Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy of “The Switch” by Beth O’Leary. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

My first NetGalley audiobook! My one concern was that I couldn’t seem to listen to the book on any speed faster than the regular speed without the sound becoming garbled. Not sure if that’s an issue with the NetGalley shelf app as I’ve never had an issue listening to audiobooks at faster speeds on other apps. I’ve been approved for two audiobooks so far and they both seem to have this issue so I’m not sure what’s going on there.

Earlier this year, I read Beth O’Leary’s “The Flatshare” and really enjoyed it. “The Switch” brings even more charm than “The Flatshare” but also doesn’t hold back on the emotional beats.

The audiobook narrators were fantastic! There were two and they really brought the charm, humor, and heart through their respective POVs of Leena and Eileen.

There are so many characters in the story but I somehow didn’t have any issue keeping them straight. I think the audiobook might have helped with that as the narrators were good about creating distinct voices for all the different characters. I was very impressed.

In the story, Leena (29) and her grandmother “swap lives” with Leena going to live in her grandmother’s small village and Eileen (79) going to London to start dating again. I found both perspectives engaging and each drew me in and held my attention in different ways. I did find it odd the characters kept saying they “swapped lives.” Yes Leena took up her grandmother’s responsibilities in the village, but Eileen was living her own life in London although she was living in Leena’s flat while doing so.

I really could have done without the Ethan subplot. It ruined my ability to root for Leena’s crush in the village as she had a boyfriend back in London (even though he was a jerk). I think I would have loved the romance if Ethan hadn’t been a factor.

Content warnings for panic attacks, cancer death, and an abusive relationship.

4/5 stars

I loved our older protagonist, Eileen! I will say that the younger Leena did not have a good narrator, as the voice was very lispy and high pitched, so it gave me a headache. I believe this affected my enjoyment of her storyline immensely.

Such a cute story!
Leena is a workaholic that has a panic attack at work and is given a two month holiday. Eileen, Leena’s grandmother is a 79 year old facing her golden years alone after her husband left her. What a perfect time to switch lives, per say, for healing and restoration.
I loved listening to this story, it felt as though I was sitting beside the author as she was recounting personal events. It also made me miss my own grandmother so much but to also take a look at her life and how strong she was facing hard times in her life.
Wonderful book.

The Switch is about a grandmother and granddaughter who need a break from being themselves so they switch lives. Leena lives in the city and overworked. Eileen lives in the country and is in search of an adventure. These characters felt so real, which is something I’ve come to love about Beth O’Leary’s writing. The story is told in alternating chapters from the two MCs POV. The audiobook was fantastic at distinguishing each character. This story focuses on these women and the romance aspect is secondary, which is fine with me. The Switch did a good job of balancing the light-hearted and funny moments with the hard-hitting and sad. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author. TW: panic attack, grief, loss of a loved one, cancer, depression.
*Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for those ARC in exchange for honest review.

I enjoyed this audio book much more than I enjoyed reading it previously - the narrator gave interesting and more intelligent voices to the protagonists than I had visualised from the prose. I connected far more to Leena and her grandmother, Eileen. Leena, who, having been told to take a break from her high powered job in London, asks Eileen to 'swap lives' - Eileen to temporarily live in London whilst Leena takes over her grandmother's life in her Yorkshire village. Both women learn much more about each other and also about themselves.
A good listen with a satisfactory ending.

I had recently read Beth's debut novel, The Flat Share and loved it, so I was anticipating The Switch. I liked the fact that the tone and subject matter was very different. I loved the idea of the granddaughter and grandmother swapping lives. The hero and the anti-hero were very well drawn and I could completely imagine both the village in the Yorkshire Dales and the minutiae of everyday life there and the anonymity of London. I loved the idea of Eileen building a little oasis in Central London and forcing certain Londoners to embrace camaraderie. I enjoyed the various love stories, past and present, and liked that the author introduced some serious themes: scamming the elderly, the difficulties of parenting after divorce, depression, loss and anxiety. Arnold was one of my favourites, but I loved how no-nonsense Eileen was, and I was rooting for Betsy all the way. Glad Lena got the ending she deserved on all fronts of her life. Am eagerly anticipating Miss O'Leary's next release

