I think this author is an auto-buy for me for now on! Quick easy reads and I always love the love stories.

The switch is about Lena who doesn't take a day for herself and burns herself out that her boss sends her on a two month paid break. She ends up going back to her moms and starts to repair her relationships.

I loved this story and recommend it for everyone who loved her first book!

I really enjoyed an earlier book by this author, so I thought I would try the audio version of her latest novel. The Switch involves a granddaughter, still grieving the loss of her sister, swapping houses with her grandmother. The grandmother takes on online dating in London, while her granddaughter takes on planning a May Day celebration in a rural village. The characters were likable and their stories were interesting to follow. The side characters added more color to the story and were run to follow along with.
I enjoyed the narrators in this audio book. As with most audio books I have read, I had to play it at least. 1.5x or 1.75x to hear it at a normal speed.

Beth O’Leary
Macmillan Audio

My first NetGalley audiobook and I absolutely loved it! This book was available through “listen now” on NetGalley and I’m so glad I downloaded it.

The perfect rom-com of a book involving young Leena Cotton and her grandmother Eileen Cotton. Following the death of Leena’s sister and Eileen’s granddaughter, Leena finds herself having a panic attack at work and is asked to take a two-month sabbatical. While at first, it’s hard for her to digest, she and her grandmother decide to switch lives for the two months to disconnect from their worlds. Eileen is hoping to find a companion or love up in London while Leena is hoping to find relaxation and peace down in Yorkshire.

This book was so fun! The narrators were fantastic and really made you feel like you were a part of the story taking place across the pond. Full of gossip, wit, and cheer, this book is the perfect lighthearted read I was looking for right now. Kept me intrigued while also not feeling weighed down by emotion throughout the story. You were constantly rooting for Eileen and Leena on their new journeys.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. Not 5 stars because unfortunately there was a bit of irritation with the narrators and lip-smacking while talking (very picky of me but it was evident and for some reason bothered me!) Also not 5 because I was hoping to see a bit more about the development in the relationship between Leena and her mother when she moved back to Yorkshire. It seemed like it was going to be such a big part of the book but it really wasn’t played into as much as the romantic relationships were.

First things first, I can count on two fingers the amount of audio books I have listened to in my lifetime - and this is one of them. Luckily, I have never had that long of a commute and never felt the need for an audio book - or where and when I would listen to one. When I received a copy of this book, I swore I would give it a try ... so ... my review may be biased on my overall feelings of the audio.🎧.
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I absolutely loved this author’s first book, The Flatshare, and I had my fingers crossed that her new book would be equally as good. When Leena is ordered to take a sabbatical from her busy job in London, she decides to switch places with her Grandmother, Eileen, who is living in a small village in the countryside. As Leena adjusts to life in this sleepy village with a lot of unique and fun characters, her Grandmother is living large in London. The switch becomes the key to help them both heal from heartbreak but also to help them realize that love can be found in the strangest of places or right in front of you. 💕.
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The story was cute and endearing - the cast of characters in the village provided some of the best moments. That said, the audio book was a struggle for me - it took over two weeks to finish. I just couldn’t find the best moment to listen. Also, not sure if this was just me - but the voice actor for Eileen just became too much. I became fixated on the sounds of the lips smacking as she changed into different characters. So - the book was cute but the audio almost drove me mad. ⭐️⭐️💫 for the cute read but I may put off another audio for a while after this😳. Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for this copy for my honest review. This book is available everywhere starting August 18th.
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This is a cute rom.com. with a grandmother who steals the show. All or the characters were well written. The story was cute. I would recommend

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was the perfect book to listen to as an audio book. I would recommend if you're looking for:

-Dual POV a grand daughter and her grandmother
-British
-Switching lives giving me The Holiday feels
-Grandmother using dating apps and taking a holiday in London
-A small village and a group of elderly people
-Two people learning to move on from deep grief
-Romance and flirting

I don't want to give too much away but I really enjoyed both narrators. Leena and Eileen were two distinct characters one looking for change and one hoping to maintain the status quo to not deal with her feelings. While romance was not the forefront of the story I went back and forth from sadness and laughing. The book is an honest look at grief after time has passed and how people deal with it differently.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Triggers: grief, death of a family member, divorce, domestic abuse, cheating

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to review this magnificent book. My first audio review.

