Thank you Flatiron Books and Netgalley for the free ALC, all opinions are my own.

The Switch is told in alternating POVs between granddaughter, Leena, and grandmother, Eileeen. I loved how effortlessly and subtly O’Leary switches the voice between a 29 year old and a 79 year old woman. It’s a sweet and cozy read that transports you back and forth from an English country village to life in London.

If you’re expecting this book to have a lot of romance, I’d recommend adjusting your expectations. This is more of a story about the love of family (across three generations of women), community, and self discovery. There is romance, but it’s minimal. The book has so much to offer that it wasn’t needed, however I really wanted more as the little we got was so good!

4+ stars - For fans of cozy Brit lit like Jill Mansell; there’s also an amazing community of secondary characters that gave me certain Backman vibes.

Audiobook review: I absolutely love the audio narration and production for this book! The Leena and Eileen chapters have separate narrators and they’re both wonderful. The production details like the phone calls actually sounding like phone call are so fun! Highly recommended!

4.5 stars! I loved the duel narration to this book, it was so refreshing because it wasn't male/female POV, it was Leena and her grandmother Eileen and it was perfect. Leena is stressed out with work and has a meltdown so when she visits her grandmother, she devises a plan to switch places with her for 2 months. Eileen feels like she let her life pass her by after she finds her husband cheated on her and now at 79, is alone again. She wants to get some of her mojo back and Leena thinks London is the way to do it.
This book is about more than romance, it is about finding yourself after tragedy and learning what is important in life may not be what you once thought it was. Leena thinks Eileen's life is slow and small, but once she is in her shoes, she realizes it is full of love and laughter and she has realized she has changed her views on what she wants out of life, but once she gets back to London will she fall back into the same person she was before? Both of these characters have so much love in their hearts and are so broken. It is great to see them both open up their views and become the women they were meant to be. I really enjoyed this. Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio and the author for an early audio copy of this book!

I work from home, alone, 40 hrs per week. Listening to podcasts and audio books really helps to pass the time. I generally read and listen to true crime and heavier fiction but really enjoyed Beth O'Leary's The Flatshare so I decided to give it a go. What a delightful departure from my normal picks! The story was adorable and I found the narration very engaging. So fantastic, in fact, that I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it as much in print. I highly recommend The Switch and look forward to the author's next offering.

I was given this free review copy audio at my request and have voluntarily left this review. You're crying, I'm not crying! The Switch by Beth O'Leary sure knows how to pull at those familial heart strings. Lena and Eileen were not happy with their lives in the city and in the country so what to do? Switch lives and shenanigans ensue! I loved every heartfelt minute of this book. Lena learning to find herself in the country while Granny Eileen learned about dating in the city. I loved the dual POV. The narration was great. I need to read more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus for an ARC audiobook of The Switch by Beth O'Leary in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Beth O'Leary is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. I absolutely adored The Flatshare and her newest book The Switch did not disappoint. I love audiobooks. I especially love it when the novel reads (in this case, listens) like a movie. I could just see everything playing out in my imagination as the narrators brought the story to life. Leena, a twenty-something driven, single woman in London and Eileen, Leena's 79 year old grandmother need a break from their own lives. Losing Leena's sister Carla has thrown everyone out of sorts and they need to find their way back to themselves and each other. The two heroines decide to switch lives for two months. The results are funny, poignant and just gives you all the feels.

I enjoyed Eileen's character especially. I will say on a side note that the audio version picked up on a lot of extraneous "mouth noises" that were, at times, distracting and a little cringy (apparently I have a problem with that, who knew?) Eileen's character was just delightful in her outlook and handling of things being the matriarch of the family. I just found myself rooting for her most of all.

I cannot wait for more from Beth O'leary. Another 5 star read from me. Enjoy.

