What a fun concept to build a romance off of a house swap. I loved the two very distinct places/lives that were the set up for this story. However, I could not connect to any of these characters! I think Cassie was supposed to be likeable and James kind of standoffish? But they both kind of irked me and there were so many cringe moments. I found myself more invested in the characters growing as people and learning from their swap than the romance side. Once the swap was done, I struggled to keep reading because the romance felt a bit strange and forced. On the bright side, the ending was good and when I pushed past the cringey, I felt it fit with the growth of the characters that I liked earlier in the story.

If you enjoyed The Flatshare, The Switch, or the movie The Holiday, stop everything and add this to your tbr pile immediately! The premise is not only similar, but the characters are also quirky, endearing, lovable, and complex. My favorite aspect of this read was how both James and Cassie have very real fears, trauma, and anxieties which make you root for them so much more. Also, because the POV switches between them you gain so much more insight into their mindsets…so even though it takes them forever to realize their feelings it makes sense.

Again as much as this is a book centered around a romance, I found it to be equally centered on each protagonist’s personal growth as they leave their comfort zones in the new environments they find themselves in. I have somewhat mixed feelings about the ending as I don’t necessarily think it best illustrated how much these characters had evolved, but it was still a sweet and worthwhile read. This is definitely one to pick up if you are dreaming of a London or Maine vacation and just need a light and happy read that is still grounded in the reality and struggles of life.

I really enjoyed this book. The romance was a lovely thing to read and it was nice to see real life things happening to characters. I hope to read more by this author soon.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I saw the synopsis of this book and had to read it once I realized it sounded like The Holiday. This book gave me the same lighthearted feels that the movie does. Despite being overall lighthearted, still TW for those dealing with miscarriages, infertility, and drug addiction. These topics have impacted the two main characters in a serious manner and they are dealing with the implications in their lives.

Cassie is a writer who needs to get back to London to make the setting of her next novels come alive. James is trying to escape London to avoid an ex who won't leave him alone and the craziness of London for a little while. Lucky for them, with the help of a website they decide to swap houses for a few months. With the swap comes healing for Cassie and growth for James. Cassie starts healing from past trauma, meets new friends in London, and decides to pursue IVF with a sperm donor. While anti-social James finds himself surrounded by very caring, but very intrusive neighbors on the small island he now is temporarily residing on. What is at first mutual annoyance, Cassie and James find themselves talking to each other on the phone about details of their swap, and eventually more. However, will the distance and difference in lifestyles make it possible for their attraction to turn into something more?

I really loved the settings in this book and the main characters Cassie and James. My only issue ws that this book felt long. Most of the time I find lighthearted romance novels easy to fly through, but it took me over two weeks to actually get through the whole book. I'm not sure if that's because of the pacing or just a very long plot development section in the middle that made it hard to get through.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

Thirty-somethings Cassie and James are both on a home swap website, for James, he wants a place to go after a relationship hasn’t worked and Cassie, needs a different place for a book research that she’s writing.

So they swap, now James is in Cassie’s ramshackle beachside cottage, and the London apartment of James is now Cassie’s residence.

But what James didn’t expect was that he’d be sharing his home with animals - eleven chickens and three alpacas, and neighbours who find any excuse they can think of to drop by. On the other hand Cassie is also not impressed when James’s ex-girlfriend turns up at his door, wanting to know where he is.

As the talk, it’s not just insults that fly but so do sparks. When the time comes for them to go back to their respective homes, they find that they aren’t quite ready to let each other go.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Cute beach read that has the ever popular enemies to lovers trope. Cassie & James decide to swap houses and find that they are total opposites in just about every way. Although an ocean divides them, these two find their lives becoming intertwined and discover common ground that draws them closer together.

The first half of the book really deals with the swap and how these two settle into their new surroundings. They make life changes, do some soul searching and conquer some fears along the way. Although entertaining, it was a bit slow. The second half picks up speed and stirs up some emotion and excitement. I feel that the pace could have been better instead of saving all the good stuff for the second half. The transitions in the chapters were also very choppy and disruptive to the flow. You would be caught up in the moment of a particular day, and then it would skip onto something else without warning or connective descriptions to guide you there.

Overall, it is a sweet read with likable characters and it would definitely make a cute movie (like an updated "The Holiday").

Trigger warning: Miscarriage, IVF.

Rating edit: 4.5 stars.

Just finished 'The House Swap
by' Jo Lovett
Such a delightful, heartwarming love story! :)

This is my second book by the author. I really liked The First Time We Met, so I was really eager to read The House Swap.

'Demon slaying works…'

It's actually about slaying your demons.

It started a bit slow, too descriptive but it picked up after two chapters and how! Very engaging writing style. I loved the setting, especially the Island, Cassie's place. And I liked James version (while he was staying at Cassie's place.

Loved James-Cassie chemistry and conversation. Mostly phone calls and messages, as they mostly stay apart. And although their actual meetings and conversation are brief, those moments are so special!

