Member Reviews
thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.
⭐4.2
"Isn't magic just science that we haven't yet explained?"
Gloriously imaginative, addictive, and thought provoking, Switched is a genre defying love story with heart.
The writing style is intelligent, and endearingly quirky - blending scientific theory with magic and romance.
I am not usually inclined toward annotation, but this book is so quotable, it had me scribbling in my diary at regular intervals.
I laughed, cried, and felt such an affinity for these characters; the sheer depth of their bond had me rooting for them throughout.
The narrator of the audiobook is clear, and thoughtful, with a good use of accents, suspense, and humourous timing.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley, for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I could not finish this book. I don't know if my experience would be another if I was reading it instead of listening to an audiobook, but the narration and the prose made the main character a BORE. so many descriptions, with an air of arrogance, and why everything has to be so sexual at the beginning of the book, especially since Serena is not looking for someone?
The synopsis was great, but the delivery was not my cup of tea.
Freaky Friday but between two colleagues who had a one night stand over a year ago, set in Geneva, Switzerland at CERN. Chock full of physics and Star Trek references. One caught feelings, and the other didn't - or so we think...
Henry, a stuffy British man who loves physics and can't wait to find the perfect woman to be his wife.
Serena, a care free California women who also loves physics, but had no need for love.
But the universe has other plans! One late night at CERN, a paradox occurs and somehow Henry and Serena wake up in each other's bodies! I love both MCs, and I loved all the truly nerdy tidbits this book has to offer! Definitely check this one out if you like Freaky Friday, Star Trek, a little steam, and a lot of heart!
This was my first arc read and I did enjoy it! I liked the writing style a lot. It was different from what I typically read I think it felt reminiscent of watching a 2000s romcom. The audiobook performance was great and I’d highly recommend that format!
I don’t think I’ve ever read a body-swap/Freaky Friday-esque book before so it was fun to get out of comfort zone and try something new! The characters were unique and the plot was certainly interesting, but I did feel like it dragged quite a bit. Overall, I enjoyed reading but it didn’t stand out to me.
Disgustingly sweet. Not as good as the first one. But still enjoyable. Looking forward to the third one.
I love a good Freaky Friday, body swap situation and so had to try out this audiobook. I enjoyed that these two MC were in STEM and it was of course a particle collider that resulted in the body switching. Serena is a big ol' scaredy cat when it comes to love and very fearful of losing herself to love when her first big love had been physics. Henry is a charming, smart man from the UK, who she meets at her regular bar. Oh I also love a one night stand that becomes awkward close proximity. I enjoyed them living each other's lives and the fact that they take on each other's mannerisms and some preferences and memories, almost literally like them being half of each other. This is actually Serena's worst nightmare come to life like her angler fish analogy. I love the awkwardness but also the tender moments of them being a team together and forcing each other out of their comfort.zones. it was a good story but I think the pacing could have been better as there was a bit too much of Serena's observations and breaking the fourth wall etc...it felt rambly and 8 just wanted to get to the meet cute already! The rest of the novel went better though some days felt a bit long. From a characterization point of view, this is definitely Serena's story and growth that we are seeing here. Henry is actually quite consistent in his emotions and the swap conveniently allows him to feel what she has been feeling anyway so she doesn't have to tell him. It was a sweet story and I'm glad I didn't need to throw anything at Serena for being a big ol' blockhead.
A note on the narration. I don't love the British accent of the current narrator. It felt kind of fake but given that most of the time the narrator is a Californian trying to speak in a British accent it's okay. I've listened to her other books and it's better when all the characters are American.
Steam: 🔥🔥
Heart Flutters: ❤️
*Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book was part of a series and I hadn’t read the first book. I didn’t realize that until after I got the arc. I didn’t feel a good connection with these characters and overall the book felt like it was missing something.
Imagine meeting the love of your life but then end up hating each other. On top of this you get to switch bodies. This is exactly what happens to Serena „Ducky“ and Henry.
