The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary has been one of my favorite reads of the year and The Switch earned its place right beside it. I so enjoyed this lovely novel. Beth O'Leary will be an automatic one-click author for me from now on. We follow Eileen and her granddaughter, Leena, in this book. Eileen is sick and tired of being 79 and finds herself newly single and ready to mingle. Leena is ordered to take a two month sabbatical from work after having a panic attack during a big presentation. Both are also dealing with the aftermath of a devastating family tragedy. They decide the best cure for being tired of their own lives is to switch lives for the two months Leena is off of work.

Leena makes her way to her grandmother's home in the tiny village of Hamleigh-in-Harksdale. She is quickly faced with dealing with her broken relationship with her mother and also the inner workings of small town life. She throws herself into the Neighborhood watch and the upcoming Mayday celebration. Eileen has a rough start in London, but is soon enveloped by Leena's friends and begins being the meddlesome and well-meaning matriarch of the group. Eileen also learns the ropes of dating apps thanks to Leena's friend, Bea, and soon finds herself involved with several men. Meanwhile, Leena is questioning whether she really wants to return to London and her fast pace life again.

The book is heavily character-driven, which I absolutely adored. The complex relationships contained in its pages were so emotional and raw, while still maintaining that fun wit and cheek that I love about Beth O'Leary's writing. I had the absolute pleasure of listening to this book via audiobook and it was a delight! Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillon Audio. The audio was masterfully done and the narrators were perfectly matched to their characters.

This was a 5-star read for me, and I'm 100% certain that the amazing narrators of the audiobook had A LOT to do with it.

The Switch by Beth O'Leary is written from the POVs of the two main characters, Leena and Eileen Cotton, and each of these has their own narrator in the audiobook edition. Leena is a 29-year old overachiever and workaholic with some unacknowledged grief, and her grandmother, Eileen, is a 79-year old force of nature looking for a new adventure and another shot at love. Despite their similarities in terms of personality traits, these are two characters that are distinctly different in terms of the life phases they are in and their overall circumstances, which means that in order for the audiobook to be successful, the narrators need to convey all of this perfectly.

And man, do Daisy Edgar-Jones (Leena) and Alison Steadman (Eileen) do that and more!

Edgar-Jones's Leena is teetering on the edge of a nervous breakdown as the story takes off, even after she makes the titular switch with her grandmother to go live in a small Yorkshire village. She sweeps the listener up in Leena's ups and downs and very believably grows the character into the confident, at-peace-with-herself person that's only hinted at in the beginning. You can quite literally hear how Leena comes to terms with everything she needs to in order to move forward in her life. Small narrator quirks, like audible breaths and mouth-wetting, which would normally be big no-nos, feel natural and comforting and make you feel even more like you're listening to a normal human being trying to work their way through life. I hope Daisy Edgar-Jones reads many more audiobooks - she's found a new fan in me.

But, even with Edgar-Jones's Leena being near to perfection in my view, she's blown out of the water by Alison Steadman's Eileen. Don't get me wrong - the narrator quirks I mentioned are even more prevalent here, and in a normal narrating sense, she's not that good. What makes all that okay, and more than okay - absolutely perfect - is that Steadman reads Eileen exactly the way I would have pictured her in my head. How many 79-year olds do you know who don't get out of breath now and then, or don't lick their lips between each sentence? Steadman's honest, older woman voice just perfectly encapsulates what it is to be Eileen - fiery, nosy, bull-headed, caring, and daring, all wrapped up in a grandmotherly package that just makes you want to hug her.

Their narration of side characters was fairly good, and I don't have any major qualms in that department. This isn't the type of book where the narrator's voice needs to change completely for each character for the listener to be able to follow the story or to have a better listening experience, so it's a bit of a moot discussion point. The audibook's structure is also good, breaking it up into alternating POV chapters according to the print edition, and they average around 15 minutes each - perfect listening chunks.

It's worth mentioning that I have the feeling I'd have rated the book a bit lower, had I read it instead of listened to it. I think the story is less complex on paper and might lack a bit of the gravitas that the narrators' interpretations brought to the table. Basically, it's a rather light, straightforward read (albeit still really good) turned into a deeply emotional and highly entertaining listen by the narrators. I just felt like a million bucks by the end of it, and I don't think there's more you can ask for from this kind of book.

