Another winner from Beth O’Leary. I enjoyed this women’s fiction about a group of women who are processing their grief over the loss of sister/daughter/granddaughter. Each woman handles their grief in their own way so chances that you will see yourself in one of them is rather high. This is 4th book I have read in 2020 with the theme of grief recovery. Guess maybe the authors had a sense of foreboding that 2020 was going to leave a lot of people sad.

Thank you to author, Net Galley, and Macmillan audio for my ARC.

This story felt a bit like the Hallmark movie version of The Holiday (minus the Christmas theme), and it was adorable! There was more than one fun romance and a whole cast of quirky characters. Grief after the death of a family member is a central theme in the plot, but it was still a cheerful, lighthearted read.

The Switch follows Eileen and Leena Cotton, a grandmother and granddaughter who are working through the grief of losing a sister/granddaughter a year before. The book alternates in point of view between the two and the audiobook has two narrators which added an extra level as you could differentiate between Eileen and Leena very easily and the tone in both writing and narration was lovely. Eileen was a mix of soft grandmother and absolute fire cracker and this was a really refreshing main character to listen to/read,

This had quite a predictable ending but it did not detract from the enjoyment of the audiobook. There were a few places where I thought it could have been cut/shorter that did add too much value but overall a nice read for the warm weather.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for an advanced audiobook of The Switch in exchange for an honest review. 3.5/5

Leena and Eileen Cotton are working through grief in their own way- Leena's sister died a year ago and she is using endless work to manage her pain. Eileen Cotton lost her granddaughter, but more recently, her husband of forever has left her for a younger woman. After crashing through a work presentation, Leena is put on a 2-month leave to get herself back together. She proposes a switch with her grandma- she will move to the country and take over her grandmother's duties while her grandmother can try out the city life and see what she thinks of it. It's a pretty basic premise, but it leads to many comedic (and romantically awkward) moments.

Listening to the audio book version of "The Switch" by Beth O'Leary gave the story an extra element of sweetness- the two narrators did an amazing job adding expression and life to Leena and Eileen Cotton.
There is an atmospheric change and level of expectation that I notice with audio books. When I am reading a book, I often read through it so quickly at times that I won't notice the ridiculousness of the situations. When listening... I just can't get past that suspension of disbelief. While often cute, the absolutely perfect timing and sequence of many events took away from the believability of the story.

When there are two narrators, I am bound to prefer one more than the other. Eileen Cotton may be 79 years old, but she was the star of the story. Leena's story was  bland in comparison.

The story focuses on the rebuilding of oneself more than the romance. I felt that the love interests weren't given enough story-time to make it memorable. Which may be fine, except that the book seems to be marketed more "romance" than "general fiction."

I enjoyed "The Switch" and can now say that I am a Beth O'Leary fan. I know my review nit-picks quite a bit, but all-in-all, this was a fun listen. Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for an advanced reader's copy of this audio book.

I would like to thank #NetGalley and Macmillan audio for sending me the audiobook of #TheSwitch..The narrators of this audiobook were excellent Alison steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones make me laugh and cry at various points throughout the story. We follow Leena cotton who is told to take a 2-month break from work following her sister's death and her grandma Eileen who is newly single. I loved this story and we look forward to reading more by the same author.

This book was so cute on audio! I ADORED the accents. Eileen was such a pistol! I laughed out loud but it was also so emotional too. Definitely look forward to more of O'Leary's work in the future!

This audiobook is divine!! Such care was taken in the selection and production of these voices. I LOVE Beth O’Leary’s work and this delivered!

This novel set in England has a little bit of everything. There are some wonderful family relationships, not only between the two main characters who are grandmother (Eileen) and granddaughter (Leena) but also between these two women and Leena's mother and Leena's deceased sister, Carla, who died of cancer. There is romantic drama. Eileen entertains potential matches online and in Leena's London flat, while Leena comes to terms with the truth about her own relationship as she spends time with her grandmother's neighbors in the country. The friends and neighbors of both women also really round out the world of this story and provide a lot of humor to balance some of the more emotionally difficult content.

The audiobook narration is beautifully done by Daisy Edgar-Jones, who reads Leena's chapters and Alison Steadman (aka Mrs. Bennet), who reads Eileen's chapters. Both of their voices are perfectly suited to their characters and they sound perfect even when the narration is sped up to 2x and beyond.

This was a true feel-good read, and it made me excited to seek out other titles by Beth O'Leary. Recommended especially to anyone who has a strong friendship with their grandma or who wonders what it might be like to take a break and swap lives with someone they love.

The Switch is a brilliant novel! The narrator’s voice really helped to place me in the setting. It was enjoyable, funny, and heart felt. When the story ended I felt like I had lost a friend.

This was everything I needed in 2020! I want to read about people in their later years again! I highly recommend the audio book. The narrators both did a stunning job!

This was a charming light hearted read. I love the aspect of a grandmother/granddaughter swapping lives. Both characters really revive a lost part of themselves as they acclimate to their new situations. Readers who like closed door romance with some cheek will enjoy this one.

The narrators for both characters are delightful and added immensely to the reading experience. I especially loved the narrator for Eileen’s character. She made me want to be friends with her!

Heads up: When characters are on the phone they applied an audio “filter” over the character who is at the other end of the line, making it hard to understand them. If you have a hard time hearing things, this element of the audiobook will make it very difficult for you.

Great escape from 2020- COVID craziness! Thanks to NetGalley for this audiobook ARC to review. I find these days I love living vicariously through the characters in books. This book has two great leading ladies- Eileen and Leena Cotton.

I liked the idea of the grandma/grandaughter switch. Leena Cotton (grandaughter) has a breakdown at work and is given paid time off. Eileen (grandma) needs some excitement and a second chance at love after her husband left her. They both still are grieving the loss of Karla, Leena's sister and Eileen's grandaughter, from cancer.

