The Switch by Beth O’Leary
Leena and her grandma Eileen are looking to switch things up. Leena has been forced to take a two month leave from her high pressure job in London and Eileen, who is newly single at 79, is looking for love. However, there are few options in her tiny village, so they decide to switch places. Leena will stay at her grandmother’s house and run her affairs and Eileen will stay with her granddaughter’s flatmates in London and give online dating a try.

Eileen is a delightful character. To me, she was an adorable combination of Miss Marple and an older Agatha Raisin! She is so much fun!

Leena is still reeling from her sister’s death and is angry at her mother. Being in the same village as her mother forces her to confront these issues.

The book goes back and forth, one chapter from Leena’s point to view and the next from Eileen’s. Both of the narrators for the audiobook were excellent and I didn’t mind switching back and forth to each character’s story.

I really enjoyed O’Leary’s first novel, The Flat Share, but I loved this one even more. It is full of english charm, memorable and likable characters, high jinks, and camaraderie! Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillianaudio for my advanced listener copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book had heart wrenching themes and beautiful writing. I absolutely adored every moment of it. I plan to continue reading this author and recommending her to anyone looking for a great read.

Leena is forced to take a two-month work sabbatical, and switches lives with her recently divorced 79-year old grandma Eileen. Leena moves to Eileen’s cottage in northern England to get a break from work, while Eileen takes on life in London to look for love.

This story was so cute and followed the personal growth of these two women, each chapter alternating narration between Eileen and Leena. While there was some romance in it for each of them, it was just a piece of their development throughout the story. Grandma Eileen was so witty and charming and I loved her openness to adventure regardless of her age. There were a lot of secondary characters which were sometimes hard to keep straight, but they added another element of fun to the story.

The only part I didn't love on audio was any phone conversations -- they tried to make them sound authentic but resulted in being a bit more muffled than the rest of the book.

If you need a reminder that you can continue to grow regardless of age or life’s challenges and setbacks, pick up The Switch when it publishes August 18.

This was a charming book about reinventing yourself and pulling back together after the death of a loved one both as a family and an individual. The story is predictable but the overall writing is enjoyable. This is not necessarily a light read because of the topics it deals with including grief and mental health problems, but the overall effect turns out to be hopeful. The alternating point of view helps highlight both Leena and her grandmother's journey. through quite alien settings.
Both the narrators do a great job bringing their characters to life, and I especially liked the voices Eileen did for the London characters.

When Leena, in her late twenties who lives in London, suddenly had a panic attack during her big presentation she was asked to take a 2 month paid sabbatical leave. She decided to visit her grandmother Eileen who lives in a tiny, quaint village in Yorkshire. Eileen, newly single and about to turn eighty, is looking for a second chance at love. When Leena found out about it, she suggested the switch.
•
•
While Leena took on all of Eileen’s project and Eileen tried to immerse herself in London, the idea of swapping lives was difficult for both of them than they had initially thought. You would expect that the story is just switching places as the title implies, but it was more than that. It dwells with one’s relationship with your family when death tore it apart and learning how to put it back together again. It also deals with being at your twilight years and living it the best as you can be.
•
•
I love the way the narrators read the story though there are times that I was zoning out and I had to rewind a few times. There are more characters too that at times it was hard to keep up but I love Eileen character and given the she’s almost eighty proves that love knows no age. Some scenes are cringe worthy but at the same time funny. If you’re looking for a feel good book, this might be for you.

The Switch ↔️🏠💞🏡⁣
⁣
This character-driven novel is so timely; and it delights the soul during a time when we all just need an escape to the countryside or a change of pace. O'Leary writes about hard topics in a relatable way with a touch of wit and humor! ⁣
⁣
79 year-old Eileen Cotton is in her prime as she looks for love after her husband left her for a dance instructor. Her granddaughter Leena is given 2 months off work to recoup after her panic attack during a client presentation. They both decide a switch may be just what they need. Leena goes to Yorkshire-Dales and takes over her grandmother's projects in her countryside village. Eileen goes to London to stay at Leena's warehouse flat. Life will never be the same for these two after their adventures! ⁣
⁣
This was a sheer delight! I absolutely adored the characters and the writing was witty and funny. The entire listening experience was so well-done with the voices of Alison Steadman as Eileen, and Daisy Edgar-Jones as Leena. ⁣
Thanks to netgalley and MacMillan audio for this ALC. ⁣
⁣
🌟🌟🌟🌟⁣
⁣
trigger ⚠️: grief/depression, loss of loved one. ⁣
⁣
#theswitch #betholeary #netgalley #bookish #bibliophile #bookcart #booksonbooksonbooks #booksofig #fiction #bookworm #booksta #bookstagram #bookstagrammer

OᐯᗴᖇᐯIᗴᗯ: Leena is ordered to take a two month sabbatical from her job to rest and rejuvenate. She decides to do that at her grandmother’s rural cottage. About to turn eighty, Eileen is looking for love, so she heads to Leena’s flat to try her luck in the big city. Will the switch in locations help them find what they most long for and need?

