Eeny meeny miny mo, these besauches are crazy, yo...

In a contest for most dysfunctional we have Freya, the narcissistic Instablogger, Jamie, who after several disappointing attempts to become a mother has been pushed to the edge, and Swallow or "Low", a gangly 17 year old high school student and budding photographer who obsesses over Freya endlessly all while trying to manage her polyamorous family.

I was completely absorbed by this story from the first sentence and barely set this book down until I finished. One drug induced night of bad decisions and no one's life will ever be the same.

This was masterful.

Thank you to Robyn Harding, Gallery Books and NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A spellbinding saga of female manipulation at its finest!!! Robyn Harding’s The Swap is out this June. Thanks, Gallery Books for the Complimentary Advanced Copy. (Short review to avoid spoilers but I really liked it!)

This was one gripping thriller! Filled with jealousy, revenge and plenty of drama. Low is not the average teenager. She is a loner, no friends, no hopes or dreams, living with her hippie parents. She meets Freya, beautiful, sexy, with a handsome husband and many followers as she is a media influencer. Low is attracted to Freya, mostly because she is everything Low is not and there is some sexual attraction there too. Low works a few hours in Jamie’s shop and with Jamie’s entrance comes the jealousy. Low wants an exclusive friendship with Freya but how far will she go to achieve it?
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was my first book from the author and man, was it a good first read! I love domestic thrillers! This is definitely unlike any I’ve ever read. If you like a book that keeps you on your toes, check this out! It comes out June 23rd!

Thank you @netgalley and @scoutpress for the ARC!

This is the second book I’ve read by Robyn Harding.
When I read “The Party”....I said the following at the start of my review....
“I might as well toss a coin! All ratings - thoughts - feelings - opinions - judgements could definitely unite together to chitchat this novel”. 1 star ratings - or 5 star ratings...Robyn Harding gives us books to CHAT ABOUT- to THINK ABOUT!

I DEFINITELY WANT TO DISCUSS THIS NOVEL WITH OTHER READERS!!!!!

BE CLEAR....I’m liking Robyn Harding VERY MUCH....
Her contemporary-life-issue-stories are like *addictive-superfoods* for my critically thinking-cerebral -brain! ( yet.... there were a couple of scenes I felt were totally ridiculous and unbelievable).
A few times our VERY INTERESTING characters were complete clueless jerks. Their stupidity was unreal.
Want me to share those scenes? Ha....too many spoilers would come flooding out of me if I did.

THIS BOOK CONTINUES TO ‘WEIGH HEAVY ON MY MIND....
AND....
I finished this novel couple of days ago......giving me more time to think about it ......almost obsessively competing for my attention with global update news on the coronavirus. ( with my own darn worries)

Tidbit thoughts - feelings - and excerpts: ( mixed in below)
FIRST....
.....Something to ponder: ( something ‘I’m’ pondering):
Would you be more concerned about your teenage daughter, (recently turned 18), hanging out with a married woman twice her age?—
or....
more concerned from potential problems (you yourself created), from raising your children in a household with multiple parents in an openly-known free-love-polyamorous-family - (children glimpsing home births of their younger siblings, to boot)?....
Would the multiple parents be hypocrites if they didn’t want their 18 year old daughter to get mixed up with the type of relationship they themselves were living?
How do loving responsible adults raise their kids to be moral responsible adults - when choosing a lifestyle that is not fully accepted by the majority of people?
And what are the risks & repercussions - TO THEM- if any - from children growing up in an alternative free-love-non-monogamous-environment? How are the children affected?

I know people who have raised children in these alternative type families. I ‘have’ wondered about the well being of the kids. Not saying it doesn’t work - just not sure it does, either. I know couples who engage in adult consented swinging - and poly relationships but their children don’t have a clue. (preferring to keep their adult sexual activities away from growing children).
Which is the better choice? To be honest with their kids - or not? Truthfully- I think it’s a delicate subject - and bless those who are successful at these types of families involving growing children.

ENOUGH PONDERING...moving on...
This novel gives us much to chew on
ONE OF THE BIGGEST MORALS OF THIS BOOK....
Ha....as in ‘duh’....
***If YOU ARE GOING TO WIFE SWAP, USE CONDOMS***

Back to our story ( or rather just getting started?/!
....Freya, Max, Jamie, and Brian
had shared an evening of the mushrooms and a couples’ swap.