Where they both end up is quite entertaining. Great listen!

I absolutely LOVED this heartwarming, tear jerking, entertaining and laugh out loud story! The narrators were perfection and made this book even better (if that’s possible!) I firmly believe everyone needs to read/listen to this book. This was a new author to me and now I want to go back and check out her other stuff.

Story rating:
This was a very sweet book, and I appreciated reading a romance that wasn’t too incredibly steamy for once. I appreciated that the focus was on the healing of the main characters after they experienced a great loss. Overall, I thought the book was too long and needed to be edited a bit as the middle dragged for me.

Audio narration:
I love when there is more than one narrator, especially when the story is told from multiple perspectives. I appreciated that both narrators’ voices felt age appropriate for their characters. My only complaint was that with both narrators you could definitely tell when they were swallowing which bothered me a bit. I also listened to most of the narration at 1.25x or 1.50x speed because the natural speed felt too slow.

Goodreads rating: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you @netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review, I quite enjoyed the book and loved the characters development, it had a Freaky Friday vibes but with a sentimental twist. Some characters weren’t really interested in but I loved Eileen the most, she had the cool old generation aura and was quite the smirky personality! But truth be told I enjoyed Beth’s previous book most (Flatshare).

"The Switch" by Beth O'Leary is a fun and easy read (well, in my case, listen). I very much enjoyed the audiobook read by British actors Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones.

The premise is sweet. Very beach-read like.

A bored and wanna-be-happenin', recently divorced grandma lives in the countryside. Due to unforeseen circumstances, she ends up swapping homes with her burned-out, corporate-ladder-climber granddaughter who lives in London.

It's a test. Can both of these ladies find joy and fulfillment during their 2-month trial?

Eileen, the grandmother, ends up finding that, yes, she can find fellow octogenarians to date. She just needed a larger pool to choose from. And London surely delivers! And Leena, the twenty-something, uptight granddaughter, who desperately needs a chill-pill, gets to hang out with her grandma's friends and neighbors. (Who bring their own fun energy to the plot).

Each chapter alternates between the two generations, and I very much found myself rooting for Eileen. She becomes quite the ladies man! I found it such a relief to know that dating and sex don't end after menopause. You can shake things up well into your 80's!

I was much less fond of Leena's story and kept wanting to get back to her Grandma's plotline.

In the end, all worked out and each found themselves in a better place. But did they make the permanent switcheroo? Or did they go back to their respective lives? You've got to listen to find out for yourselves!

A special thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for gifting me a copy in exchange for this unbiased review.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary advance audiobook copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

What a wonderful summer audiobook. It was cute, it was heartwarming, it was funny and just all together lovely. Lena and Eileen granddaughter and grandmother, respectively, both decide to switch things up and trace spaces for a few months. Lena, will stay in her grandmothers small town for two months and get herself sorted out, she is still hurting from the death by cancer of her sister, Carla. She is to take over her grandmothers many responsibilities with the local townsfolk and look out for her mother, Marion, who she is will so angry with, she feels that she should have fought harder to get her sister to try other cancer treatments. Eileen, whose husband left her, is ready to get out there and live life again but feels like their is no eligible men in her small town. She agrees to stay in Lena’s flat with her roommates and get out there and enjoy life.

I really enjoyed the way the story is told, the narrator did a wonderful job in telling the story.
It was a great book to listen to while I laid on the patio and enjoyed the sun. This is my first book by this author, I will definitely be looking for more.

In the Switch, we travel to England and get to Eileen and her adult grandaughter, Leena Cotton. Leena has been forced to take a two-month sabbatical from work after a big failure during a presentation. She decides to escape to her grandmother's house in the country for some R&R.

Eileen is newly single and getting ready to turn eighty. She wants a second chance at love but her tiny Yorkshire village doesn't offer many eligible gentleman.

They decide to do a two-month swap.

Eileen will head to London to look for love while living in Leena's apartment. Leena will look after Eileen's cottage and social responsibilities in the the small town. What ensues is a cute, romantic and funny journey of self-discovery for each of them. One of them sets out to find love and the other one to rest but along they way, they'll each find out more about themselves and see things in a new life.

This is a heartfelt story about love, loss, losing yourself along the way, finding yourself again.and family.

The narration is fantastic and you'll love quirky Eileen and awkward Leena.

An adorable story set in idyllic Yorkshire village and a flat in Shoreditch. Eileen and Lena are grandmother and granddaughter who switch accommodation when Lena's job puts her on two months' leave. What follows is hilarious shenanigans that change the lives of those closest to them in each setting. A really lovely listen and great way to spend a few afternoons.

I absolutely loved this book! I added it to my list because I remembered enjoying The Flatshare and had to see what else O'Leary was capable of. Beth O'Leary did not disappoint.

I was having trouble starting a new book after reading Where the Crawdads Sing and I’m so glad I read this next. (The books are totally different in terms of emotions and style)

The first thing I have to comment on is the production of the audiobook. The performance was phenomenal, down to the breaths and swallows taken by the narrator. The narration definitely added to my experience of this story. Compared to other audiobooks, I engaged with this audiobook a little differently. I often read along with the ebook version and highlighted certain passages I found amusing, or true (stay tuned on rukhsandbooks.tumblr.com). If I didn’t have the ebook with me, I often went back and re-read the chapters I already listened to. It was just too good a tale and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This story gave me all the mid-summer Christmas movie feels without Christmas! It left my heart

glowing and I looked forward to picking it up.

I will definitely be adding this book to my “feel good, read again” list.

I thought my favourite character dynamic was Eileen and Bee, but by the end of the book it was hard to pick a favourite duo, all the characters are just so wholesome.

Thank you Netgalley for this audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.