the story itself. I loved that there was such a variety of characters with the age gaps. It really added something to the story that gave it a different and unique feel The group of meddlesome and gossipy older neighbors were a hoot! And even Grandma Eileen learned a lot from her young, temporary roommates. Beth O'Leary has a knack for writing such likable and relatable characters!

I also felt that the topic of grief was handled beautifully and very sensitively. The grief over Carla has shaped the lives of the three generations of women over the last year. They all needed to heal in their own time, and dealt with their pain and sadness differently. It was heartwarming how healing had the power to bring them all together.

If you enjoyed The Flatshare, I would definitely recommend picking this one up too!

Thank you to Macmillian Audio and Flatiron Books for my copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

The Switch by Beth O’Leary, narrated by Daisy Edgar-Joes and Alison Steadman, is an endearing novel about 79-year-old Eileen Cotton and her driven adult granddaughter, “Leena.” Their family has recently had a significant loss, causing their lives to derail. In order to “find themselves” again, these two women essentially switch lives. Thirty-year-old Leena moves to northern England to the countryside, while Eileen moves into Leena’s apartment in London.
I found this book to be well done. Both women are lovely and dealing with real-life situations, making them both likable and relatable. I enjoyed the fact that Eileen is looking for love later in life, as I feel that many romance stories tend to neglect the geriatric population (side note: this story isn’t necessarily considered a romance and the romantic aspects weren’t the major plot points but instead side plots).
The original premise of this story seemed quite far fetched. I have a hard time believing that corporations would allow, let alone encourage, an employee to take a two-month paid sabbatical. Additionally, Leena’s roommates have no issues with a 79-year-old moving in with them whereas I don't think any of my friends would agree to this scenario. However, this premise works for this story and both women grow in miraculous ways.
I had the pleasure of experiencing this book on audio. The two main characters were narrated by different women, which added to the experience and made it easy to follow. I would consider listening to audiobooks narrated by either woman.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillian audio for a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

The Switch is such a heartwarming book! I am a great fan of Alison Steadman and now that I listen to this audiobook I will also look forward to anything narrated by Daisy Edgar-Jones. They both had such a fantastic range of expression that it was difficult not to fall in love with the book after the first two chapters.
79 year old Eileen Cotton and her high flyer manager consultant granddaughter Leena agree to swap their lives for two months. Leena (and all her family) are still trying to cope with the loss of Leena's younger sister, and however hard Leena tried not to let it affect her work, the stress has taken its toll. She is given a two months' paid leave from work. Eileen's husband left her for a younger woman, and now Eileen would like to find new love and companionship. The only snag is that her little village has a very limited choice of suitable candidates. Leena who is completely on board with the idea suggests swapping their lives to give her grandmother a chance to date in London.
I absolutely adored Eileen. We need more books with older protagonists and Beth O'Leary created a wonderful character in this one. Kind, honest, with a fabulous sense of humour, she is also very open-minded and optimistic. For Leena the time she spends in her grandmother's village is the journey of self-discovery and personal growth.
I really enjoyed listening to this book and would wholeheartedly recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley and MacmillanAudio for this advanced listening copy.

Many thanks to Netgalley and publishers providing this review copy.

This was wonderful and the dual narration was fantastic.

I did not expect to like this as much as I did, but somehow the characters caught hold of me in such a way that I cared about their stories. The premise is certainly clever--a young woman switching her London life with her grandma's small village life in Northern England; and the author actually pulls it off in a way that seems possible, at least within the story. While you kind of know fairly early how things will turn out in the end, O'Leary fills the time between with humour and heart, and I was happy to be along for the ride.

Such an adorable book. I have not read the Flatshare, so I went into this without any expectations. And I am glad I did. I am quickly becoming a fan of books with protagonists over the age of 65. It is great to see in literature. I love how the author writes her characters. You feel as though they are someone you would meet in person.

Daisy Edgar and Alison are a brilliant duo for this narration of the audiobook. The emotions have been put forward so beautifully in the narration it's almost as if I was watching a movie with my closed eyes. The narration of the male characters by both the narrators themselves brought back the memories of Story-telling and what it was like to listen to a bed time story and never want it to end. This audiobook deserves all the love and the liveliness and the extra noises made solely in the narration was so nostalgic. It took me back to my childhood when we would listen to the plays on the radio. Don't miss this audiobook. Thanks to the Publisher for the Advance audiobook for an honest review.

The Switch was such a sweet, heartwarming story about love, grief, loss and most importantly - family. It is definitely the best book to pick up if you're in need of a cute pick-me-up. However, this was just an average read for me.

Truth to be told, I do enjoy character-driven books, but this one did not do it for me. The pacing was excruciatingly slow and nothing really happens the majority of the book. I was so bored most of the time.

