The Boyfriend Swap

by Meredith Schorr

I like to vary my reading occasionally by throwing in a Chick Lit book. Meredith Schorr’s The Boyfriend Swap was a good change of pace at the the right time. The first half established characters, varying the viewpoint in clearly marked divisions between elementary school music teacher Robyn and hard driven lawyer Sidney. It is quite funny as they both have family situations coming up at Christmas where they don’t want their families to meet their respective boyfriends for various reasons.

When the boyfriend swap occurs, the book still has humorous moments, but things don’t always turn out as expected so there are some anxious times as well. Is swapping boyfriends a good idea in anyone’s mind? Will it all work out in the end for Robyn, Sidney, and their boyfriends? Come along for a fun read, but don’t model your romantic life on theirs!

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Henery Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Women’s Fiction, Romance

Publication: November 7, 2017—Henery Press

Memorable Lines:

How were children supposed to nurture their creative sides if schools focused entirely on academics?

Giving him a quick once-over as he absently pulled his finders through his longish hair, I was taken aback by his blatant beauty. The gods of looks certainly didn’t hold back the day Perry was born. Too bad they were so stingy with his humility.

Usually, the scent of garlic from my mom’s roasted chicken made my mouth water, but the guilt-and-anxiety cocktail I was drinking rid me of an appetite.

Robyn and Sydney are two young women with a common type of problem. The problem is that the parents make too much of or think too little of their daughter’s love life.

Robyn is a wonderful, down-to-earth music teacher at a local school. Her boyfriends are artsy without much plans for the future. Sure, she is having a great time with her main squeeze but her parents (who are rather artsy themselves!) want more for her. Robyn knows that spending the holidays with boyfriend and family will not be the happiest of times for anyone (except her boyfriend who appears to be oblivious to slights.)

Sydney is a go-getter attorney who tries to keep her parents clear of her boy friends because they are inclined to overwhelm them in good or bad ways. Because of this, she is less than happy to include her newish boyfriend in her holiday plans.

When these two women meet through a mutual friend, Sydney comes up with the plan to switch boyfriends for the holidays as neither she nor Robyn will be invested in the outcome. Turns out that things are quite as crystal clear as Sidney thinks – that there are repercussions to her plan and that even those boyfriends have feelings that need to be addressed in more than a mergers and acquisitions style conquest.

This is the second book I have read by Meredith Schorr. I really appreciate the growth in her writing style (which was good to begin with) and plot development. I’ll certainly be looking forward to more books by this talented author in the future.

I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.

This is a funny story about two women with a definite conundrum. Robyn is a teacher who always pairs up with zany creative types. Her latest is a starting-out actor. Sydney is a lawyer in her father’s law firm, and her attorney boyfriend Will looks like he would be the perfect match for any girl. The problem comes when the two need to figure out what to do when they bring their respective beaus home to the family over the holidays. In Robyn’s case, her parents will definitely look askance at her actor boyfriend. In Sydney’s case, her parents will almost immediately begin planning her wedding and future with Will. At a friend’s suggestion, Robyn and Sydney decide to switch boyfriends when going home for the holidays. Then the real problems begin. Will just happens to be the boy Robyn fawned over as a teenager, and Sydney’s family takes to her boyfriend actor like a duck to water. Now what do they do, since their plan did not quite go as planned? Their idea just might lead to something bigger and better than either of them ever imagined.

This is a really cute story that kept my interest throughout. The author does a superb job of developing all the characters, not just the main ones. This book provides a wonderful escape from the never-ending dull trials and tribulations of every da life. I think any avid reader will enjoy it as much as I did. I have not read anything else by the author but will now look for her works to read more from this exciting, gifted writer. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

