DNF

I tried listening to this audiobook and couldn't make it past chapter 1 because the NetGalley app is incredibly glitchy. This app makes it incredibly hard for me to listen to and understand the audiobook. I can't review an audiobook if I have to constantly rewind every 2 minutes or so to make sure that I didn't miss anything. The narrator is great as far as I was able to listen. But the app is not user friendly at all. Either fix the app (I use android) or provide reviewers with a download option so they can listen through another app.

The Switch by Beth O'leary
I loved this book. As a big fan of The Flatshare I was delighted to get my hands on The Switch. I loved the two main characters, especially Eileen.
This book was a breath of fresh air, a lovely light an easy read.
The book does deal with grief and loss, but in a way that felt sensitive and real.
I loved Eileen's attitude that life is for living, and when you want something in life you must go for it. It's also lovely to read a book with an older character.
If you loved the Flatshare, then you should enjoy this book too.
The two narrators for this book are fabulous, I could listen to them all day.

"very thankful to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC (audiobook) in exchange for an honest review"

I really wanted to like this book, but to be honest I just couldn't connect with the characters, no matter how adorable Grandma Eileen was or Leena's kooky/workaholic personality. I just couldn't.
I had a little problem with the narrators, Leena's spoke too fast or faster than the second narrator.
I'm going to try and read it when the book comes out and I'm in a better mood.
The supporting characters were fun to read / listen to (minus Leena's mom, I didn't like her)

This isn't my usual genre, but I'd heard good things about Beth O'Leary so decided to give it a try, and I loved it! It's the heartwarming story of a grandma and grand daughter who decide to swap lives for a while. So Eileen the grandma goes to live in London and tries internet dating, while her grand daughter, Leena, goes to Yorkshire and joins the Neighbourhood Watch committee!

The book is delightfully charming with plenty of humour and had me smiling most of the time I listened. The book also deals with some serious topics such as domestic abuse, mental illness, loneliness and loss. Both of the main characters were interesting and well written and I loved the two different settings.

I listened to the audio version of this book and Daisy Edgar-Jones who portrayed Leena was excellent, but the real star for me was Alison Steadman. Her portrayal of Eileen was wonderful and really brought the character to life. I also loved the way that the phone conversations were portrayed in the narration.

I'm now going to buy the Audible version of the Flat Share by the same author!

I

Thank you to netgalley.co.uk for giving me a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for giving a fair and honest review. This is also the first audiobook I have received from the site.

Beth O'Leary follows up from her brilliant debut novel with another smash hit. I really enjoyed this. The only small problem that most people may not like about the book is that the entire storyline has pretty much been given away in the book's synopsis, this personally didn't bother me at all. The whole story is engaging and charming, I loved the characters in this book. I thought the writing was brilliantly done. I look forward to more from this author.

3 stars

Leena’s character is the story I preferred following but the fact/discovering that the boyfriend was cheating having happened so late brought the book down for me. I would have preferred the character to have been put on sabbatical and right after/same day found out he was cheating. I wanted it to have been in the points that drove her to visit home again. The reason why this always bothers me is that we knew that the boyfriend at the beginning wasn’t for her. We knew she would fall in love with someone better back home during the switch. It ruins the relationship journey for me. As readers, we know that as this new competitive attraction blossoms and they confide in each other the bond is more than friendship. Typically authors always go so far into this that I always feel that the character and the end game partner may not be cheating physically but the emotional aspect always rubs me the wrong way and I more often than not still classify it as cheating. Like if you are that comfortable, longing, and confiding first in them BREAK UP WITH THE CURRENT PARTNER. This book luckily is one of the few were the bond did not seem to go that far so I was too bothered but still not the pacing format I have ever liked. Furthermore, when authors choose this as the timeline the authors typically have the original relationship break up, and then on the same day, they are together with the new one. That bothers me too. Thankfully the author had this thoughtful, realistic to life that was executed well that stopped that immediate relationship forming that was just very appreciated.

The grandmother, Eileen’s pov in the book is the character where we are getting the sex. It is not graphic, it’s very Pg-13 but it does allude to sex and the gossip of the night after between friends. It was very lovely having an older character who had an emotionally lacking marriage find the fun and benefits of having good sexual contact after (20) years. Yes with my second-hand embarrassment and just thinking of my grandparents it got a little awkward. However, the fact that it made me awkward makes me mad. I think that my first reaction shows that as forms of media; books, shows, movies, etc we need more elderly main characters being adventurous as they get insightful into still having time to live and have new experiences sex included.