They both have their backstory, and the backstories are meaningful and poignant and totally justify their personality.

Overall, an interesting and engrossing read!

Ekk this book was adorable!! The beginning grabbed me right away and then it kind of lolled with the whole house swap concept. I understand that we needed some context but I just kind of flew through it. I'm so glad I stuck that out because this story is just so good.

James is at the end of his relationship and ends up breaking up with his girlfriend who turns out to be a little psycho. His ex won't leave him alone and so James is desperate to get away for a while to get space from her. Cassie is an author who wants to get a more immersive experience of London so that she can write about it. so naturally they end up swapping houses.

This would be a great book for people who like Sally Thorne or Abby Jimenez.

In The House Swap, Jo Lovett gives us a cute, lighthearted tale of Cassie and James who decide to swap houses for an extended period of time. Each has their own reasons for wanting a change of scenery and so via an AirBnB type app, they agree to swap. Cassie leaves her remote island home and James leaves London. Neither one gets what they expected but end up with exactly what they wanted.

The story is cute, the characters likeable, and there are occasional flashes of humor and comedy. Lovett's writing is fine, if sometimes rushed and uneven; sometimes the narrative would jump ahead in time, or a scene might feel rushed, but the story itself was intact.

I enjoyed the descriptions of both locations very much and I felt like all of the characters were engaging and interesting.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review!

The House Swap, the newest novel from Jo Lovett, is an excellent example of a modern-day love story. All love stories don't follow the same formula, and Cassie and James' story is an interesting one. Quick summary (with minor spoilers):

Cassie and James meet through a house-swapping website (both desperately need a change of scenery). A strong friendship ensues, although both have poor opinions of each other at first. Cassie lives on an island on the East Coast, and she is surrounded by a close, comical bunch of islanders (think Gilmore Girls), and James basically comes from the exact opposite. He lives in a posh flat in London, hates commitment, and has never even met his neighbors. Needless to say, the house-swaps are good for both Cassie and James, and a romantic relationship develops. Then something BIG happens. I'll let you read for yourselves to discover how the experience changes both of their lives.

Here are a few of my thoughts on the story:

1. I really liked how Cassie and James' relationship blossoms. It isn't immediate and all-consuming. It's a slow burn, and I think that works for both of them.

2. The book is a closed-door romance, so no love scenes. Just wanted readers to know that going in.

3. I loved the islanders! Cassie's friends and neighbors on the little island are adorable! They are funny, charming, and sweet, and they eventually win over James' cold heart. I loved every single part of the novel that they were included.

4. I felt, however, that the side stories revolving around each of their families was out of place. To me, they didn't mesh well with the rest of the story that went on around them.

5. Cassie is currently attempting IVF, and her quest to become a mother is so real and raw.

6. James' actions towards the end of the book were just horrible. That is just a personal opinion, of course. Lovett does a great job at writing a 35 year old male--his fears, vulnerabilities, and his bad attitude.

Overall, this was a heart-warming story about two people trying to find love, and I appreciated that they were mature characters (she is 37 and he is 35). If you're looking for a slow burn love story, this is the book for you.

This was an adorable book with the perfect premise. I don't think it can even remotely be a spoiler that these two are going to end up together - I do think we read these kind of books because we know this is how it will end, after all - but I really liked that the two protagonists spent much of the book on two entirely different continents and that there relationship was built on conversation and connection rather than love or lust at first sight. It made such a nice change!

While I did find how far the relationship went through the book pretty unrealistic (once they were together it seemed to all go at a million miles per hour, quite a change from the months just chatting), but it was a sweet book that I flew through in the space of 24 hours.

A very cool premise for a book does swapbnb actually exist because I need to look into that! Cassie and James definitely started out as enemies? And then became hesitant friends and it turned into more. I reallly really didn't like James at the beginning and his attitude would've been hard to get past but I'm glad that they got their happy ending.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing an arc for an honest review.

The House Swap follows both Cassie and James who, as the name suggests, do a house swap with each other. Cassie goes to James' fancy London apartment, while James goes to stay at Cassie's remote island home. James is very distraught by the lack of wi-fi and the expectations that he is supposed to help plan a neighbors 80th birthday party, meanwhile Cassie turns up to the London apartment with zero food, bedding, towels and then James' crazy ex shows up! Needless to say, they are not very pleased with each other. Anyway, as the book continues, they eventually settle into each persons respective lives and soon don't even want to leave!

Personally, this was much more of a 'contemporary' novel than a romance novel to me. James was such a jerk at the beginning and sure he has baggage that kind of explains the way he is, but ultimately he just comes across as an a-hole. Cassie on the other hand, I really liked. She was sweet and caring. She wasn't afraid to put James in his place while still being polite. I also really enjoyed the fact that the characters were in their middle - late 30's and their personal growth was really inspiring.

This was a quick, cute read (despite several grammar and spelling errors), however not much really happens in the book. The first 50% was slow, then all of a sudden, I felt like we rushed to a conclusion.