.... Jamie and Brian weren’t handling their evening of promiscuous non-monogamous social activity very well.
It wasn’t the first time jealousies, guilt, and insecurities, had created tension and resentment, between them.
Brian blamed Jamie for being the instigator of the ‘couples’ swap’—and she blamed him for ruining her friendship with Freya.
Their marriage was at risk.

....Low’s friendship with Freya was odd, complexed, profound, and eternal.
At age 17, Low’s sexuality remained undefined. She had on occasions, had questions and both boys and girls.
.... “I might have been biromantic asexual. Or maybe I was a bisexual late bloomer”.
There is no pressure to label herself. She was raised in a progressive community, in an unconventional family.
She was taught to have an open mind. Her middle-aged polyamorous parents led by example.
Her parents consented shenanigans worked for everyone but Low.
The other people, sex partners, were considerate of everybody’s feelings…warm and affectionate to the kids.

....It wasn’t uncommon for couples to swap partners on the island. “Hawking Shuffle, or the island way”.

....Some people in the community called Low’s family freaky free love hippies. But Low’s parents were not ashamed of who they were.

....At home, Low felt like an afterthought. At school, she was a pariah. At Freya’s pottery studio, she was everything.
Best friend, parent, and crush all wrapped up in one worldly glamorous package.

....Freya was much older than Low— but she felt close to her. She had been lonely and depressed in this small town. She missed living in New York City. But, Low came along.....and Freya felt lighter and happier.

....Low’s romantic feelings may have been ambiguous, but the first time she saw Max, Freya’s tall, fit, handsome masculine husband, she was decidedly hetero..with sexual arousal feelings brewing.
As the story unfolds....Low’s lustful desires evolved. Not sure her maturity evolves....but an obsession towards Freya grows deeper.

.... Jamie Vincent owned a gift store in town. Retail was new to her, and she opened her shop during the fall when the tourist season was down. moving to the island was supposed to be a fresh start… leaving behind a stressful career in marketing.
Her husband Brian, had recently sold a series of young adult novels and was eager to leave his teaching job and write full-time.
Jamie and Brian were just getting over a major loss -
Jamie knew she needed counseling.... but moving and starting a new life seemed more important.
Jamie thought that once she got settled in Hawking, she would seek out mental health services— but there wasn’t a lot to be found in the small town where everyone knew each other.
Freya walked into Jamie’s shop one day - lifting Jamie out of her depressed funk.....
and a friendship began.

On again - off again friendships.....
....Freya and Low ( the tall teenager)
....Freya and Jamie ( same age friend)
....Low ( short for Swallow), and Jamie were both competing for Freya’s friendship
....crazy complex friendships - disrespect for boundaries - betrayals - jealousies- conniving backstabbing relationships rise to the surface.

....Freya and her husband Max both had a scandalous history before they even came to the island.
....Max Beausoleil was a once famous NHL hockey player - ( you’ll learn why he was asked to leave the team and wonder how it affects his marriage and future life)
....Freya always loved to be adored. She craved it. She was beautiful and effervescent- and once a social media celebrity and influencer...before moving to the island with her husband, Max
She could also be a manipulative, selfish, and wicked human being

.....FANTASTIC CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT (doesn’t mean these characters are people you’d ever want to be friends with)

....POTENTIALLY GREAT PLOT.....but in my opinion .....there were too many added ingredients - competing for flavor-highlights from each other.

....A couple of OBVIOUS scenes that just were NOT AT ALL BELIEVABLE....
For example.... I could never see an adult married man asking a 17 year old girl if she thought his eight-month pregnant wife was ready to have a baby. Really? The stupidity of the question was just silly!
There were a few times ( mostly all taking place in the last part of the novel)....that just became absurd —-
THAT SAID.....
THE DELICIOUSNESS & ABSURDITIES combined were page turning addictive.

Crappy silly ending ( where was the editor?)....I would have gladly helped Robyn with a better ending....lol ( I know, I’m full of beeswax)....
BUT.....THE BEST THING GOING FOR THIS BOOK????
.....It was a HUGE SUCCESS in taking my mind off of scary - frightening- worried concerns during these coronavirus unsettling days!
Sooo many books I keep dropping- I can’t seem to focus as easily with every book put in front of me since this global horrific virus outbreak....
But “The Swap” did the trick....

I yelled at the characters, “JERKS”....OUT LOUD, *JERKS*.....but, I was involved - FULLY ENGAGED AND HOOKED.....judging and evaluating like a naughty- happy- critical reader....
Oh.....it was maddeningly at times.....BUT.....heavenly!!!

GREAT DISCUSSION PICK...