Credit to Beth O’Leary who has done it again! After loving the flatshare last summer I was delighted to get to review. What a joy from start to finish absolutely charming story about finding yourselves after a death in the family and the grieving process.

This heartwarming tale had utterly joyous parts of life and loved how right now and relatable it is.
The audio had me in happy tears absorbed day and night relating to both POVs. The original Eileen Cotton is a G!

The Switch is exactly what it says on the tin. Adorable old lady swaps life’s with her beautiful trendy 20 something name sake granddaughter meet Eileen/Leena Cotton moving from the dales to the hipster land Shoreditch for a life sabbatical.
I embraced how you got all the neighbours and the village to the flat mates to the dog and the town hall!
Shout out to Betsy the original meddling badass!

For a first audio I LOVED this even if you wanted to punch the BF!
*I can’t wait for her Third Book*

This was a fresh take on the switching places storyline that is overdone RE: to name a few, The Parent Trap, A Christmas Prince, Switched for Christmas.

Eileen and Leena a grandmother, granddaughter duo switch places for two months while Leena is ordered to take a 2-month sabbatical. It seems that Eileen is too old to start over and find love, but she leaves her Yorkshire village for Leean's flat in London. Eileen is about to turn 80 and she is looking to join the dating scene London seemed like a better place to explore that option. While we learn about Eileen's dating adventures that's not the only thing keeping her busy - she notices that her new London neighbors don't know each other and there is a sense of community missing especially for the older crowd. Eileen gets down to business and creates a community space in Leena's building that allows for community to blossom and grow.

Leena is trying her best to fit in a slowdown on her mandated two-month sabbatical. Eileen leaves Leena a to-do list that should keep her busy - organizing an event in town, walking the neighbor's dog, and joining a committee. Leena's relationships with the neighbors start off a little rocky but she learns her grandmother's place in the village and tries her best to step in.

Without any spoilers - of course, there is a little cheeky love story component weaved into this story. This was my first Beth O'Leary book and I am so happy I read this book. O'Leary writes from both Eileen and Leena's perspective. I found a lot of myself in this book that Leena is the more sensible and cautious character while Eileen is full of wit and sass - both of these characters come to life through O'Leary's writing. I really enjoyed how the characters are full of hope and relatable despite the challenges each character faces.

I received this book free from NetGalley in change for an honest review. I am giving this four stars rather than five because I wanted to hear more about a few of the other characters - what happens with Jackson, Arnold and a few other community members? Though Leena's Mom isn't a huge part of the storyline she comes back in the last few pages and I am dying to learn more about her big adventure - maybe another story to come!

The Switch by Beth O’Leary made my commute and runs so much quicker! What I wrote off at first glance seemed like a Freaky-Friday book that had so much depth and warmth. I loved seeing both Lena Cotton the grandmother and granddaughter find themselves and communities in this book. It was a truly well produced audiobook and I loved that there were two talented actresses to give each main character a voice. If you aren’t normally an audiobook person, try this one because it’s brilliant. Though I’m afraid it will spoil others for me because the production value was so high.

I’ve been looking forward to this book since I finished The Flatshare! It was lots of fun, and Eileen was a laugh a minute, but I also shed a few tears throughout too. I love that Beth O’Leary’s books tackle some difficult themes in such a beautiful way. I didn’t enjoy Leena’s story as much as Eileen’s, but it’s such a lovely book and one I highly recommend..

My first NetGalley review! Thank you NetGalley and Beth O'Leary for the opportunity to read and review The Switch as an Advance Read Copy. Publish Date is listed as Aug 18, 2020.

Initially heard about book by listening to first chapter at the conclusion of The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary (which I rated as 5 star on GoodReads and finished July 2020 around 3am).