SPOILER: [I also hated the fact that Cassie got pregnant after one night. If only life were that easy!] It's probably a personal issue, but because of this, I could not rate it very highly. 3/5 stars for me

Two lovely people, two gorgeous locations and two dreamy evenings spent in this wonderful “The Holiday” inspired life-swap romance. I absolutely loved this (would love to hear more from this couple too, it would make a fantastic series)

First of all, I just want to thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I completely loved this book, it made me feel warm and happy inside. Although it took me a minute to get into the story, once I did, I just couldn't stop reading. I adored James and his character development, and fully fell in love with him. Cassie was such a sweetheart and one of my favorite things about her was how she didn't take James' shit in the beginning and stood her ground.

Both of these characters worked so wonderfully together and their scenes brought me extreme amounts of serotonin. I loved how the book addressed heavy topics i.e. fertility issues, addiction, familial problems, and Jo did a wonderful job of weaving everything together. The book, as a whole, is a beautiful read and I cannot wait for it to come out so everyone can read it!

When Jo Lovett's lovely book "The House Swap" begins, James is about to propose to his girlfriend Emily. Or not. A hilarious scene to start and an accurate description of James' character.

Cassie is a Jordanian author from Glasgow living on a remote island in Maine. She is silly, kind to animals and desperately wants a child.

James needs a break from his desperate ex-girlfriend turned stalker and Cassie needs to be in London for 6 months to write a book. Hence begins "The House Swap".

In the beginning, it seems all Cassie and James do is butt heads. While Cassie buys fresh sheets, makes up all the beds, leaves pages of notes and food in the refrigerator; James leaves his London penthouse stark with no notes, linens or food. In the beginning, they speak a lot as James has much to complain about but as time goes on; they swap stories that have nothing to do with the agreement and a friendship forms.

**
There are many beautiful things about this novel, one being James' character development from cold and corporate to have friendships, developing a love for animals and becoming a warmer person. Though a trigger for many, Cassie's infertility journey is authentic and accurately displays the emotions of wanting a child and not easily being able to have one.

The descriptions of beautiful coastal Maine were spot on, if a little optimistic about the weather. Coastal Maine is freezing 10 months out of the year. "The House Swap" is a warm little book that I would recommend to anyone looking for a mini-vacation into the lives of others.

The House Swap is marketed as saying “fans of One Day in December, The Hating Game, and The Flatshare will fall head over heels for The House Swap.” Now, I love all these books so I was instantly drawn in. And The House Swap did not disappoint - I loved it!

The House Swap follows the storyline of Cassie and James who find each other on a house swap website. Swapping houses is the perfect solutions for them both. But apparently it’s tricky switching homes without getting involved in each other’s lives. But what happens when it’s time to swap back houses?

The House Swap has everything I love in a book. Great characters, humour, a slowburn romance (not to mention TERRIFIC chemistry)...and yes, I totally cried. If you love a book with any of these features, I can’t recommend The House Swap enough!

The House Swap will be released April 19th, 2021 - definitely try and get your hands on a copy!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I really want to thank @netgalley and @bookouture for giving me access to the digital ARC! It was my first NetGalley read and I’m so, so happy it was!

*This book does deal with sensitive issues such as domestic abuse, infertility, addiction, and loss of family members*

This book was perfect, heartwarming and so hysterical. I found myself going through all possible emotions whilst reading this! It was also the perfect pace, I’ve never read a book quite like it where there were time jumps that were just placed so perfectly that I never found myself wanting to skip ahead or skim some paragraphs.

One thing I usually struggle with when reading romantic contemporary novels is the how unrealistic I sometimes find them, however Jo Lovett has clearly planned this book out SO well! Everything made perfect sense, the slow burn, kind of enemies-to-lover storyline was just a delight to read.

I could go on for hours about how lovely I found this book, it comes out on April 19th 2021.

Definitely pick this one up! I’ll be reading Jo’s other book ASAP!

I adored this book. It was a sweet and tender read. Cassie, a woman from Glasgow but who happens to live beach side in Maine is a writer who desperately needs an escape, for both professional and personal reasons. James, an English man who prefers the all-work-and-no-play lifestyle with minimal emotional attachments and a stick family history, also needs an escape. The two cross paths on a hose swap site, much like that from the romantic comedy movie "The Holiday". But when after their first brief encounter plus following mishaps, communication, and overall differences, the two realize the only thing they have in common is their need to escape. Over time while house swapped, the two start to form a friendship and realize, although so different, they are able to find solace in their relationship, even while thousands of miles apart. The book is centered so much on the importance of personal growth and allowing those around you to help fuel that growth. Both of the main characters, James and Cassie, were easy to love, as well as all those around them in their respective communities. I enjoyed the book thoroughly, from start to finish.

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

After being in a reading slump for a while, I knew I needed something light to get me out of it. This was exactly that: light, cute, and quick read.

This was nothing life changing, but helped get me out of a slump. I wish I connected with the characters more, but the story was nice overall.