I throughly enjoyed listening to The Switch. The story itself was very wholesome and funny in parts, I especially enjoyed Eileen's storyline. I haven't read many stories that centre romance and over 70s, The Switch offered a new perspective. The narrators of The Switch were great they really helped to illustrate the story and liked having different narrators for each perspective as it made the novel easier to follow.

Highly recommend The Switch if your looking for a fun and feel good story!

Who would have thought a swap of locations for Eileen and Leena would have caused so many feels! Such a heart-warming story of grandmother and granddaughter who are both ready for a change of pace when the country mouse goes to the city and the city mouse moves to the country. A fantastic reminder of the benefit of a change of scenery. Not just a holiday, but a two-month switch. Full of friendship, family, forgiveness and love. As funny and entertaining as The Flatshare with additional family dynamics!

This broke my heart, it was splendid, phenomenal, gut wrenching masterpiece.
I swear this was something that caught me unaware, I wouldn’t normally pick anything up like this. The plot seem
Interestingly enough but I wasn’t overly impressed that I wanted to immediately read this. But as I wanted to venture out I decided to check out the audiobook kindly provided by Netgalley and the publisher. Thank you so much to them because if not for them I wouldn’t have discovered this gem of a book.

I will say that this book was a little slow in the beginning and I wasn’t entirely sure that I was going to be able to get into it but soon enough I was sucked in and I couldn’t stop listening to it. Eileen & Leena both brought so much to the book that kept me so interested.

I wouldn’t say that this book did not have its flaws or that Leena did not piss me off by not believing her grandmother when she told her her boyfriend was a cheating asshole. That whole meltdown scene just put me off to her character and made me not like her as much. But I feel like it was a reaction expected of her character, up until that point all the other choices she had made totally indicated that she would possibly react stupid to this news. I feel it was mostly because she did not want to experience another loss after the passing away of her sister. Which in turn made it a little more understandable. Not smart, just that I understood why she made those choices.

I really enjoyed the bonding moments in this book, seeing them interacting with people in their life, their town and all of these peculiar people made the book 100% better.
Arnold was indeed my favorite person outbid this entire book, every scene he was in I was living for it.

The plot was a little predictable I kind of knew what was going to happen before it actually did, but I don’t know I feel like it was so eloquently done that I honestly did not mind it one bit.

Lastly Eileen was my favorite POV to actually listen to, everything she was feeling all of those experiences she had in London where so real and she’s absolutely the best old lady ever. I loved that she was so caring and down to earth and just loved seeing the best in people. No doubt she had her flaws just like Leena but I’m glad to see that she changed for the better after London.


Overall I loved this book, that’s all.

I hadn't enjoyed the Flat Share by Beth O'Leary as much as I thought I would so I was hesitant to read The Switch as I wasn't sure it would be for me. However, I absolutely loved listening to The Switch as an audiobook.

The two narrators were perfect - I loved how there was a different narrator for the dual perspectives so it was easier to follow along, and also they were just great narrators.

The story was wholesome and Eileen's chapters often had me laughing or smiling along. I would definitely recommend this book, especially as an audiobook.


(Review will also be posted on Instagram soon.)

Loved this audiobook. A real feel good story which was brought to life by the two narrators. I've never come across Beth O'Leary before but I will be sure to look out for anything else she writes.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest review.

The Switch is a lovely and touching new book by Beth O'Leary. I adored her book The Flatshare and The Switch is just as wonderful if not better. In the Switch, Leena Cotton and her 79 year old grandmother Eileen Cotton decide to switch places for two months. Leena moves to the British Countryside and Eileen moves into Leena's flat in London. I absolutely loved the story told by the two perspectives and wish more books had more older characters! The author is able to create such vivid and fun characters, I truly fell in love with both communities and all the friends and family who lived within them. Since a death in their family, Leena and Eileen are suffering from sad and touching grief. Their resulting journey into themselves was so well done and thoughtful. The audionbook was a true DELIGHT with amazing performances by both narrators.
Thanks to Macmillan Audio, Netgalley, and the author for this advance audiobook. My thoughts and review are all my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron books for my adiobook of Flatshare by Beth O’Leary that publishes August 18, 2020 in exchange for an honest review.
I found this book to be really fun, with a lot of heart! There were times when I was moved with laughter or sadness, which isn’t easy to do for me! I found Eileen to be an absolute joy and adored her spunk, and her relationship with Lena was so tender and sweet. (I apologize for any name misspellings, I have not see how their names are spelled, as I read with my ears).
Also, the narration was lovely! I’ll be coming back for more by this author!