Beth O’Leary is back in a big way after her debut novel The Flatshare last year won hearts and fans. The Switch is the lovely book you’ve been waiting for this summer. I’m excited to share a pro-tip reader friends, you’re going to want this on audiobook!
Leena, newly sent on a two month break from her job in London swaps homes with her grandmother, Eileen, in Yorkshire. As Leena takes over Eileen’s many activities in the village, Eileen discovers internet dating in London. Nosy neighbors, family drama, unfinished business, and how to move forward are all questions both Leena and Eileen must figure out.
The audiobook is excellent, taking the story next level. Told in alternating chapters by Leena narrated by Alison Stedman, and Eileen narrated by Daisy Edgar-Jones of Normal People. Unique is the phone calls between Leena and Eileen when the audio is slightly altered to mimic a phone line where someone is further away. It’s very effective. I really enjoyed both of these narrators and will be looking for other audiobooks they have narrated.
I recommend The Switch on audiobook to readers of women’s fiction, character driven books, and those looking for a quiet book that just feels happy.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced lister copy and the chance to review The Switch by Beth O’Leary. All opinions are my own.

I read and really enjoyed O'Leary's debut novel, The Flatshare, so I dove into this one with open arms. This is a cute, charming and wholesome story about a grandmother (Eileen) and a granddaughter (Leena) who switch "lives" for two months. They switch cities/homes, responsibilities and even cell phones.

This book focuses on relationships, but mostly familial and friendships. Yes, there's some romance thrown in there, but that's not really what the story centers around.

I LOVE audiobooks and listen to them constantly. Nine times out of ten, the narrator will affect my overall "reading" experience. In The Switch, the narration by Leena was excellent. However, I was rather turned off by the narrator for Eileen. There was an excessive amount of mouth sounds and noises, which became rather annoying and very distracting.

After reading The Flatshare earlier this year, I was desperate to read something else from O'Leary. Although I compared it straight away to her debut, The Switch was such a heartwarming story that I know I will think about in years to come.

O'Leary has a true talent for making her characters feel real. Throughout the book, I actually forgot I was reading about fictional characters and started to think of these people as my friends - maybe that says a little too much about me as a person. I smiled, I laughed, I cried. What a lovely story.

I received the copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review by Netgalley and MacMillian Audio. Thank you Netgalley and MacMillian Audio!!

REVIEW

The Switch is the story of a Grandmother (Eileen Cotton) and Granddaughter (Leena Cotton) who swap their lives for the betterment of their inner-selves. The story is narrated from the perspective of both of them, which highlights the events of their life and how this swap helps them. It’s a lighthearted and a feel good book without much complexities of the toxic world outside. The writing style of the author was very glossy and smooth. And the way Daisy Edgar-Jones and Alison Steadman narrated the story was really amazing and almost felt like a soothing song filled with full of life and excitement. Their voice and their way of narration will make the listeners fall in love with the book even more. Alison and Daisy are as much a reason for the success of this audiobook apart from the author’s writing skill.

The plot-line was something really exciting and new. The plot itself deserves a great amount of appreciation. This book weighs more importance on the value of family and friendship. How both the characters Eileen (Grandmother) and Leena (Granddaughter) try to fit themselves into their new lives was really interesting. The chemistry between Eileen and Leena’s friends was refreshing and adorable. Their friendship proves age is just a number when it comes to friendship. The character of Eileen was swaggy and funny. She was so full of life and light, she is somebody whose presence would immediately brighten up anybody’s day. The way she help Leena’s friends unknowingly to bring up the best in them and how she changes the entire aura of their apartment building in London was so good read. And with Leena Cotton, her bond with their neighbor Arnold was peculiar and sweet. Leena’s crush Jackson, the only young person in the vicinity, his presence was heart-throbbing but the readers cannot expert a lot of romantic sequences between them, well that was kind of disappointing. The life at the Yorkshire Village was amusing, this place can cleanse anybody who had been affected by the city life. It’s such a nice place to take a break.