This book also started to do the thing where the main characters believe a partner/third party before they believe their beloved family member. It did not last long thankfully but I was really worried about that.

The town is extremely not friendly to Leena when she is trying her best for a foreseeable amount of time. Especially find it weird when she spent years there when the sister was sick. Even if she left for a little bit they should be more friendly.
The small-town neighbors and relationships were well portrayed and humorous but I did feel the actual small-town setting could have used some more love and description.

My second-hand embarrassment was off the rails listening to it from lost the dog, car crashes, and burnt brownies. I know it typically comes across as funny/humorous but I get all awkward reading it.

The competitive attraction between the younger couple was so humorous. Honestly the shining point in this novel for me personally.

The side characters were so lovable and a necessity for this book to be what it is. I love that when the side characters serve a purpose and are well executed in their different personalities and how they help and change the main characters.

This book has a female female relationship (side character), has a conversation with how Leena tries to help her grandmothers best friend get out of a domestically abusive relationship, both main characters have this personality if a problem is just said offhandedly they are going to solve it from matchmaking, potholes, to planning senior group, and town celebrations. Yes, the fixing did tend to be more finding relationships and partners a majority of the time too much but the overall purpose of that proving their mentality for life was understood.

I went through this book on audio and I do think I should have read this physically. It still would have been rated the same but I just was not the biggest fan of the audiobook narration.

For those looking for a fluffy romance no steam. where both a grandmother and grandchild have new experiences, friends, and relationships I think this book could be for you.

5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I listened to this and the narrators were wonderful! Great job. They were perfect for this book.
I loved Flat Share but this was even better. I know, I know....How can that be. But it’s true, this author just gets better and better. And I can’t do it justice. This book will have you rethink everything you’re doing in your life. You’ll just take a step back and look at how it’s going. The decisions you’ll make, the people you’re missing, and all the chances that are passing by.
I loved Eileen, she was so precious and fun. I’m going to have to make me a bracelet that says, “What would Eileen Cotton do?” I laughed so much listening to her share her life with me. She found life and friendship no matter what she did. She noticed things no one saw! All the characters were wonderful and important and the author did a great job. I loved all of them.
If you want something really special, like afterwards you’ll be smiling when you think on it, and, and be in the best mood ever, then this is the book! I hope this was helpful. I highly recommend it and hope you love it as much as I did.

Thank you NETGALLEY and the publisher for this ARC audiobook, in exchange for my honest review. ♥️

It isn't you, it's me. There's nothing wrong with this story, but I just could not get into it. It's been a while since I've been really entertained by Women's Fiction, and again: this one failed.
This is the story of two women: Leena and her grandmother, Eileen. They swap cities and immerse into each other's routine when Leena is forced to take a vacation, cause she's a workaholic.
Let's talk about the audiobook first. I'm a fan of Daisy Edgar-Jones because of Normal People, so I really enjoyed listening to her. Eileen's narrator was also great. The only issue I noticed is that Daisy speaks a little faster, but I still managed to listen to both of them on the same speed. They kept my attention and I didn't drift off.
Now, my thoughts on the story itself: I just didn't care. I liked Eileen but just not enough to make this a super enjoyable read. The plot was also quite predictable and the emotional aspect just didn't get to me.
Again, I'd still recommend this to Women's Fiction readers, it just wasn't the book for me.

The Switch was a fun book going back & forth between grandmother and granddaughter. I enjoyed the different narrator's of the book particularly the grandmother. I also loved how the phone calls sounded as such.

Eileen (grandma) is newly single and still helping their entire family grieve over the loss of a granddaughter due to cancer. Leena (granddaughter named after Eileen) has just been ordered to take a sabbatical from work in order to hopefully get her head back in the game. When Leena calls Eileen to tell her about it, she suggests that the two of them switch places since Eileen lived in rural Yorkshire and Leena lived among the hustle & bustle of London. This will hopefully give Leena the peace and quiet she may need and get Eileen out & about after being left at 79 years old. It would also give Leena and her mom a chance to hopefully reconnect after not always getting along especially during her sister's illness. The two also switch cell phones so that Leena is not always connected to the internet and Eileen has to learn to socialize a bit more online.

