I am 99.99999% a fantasy or romantasy reader.
It's very rare I dip my toe into contemporary romance, but this one intrigued me.

Spoiled, rich Lexi and down-on-his-luck mechanic Evan switch places after a bet proposed by his niece goes viral. Neither one of them is expected to last very long living in the others' world.
Lexi starts off as you would expect, but really grows into herself and learns there is more to herself than just the glitz and glamor. Evan is swept up in the money and loses focus of what truly important to him.
The physical attraction between the two is completely undeniable, but they learn slowly over time that they're the opposites the other need to help balance them out.

I do wish they took a dive deeper into some of the backstories - Evan getting custody of his niece, and Lexi's childhood etc - to give us more depth to the characters. In some places the writing was clunky, but overall it was an enjoyable read.

You can almost guess what the book is about with a title Trading Places. I found myself hooked from the start of this book. The humor and witty banter between Lexi and Evan was wildly entertaining. The pacing in the book is excellent. I didn’t find a full moment. The characters were believable and relatable. I loved the side characters too. You were kept wondering if they would get together and who would end up losing the bet. I would recommend this book for anyone looking for a little spice, humor and romance.
Evan is a poor mechanic living paycheck to paycheck with custody of his sister’s daughter. Lexi is a rich socialite whose last name alone opens many doors for her. One night their cross paths and leaves their lives entwined. CeCe, Evan’s clever niece, goes live with the argument between Evan and Lexi and calls them out on a challenge to trade places for two months. Being live on social media the two feel trapped to do anything but accept. Who will adapt to the other’s lifestyle and who will cave? With a larger wager at stake both are determined to last. What they didn’t know was that this challenge will change them both forever. But will it change then for the better or worse?

This book is fun fun fun! I'm loving the socialite/grumpy mechanic vibe. And what Duvall does well is character ARCS. Whole entire arcs where they are totally transformed. Lexie is not the same person by the end and it works so well in the context of this story.

This was a first time read for me by this author, and after reading this, I would definitely love to read more of her work. It was a fun and quick read with interesting characters. Lexi was a spoiled socialite and due to certain circumstances she swaps places with a handsome mechanic, Evan. Outrageous plot to be sure, but was still a fun read and brought a smile to my face throughout the story.
It was a little hard to like Lexi in the beginning, but I think that was the point, as we see her change and growth of character by the end. Evan on the other hand, being brought into the world of glitz and glamour, sort of loses his focus on the important things. Through it all, they slowly begin to fall for each other and ultimately balance each other out.
A cute and entertaining story, good for a lazy afternoon while enjoying your favorite drink!
Thank you to Entangled Publishing and Netgalley for providing a complimentary copy. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I thought that this book had a lot of potential, and I really enjoyed the first half of it. But reading the second half made me extremely annoyed: both main characters were trying to completely change themselves to be what they thought the other wanted, there was a severe lack of communication, all of the chemistry that had been built up between Lexi and Evan disappeared, they started acting extremely irrationally, and there was not a satisfying resolution to the conflict. That being said, I liked the supporting characters even through the second half, and enjoyed the ending that they were given. Trading Places started out strongly, but floundered and ended up being a disappointing read for me.

This one was cute!
It just wasn't for me.
The miscommunication trope at the end kind of ruined the pacing for me.
But it wasn't a bad book. Just not my favorite trope!

First off, thank you to Entangled Publishing and Emily Duvall for this arc.

Sadly I wasn't able to ginish this completely. But for what I read I really loved the plot and the characters. The overall storyline was so fun to read!

This is such a cute books and the characters felt so real!

I love a switch places , mistaken identity storyline in a book ! TRADING PLACES was sweet, funny, entertaining, and an enjoyable pallette cleanser. The writing was perfect and a joy to encounter,

This was a cute read up until the end. At first, I was really given the same vibes as It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey and I loved that.

The writing was good- that was never an issue. My issue was the miscommunication trope at the end! I hated it so much. It felt unnecessary.