From there all sorts of funny but also sad things happen. Sarah Ready writes amazing quirky yet deep characters. Switched is a fun easy to read romance that I would recommend to everyone. I loved that we met the characters from book one again but this works as a standalone as well. Loved every bit of it. It’s 5 ⭐️ from me.
🎧 Audiobook: 4.5 ⭐️
I am glad I could listen to this as an audiobook as well. While the narrator has a great listening voice and read it so well I found myself ever so often feeling it was a bit robotic. I also found it difficult to because of the switched bodies to hear the difference between Ducky and Henry whenever there was a dialogue between them happening. I think it would have been easier having to narrators throughout the whole book during the dialogue. Other than that highly recommend.
Thanks to #netgalley and the publisher to provide me with an e-arc and audiobook of #Switched in exchange for my honest. review.
Thank you to W. W. Crown and NetGalley for providing me with this advance listener’s copy audiobook. In return I’m submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and options.
I really enjoyed the narration and story of this book. Think Freaky Friday between the two main love interests. I really loved that they had to meet each other families in their swapped bodies. The female narrator was really pleasant to listen to, which i really appreciate since she was the main narrator for 90+% of the book. If you’re looking for spice/explicit content this book is open door but minimally descriptive.
4 stars! ⭐
This book was unlike anything I've ever read, and I loved every second of it!
I couldn't put this book down—it transported me to a cozy, unique world set in Scotland. The whole premise is like a version of Freaky Friday. And lord, do I love Henry. It was also fascinating to see the diagrams and charts Serena made.
Henry is such a sweet character, and the fact that he's British added to his charm. The atmosphere of the book was incredibly cozy, and the side characters, especially Vinny, were hilarious. The chemistry between Henry and Serena was delightful, and their funny habit of drinking fifty cups of tea and coffee every day added a nice touch. The book was well-written and easy to read, and I appreciated seeing ghosting represented in a book—it made me emotional but in a good way. The story carried a wonderful message about love: you don't need to fear it because you already love something with your whole heart. Love doesn't have to devour you; you can love multiple things.
However, I did have a few dislikes. Serena's personality was initially off-putting as she often talked about her attractiveness and how all the men wanted her. Her character felt a bit shallow at first, but she redeemed herself later on. The constant science talk was confusing and felt unnecessary at times. Lorna was a character I could have done without. The scenes where the characters were essentially kissing themselves felt odd, though I understood why it happened.
This was a fun take on the “Freaky Friday” story! The change of narrator was a surprise and added to the story. I also loved the breaking of the fourth wall. Overall it was a fun book.
I am really loving the trend of romance authors featuring female main characters who are women in STEM. The audio book did a good job of telling this story from the perspectives it is told in. Enjoyable listen.
3.5⭐
Cute book, I enjoyed it but it did take a while to get into (not sure if that was me and the fact that it was an audio book, or if I would have felt the same way reading the text)
I loved the humor, but I don't enjoy books as much if most of the story could be taken away if they just talked to each other. One conversation would have fixed most of their problems with each other.
I didn't realize this was part of a series when I started it, and her friend having a husband who used to be a ghost caught me off guard for a second! But otherwise this could easily be read as a standalone.
Overall cute book, I did enjoy it, and would read another book by the same author.
Sarah Ready - Switched.
I genuinely love Sarah Ready’s books.
#Switched took me two attempts to get into, but once it all fell into place, I loved it!
This is an engaging story. It’s romantic, spicy, contemporary and magical.
The audio narration is excellent and really captures the heart of the book.
If like me, you struggle to get into this work, stick with it. It’s a stunning read / listen.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
3.5 ⭐️
Switched by Sarah Ready is the second book in the Ghosted series but can be read as a standalone novel. While there was a book before this one, I had no problems reading this novel and only realized there was a first halfway through when logging in to the book tracking apps.
