I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

After Leena Cotton has a panic attack in the middle of a big work presentation, she is given a 2-month paid sabbatical to sort herself out. Leena's grandmother, Eileen, is ready to enter the dating field after her husband left her a few months ago; the only problem is that her small town doesn't have any suitable men. Leena suggests that she and her grandma switch places for these 2 months. Leena will take care of her grandma's duties in Yorkshire, and Eileen can check out the dating opportunities in London.

This was a cute, funny story, and I enjoyed it! I loved that the author included the dating life of an almost 80-year-old woman; that is not a story line you see very often. I enjoyed both story lines in this story, both Elieen's and Leena's, equally. There were a few parts that went outside expected for funny moments, but there are a lot of serious issues brought up in the book, too. I definitely plan to check out O'Leary's other books.

This was a fun book. I liked both Leena and Eileen's stories. This was a fun story and the supporting characters are great as well (including a dog!). Eileen came across as a strong woman, but not rude or mean. I liked that she was portrayed as good person. Leenas growth and change after the loss of her sister was also well done. This had me smiling lots while I read it! I thought the narrators did a great job with the voices. Thank you to Netgalley, I thoroughly enjoyed my first audiobook ARC!

This is the first audiobook that I received from NetGalley and it was a great listen. Grandmother(Eileen) and Granddaughter (Leena) are both in desperate need of a change and so they switch homes for 2 months. Eileen (at almost 80 years old) starts dating in London and Leena (29 years old) helps in community activities in her small village and they both thoroughly enjoy the change. There are lots of other wonderful adventures and experience that both women enjoy throughout the book.
I loved the narration in the story. A different narrator for both Eileen and Leena makes it easy to follow the story. I also loved to way that even though there is a huge age difference, all characters work together and get along. No spoilers but there are relationships that get resolved in this story and that makes me very happy. This was a wonderful and uplifting story and I enjoyed listening to this during my daily walks!
I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC to review!
Rating (on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being excellent)
Quality of writing: 4
Pace: 3
Plot development: 3
Characters: 3
Enjoyability: 3
Ease of Reading: 3
Narrator: 2

Overall rating: 3 out of 5

The Switch is a charming and heartwarming novel about two women- grandmother and granddaughter who both find themselves in need of a change of scenery.

When Leena is ordered to take a two-month sabbatical from her high-pressure job in London, she decides to go her grandma Eileen's house in the English countryside for a change of pace. Eileen, almost 70 and newly single, needs a change of pace as well and decides to switch lives with her granddaughter. She moves to London and starts online dating while Leena stays in her hometown and tries to mend her relationship with her mother and unplug from her hectic corporate life.

This was such an endearing and fun story, and I love the dual narrators who brought the story to life.

Many thanks to Macmillian Audio and NetGalley for the advance listening copy.

3.5 stars

After reading several psychological thrillers back to back, I wanted a break from murder, mayhem and madness. The audio version of Beth O'Leary's The Switch seemed like exactly what I was looking for and I'm glad I downloaded it. It's a fast, fun read about two women who decide to trade lives a la The Holiday. What makes the book different is that one of the women is 79 years old. Eileen Cotton resides in a Yorkshire village and she's got a problem – she's lonely and a bit bored. Her husband has run off with his dance teacher and she doesn't want to spend the rest of her life alone. But the local pickings in the over seventy set are slim, to say the least.

Enter her granddaughter, Leena. Her problem is quite different. She's a workaholic whose boss has just forced her to take a two-month sabbatical. On the surface, Leena's got the perfect life. Gorgeous boyfriend, cool flatmates, great job – and have I mentioned she's just been given two months paid leave? But free time is not something Leena wants. At all. She hasn't recovered from her sister's death and she's not on great terms with her mother, who seems to have fallen apart.

Leena and Eileen soon decide to try an experiment. Eileen will spend eight weeks in Leena's London flat and Leena will house-sit for her grandmother. London has got to have more men—and more excitement-than Hamleigh. And Hamleigh will surely be more restful than the city. So it begins.

