Well this was a light and easy read. I'm my case a listen.
I feel like O'Leary's novels have nothing new from other romance, chic lit or whatever you want to call it.
And that sadly makes this (and "The Flat Share") very predictable if you're a reader of the genre. I mean it has a change in location, finding out your partner isn't who you think they are, change in work conditions and relationships, a family members loss and the grief that comes with it for the ones left behind... As soon as O'Leary brings up something new, be it a forgotten key or swoon-worthy man, I know how she will use it in a predicable way. But that also depend on that I have read -a lot- of books like this one in my life.

That doesn't have to be bad, it was still cute and a good "palette cleanser" I feel like many books in this genre is.
So pick it up if predictability doesn't bother you and you just want something easy to read or listen to.

I was a bit wary of picking this book because I didn’t really enjoy The Flatshare as much as I thought I would. But this book pleasantly surprised me. I absolutely enjoyed reading it. I listened to the audiobook while reading the e-book and it was the best thing ever! The characters were great. The plot was simple yet very entertaining and gripping. I really loved the dual perspective in this novel. This book had me laughing, smiling and even made me feel like crying at some points.

The 2 main characters were amazing but so were the other ones! I loved Arnold. He was so fun, quirky (after his transformation😏), annoying yet lovable. The characters felt so alive.

The Switch isn’t simply a story about two women who swap lives for two months. It’s a story about losing a loved one, handling grief, learning about yourself and starting your life over. This book makes you feel and pushes you to think about your own emotions. I felt so interested in their love lives and was rooting for both Eileen and Leena all along! This book gets all the plus points for amazing characters!!

If you’re looking for a light, quick read which will make you feel sooo many emotions at once, definitely check this one out! It will not disappoint! I really enjoyed The Switch and I can’t wait to read more by this author!💕

I absolutely LOVED #TheSwitch, by Beth O'Leary. This story was done so beautifully and it was narrated perfectly by Alison Steadman as Eileen, the Grandmother who is 79 and has just been left by Wade her husband for a young dancer. Eileen lives in a tiny yorkshire village. Daisy Edgar-Jones narrates as Leena, her 29 year old granddaughter, who lives in London with a high stress job and has a panic attack and is told to take a two month paid sabbatical from her job so she can get her act together. The two decide to switch living arrangements. Eileen will live in Leena's London flat, and try to find love interests in the big city by swiping right or left on an app, as well as just finding herself. Leena will live in Eileen's house and take on her small town responsibilities, like bingo, commitee meetings and such. There she hopes to just relax and de-stress herself. Also, her mother lives there and both Eileen and Leena are hoping Leena and her mother can come to terms again after a falling out they had when Leena's sister died of cancer. Each of them have neighbor friends that can help them make their transitions happen. Also, they have great personalities, which end up making wonderful, quirky, fun and unexpected things happen for both of them.

There are a lot of wonderful characters in this book. A lot of heart warming things happen and what I really love is that O'Leary has a beautiful way of bringing out each person's personalities in the book, neighbors, new people and all. (Even Hank the sweet, lovable dog! ♡)

There are some good times, hard times, and some wonderful times. This book ends with warm fuzzy feel goods and I loved everything about it. I highly recommend the audiobook because the narration is done so well it makes you feel like you are part of the story.

I would like to thank #NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my advance LRC in exchange for my honest opinion.

To be published August 18, 2020.

Sometimes people just need a change of scenery, but with enough familiarity to bring comfort. That’s what happened in this story when a grandmother and granddaughter are both caught in life ruts and decide to switch homes for awhile and see what results. (one moves to London and one goes home to a small town)

Eileen, the grandmother, stole the show for me. She was the cutest! This book is just lovely. It’s more of a slow burn but I got a lot from it emotionally. I loved the two narrators for the audio book, and thought they did a great job of delivering convincing performances of the characters and I could feel all the feels. The story was very endearing and the characters lovable and relatable. Such a sweet story!

