I loved this book. It's sweet and warm and funny and heartwarming!!! This book centers around Leena and her grandmother Eileen and how after Leena is advised to take a work sabbatical, and how Eileen's husband cheats on her and leaves with a much younger woman, Leena and Eileen decide to swap lives. This book is about figuring out who you are and finding yourself in the funniest and weirdest circumstances - including but not limited to catfishing! I loved all the characters for their determination, wit and gumption (gosh I love that word). Although the book was quite predictable, it's exactly what I needed - a really great story which felt like a nice cup of tea. This book is definitely necessary for someone who needs a happy and heartwarming story.

Lena is a workaholic living in London and her grandmother is a recently divorced 79 year old living in a small town spending her days helping others in the community. Lena is forced to take a sabbatical and her grandmother is looking for love. They decide to switch lives for one month.

I enjoyed this cute book that was a chic lit with a little romance. I liked all the sub characters and how the story ended. There were times it dragged in the middle but I didn’t really lose interest.

I listened to this on audio and felt like the voices for the different characters were well done and I liked how it sounded different when they were on the phone.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan audio, and Flat Iron Books for the chance to review this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Beth O'Leary has written another charming and lovable book. Although I did not enjoy this one as much as her debut, The Flatshare, it was quite an enjoyable read. In this case, I listened to the audiobook also, and I found the narration wonderful.

The premise of the book is that a grandmother (Eileen) and her granddaughter (Leena) decide to trade lives for two months because they are both in need of a change that will hopefully put their lives back on track after the loss of a loved one. The switch turns out to be beneficial to both of them, and they learn new things about themselves and how they view the people in their lives.

I love the character of Eileen, the grandmother. She is so full of life and ready for adventure. She brings a sense of community to her granddaughter's apartment block that was desperately lacking. She is a sweet character whom everyone loves. Leena, the younger character, is less charming than her grandmother, but I liked her too. She has some moments when I found her to be very naive and overly trusting, especially in terms of her boyfriend. However, she learns a lot about herself during the switch, and I like how her character grows.

The small town charm and sense of community that is portrayed in this book is refreshing and very appropriate in our current climate. It made me wish for more of it my own life.

I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. It is sweet and uplifting. Just the kind of read needed when real life is a bit chaotic.

Loved both narrators but found the plot quite dull. I do think readers of very light romantic comedies will enjoy this, but for me it rang like a poor man’s Jenny Colgan. Fine and sweet but not for me.

I really enjoyed the beginning and the end but the drawn-out in-between was a little too tedious.

A lovely premise and Eillen and Leena Cotton are enjoyable characters. The generational insights are funny but I did find the same humour occurring again and again.

Definitely a heartwarming, contemporary read.

I love a dual narrative, when it's done right. This one was done superbly. I fell in love with both Leena and Eileen, and often had trouble deciding which narrative was my favourite. I'm still not sure which. The narrators of both characters brought them to life in such a wonderful way – though it was hard to get Marianne and Pamela Shipman out of my head for a while!

There is so much love and family and community in these pages, it's hard to read it and not feel a little bit warmer. Grandparent/grandchild relationships aren't very often addressed, and this is a fantastic example of such a cherished connection in our lives. Watching Leena's relationship with her mother improve was also wonderful to follow along

I can't wait for Beth's next book. I just know it will be a triumph.

O'Leary's previous book, The Flatshare, is lovely, but this is even better.
A grandma and a niece swap places, the first to live an adventure in London, the latter to recover from a big mess at work (and her sister's death).
O'Leary is great at dealing with delicate issues - bereavement, depression, loneliness, and indifference - in a lighthearted and tender way, and she creates characters who feel really "normal", like all of us, with weaknesses and flaws, and it's impossible not to love them.
Eileen is fantastic, energetic, with a purpose, generous, considerate and so loving, everyone would love to have her as a grandma, mother, friend, or neighbour. She reminds us of how distant people are nowadays, all thinking only about themselves, ignoring those who live near, especially if they're old, as if they don't have anything to give anymore, closed up in their selfishness and pride. But Eileen is able to open our heart and inspire us to be better people, to appreciate our family, friends, and also others more, to look beyond the surface and live a fuller life.
This is one of those books one will always cherish.