My initial impressions (first 45 minutes, 7.8% complete)
- chapters seem like they will alternate between Lena and Eileen (Lena's maternal grandmother).
- Lena is on a 2 month sabbatical after having a breakdown during a presentation to a major client. My immediate impression is that want this woman to succeed and I'm pulling for her already. There seems to be some tension with her mother (shocking, right!) Lena contacts her grandmother for a shoulder to cry on and a visit is discussed. Evidently Lena's sister has passed away recently from cancer.
- Eileen's in her 70's and her husband had ditched her (and the cat) for a younger woman. In the first 90 second I didn't connect with Eileen, but I started warming up to her by the end of the chapter.
- Lena's roommates include a woman whose girlfriend is expecting. Initially I was a little put off by the trend to include LGBT content into every book. But .... the author included early in the book and my thoughts quickly turned to something along the lines of "with Granny entering into the picture, this could get interesting and fun. Game on, lets go.".
- my prediction is that i will be rating this book as a 4 or 5.

Completed book August 15. Updated review with final thoughts.

Initially I thought that Beth O’Leary might touch on cancer, LGBT or grieving but the book never “took on” those issues. In hindsight, it would have been too much. There really is a LOT going on with this book. Both Lena/granddaughter and Eileen/grandma have a whole cast of characters and “projects” in the works. This book concentrates on community and working together and mother/daughter/family dynamics.

My favorite character turned out to be Arnold. I thought about reducing rating to a 4, but I keep thinking about the family dynamics and any book that keeps me thinking probably does deserve a 5. This book had me laughing out loud more than most. Very enjoyable.

(I'm so excited to be making my first NetGalley submission! Thank you for this opportunity! I'm still learning, so i hope that i can edit my initial impressions after I hit "Send Review". If not, I'll update in GoodReads.

Let me start off by thanking Netgalley- I received the audio copy of The Switch by Beth O'Leary in exchange for my honest review-so here we go!

I hadn't read the first book by the author "The Flatshare" but had heard great things about the same, hence expectations were high. Add to this, the narration by Alison Steadman. So did it? Let's find out. It's a cute story about Leena, pretty much like the majority of us, going through the pressures of a multinational in London, until she breaks down and is given a 2 months paid break. It's the story of her grandmother, Eileen, whose husband has just walked out on her, who keeps herself occupied in her small Yorkshire town by taking up multiple projects and now wants to jump into the dating game. Small problem though- there aren't many eligible in her age group in and around her. So what happens when Leena and Eileen swap places- can Leena adjust to a slow paced older neighborhood and can Eileen find love in a fast paced London? More importantly, can Leena and her mother find a common ground and can Leena forgive her mother for her sister's death- this and more fun subplot forms the crux of "The Switch".

The things that worked for me were the narrations by Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones as Eileen and Leena respectively, especially Alison. She brings the calm needed to be the sensible, organized and adventurous Eileen. As Leena points out, Eileen is "an absolute force of nature" who can bend the world to her needs. And boy, the events, be it the social club creation, courting 3 men who want completely different things from her, assisting in a baby delivery or being emotionally available for her daughter or granddaughter- every one of these are brilliantly brought to life by Alison Steadman. Equally good is Daisy Edgar-Jones, who communicates the hilarious moments of the disastrous dog walks as effortlessly as the heartbreaks and pains of not being able to open up to her mother or the handsome resident teacher Jackson. Look out for the moment of outburst between Leena and her mother- pure magic.

The only disappointment for me were the chapters where Eileen and Leena interact-Unfortunately, we don't get the 2 artists in action together. It definitely would have heightened the drama and maybe would have kept the flow intact. Overall, a high 4 star book with enough fun moments and great narration to keep you engrossed.

The Switch – Published 2020

“When 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 gentlemen.

Once Leena learns of Eileen’s romantic predicament, she proposes a solution: a two-month swap. Eileen can live in London and look for love. Meanwhile Leena will look after everything in rural Yorkshire. But with gossiping neighbours and difficult family dynamics to navigate up north, and trendy London flatmates and online dating to contend with in the city, stepping into one another’s shoes proves more difficult than either of them expected.

Leena learns that a long-distance relationship isn’t as romantic as she hoped it would be, and then there is the annoyingly perfect – and distractingly handsome – school teacher, who keeps showing up to outdo her efforts to impress the local villagers. Back in London, Eileen is a huge hit with her new neighbours, but is her perfect match nearer home than she first thought?” – Goodreads

MY THOUGHTS

Because I have no self control, I ordered this one from Book Depository because the US version doesn’t come out for a few days. Then, NetGalley added the audiobook for everyone to enjoy. So, here we are, two days before this book releases in the US, a paperback copy I’ve had for months and never opened, finally having finished reading this gem.

