Member Reviews
I loved the narrator.IMy full opinion is expressed in my other review of the ebook copy of the novel.Thank you for the opportunity to be able to read/listen it before the publication date.Wish you all the best!
4 stars
This was like a Freaky Friday meets Ali Hazelwood. The body switching and all the STEMy science was a delightful read. There were happy times, there were sad times and it all turned out okay in the end. Watching the evolution of one-night stand to forbidden workplace to friends to lovers was so good. I'm not normally for Instalove, but it didn't really dwell too much on that aspect.
The narrators were delightful and really brought Serena to life. I loved how relatable she was. I mean, both her and Henry really were. It was a believable and true love by the end of the book.
Thank you NetGalley, W. W. Crown, and imprint of Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC, for the audio ARC and this is my honest opinion.
Thank you W. W. Crown, and imprint of Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC and NetGallery for the advance copy audiobook.
Background: After reading the initial reviews, I actually read the first book in the series, and I’m really glad I did! These were the first books I’ve read by Sarah Ready and I really enjoyed them!!
This book: the book gives you Freaky Friday vibes but across genders and families which provides great way to build character backgrounds and you love the main characters more! I really enjoyed the writing and banter in this book. Several times I laughed out loud and was grinning from the dialog. There are also themes of love and loss which is relatable and touching. I listened via audiobook and the narrator for the majority of the book was Kelsey Navarro Foster and I loved her! She did an amazing job going in between different accents and genders.
Overall I would recommend this book and the first book in the series, “Ghosted”! Fun and touching reads!
The narrator did a fabulous job with both an American accent and a male British one. The story itself was super cute, with good banter, good chemistry and are just all around likeable characters. I haven’t read the first book in this series, Ghosted, but I think I need to pick it up now! I will read other books by Sarah Ready, and I’m excited to see what she comes up with next!
This is the second Sarah Ready book I’ve read and loved, when I saw the ARC audiobook was available through NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to read/listen. While this being the second book in the Ghosted series, I believe it could be read as a standalone.
When Serena, an American Physicist and Henry, a British physicist first meet sparks fly……quite literally! This feel good rom-com has an unexpected twist when both characters switch bodies! Serena and Henry have no choice, but to stick together in order to try and figure out a solution to their switch. This creates a unique aspect to each character discovering more about the other in learning to understand their quirks.
I loved the concept of this book. It was a fun listen/read and I found myself trying to predict what was going to happen in the end, only to be thrown a new twist. If you are looking for a fast paced book that will hook you with not only witty humor, but also a fresh take on “Freaky Friday” turned romance, this book is for you!
I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book in return for an honest review.
This book was so good! I love when weird things happen and this was definitely a bit weird. Serna and Henry switched bodies and must figure out how to switch back before it is too late! Super funny moments with super sweet moments. The characters were great! I loved seeing little bits of Jillian and Daniel and seeing how their story was progressing. Definitely recommend this series! Sarah Ready fan for life!
The narrators were amazing! She did a great job when the characters were switched and you still knew who was actually talking. Will definitely listen to more books narrated by her!
Serena Otaki and Henry Joule, both physicists, had an instant connection the moment their eyes met. Their night together was magical, filled with laughter and shared secrets. But when dawn broke, Serena ended their budding romance, unknowingly closing the door on any future between them. Little did they know, fate had a surprising twist in store for them.
Amidst a raging electrical storm, an unexpected phenomenon occurred at the particle collider. Serena and Henry found themselves trapped in each other's bodies, completely switched. Their lives were turned upside down as they struggled to navigate this bizarre situation and search for a way to return to their true selves.
✨Thoughts✨
The story that unfolded was a delightful mix of humor and charm. The author skillfully portrayed the unique challenges and humorous mishaps that Serena and Henry faced while inhabiting each other's bodies. It gave off a "Freaky Friday" vibe that had me hooked!
Narrated by the talented Kelsey Navarro Foster, this audiobook was an absolute delight to listen to. Kelsey effortlessly transitioned between the voices of Serena and Henry, making each character come to life. And to add an extra layer of enjoyment, James Anderson Foster lent his voice to narrate one chapter.
