Thank you for the advanced copy of this book. My reviews can be read on my GoodReads account here: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1335387-kelly

I previously loved The Arrangement but this one fell into the average category for me. Low was a character who was fairly well developed but the relationship with Freya was over the top from the start. I didn't buy that they would have any sort of connection as Freya's character felt extremely superficial and stereotypical to me. The pace occasionally picked up but overall, I wasn't in any hurry to pick this up.

This was my first Robyn Harding book. It will not be my last. This book will keep you guessing. I recommend it to anyone looking for a wild ride!

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for the advanced e-reader copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

I love Robyn Harding and she once again does not disappoint with her newest novel, The Swap. Juicy, scandalous, compulsive read. What more could you want!

This was... Weird. The writing was terrific, fast paced and exciting. The story itself was strange and I didn't love it.

Low Morrison is suffering from a darker than average case of teenage angst. Low meets Freya, a former influencer who is new to their sleepy PNW island, and the pair begin an unlikely friendship… until Freya meets Jamie. Jamie is an amiable and age appropriate friend who slips seamlessly into Freya’s life, much to Low’s dismay. Low is immediately sidelined while Freya and Jamie form a tight bond that extends to their husbands. When a suggestion to switch partners for the night goes further than Jamie would have wanted, the dynamic shifts between marriages and friendships, while all the while Low lurks and feels her obsession with Freya growing stronger.

This was pretty nuts, but also managed to be good. I was interested in all three main women’s backstories. Low’s unusual home life and how that’s impacted her high school experience, Jamie’s struggles with infertility, and the dark reason why Freya and her husband had to step out of the spotlight. I don’t love characters that are just pure evil because I think that’s a cop out. However, there were enough complex characters in this book for me to enjoy. If you like trashy, soapy reads with an element of mystery, this one is for you!

Thank you Gallery Books, Netgalley, and Robyn Harding for this book in exchange for an honest review. This🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 star book is more than I expected. Kept you guessing and as usual with her writing, does not disappoint.

4.5 stars for me. It was a completely engaging thriller. The characters were so unlikeable and over the top that all I could do was obsessively flip the pages and see what they were going to do and, of course, silently judge them for their true horribleness. I breezed through this one in no time, and recommend it to those who want a wild ride!!

Low Morrison is a socially awkward teenager. Her family is less than conventional and Low is always afraid that others will find out. When Low first saw Freya she was awestruck. Something about Freya's tall, lanky frame and silky blonde hair just mesmerized Low. She jumped at the chance to take Freya's pottery class and doing so gave Low her first friend in many years. But then a new woman enters Freya's life. They struck up a friendship because Jamie owns a gift shop in town and is selling Freya's pottery. Low is jealous when she finds herself looking on the outside of their friendship. What Low doesn't know is that one night Freya and her husband had a wild night with Jamie and her husband. And the ramifications from that night will be long lasting. Will Low be able to step back into the top spot as Freya's best friend?

The Swap is one of those salacious books that you can't put down. From the minute the author introduced Low's family, I knew that I was going to be in for a ride. I was not sure what to think of Low. I think that she was mentally unbalanced, but not as batshit crazy as Freya. I really felt sorry for Jamie, who was normal but caught up in the crazy. Also caught up in the crazy was Max, Freya's husband. And Brian, Jamie's husband. Although I did not like either of them as much as Jamie. There were a lot of twists and turns through the whole book, but nothing as shocking as the final pages. - CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS.

Bottom Line - The Swap is the kind of psychological thriller that will keep you up late reading, but will embarrass you if you have to discuss it with your mother.

Details:
The Swap by Robyn Harding
On Twitter
Pages: 336
Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press
Publication Date: 6.23.2020
Buy it Here!
Thank you to NetGalley for the book in exchange for a review.

A night out w/new friends and drugs leads to serious complications in a couple's HEA!

This one was one heck of a wild ride! Freya looks like the kind of woman you strive to be, but what's that saying about not judging a book by it's cover?! Holy lunatic - she is the BFF from hell y'all! No one stands a chance against her evil manipulations - or do they???

This was an absolute page turner - I could not put this book down! Some of it might seem a bit unrealistic but honesty it was just so juicy, I didn't care in the least. I mean there's polygamy, drugs, spouse swapping, infidelity, murder, jealousy, toxic relationships, abuse, obsession, sexuality and I'm sure I'm probably not listing it all.

This book has some amazing, unlikable characters. You know what I mean - characters you just love to hate and can't get enough of! I mean these adults were behaving badly and the poor kids around them, I just wanted to whisk them away!

This book will give you all the icky, creepy vibes leaving you unable to turn the pages fast enough!

Yesss!!!! This book was everything! I loved it. I was hooked from the very beginning and I could not put the book down. I told all my friends and family about it as well. The perfect and my kind of thriller and suspense read I am always looking for

The Swap tells the story of two couples that swapped lovers for one night and a woman finds out she’s pregnant. The five main characters, Low, Freya, Max, Jamie, and Brian are all flawed immensely with lies, hate, anger, and jealousy filling them up to the breaking point.

This story unfolds slowly. I wasn’t sure where the author was going... was it about the swap? The pregnancy? The relationships? It was a bit confusing but the thrill of what was going to happen kept me reading.