Eileen was by far my favorite part of The Switch. I loved that O'Leary chose to feature an elderly woman as one of the main characters in this story and that she's portrayed as a real person, not just some sedate matriarch whose primary function is to advise the heroine over tea. Eileen is her own heroine and she's interested in the same things we all are: love, sex, adventure, family, community, friendship. By placing Eileen in this central role, O'Leary also introduces many older characters into the story, who all have their own struggles and desires. I can't remember the last time I've read a book that does this.

I also liked Leena, whose attempts to adapt to country life made me smile. And I thought her struggle to overcome the pain her sister's death caused was well done, for the most part. There the novel fell short for me was the flatness/predictability of the romances, in part because the split narrative made it difficult for either of them to grab my attention. On the flip side, the ending of the book was a little too much for me. Neither of these issues was a deal breaker, though. I was looking for something upbeat and The Switch delivered. It's a nice summer read, especially in the time of social distancing. The narrators in the audio version made it even more enjoyable.

Much thanks to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have never read a book where I LOVED so many characters until now. ⁣
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The Switch was such a cute story filled with witty banter, excellent humor, such likable people- from the little old ladies, to the grumpy old men, to Leena and her best friend B and flat mate Fitz, to Hank the dog and his person Jackson. ⁣
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She also beautifully discusses loss and grief of a loved one and how it truly effects the whole family and their community. Leena loses her sister Carla and buries herself in work refusing to go home to visit with her Grandma Eileen and her mum.⁣
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When she decides to switch lives with her grandma, Leena goes back to her hometown while her grandma goes and lives in Leena’s flat in London. They both find their true selves again while making new friends and helping the community. It was such a sweet story and reminded me so much of the movie The Holiday in a good way!⁣
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Thank you @netgalley and @flatironbooks for the ARC and audio for my honest review. I flipped back and forth between the book and the audio, and I truly loved both.⁣
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The narration in the audio was amazing and I loved listening to an older woman speak Eileen’s part and a younger woman speak Leena’s part, that I truly felt like I was there with them.⁣
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
#bookstagram #books #bookcommunity #TheSwitch #netgalley ⁣
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Beth O’Leary seems to have carved out quite a nice niche for herself with her two recent “real estate romance” novels. In last year’s THE FLAT SHARE, the two main characters time-shared an apartment, and in this August’s THE SWITCH, Leena and Eileen Cotton swap houses. Based on these two listings, I’ll be up for anything O’Leary puts on the market. Just hand me the keys and let me move right in.

In THE SWITCH, I particularly loved living alongside Eileen for a few days. As a 79-year-old grandmother who’s experimenting with online dating after her husband leaves her, she may be my favorite literary character in years. She’s voiced to perfection by actress Alison Steadman in the audiobook. I wish Steadman had more narration credits to her name. And I hope Eileen gets a sequel.

While the “let’s swap lives” plot of this novel isn’t groundbreaking, I enjoyed almost every minute of it. Sadly, the storyline about losing a sibling to cancer hit too close to home to make this a 5-star read/listen for me. It’s pretty darn close though.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and the author for the advanced listener copy in exchange for an honest review.

I tried and tried with this audio book but it kept switching chapters so. I've given up but having said that I would like to to read it, I will be looking out for it when it's published.

What a nice feel good story to listen to. I enjoyed the characters, especially the spunky Eileen. I enjoyed how this book stayed light and fun, while also touching on tough topics of real life. There were several parts where I laughed out loud it was so fun. I was listening to this while doing puzzles and housework and it really brightened up by days.

One criticism I do have is the mouth noises by the narrator for Eileen is a bit off putting. Lots of smacking, sounds like her mouth is dry. It's not super overbearing but once I noticed it I couldn't unhear it. I would also like to see the love interest in some book somewhere be child free. I am tired of the trope of the love interest having a kid and that being endearing to the woman. Personally as a child free person once I find out the love interest has a kid it kills any hint of romance there is. I know not everyone feels that way, but still it would be nice to see a more diverse viewpoint on children. That's just a general criticism of the genre as a whole, but this book is one of many examples.

All in all I really liked this book, it is perfect for a summer read or something more causal and fun to break up more serious books. Give it a listen.