Overall, "Switched" by Sarah Ready is a must-listen for anyone who enjoys second chance romances and the excitement of a fantastical twist.
Thank you NetGalley and W. W. Crown and imprint of Swift & Lewis Publishing for providing me with an advanced audio copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
Switched is the second book in the Ghosted series, but it could totally work as a stand-alone. This was an adorable "Freaky Friday" type book with an added nerdy romance. The plot moves at a nice steady pace, the dialogue and banter are excellent, the character development was top notch and the narration was so well done. I especially loved that this story had depth and tapped into my feelings. Honestly, Sarah Ready might be the only author who gets me to read these paranormal/sci-fi(ish) books and actually enjoy them. A big thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Ready, and W. W. Crown for the gifted ALC in exchange for an honest opinion.
What a fun well narrated listen! Serena and Henry meet and the connection is both instantaneous and electric. Serena doesn’t believe in happily ever after love. In her mind it causes a woman to lose who she is and cease to be her own person. Henry believes in love and has been waiting to find his happily ever after. When they connect he knows Serena is that person for him. Turns out, they are polar opposites and that he is her new boss. Let the “Freaky Friday” games begin. A fun interesting take on the switched body genre that was smart, silly at times, emotionally intelligent, witty and has the best happily ever after. Sometimes we just need to get out of out own way to live the best life we can and know that a little bit of empathy and understanding can be life altering.
My thanks to NetGalley and W.W. Crown for an advance copy of this audiobook, narrated by Kelsey Navarro Foster and James Anderson Foster.
Serena Otaki, known as Ducky (reasons explained in the novel) has a double PhD (physics and chemical science) at 22, a dream job working on the Atlas project (involving the Hadron Collider) in Geneva, and all the accoutrements that go with that kind of life. She is headstrong, independent, un-needy in any way, and ferociously unattached. In her view, sex is great (and she pursues it) but love ruins lives. Or at least the kind of life she wants.
Enter Henry Joule, British, a young Oxford-educated physicist already of such renown that he arrives in Geneva to direct the centre where Ducky’s beloved project is carried out. Smashing atoms is something they are both committed to, though Ducky doesn’t know he is her boss until after they spend an entirely blissful night together. Henry declares his love and Serena scares herself by feeling the same way.
Then she tells him it was all a mistake and she runs. Not far enough, as they are colleagues. He is devastated, she is unrepentant. Or is she?
The big question is, can you enter wholly into loving another without subsuming yourself?
After more than a year of tense co-existence, there is a strange incident with the Atlas on a night shift. Their joint attempts to ‘fix’ it has them touching each other for the first time since that one-night stand. Let’s say that atoms collide and they find themselves in each other’s beds. And bodies.
The rest is a series of sometimes hilarious, sometimes sad, situations in which the two must work together to find a way back to their own bodies for fear of being stuck there or dying. This is a test in multiple ways, as much of their hearts as of their brilliant minds. Just carrying it off in front of family, friends, colleagues and even pets is extremely stressful and very very funny. There has to be absolutely honest dialogue and strategy making and problem solving at all times. All the while, they theorize and strategize to get back to their real selves, something that fails repeatedly. They get into each other’s mindsets, pull apart their own earlier assumptions, and, for Ducky, painfully question their core beliefs about love. Even without switching back, they each start to see their real selves as well as each other.
The ‘freaky Friday’ premise may be familiar (it’s even alluded to), but the author does it so well it’s a pleasure to buy into it. This is a lively, charming, droll story. The main characters are very likeable, though Ducky is grating at first, seemingly arrogant and unfeeling in the way she handles off-loading the smitten Henry. But, just as they discover on body-switching, appearances are usually misleading. Henry is almost too good to be true, but his own rigidities show clearly as he has to ´learn’ a woman’s life, especially how Ducky has lived it. The narrators make a superb team, truly funny when the California girl Ducky has to speak, at least in public, in Henry’s upper middle class British accent, and vice versa, though this will come through best in the audio version. Either way, this is fun, making you want to believe Ducky’s mantra that things are ´only impossible until they’re not’.
