Member Reviews
I really enjoyed this story, and especially the audiobook version of it. It’s quite similar in set up to the movie “The Holiday” but still provides an excellent escape from the woes of lockdown, especially for those barred from travelling out of their city/country like I am.
(Apologies for the extremely late review - I fell off the reading bandwagon during the pandemic)
Modern day Town Mouse and the Country Mouse story. Leena leaves her high pressure job in London and switches homes with her grandmother, Eileen, in Yorkshire for two months. New experiences and challenges have both questioning their futures.
I couldn’t get into this book but it may be due the subject matter. An anxiety breakdown is something I can’t really read right now
Leena and her grandmother, Eileen, have one thing in common- they both need a break from their lives. So Leena proposes they switch lives for two months. Leena can get away from London, her job, and try to recover from the tragic loss of her younger sister. Eileen can try re-entering the dating pool at age 79. This book is told from both perspectives and I really enjoyed it. The book began a little slow for me, but once it picked up, I was hooked. I have to admit I enjoyed Eileen's adventures a little more than Leena's- maybe I need to read more books about elderly people! I really enjoyed the audio version- both narrators were fabulous!
I tried to listen to this audiobook 4 different times and was unable to get past the narrators voice. I listen to over 100 books a year, and this is one of the few books I have ever been unable to read due to the narration. I have loved other Beth O'Leary books and will read her again in the future, this one just didn't work out for me.
I am a massive fan of Beth - having fell in love with The Flat Share, I just knew I wanted to get my hands on The Switch.
Some people are old in their twenties, set in their ways and judgemental and many individuals in their twilight years are wise, open hearted refreshing and joyful company with life and dreams still in their later decades. I like very much how that is reflected in the writing in this book. It is rather delightful. At times there was more fun to be had with Eileen than Leena. Eileen embarking on a search for love in London after switching her life with her granddaughter Leena who moved to Eileen's home in Yorkshire. There is a satisfactory back story that links both their journeys and it's all rather fun. The writer has a light touch as she steers the story along. Very light reading and so good hearted. An easy and enjoyable non threatening read.
I was so ecstatic to be approved for the audio book - it was read to perfection, completely enthralling and had me laughing out loud.
An absolute 10 out of 10 - she's done it again!
I enjoyed meeting the characters in this book but feel perhaps I would’ve enjoyed it more by reading rather than listening to the audio. Overall a nice story but felt hard work in places.
Straight off the bat, I knew I'd enjoy this book. Switching lives is one of my favourite tropes, and I love the discomfort it raises in characters.
The audiobook was beautifully narrated, Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones did marvellous jobs bringing the characters and humour to life.
The Switch is a book that will make you laugh out loud, even as it tackles difficult subjects like grief, and it's one I would read again, armed with a box of tissues.
This was super cute, but I didn't like it as much as I liked The Flatshare. The concept was so unique though, switching places/lives with your Grandma? Adorable. Really recommend this one if you're looking for something cute and fun to read.
A huge thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me a copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.
Beth O'Leary's recent works have been extremely disappointing to me. I've very much despised reading her work nowadays and after reading this, I think I will be choosing not to read any of her future work. We started off the story well, but it began to drag and the middle was a whole lot of nothing. A very disappointing read.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️The Switch - Beth O’Leary
An absolutely charming story about a granddaughter and grandmother who both need a break from their daily lives and decide to switch places!
I loved this on audio so much! I am definitely someone who is drawn to thrillers and this was the perfect palette cleanser!
I loved flipping between the quaint little town and London and O’Leary did an excellent job making sure all of the characters had a clear voice, despite having multiple characters.
I definitely recommend adding this one to your summer road trip audiobook lineup!
While this book was cute, I did not enjoy it as much as Beth O’Leary’s first book, The Flatshare.
It was difficult to get into, as it was rather slow paced in the beginning. I felt like the internal conversations of all were all the same throughout the book and there wasn’t quite as much character development as I would have liked. It did not keep my attention, and I ended up not finishing.
This fun novel follows the house swap of a woman with her grandmother. Lots of cute characters and a very positive representation of older characters. A charming book that was easy to read, yet had a emotional pull to it as well. Highly recommend!
This book was SO cute. I loved the dual POV and the feistiness of Eileen. I thought it was so sweet and each of the women had valid reasons for wanting to swap lives. I appreciated the depth that the dynamic between Lina and her mother brought to the plot. Jackson and Hank were adorable. Overall, a wonderfully sweet summer read that I am happy to recommend.
This is a romance book. I listen to the audiobook of this book, and I have to say I like to listen to my audiobooks at a faster then normal speed. There was two narrators (Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones) for this book. I have to say I love the narrator that did Eileen's (The Grandmother) parts, but the narrator that did Leena's (The grand-daughter's) parts I did not love or hate. The story was so fun or good. I loved the characters, and they have so much personally. I was kindly provided an e-audiobook of this book by the publisher (Macmillan Audio) or author (Beth O'Leary) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review about how I feel about this book.
A Wonderful Story
When Leena and her grandmother Eileen decide to swap lives for two months, they find themselves getting to a rocky start. Eileen, with all her life experience finds it difficult to navigate online dating connections, but has a much easier time at friendship connections than does her granddaughter. Leena doesn’t seem to find friendship anywhere except with her grandmothers next door enemy, and she still has so much anger at her mother.
Although I found the beginning a little slow at first, it ramped up later and I was riveted. As we move through this journey with Leena and Eileen, we don’t just see how they grow and evolve, but I think every reader can identify with their challenges and how they are overcome.
This story was filled with both laughter and angst, and yes, even a little romance, and as expected, all comes right in the end.
Okay, after listening to the audiobook of THE Switch, I totally get why people keep recommending her first book THE FLAT SHARE I have got to pick that book up -The Switch delivers a warm feeling of a tight hug just when you thought you were doing a-okay. The switch might be categorised as an adult romance; but it is mostly be a feel good family fiction; focused on dealing with grief, familial loyalty and moving on.
Leena Colton has been struggling with... everything after she lost her sister to cancer-she has been struggling with the feelings of betrayal towards her mother, panic attacks debilitating enough to create problems in her career-so and so that she is given a forced sabbatical for two months.
On the other hand, we have Eileen Colton, a recently divorced 80 year old, who has lived her life according to society's expectations so when her granddaughter lands on her doorstep; a swap of their lives sounds exactly what they both need to kick-start their lives.
What follows is a growing up experience then both need - not just to understand themselves but to see what and how their lives have become stagnant. I can understand why there are so many readers who love the author's writing style-there is a warmth that somehow manages to put forward even through an audiobook - the sense of contentment that I got after ending this book was unparalleled.
Definitely keeping an eye out for this author's work in the future.
I absolutely loved this book - it is a delightful heartwarming story.. Fantastically written - I engaged with the story from the start and it made me laugh out loud in places. I loved all of the characters. and their relationships. I really enjoyed how the story switched between both points of view.
I really loved both narrators of the book - they both enhanced the story and made me want to keep on listening to find out what happened next.
It has taken me forever to get through this audiobook. I really enjoyed the flatshare - it was a slow start but it paid off in the end. This one doesn’t read the same. It’s slow and it never quite pays off for me. I wish I had enjoyed this one more.
I did not love this book as much as the Flatshare- but it was still an enjoyable book. I flew through it and would recommend it to a Beth O’Leary fan. Overall a solid book that I enjoyed.