**I will add the link to my full review on Ideally Inspired Reviews as soon as it goes live!**


Ok, the premise of “The House Swap” by Jo Lovett is darling!! Think, my favorite movie, “The Holiday”, but the love interests don’t meet in their vacation locales. They are the ones doing the swapping! It would make a great movie, so someone should really get on that, just sayin’.



I will start by saying: if steam is your thing, this isn’t your book. Don’t get me wrong, there is tension and love galore, but there is a lack of actual description. wink*wink* However, this a perfect PG level romance book and I am here for it! Need a recommendation for your mother-in-law who asked out of the blue or your boss who is all-of-a-sudden super interested in your love of reading and wants a rec? This is it!

Now, if you are a steamy romance kind of reader, don’t count “The House Swap” out just yet! The storyline and writing style are great and, bonus, you get to learn some fun British lingo along the way! I might’ve spent a few years of my childhood in England, but it was fun learning some new terms/slang that I was unfamiliar with since it has been over 20 years since I was there.

…and, yes, the characters did speak with accents in my mind the Entire. Time. Hahahaha



My only major complaint is that I wish it was longer…or the beginning “swap” portion was shorter. Eh, scratch that! The build up and relationship development in the beginning of this book is totally worth it and just golden. So, yeah, we want a longer book, please!! The build was so good that I’d love to see just as much time and detail spent on the actual “being together” part.

Do yourself a favor and add “The House Swap” by Jo Lovett to your reading list and add it to your short list of recommendations for all readers!




**I will add the link to my full review on Ideally Inspired Reviews as soon as it goes live!

I loved this book! It was fun and funny and mostly believable. I liked the different perspectives of the characters, and how they discovered some things they might not have had they stayed in their own spots. I liked their personal growth. Super fun!

Sweet and escapist - a perfect pandemic read. A recommended purchase for collections where contemporary romance and light WF are popular

It was a perfectly cute and nice book. I really enjoyed it and it was a quick and perfect read for when i needed a little bit of escapist reading after a really hard book. However the premise is a little bit, been there done that. Not only is the uk to US house swap been expertly done already in one of my favorite movies, The Holiday, There was also quite a good book last year as well with the same premise, The Switch, which i reviewed here. If you take that concept away, its a nice romance, yet i wish we got to grow in their relationship with them. I feel like it was a bit rushed, like we were not ok and then thy were falling in love through text, but we hadn't had access to those. On the other side i really enjoyed both characters so it was easy to root for them

Cassie is a former lawyer turned writer who decided to leave her hometown, Glasgow, after a series of traumatizing events took place. Just as she gets her first book deal, she decides on acquiring a house and a plot of land in a private isle just outside of Boston (US), where she befriends Laura, an 80-year--old lady just lovely in her ways but with some sassy for the right times, and Dina, a 40-some mother, who gets a lot of fun by having one-night stands with handsome guys. After getting prompted by her agent, Cassie accepts to move back to the UK for a while, for researching purposes, and resolves to go for a home swap, an AirBNB-kind-of-service, where instead of renting a place, you swap houses with other people.

It's through SwapBNB that she meets James, a somewhat recluse economist, in his 30s, that is looking for some time away from his life in London, that just happens to be turned upside down because of some uncomfortable events. Beyond just trying to get some fresh air, he is set on looking for business opportunities while living abroad. At first, James is a very close-mouthed guy, who doesn't seem keen on getting to know other people and even less so be friendly to anyone other than his old friends.

For about half of the story, the characters are so much unlike each other that you just can't see how the romance part is going to turn out to be. Even though I was very interested in knowing how things would unfurl, up until Chapter 20, the story seems just impossible to develop into some love theme or anything close to that. I had to put down the book for a few days and rest a little, and somehow that worked and then the rest of the story just flowed kinda easier.

