This was such a fun, light-hearted listen. I really enjoyed the storyline of grandmother and granddaughter switching "lives" so to speak. I was rooting for Eileen the entire time to find her second chance man. Leena on the other hand just needed to take a step back and enjoy life again. There were several laugh out loud moments which is a great sign of me enjoying the book.

As for the audio, I loved that there were two different narrators. It made getting into each character's story all the better. If I had any critique of the audio production, it would be the mouth noises that were present. Although they were a bit annoying at first the story sucked me in and I was able to continue on.

Overall, I loved the story and the production. I would highly recommend it. Thank you, NetGalley and MacMacmillian Audio for the early review copy.

A massive thank you to NetGalley for providing a review copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

This book was at the top of my 2020 to-read list, after devouring The Flatshare last year. O'Leary has an uncommon gift for taking what could be a very light plot and giving it weight and thought, without losing the fun. I loved both Leena and Eileen- they are REAL characters, who have flaws and plans and dreams. And although I'm definitely closer to Leena (in age, career, everything), Eileen was still very relatable! There were some laugh out loud moments where I startled people I was walking past, and some heartbreaking moments that made me gasp.

In terms of an audiobook, this is also one of my top 5 (out of 200+). The choice to use two narrators was an excellent one, and both brought their character and supporting characters to life. They didn't put on other voices for characters (aside from accents), and I think that it makes the story flow that much more. I also loved that phone calls actually sounded like they were coming through on the phone; it was a truly unique audio touch that I didn't expect! (Note: I listened at 1.25x speed, and nothing was amiss or odd.) I will be watching out for both narrators.

I cannot wait to see what comes next from Beth O'Leary!

Though I found the audio quality to be quite poor in the beginning (very tinny), it improved, and I was really able to enjoy this book! I loved the story, and the narrator for Eileen’s POV was definitely my favorite. I want to share this book with my grandmother I loved it so much! I did feel like Eileen almost overshadowed Lina at some points, and that’s honestly the only reason I didn’t give a fifth star. Great first audio on Netgalley!

The Switch // by Beth O'Leary // Audiobook from NetGalley

A Macmillan audiobook production by Flatiron Books and read by British actors Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones, star of Hulu's Normal People.

The Switch by Beth O'Leary is a charming novel that chronicles the adventures of Eileen and Leena Cotton when they decide to switch their lives in order to shake things up and clear their heads from the monotony that has started to turn their lives, or rather Leena's, into something they could not recognize anymore. So off they go: Leena to a small town from her childhood and Eileen to the big city of London, like it used to be her dream when she was a young woman. There's only so much trouble they can get into where they are going, right?

I enjoyed this book a lot. I am a big fan of dual timelines and/or narrators so I gladly turned this audiobook on several times a day. The story itself was simple and easy going but kept me engaged and interested the entire time. There was just enough excitement in each chapter to have me looking forward to the next each time. But what made this book so much fun to me were the excellent narrators! Both Alison and Daisy did a grand job at impersonating their characters. You could hear the feelings in their voices and every stammer and tearful recitation felt so real that it was hard to believe they were reading a fictional story. This is my first experience with this author and I am looking forward to more.

Thank you to Netgalley Audio for allowing me to listen to this story in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Switch by Beth O’Leary is a delightful story told by two narrators. The ladies that narrated the tale had wonderful British accents which allowed the reader to delve straight into the scenery. Leena, the granddaughter, has had difficulties at work in London and is told that she must take a sabbatical. Eileen, the grandmother, feels to young to be in such a rut in her little town. So they decide to switch locations for the next two months. Each gets to learn a bit more about the other while finding out new things about themselves.

While I adored the story, there were a few small things that I thought could be worked on in the narration. There were several instances in which it sounded like the narrators had run out of breath and had to take a pause at an odd time or times where it sounded like they had very dry mouths and make a little smacking noise. Seriously a cup of hot tea would have cured their ills. But don’t let that distract you from a well developed storyline.

All in all, I enjoyed the book for it’s lighthearted read and would definitely look for another story from the author.