I had such high expectations for The Switch since I loved The Flatshare. Unfortunately, this book missed the mark for me. When I initially read the summary, I thought that this would have been a lighthearted book, but there’s underlying sadness throughout the book which is fine, but it kind of threw me off guard. Aside from that, I found the storyline to be a bit too slow and too predictable. In terms of the audiobook, I liked the narrator for Leena, but the narrator for Eileen was unbearable to listen too even though I did like Eileen over Leena in the book. I won’t give up on this author since I loved The Flatshare. Even though The Switch wasn’t right for me, it may be contemporary romance that may work for you.

Thanks for the prerelease copy of the switch to @macmillanaudio. I would highly recommend this endearing quick paced family drama about a granddaughter, daughter and mother and their journey after a family loss. This is a story of healing searching for happiness and feminism. Highly recommend this book. Look for it on release day August 17th

** I received an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.**
There is something about the way this author writes characters. Last year, The Flat Share was such a delightful surprise that I could not wait to get my hands on this book. I was so excited when I was given the audiobook through NetGalley.
Although this book does have romantic elements in it, it is not a romance. It is a book about how loss reshapes a family and all the people in it. When a close family member is no longer physically present, the family has to learn how to reshape around it. Sometimes finding who you are without that person can be very difficult. It may create a space that can never be filled.
This book focuses on a family of women who have been dealt several blows. First, they lost a granddaughter, daughter, and sister and then the grandfather ran off with a dance instructor. Leena has lost her sister to cancer and has been slowly self imploding ever since. She is over working and has a panic attack in the most important presentation of her life. Her employer forces her to take a sabbatical to sort herself out. Her grandmother Eileen not only lost her granddaughter but also her husband and is finding her small hamlet not very conducive to finding love again. After a weekend together, they decide to switch lives for a time and see if they can each find what they need,
I loved that this book looks at this 79 year old woman as a vibrant, sexy woman. Here is no pandering to her age. She is a full, beautifully written character who still desires and loves and makes mistakes. I loved her point of view so much.
I loved that Leena has to learn to work differently in the small hamlet and also has to learn to forgive her mother. IT is really hard to be angry at a person who has died. It is much easier to blame someone you can still touch. Her journey is not an easy one but it was very well written.
This book touched me in a way that is difficult to define. My family lost my uncle when I was about 3 years old and it reshaped itself around a wound that never healed. My mother, her sister and my grandparents did not talk about him much and they certainly did not talk about his death. It was just something that was always there. I often wonder who they all were before he died. I understand how that change how an entire family works.
This book is beautifully written and the two main characters are fully developed women whose hopes and dreams have been knocked off track. They are not cardboard cut outs. I just really enjoy the way this author writes characters with such nuance and humanness.

This was an enjoyable book - the first audiobook from NetGalley that I had listened to.

When Leena has a panic attack during a high-profile presnetation at work in London, she is 'encouraged' by her boss to take 2 months off to de-stress. She decides to go and visit her grandmother Eileen in her small Yorkshire village, and while there, she discovers that Eileen had dreams of living in London when she was younger, Eileen, 79 years old, has been trying to find an eligible man to date, but is not finding anyone in the village that she would want to date.

A plot is hatched, for Leena and Eileen to swap lives for 2 months. Leena will come and live in the village, and will take on Eileen's responsibilities organizing the village fete, complete with Eileen's flip phone, while Eileen will go and live in Leena's London flat, where with the help of Leena's friend, she will try online dating.

No suprise, both find their new lives trying, and have to learn to deal with people and their new surroundings, in different ways. Both describe their progress, and personal growth in touching and sometimes amusing ways. We lelarn about the heartbreak that both have suffered and how they are dealing, and not dealing with it. Both characters realise they have underestimated what the other does in their day to day lives. Eileen and her elderly friends were very fun to listen too - the older characters definitely were the most amusing in this novel. Especially as they navigate the waters of online dating!

The narrators of the audiobook - Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones, did a wonderful job of voicing all of the characters. I enjoyed the fact that each character had a distinct, and very appropriate voice. The plot was easy to followand the sound quality was very good.

I would definitely read more by this author. Many thanks to Macmillan audio for a chance to listen to this book in return for an honest review.