This book had so many elements in it (grief, finding yourself, romance, humor, etc.) but instead of feeling like a congested mess O’Leary tacked them with grace and wit. Even when it dealt with serious topics the story still managed to feel light - which was exactly what I hoped for when I started this book.
There was never a dull moment while listening to this audiobook because there were so many plot points to pay attention to and the two actresses did a great job voicing the two main characters - Eileen and Leena, Listening to it felt like listening to a play in the best way.
I also really love the sense of community in this book. Everyone in London and Leena’s small hometown made the story feel fleshed out. I really enjoyed reading about how Eileen and Leena took their knowledge from life in a small hometown/big city to their switch and helped improve their new surroundings.
My only critique is that at about 50% through the book some plot points felt too coincidental/unrealistic and a bit rushed - specifically when it came to the romance subplot for both Leena and Eileen.
Overall, I still enjoyed it and will definitely read more from this author.
*This is a review for a book I received through NetGalley*

Beth O’Leary’s The Switch is the perfect amount of quirky, heartwarming, and entertaining. Eileen and Leena are both great, well developed characters! The narration really brought everything to life. Thank you so much for access to this audio!

Thank you to the publisher for the early audiobook.

So, I actually ended up listening to this via ALC from Libro.fm. The quality of sound when I listened via the NetGalley app was not good. It sounded like it didn’t go through the final pass on sound mixing or something.

But onto the story. It was so lovely. Leena and Eileen decide to switch lives for a few months. Leena moves into her grandmother, Eileen’s, house and will look after everyone in the small town. Eileen moves into Leena’s London apartment and to casually date and try on city living.

I loved how this story unfolded. Both Eileen and Leena discover things about themselves and how they’re living their lives. They are also both able to use this time to address their grief.

The cast of characters surrounding Eileen and Leena are fun and such important parts of their lives.

This is such a fun, wholesome story. Definitely recommend it.

While this was a cute little story, it also dealt with real and tough life situations, including death and panic attacks. Each of the characters relationships with each other was believable and complicated in their own way. Ethan reminded me of Warner from Legally Blonde, while Lena and Jackson's relationship reminded me a lot of Anna and Kristoff from Frozen. I loved that it was narrated by two different people; they were each able to capture their character perfectly.

I loved this book. It was enchanting and charming at the same time. How can you not love a spunky grandmother who is e-dating? This book follows two main characters who switch (hence name of the book) their homes for a couple of months. In this switch, both characters learn a lot and there’s a growth from new experiences. The story line was clean cut in that situations were not dragged out. As a reader, you know there’s a problem and there’s a solution and we move on. I don’t like books were there’s a problem and the reader is lead from one solution to another and the plot is twisted just because and you are just worn out. This is not one of those books. Don’t get me wrong. There is tension throughout the book and it is slowly resolved, but I loved how the author resolved this story. Also, it was a great quarantine read. I loved the break from serious books. This book brought a smile to my face and I hope it will you also.

The Switch by Beth O'Leary is so cute, and just the light-hearted book I needed between heavier, social justice related books (my norm these days).⠀
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The plot is nothing majorly new, with a huge nod at "The Holiday." But it was sweet, and tender, and unique in its own charming way. And filled with British humor - of which I'm a BIG fan.

If you're feeling weighed down at times by this world like me, give this one a listen - the narrators are FANTASTIC and really bring the story to life! I'm really loving audiobooks these days!

This audiobook was absolutely delightful. The narrators were such a delight to listen to. The story was endearing, refreshing, and sweet. The characters were likable and I enjoyed every minute. I haven't read Beth O"Leary's The Flatshare but I am adding that to my audio TBR as soon as I can!

This was a fun, light read. I listened to the audio version and the narrators were absolutely delightful. While I didn't get super invested in the story, I loved the narration style. I really enjoyed the characters themselves, since the narration really brought them to life, but the plot was just a little slow for me. This was a good listen if you're looking for a good relaxing read to take your mind off things.

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Current Review

The Switch • Beth O’Leary

⭐️⭐️⭐️👍🏼/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)
Thank you @netgalley and @quercus for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review.
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“When I got here I thought their lives were small and silly. Turns out they’re the biggest people I know.”
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👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Thumbs Up:
LOVED IT. This book is so heartwarming in every way. The characters are lovely and the story was unique. It selves into some deep topics in the perfect way while still propelling the narrative forward.
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👎🏻Thumbs Down:
Nothing negative to say!
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🤓For readers WHO:
-are fans of the holiday
-want an uplifting family centered story
-enjoy a sassy grandma heroine 👵🏻
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👉🏼This is what’s WHAT:
Lena and Eileen are still reeling from a family death (Lena’s sister) and decide they need a change. They decide to switch lives and hilarity ensues. As they learn to live different lives surrounded by new people, they rediscover themselves and finally grapple with their grief.
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⏳WHEN I read this book:
I felt uplifted and like I should call my grandma!
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🚨WHERE you should watch out:
-cancer/death/grief
-mentions of abusive relationship
-infidelity in a dating relationship
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📍WHY you should read this one:
If you like a classic romcom or your grandma, READ IT.
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📚HOW I read it:
Audio arc from @netgalley