Book review posted on Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

I really enjoyed this audiobook. The two narrators narrating the two different perspectives really helped to make sure you knew who was talking, and each one was very skilled that I didn't have a favorite. I thought the way the audiobook did phone calls was very interesting, so it actually sounded like a call, and I had never heard an audiobook do that before. This book is definitely less about love than it is about finding yourself and the people who are important in life, so go in knowing that. I thought this book had great characters - I really enjoyed reading about Eileen's ornery neighbors and Lena's fun flatmates. I also really enjoyed reading about Eileen and her neighbors with their full lives, because you rarely read about elderly people dating or making friends and having fun.
CW: grief, death, depression
3.5 stars

The Switch was a great book especially during these crazy times. The Switch is about a grandma and granddaughter that decide to switch houses and phones for a few months. The grandma, Eileen, lives in a small town and is involved in many town activities. The granddaughter, Leena, is a workaholic in London who is on a sabbatical from work and has a boyfriend in London. This is a great story of family, finding yourself, and love.

Eileen is trying online dating for the first time at 79, which is obviously as entertaining as it sounds. Eileen is trying lots of new. It's so interesting seeing how much she feels about all the differences in London and what she will take with when she goes back to her old life. One of the first things Leena does after the switch is walk her neighbors dog and the dog runs away. Leena's life goes from perfectly together to falling apart in an entertaining and lovely way.

All the characters are so relatable and seem like real people. There are so many characters I wish I could walk into the book and be friends with. That is one of my favorite things about Beth O'Leary's books.

The narrators were fantastic. I loved their accents and have nothing but great things to say about the narration.

This book is a great story all the way until the end. The end is a perfect wrap up of the story. I highly recommend this book for anyone that enjoyed The Flatshare.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing The Switch in exchange for an honest review.

This audio book had a good plot that kept me interested. The two main characters had their own narrator which was great as it makes it much easier to follow who’s story you are listening to. I would certainly recommend this audiobook.

The audiobook version was read really fast - even though it wasn't sped up on the settings (and there was no option to slow it down either!) I didn't eally enjoy it for that reason.

This. Book. Was. Awesome! If I could have given it more than 5 stars I would have done so.

Beth O'Leary's second novel is as wonderful as her first one. It was delightful, engaging, laugh-out-loud funny, totally heartwarming, romantic, clever, and very, very satisfying. As you'll have read in the synopsis, a grandmother and her granddaughter switch places for two months. O'Leary uses the two-voice approach again which I really enjoyed. It was entertaining to read the "city mouse, country mouse" experiences as well as the different perspectives of a young woman and an elderly woman.

The two actresses who read the characters were perfect for the characters and the overall production was well done. Only one minor slip in the whole thing... one character was supposed to be on the phone during a conversation but one of her replies didn't sound like she was on the phone. Not a big deal and it was only a little blip.

A smattering of profanity throughout the story but, I'm thankful to say, not every other word. Some sexual situations but no graphic descriptions.

I am very grateful to NetGalley for sending this free ARC audiobook to me. However, it didn't impact my review as I already was planning on reading it, having loved "The Flatshare". In fact, about 70% through the audiobook, I pre-ordered the Kindle version!

This was such a wholesome book!

Following a grandmother and granddaughter who need a break from their lives and switch places. Eileen living in Londen and trying out online dating, while Leena stays in her grandmother's house in a village with a long list of errands and activities around the village.

I loved Eileen and Leena's relationship, but there were a lot of other wonderful friendships. I laughed out loud a few times but this book is also about grief and moving on after a big loss, but it was balanced really well.

The ending was not a surprising one, but I didn't mind at all, loved following the characters to get there.

I listened to this on audio, Eileen and Leena each narrated by a diffrent narrator, which I really enjoyed. Both really match with the characters and just took you along with the story. I really think a narrator can make you like a book even more, and that was definitely the case with this audiobook. The epilogue even made me tear up, because of the way it was narrated, really impressed.

Highly reccomend this, especially on audio.

The Switch appears to be, on its surface, a fun romantic comedy about a granddaughter swapping places with her grandmother when she needs a break from her busy life. Think "The Holiday" or nearly every Hallmark channel movie. And it is... but it is also so much more than the surface would reveal. This book stole my heart. Beth O'Leary presents us with a cast of characters that I found reminiscent of Fredik Backman's novels. These characters were endearing and nuanced; especially excellent were the two central women of the book - Leena the granddaughter, Eileen the grandmother, as well as Leena's mother, Mary Ann. O'Leary's handling of grief and loss was very well done especially in a story that could easily have gotten saccharine. Again, I found myself drawing comparisons between this and "Britt-Marie Was Here" and other Backman works. Instead of being overly sentimental this book handled real life emotions and problems like they were just that, real. That doesn't mean there isn't some utterly charming small town silliness and old lady fun!