ᗰY TᕼOᑌᘜᕼTᔕ: Oh gosh, how I loved Eileen! She was such a joyful and positive character with so much spunk. The premise of the two switching lives was so entertaining on both sides. The secondary characters deserve a book of their own or a sequel so we can keep in touch.

ᖇᗩTIᑎᘜ: ★★★★★

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an audio ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I was in the mood for a light read and this book was exactly that. It gave me all the feels of a Hallmark movie (which I love) but was a bit snarkier (which I also love). The story is about Eileen and Leena (grandmother and granddaughter) who literally switch lives for a couple weeks. Eileen longs for a London adventure and Leena has not taken a break from work in a long time. They switch homes, cell phones and responsibilities, and this is just the start of the story. The older characters in this story are so funny and quick-witted! This was a fun, heart-warming story with a bit of romance. If you are looking for a feel-good story, this book is for you!

"The Switch" was a lovely heart-warming story exploring the struggles of family drama, being a career woman, and finding new love. The characters' journeys to stepping past their comfort zone were gradual and very real, making it feel as if you were watching your own friends and neighbors come together. I especially fell in love with Eileen's neighbors in Yorkshire and wouldn't mind doing a little switch of my own.

I thought this book was sweet, quirky and funny. All around a very cute story that I could easily picture like a movie in my head. I loved the main characters and thought that the storyline worked well although at times it seemed a little slow paced. The grandma Eileen made me laugh the most. Probably cause she reminded me of my own grandma! Not my usual genre but will definitely look for more books by this author! Thanks to Netgalley for the audio version of this book!!

The premise: young adult female living in London and her almost-80 year old grandmother living in a small town decide to switch places for two months. Both are dealing with grief over the loss of a loved one and need a change of pace. A most inspiring book, with touches of humor, compassion and romance. Both women end up making a huge difference in their communities and should be an inspiration to all. The narration was easy to listen to and one of my cats set about climbing all over me as I listened. When I turned off the sound, she stopped. She must have felt a connection to the narrators. I loved this book and will definitely recommend it to others!

Trigger warnings for: Death of a loved one, cancer, cheating, and mental health struggles.

This book was so adorable! It gives me the house-swapping vibes of The Holiday, but instead of two strangers, it's a grandmother and a granddaughter swapping homes and lives in order to learn to be themselves again after a variety of huge life events and heartbreaks. I will admit that I loved one POV more than the other (Eileen versus Leena), but that's probably because we don't see very many elderly main characters getting to fall in love and rediscover themselves! This is a HUGELY untapped idea, and I'm glad Beth gave it to us. Leena's plotline didn't speak to me as much, nor did her romance, but that's okay. I was much more interested in her blooming friendships with people from her hometown and her relationship with her mother. This is a cute read and I highly recommend the audio!

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to listen to this audiobook in exchange for a review. This is a cute story, but a bit predictable. The narration was good and captured the personalities of the women. I did enjoy this book as I was listening to it, but I felt like there was something missing. I didn’t connect to the characters as much as I would have liked for this type of character driven story.

Beth O'Leary's books appear to have the misfortune of containing both the things I like to read and things I don't care for, and I am afraid the "don't care" parts ultimately outweigh the good ones for me.

The Switch is marketed as a funny romcom a la The Holiday, but it just isn't. To me, it read like sad women's fiction with a bit of humor, more in line with something like Last Tango in Halifax. The largest sublot was cancer and grief, so not exactly a cheerful material. The romance was peripheral.

The plot is simple - Leena and her 80-year old grandma switch their homes. Leena - to get rest in a small country town. Her grandma Eileen - to taste big city life in London.

I have to say, I was only interested in grandma's adventures. She was fun and funny, and a cracking date. As far as Leena's, eh. She herself had a personality of a wet blanket and her parts were mostly depressing, with a dollop of cheesiness and no chemistry on the romance front. Every time I got to Leena's chapter, I wanted to skip and move on to granny's. She knew how to have a good time!

O'Leary writes great dialog, and I like her sense of humor. But her stories, unfortunately, have the tone and themes I generally don't enjoy.