Robyn’s parents were always trying to pair her off with someone even though Robyn already had a boyfriend named Perry that she had been with for almost a year. Perry was a struggling actor and worked as a waiter to meet his bills until he got his big break. Robyn was a music teacher at a elementary school. Robyn’s parents had been H S sweethearts and had performed music together and even released a Freestyle album. They had never hit the big time Robyn was supposed to bring Perry to her parents for the Christmas holidays but she didn’t look forward to it. Perry didn’t have the money to fly to Portland to be with his family and Robyn couldn’t leave him alone at this time of the year. Perry was lacking in confidence and any disapproval about him or even said to him tended to go unnoticed by Perry himself. Anne Marie was Robyn’s roommate. Anne Marie was Sidney’s assistant. Sidney worked at the law office where her father was one of the named partners. Sidney was a third year associate and worked very hard and put in a lot of hours to show she had earned her place there. Anne Marie and Robyn were having a wine tasting party and Anne Marie had invited her boss Sidney. Sidney was late as she didn’t get away from the office until late and she went right to the party after picking up some snacks. Sidney was still there after everyone else had left so they girls invited her to hang around longer and have some more wine. Sidney’s boyfriend was Will and he was a lawyer. His parents were going to be in London at Christmas and Sidney invited him to go with her to her parents but she knew how that would turn out and was dreading the holiday and what it might do to her and Will’s relationship. They had only been together four months. Will didn’t like talking about cases outside of work and Sidney knew her father was all about his law firm and their cases and was always talking or doing work on cases even on Christmas. Then Anne Marie while buzzing from the wine she had drank suggested Sidney and Robyn swap boyfriends for the holiday. Sidney thought that was a brilliant idea. Robyn was very leery of so the two couples were to meet and discuss this with the guys. Robyn was depending on Perry to say no. But with the temptation of maybe getting an agent Perry agrees. Will originally said no. Robyn and Will had actually went to school together and had been neighbors. Will had been year ahead of robyn he was a cool guy and she was a theater geek but he had a serious crush on Will and Will had actually given Robyn her nickname through H S- Snow White. Will ends up changing his mind and Will is to go with Robyn and Perry is tp go with Sidney.
This was an excellent story and I loved it. This was an easy, fun, great romance to read. Once I started I didn’t want to put the book down. It kept my attention from the beginning to the end. I chuckled at times while reading this. I loved Will and Robyn together. I also loved how Will called Robyn Snow. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this book and I highly recommend.

Review by Leah for Love Romance Books Blog

I was asked by the author for an honest review.

4 Stars!

My first Meredith Schorr book, but definitely not my last! This was a cute and fun Christmas story that set me to, at times, laughing and crying. Robyn and Sidney are both dreading the holidays, specifically bringing their respective boyfriends home to enjoy the festivities with their families. A mutual friend's off-hand comment and many bottles of wine later, The Boyfriend Swap is born.

This book was a lot of fun to read and I stayed up waaay later than I should have in order to finish it. I love how unique and colorful Meredith made all of her characters. Each character has their own quirks that make you root for them and hope they succeed. As in almost books some backstory is needed, and in this book, it was readily available when I wanted or needed it. I really liked how her characters grew by he end of the story. If you're in the mood for a fun, lighthearted book, I recommend this one.

Really liked the book. Cute, funny, sassy characters. I would recommend this chic lit.

Robyn is a music teacher and has always gone for arty type boyfriends and her current, Perry, is an actor (not a particularly successful one). Sidney is a lawyer and is going out with Will who is also a lawyer and both girls are dreading Christmas and taking their boyfriends home

Sidney knows that if she takes Will home her parents will have arranged the wedding before the end of the break......what she needs is someone flighty......like Perry. Robyn's parents have always wanted her to meet someone steady with a good job.......someone like Will! So after a few drinks the girls decide to swap for Christmas so that can just enjoy themselves

A great fun book I loved the characters and the whole premise of the story - my first book by this author but will be looking for more

I love Meredith Schorr's books and, I'll be up front and honest, I love her, too. Over the past few years, I've read all of her novels, have met her in person twice, and have emailed and messaged her countless times. I might be a bit biased but if you know me you'll also know that I'll be honest with my review even though I consider Meredith a friend. So when I say I adored The Boyfriend Swap it's because it really is another fantastic read from Schorr.