This was such a fun audiobook experience! I love that there are 2 narrators, and I love the accents! This is a feel good story that gets real emotional on so many levels. I am so glad I was able to listen to it!

What an amazing follow up to The Flatshare! As someone who deals with grief caused depression, this book was a beautiful depiction of a family dealing with huge loss. Beth O’Leary has an amazing way of writing her characters that feel so honest and real. The way she handles gaslighting and abusive relationships in both The Switch, as well as The Flatshare, is so real. I really enjoyed that this book was not about the romances of our main characters. The focus is on the Cotton family and them trying to heal after they broke in their grief.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed My Grandmother Told Me To Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman (similar themes of grief, healing, community, cancer, and humor)

In a fun and clever twist, a grandmother swaps homes with her busy and overworked twenty-something grand-daughter. She's determined to find the love and adventure she missed out on and the grand-daughter to recoup after being given a 3 month sabbatical from work.

I’m a huge fan of this author! I adored her book Flatshare and I was thrilled to get my hands on Switch! I really fell in love with the two leading ladies!! Leena & her grandmother, Eileen, make me feel like going on my own adventure after tagging along for theirs!!!
Two big thumbs up!

This was such a heartwarming and uplifting novel. I loved how Beth O'Leary put her own unique spin on the trading places premise. I don't think that I have ever read a novel with an older main character quite like Eileen Cotton. She was hilarious and vivacious and I can only hope that I'm half as entertaining when I'm her age. I loved that it was Eileen out there dating and really embracing life and its adventures. It was a wonderful role reversal and contrast to her granddaughter, Leena. The fish out of water trope is always a fun one, and I enjoyed seeing Leena come to appreciate the slower pace of life and embrace the residents of Hamleigh (quirks and all). Yes, the plot was fairly predictable and there is some drama towards the end, but O'Leary's writing was wonderful and kept the story engaging and entertaining.

There were many laugh out loud moments thanks to the incredible cast of secondary characters, but The Switch also discussed some very important issues as well. I appreciated the care that O'Leary took in addressing loneliness and isolation among older/aging adults. It's not a topic I often think of, so I liked how it was highlighted and integrated into the story. O'Leary also tackled grief, depression, domestic violence, death of loved ones, and infidelity compassionately and sensitively. It was all balanced so well with the lighthearted moments and came together beautifully.

There is some slow burn romance and romantic themes in The Switch, but the greater message of hope and healing for all three generations of Cotton women is what really stands out about this novel. The love that Eileen, Marian, and Leena have for each other and their friends and family is the heart of the story. The epilogue left me misty eyed and smiling ear to ear and I cannot wait to see what Beth O'Leary writes next!

I originally read The Switch and loved rereading it via audiobook. Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones narrated the story so wonderfully and were perfect as Eileen and Leena. They brought all the humor and heart of the characters to life. I did sometimes have a hard time differentiating between characters because there wasn't a ton of variation between the voices, but overall this was a wonderful listening experience.

Audiobook Review
Overall 4.5 stars
Performance 4 stars
Story 5 stars

*I voluntarily read and listened to an advance review copy of this book. Thank you Macmillan Audio and Netgalley*

If you are a frequent reader of my blog and reviews you know I am not the biggest contemporary reader. It is very rare that I will choose a contemporary book over a fantasy or sci fi but I read The Flatshare by this author last year and gave it five stars and I did say that I would read more from this author so here I am.

I absolutely adored this book. We follow both perspectives of Leena and Eileen as they go through with this life switch. This book was so heartwarming yet heart wrenching as we deal with a lot of grief and family issues relating to that grief. There are some strained relationships within this story but we do see our characters face these strains and learn how to be themselves again after such a horrible year.

This made me laugh out loud so many times, Eileen was definitely one of my favourite characters. Who doesn’t love an 80 year old lady hitting the town and trying to find some love. Throughout this story we watch both of these characters grow and flourish in there new and odd setting.

This is definitely a more character driven story and I loved almost every single character we meet in this story. I can say that I have been more stricter with my ratings this year and have only been giving 5 stars to books that truly blow me away and this one was very close but 4 stars is still a really good rating!