There were plenty of supporting characters in the book, each and every character helped the lead characters in every possible way to sustain their lives at a new place at the most. Without the help of these characters the leads wouldn’t have managed to have started a new adventure in their lives.

On the whole the story was funny and breezy. But it felt somewhat incomplete, in the aspect of the experiencing the emotional side of the characters. It was a good story with minimum emotional touch to it. And especially Leena’s life at the Yorkshire village could have been much more detailed. These are the only minus points of the book. Other than that the book felt really amazing to read.

MY VIEW

So first of all, this is my first ever audio book, I have always had some kind of reservations against audio books until recently. Because I’m a bad listener and I tend to get distracted easily but when Netgalley first announced they are going to add audio books, I was really excited about the idea and I wanted to give it a try. Initially it was quite difficult but within few minutes I got used to the audiobook. And I should say I absolutely loved the experience I gained with this audio book and the new Netgalley app. I might start listening to more audio books henceforth, lets hope!!

I loved this book, especially for Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones, I love both their voice and the way they spoke was really amazing. If not for the book, you should definitely listen to it for their voices. I would recommend this book to Rom-Com, Chicklit, feel good book lovers. You guys would definitely like it.

My rating for this book would be 3 out of 5 stars
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I hope you will enjoy reading this book!!

Happy Reading Folks!!!

~Meenu

I enjoyed this audiobook version of The Switch. The story was much better than The Flatmate. I loved the bond and relationship between granddaughter and grandmother. The grandmother was very spunky for her age. I like how they worked through a common problem and were better people in the end. The narrators were enjoyable.

The Switch by Beth O'Leary is a family drama through and through. It is a very fresh concept and the author has done perfect justice to the plot and characters. It follows the lives of 3 generation of Cotton family women. The story is told in Grandma (Eileen Cotton) and Grand daughter (Leena cotton) alternative POVs

These 3 cotton women are in various stages of Grief after losing Carla (Leena's sibling) to cancer. Leena is in the 2nd stage of grieving "Anger". She blames her mother and Carla for giving up easily and she never forgive her mum for it. These thoughts badly reflects in her competitive career to the point she was asked to go on 2 month of sabbatical.

Marian (Leena's mum) is in 3rd stage of grief "Depression". She starts to have emotional breakdowns and taking anti depressants and various other therapies to keep her from falling apart. She depends on her mother Eileen for moral support.

Eileen is literally the one who is keeping this family together. Even though she faces the trauma of her husband leaving her for another women at the age of 70+ she still hold together so well. She pulls her courage from Carla's memory.

When Leena visit her Grandma who lives in countryside, she come up with an amazing idea. To switch their lives and experience the world through other people's shoes. Eileen who was resistant in the beginning soon get carried away and set on to London to take Leena's place, whereas Leena stays back as Yorkshire at grandma's home.

And so the rest is history! Am not gonna giveaway anymore plot details. But do know I thoroughly enjoyed this book and gave it 5 ⭐ so obviously I highly recommend it.

4/5 ⭐️
I got a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.
So this definitely reminded me of the movie Freaky Friday, but instead of mother and daughter, it’s a grandma and her niece. It was a charming light hearted read about life and love and that you’re never to old to try something new.

Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for an Advanced Listening Copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This delightful book highlighted the highs and lows of life for both single suburban workaholic Leena and her almost-80 year old grandmother, newly single and living in a small town. In an effort to change things up in their lives and re-discover themselves, Leena and Eileen switch places for two months. While living in each other’s homes and interacting with each other’s friends, both push themselves to try new things and reflect on what is missing (or not working) in their lives.

I enjoyed listening to both narrators and looked forward to finding out what would happen next in both storylines. The conversations were realistic, and the story, even while touching on difficult topics such as grief and infidelity, had humorous dialogue and realistic characters. While I think the story would flow just as well in a physical format, this was definitely a fun story to listen to!

This review will also be posted on instagram.com/the.reading.life.