I simply adored Eileen’s chapters. She is so sassy and full of energy. It was so much fun reading about her experiences with living in the big city and navigating online dating. Eileen is definitely someone I aspire to be when I’m older. I would have actually enjoyed the book a lot more if it focused entirely on Eileen because she was simply such a joy to read about.
Leena’s story was not as compelling as Eileen’s. Her story about finding herself and healing was definitely impactful and needed but I wasn’t connected to it at all. I liked Leena but I could not connect with her. In terms of the ending, it was predictable but had I also expected more.

In terms of narration, I loved it! Steadman and Edgar-Jones did a wonderful job at portraying Eileen's and Leena's personality and inner turmoils. Would definitely recommend the audiobook when reading this.

Overall, it was a solid read. The Cotton’s stories definitely stuck with me, but I had expected a little bit more. I do, however, recommend this book to those who would love a fun, sweet story with filled many important themes.

I absolutely love Beth o'learys writing. And this audiobook is not an exception. I love to read about people outside their comfortzone and all the things they get mixed up in. But the book has surprisingly dark subjects too. It is about loss and It is about forgiving. I loved the narrators voices. They Drew me into the book. And made me feel like i was watching a movie. This book i Will absolutely recommend. And i promise you IT won't be my last book written by Beth o'leary. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest review

A book including a special bond between grandmother and granddaughter is extra special for me, as my grandmother was my best friend during my high school years. 79 year young Eileen, is dealing with life after her husband leaves her, and she is ready to dip her toes in the life she left behind when she became a wife. Leena is the classic over achiever at work, and she's on a fast track to growing success until a panic attack, during an important work presentation forces her on a two month sabbatical. The idea of being over worked and under rested, in need of a break from reality is something that everyone can relate to, throw in romance and a mother/daughter rift that needs healing, after a loss, and you have everything you need for the perfect un-put-downable story.

I loved this audiobook. The narration is wonderful and brought the characters to life.

This is the story of Leena and her Grandmother Eileen, who whilst dealing with the grief of the death of Leena’s sister decide to switch where they live.

Leena moves to the rural Yorkshire village and takes on Eileen’s commitments within the community. Eileen moves to London and finds herself a new group of interesting and diverse friends.

This story had moments that made me giggle out loud and moments that tugged at my heart and I felt Beth O’Leary has expressed in one sentence the feelings you hold when they miss their sibling, child and Grandchild.

This is a wonderful read and highly recommended. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audiobook for an honest review.

If you are looking for that uplifting and inspiring read of the summer, then look no further than "The Switch" by Beth O'Leary! The life-changing journeys that Eileen and Leena go through will have readers rooting for them along the way. But it is more than just a romance, it is about two people trying to move on in their grief and find a place where they can truly be themselves. Such a heartwarming read! Perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes.

The narrators of this audiobook did such a great job! They were perfectly cast and really captured the voices of the characters.

'These people. There’s such a fierceness to them, such a lovingness. When I got here, I thought their lives were small and silly, but I was wrong. They’re some of the biggest people I know.'
The Switch gives off serious ‘The Holiday’ vibes, which is one of my favourite holiday movies so naturally I loved this book. You have the character that is very sweet and helps others sort their life out to become the best version of themselves, while the other character goes off to find herself again. The story had me laughing and crying- the Shrek references were brilliant. As with the above quote, this book looks at how everyone has their own battles and although their lives may not be like yours, they are fierce and strong at heart. The characters were all lively and help create such a heart-warming story.
Beth O’Leary does it again with gracefully covering hard topics such as grief, anxiety, depression and entering the dating world again in your ‘experienced’ years. The audiobook was done very well and enjoyed that there was two different people reading to match the dual point of view in the book. It created more of a ‘real life’ atmosphere to the book and felt more connected to the story. It was almost as if you were catching up with the girls.
Beth O'Leary has become an auto-buy author with this latest book.

TW: Cancer, severe grief and depression

Thanks to Netgalley and Flatiron Books for the ARC of The Switch. I alternated between the audio and written version of this book, and both were excellent.

I had high hopes for The Switch, since her previous novel, The Flatshare, was one of my favorites from last year. It did not disappoint, and was just as charming and easy to read. I loved the characters Leena, and her grandmother, Eileen. The dialogue was cheeky and fun, and I laughed out loud throughout the book. On the other hand, both characters dealt with grief from losing a loved one, and there were a lot of self-realizations and digging through feelings that made the book a bit more serious at times. Overall, The Switch was such an enjoyable read with very lovable characters. Although a few parts were predictable, O'Leary writes in such a way that really makes you root for the protagonists and hope for a happy ending. The audio had delightful British accents, and I felt that it was cast perfectly. The reading gave so much life to Eileen and Leena, and listening to it made my ears happy. I loved this book and recommend it to anyone who needs an uplifting book!