I loved the premise of this book. I am big into nerdy romances, but I was a bit disappointed by the science and nerdy aspects. They felt very stereotyped with not a lot of effort into making them sound like real people.
That said, it was an adorable, hilarious story with just the right amount of funny and serious parts and I did enjoy it. The audio book narrator did a great job especially with the different characters and the different accents.
Switched was a cute read. It didn’t grip me as firmly as some of her other books but it was still super cute and a nice vacation from reality.
I love the story concept. I loved the actual story as it went along (the meeting of families, the reliving ingrained memories) but there were misses in the unfolding of the story that I wish had been done differently. I wish we could have known in more truthful terms how Serena felt in the year and a half they were not speaking which only became apparent much later after first having read her inner monologue about disliking him, it was confusing. Did she dislike him? Did she love him? It was inconsistent and even when you’re trying to lie to yourself, your inner monologue is going to be a bit more honest than what we saw here.
Also I wish instead of her being some STEM pinup girl, she could have been a bit more humble and Henry saw her beauty, not that every man wanted her and Henry was just one in many men that probably couldn’t resist her. It’s like I want this story, but I want a rewrite where Serena is more relatable and vulnerable and not just vulnerable in Henry’s eyes. One where there’s unrequited love for both of them, not just Henry who couldn’t stand the distance and being willing to leave because of it.
Lastly, while I definitely appreciate women in scientific fields other than my own, there was a lot of waxing poetic about (oh goodness I don’t even know, the collider? Particle physics, the universe)…let them just make love for goodness sake, don’t give us a chapter about scientific discovery and then next thing you know Henry has a sweaty back and I’m flipping back and forth trying to figure out if I missed something (I did—apparently they had sex while I was reading about science). I don’t need open door but that was just convoluted.
What I loved: I loved everything from when they switched bodies until the end. The actual conflict of them sharing their bodies and their banter along the way. Once I got past the rough start it was much more addicting and I’m glad I stuck it out.
The narration was good. I didn’t care for the male narrator, his voice didn’t seem to fit what I imagined as Henry (the voice seemed too old? Too hesistant? Something felt distracting with his voice that I can’t exactly place), but the female narrator was spot on.
This was a fun instalove freaky Friday book. I enjoyed the breaking of the fourth wall and the wee diagrams made it feel like I was hearing the story from a friend. I do kinda wished this was a duel pov book but alas it was funny and I laughed out loud a few times, a great weekend read
I adore Sarah Ready's books and her characters. Her books are a MUST READ for me! When I saw this audiobook, I was over the over the moon knowing that I would give this a listen ASAP! Sarah Ready did not let me down! I found this book to be charming, endearing, sweet and hard to put down!
Serena Otaki is a star trek loving American physicist working in Geneva, Switzerland. Atoms are her jam, and she loves what she does. Henry Joules is a British tea loving Physicist who loves cleanliness and physics.
When Serena and Henry meet, the stars collide, particles collide, sparks fly and ........
Then during an electrical storm something pretty wonderful ala freaky Friday happens. It is wonderful, isn't it? They Switch! Imagine their surprise! This can't be happening and yet it is. This is where the true magic happens. Trapped in each other's bodies, having to live as the other is going to be a wild ride.
Curl up, grab your favorite warm beverage, suspend some disbelief, and give this delightful book a read/listen. Sarah Ready writes characters that I want to spend time with. I care about them and their plight. I found myself laughing with Serena and Henry, shaking my head at them, and rooting for them the entire time. They have great banter, some fun moments, chemistry, and most of all, are such likeable characters. The supporting characters are likeable as well.
As I mentioned I listened to the audiobook and loved the narration. Very well done.
Sarah Ready has wowed me once again. This is the second book in the Ghosted series but works beautifully as a stand-alone. If you have not read a book by Sarah Ready, what are you waiting for?
I can't wait to read what Sarah Ready writes next!