I had a really hard time feeling connected to James, and event sympathising with the indications that his past was filled with some terrible situation that made him become so sealed up. On the other hand, Cassie, Laura and Dina just became my favourite group of best friends. Cassie is just an amazing woman, so strong for enduring a lot of hard knocks and still living her life to the fullest. Laura is simply the best lady you could ask for as a neighbour, the kind that will always have some comfort food for times of distress and be there whenever you need her. And Dina is a really funny and lively woman, with a lot of saucy comments but also so much love and attention to give to friends (and also to her numerous lovers).

Although some parts felt just too fast-forward, the story is great for when you're looking for ways of distracting yourself with something that is funny, love-filled and comforting.

The House Swap was a lovely, sweet romance that I could certainly see as a film one day. The House Swap features Cassie and James, who for different reasons sign up to a house swap website to get away from it all. Cassie heads to James' swanky London apartment, while James finds himself in Cassie's quaint Maine home. Neither get exactly what they bargained for.
Initially thinking this would have The Holiday vibes, I was curious as to how the romance would work if the hero & heroine weren't in the same country. I was pleasantly surprised that it actually worked really well. It's obviously quite a slow-burn romance (it would have to be, with them on different continents!), but there was plenty of opportunites for banter, flirting and meaningful conversations.. Once they did break into actual romance, thinks moved rather quickly although I was quite surprised to discover this was a clean/closed-door romance. It's been a while since I read one of those, and I was genuinely confused for a while as to whether the couple had actually gone all the way!
I am a little on the fence with the final "conflict" in the story, which is why I gave this 4 stars instead of 5. It was ultimately satisfying but possibly a little predictable and I couldn't decide if I enjoyed it as a plot or not. Ultimately though, this was an enjoyable read, perfect for a cosy afternoon curled up with a good book.

I'm surprised by the overwhelmingly positive reviews for The House Swap. While I loved the premise of this book, it wasn't my favourite - disappointing, because it just sounds so darling and fun.

First things first, assuming you've read the blurb and are just hear for the dirt, I'm going to dive right in. The "hero" is a douche. A few chapters go by and we find out his entire job is buying distressed companies and making hoards of people redundant. A man comes to his flat and begs him to reconsider, since he's worked for this company for twenty-eight years and in three months, he'll have access to the pension he's been paying into for all that time. If he's made redundant now, he can't ever access that money. Our hero James - the guy we're supposed to root for - pauses in the foyer of his multi-million-dollar apartment and basically says "that's too bad but that's also life! I have to go! Please never bother me again with the fact that I just torpedoed your entire retirement!"

It's awful. This is mentioned once and basically never again. James is also callous about pretty much everything. When he swaps homes with Cassie because of his psychotic ex-girlfriend (and REALLY he NEVER caught a glimpse of her behaviour before? This was hugely far-fetched), she leaves him lots of helpful notes, puts new sheets on the bed and food in the freezer and even waits around so she can give him a tour. He's enormously rude to her, shocked that she would go to so much trouble (he stripped his own flat down to the basics and leaves her to buy everything she needs) and by and large, he's irritated by everyone he meets. How does this dude have friends?

Again, a douche.

Throughout the story, the plot is revealed solely through dialogue, which left me unmoored at times. Cassie is supposed to be an author of a successful book series, but she never writes, researches or spends any time on WHAT BROUGHT HER TO LONDON IN THE FIRST FUCKING PLACE. James doesn't seem to do much of anything besides complain about his surroundings. He plays around with the idea of destroying a wildlife habitat in order to put up a hotel for millenials who hate nature, but his dreams of ruining the landscape that Cassie loves are quashed.

There's also a large plot around Cassie's supposed infertility and her quest to undergo IVF. I admit her longing for a baby was alien to me (she never seemed to want an actual child, if that makes sense, just a squishy baby to cuddle - which, I get it, but that kid is going to grow up my dear) and I didn't find that it entirely fit with the plot, even though I can see how the author thought it would, since James is determined to be child-free.

Onto the "love story". Cassie and James apparently fall in love, though they sure didn't in my copy of the book. This is largely due to the time jumps. All of a sudden, a month has passed and Cassie and James have apparently been "talking every day"!! Well that's lovely! Would have been nice, as a reader, to be privy to that! It just felt lazy to me. We need to be shown the love, not just told about it. Not to mention, the dialogue between them doesn't sound like the way human beings talk. It's as if they're aliens trying out English for the first time.

