Member Reviews
I selected this book without knowing it was a sequel but that didn’t matter, it is definitely a book that can stand on its own. The story and characters are cute and the book is well written. There is a lot of quirkiness to it, like footnotes and graphs, that make it fun and a little more interesting.
Overall it was a little too science focused for me personally. If you are into physics and good-guy love stories, this book is for you! I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys books like Love, Theoretically.
Switched is the second book in Sarah Ready’s Ghosted series, but you can read it without having read the first one, you can read my review of it here.
I was really looking forward to read this book because I liked the first one a lot and I really love Sarah Ready’s writing style. I love the quirkky fun humor she adds to her characters and stories. What intrigued me the most and caught my attention was the plot of this book, that switch/body swap between the main characters. Which I loved because I hadn’t come across a book with this type of plot before, I thought the author executed it very well and made it fun but at the same time meaningful for both characters.
Even more meaningful to Serena because of her belief about love «It’s all out there for everyone to see. Fall in love, lose yourself. Fall in love, have your organs fused, your brain hijacked, and your personality wiped.» And by switching bodies with Henry she is able to see and feel from his perspective, making him see and question her beliefs. Falling even more in love with him.
And for Henry it’s the part of knowing how Serena feels that keeps her from loving him a little bit, her fears. But that makes him fall more in love with her. Henry was such a cinnamoroll and i liked him.
«I caught your loneliness and your dreams. I felt the awe and love you have for your home, but also your desire to leave and explore. I felt your longing in England for a large family that might love you.»
One thing I was able to connect with Serena is the fact that she is an only child in a small family. So when Henry said this line to her I saw myself in it, I felt every sense of it. And when Serena’s mom tells Henry (being Serena) that she was glad that her daughter had found someone so that when they were gone, she would have someone, in the end, what counts was that she had a hand in the hard times.
I loved Serena and Henry’s dynamic, although I didn’t feel as much spark between them as I did with Jillian and Daniel in Ghosted. I liked the parts where they had to pretend to be each other, being in different bodies in familiar situations, like at Henry’s brother’s wedding and Serena’s parents’ house.
It’s worth noting that the book is told from Serena’s pov but at the end we have a chapter with Henry’s pov. Overall It’s a lightheared, humorous and romantic read. Serena’s doodles in some chapters were a very cool plus.
Although I admit that Ghosted, the first book, managed to hook me a bit more than this one maybe because of the New York setting in which it takes place, or also because, although I like to read about women succeeding in what they are passionate about, I admit that STEM fields are not my thing coming from a person who studied in the arts and humanities field.
Switched didn't live up to what Ghosted had to offer but the mcs and the romance definitely served. Henry and Serena were so damn cute🥹
I enjoyed this fun magical realism (Sci-Fi realism?) romance.
The characters are opposites, and this story is a very unique way of helping each other learn to understand their differences. Some of the the other tropes include fake dating, coworker, love at first sight. Mild spice.
I read the ebook (which has fun graphs and footnotes) and listened to the audiobook (which does a great job of including the extras, and the main narrator does a beautiful job with the different character voices). So either format (or print) is a great choice.
I recommend this for anyone looking for a fun, sweet romance with a twist!
This was such a cute read! I love the chemistry between Henry and Serena, and not only how their relationship evolves throughout the story, but also their connection with their families. Thank you NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for an ARC of Switched.
Sarah Ready quickly became one of my favorite authors in 2023 and today is pub day for her newest novel, Switched.
You’ll have to suspend disbelief on this magical realism/sci-fi/romcom but it’s a cute read set in Switzerland. This one is science heavy at times and would be a great book for a challenge for a woman in STEM prompt.
Thanks to @netgalley I tandem read the ebook while listening to the audiobook. The narrators did an excellent job, and the ebook is unique. It features footnotes, illustrations and graphs.
Switched is book 2 in the Ghosted series but can be read as a standalone without any confusion. I’m looking forward to book 3 coming out later this year.
A combination of Ali Hazelwood's Love, Theoretically and Freaky Friday, this was an incredible story. This is well-written and the magical realism made sense. Having love interests learn about each other while stuck in each other's body was a welcomed twist like nothing else I've ever read before!
Thanks for Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read Switched. This was my first book by this author and I plan to find others to read. Although some of the science-nerdy content wasn't perfect for me, I did find humor in many parts of the plot and found myself chuckling. The concept of "body switching" expecially with a heterosexual couple was interesting.. but definitely enjoyed the characters and this storyline for a light-hearted read to break up my typical genres!