Thank you to Netgalley, Gallery Books, and Robyn Harding ( wishing everyone well - healthy - and safe)

Honest question - if given the opportunity, would you spouse swap with your friend?! I know this happens a LOT and the swinger/sex cult societies are prevalent, but honestly ... this blows my mind! And what happens when it all starts spiralling out of control and it severely impacts the future of your friendship(s) and marriages! Not sure one night of fun (consensual or not - you'll need to read to see why I mentioned this) is worth all that risk.

Robyn has.done.it.AGAIN! I honestly don't know how authors can continue to churn out AMAZING books that get better each time, but she never disappoints. I've been a Harding fan for a while now and it never ceases to amaze me how she creates the most unique story lines that are so detailed, well written and extremely anxiety inducing! She also makes me super grateful that I don't lead the lives of her main characters because, as a reader, I feel like guzzling a bottle of wine just to dull my senses (in the best way possible).

I really appreciated how Harding constructed each of the 3 main female characters - they all had flaws, struggled with mental illness (whether it was their upbringing, decisions they made the past, who they married or their inability to achieve their goals) and the raw disappoint of not being accepted by others for their true selves. What I also enjoyed is the fact that for once, the female is written as the physically abusive one in a story. Without giving away too much of the plot - while this topic is sensitive - it felt like a breath of fresh air as males are typically written this way, It was interesting to see how Max dealt with Freya's physical and verbal attacks. I really felt terrible for him the second half of the book when her true colors were revealed.

And let me just say ... what a GENIUS (I mean, GENIUS) "method of death" in this one. It packs a PUNCH and it is so ironically fitting that you must read for that if nothing else.

Thank you, Robyn and Netgalley for this stunner. A must read psychological thriller from me!

Very interesting premise. Especially with the rise of social media and seeing how what people appear like, isn't always how they are in real life.

Definitely not my usual genre',but once started,couldn't put it
down.
The story takes place in a small,town that is mostly supported by tourists in the summer.
Two young couples find their way there, to start their lives over.
One was trying to leave a terrible tragedy behind.
They became friends and eventually swapped partners for one evening.
The one woman who didn't want to become a mother at all,became pregnant.
The other woman was full of envy,because she desperately wanted a child.
And unbeknownst to them,someone else was there that night and saw it all.
For a lonely.teenager like Low,who had no friends and was involved with both women,one more than the other,this was a desperate time for her.
This story is full of twists and turns and a very satisfactory read.
Thank you to Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review and to Robyn Harding for writing such an enjoyable book.

This was an excellent drama/thriller that kept me on my toes the whole time. Exquisite character development and tons of surprises make it an entertaining and insightful read.

5 stars! A former social media star and her professional hockey player husband “swap” partners for a night with Jamie and Brian— an average middle class couple. What could or go wrong? Then there’s Low the introvert with no friends but an interest in art and photography. A fast read with enough tension, twists, and turns. Highly recommend! Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a wildly disturbing psychological book. From Low and Jaimie obsession with Freya to Freya abuse of her own husband, it touched all tenets of abuse. Well written but very hard to read as beautiful was simply a facade for emotionally detached.

Robyn Harding loves to write twisty, dark, domestic suspense stories about taboo subjects. The themes highlight her character's forbidden indulgences, and makes you feel slightly naughty for reading about them. This book, The Swap, is about spouse-swapping, and the devastation that it causes is as awful and squirm-inducing as you'd expect it to be.

All of the characters are unlikeable and I despised all of them, but the story is un-put-downable... which is why it's a fantastic book. All of them made very bad decisions and there were so many times that I thought, "No! You DIDN'T JUST DO THAT." or "Why do you let her treat you like that!?"

The most vile character of them all is Freya, who manipulates everyone as a pawn in the game that's in her head. She uses everyone in her life to her advantage. She is superficial, selfish, conceited, and exerts devious influence especially for her own advantage.

This book is about sociopaths, narcissists, betrayal, grief, toxic friendships, motherhood, voyeurism, obsession, stalking, polyamory, self-esteem, loneliness, and marriage. It's twisty, unpredictable, and the ending caught me by surprise. This is my favorite of Robyn Harding's books so far, and one of the best domestic suspense stories that I've read in a while. I highly recommend it.

I've been wanting to read one of Robyn Harding's books for a while now and I am so happy I started with this one. The story line was interesting and the characters were unlikable yet also fascinating. I really couldn't put the book down because I HAD to see how it ended. I thought the ending was well done although a bit predictable. I am looking forward to reading another of Ms. Harding's books.