I was given the audiobook to listen to through Net Galley and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is narrated by Kelsey Navarro Foster and James Anderson Foster. I think the audio added to this story, especially understanding what character was who after the "freaky friday" moment! I haven't read a body-switching book, and it was enjoyable to read and watch the characters learn about themselves and each other simultaneously. However, as a romance, it fell a little flat for me. I could see where the characters we fighting with themselves, but there was too much miscommunication or no communication in Serena's case. Their relationship would have been annoying if Serena and Henery actually had a conversation with one another, like adults, instead of saying hurtful things that they didn't mean. However, the story was cute, fun, and different than any other romance I have read, so I would check it out if you are looking for an interesting spin on contemporary romance!
"Switched" by Sarah Ready offers an entertaining, if not entirely groundbreaking, take on the romcom genre. The body swap premise, set against the backdrop of the CERN facility, provides some unique and interesting moments. However, the story does occasionally fall back on familiar tropes, and the magical realism elements could have been explored in greater depth. While the protagonist, Serena Otaki, may not be everyone's cup of tea, she does bring a certain energy to the narrative. Overall, "Switched" is a light, enjoyable read for those looking for a bit of escapism, though it may not leave a lasting impression.
As for the narrator, I've always had a bit of a problem with Kelsey Navarro Foster. I appreciate the hard work that she puts in, but she's just not for me.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Sarah Ready, and W. W. Crown for sending me the ALC in exchange for an honest review.
This book was a fun twist on "freaky Friday". I loved that the characters got to get to know each other while they were actually walking in their shoes. Of course this also makes them have to communicate and hang out together to try to get them in their own body but also to teach the other person about the family. Of course there was a family wedding for one of them! So fun, for sure read it and get ready for a romcom style movie with lots of science references.
For those that compared this book to a Freaky Friday meets The Big Bang Theory you nailed it. This book blends the comfort of fun and addicting sitcom favorite, heavy into science/STEM vibes with the classic freaky Friday body swap. Serena, the female main character is an easy, breezy California girl who stumbles upon her super nerd male main character and love interest, Henry. Their instant chemistry paired with a strained working relationship was comical….but as always love and science are never that simple.
These two super nerds will navigate a new world in new bodies all while maintaining their own distinct point of view. There were a few odd moments where they were exploring their new bodies…but I guess it’s to be expected!!!
Ultimately, I thought this was super fun and would definitely recommend! Its light, fun, and made my nerdy heart happy!!!
This was a light, fun romance novel with a supernatural/magic twist. I enjoyed it but there were a few minor things about the book that impacted my overall feelings about it.
Firstly, I'm British and there were a few misconceptions/mistakes in the writing of Henry that really made it clear the author is not British and writing from/for an American's perception of Brits:
- Love for your friend is not expressed by humiliating them on their stag do
- We don't all wear hats to weddings, particularly younger women and it's certainly not offensive not to wear one
- At one point Henry says "She wrote me" which a Brit would never say - this one felt like the most mildly offensive of the lot!
I listened to the audiobook version of this and I would definitely recommend reading rather than listening to this story if you can. It was often hard to tell who was speaking, particularly when Henry and Serena were in each other's bodies which could make things confusing. Also, there was a male narrator but he doesn't speak for the majority of the book and his voice is so different to the female narrator's version of Henry that it's quite jarring and almost felt like it was a random new character speaking. Another reason to read rather than listen is this book has some fun, usually Physics related footnotes which I really wished I could see! (They were explained verbally but it's not the same).
The theme of the story is Serena not wanting to give herself up for love which I personally think is a great message but it did seem to be muddled at times. Serena's parents' story is supposed to be sweet but really romanticises giving up your life and passions for a relationship (the mother does try to insist her passion became her husband and daughter but that was a bit disappointing to be honest). Side note: the idea that Serena is a "duct tape" baby is not a cute story and really not something people should aspire to. Then at the end of the story something happens that, again, seems to push the message that you should give yourself up for love before doing another 180.
Now, back to the things I liked. I loved that Serena and Henry are massive physics nerds (and very successful in their field) and that they work at CERN. It was a pleasantly unusual setting, although most of the book does take place in England and the US. It was great to see both characters literally step into each other's shoes and there were some funny moments such as Serena/Henry getting her period.
Overall, very enjoyable and I'll definitely try another of this author's books (probably in text format).