This story starts out like many others about a woman who faces a crossroads in her life, but it makes a most unexpected turn. Leena is on an unplanned sabbatical after she screws up a work presentation. She retreats to her grandmother’s house to lick her wounds and counts on some tea and sympathy from her 80 year old grandmother, Eileen. Eileen, meanwhile is thinking about the missed opportunities in her life and longs for a second chance. So the two women come up with a solution, they will switch lives, with Eileen living in the city and Leena moving into her grandmother’s little Yorkshire cottage. From there, things take an unexpected, and sweet and funny turn. Steadman and Edgar-Jones do a bang up job of bringing this lovely story to life

The Switch is a romance novel featuring a family left behind.

Leena lost her sister 14 months ago and her life is imploding as a result. Eileen lost her granddaughter; her daughter and remaining granddaughter aren’t speaking.

From this sad premise comes the switch—Leena and Eileen switch places when Leena’s job forces her to take two months off. Eileen dates for the first time after the end of her marriage and Leena addresses the hole in her life with her sister and her mother gone.

While that makes the book sound sad, it’s not. As the women grow and change, it’s hard not to feel hopeful. This book is much like O’Leary’s last book—a cast of friends and side characters who for the most part play bit roles but occasionally come off the page and steal a scene because they are so real. There are also a few outlandish plot points that don’t work as well but don’t spoil the overall fun of the book.

This book drew me in much quicker than The Flatshare and is a better book overall. It ends in a happier place than where it began, tying up some unresolved grief in the process. Really enjoyed the two can-do female main characters.

Leena is ordered to take a two-month sabatical after blowing a big presentation at work. Eileen, Leena’s grandmother, is newly single, about to turn 80 and looking for a second chance at love. Leena proposes a solution: a two month swap, Eileen can find love in London while Leena will look after everything in rural Yorkshire.

I had so much fun listening to this audio. The story was fast-paced, cute and charming. I loved all the characters, Eileen’s was my favorite, I just adored her, she was a firecracker and her dating adventures were the best!
Overall if you want a book that will put a smile on your face, this is for you.

Thank you NetGalley, MacMillan Audio and Beth O’leary for giving me a copy of this ALC in exchange for an honest review.

http://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeepleasemx

This book is a fabulous read about family, love, community and bridging the generational gap. The voices in the audiobook bring the characters to life in a way that made me feel like I was sitting down next to them. I was taken for a wild ride while Leena and Eileen set out on a quest to discover who they are and to find what is missing in their lives. Leena learns that the small things that people do really are the big things in life. Eileen learns the benefits of the positive things that can happen when you take a gamble and step out of your comfort zone. This book deals with heavy issues such as grief and loss in a way that is very realistic. As with Bridget Jones's Diary and Me Before You, the dialogue will make you tear up from laughter and from empathy but will leave you in an uplifting and hopeful place.

<b>The Switch</b> was a  feel good, womens fiction audiobook and I found it to be  a most enjoyable, easy listening experience.
In terms of NetGalley audiobooks it was my first - of hopefully many.     It was also my first Beth O'Leary novel and though I may not rush it to the top of my favourites list I've heard great things about her debut novel The Flatshare and would certainly read or listen to her work again. 

The story was relatable on many levels and covered off an array of themes including relationships of all shapes and sizes and had a wonderful variety of charecters old and young.    At the top of the list of themes was grief and the journey of rediscovering yourself in the wake of the loss of a loved one.    Though there were three generations of Cotton women in this story The Switch was essentially about Eileen and Leena Cotton trading lives for a couple of months.    At 79 Eileen is newly single and realises she wants one last chance at love but her options are slim in her quaint country town.   Leena, her granddaughter, is 29 and is being forced to take an eight week sabbatical from her job in London.    For the past two years she's thrown herself into her work in a desperate attempt to get over the loss of her sister.     She may well be a high flyer and professional success story but it has taken a toll on her wellbeing and her bosses are insistent she needs a break.    So, Eileen and Leena agree to swap lives for 2 months.    Leena will live in the country and take on Eileen's chores whilst Eileen will live in London and do a bit of online dating where there are plenty of eligible over 70's.

The two narrators Daisy Edgar-Jones and Alison Steadman both did a terrific job of portraying their respective characters and it was easy to imagine the characters O'Leary had created.  If you enjoy contemporary womens fiction with a bit of light romance thrown into the bargain this one is sure to please.    It was entertaining, not altogether unpredictable, and had the requisite happy ending to round off a really pleasant story.    3.5 stars on Goodreads.

