If you love a slow burn, fall in love over phone calls, international kind of romance, you have to check out The House Swap.

I’m not a slow burn kind of person, so it took me so long to actually see when the characters would get together. They’re in different countries for most of the book-living in each other’s houses-with phone calls the only way they communicate, but when they finally end up together, they’re full head over heels in love.

James also caused me so much stress at the beginning because he’s the complete opposite of thoughtful and welcoming Cassie, but ultimately he developed so much that I felt so proud of him.

I loved Cassie’s diversity, but I would’ve liked to see more of her roots and learn more about the novels she wrote. However, she’s a soft kind of strong character. Stands up for what she likes and her lifestyle and doesn’t care or budge if it doesn’t fit in with what others think she should be doing or how she should be living. (and random side note: I would have loved for the character image on the cover to show her tanned skin and curls! That also threw me off when I read and saw that she had Jordanian roots)

The description of Cassie’s home on the island gave me such an itch to want my own wildlife oasis in Maine, alpacas and chickens included and now I want to visit London and Glasgow even more. The side characters were superb here! The island life was popping, everyone is their own person and could easily have their own entertaining and beautiful short story.

Trigger warnings: pregnancy struggles, miscarriage, IVF, mentions of alcoholism, abusive households.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with the eARC and the opportunity to read this work of art

I enjoyed that this was a quick and light read after a series of heavier books. It was cute, funny and heavy on the romance tropes IE: enemies to lovers. The characters were well developed and I enjoyed the dialogue between James and Cassie, and found it quite funny at times. My only critique is that the story line felt a bit predictable but otherwise it brought out real emotional responses from me.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the advanced e-book in exchange for an honest review.

***THANK YOU NETGALLEY FOR AN ARC IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!! :) ***
This rom-com novel about two very different people trading homes for a few months will bring a smile to your face as they reconcile their differences and turn inwards reflecting on their lives. Cassie and James swap houses using a website to escape from their daily lives and focus on their careers/self growth. But sometimes growth comes when you least expect it.
One thing I can say that Jo Lovett is amazing at is character development throughout her novel. I feel proud of Cassie and James and the growth they have gone through even though they are fictional characters. Not only does the reader get enchanted by the main characters and their plot, backgrounds and romance, but also by the secondary characters who are seen presently throughout the whole novel which I enjoyed. It felt as a reader I was not getting attached to just two characters but at least twenty.
One note I found myself getting caught on as I read was that there could have been smoother transitions throughout the novel not only chapter by chapter but also during scenes changes during a chapter. I felt like the plot really picked up about halfway through and I liked that pacing. There is always room to grow but I still enjoyed the novel.

The House Swap - Jo Lovett

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley.

When thirty-somethings Cassie and James find each other on a home swap website, it feels meant to be. City hotshot James needs a bolthole after a relationship goes sour and Cassie needs to leave the comfort of her little island to research her new book.

Soon, James is living in Cassie’s cute but ramshackle beachside cottage, and Cassie’s living in James’s luxurious London apartment. It’s the perfect solution.

Except James didn’t imagine he’d be sharing his home with eleven chickens and three alpacas, not to mention the unusually friendly neighbours, who seem to find any excuse to drop by. And Cassie is less than impressed when James’s ex-girlfriend turns up at his door, demanding to know where he’s gone.

This is a quick, simple and easy book to read. I was drawn into the book by the great characters, the humour and the brilliant character development. I am not going to lie, I chose this book as the plot reminded me of ‘The Holiday’ and it did not disappoint me.

Jo Lovett has managed to write a book that is not your typical romance. This is a slow-burn and honestly it was quite refreshing to read something that was different.

Rating 4/5

What a romantic read. I was rooting for James and Cassie the whole way through. I loved them both, even though James was so infuriating at first. Learning about their pasts and heartache and eventually them "slaying their demons" just made them such loveable characters. James had such growth throughout the book, it was heart warming to see his friendship with the islanders and his love of the animals develop, allowing himself open up to others after years of being a bit aloof, not even letting his close friends knowing anything about his past. A wonderful read for anybody who's a fan of chick lit.

The House Swap is a cute, lighthearted, non-steamy romance novel. I liked that Cassie and James had their own issues to work through and they both showed growth.

I did have a few issues with the book. First, the pacing seemed off. I felt like large gaps of time were skipped over and there were no transitions. I was often confused as to whether a day, a week, or a month had passed. Because these chunks were skipped over, I left like a lot of Cassie and James friendship was also left out. Like the author mentioned they were communicating regularly but you often didn’t see these conversations. This made it difficult to connect to the relationship.