The two of them learn about each other and themselves all the more through the switch and figure out how to move forward in the future. I enjoyed the relationship between the two and the friendships each of them developed being in new places. I loved The Flatshare and expected this to maybe follow the same lines, but I was not disappointed that it did not.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance listen.

“The Switch” was an enjoyable read. The premise was familiar, two people switching lives with each other, but had an added twist. It was not two people of the same age but a grandmother and her granddaughter trading small village life and big city London. The book was not as breezy as I expected; the family had suffered a devastating loss and so much of the growth and changes that happened over the course of the book stemmed from the reality of finally dealing with their loss. I was fortunate enough to listen to the audio version of this book. The two readers were very good. I gave this book 3 1/2 stars but am rounding up to 4 due to the delight of the audiobook.

This is a sweet contemporary about a young woman and her grandmother “switching places”. Leena is a big city London girl who has anxiety. She is forced on a 2 month leave from work to de stress. Eileen is an elderly lady in a small town who always dreamt of getting away to the city, but never got the chance.

I enjoyed the concept and dual perspectives. I really like the fact that family is at the forefront of the story.

The reason I am giving this book 2 stars is because whenever I put it down, I never had that urgency to pick it back up again. Also, the narrator for Eileen had a lot of mouth sounds during her narration. I really hate smacking and the sounds of swallowing, so it REALLY took me out of the story.

I received this audio-ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I just loved this book, so special - the very best in escapism.

The story is told from the perspective of Lena and her Grandmother who switch places and live each others lives - with hilarious consequences!

It's just brilliant from start to finish - go and buy this book.

Absolutely loved this audiobook, narration was excellent. Nice and easy to listen to, characters were all so well thought out

Have a box of tissues ready, you're going to be crying tears of sadness one chapter and then tears of laughter the next!

I had a lot of fun with this one. The story is about a young woman in her 20s dealing with the loss of her sister and is given a two month sabbatical from her job in London. She decides to swap lives with her granny, a 79 year old woman living in a small village who is determined to find new love and adventure after her husband leaves her for a younger woman.

The story is full of hilarious and heartwarming characters and the shenanigans will leave you laughing out loud (yes, I would literally laugh out loud while listening to this audiobook on my daily commute).

Anyone who is looking for a fun, heartwarming, feel-good book will definitely enjoy this! Would also recommend listening to this as an audiobook because the narrators; Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones, were hilarious and brilliant.

Thank you so much to #Netgalley, Flat Iron Books and Macmillan Audio for the ARC of the audio book in exchange for an honest review!

The story is set in and around London. I loved the characters, some quirky, some too serious, of course a few are grumpy and the list goes on. There a quite a few characters and I was getting a little lost with the storylines. There are really two main characters, Leena and her grandmother Eileen. Both have had a recent lost of a sister/ granddaughter and trying to get on with their lives. Things go down hill for Leena in London and she was given a two month leave of absent. She decides to go home to family and try to find herself again. There she comes up with the brilliant idea of Grandma should follow her dreams and move into Leena flat in London, while she takes over Eileen duties in the quiet little village that is home in Yorkshire. The switch is not as easy as one would think, there are a few good laughs and the ladies are very determine to make it work. A enjoyable listen with a ending that very well done.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you Netgalley, Macmillan Audio (publisher), and Beth O’Leary (author) for providing me with a free review copy of this audiobook in exchange for an impartial review.

I’d been seeing this book everywhere and I was glad when I was able to get my hands on it via Netgalley. It landed a spot on my TBR immediately. It was a really good book, but I had the hardest time getting into it. The pacing at the beginning was too slow for me and I kept waiting for things to pick up pace. When I got into it, however, it was an amazing ride. I loved the 2 narrators, especially the narrator for Eileen. I ended up loving this book very much, and it was the first time I read a romance novel with an old woman as the protagonist. The story unfolds through two PoVs - Eileen (the grandma) and Leena (the granddaughter). They switch houses and routines for two months and we’re introduced to each woman’s friends and hometown. The story unfolded beautifully, and the author introduces and deals with themes of love, family, anxiety, friendship, betrayal, and community.