My thanks to the author, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity of listening to this audiobook.

I was so excited to be accepted to review an audiobook for net galley, and especially thrilled that my first audiobook review is for Beth O'leary's The Switch. I read her first book, #theflatshare, last summer and I honestly, just love how she is able to tackle serious topics, and lighten things up with her a good dose of humour.

In #theswitch, the Cotton family, grandma Ilene, Mom Marianne and daughter Leena, are all battling grief over the last few to several months since the loss of Leena's sister to cancer. Grandma Ilene was hoping to find a new romantic partner, and her grand daughter Leena was forced to take paid leave from her job (after she had a panic attack at work at the VERY WORST POSSIBLE time). Since eligible men for grandma are scarce out in grandma's town, Leena hatches the plan that her and grandma Ilene should switch homes (Leena's in London, and so grandma would definitely stand a match greater chance of finding romance there). They switch: homes, smartphones for flip phones, and exchange keys and responsibilities, and off they go. Leena had promised to help look after her mom, Marianne who was not coping with her grief (and lives in the same town with Grandma Ilene).

"The switch", therefore allows for comedy and drama, that is all just a pleasure to read.

But now for the audiobook. Well I am a great believer in the audiobook because most importantly, it allows me to listen to the story and either get up and do my exercise or cook, or do whatever it is I have to do (especially great when stuck in the car). I am also able to speed it up soI could get through the book as quickly (or as slowly) as I like.

This audiobook was fantastic to listen to, humour and drama both done very well. Alison Steadman and Daisy Jones were incredible to listen to. I really enjoyed it. I highly recommend listening to, and reading, Beth O'leary"s #theswitch. Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillanaudio for letting me listen to the book in return for my honest review.

This is a contemporary fiction novel about a grandmother and granddaughter who switch their lives and their homes for 2 months. This was an audiobook and I really enjoyed the narrators. They captured what I felt was the tone and feeling of the book.

Leena lives in London and has been working so intensely that she finally has a panic attack during a major presentation. She is “ordered” to take a 2 month paid vacation. Problem is, Leena doesn’t know where to go. She finally decides to visit her grandmother, Eileen whom she is very close to.

She visits Yorkshire where her mother also lives. She and her mom have been somewhat estranged ever since her sister passed away. She and her grandmother talk at length about what they want in life and decide it might be a good idea for them to switch lives for 2 months. Leena will stay in the village and do all of the things on Eileen’s “project” list, which ends up being more than she bargained for. Eileen will go to London and live in Leena’s flat with her flat mates.

Soon Eileen is helped to set up a profile on a dating website and makes friends in the apartment building. There are definitely some believability issues here with the many things that she is able to accomplish while she is there. She starts a club that will meet in a common space and hopes to bring seniors together. She also manages to meet two men on the dating site, one of which she has a “fling” with, for want of another word.

Leena meanwhile really gets to know the neighbors in Yorkshire. It’s a small town and everyone knows everyone’s business. She finds herself in charge of the local May Day event which is more work than she imagined. She also finds that her long time boyfriend, Ethan, isn’t very good at long distance romance while there is someone in this small town that she finds more than a little interesting.

Although I found the book a bit saccharine at times, there were some serious issues addressed including grieving over the loss of a loved one, really understanding and communicating with people and learning to love yourself and find your inner strengths.

I can highly recommend this as a great audiobook listen. It was quick and interesting and the narration was great.

I received an audiobook of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley Audiobooks.

This was a delightful novel with more substance than I anticipated - a pleasant surprise! The "switch stories" I've previously enjoyed in novels and movies swapped two people of the same age. In Beth O'Leary's upcoming release, 20-something granddaughter Leena leaves her fast-paced career-driven London life to live in her 79-year-old grandmother Elieen's small village cottage for two weeks during a "sabattical" mandated by her employer. Grandma Eileen uses this opportunity to stay in Leena's London flat and live the exciting big-city life for 14 days. Of course hilarity and missteps ensue.