My other issue is some of the plot development. Like James’ ex was a big part for the first 50 pages then that plot point just disappeared with no closure. I also didn’t like how underdeveloped Cassie and James’ jobs were. Like what was Cassie writing about and what did James actually do. I feel like the author just gave them jobs then did nothing with it.

Finally, I like my romance novels a little steamier. I don’t need a lot of steam but there weren’t even any tender moments between Cassie and James. Their interactions and dialogue were so formal at times that it was again hard to believe their relationship.

Overall a cute plot but the execution was a miss for me. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC.

The House Swap was my first book by Jo Lovett. It turned out to be surprisingly a really cute and fun read. Also, because it has a different concep,t this book grabbed my attention as soon as I had read the blurb. The story follows with the opening scene to a birthday party where our male character is being set up to propose however, things take a different turn when he learns of truth and wants to do nothing with the proposal. As it continues, the main characters switch their living space for each other without actually knowing each other. And, this leads to a series of events where they eventually end up falling for another. I really enjoyed the structure and the plot of the story, my only complaint was it lacked a bit of emotion or it was just me who really could not connect to the characters. Though I will say it was good for a first time read.

Thank you NetGalley, author Jo Lovett, and Bookouture for giving me a free E-Arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
4 stars
The book is about Cassie, an author, and James, who decide to put their houses up on a house swap website. When they connect and decide to exchanges houses, it cause them to become more involved in each other lives. As their time for the house swap is coming to an end, will they be able to go back to their lives or with they make it a permeant exchange?
This book was a laugh-out-loud, heart-warming read! The wit and bander between the characters was spot on and clever! I really loved the main characters Cassie and James. They were both complex yet relatable! Cassie has a desire to be a mother even though she is not in a relationship. I admired her desire to go for what she wanted. She also had a wonderful support system of family and friends especially in Laura. James was grumpy and closed off due to his relationship with his family. Yet he found himself drawn towards Cassie and the island life. His ex was crazy and gave me the creepy. I enjoyed Cassie's neighbors as well as the animals. The slow burn romance between James and Cassie was full of angst and off the charts chemistry! What made me love this book was the growth that both characters underwent throughout this book. They both had past baggage that had been causing them pain in the present, but as they embraced their lives during the house swap, the change in environment and people helped them to change and move forward. The ending was well satisfying and had me crying and smiling! If you are a fan of "The Flatshare", you should definitely give this book a try!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I'm not going to lie, it took me a while before getting into the story and the romance. The story started slow, and obviously we don't see any romance between the James and Cassie since they were too far from each other. At first I didn't see and feel any chemistry between the two, but once the story picks up and once they finally are physically together I could not put the book down.

Romance aside, I did enjoy seeing James build friendship with Cassie's neighbors and vice versa. It was cute and funny seeing James struggle to socialize with the neighbors, at first it annoyed me how distant and douche-y James was but once I got to know him more, I realized he's a big softie. I love seeing his character development, he really made up for his douche-y attitude. I really enjoyed the second half of the book because we start seeing how genuine and caring James actually is. Also, I love how Cassie is the exact opposite of him, if James was our grumpy male lead then we have our sunshine heroine. I love how strong she was and how she remained positive all throughout her pregnancy journey.

And I just love seeing James and Cassie together and their journey in finding themselves and learning how to open up and welcome a new person in their life. I love seeing their journey in starting to trust and love each other. It was bit insta love, but I didn't mind it since I think they had a really great friendship before starting a relationship.

This was a really great light yet emotional and entertaining romcom read. It would be perfect for everyone looking for a relaxing read over the weekend or after a stressful day!

This was such a a cute and heartwarming story. One of my favorite things about it is that it tells the story of Cassie who is a successful, independent woman in her 30s trying to have a baby on her own using IVF. She meets James when they swap houses to live in a different city for a few months. I kind of loved that there wasn't even flirty banter at first between these two. I feel like in a lot of friends to lovers stories, the couple instantly has witty banter back and forth, but the relationship between Cassie and James was very realistic and gradual.I loved that it was told in alternating POVs and really enjoyed watching them fall in love with eachother.

The only thing that I didn't like was that parts of their conversations and interactions seemed formal and forced. They sometimes acted like they were merely acquaintances rather than in love.

This is a good one if you're looking for an easy, lighthearted, non-steamy romance! Overall, I really enjoyed this one!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this book.