I really enjoyed this audiobook, it's like getting into a warm bath. Both of the actresses are great and the voices really brought the story and characters to life. I think I would have been a bit bored by the book if I'd read it - the story is fairly predictable and a bit twee, but that became charming in the audiobook.
The one duff note for me was Leena's reaction to her gran / boyf towards the end, really made zero sense and additional conflict just for the sake of it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the free review copy.

(Thanks to Netgalley for the audiobook. All opinions expressed are my own)
I really enjoyed reading THE FLAT SHARE by the author and that is why I was excited to pick up this one as well. I love Beth O'Leary's writing and so of course, I enjoyed reading THE SWITCH as well. However, I do have to say that it is not what I expected. Unlike THE FLAT SHARE, romance does not take a central place in this one. THE SWITCH is more about family and personal growth. And I didn't know it was the kind of book I needed in my life.
I listened to the audiobook version thanks to Netgalley and I really enjoyed it. The actors did amazing jobs with their parts and relayed the feel of the characters very well. I absolutely love Eileen and she is just so so cool! The way both of these two characters branched out and got out of their comfortable box into the unknown was something they would not have ever done. The only reason they did it was because each thought it will help the other.
the other characters were also lovable and although I was super pissed with Betsy's attitude in the beginning I definitely came around soon. The Neighbourhood Watch bunch is a good lot and Arnold is a sweetie. Also, I wish we saw more of Jackson and how he fell for Lena. Of course, that would have given me a lot more romance in my dry life. LOL
Overall, it was a really enjoyable read and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

This was an excellent audio book that kept me fascinated throughout the entire journey. The characters were engaging and believable. Can’t recommend it enough! An excellent narrator made all the difference!

Such a lovely and comforting read. A grandmother (Eileen) and granddaughter (Lena) switch places for a holiday of sorts. They each discover pieces of themselves they had been missing.

My favorite character was definitely Eileen. She was sassy, passionate, and fun. I loved the sense of community she created around her.

The two narrators did a wonderful job. They encapsulated the characters and read with wonderful expression.

This story is about finding yourself, a community, and family. It’s a charming and cozy read.

Thank you for the free audiobook. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved the narrators for The Switch. They really brought the story to life. I also liked the way the author dealt with tough subjects, such as grief, abuse and adultery, in a gentle way.

4.5 stars

Absolutely delightful audio book. I liked Leena,the 29 year old granddaughter living in London that is forced to take some time off from her stressful job. I LOVED Eileen, the 79 year old grandmother from a small village outside of the city. Leena and Eileen swap housing for two months and each have their own adventures. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the book. It was sweet and funny. Both women are kind, caring and enjoy helping others. I wish I had an Eileen in my life, or even better, I hope to be like her down the road. The secondary characters (London roommates and the Villagers) were all lovely and well developed. Great follow up to The Flatshare, which I also highly recommend reading.

Some narrators enhance the books and I think that is the case with The Switch. Daisy Edgar-Jones does a great job with Leena. Alison Steadman is beyond fantastic as Eileen and I could listen to her all day. The book flowed well and was very clear on the transitions.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Macmillan Audio for an advanced audio book in exchange for an honest review.

This was such an utter delight to read! This is my first book by Beth O'Leary. I definitely need to check out her other novel - Flatshare! I found the grandmother and granddaughter, Eileen and Leena, so engaging and memorable. I laughed out loud so many times and marked some of my favorite lines in the novel. Such a well-written and great storyline with wonderful characters! I would highly recommend!

Okay, for a while there the narrator almost sent me into the doldrums after listening to chapter one, the reading was a bit monotone with hardly any differentiation between characters. After the disastrous meeting, things smoothen out and I was able to listen without fighting to identify the characters and their emotional changes. Now, that I have passed that hiccup, I can see Leena had some serious issues to deal with. She almost cost her company a huge contract, she was totally washed out I believe, she couldn’t even remember what the meeting was about at the critical time, she was hyperventilating and couldn’t think straight. I think she was overworked, stressed, and tired lack of sleep does that to a person, but she refused to see it that way. Now, she was forced into taking a two-month sabbatical, after her panic attack in the conference room. She had two months to get herself back into the game and reinforce her self-confidence once again. She also had to see if there was any way to work out the rift between her and her mother. I believe Eileen her grandmother is a wise one in creating an occasion in, which Leena and her mom can reconnect, while she goes on her new adventure, online dating at her age if you could believe it. An enjoyable and entertaining book, with a few foul languages, outside of that, it’s a relaxing and amusing book you can relax in your garden with.