The audiobook for this one is delightful. I really enjoyed both narrators for this alternating perspectives novel.

I had really high expectations for this one after adoring The Flatshare, and this one didn’t disappoint. It’s a 5 star read for me, but it doesn’t top The Flatshare for me.

This one gives me the same vibes as The Holiday, one of my favorite movies. It’s a sweet, funny, endearing story of a granddaughter and grandmother who switch places (phones, homes, cities, responsibilities), and it’s wonderful.

If you’re looking for a sweet and low stress read, I highly recommend the audio for this one!

TW: cancer, loss of a loved one

Very well written book with great narrators. It’s a cute original love story of grandmother and granddaughter. Unfortunately, it didn’t keep my interest, there were moments when I couldn’t concentrate to listen to it.

*I received a copy of this audiobook from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for a fair review.

The Switch⭐️
Elieen is sick of being 79 And her granddaughter Leena just lost her job and needs a fresh start.
Leena starts setting up a dating profile for her grandmother but soon realizes that there are not many eligible bachelors in the country side. But London has many older men waiting. Leena suggests that Elieen takes Leenas flat and starts finding love and an adventure while Leena takes care of Elieens projects in the countryside including taking care of her mother who she doesnt get along with.
It will be an experiment for both of them.

This was really cute. I love their relationship and wish I had a relationship with my grandma like that. So real.
I think this is a great book for any age and could really bond generations.

Thank you to Netfelly via McMillion Audio forsending me an ARC cope of The Switch by Beth Oleary. Is already available for your reading pleasure.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for an audiobook copy of this book. All opinions are my own.


This was such a sweet and cute book. I loved the originality of this story and adored the main characters. The setting was also perfect for where thus love story could take place. I would highly recommend for those who love a meet-cute or sweet love stories.

Perfect for a beach vacation or cold, rainy day.

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First, the story was amazing. The premise is so unique and interesting, and the development is wonderfully charming, deeply emotional, and surprisingly funny. I have to say I really loved both main ladies, how they adapt and learn and grow, and how they go against any preconceived notion about what they should be.
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Second, the romantic aspects made me swoon. Especially Eileen's love life. So, so good, I can't tell anything else because spoilers, but, really, it was kinda unexpected but everything made so much sense! And Leena, dealing with her relationship with her long time boyfriend (an a**hole) and her new self and interests, it really spoke to my soul.
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Third, I have to tell you that the friendships and community this book presents are everything that's good in the world. Really, one of my favorite aspects of the story.
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And finally, since I received an audiobook copy from Netgalley, I have to talk about the narration. It has two narrators, one for each leading lady, and I loved both, how they narrated, portrayed the characters, and how clearly they spoke and enunciated. Also, Eileen's narrator was particularly soothing, whick took the listening experience to a whole new level.
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Overall, I loved this book. I loved it a lot. It my first experience with the author, and I'm definitely looking forward to read The Flatshare soon.
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Thanks Netgalley for the copy.

I enjoyed this story of a granddaughter and grandmother switching homes. The audiobook version of The Switch provided an easy and enjoyable listening experience due to the two wonderful narrators.

I found the story of Leena and Eileen engaging. Leena came to live in her grandmother Eileen’s cottage in a small village, and elderly, Eileen, agreed to the switch and moved into Leena’s London flat. The Switch was running on all cylinders for me. I experienced a range of emotions while reading this story. Those emotions, and the feelings they evoked, kept me reading and wanting to know what happens next.

As a story: sweet, charming, and endearing. As an audio book: artful, well-acted, splendid! Daisy Edgar-Jones and Alison Steadman bring Leena and Eileen to warm, full-dimensional life. Certainly comparable in tone and theme to The Flatshare, The Switch felt a bit more complex, and slightly more character-driven. Recommended as a feel-good romance with depth.

I really enjoyed this story and feel like Beth O’Leary came out strong in her sophomore release! I love that this book was about releasing your responsibilities you feel to your family/job and taking care of yourself in a meaningful way. I highly recommend it as an enjoyable quick read with great lessons along the way.