Beth O'Leary has cemented herself as one of my favourite feel good authors with The Switch.

I first discovered O'Leary with The Flatshare, and when I had the opportunity to read The Switch I think I physically jumped, and it has been so delightfully worth it.

The balance between Leena and Eileen is so familial and warm, with the juxtaposition in their demographics provides endless opportunity for witty innuendo and commentary.

One thing I really loved about this is how O'Leary shows how much difference one person can truly make. A simple act of kindness, the power of a knock on the door instead of an email... there is power in a person and we can truly create difference not only in our life, but in the lives of those in our community - wherever that community may be.

Diving into the theme of a life not lived, Eileen makes my heart happy. Life happens, dreams get shelved, and sometimes all we see is a bookshelf full of hopes for a life not lived. But when Eileen does get out there, she doesn't just dust off her dreams and try to recreate them as they were back in the day, she adds her maturity and wisdom to the mix and is able to accomplish so much more than I think even she thought.

I laughed, I cried, I was inspired. And, because of this book, I've started talking to my neighbors more and even made a new friend.

What a beautiful, heartwarming, and yes, sad at times, but ultimately life-affirming book.

Leena and her grandmother Eileen are both handling the death of Carla, Leena's sister/Eileen's granddaughter in their own ways, but both are having their own problems. Eileen is floundering after a divorce and trying to figure out what life has for her at 79. Leena has a panic attack at work and they force her to take two months off to regroup. Leena and Eileen decide to swap homes to work on their respective issues.

I listened to this book on audio and Leena and Eileen are voiced by different narrators. Each of the narrators perfectly embodies the voice and demeanor of their character. I was particularly drawn to Alison Steadman, the narrator for Eileen, as her portrayal is absolutely wonderful.

As Leena, Eileen, and Marian (Leena's mother/Eileen's daughter) work through their grief, the author does an excellent job capturing the different aspects and how it affects people differently. That's not to say that this book is filled with melancholy, because it isn't. It also has romance, loads of humor, and friendship. O'Leary balances the weightier aspects of the tale with lighter, funnier pieces. Whether you listen to the book on audio or read it on the page, this is an absolutely delightful book.

The Switch is one of the best kinds of books. Why? Reading this book just makes you feel good the entire time. Even when something is going wrong, the book just warms you up and you know that everything will turn out okay, if not better than before in the end.

The Switch focuses on Eileen and Eileen, a grandmother and granddaughter who decided that they both need to take a little break from their own lives. So Leena (the granddaughter), will take two months in Yorkshire, while her grandmother goes on a London adventure. Except neither know exactly what their about to be up against.

Each place has their own group of lovable characters and a small world that you just want to continue to live inside. The audiobook makes it even better with the two narrators for Eileen and Leena and the added elements brought in for voicemails (you really feel like you’re sneaking into someone’s voicemail). This book (and audiobook) isn’t out until August 18th, but I highly suggest pre-ordering it as soon as possible!

I listened to this on audiobook and it was wonderful! If I would have read it, it would have been 4 stars for me, but the audio version really enhanced the story and was lovely and earned it an extra star rating. I was excited to see that it was a dual narration by Daisy Edgar-Jones (recently seen and LOVED in the Hulu adaption of Sally Rooney's Normal People) and Alison Steadman (previously unknown to me). I thought they were perfectly cast as narrators and really brought the story to life.

This is being described as similar to the movie The Holiday where two people switch houses to change their mindset. The Switch is a similar premise, but is much deeper and funnier and has many wonderful fleshed out characters. A grandmother in the countryside and her London-based granddaughter switch places after some affecting life events. In doing this, they learn more about themselves but also more about the other person and their friends and lives. This was about finding yourself at any age, building friendship and community, and facing life from a different perspective.

I would highly recommend this book, especially this audio version. I would definitely read more from Beth O'Leary or listen to either of these talented narrators again.

The only thing I would change about the audio version is to change the production element of the phone calls that sound distant. This was unnecessary and irritating. I very much disliked this element and it completely took me out of the pleasant listening experience.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy.