Beth O'Leary has won my heart with her first two books, The Flatshare and The Switch. I listened to The Switch audiobook, and I loved the story and the readers.

The Switch is the charming story of Leena and her grandmother Eileen who, both needing a temporary change, end up switching houses for a couple months. Eileen moves to London where she shares a flat with Leena's two roommates. Leena moves to her grandmother's cottage out in the country. In the process of stepping into one another's lives, Leena and Eileen discover their real selves again, along with love and new friends. This book is a triumph of strong women, family bonds, and friendships. The characters are lovely and strong, and I wish I had them in my friend group.

The audiobook narration is well-structured as it switches between Leena and Eileen; I was always able to tell which character was telling the story. The readers' voices are easy to listen to, and there are not any sound effects or music added.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ms. O'Leary, Quercus Books, and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review. It was a privilege to listen to.

I really liked this book a lot, it touched on many real-life experiences from the point of view of both a grandmother, Eileen, and her granddaughter, Leena, named after her - while both dealing with a family tragedy. The book was both funny - mostly with Eileen's experiences, and sad with Leena's experiences. I loved Eileen, such a spunky 79 year old grandmother, looking for love, and living in a small town with the strangest neighbors. Leena's life in London, was very hectic, and the loss of a family member had thrown her for a loop, and she found herself floundering at life. This is what prompted the 'switch' - a break for Leena, and a new lease on life for Eileen. The narrators did a great job at both telling the story, and conveying the emotions in the book. Giving this book 5 stars because of the great storyline, and characters.

This was a LITERAL DELIGHT. I fell in love with both Eileen Cotton's (the granddaughter goes by Leena). The narrators both did a lovely job (and I think I would have enjoyed this more on audio than reading, TBH), so well-done Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones!

This book tells the story of two women as they search for change to overcome the grief of a lost family member by switching lives. Eileen (grandmother) goes to the city to search for romance and excitement after her husband of many years leaves her for another woman; while Leena, after a panic attack at work, goes to the country on a forced-sabbatical (she finds love too, don't worry!). The only weak spot for me was the plot involving Leena's boyfriend, which I found a little unbelievable... but I laughed, I cried-- I couldn't ask for more. I loved the Flatshare, and Beth O'Leary has done it again!

Thank you to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for this opportunity to listen and review!

The Switch is a life swap book, which is something I LOVE. Busy, career-oriented millennial Leena swaps lives with her 79 year old namesake and grandmother, Eileen. So Leena goes back home to the Yorkshire village where her mother and grandmother live, while Eileen lives it up in Leena's apartment in Shoreditch, a trendy East End London neighborhood.

The Swap is also a very touching and nuanced portrayal of how grief and loss can affect a family. (TW for death of a family member, though it occurs in the past).

There was definitely a Hallmark movie aspect to this: busy city girl goes back home to the country and learns to slow down and value what's important. But the book did show that found family is possible in the city.

Romance was really not the main aspect of the story (this is how I also felt about the Flatshare) and therefore I could have done without Leena's mostly absent boyfriend Ethan - I felt he added a sort of melodramatic aspect to the plot that didn't fit for me.

The narrators, Alison Steadman (Gavin's mom in Gavin and Stacey, one of the cutest rom coms ever) and Daisy Edgar-Jones (from Normal People, which I have not yet seen) were phenomenal. They really brought the story to life for me. I HIGHLY recommend the audiobook if that's your thing.

"The Switch" by Beth O'Leary is the perfect, and sweet reminder, of the importance of taking a breaks and going back to your roots.

In the novel, "The Switch", granddaughter and grandmother, who happen to both be named Eileen, lose their beloved family member to cancer. Alongside that, pressures from the outside world, either of which includes jobs, or pressured romantic relationships, force both pf the main characters to stop and realize they need an escape. It is through this realization that both women decide to switch lives, one moving to the countryside while the other moves to the city. Though difficult to adjust at first, it is through this breath of fresh air, that both women see that for years they haven't been putting themselves first.