I switched back and forth between the written copy and audiobook during my readthrough - This book brought me nothing but pure joy to be immersed in a lovely little body-swap rom com. I didn't know that it was the second book in the series when I started this one, but they're interconnected standalones, and there were only a couple scenes that referenced the actual events of the first book. I loved the globe-trotting plot and nerdy main characters. Highly recommend - will cure all of the blues.
Rating: ❄️❄️❄️❄️
Spice: 🌶️1/2
Rapid Review Up Front (RRUF): This book is gripping and will have you wrestling with all the confusion and complicated feelings you are not prepared for as you root for Serena and Henry every step of the way!
Synopsis: Two physicists meet in bar in Geneva, sleep together, fireworks 💥 commence, 🥰 love at first…well you know. She freaks out and shuts it down/breaks his heart 💔. Fast forward 2 years or so, when a storm of epic proportions leads to an unexpected event at the large hadron collider. One moment our two physicists are unwittingly together in the middle if the particle-splitting, soul-splicing , body-shattering event & the next, they are waking up in the wrong body and the wrong house. Cue chaos (as only a magic-dusted STEM rom-com can describe).
My thoughts: Wow! What an acutely uncomfortable exploration of what it would be like live as the other sex for a time, keeping your memories and experiences while living through the other’s perspective. This book was strange and profound. There was so much growth understanding achieved in such a short time. The menstruation scene was *chef’s kiss! I was so conflicted rooting for Serena and Henry, hoping for their “moment” or “the kiss” to happen, but also not because everything was out of sorts! I needed everything to be set right 😆. Switched is a fascinating look at “what if?” that you will love and find oh so frustrating. It was a memorable read to be sure!
What to expect:
✨ Footnotes 🫶🏼
✨ Love at first sight
✨ Pining
✨ Forced proximity…
✨ STEM
✨ Tension
✨ HEA
Thank you Sarah Ready, NetGalley, and Swift & Lewis Publishing for this eARC!
Format: Kindle ARC/Audio ARC
⭐⭐⭐Enjoyed, would recommend
🌶️ Rating: 3
Switched by Sarah Ready offers a refreshing twist on the classic body-swapping trope, reminiscent of Freaky Friday but with a romantic twist. Serena and Henry, two physicists with vastly different personalities, find themselves thrown into each other's bodies after a cosmic event. What follows is a hilarious yet heartwarming journey of self-discovery and unexpected love.
The dynamic between Serena and Henry is the highlight of the story. Despite their contrasting traits - Serena is a whirlwind of chaos and Henry a model of organization - they discover a deep connection during one fateful night. However, chaos ensues when Henry turns out to be Serena's new boss, leading to their bodies swapping and a series of comedic mishaps. Their journey to switch back forces them to confront their differences and ultimately grow closer.
Fast rom-com read.
Thank you NetGalley and W.W. Crown for this eARC and AudioARC.
Women in STEM…..freaky Friday like antics……and a HEA……sign me up!
This book follows Serena and Henry who have a one night stand before she realizes he’s her new boss AND she could fall in love with him (which is not okay).
Fast forward and suddenly they are freaky Fridayed into each others bodies. Let the hilarity ensue as they navigate life as each other.
I laughed out loud at this so many times. I’m sure people at work thought I was crazy.
The characters are fun and the annotations are both informative and funny. It’s nice to read female characters who aren’t just driven by the desire to find a man and get married!
I recieved a ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.
Amazing book!
I was thoroughly engaged throughout this book and I didn't want to put it down! The author captured my attention from the get go! Five stars from me :)
An enjoyable novel by Ready. I wasn't a big fan of Ghosted and hadn't realised this was part of the same series but I preferred the plot of Switched and really liked the characters. I felt at times aspects of it were repetitive which put me off a bit. I also found it hard not to compare it to The Space Between which was one of my fave books of 2023. One of Ready's strengths is setting the scene incredibly well. It is always so easy to picture where the story is taking place. If you want an easy rom com/Freaky Friday read then I'd highly recommend.
This was my first book by Sarah Ready and I really enjoyed it. This like Freaky Friday. Serena and Henry meet in a bar one night when she quite literally gets stuck to her seat. They hit it off and have a one night stand. Serena doesn't believe in love and Henry wants love and family. They both feel something that night, but Serena is terrified of it and then she finds out Henry is her new boss and she ends things before they can begin, not really in the most mature way. That leads to months of workplace enemies. Until one night at work, something happens and they switch bodies.
