This book had me on a rollercoaster – particularly with the initial chapters. We start the book out in Lexi’s perspective and immediately she is unbearably snobbish and frankly, tacky. Every other sentence is describing designer this and money that and it was genuinely exhausting to read her perspective. When I first picked up this book, I was wondering if I’d locked myself into reading yet another poorly written romance with no substance. And I’m so glad to report that I was wrong in that early assumption.

The first chapter in the book is strangely written and hard to read, it felt almost like Duvall was struggling to find Lexi’s voice in those first few pages. The writing was a bit muddled, the character interactions felt bizarre and unnatural, Lexi’s rationale for her actions was hard to follow. But when you get past that initial chapter, you are rewarded a dozen times over with interesting characters, smooth-flowing dialogue, and a healthy dose of grumpy-sunshine romance.

As I continued reading this book, I went from feeling passive disinterest in the book and its characters, to keeping rapt attention on every page. It got to the point where I didn’t want to put the book down because it was such a delight to read.

What I appreciate most about this book is that Duvall doesn’t try too hard to force interactions with her characters that make you like them. Evan isn’t some doting, puppy-dog-eyed father to his niece, but he loves her deeply and it shows. Duvall doesn’t force the classic “he’s good with kids so he must be a catch” narrative. He has a personality and loveable qualities outside of caring about his niece, which is refreshing to read in the romance genre.

Lexi’s character also grows on you quickly, without the need for a tragic backstory that forces you to care about her if only because of the things she’s been through. Duvall does an excellent job at developing the characters and providing them with more depth as the story goes on. She has created characters that are imperfect in all the ways that real people are, and it was such a pleasure to read.

The teasing and the banter and the overall playfulness of the dialogue is such fun to read and this book is exactly what I needed for my summer reading list.

Is the premise of the story unrealistic? Yes. Were some of the character interactions unrealistic or bizarrely dramatic? Also, yes. But that’s the point. Not only does the book give you loveable characters, but you also get a fun plot that doesn’t try too hard to ground itself in reality. This book is the perfect escape, and if you’re capable of suspending your disbelief and don’t need plots to be firmly set in reality, then I absolutely recommend this book.

Trading Places was a charming and pleasurable read from start (mostly) to finish. I genuinely look forward to picking up more books by Emily Duvall, if only to dive back into the joy of reading something light and playful again.

2.5 stars. I really thought I would enjoy this romance more by reading the premise but I just didn't really like Lexi that much. I know she needs to be unlikeable in the begining in order for us to see her grow and mature near the end (which we do see), but the author somehow made her so unlikeable at the start that it kind of stuck with me.
Another thing that was a small bother was both the pacing which was way to quick for me (which is maybe why I didn't really understand Lexi suddenly becoming a decent person) and some of the writing seemed very premature.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for giving me an arc in exchange for an honest review!