Here's the synopsis:
Is Christmas really the most wonderful time of the year? New Yorkers Robyn Lane and Sidney Bellows aren’t so sure.
Robyn has always dated struggling creative types. For once, her parents would love her to bring someone with health insurance and a 401(k) to their Chrismukkah celebration. Her actor boyfriend doesn’t qualify. While across town, Sidney’s professional life already belongs to her parents. She’s an attorney at her father’s law firm and she works tirelessly to keep her love life private. If she brings her lawyer boyfriend to their annual Christmas extravaganza, her parents will have the wedding planned by New Year’s Eve.
A mutual friend playfully suggests they trade boyfriends for the holidays. The women share a laugh, but after copious amounts of wine, decide The Boyfriend Swap could be the perfect solution. This way, Robyn can show off her stable attorney boyfriend and Sidney’s high-society family will take no interest in her flakey actor beau.
It’s a brilliant plan—in theory. In practice—not so much. When Will turns out to be the boy-next-door Robyn crushed on hard throughout her teenage years, and Sidney’s family fawns all over Perry like he’s an Oscar-winner rather than a D-list wannabe, one thing is certain: The Boyfriend Swap might just change their lives forever.
The Boyfriend Swap is full of Schorr's trademark (yep, I'm calling it a trademark) humour and heart. She manages to create characters that I always want to be best friends with and are so totally realistic. None of her heroines are perfect and some are far from it. Sidney, for example, is a real piece of work. She's tough, always needs to be in control, and is actually pretty difficult to like. But there's a certain something in her that has the reader hoping she'll redeem herself by the end of the novel (you'll just have to read it to find out if she does). Robyn, on the other hand, is the "good girl," a point that's driven home when it's revealed that it was Will who came up with her high school nickname of Snow White. I will say that I found Robyn to be a touch too much like Kim, Schorr's heroine in her Blogger Girl series. I love the series and Kim so I loved Robyn but they are definitely very similar characters. Maybe it's just because they're both sweet, smart, sassy women. Nothing wrong with that, right?

The main plot of the story - swapping boyfriends for the holidays - had the potential to end up being really cheesy but Schorr makes it work. Maybe because not everyone is super into the idea. Sidney has to work to convince Robyn and especially Will that it's a good idea. It proves that Sidney is a damn good lawyer and can argue her way to a win in just about anything. But, as you can imagine, it also shows the cracks in the established relationships. Schorr does an awesome job of writing these relationships so they feel realistic even in a bizarre situation.

There was a bit of an unbalance in the stories for me but that wasn't exactly a bad thing. I didn't really connect with Sidney (or Perry) but I wonder if that was to be expected. There's one line that I absolutely love from Perry when they're discussing the swap. He says to Sidney, referring to the two of them, "We're definitely the villains in this story." To me that line says that Schorr maybe knows that Sidney and Perry aren't the main reason you're still reading and that, maybe, that's ok.

I had totally forgotten that Will was Robyn's high school crush so I was pleasantly surprised by that reveal. It was sort of like a second chance romance, which is one of my favourite tropes. And Will himself? Oh my goodness, swoon. I adored him. I felt a bit like Robyn's mom did, constantly wanting to tell Robyn that I just loved him. He was smart and had interests that were all over the board. And he really seemed to understand Robyn and what made her tick.

And for fans of Christmas stories (like me!) the main portion of the story takes place over the holidays in December. There's just enough cheer to make it a holiday story but not too much that you can't read this in, say, July.

I could probably keep gushing about The Boyfriend Swap but I should probably leave a little mystery for when you read it yourself (and you will, right? You should.). I loved Meredith Schorr's latest novel and am already waiting for her next one!

*An eARC of this novel was provided by the author and publisher, Henery Press, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest (I promise) and my own.*

Robyn and Sydney are similar in many ways. They are both successful in their careers. Robyn is a music teacher and Sydney is a lawyer. They both have boyfriends that are very attractive. They also both don't want to take the boyfriends home with them for the holidays. For Robyn, her family is tired of seeing her with artsy men who have no future. For Sydney, she is tired of her father monopolizing the holiday with shop talk. The holidays are supposed to be fun, not judgmental and hostile. So, even though they've just met, Sydney comes up with brilliant idea, swap boyfriends for the holiday. It's just a few days, what's the harm? When Robyn finds out Sydney is dating her childhood crush, will she be able to hold it together? And how will her family handle this? Is this swap really such a good idea?

Thank you to Meredith Schorr, NetGalley, and Henery Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

First of all, I'm not sure this is something I would have ever been able to do. To trade boyfriends at all, but with someone I don't even know. I'm not sure it would work out for me. It's been a while since I've read a book quite like this. It was cute and quirky and I can easily see this being made into a movie.

Robyn's Story
For Robyn, whenever she brings home a guy who is good to her, she has fun with, and is artsy like her parents, they let her know that he is not the right guy for her. She needs a guy with a steady job someone with a 401K and a savings account. Robyn and her boyfriend Perry have been together for almost a year, and they have a lot of fun together. But is he really, "The One"?
Bringing home Will is going to shock the hell out of her family. He was her childhood crush and now he's pretending to be her boyfriend. Will she be able to keep up the farce over the few days they spend with her family or will the secret be revealed before it's even started?