This book is utterly delightful.⁣
⁣
The Flatshare was one of my ABSOLUTE favorite books of 2019. I completely adored it. So when I learned that Beth O’Leary had a new book coming out, I was thrilled!! The Switch and The Flatshare are *so very* different. The Switch has some romantic elements to it, but I wouldn’t call it a romance, so definitely go into it knowing that ahead of time. However!!! It is so lovely and charming. It’s the book equivalent of a cozy, rainy afternoon doing a puzzle on a screened-in porch. 🥰⁣
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My favorite thing about this book was “the olds.” Eileen’s friends in her small town were so colorful and led such vibrant lives, and their stories were so much fun to read. But even more than that, I loved Eileen. She was the star of the book for me. I absolutely loved her and the growth she experienced throughout the story. It’s never too late to change your life ❤️ Brew yourself a pot of tea, and settle in to this book for a warm and comforting read about family and finding joy in the unlikeliest of places.

The Switch was such a heartwarming, surprisingly hilarious, wonderful story of a granddaughter, Leena, changing homes with grandmother Eileen for two months. Eileen always wanted to live in bustling London, and at almost 80 and single, she wants to do it before it’s too late. Leena, still grieving over the death of her sister, blows an important presentation at work and is forced a sabbatical to get her head back in the game. Think of The Holiday, but with family!

I love these characters. I felt like they were my family, and I was helping them basically get their groove back. I will say I loved Eileen a bit more and loved her quest of online dating. (Y’all, spoiler, she get a 🍆 pic 😂) She was a cheeky lady, and I hope I’m like that when I am 79. (If I make it) As I was driving through the 5th circle of hell aka Midtown Atlanta at 5PM, I was cackling in the HOV lane. I love women that are not afraid to speak their mind, but you can fault because they’re elder. Eileen had so much baggage and got to deal with her anger towards her mother about her sisters death head on. Plus, she has a garbage can of a boyfriend, so that’s always fun.

Now, I of course got the audiobook because y’all know I love audio. (Shoutout NetGalley and Macmillan Audio). However, if y’all want to read this (WHICH YOU SHOULD CAUSE DUH) I would recommend getting this in print if you are sensitive to noises in narration. One of the narrators had those noises where you could hear the saliva in the mouth after a sentence. It’s hard to describe, so my bad y’all. Any who, it was really distracting and I couldn’t stop hearing it.


So, if you like The Holiday, you love cat videos and people sending you cat videos, and love second chances on love and finding yourself, pick this bad boy up!

A sweet PG story about two generations learning what to do next after tragedy hits. The story of Eileen (79 year-old grandmother) and Leena (29 year-old granddaughter) is told from the alternating points of view of these two characters. Their story addresses many of the ups and downs of real life, including loss, divorce, dating, grief, friendships, and family.

Eileen becomes a temporary grandmother to Leena’s roommates. She befriends some of the elderly in the London area, sees a need for seniors and works to help. At the same time, Leena is the young, energetic personality who joins Eileen’s friends with their project. Both women learn a lot about what they appreciate in life.

The narrators, Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones from Hulu’s Normal People do a nice job. There are times when they pulled me out of story, mostly when talking on the phone. That doesn't happen often though. Overall, I enjoyed The Switch on audio. It is a beautiful story that works well in an audio format. I plan to look for more stories from Beth O’Leary in the future.

ARC of audiobook received from Netgalley for an honest review.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading but I actually enjoyed the story. I really liked that there were two narrators so it was easy to distinguish the two points and I really liked both narrators.

It was a really great feel good story and all the characters .were really interesting. While the story dealt with some difficult topics i think they were handled well without getting too heavy.

Overall I enjoyed the book and I recommend the audiobook as the narrators are interesting and keep you engaged with the story.

I recently finished listening to THE SWITCH and it was a pure and utter delight! I’m fact I had to listen to it again , it was so good.
It embraces the notion of family, friends, and belonging. Taking the reader along for a most wonderful adventure. In the heart of the book it shares the heartache of loss and the time and measures it takes to move forward. It also touches on the importance of family and friends.. I loved the audio. Both narrators were amazing. Leena is voiced by Daisy Edgar-Jones and Eileen is narrated by Alison Steadman. Two narrators that I’ll definitely be keeping my ears open for more. I really enjoyed this fresh look on switching lives and look forward to reading more books by this author