Charming, delightful, sweet, and simply wonderful.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook. I am a huge fan of Sarah Ready books. I thought this book was different than some of my favorites but I enjoyed it. My brain was soo turned around with the switched. It was hard to keep track of who was talking.. especially listening it as an audio. This was expert focus level to manage it. The story was well done and it wasn’t just a basic switch places type story. This story had a lot of depth and real situations that the other had to handle for one another. It also had a lot of humor and made it really fun.
I love this series so much!!! Ghosted was one of my top favorite reads of 2023, and i am glad to say this one is up there as well. There’s just something about Sarah’s writing that makes it so easy to read her books, and her story’s always have just a little more something than other romance books.
I was so excited to get into this book, but i will say the whole swapping bodies thing is so common i was a bit afraid it would be pretty predictable, but i trusted Sarah and went into and i was not disappointed. The romance, the friendships, everything was top notch!
i went back and forth from the audio and the ebook because i didn’t want to put it down!!
Thank you so much Sarah & The Publishers for a copy of this book!
This feel-good romance, with notable sci-fi vibes, is a nerdy take on Freaky Friday.. Geeky Friday if you will.
Two star-crossed scientists collide like the particles they work with, resulting in a body swap. There are forced proximity and denied feelings to contend with, as well as anger and misunderstandings to work through which of course builds all that sexual tension.
There was a real endearing authenticity to the MCs, who were well-rounded characters with depth and history.
As a Brit, I did find some of the bumbling intellectual English gentleman bit to be slightly too on the nose. I'm honestly not sure if Henry gushed more passionately about Serena or cups of tea. Corgis and suits of armour aren't as commonplace across the pond as you might think either. Although it's all in good fun and did make me laugh.
I'm so glad I opted for the audiobook. The narration, writing and dialogue worked perfectly together to introduce Serena with just the right amount of snarkiness and exasperation. It also did really well to keep even the most layman listener (that would be me) engaged if the characters went off on a nerd tangent, to enthuse about science or Star Trek. The narrator switching between genders and accents at the various stages of the plot was also skillfully done, without any distraction from the story.
I would recommend reading the first Ghosted book before picking this one up. I didn't and wish I had as there are mentions of the previous characters and their story that might serve as spoilers.
Thank you Sarah Ready for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
This book was a mixture of entertainment and me pausing to ask wait what?!? It required more concentration than I was expecting. I was well written and had an interesting concept.
Quick Summary: A beautifully impossible, "doors in the universe" romance
My Review: Switched by Sarah Ready is book two in the Ghosted series. It is a superb love story with a dynamic sci-fi feel.
About the Book: Physicists Serena Otaki and Henry Joules had one mind boggling encounter after another. After a chance meeting, a passionate and rather life changing engagement, and a Freaky Friday-esque episode, they each begin to see one another in a different light.
Question to Consider: Have you ever wondered what it would be like to occupy the heart, the mind, and the experiences of someone you care about deeply?
My Final Say: Sarah Ready did a sensational job with this book. It was so different. I absolutely loved the premise and the lead characters so much. I found their story to be refreshing. It was funny. It was emotional. It was sweet. It was memorable.
Other: Hands down, my favorite scene dealt with the period dilemma. That was a giant bahaha. (It was comedy gold, as far as I'm concerned.)
Rating: 5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Re-read: Yes
Keeper: Yes
Favorites Shelf: Yes
Audiobook: Yes
Status/Level: 💞💗💓
Narration: +
Heartfelt appreciation is extended to the author, to the publisher (W.W. Crown, an imprint of Swift and Lewis Publishing, LLC, Independent Book Publishers Association, Members' Audiobooks), and to NetGalley. Thank you for providing access to a digital audio of this work in exchange for an honest review. The words I have voluntarily submitted are my own. I am grateful for the opportunity to share my thoughts and opinions about this exceptional story. I look forward to reading more from this author.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this! Sarah Ready is one of my new favorite authors. Her stories are so unique and fun to read. I thought this was super cute and full of emotion. I really enjoyed the narrators.