Sydney's Story
Sydney has to bring home a date for Christmas. If not her parents will try to set her up with some hideous guy she would never be interested in, but would be good for business. And she doesn't want to bring home Will. Will is a lawyer just like Sydney, and like Sydney's father. If she brings him home, all her father will do the entire time is try to recruit him to their law firm, and Sydney doesn't want to subject him to that. She also likes keeping her personal life to herself.
When Sydney brings Perry to the family dinner, she is surprised at how well her family likes him. This was not how she had planned this to go. And then when Perry deviates from her script, it makes things even worse. Will they be able to make it through the holiday without killing each other.

This book was a funny, romantic read that had me routing for one character to the end. This is the first book I have read by Meredith Schorr, but it won't be my last. I look forward to reading more of her books.

It has been my first book by author Meredith Schorr and it was pure entertainment from beginning to end. Much recommended and not only for the Holidays.

The two main characters are Robyn and Sidney, women in their late twenties & much put-upon by their parents when it comes to potential boyfriends to bring home for upcoming Christmas/Chrismukkah.

To escape pressurized holidays they hatch a plan -with determined, sharp Sidney in the lead and gentle, quirky Robyn tagging along-to swap boyfriends for those few days. It is brilliant as far as plans go, but plans of course have a tendency to go awry.

For one, Sidney's BF, Will, turns out to be Robyn's former high-school Crush-cum-Obsession, of which her family knows every detail and it causes no end of mortification to her.

Control-freak, ambitious Sidney does not seem to fare any better with happy-go-lucky, musical-star-wannabee Perry whom her upper-class, old-money parents & closer family take an unexpected shine to.

Things are very much threatening to crash upon the girls' heads and when they do, the events send them on a road to facing their wants & fears and finally resolving outstanding issues with their parents.

The main reason while the story works so well -while others of this genre do not- is because the author did a great job with the charaterisation not only of Robyn and Sidney, but also Will & Perry and the parents. I could guess the end of the story easily and yet never lost interest due to this. Great stuff.

My first read of Meredith Schorr. A predictable, yet charming tale of a holiday boyfriend exchange with likable characters you want to root for. Robyn and Sidney think that they're both perfectly happy with their respective boyfriends, Perry and Will. However, each fears the scrutiny which their families would place on their relationships over the upcoming Christmas holidays. A friend suggests that they switch boyfriends, as each sounds like what the other says they think will ease the pressures they presume they will face at holiday functions. Robyn finds the idea ludicrous but Sid runs with it and before they know it, they're each heading home for the holidays, only Perry with Sidney and Will with Robyn. The story, as mentioned, reaches a rather predictable conclusion but I found myself fully engaged in the story, wanting to find out how they reach said conclusion. A great read to pass a cold fall evening. Or, really, an anytime great read. I received a copy of this via NetGalley and have provided my honest opinion.

This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. The story flowed very well and was very enjoyable. This book will keep you reading long into the night and you will not want to put this book down until you finish. This was such a great read and full of surprises. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

The Boyfriend Swap is a cute but predictable romance. The books is well written with a good plot. I have not read this author's work before and I enjoyed her writing style. If you enjoy a quick and cute romance I recommend this book.

*Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

I have known Meredith Schorr for a really long time, but I have never read one of her books. When this one came up on Netgalley I requested it immediately. The title is fabulous and the blurb was very intriguing.

The story follows Robyn Lane and Sidney Bellows. It’s Christmas soon and it’s time to take the boyfriend to see the parents. However, Robyn always dated creative types and her parents never approved. Sidney on the other hand is with a lawyer and her parents really want that for her. She is not ready to get married tough.

A mutual friend suggests switching boyfriends for the holidays. First they laugh, but eventually they agree.

Robyn’s actor boyfriend Perry joins Sidney on her ride home and Sidney’s lawyer boyfriend Will joins Robyn. This is where it gets complicated, because Robyn and Will actually know each other from their childhood. Robyn had a huge crush on him back then, so everything comes back and her parents are very surprised.

Sidney and Perry don’t get along very well and the drama starts. Their lives are about to change.

I really enjoyed following Robyn and Will around. They had real chemistry from the start and their scenes were adorable. They way he was with her and just everything. LOVE.

