I loved Flatshare and I loved this new of O'Leary. It's a grandmother and granddaughter life switch, which I thought was an interesting idea. It's very cute and uplifting. I'd recommend to anyone!

Thanks a lot to the publisher nad NG for this copy.

Beth O'Leary's second novel, 'The Switch', revolves around two protagonists, Leena, a London-based management consultant, and her grandmother, Eileen, who lives in a rural village in the Yorkshire Dales. Through the dual narrative structure, we follow their lives over the course of two months, after they decided to swap places and live in each other's shoes, in the hopes of coming to term with the recent death of Leena's sister, Carla. Leena busies herself trying to fulfill all of the important tasks her grandmother does on a daily basis around the village, whilst Eileen tries to get to grips with the world of online dating after her husband ran off with a dancer instructor.

Both Leena and Eileen are witty, honest, and inspirational characters in their own little ways. We see them struggling to deal with their grief in different ways: Leena buries herself in her work and tries to keep her mind focused on her tasks, whilst Eileen is determined to live out the life she could have had as a younger woman, by moving to London and looking for possible suitors. These coping methods help to ease their burden to varying extents, as Leena soon realises that the only way she can come to terms with her sister's death and rebuild her relationship with her mother is to be open with her emotions. I loved how honest O'Leary's portrayal of grief is throughout the novel, and illustrates that grieving is a process which may never truly end.

The two central characters were also supported by a whole host of quirky, unique and lovable secondary characters, including a range of elderly villagers and Leena's London flatmates, Fitz and Martha. These characters represented the breadth of variation within two different communities, and the ways in which we accept people who may differ to us in order to form meaningful and lasting relationships. The relationship dynamic between Fitz and Eileen, possibly the most unlikely of double acts, was incredibly entertaining and heartwarming. Their determination to set up a social club for isolated elderly people around London demonstrates the importance of community spirit, and reaching out to those who may be less fortunate than ourselves. 

My only slight qualm with the novel is that the storyline is a little predictable at times, in keeping with the Contemporary Romance genre, although the host of characters was so strong that this did little to hinder my overall enjoyment of the story.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank Netgalley, Quercus Books and Beth O'Leary for sending me a proof copy of 'The Switch' (to be published 16 April 2020) in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved this book, it was such an amzing read! I have found myself a new favourite. This book took me by surprise by being much deeper and emotional than I ever imagined. This book had me laughing, crying and awwing, I certainly had a lot of emotions. This was such a sweet story mostly about family and community spirit which was just so nice. I thought it was a romance and while it does have romance at its center it is far from being the most important thing.

What I love most about this book is the characters, they are so realistic that they felt like people you knew. You could feel their emotions and not just the two main characters. I also found myself recognising people I knew within the characters. Eileen was a great representation of a 79 year old women who still has so much life left in her! I actually loved this representation of the elderly, Its not often you find a book were one of the main characters is older. Most of the time any romance in a book is between two young people. This was such a refreshing change and I loved it. Eileen was a fiesty woman who really brings everyone together. I liked Leena less but mostly because of how she treated her mum. But I still felt a connection to her due to the fact that she lost her sister to cancer and I lost my brother so I did understand a lot of what they all went through.

When they swap they both change and both tackle new things and it was interesting to see them get involved in the others lives and interact with all the people from these lives. I liked the friendships that were formed and it does go the show that old and young people can become good friends. I think they both get what they needed out of the experience and it ends well.

Overall a great book with such a sweet story, did have me crying at times but also laughing which I have to say is a good mix! I'd highly recommend this book!

I was huge fan of The Flatshare so was delighted to read this much anticipated second book from Beth O'Leary. I loved this story about a granddaughter and her grandmother who swap lives, from a Yorkshire village to the bright lights of London. I will be recommending this book to all my friends, thanks NetGalley!

LOVE LOVE LOVED this book. Eileen and Leena are so thoroughly likeable and I was invested in both their journeys. I have read some ‘heavy’ books so far this year and The Switch was the exact antidote I needed. Warm, witty, charming, clever and beautifully written. I will look forward to the author’s next book. Highly recommend.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC :)

It took me a lot longer to get into this book than O'Leary's first but I'm glad I persevered as I did get drawn in and was rooting for all of the characters. It was nice to see positive older characters in the book, leading normal lives & having as much fun (if not more) than the 20 somethings!

Hmmm....I really wanted this book to be as good as the flat share but it just didnt do it for me. It was a good read but I thought that there was something missing. I loved the characters, eileen and leena are the best but it didnt have that wow oh my god factor. Eileen and her granddaughter decide to swap lives to try & find love & for leena to take time off but it doesnt go as planned as they thought. A few wee twists and turns but not enough for me to get hooked and wanting more. I'm sure others will love this

Oh my word!! How does she do it?! Another absolute masterpiece by Beth O’Leary!! “The Switch” is absolutely brilliant and I loved it so, so soooooo much!!!⠀
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One of my favourite things about this book is that there is such a beautifully strong sense of community spirit throughout the story and it is truly heartwarming. If more people were like Eileen, I think the world would be a magnificent place.⠀
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Both Eileen and Leena are extraordinary women, and my gosh, would I love an Eileen in my life. She’d certainly get me thinking “what would Eileen Cotton do?” They are both completely endearing characters and I instantly came to adore them, and the relationship that they have with one another is beautiful.⠀
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The book is beautifully written and switched narratives between Eileen and Leena which kept the book flowing wonderfully.⠀
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A complete triumph and I urge everyone to buy it when it is released on 16th April. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me!!