If you haven’t read this book you definitely should right now. The audio for this book was very enjoyable and the two narrators did a really good job of producing the different voices and really making the story come alive for me.

A light hearted romantic comedy with self exploration and trying new things key for this switch. Nice read for any lovers of women’s fiction, romance and adventure readers.

July Read

The Switch – Beth O’Leary (received through the publishers & NetGalley)

Well just when I thought I didn’t like audiobooks along comes The Switch and WOW I loved it!

The few audiobooks I have listened to previously have all left me pretty-underwhelmed. I actually didn’t even realise this was an Audiobook when I requested it and was so disappointed when I realised it was, however; when I heard that Alison Steadman (Gavin & Stacey) and Daisy Edgar Jones (Normal People) were the narrators I knew things were looking up! They are absolutely fantastic and bring the characters to life fantastically.

The story is based around Eileen & Leena Cotton. A grandmother based in Yorkshire who is the centre of her village community and Leena her London based high flying granddaughter who is struggling to cope after the death of her younger sister. When Leena keeps making grief related mistakes at work, she is forced to take a sabbatical and she not only swaps houses with her grandma, but they also seem to swap lives too. Leena begins by getting stuck into village life organising events the way that she organised her London career. Similarly, Eileen throws herself into the London dating scene and takes charge of organising the local elderly social scene.

This book is not only touching but funny too. The way both women are trying to cope with the grief from the death of their sister/granddaughter is beautifully interspersed with fantastically funny moments like Eileen aching after having sex with her Tinder date!!!

I know I am a bit late to the party and most people have read this book a long time ago but I am glad that I managed to pick up the audio version as it just made my experience of it so much better. I will definitely be recommending it to everyone.

I also have to say that I will be choosing my audiobooks more carefully in future as I now see that the narrator is so important to me enjoying the story. I have also made sure that I have taken time out to specifically “listen” as I have such a busy brain and I know I am guilty of picking up my phone and getting distracted. I have even started powerwalking around the village first thing in the morning with my headphone in!

Are you a fan of audiobooks and if so which would you recommend I try next?

I would rate this a 4.5

My second audiobook! I wasn't going to request this until I saw I could try the audiobook and thought, why not? I'm so happy I did!

After a panic attack at work, Leena is ordered to take a two month sabbatical, which she is not happy about. Living in London, grieving and constantly working, Leena has no idea what she'll do with her time off. Eileen, her grandmother is about to turn 80 and is single for the first time in many, many years. Looking for love, but not being able to find it in her small town, she's seeking a change. Leena suggests a switch, she'll go to the sleepy town with its quirky residents and her estranged mother, and Eileen will stay at Leena's flat in London, with her roommates, trying to find love. The switch will leave both with hopes, challenges and more.

I loved this booK! It was so sweet, so well written and the characters were great, very well developed. I loved the narration, the back and forth between Leena and Eileen and the different voices for both-brilliantly done. The expression in the voice really added another layer to the story. The pacing was perfect. I just loved the characters, they were sweet and so funny. There were so many minor storylines that added to the story and were perfectly interwoven. I honestly just loved all the characters, this book was so much more than I thought it'd be. It covered many important topics. It was so refreshing to read older characters, their thoughts and ideas were great to see represented. If anything, I found with the audiobook and the amount of characters it was sometimes hard to remember who was who for a second, but it wasn't a crazy problem. There is a lot going on in this book but it doesn't drag on. I was super happy with the way everything came together. I found this book to be funny, sweet and very real.

3.5! This book was very cute. I really liked the family dynamics and absolutely loved the grandmother! I wish the mother had been a little bit more involved. Some of her scenes seemed a little bit rushed. I loved how Leena and Eilleen were pushed out of their comfort zones and put their heart in every project they were apart of. This was a sweet read and I found myself smiling as I read... especially during the grandmothers chapters.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for an advanced audio copy!

First - LOVED the two narrators, they were superb and I really felt the characters.

The Switch was a lovely book and I loved that it was more set around the growth of the characters instead of being centered around a romance. While that was part of the book, it was't the main focus. Leena and her grandmother Eileen decide to swap places for 8 weeks (while Leena is out on extended leave from work) so Leena moves up to the tiny Yorkshire village and Eileen moves to London. They even swapped cell phones!

I thought the writing was fabulous, the only downside was there were SO MANY additional characters, it was tough to keep track of all the villagers and London friends.

I highly recommend this book, especially listening to it!