I listened to the audiobook of this title and the narration by Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones was spot on!

One caveat: Based on the synopsis, I did go into this expecting more of a rom-com with lots of sassy old lady one-liners and a swoony romance with the younger protagonist. There are plenty of sassy one-liners, but there is not as much romance and when there is it almost sneaks up on you. I ended up quite happy with the way it turned out, but be aware that the synopsis is a smidgen misleading.

Overall, this was a charming read that I would enjoy returning to at some point and I expect to see a film adaptation at some point too! I received this audiobook from Netgalley and Macmillian Audio in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the alc of this book. The US publication date for The Switch is 18 Aug 2020.

I absolutely loved everything about The Switch by Beth O'Leary. The book is a dual narrative, switching back and forth viewpoints between a granddaughter, Leena, and her grandmother, Eileen. Leena and Eileen are both coming to grips with the death of a family member as well as other life changes. They decide to switch locations for two months to get a break from their everyday lives..

I loved getting to know these two wonderful women - their thoughts, emotions and how they handle people in their lives. Leena, an overachiever, overcome with her grief and panic attacks. Eileen, a feisty grandmother, as organized as her granddaughter and with a can do attitude that is just infectious. (I adored Eileen!).

The book is a PG romance. There is talk of sexy times but it is all fade to black. At its heart though, this one is really a character study of two women learning to get some spark back into their lives after hitting rough patches.

Pacing wise - I think this one moves at a quicker pace than The Flatshare. Just more going on in general with the dual viewpoints and two people living out their lives in different locations. This one also has some wonderful supporting characters in it.

If you love character driven novels, this one is a must read. Seriously - just go preorder now.

NARRATION - The book read by British actors Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones, star of Hulu's Normal People. I loved the dual narration. Both woman do a wonderful job of bringing their characters to life.

This was a delightful story told from the points of view of a grandmother and her grandmother. I found myself wondering how my grandmother and I would've handled a switch. This book was full of colorful characters that were very entertaining - I found myself trying to carve out more time for this book. I listened to the audio book of The Switch and enjoyed the narrators very much.

Through the narrations of Leena and Eileen, we discover grief, loss, love, and family and the importance of self-discovery.

When hardworking Leena Cotton is forced to take a much needed two-month sabbatical by her boss, she travels to her grandmother, Eileen’s tiny village.

Eileen is about to turn 80 and is divorced and single wanting to have a go at love once more. But, having been living in the small Yorkshire village for many many years, the aspects of finding love is almost slim to none.

When both Eileen and Leena decide to swap routines, Eileen goes to London and lives in Leena’s apartment, and Leena takes up all of Eileen’s project in her small Yorkshire village, their lives begin to take a turn. While they both struggled to adapt to living in a different setting, they both discover what it means to be a family and discover the truth about themselves and who they are as individuals.

I gave The Switch three stars through the audiobook and absolutely enjoyed the narration.

I especially enjoyed Leena’s narration, her tone and pace was fantastic and was something I really liked listening to. Her narration was gentle and soft and left me wanting more of this book. The overall narration was fantastic and the overall narration I felt fit perfectly with the story.

The way Leena grew as a character throughout the book was fantastic. We could see the way she went from hardworking, type A businesswoman, to a more carefree - but still equally as hardworking, - woman who is going through grief in her own way. Her self-discovery shined throughout the book and was something I admired about Leena throughout the book and how she as a character really grew throughout the story.

For Eileen, she grew to discover the means of using the internet and technology and controlling social media and being taught what young people do nowadays while living in Leena’s London apartment. Along the way, she discovers how the power of the internet can bring unlikely people into her inbox and I especially enjoyed the way she discovers information at the age of 80 and how she finally realizes things about herself and her family that she didn’t focus on in the past.

Family was a huge aspect of this book especially loss and while reading this I felt that it was well touched upon and thought that it was very important to listen to such a thing and it really grew and became a powerful message throughout the whole book.

I did, however, find that the plot wasn’t as strong as I wished it was. Although there were some aspects that I was being invested in, for the majority of the story I didn’t feel captivated as I hoped I would be. I enjoyed the characters and their development but felt that that was the only interesting part of the story. As an overall book, I think it was a nice read but I wish there was more that had made me more interested in the story.