The drama between them seems manufactured at best. [James' horrible childhood and his guilt complex feel like very tidy reasons for avoiding all intimacy but weirdly, he's totally like "I LOVE YOU" to Cassie while barely knowing her (which leads me to think he's best at surface relationships) but the fact that he doesn't want children is a dealbreaker for her. Really? I suppose I'd never give up my husband for the chance of a baby so this was weird for me, but she's clearly miserable, so. Not to mention, the miracle multiple pregnancies...!!! Like wtf. No. So unbelievable and icky. (hide spoiler)]

I wanted to like this very much, because the premise seemed so escapist and lovely, but the abundance of dialogue, time jumps, asshole hero who makes people redundant for a living and everything happening behind the scenes (please show me the characters falling in love!!!) make this a two-star read for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows Cassie, an author living on a remote island off the coast of Maine, and James, a man working in finance living in the heart of London. The two both, for their own reasons, are looking to relocate for a few months. They end up swapping homes for the summer. What follows is a funny story about 2 completely different people finding love.

I enjoyed this book. Cassie was relatable and such a badass. James started out seeming very rude, but the island life opens him up. I was especially enjoying Cassie's journey of wanting to have a baby, partner or no partner. This book was fun to read and the romance was cute. I wouldn't say this is a new favorite. It's a pretty standard romance novel. It definitely isn't changing the genre, but it is worth the read if you need a light, fun read this summer.

TW: miscarriage, stalking, cheating

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to @bookouture and @netgalley for the ARC of The House Swap, releasing on 4/19.

Trigger warnings: alcoholism, death of a sibling, infertility / miscarriage

Cassie is a 37 year old children’s book author living in relative anonymity on a remote island in Maine. James is a successful partner for a financial firm based in London, who recently and very publicly broke up with his girlfriend (who is displaying some stalking tendencies). For various reasons, Cassie and James agree to swap homes for several months - and in some ways, swap lives.

James, who is a very private person, is thrust into a small-town existence, eventually succumbing to quaint traditions like weekly poker nights at his 80 year old neighbor’s house. Cassie brings her friendly demeanor to London, where she immediately takes advantage of the city life (including meal delivery services!) and befriends all of James neighbors.

Over the course of the story, they both begin to open themselves up to new experiences - and form a friendship through phone calls to check in. Along the way, they both fight some of their own personal demons, coming out the other side stronger and more resilient than before.

This book is a lovely take on what could happen if you switch lives for a few months. I’d recommend to anyone who enjoys the escapism of that type of premise.

Things I loved:
💕 the small town island life - I could picture the alpacas and beautiful beaches
💕 the way that Cassie and James progressed from enemies to friends to something more
💕 the personal growth that each character went through before getting to their HEA

3.5/5 - Cassie needs to travel to London to research a series of books, James needs to get away from London after a break up with a girlfriend. Enter the house swap where Cassie moves to his swanky apartment in London and he moves to her kitschy home on an island in the USA. Cassie and James couldn't be more different and they find themselves getting involved in each other's lives and learning more about themselves than they though possible.

This was a heartbreaking read for me with many trigger warnings including addiction (familial), miscarriage, IVF, fertility, cheating, death of family members, estranged family, and probably more that I am missing. It took me about 30% of the book to get into it, but after that I became fully invested in the characters.

The book is touted as a romance, but it is not only romance, but rather about each person learning about themselves and how to come to terms with their past histories. It was a little strange to me that James' turnaround (from a grumpy guy, to a caring guy) was a little quick and unexplained, but It was nice to see him living on the island. I loved that as he got to know Cassie (through texting and chatting) you really got to see him explore his relationship with his sister and deal with grief and loss.