I loved the idea of this book, and the cover certainly drew me in! James and Cassie are complete strangers. Through various reasons of their own, each of them decides that they need a break from where they are living now and find each other on a house swapping website. James lives in a swanky London apartment and only seems to care about his work and money. He’s moody, unapproachable and definitely prefers his own company! Cassie lives on the other side of the world in Maine, USA and is a completely different person to James. She’s fun and vibrant, likes to please and is the kind of person you’d love to be friends with. Despite James being like he is, I loved both characters equally however as you could see that there were things going on in their lives which they weren’t quite ready to share with you!

I love books which take you on a journey, particularly in the current climate, and we certainly got the best of both worlds in this book. We had the familiar sights and life of London, with plenty of London cafés and restaurants to get my tastebuds going. We are also treated to an unfamiliar island in Maine with its beautiful scenery and alpacas and chickens in the garden! (There is also lots of food and baking in Maine which got my tastebuds going as well!!) The characters are likeable, even though James is a bit of an idiot, and I liked the storyline switching between both James and Cassie throughout. The storyline is similar to other books in its genre, but with the added 3,000 odd miles between its leading characters! Of course, it’s a love story, so I had an idea where the story was heading, but I quite liked the ‘will they-won’t they’ part of the story, finding it gave it an endearing quality!

As the book moves along you get to find out what secrets they are holding from their past, and it’s definitely a story of new beginnings, acceptance and forgiveness. There were some great supporting characters, all giving their own little part to the story and I loved the friendship between Cassie, Dina and Laura. This is a great feel-good read, which made me laugh and cry in equal measures and I would certainly recommend it!!

3 More Than A Swap Stars
* * * Spoiler Free-A Quick Review
Today there is an answer for everything...they are called Apps. Yes, you want a romance, click on the app. You want to just hook up, no emotions, yup, there is an app for that too. So when you have a writer who needs more backstory and understanding about London, there is an app for her to swap her beloved, "unique", Maine home.

Lucky for Cassie, James needs to get away from his London apartment due to a casual dating partner didn't realize it was supposed to be casual and becomes a stalker when James ends it.

Arrangements are made, James comes to Maine, isn't the most lovely to Cassie, Ms. Friendly/Nice, and off she goes to live in James' home. When she gets there she is shocked to see how unwelcoming it is, no sheets, towels, or food. Again, what a lovely reflection of the man.

What happens is this continuing texting and calls about what is needed for them to live in each's home. This communication reflects more about them and over time, a sort of relationship develops.
The plus of this story is that they are not 20, they are grown people who still are able to see their needs to adapt and maybe change. There is no insta-anything, more a rolling, developing of feelings. Nice.

The House Swap takes two characters who each need a break from their own routines. They find each other on a house swapping website and they decide to switch houses for the next six months. Like the synopsis says, it has similar vibes to the movie, The Holiday. Instead of being like the movie where each character finds their love interest in their new “homes,” this story has the two main characters get to know each other, while still interacting with those around them.

Cassie is a 37-year-old children’s book writer, which has been turned into a TV series. Currently, she resides on Hawk Egg Island in Maine after moving there from Glasgow, Scotland. She is working on creating more books for the series, but has a case of writer’s block. Her agent suggests a trip to London for both book research and a change of scenery. She is reluctant at first as she is comfortable with her life on the island with her alpacas, chickens, and her found family of characters that all reside there. I love all the people on the island as they are supportive and delightful in general. Eventually, her friends convince her to do a house swap and the top choice is James, a 35-year-old consultant from London.

One of Cassie’s main journeys in the novel is that she is desperate to become a mother, even if it means having a baby alone. She suffered a miscarriage during her previous relationship, which worked out for the best due to the romance not working out. As Cassie’s desire to become a mom is a huge part of the novel, I wish that a little more was explained about the medical possibilities for why she suffered the miscarriage. I realize that in the majority of cases it is impossible to give a central reason, but it would be nice to know if this was her first one, did the doctor suspect it is due to her age, is there a possible underlying medical condition, etc. Those are typically the most common reasons, but in no way is an exhaustive list. I think it would have given more background to Cassie’s journey as she is now determined to complete IVF – one side point is that it makes me seriously wonder how rich Cassie is as IVF is well over ten thousand dollars every time (can go extremely higher than this for costs) and she is willing to try multiple times. Again, as this is a central plot, it would be nice to have more depth given to her journey. The pieces that we do see at the beginning are raw and emotional, but I just wanted more.