I enjoyed delving into the characters and their reactions but I feel like this scenario was a bit over the top. Low's obsession was scary and Freya was so intense. I wasn't a fan of any of the characters, but the plot was interesting and held my attention.

Robyn Harding has quickly become one of my favorite authors, and her latest novel The Swap does not disappoint

From my blog: Always With a Book:

This is only the second book I've read by Robyn Harding and I seriously do not know why it took me so long to pick this one up or why I haven't read ALL her books yet. They are so good and so addicting. She is definitely going on my must-read list right now!

I knew going into this book what it was about and still it caught me off-guard...and I mean that in the best way possible. This book is about obsession and toxic relationships, and believe me when I say once you start reading this book, you are not going to be able to put it down. There is no good stopping point. It's like one big train wreck and you just cannot look the other way. But the best thing is that it's such an incredibly fast read that you can simply binge-read it in one afternoon/evening so don't worry.

I don't want to say too much about the plot because it's hard to say much without giving anything away, but I will say that this is the type of book where the characters are not necessarily likeable but you just need to find out what ultimately happens. You end up feeling bad for some of them and but they really are just not lovable.

If you love books that involve manipulation, drama, deceit and a ton of other crazy shenanigans, this book is for you! I love that Robyn Harding is not afraid to push the envelope and I cannot wait to read the rest of her books...soon!

I... like Robyn Harding well enough, I've read most everything she's written because the books are fast paced, easy reads, though not necessarily always inventive or creative. I wanted a lot more from a shrooms trip than whatever trainwreck happened here.

What do a beautiful yet bored former influencer, a retired NHL hockey player, college sweethearts, and a misunderstood high schooler have in common? They’re all unlikable, and they are all involved in this super dark no holds barred domestic suspense. On an island in the Pacific Northwest, a night of debauchery has far reaching consequences for two couples. This one has a ton of triggers in this including infertility, thoughts of suicide, abuse, gaslighting… yet somehow it works if you suspend your disbelief. Harding is great at writing popcorn thrillers, and while I enjoyed her book The Arrangement even more, I did race through this.

Thank you to Gallery Books for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Swap is a story full of screwed up relationships and even more screwed up people. The relationships are complicated, full of manipulation, and an extra messy love triangle.

Low was a lost girl, she was desperate for someone to feel close to and feel loved. She did not have a great home life, and Freya spotted her weaknesses and went in for the kill with her.

Freya was such an unreliable character, She was certifiable and definitely had some mental issues. I just could not like her, especially by the time she was a mother. That chick was crazy. But, I do feel like she was a believable amount of crazy.

I almost felt bad for Jamie, but I still didn't really like her. I did sympathize with her fertility struggles, and that she was taken advantage of by Freya. But I still just couldn't get over her attached and overlooking she was of Freya's awful behavior.

I did, however, feel bad for Max in all of it. I think he was manipulated and taken advantage of and just didn't have the self worth to walk away until it was too late.

That last 25% really took off in some directions that I was just not expecting. I really wasn't that crazy about the book, but it did redeem itself enough at that point for me to give it 3 stars.

The Swap by Robyn Harding
What a story, 2 couples have a harmless? night of mushrooms, drinking and swapping partners but is it really harmless?! This tale takes you on a ride where you won't see the ending coming. Not the fastest read but it does keep your interest. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this and give my honest opinion.

3.5 ⭐️

I was so invested in this story for the first 70%, but lost interest and set it aside for a couple of months. Personally, I was expecting a lot more “thriller” to a book that is categorized as a thriller. Nonetheless, I still really did enjoy the writing and the characters in the story.

Obsession. We've all experienced it in one way or another, some of us more than others. In Robin Hardings' latest thriller, she explores the power it holds over all of this.

A seemingly innocent decision of swapping partners for a night ends up turning the character's lives upside down. The story unfolds with an erotically driven plot and there are a few twists and turns, one of which I didn't see coming. It wasn't always easy for me to connect to or feel engrossed in the lives of the characters, but the plot is enough to propel the story forward.








Low Morrison is not your average teen. You could blame her hippie parents or her looming height or her dreary, isolated hometown on an island in the Pacific Northwest. But whatever the reason, Low just doesn’t fit in—and neither does Freya, an ethereal beauty and once-famous social media influencer who now owns the local pottery studio.

After signing up for a class, Low quickly falls under Freya’s spell. And Freya, buoyed by Low’s adoration, is compelled to share her darkest secrets and deepest desires. Finally, both feel a sense of belonging...that is, until Jamie walks through the studio door. Desperate for a baby, she and her husband have moved to the island hoping that the healthy environment will result in a pregnancy. Freya and Jamie become fast friends, as do their husbands, leaving Low alone once again.

Then one night, after a boozy dinner party, Freya suggests swapping partners. It should have been a harmless fling between consenting adults, one night of debauchery that they would put behind them, but instead, it upends their lives. And provides Low the perfect opportunity to unleash her growing resentment.

Robyn Harding brings her acclaimed storytelling, lauded as “fast-paced, thrilling, gut-wrenching” by Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & The Six, to this dark and suspenseful thriller for fans of Megan Miranda and Lisa Jewell.