I received an audio arc of this novel on Netgalley, and it was read just wonderfully by 2 great British actresses. Alison Steadman is especially a treasure. Love her in both "Gavin and Stacey" and "Pride and Prejudice."

This book made me so happy! I both read and listened to this book. I loved The Flatshare and could not wait for The Switch to be published. It had the feel of a cozy mystery book with its small village and quirky characters but was so much more than that. The book was uplifting - can't we all use a little bit of that right now? The audio version had a great narrator - she used different voices for characters and even mimicked the sound of people talking on the telephone! I will recommend this title for fans of uplifting fiction! And pretty much anyone else who will listen to me :)

The Switch by Beth O'Leary is the story of second chances. Leena Cotton and her grandmother Eileen are both still reeling from the death of Leena's sister, Carla, the previous year. At the beginning of the story they find themselves at a crossroads. Leena, a Londonite and workaholic, is struggling at work and has just been given a mandatory 2 month leave. Eileen, living in a small Yorkshire village, just found out her husband of more than 50 years was cheating on her with a dance instructor and has moved out.

Finding herself suddenly with time on her hands, Leena suggested that she and Eileen switch lives for two months. Leena will handle all Eileen's village responsibilities and Eileen will get a chance to live out her secret London dream. Leena expects an easy, stress-free vacation and Eileen will get the adventure she's always craved. But expectations don't quite match the reality for either of them.

I really loved Leena and Eileen both. They were strong women who while trying to deal with surface problems and wrap around their new normal of the loss of Carla.. I thought both of their reaction, as well as Leena's mother, Marian, reaction to grief to be normal and something that isn't talked about enough. The story is lighthearted, fun but there is a depth too that makes it a great read.

I was given the opportunity to listen to the audio book and both the narrators, Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones, were wonderful. It gave a depth to the story to hear the accents and joy each took in the reading. I highly recommend listening to the full audio cast if you are able.

Note: I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley and the publishers.

This book is so sweet. Perfect reading for when you're feeling down. Eileen is 79 and her husband recently left her. Leena - who's name is also Eileen - is her granddaughter and forced to take a two-month sabbatical from work. They decide to swithc places.
All the characters are lovable, even if at first they appear grumpy or unpleasant. The story touches many important topics. The most important being how lonely the elderly can be. Another important topic is how to cope with grief after the loss of a loved one. The romances were sweet and slow burn.
The audiobook has two narrators. They had perfect voices for the story. The only thing that annoyed me a little was how in phone conversations the other voice in the other end of the receiver sounded tinny. But that was only a minor annoyance. I really enjoyed listening.
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this book.

The Switch is a cute story about a granddaughter and grandmother who trade places for a couple months. I love the relationships both character's develop when they switch places, ones that they normally wouldn't have had otherwise. This is definitely a wonder women's fiction read. I enjoyed both narrators of the audiobook too other than the grandmother had some odd mouth noises at times.

Leena holds a high power, high stress job in London. After a panic attack in the middle of a client meeting, she's forced to take a two month sabbatical and decides to use the time to visit her grandmother in her tiny Yorkshire village. When Leena arrives, it's evident that Eileen is going through a period of transition as well.

Leena's sister, Carla, died a year and a half ago, and the family is still reeling. Leena has hardly spoken to her mother since Carla's death, and the resentment runs deep. Shortly after Carla passed, Eileen learned that her husband had been cheating on her. Nearly 80 and newly single, she's ready for a second chance at life and love.

Recognizing her need for a slower pace and seeking a rebuilding of her relationship with her mother, Leena thinks it might be best to spend her sabbatical in Yorkshire. Meanwhile, seeing the lack of romantic options for her grandmother in Yorkshire, Leena has the brilliant idea to "swap" lives with Eileen. Eileen always speaks fondly of her brief foray in London before she was married, and now is the perfect time to relive her youthful days.

With the two women "swapping" lives for two months, they both step out of their comfort zones, make new friends, and come to an inner peace they both needed. Witty, funny, and overall an enjoyable read, this was a predictable but certainly feel good book. I listened to the audio and both narrators were exceptional. Eileen was hilarious and made me long for the days of laughter and sweet memories I have with my own grandmothers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this audiobook.

I enjoyed this audio book. A very easy listen with quite a few laugh out loud moments. The characters were all likeable. The only negative, which wasn't huge because there wasn't very many of them, was the audio when they did them as phone calls. I always had to turn the volume up. All in all very pleasant and enough little drama and funny situations to keep listening from beginning to end.