A lot of this story is built on two people living in two different places, learning about each other through texting and phone calls. You can definitely see that there is chemistry there, but because of both of their histories they struggle with acting on the romance. When they both return to their respective homes, they still keep in contact and connect in a night of romance. When something unexpected happens, they have to decide whether they are going to proceed with the relationship. I struggled somewhat with this part, just because James was so uncommunicative, and it was hard to see how Cassie, in some ways, just accepted it.

Overall this was a good book, with an interesting premise. It had a wonderful ending and I will definitely pick up Jo Lovett's books in the future. I received a copy of this from NetGalley and the publisher for an open and honest review. All opinions are 100% mine.

I was initially drawn to this book because the synopsis sounded like a rendition of the classic Christmas film The Holiday. . At times the characters actions and intentions were a bit questionable and at times the progression of time wasn't shown in a way that was abundantly clear but either way, the time spent with James and Cassie was fun. Personally, I preferred James's story line as I felt that this was much more fleshed out and it was easier to see his character thaw out and become someone more likable than in the beginning of the book, whereas Cassie just gets everything she wants by the end of the book instead of learning anything. With a delightful mix of unlikeable characters, likeable characters, character development and romantic fluff, this was a great sunny day.

Cassie has a beautiful house off the coast of Maine, on an island that's got the perfect small town vibe, complete with lovable, loyal, and eccentric friends. As much as she loves it there, she's the author of an acclaimed series of children's books, and she needs to be in London to research her next books. James is a wealthy financial executive who needs to escape from an overly aggressive former girlfriend. Through a website, they swap houses, and in some way, end up swapping lives. This is a feel good, sweet romance with wonderful characters and beautiful London and Maine settings.

I loved the two different settings of this book! It made me want to visit the island for sure! The neighbor characters added to the enjoyment of the story. I recommend reading this book to wind down after a long week of work.

The Premise:

Cassie (a writer, lives on a utopic secluded island) and James (banker types, lives in a swanky apartment in the middle of London). They swap houses, inadvertently get involved in each other's lives, opposing personalities clash... but an unlikely bond forms.

My Thoughts:

This was a light read, with reasonable characters and an interesting set-up. I really enjoyed the premise and the characters. The story was engaging, as were the protagonists and the other characters. There are some definite flaws, that prevent it from being a rom-com hall of Famer, but there is enough promise.


Here are some itemized thoughts:

Pros:
1) Refreshing premise, making it nice and distinct from the other typical rom-coms we are usually inundated with.
2) Interesting, well-formed characters with their own distinctive personality.
3) This is a personal one: I liked that for once the enemies to lovers trope didn't have the guy pining for the girl since the get-go and in the end there is a declaration of how he has always loved her but resorted to childish, petulant antics, leading to more misunderstandings. I mean I enjoy those when done well (re: the spanish love deception by elena armas), but not so much when it's used as a cop-out.
4) The characters being in their mid-thirties added a welcome experienced texture.
5) I liked the secluded island setting.

Cons:
1) The first half sags a little at points, while the setup is interesting, you have to push through at points.
2) It is a 2 POV book (Cassie and James), but it's not told in a first POV style, which made reading parts of it a little clunky. Was not as smooth as I would have liked it to be for me to really get into the character's frame of mind.
3) 2nd half rushes a little to wrap things up.
4) Basically points 1 and 3 lead to: a lot of setup (albeit some really interesting things), but a rushed ending.
5) I wasn't a huge fan of the expository nature of the development of the main relationship, like for example, at several points we are told instead of shown, how their relationship progresses: eg: we speak daily now. I don't think their relationship is completely out of left-field, I do see the seeds in the first half. The gratification is a little rushed. I would have enjoyed a longer book making the characters feel more lived-in, us following their journey a little more closely, more interactions that showed us their connection rather than us simply reading they have one.
6) Personally, I don't mind, but it can be a trigger for a lot of people. IVF and Miscarriage triggers.

The verdict:

Rom-com lovers, give it a go, push through some of the slower parts, It's not a life-changing book, but a sweet, and light book. However, it may leave you longing for a better pay-off. I do think the writing can be polished more, but I am excited to read more from the author.