I definitely loved this book. It was true to the Robyn Harding form of catching you right off the bat. Nothing was ever out of reach and I was completely captured by the dynamics of Low, Freya, and Jamie. Well done!

I found this book disturbing on several levels but mostly because I can actually see this happening. Obsession is the name of the game and no one is safe when it’s a outcast teenage girl who happens to have the obsessive stalker gene. No one is innocent in this novel and that’s what makes it such a good read. Is it love, lust, or obsession - read The Swap if you want to find out. Trust me, you will thoroughly enjoy it.

I found The Swap to be a good read, but nothing special. The concept was interesting, but the characters were unlikeable and several lacked the background that I think was needed to explain some of their actions and motivations. The drama and fast-paced plot kept me reading, which makes this a 3 star read for me.

Another rock solid, fast paced read from Robyn Harding! I loved last years Arrangement and this one blew me away! I couldn’t believe what I was reading. I’m still reeling wondering how Low- a high school graduate could get so wrapped up in this lifestyle. And that baby! I’m still wondering who the real father is?
Make sure to put this on your June TBR. Thanks to Netgalley for my advanced ebook copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Swap.

The cover is great so I was pleased when my request was approved. This is my first book by the author so I went into it with an open mind.

Low Morrison is a teenage senior and a lowly outcast in her small, provincial island town. When she meets the beautiful, charismatic Freya, she develops a serious girl crush and is determined to remain Freya's BFF, despite their significant age difference.

When Jamie and her author husband move into town, she usurps Low's position as Freya's BFF, but the teen is not going down without a fight.

First, the premise is a typical domestic thriller tinged with Lifetime-y elements; Freya suggests swapping husbands during a night of ingesting psychedelic mushrooms. Naturally, bad things happen as a result.

This is a book filled with typical domestic plot devices and cliche characters readers will know they've read elsewhere; Freya is stunning and a former Instagram influencer, naturally, her husband is a former hockey star, also supremely hot; Jamie isn't so bad either, and her husband is a reliable, dependable dude (also not ugly from when Jamie references him).

The premise forces you to suspend disbelief (Does ingesting mushrooms make you cheat?) and I gave the author the benefit of the doubt and allowed myself to believe, but then it just became too much.

There were too many coincidences, like how Low insinuates herself into Freya's life again (how serendipitous that she's so good with a camera), and the police force is so dumb.

The various switching from POV to POV also didn't help, the sudden shift from Jamie to Freya and to one of their spouses was unnecessary and distracting. Shifting perspectives isn't easy and is rarely done well in a book, regardless of length.

Character development was minimal, it could have been better, but even if it was, I wouldn't have cared for anyone.

The ending was abrupt, though I expected something like that would occur, but there was no exposition or context as to Freya calamitous outburst. Has she always been unhinged? I get hints of sociopathy but most sociopaths are quite clever and cunning, and Freya is anything but. Is she just a spoiled brat?

The premise quickly became too Lifetime-y for me but some readers would enjoy the soap opera dramatics.

The Swap is set in the Pacific Northwest on a small island called Hawking, where loner Low Morrison is in her last year of high school. However, when gorgeous Freya, Instagram influencer and wife of a former pro hockey player, comes to town offering pottery classes, Low’s life begins to change.
Soon, though, Freya’s friendship with shop owner Jamie Vincent brings out Low’s jealousy, and Freya tries to mitigate this by getting Low a job in Jamie’s shop.
This sets the stage for “the swap”: an evening where Jamie ends up with Freya’s husband, Max, and Freya ends up with Jamie’s husband, Ben. The fallout from this swap leads to a twisty second half filled with events ranking on a believability scale level of “National Enquirer.”
I’m ambivalent about the crafting of this book. I don’t like the shifting POV’s in this. Also, there were at least five or six references to expressions with “furrowed” and/or “brows”—I kept thinking that for folks who were shtupping all the time, they sure looked worried.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review; many thanks to NetGalley, Scout Press/Simon & Schuster, and Robyn Harding.

Mark my words, this will be the juiciest read of the summer! It has people behaving badly, sex, lies, betrayal and deceit, doesn’t that just sound like the perfect summer read?! I was lucky enough to read this poolside a few weeks ago and I hope by the time this is out this summer you all will able to enjoy it the same way that I did because you almost have to read this by the water, it’s a must haha.

This is full of the type of characters that I love to hate, people making questionable decisions is something that always fascinates me and there’s plenty of that here. Multiple viewpoints, a scandalous plot and great writing made this one hell of an addictive read. There were definitely lots of surprises that shocked me and and was just overall a really entertaining read.