This was a light read (listen), and fairly predictable, but I enjoyed it altogether. It was a whole Parent-Trap-lets-switch-places kind of story, and the characters had all kinds of revelations about themselves throughout the book. I enjoy Beth O'Leary books, and this one was true to her previous works. This book was funny, and I enjoyed the narrator variations.

I received an advanced audiobook copy of this via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this so much - this is exactly the type of book i enjoy reading/listening to!
the storyline was charming and delightful - there were many times it made me chuckle.
the characters were so likable - i would like to befriend any one of them - i liked how they grew and changed, and lived life to the fullest!
i would definitely recommend this book to family and friends !!

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review.

I am not a big contemporary romance reader but I knew Beth O'Leary was an author I wanted to check out. I've heard nothing but good things about her and those good things are 100% justified. The Switch is the story of Leena, a young workaholic who swaps homes with her grandma Eileen when she is forced to take a break from her job. Meanwhile Eileen goes to live in London as she always wanted to do when she was young. The story is told in dual narrative, as is the audiobook. Leena's plot focuses on her working out what is really good for her, whilst Eileen's is about her relationships, both romantic and platonic.

I really loved how this book was written. There is a lot of humour, all of the characters are fleshed out and interesting, and the plot has a fair amount going on in it. This isn't just a fluffy romance (although the romances in this are very enjoyable and done well) and it has a lot of heart and a lot of good things to say. Like I said, I typically don't read this kind of fiction unless it has some super appealing aspect and I enjoyed every second of this book.

In terms of the audiobook, that is also done very well. There are two different narrators and that meant it was very easy to tell whose plotline we were following which is always appreciated. Both narrators did an excellent job of infusing their characters with personality, and they mostly did different voices for the other characters which was similarly appreciated. There were only two very minor criticisms from me. Firstly, Eileen's narrator does a very grating voice for one side character (Letitia) which made it a little unpleasant to listen to those parts. Secondly, Leena's actress does a voice at one point for a character talking over the phone, then drops that voice for some of the dialogue, then returns to it which was a bit distracting. These really are incredibly minor niggles though and both narrators did a truly amazing job.

Overall, I strongly recommend giving this book a try and the audiobook is a great way to do that. It is a lovely, heartwarming story with enchanting characters and a great sense of humour. The audiobook makes it so easy to follow the story and I found it was perfect to listen to while I was doing other things without feeling like I was missing out on crucial details. If you want a good summer read or just a well-written adult contemporary, you can't go wrong here.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Review The Switch Audiobook

This book follows Lina and Eileen – grand daughter and grand mother – as they swap lives for two months. Lina needs a break from city life, and Eileen needs a bigger dating pool than her small Yorkshire Village will allow. They both throw themselves into the other person’s life, and end up finding there way back to themselves.

This book is gorgeous, and laugh out loud funny. At the same time it deals with serious topics, such as how to handle and heal from the death of a family member. The narration was brilliant, I especially appreciated Alison Steadman as Eileen, but perhaps this was because I found Eileen’s chapters somewhat more enjoyable. The only thing that was slightly confusing that the same person would read out both sides of a phone call, even between each other, which sometimes made it difficult to know who was saying what.

All in all this is a brilliant audiobook. Especially at the moment we could all do with something that makes us laugh and cry, you will be completely invested in the story. I’d recommend this to everyone!

I really struggled with this audiobook. One of the narrators was very hard to listen to. She keep making a weird sound with her mouth-like she has dry mouth or something. I just couldn’t get past it to listen anymore.
I will definitely pick up the book and read it that way. I feel like it is a good story, just couldn’t keep listening. Thank you for the chance to try to listen.