Filled with funny moments, relatable conversations, and romantic subplots, this book is sure to grab the attention of anyone who wants something light, and easy, to read.

One note: Though I found this story cute, I couldn't get over one of the narrators. It sounded as if they were smacking their lips/ swallowing/ slurping every time they went to speak. It was incredibly distracting.

4.5★s
The Switch is the second novel by British author, Beth O’Leary. The audio version is narrated by Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones. A work situation sees workaholic Leena Cotton forced to take an eight-week sabbatical from her high-pressure London job. A visit to her beloved seventy-nine-year-old grandmother, Eileen, recently single, prompts a radical plan: they will do a switch.

Eileen has been listing the pros and cons of the age-appropriate available males in the area, and when Leena sees how poor the choices are in her Yorkshire village of Hamleigh-in-Harksdale, she suggests that Eileen takes her place in the former London printworks flat to enjoy artisanal warehouse living and avail herself of a much wider market of suitable singles.

Meanwhile, as well as looking after Clearwater Cottage, Leena will cover Eileen’s projects in the village: dog-walking for Jackson Greenwood, dealing with nosy, grumpy neighbours, helping with weekly bingo, organising the May Day Festival, attending their (unofficial) Neighbourhood Watch meetings, and checking on her mother (Eileen’s daughter) Marianne.

That last may be a bit of a challenge: Marianne is steadily working her way through a myriad of grief coping strategies following the death of Leena’s younger sister, Carla through cancer. Leena and Marianne haven’t been on the best of terms since that awful loss, Leena finding it hard to forgive her mother’s acquiescence to Carla’s stopping treatment.

Determined to enforce Leena’s break from work, Eileen insists they also swap phones: Leena is left with Eileen’s extremely basic text/call phone with just a few important contacts loaded. While Leena puts her formidable organisational skills to good use in the Yorkshire Dales, Eileen discovers London.

The story is funny and sweet, dealing with work/life balance, friendship and loyalty, grief, loneliness and the sense of community that can be achieved by those who care, whether in a city or a village. There’s some romance, but it’s almost an after-thought; family and community are the central theme.

Eileen is utterly delightful and undeniably the star of the show. She benignly meddles in the lives of Leena’s flatmates, friends and neighbours; she plunges into online dating with great gusto; and she is soon remedying the loneliness of local seniors with her Silver Shoreditch Social Club. Alison Steadman’s narration is absolutely brilliant. A very enjoyable read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Macmillan Audio.

“The Switch” kicks-off right as workaholic Leena bombs an important client presentation and is forced to take a holiday break from the office. Meanwhile, her grandmother, Eileen, is tired of her day-to-day life in her small Yorkshire village. Realizing what they’re missing out on (relaxation for Leena and a fun life in London for Eileen), our grandmother and granddaughter decide to switch lives for a few weeks.

“The Switch” is a bit like the movie “The Holiday” where two women swap lives for a bit, just to get over their present situations – it’s a much-needed break for both women. And being relatives, Leena and Eileen also do quite a bit of meddling into the other person’s life, as well, as they both think they know what’s best.

As always, Beth O’Leary writes with such charm. It’s funny with so much heart. And it never gets silly which can be a turnoff in these kind of novels.

I listened to “The Switch” as an audiobook and it was so fun. Audiobooks have been my jam since I started working from home this year and this is the coziest listen. I breezed through it, enjoying my time with Leena and Eileen. The relationship between grandmother and granddaughter really shined with the two narrators. They both had a different personality and added such depth.

I think I’m the last person who hasn’t watched “Normal People” yet this summer, but I was really pleasantly surprised to see Daisy Edgar-Jones listed as one of the narrators. She does such a perfect job – exactly how you would think Leena would sound.

O’Leary’s “The Flatshare” was such a joy when I read it last year and “The Switch” has a similar vibe. If you’re looking for a light, charming novel with a lot of heart, “The Switch” is absolutely perfect.