Leena Cotton can’t manage to talk to her mum without shouting at her, she is so angry at her that she is just avoiding her now. She’s so stressed she completely melts down during an important presentation at work and is forced to take a two-month break. Her grandmother Eileen is looking for love but it’s a small pool in her small village in the middle of the Yorkshire Dales. Leena suggests they swop lives for a couple of months, so Eileen has a chance for an adventure and perhaps find love. Leena gets into village life and finds her talents can be used to step into her grandmother’s shoes whilst Eileen finds her talents go down well in the big city. A fantastic story about transferable skills and never giving up. I loved every minute of it. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this story. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved this book! I really enjoyed the authors previous book and was worried this one wouldn’t live up to it; however, it was a great read. Entertaining and thought provoking.

The writing style was great, it was descriptive without edging into being boring. The chapters flowed well and the story moved at a good speed.

Thank you NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book 📚

I was extremely nervous going into this book. I absolutely adored The Flatshare, which was one of my most anticipated reads of last year. I knew this book was going to be a lot different and at first I felt on the edge by the synopsis however, I trusted Beth O’Leary to produce an amazing book and she did not prove me wrong.

I became so emotionally invested in the characters in this book and was honestly gutted when I had reached the end, as I honestly found myself unable to put it down! Beth O’Leary has this amazing way of writing characters that are so relatable and ones that you wish were a part of your everyday life.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the way it shows that you have the power to change your life no matter your age. This is a book about finding yourself. It’s about taking a step back and evaluating your day to day life and wondering if you are truly happy in life.

The Switch is a book I didn’t know I needed in my life. It is such an uplifting, and beautiful book that I recommend giving a read!

I cannot wait to see what Beth O’Leary writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Beth O'Leary's The Flatshare was a sure fire winner ,not just a Rom Com but it dealt with a serious issue of wrongful arrest.
I had high hopes for The Switch, a premise not a million miles away from the author's debut. Although it did had an element of a serious issue (controlling behaviour and grief) it didn't catch fire. Too predictable and alot of cliche happenings.
A disappointment.

This was an absolute delight. The parallel stories of grandmother and granddaughter were equally charming, and I was rooting for them both to get their man. The Flat Share was always going to be a hard act to follow, but this absolutely does it proud. Will be recommending to all and sundry.

This is the second book by Beth O'Leary that I have tried to read.
The Flatshare i fought my way through despite not enjoying it and now at 18% of The Switch I'm going to give up.

The author's style of writing is fine and the story is ok - it just isn't catching my attention / imagination

*4.5 stars rounded up*

O'Leary writes such incredible characters, that I feel as though I could pop round and have a brew with any one of them. Her books, especially the note they end on, make me feel so uplifted, fuzzy and hopeful and I'd bottle that feeling if I could!

We follow grandmother and granddaughter duo, Eileen and Leena, as they both realise they're stuck in life ruts for various reasons. After a workplace disaster on Leena's part, the pair decide to switch lives for two months: Eileen moves into Leena's busy London life, and Leena moves into her grandma's house, back to her Yorkshire hometown

O'Leary is incredible at capturing a character's voice and keeping each perspective so distinct. I never got confused as to whose perspective we were in because they spoke and thought so like themselves

I also really enjoyed that this book was partially set in Yorkshire, with northern protagonists. As a northerner I always appreciate a northern setting and character. I also loved that this focussed on familial love and connections; there was romance at the forefront as well but the main focus was family

I like that both this book and The Flatshare are light enjoyable contemporaries, but do also deal with darker topics that a lot of people have real-life experience with. She combines the two themes so perfectly

TW: grief, familial death, cancer, mention of domestic abuse

The first three our so chapters were slow i nearly gave up reading but then i got hooked and couldn't put it down. Truly loved the characters and adventures.

Highly recommend!

Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Leena and her grandmother Eileen are both fed up. Leena's been forced to take two weeks off work and Eileen is missing a sense of adventure after her husband left. So they decide to switch lives for two weeks. What could go wrong?

After reading The Flatshare, I was worried I wouldn't love The Switch as much but boy was I wrong. This was such a heartwarming novel that I sped through in days.

I adored THE FLATSHARE so downloading THE SWITCH, whilst obvious, was also a worry as I loved her first so much. Also having read, watched this trope until it’s been overdone like a cooked goose I was, to say the least, worried. However O’Leary’s take of Leena swapping with her gran was the proverbial breath of fresh air needed to swat images of Hayley Mills and Tom Hanks off the page. Another feelgood fantastic read.

Having loved The Flatshare, so I was looking forward to reading Beth O'Leary's second book, The Switch. I wasn't disappointed and thoroughly enjoyed reading this well written, amusing story. The story flows well and is easy to get into and once I had I didn't want to put it down.

The characters are great, genuinely relatable and loveable. Covering three generations of women, it was so nice to have well written older women, who aren't stereotypical t read about. I loved Eileen, she is so feisty and not letting turning eighty stop her, she made me chuckle. Leena was lovely, kind, confused and needing to forget her life straightened out. Their selection of friends of both ages are brilliant, wacky and funny and make this story very readable.

I would highly recommend this story, it's just what you want to curl up with and lose yourself in.

Beth O'Leary's debut, The Flatshare, was THE rom-com hit of 2019. At one point, it seemed like everyone on Goodreads and social media was reading - and loving - it. And with good reason too, as it was a delightful book with charming romantic leads, which tackled some difficult subjects with ease. So I was excited to read the follow-up, The Switch, which focuses on 70-something Eileen and her granddaughter Leena, both of whom are struggling in the aftermath of losing Leena's sister to cancer and so decide to switch homes and lives for two months. This set-up is a well-trodden one in the world of movie romcoms (think The Holiday or Freaky Friday) and survives the translation to page remarkably well. And although it didn't hold my attention throughout, that's more to do with this genre being outside my usual reading habits than any flaws in the writing.