Thank you again, NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

This is one of those book that makes you think and are heartwarming and entertaining at the same time.
I think that Beth O'Leary is a talented storyteller and she does a great job at creating enjoyable story full of food for thought.
The story of Leena and Eileen made me smile more than once but there a darker undertone in the description of their trip to face and accept the loss of Carla. The grief is one the main elements in this story and there are moment when the description of the raw sufferance moved me to tears.
Being a consultant I also love the realistic description of the consultancy and laughed as some characters are typical of that environment.
I loved every moment of this story and I think I need to read it again.
The narrators do a great job in making the characters alive and making you feel the emotions of the characters
It is a brilliant story, I loved the narrators and I strongly recommend it.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This was such a lovely read. It made me laugh and tear up, a sure sign of a good book! I loved both Eileen and Leena right off the bat. They had similarities in personality but were very much their own people. I loved having an older character find a new sense of purpose, adventure, and love. By stepping into her grandmother’s shoes, Leena was also able to gain new perspectives. A heads up that the focus of this one is more on Eileen’s and Leena’s individual journeys as opposed to them finding love. The romantic subplots of each are very light.

That said, I do wish there was a bit more of Leena’s storyline when it came to her love interest, but I also understand it wasn’t the main focus of the book. I just really like romantic storylines so I personally wanted a bit more of Leena and her love interest growing closer during her stay in Hamleigh. But that didn’t stop me from enjoying the book!

I don’t read a lot of books with older protagonists, so this was a nice change of pace. I did enjoy how it alternated with Leena’s POV as it was interesting to see how their perspectives, opinions, and assumptions changed. They each became more open and understanding of the other’s life and I really liked that. The supporting characters were great too! I probably could read a whole book just about Bee or Fitz (who was a fave of mine).

I love how O’Leary’s stories in the end always make me feel like I’ve been wrapped up in a really nice and warm comforting hug. Overall, a heartwarming and lovely escape with fantastic lovable characters. A great summer read!

This book was fantastic! I really enjoyed The Flatshare also written by Beth O’Leary and I was so excited to read this novel!

The Switch is about a grandmother and her granddaughter who have both found themselves in a bit of a rut in their lives and would like to change that. Leena is in her 20s, lives in London and just found herself being forced to take a two month sabbatical from work. Eileen is 79, lives in a tiny Yorkshire village, recently divorced and would like a second chance of love.

They come up with the idea that they should switch living situations to get a change of pace and scenery! Eileen now has to adjust to the hustle and bustle of big city London while tackling the new idea of online dating, while Leena is trying to juggle all the rural activities her grandmother was in charge of- from walking neighbors dogs to helping put on a town festival. How will this switch

The authors writing style is so captivating and the story flows at a great pace! She has the ability to create characters that are realistic feeling, likable and who you really care about what happens to them!

This is a beautiful story about family relationships and dynamics, how we treat and interact with the people around us and how different choices can impact our lives.

This book has such heart, humor and great references (I am completely won over if you reference both Shrek and Harry Potter in a book!).

I completely recommend this book!

The only aspect of the story that kept me from rating this book 5 stars revolves around Leena’s love story. It felt too rushed and I felt there was more buildup around her.

Also, the audio version on netgalley was incredibly tinny sounding. I hope that is not how the finished copy sounded as it did take away from the story at times.

I was completely charmed by this book. Eileen warmed my heart with her perspective on the world and her unrelenting drive to help others and help herself. I related to Lena completely, she's a good person who find herself a bit lost between the demands of young adult life and her personal grief. The narration brought the whole book to life for me. This is a book I would have usually chosen to read, but I am so glad I had the opportunity to experience it in audio. Now I can't imagine it any other way. Eileen's narrator was spot on as an older lady full of life and mischief, she made me laugh throughout. Lena's narrator (Daisy Edgar-Jones from Normal People!) was also fantastic. I loved her subtlety; there were moments I swore I could hear her smile, or be pensive... so good. Five shiny bright stars for this story of love, adventure, grief, family, friendship and opening yourself to all possibilities. I absolutely loved it.

I received an Audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. The story was so original, the characters were loveable. I'm so glad I read this book, I flew through it in a day!