I loved this audiobook about a granddaughter (Leena) and grandmother (Eileen) who switch homes for two months. Eileen’s husband has left her for a dance instructor (sigh). She’s actually feeling rather liberated, and she is in search of some much-needed romance. The pickings are slim in her tiny village though. Leena convinces her to go to London, where her options are far more plentiful. Leena is burned out and not dealing with a recent loss very well, working long hours and keeping busy rather than facing her feelings. She settles into her grandmother’s quiet, sleepy village for some mandatory R&R, but handling Eileen’s many responsibilities isn’t quite the piece of cake she expects. Plus there’s the not-so-small matter of those repressed emotions…

I’ve read and watched plenty of stories about two people switching lives or homes, but this twist with a grandmother and granddaughter was refreshing! I loved seeing London and Leena’s home and friends through Eileen’s eyes. She was so much fun, so true to herself even while in the big city, and I found myself wishing she was my grandmother! Leena living among and getting to know the villagers was a hoot! The personalities in this small village were not quite what she is used to in her professional, city world, and it was delightful to see how she adapted and interacted with them.

I found myself laughing out loud at times, and while this was a light and often humorous read, it also touched on deeper topics like grief, dealing with difficult feelings, family conflict, and navigating relationships. I cried with the characters, as they tried to deal with, a year later, the aftermath of losing a loved one from a terminal illness. I have been there, and I appreciate the wide range of emotions experienced. I thought the author handled that quite well.

I loved how Eileen talked about dating, including sex (closed door), as an “over 70.” That is not an area I have read much about, especially in a romantic comedy. It gives me hope for what life as an over 70 might be like!

The narrators were great, alternating chapters from each character’s point of view. As someone from the US, I love listening to audiobooks set in the UK, and this was no exception. Eileen’s voice was a little annoying at times, with her audible breaths and lip smacking, but I soon pictured a 79-year-old grandmother who would speak in just that same way and got used to it.

I would highly recommend this book, especially on audio!

This is a delightful romance that's both comfy and captivating. Lena and her 79-year-old grandmother swap homes, a move that introduces both of them to new perspectives, adventure and friends. And both find new romance. It's totally delightful, filled with laugh-out-loud humour and dishes up some pure escapism - just perfect. I defy any woman, of any age, not to be besotted with gorgeous Jackson, or his eager hound. The Switch doesn't only revolve around love, romance and relationships however. It delves into handling grief, old age (defying it, in particular) and relationships. The narrators were a joy to listen to!

The narration on this book was great, very engaging, easy to listen too, well paced.

The book itself I enjoyed. It didn't feel wholly original or like a brand new concept, but that familiarity felt warm and cozy. I loved Grandma Eileen and could have listened to a whole book just about her. Leena was less enjoyable. She was gullible to the wrong people, and her "love" story was rushed at the end. Over all, the book was fine! Good, but probably won't remember it in a month.

A lovely story and the perfect thing to read during lockdown/isolation. The characters are so charming and real it’s easy to connect with them and their experiences.

It’s really heart-warming but manages to be heart-wrenching at the same time. Full of joy, pain, humour and life.

I listened to the audiobook read by two narrators for the dual points of view. They did a wonderful job expressing the story really enhancing the reading experience.

Beth O'Leary is an auto-read author for me after two amazing books! The Switch is a really beautiful story about the importance of family and community, dealing with grief, and embracing love of yourself and others. O'Leary writes about weighty life situations in a way that doesn't feel heavy or overbearing; instead, the overall tone is hopeful and heartwarming. The characters in this story are so easy to love and root for, and the audiobook narrators are FANTASTIC. I just kept laughing as I listened.

Another aspect of O'Leary's writing style that I love is how she writes sex scenes. She has truly mastered the art of building tension while keep the scenes "closed door." While there are references to sex, there are no graphic details or descriptions, making this book accessible to more readers.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and the author for the advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my goodness, I absolutely loved The Switch audiobook! Fantastic storyline that had me at hello! I adored Beth O’Leary’s first novel (The Flatshare) and I didn’t think it was possible but I think I loved The Switch even more! Beth has officially become an automatic 1-click author for me! The narration was fabulous and added so much to my listening experience! I highly recommend this gem!