*spoilers ahead*

It wouldn’t have been so bad if the issue was just Evan changing to be more like Lexi and vice versa, but when it added in all the miscommunication and drama started by another character, it was terrible.

*end spoilers*

Overall, not a bad read. If you don’t mind the miscommunication trope, then this would be great for you!

I don’t have too much more to say without a spoiler overload! Up until like 75% of the way through it was a 4 star-ish read, but the miscommunication is what took it down to 3.5 stars for me.

I was not able to finish the book and therefore do not feel that I can give an unbiased review about the book, its plot, characters, or the author's work. I might revisit this book at a later time and finish it then, but not right now.

My expectations for this book were severely lowered when I saw many mixed reviews. I’m glad I lowered them, because this was very much mediocre, at best.

At first I found Lexi just really infuriating. Like, I don’t know if that was the point? Because of her being rich and snobby and bratty, but I didn’t like it. Why is having daddy’s money stereotyped with being a bitch most of the time. HOWEVER, I do think she was redeemed in my eyes and she grew on me throughout the course of the story.
Evan. Asshole Evan. He just never grew on me.
At first, he was this fairly obnoxious guy and it was like okay whatever, he’s annoying and a little much but whatever. THEN he joined the rich person side and became a totally different person, and it just, no? Hated this character.

Random points:
The whole plot with CeCe was uneventful and I really didn’t care for it.
The other characters were okay. I liked the mechanics Evan worked with at Bailey’s. I honestly forgot what relation they are to him, if at all.
The spice was good. Not “holy fuck” hot but still hot.
I just honestly don’t get why Evan turned into this massive douche at the end?
I was really rooting for Lexi this entire book.
There were definitely some cute scenes which made up for the total “the author says this is enemies to lovers but really it’s just two obnoxious opposites attract for some reason”

This was generally okay and the premise was good and executed well enough. But it was the characters that ruined it for me.

In this charming rom-com by Emily Duvall, I was engrossed in the lives of socialite Lexi North and blue-collar mechanic Evan Bailey. When their worlds collide after a car accident, they embark on a two-month life swap, leading to unexpected challenges and undeniable chemistry. While the story brims with cute and humorous moments, some scenes feel exaggerated. Lexi's character transformation from a spoiled heiress to a humble person was compelling, but some scenes disappointed me. Despite this flaw, the book beautifully explores the contrasts between social classes and the transformative power of empathy. It's a light-hearted rom-com with genuine emotional depth, making it enjoyable.

Lexi spoiled heiress, decides to trade places with Evan a hard-working machinist. They decided to agree to disagree in a challenge that would put them in extremely different positions.

They end up being… together? I still don’t know how they bonded over the story because at first, the attraction is purely and only physical. They never exchanged very deep and sincere feelings. But they have this intense and profound relationship as if they could understand each other when they know barely enough from one another. So this is a mystery to me. Kind of disappointed because it could have been more deep and less physical between the two. I think that will be better as “friends with benefits” than a couple…

The mystery behind the parents of Cece was a bit underdeveloped. Because it is shown as something very important, but when you read it. It is not that important. The construction of this book was more around the two trading places, but important information weren’t there or correctly placed.

Also, I couldn’t emphasize with any of them. I wasn’t sympathizing or feeling any empathy. I like the idea because, for me, it sounded like the old Winter movies I used to watch as a child, but in the end, it wasn’t done correctly. So I’m a bit disappointed however, I still enjoyed my reading.

First off, thank you to Entangled Publishing and Emily Duvall for one of my first ARC’s from them!! 💖

Trading Places ended up being such a spunky, funny, occasionally spicy, and surprisingly sweet book! I think the whole premise of this story is such a fun one to tell and the author did such a great job. I wasn’t sure how to feel within the first few chapters because some of the writing seemed a little cheesy. But I stuck it out and I am so happy I did because this book was so entertaining!! 🤩The banter between all the characters, especially Lexi and Evan, was so funny and added a great deal of entertainment.