The other main plot is, of course, the relationship between Cassie and James. The two of them start off as mere acquaintances linked only by their house swap. They are complete opposites as James prefers to interact with his group and is not very outgoing. He likes his job for the security and finances, but his love for it is never there. Due to a lot of trauma from his past, he is closed off from the idea from serious relationships and he does not wish to have children. Over time, the two of them get to know each other through texts, phone calls, and in-person interactions where you can see them naturally opening up more to the other. They each find the other initially attractive, but it is not insta-lust or love. Instead, their relationship is a slow-burn even to get to official friendship levels, which is a nice refreshing take on this type of story and also fit the plot really well, given that the two of them live in opposite countries and start off as complete strangers.

Overall, this story has many elements to make it a fantastic story. It lost me a little as there were tons of side stories that either ended up being dropped or not given the time they deserved. Some of the main ones that come to mind are James and his ex-girlfriend, Emily, the workers that were made redundant during James’s last consulting project and each character’s relationships with their own families. They are excellent ideas for storylines, but with a ton of focus on the house swap itself and the accompanying emotional journeys for each character, the growing bond between the two main characters, and Cassie’s journey to potential motherhood, the novel just did not have the time to fully wrap everything up. This was an enjoyable read with a delightful premise. It was not perfect, but it was very enjoyable and I would be curious to read more from this author!

**I want to give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Bookouture, for a review copy of this enjoyable novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

In Jo Lovett’s The House Swap James and Cassie both need to get away from their lives; James needs to get away from his crazy ex Emily and Cassie needs a new location to write. After swapping houses, they initially do not get along. They are just too different. Both James and Cassie are in search of something in their lives and both are dealing with events from their past; the problem is that they have no idea what they really need or want. A light-hearted, fun read, The House Swap shows the power of taking a chance by opening up to others and learning to really live again.

The House Swap by Jo Lovett

Rating: 3.5/5

Warnings: Miscarriage, IVF

Read this book if you liked: The Switch by Beth O’Leary

Summary: Cassie, living in Maine needs to go to London to research for her new book. James, living in London needs to get away after his awful breakup with his ex. Cassie and James find each other on a house swap website and decide it’s meant to be. In the beginning there is a lot of tension between the two, but when it comes time for them to swap back their houses, they realize that there is more to their relationship than they once thought. Will they swap back and not see each other anymore or will they stay in each other’s lives to see where things go?

Things I liked: The evolution of Jame’s personality, the unique idea of swapping homes!

Things I didn’t like: how much Cassie spoke about her IVF journey and wasn’t really open to finding a partner to have a child with.

Overall, I did enjoy this book and how everything turned out. However, I do feel there could have been more substance within the book to emphasize the evolution of each character. This book had many unexpected turns, but also many touchy subjects like losing a child, IVF, etc. I’d definitely recommend his book if you enjoyed ‘The Switch.’

Happy Reading!

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I really enjoyed this book, you connect with he character immediately and everyone is so likeable, it’s well written between the two main characters and it’s a style of writing I am really enjoying and I really couldn’t put it down
Give yourselves a treat and enjoy.

I only got part way through this book. I had a hard time connecting with the characters - I don't know if it was because I didn't like them or what. But it made it really hard. I eventually gave up.

James, at his girlfriends 30th birthday party her mother puts him on the spot expecting him to propose after a mere 9 months of dating, to then have his girlfriend now stalking him, giving his personal contact info out on social media decides to move a way for a time. His Friends suggest his try's a SwapBnB.

Cassie, needs to move temporarily due to a book deal, someone suggests the same, swapBnB. And so the story begins....

From a testing start, James is quite clear how he'd like the swap to go, Cassie's not quite so prepared initially. At the start they meet briefly, who appear to be very different characters, what each wants in life is quite the opposite. On doing the house swap and communications from here, this eventually shows a different way of life and a touching friendship blooms.

Told alternately from James and Cassies perspective, a great lighthearted read with touches on personal sadness too. I've not read any by this author before, but look forward to reading more. Overall a great should read.

This was a very easy read and the concept of the book intrigued me. However, it didn’t really hold my attention. I’m normally big into romances but I just didn’t connect or enjoy the characters very much. I would recommend this book but it wasn’t for me.

I loved this book from the very start. For fans of The film, The Holiday and of The Flatshare it said, and boy was that correct. I loved it. It’s a perfect feel good read.
Brilliant engaging characters and perfect backdrops on Maine and London, this had everything- laughs, romance and definitely some emotional bits. I loved meeting Anthony and Juliette in London and the friendly neighbours in Maine sounded a hoot. Just the pickmeup kind of book I was looking for.