I had difficulties warming up to Sidney and I couldn’t until the end. The same with Perry.

This is a great, funny, sweet and fresh rom-com, with Christmas elements and an engaging plot. The characters are very well lined out and it’s fab to follow them around. A light page-turner and I definitely can’t wait to read more books by this wonderful author.

Rating: 4.5/5

This book was truly a holiday escape! A quick romance that was difficult to put down once started! Looking forward to reading more from this author.

Fun romance. One knew how it would end, but it filled with fun getting there.

MY REVIEW OF "THE BOYFRIEND SWAP"  by Meredith Schorr
 
Can you imagine switching boyfriends for a Holiday weekend just to meet your parents? What do you think would happen? This is the premise for "The Boyfriend Swap" by Meredith Schorr.   The genres for "The Boyfriend Swap" are Fiction and Women's Fiction.

I appreciate the way Meredith Schorr weaves her entertaining tale. I found this to be delightful and at times humourous.

The colorful characters can be described as complicated, complex, quirky, and dysfunctional.  Robin is a music teacher, with many talents, and Sidney is a high -powered attorney working at her father's firm. Both dread the holidays, when they go home and bring a date or boyfriend. Both sets of parents are very different with unusual expectations set for their daughters. At a wine tasting party, and a little too much wine, Sidney and Robin agree to a "boyfriend swap" for the holiday weekend.

This is a predictable story with some twists and turns. I enjoyed this novel and found myself chuckling out loud many times. I would highly recommend this novel for readers who enjoy an easy read, and want a good feel story. I received  ARC from the Great Thoughts and Readers Ninja Group for my honest opinion.

Every book by Meredith Schorr has turned into a must-read for me. When she offered The Boyfriend Swap I knew that I wouldn’t be able to turn it down. Now that I am done with the book it is on my must-read list too.

When the plan was for hatched for the boyfriend swap I could see that there would be hiccups, fun, and hopefully some romance. I enjoyed seeing the traditions of Robyn and Sidney’s families. Their celebration of Christmas was a family experience and it was fun to see how different their families were. Robyn’s family seemed more my style, with the sing a longs, presents, and meals. I felt that I could relate to her more than Sidney’s high style, fancy, expensive celebrations. Yet, both families were fun and interesting.

As the story went on I found myself laughing, smiling, and thoroughly enjoying every page. The Boyfriend Swap is a book I’d definitely recommend picking up.

Thank you Meredith Schorr and NetGalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I was looking for something light and fun so I couldn't wait to start reading The Boyfriend Swap. I wasn't disappointed in the slightest I was either smiling away to myself or giggling at some of the situations Robyn and Sidney found themselves in. It's a minefield of mishaps that definitely brightened up my day even if it was down to quite a few embarassing moments for Robyn and Sydney.

Both Robyn and Sidney are great but they are completely different in their personalities so I thought this contrast worked very well. I guess if I had to pick a favourite character I found myself maybe enjoying Robyn's story a little more and I think it was mainly because of her childhood crush on Will as it gave the story an extra depth. Even though I pretty much knew that the boyfriend swap would be a disaster it was lots of fun seeing everything play out.

I ended up reading this book in one go just because I was having so much fun seeing what would happen next. It has laughs, romance and a gorgeous feel good vibe managing to cheer me up no end after a long day at work. I couldn't ask for more really!

Light hearted and feel good, a perfect festive story!

Four stars!

With thanks to Meredith Schorr for my copy via Netgalley. This is my honest and unbiased opinion.

Are you a "relationship of convenience" junkie? Then do yourself a favor and get a copy of The Boyfriend Swap by Meredith Schorr. This entertaining story takes place during the holiday season, and there are two couples in the staring role.

Robyn is an elementary school music teacher who is still in love with Will, her high school crush. Unbeknown to Robyn, Will just happens to be dating Robyn's roommate's boss. Robyn needs a date for the holiday festivities at her parent's house, and only a non-creative type will do. So bringing her present boyfriend, a very good-looking actor, is not an option.

Sydney is an attorney with her father's firm, and she has no desire to talk shop while decking the halls. So bringing her attorney boyfriend to the family Christmas gathering will only add fuel to the fire. Luckily her assistant has a solution, trade boyfriends in order to enjoy the holidays.

Feelings blossom between both of the new couples, which makes for an engaging story. This is primarily a clean read, with nicely developed characters and sexual tension.

Complimentary copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.