Eileen’s PoV was my favorite, and I always looked forward to reading her parts of the book. There were so many parts there that made me smile and laugh out loud. I loved meeting the other characters. The enemies to lovers trope was also written beautifully into this book. It was also interesting to see Eileen, a traditional old lady, get introduced to technology like WhatsApp and online dating.

I also really loved that this book wasn’t entirely romance-focused, but it was focused more on each woman’s journey in a new town and exploring new things. I really recommend this one, and it was a nice read.

The Switch
Beth O’Leary
Narrated by: Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones

Beth O’Leary’s latest is a sweet, heartwarming Brit-chick-lit about love, loss and starting over. With a combination of humor and somber, a steady paced plot and exceptional visualizations Beth weaves her intriguing entertaining tale starting with a realistic dose of dysfunctional family dynamics and fixing those dynamics by the end of her story. The two main protagonists Eileen and Leena are the genuine real deal and both are stand outs in the novel, Eileen is insightful and wise and Leena is compassionate and caring and it’s fun to watch them both get the nudge they need to be the best they can be. If you love chick-lit, women’s fiction or just a good story with fantastic family dynamics, the novels of Kristan Higgins or Susan Elizabeth Phillips this is your next must read.
NARRATION:
The narration duo of Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones is brilliant both are spot on for their respective characters bringing all the crucial emotions and perfect voice intonations and making the audio version the way to go.

Grandmother Eileen Cotton and her granddaughter namesake Leena Cotton haven’t dealt well with the death of Carla, Leena’s sister. Eileen is also dealing with her husband leaving her for a younger woman and Leena can’t seem to put her head into her work and its starting to cost the company clients, so they decided to switch lives for a while. Leena will take a sabbatical from work and move into her grandmother’s cottege in the country and Eileen will move into Leena’s London flat. This will give Eileen the chance to dip her toes into big city online dating and it will give Leena the chance to slow down while taking over her grandmother’s live. At first the two are both fish out of water but soon they start to get into a rhythm and pieces start falling into place. Can it last for the two months they’ve planned for or will something else happen to upset the apple cart?

I loved it. This was so good. The Switch gave me a really good dose of sweetness and my heart is all warm and happy now.

I have to be honest, when I first started this book I expected a romance where the main relationship would take most of the focus and time but I was happily surprised it wasn't like every other romance out there. The focus was on both characters (Leena and her grandmother, Eileen) and their little adventures, while still giving me a nice dose of romance.

Surprisingly, my favorite character was Eileen. No hesitation there, she was the best. The older characters were definitely more lovable even though the younger ones (Leena and Jackson) were still likable. I loved them all but you know, if I had to spend a day with a fictional character in this book, it would be Eileen.

I didn't have any expectations going into this book so I think it helped. Now, I can't wait to read Beth O'Leary's other book, The Flatshare which I hesitated to read or not. After The Switch, I am going to dive into it for sure. I don't know when but it's going to happen.

(Thank you for letting me listen and review an ARC via Netgalley)

Rasie your hand off you’ve always wanted a British accent ✋🏿🙋🏿. I love the audio of this book, I really appreciate the different narrator for Lena and Irene . This is a story of love, lost, healing , family and friendship . Irene is everything I want to be. She full of life and passion. Her personality came through clearly in the audio . She reminds me so much of my grandmother who always so “ I may be old, but I ain’t cold“ 😂😂.

I though the idea of switching places was a bit cliche , like been there , done that, but this was a nice surprise . It wasn’t switching places, per se, but taking a break from our everyday life , which is something we can all say we have thought about.

After having a panic attack during an important work presentation Leena Cotton is forced to take 2 months leave. She heads out to her grandmother's house in a small town to get away from her busy London life. Eileen Cotton wants to find love again after her husband left her for another woman, but the small town she lives in has very limited options, especially in the over 70 category. Leena thinks the perfect solution is a swap, just for 2 months, they'll live in each other's lives.

The Switch is an absolutely delightful book. It's sweet, funny, touching, and has wonderful characters. Both of the narrators in the audio version did an amazing job. I loved that Eileen was looking for love in her 70's, but it's about so much more than just finding love, we also see Leena working on and repairing her relationship with her mom, and dealing with the emotional fallout from losing her sister. The love story aspect was a slow burn on both accounts, but so sweet and worth the wait. This is a fantastic feel-good story, highly recommend.