And Lexi and Evan made it from hate to love by the end of this book. The evolution of each of these characters journey’s is so well-written and I think pretty realistic. I can’t be the only one who cringed at Evan trying to be someone he’s not, right?? 🥴 At the beginning, Lexi definitely got on my nerves as some rich heiress but by the end of the book, I seriously loved her! When Lexi and Evan finally give into their physical and emotional attraction, it’s definitely giving fireworks. I think they bring out the best in each other and Cece is such a cute part of the story 🥹

Overall, I definitely recommend this cute book if you’d love a quick, opposites attract, spicy read with a bunch of great characters 🤌🏻❤️‍🔥

A very fun read. I enjoyed the characters and the plot very much. I was sucked in right from the start. I'm a sucker for any kind of romantic comedy. 3.5 stars rounded up!

I loved reading this - not sure what I was expecting when I started to be honest but the characters were just adorable and real. Definitely excited to read more form this author.

This book was amazing! I loved how a stuck up girl was able to be challenged to switch her life with someone who isn't as fortunate. I loved Cece she sounded like such a cute little girl. I loved all the random twists and how this book kept you engaged the whole time. The spice had just the perfect amount. I loved the ending it was all so perfect. I highly recommend this book. Thank you netgalley, the author and the publisher for allowing me to read this as an arc and for allowing me to share my opinion on what I thought of this book.

Trading Places was such a fun ride! I am a big lover of over-the-top romantic comedies, and this one really hit the mark. The concept was so fun--such an exciting twist on the freak Friday kind of storyline. I had no problems at all getting into, and read it nearly one sitting. Lexi and Evan were so cute, and Lexi's character development from beginning to end was fantastic. I hope to read more from Emily Duvall in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for providing me with am ARC of Trading Places!

3.5⭐️ rounded up

Socialite Lexi North is your typical rich girl: spoiled, entitled, and has never had to work for anything in her life. Mechanic Evan Bailey just wants to find a way to save his family’s auto shop and raise his niece in peace. But when Lexi accidentally rear-ends Evan’s car, both their lives get thrown off course. After a tense encounter at the auto shop the next day is caught on camera by Evan’s niece, the pair find themselves agreeing to a bet: trading lives (and bank accounts) for two months to see who has it harder. Each of them has their own motivations to follow through, but things get complicated when the chemistry between them hits a melting point.

This book was exactly what you would expect it to be going in. It’s a quick, fun read with decent spice. Lexi is exactly as insufferable as you’d expect from an entitled socialite and Evan is wonderfully the opposite (though he does have his moments). Each goes through their own transformation throughout the story and, again, nothing really surprises you about where the story goes.

The entire book plays out exactly as you’d expect it, down to the miscommunication trope that leads to the third act breakup. Lexi and Evan do exactly what you’d expect, but there are a couple of stand out side characters that I wouldn’t mind getting to know better. Despite the predictability of the story, Duvall gives readers a nice couple hours of escape from reality with this story and it’s a decent time.

Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher for free and have voluntarily written this review.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book! I was so excited because one of the main characters is a mechanic & I love working on cars. This was such a sweet & fun, easy romcom with a hint of mystery & intrigue when you least expect it.
The premise of the bet & switching lives for the summer was intriguing. Right off the bat, I really liked Evan, though I wasn't a big fan of Lexi until at least halfway through the book. I thought she was a little over the top, but I also feel like it was necessary for her character. While I felt a lot was happening really fast, I still enjoyed the character development on Lexi's part & had to keep in mind it really was just the summer. There were some events that I felt were rushed, especially towards the end, but it didn't take away from the general premise of the story. I enjoyed how secondary characters were written, some were even given a little redemption.
I'll be honest, the first few chapters were a little slow for me, but by the end, I couldn't put it down. It was a sweet ending that left me thinking more about Lexi & hoping she really does do well. Part of me is even hoping for a second book - I want to know more about Baileys & well.... everything!