I enjoyed watching Leena be reminded of the importance of connections to one's neighbors, a skill she neglected in London, and seeing Eileen teach that lesson to Leena's flatmates, fellow building residents, and the larger neighborhood. Eileen's antics to 'investigate' Leena's boyfriend were enjoyable if not somewhat unrealistic. Of course, the love stories were sweet and delightful. I also appreciated the far more serious plotline of Leena, Elieen, and their mother/daughter mourning the loss of Carla, Leena's sister.

It was fabulous to read this as an audiobook as the British accents of Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones brought great authenticity to the large cast of characters, especially Eileen and Leena. Thank you NetGalley for the Advanced Listening Copy of this novel!.

I loved this audiobook. The idea of a grandmother and her granddaughter changing homes for a couple of months intrigued me. With Leena being ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a big presentation at work, going to live in her grandmother's cottage in a small town sounds like a perfect spot to unwind and relax. What she was not aware of, were the number of jobs and projects her grandmother was responsible for that she was expected to take over. Eileen's husband recently left her for a younger woman and 79 year old Eileen is ready to try dating and see what she wants out of life. Of course, Eileen is a go getter, so the apartment building will never be the same after Eileen gets her hands on it.

I loved both the main characters. Eileen might be a 79 year old grandmother, but she is not old. She's fun, active, smart, friendly and loves making things better for others. She loves having a project. Leeni is a business woman who is organized and used to running things, that is not going to happen in the village. The story is told in alternating chapters and I really enjoyed Eileen's adventures. Leeni was having a more difficult time adapting, but it was fun to see what she was getting herself into. This book is full of emotions and had me laughing out loud one minute and getting weepy the next. There are some tough issues tackled in a fun way. It explores loneliness, fear, grief, mental health, spousal abuse and other domestic issues. A great book for a summer read or listen. Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones were awesome narrators. I loved the voices they used for the character they were narrating. The expression and intonation were perfect and the pacing was right on. I definitely recommend these narrators to those who enjoy audiobooks.

This book was exactly what I needed. I loved the focus on healing and dealing with grief. It was interesting to see how each of the characters dealt with their loss in different ways. I was a huge fan of the dual perspectives--we need more books with main characters over the age of 50. It was so refreshing.

The audiobook was brilliant. One of the best I have ever listened to.

Lovely. Simply lovely.
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Through this pandemic my heart has been drawn to simple stories. The Switch fit the bill ten fold. I adored everything about it.
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Let’s talk about the plot. Grandma and granddaughter switch lives. At first I thought it was going to be a little like Freaky Friday...which if I’m being honest made me very apprehensive. Delightfully that was not the case. A simple plot was exactly what this story called for. What are you missing? For both Lena and Eileen, they needed to leave their respective homes/towns and discover what was right in front of their face the whole time. Bravo Beth! Well done.
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I adored these characters. They filled this novel with love. Even the cranky, crotchety ones. The relationship between Lena and Eileen was well played. Sometimes that extra generation makes such a open, wonderful relationship and that was absolutely the case with this Grandmother and Granddaughter. The supporting characters had such depth, that they starred in the story in their own right.
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I want to talk about the audio a bit since I am reviewing the audio book. The narrators were perfect. Lending their voices to bring both points of view to life. I felt like I was wrapped in a warm blanket...sipping tea...listening to old friends tell me their story. They made it real.
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I would love to talk about this novel all day...because it makes me smile and laugh to remember it. I think this will be one of my favorites this year.
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I will highly recommend this to everyone I know. The family drama, combined with the perfect romance all set in a lively place lends itself to a read that will be appreciated by most ♥️.

I listened to The Switch on audiobook, and it was amazing. There were two narrators, one for each of the main women. The main characters are a businesswoman and her grandmother, and the narrators impressed me because the voice for the grandmother really fit the part. Plus, when phone calls occurred in the book, the narration became full of static. The special effects were fun.

The story is that a businesswoman has a panic attack at work due to the stress of losing her sister, so she is forced to take a paid two-month vacation from work. During her vacation, she decides to switch places with her grandmother. She will live in her grandmother's country home, and attend various neighborhood meetings. Her grandmother will stay in her flat in London, and look for a new man.

It is a heartfelt story that had me tearing up multiple times. Plus, how often do we get representation of women over 70?

I received this audiobook from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.