This is my first paranormal romance, and I enjoyed it. I loved that it was kind of Freaky Friday like. There were some really funny moments too, like Serena (in Henry's body) getting aroused and Henry (In Serena's body) having menstrual cramps. If only all men could experience that, I actually laughed out loud during that scene. There was also an aggressive ex-girlfriend of Henry's that made for some funny moments.
I also really enjoyed the sweet moments, how each character had to interact with the other's family in difficult circumstances (a wedding and medical scare). The way that both Henry and Serena got to know the other person through the interactions with their families. I really liked that, the understanding they each got through being the other person.
I loved how their deep understanding of the other person, lead to a deep love between them.
I do wish that this was a dual POV. We do get one chapter from Henry's POV, but I really wished there had been more. Other than that I loved this book and can't wait to read more from this author.
I liked the book really much and I am for sure going recommend it to my friends.
I was laughing out loud multiple times, Henry and Serena are just a really funny couple.
I read this before the first book in the series, so now I am siting back with a weird feeling. I am both super happy that I still have the first book (and hopefully also the third book soon) to read but I am also super sad that I won’t read about henry (at least I suppose sins she first meets him in the book)
The whole idea of the book is so interesting, and I really hope that I can find more books where somebody switches bodies.
I also really liked that they could get to know each other so well, and that she couldn’t hide why she acted the way she did, as so many other main characters tent to do.
As I have said way to many times now I really liked the book.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Switched is a delightful supernatural rom-com from Sarah Ready that delivers a unique reading experience, blending women in STEM (a la Ali Hazelwood-esque style) and a gender-swapped Freaky Friday.
Serena and Henry's story is witty, entertaining, heartfelt and at times emotional. They literally have to see from the other person's perspective which proved extremely difficult when it came to family and confronting deeper emotions. I would have loved for Switched to have been told dual POV.
If you've read Ghosted (not a prerequisite) you'll be delighted to see Serena's friend Jillian and Fran again.
[Note: I did not understand: 1) Why didn't Henry or Serene just call each other when they woke up swapped instead of running all over town?! 2) Why did Serena in Henry's body have her own California accent and Henry in Serena's body have his British accent? (hide spoiler)]
3.5 stars
This was so much fun!!!! It's so completely unlike anything else I've ever read before. One of my favorite guilty pleasure movies is <i>It's a Boy Girl Thing</i> wherein Nell, a bookish intellectual who hates jocks, and Woody, your stereotypical football-playing himbo, swap bodies unexpectedly and have to learn to understand each other better in order to switch back.
<i>Switched</i> doesn't have that Nerd x Jock dynamic, but Serena and Henry still could not be more different. She's a walking tornado, he's so organized that it could be considered neurotic. She's career-driven, he's very family-oriented. She's a commitment-phobe, he's a hopeless romantic. She likes coffee, he's a tea-drinking Brit. And yet, they find each other for one perfect night together. Then their worlds come crashing down when Henry turns out to be Serena's new boss at her lab in Geneva, and they find out just how different they are. Chaos ensues, and they wake up in the other's body. They have to navigate their new realities, take on each others' responsibilities, and figure out how to switch back.
<b>Oh, and they refuse to discuss that one night...</b>
This was my first Sarah Ready book, and I enjoyed it so much!! I loved the dynamic between Serena and Henry, like they really could not have been more different. Some of the things Henry said to her........... I was blushing, and I never blush!!!! THAT'S A REAL MAN!!!!! He was so sweet, and kind, and thoughtful. They just don't make men like him anymore!! And that ending.... WHEW.
The only thing that was missing for me, personally, was an exploration of their sexuality when they were in their new bodies. I feel like that would've been so much fun to dive into.
All in all, I had so much fun reading this, and I will definitely be reading more of Sarah Ready's writing!!
<i>Thank you, NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing, for an advanced reader's copy!!</i>
I love anything with body swap! And knowing Sarah, she mastered it. I love Serena's character so much (AND THE FOOTNOTES!)
This book is the perfect nostalgic read for people who grew up obsessing over the movie, Freaky Friday. Though, this time it's an enemies to lovers type of Freaky Friday. It's nerdy and cute, and you'll laugh throughout the entire book. The author does well to keep you hooked from the beginning with the likeable, relatable characters.