I recieved an ARC from Netgalley and the Publisher: Thank you!

It's a typical birthday party. Music, champagne, over-dressed adults, confetti and an expected proposal that never comes. For James, who was expected to propose to his casual girlfriend of a few months, the need to escape London for a while is necessary. For Cassie, who lives on a tiny island in Maine, a trip to London is necessary in order to write her next book. James has a flat in London, Cassie has a house in Maine - the opportunity is perfect. Or maybe not so perfect. From lengthy lists to grumpy phone calls, James and Cassie begin an unexpected relationship that spans continents in this heart-warming, meet-cute that almost isn't. An endearing read that also manages to touch on weightier subjects with a deft hand, Jo Lovett's The House Swap is worth a read.

A quick, simple and nice read. Ideal for disconnecting the brain from reality for a while.
Extremely well written, very funny with hilarious dialogue, but with very touching moments too. The story is a bit predictable, but in a good way, the way that makes you feel all cosy inside. The characters are well defined, including the secondary ones (Laura is a great example!)
Overall a recommended reading to spend a few hours of pure escapism.
And with a gorgeous cover as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

#TheHouseSwap #netgalley Bookouture

If you liked Beth O’Leary’s The Flatshare and The Switch, be prepared to fall in love with Cassie and James in The House Swap!

Cassie is a writer coping with a bad break-up and miscarriage by moving away from Glasgow to a small island off the US east coast. Her neighbors are friendly and quirky and all share a love of blueberry cakes that I fully appreciate!

James is a closed off investor living the single life in central London. His troubled upbringing has left him emotionally cut off from those around him. I absolutely loved watching him heal throughout this story.

A book deal and a stalking ex drive Cass and James to enlist on a House Swap website very much like AirBnB.

This is a brief synopsis of the set up, but in no way fully reflects the turn that this book takes. I would give fair warning for triggers in this books such as miscarriage, stalking, fertility struggles, IVF failure, and unplanned pregnancy.

For a story so centered around pregnancy, there was not much to warn me about this going in which seems somewhat incentive given what Cassie goes through.

I think this book will be right up some people’s alley, but unfortunately I was not one them. I struggled to get into this book, only really being invested near the 50% mark when the House Swap finishes up and we can have James and Cass on the same page in the same location.

This is very much a story about personal growth, not so much a romance. I am definitely a sucker for romance though, and this was a closed door book with some emotionally damaged characters.

I love the cover, but I do not think it is a very accurate representation of the story ( Cassie’s mother is from Jordan and she herself is described to have dark skin and very big, curly hair yet the woman on the cover is white and thin with straight hair). I think the mark was missed a bit here and that the cover suffers from whitewashing. If our leading lady is a POC, shouldn’t that be reflected?

Overall, a solid book that will definitely be someone’s new favorite read! I would be interested in reading more from this author in the future.

This book was so hard for me to get into. Honestly rather boring at times, and very repetitive. I had to put it down and read something else because I didn’t find it enjoyable. I had wanted to love it, but it wasn’t for me.

So I don’t ever really know what to expect with NetGalley reads, but this one took me by surprise. It did take me a couple chapters till I got invested, but once I did I was here for it.

It’s been a while since I have read dual narration and I always forget how much I love it. You get to see so much more of both characters. I had reasons I liked and disliked both of them. Which makes for good writing.

At first I worried this would be another basic enemies to lovers (which is fine, but all I read nowadays) but once you really get into it is about a lot more than that.

It wasn’t a simple romance. It had a lot more of a story, especially with Cassie’s POV. ♥️

Like I said, I at first wasn’t sure, but it turned into a 5🌟 read!

This ARC came at the perfect time. I was in a reading slump and these kinds of books are the ones that usually get me out of it.

I read the book in one sitting, it was a quick, cute read. The reasons I gave the book 2.5 stars:

- I never connected with the characters. There was a lot of telling, and very little feeling or showing.

- The drastic change in James' personality.

- The ending was very predictable.

Overall, The House Swap was enjoyable!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.