Loved this book. The audio was great, the voices very well done. I like that even though Lena is suffering from grief she isn't portrayed as being weak or easily intimidated, or wallowing in self pity. I love her grandmother! She's spunky and full of life. The 'switch' is such a fun concept that's very realistic and results in fun escapades. It has sadness without being depressing, romance without being cheesy, and plenty of self growth, healing, and finding family in unexpected places. It's also a great reminder to really live in the place that you live, reach out to those around you, and know your neighbors.

What an absolutely charming book! I loved every moment of this story. I particularly loved Eileen's POV chapters. She is so sweet, nosy, and laugh out loud funny. (Seriously, I was laughing out loud in public while listening and walking my dog every morning.) Beth O'Leary wrote all of the village residents with such humor and the dialogue just perfectly captured their relationships with each other. There are some sad aspects to the storyline, such as the loss of a sibling and a break-up, but it is woven in with the adventures of Leena and Eileen so it is an overall light-hearted, fun read.

The production value of this audiobook was top notch. I enjoy audiobooks that have two narrators, but this production went above and beyond by including a voice filter to make it sound like characters were actually speaking to each other on the phone. Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones are amazing voice actors. The emotion and natural pauses in their narration are what tipped this rating up to 5 stars.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for access to the free audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

I’m not that big into audiobooks, but every once in a while I listen to one that I absolutely love and for me that was The Switch. The narrators were amazing and brought so much to the story.

The Switch was the perfect kind of book for a rainy day. It was very cozy. I loved the characters and the small town setting. I loved the writing. I think what I loved most was how this book made me feel. It’s about second chances, and it never being to late to change your life.

The Switch is one of my favorite books that I read this year. I highly recommended it.

Eileen Cotton and her granddaughter, Lena Cotton, decide to switch living spaces for a little while. There are great characters and some really good laughs throughout. I listened to the book on audio though and did not care for the narrators, which sort of ruined the book for me. I don't really care for audiobooks where you hear the narrators take deep breaths all the time (kind of like in the Elton John book). Starred reviews from Booklist and Kirkus. I suspect this one would work better if one read it, instead of listening to it. This was the first audiobook I listened to from Netgalley and I really appreciate that they are providing this option now!

I've recently enjoyed some of these fun, summery romances and this one sounded cute, so though it's my first experience with this author, I thought that I would give it a try! The premise is cute - Leena, named for her grandmother, Eileen, is still reeling after the death of her sister. When her consulting firm forces her to take some time off, she soon hatches a plan with her grandmother. Eileen had always wanted to live in London, and so the two swap lives for the duration. Leena agrees to take on her grandmother's responsibilities in her small village and Eileen, newly single, looks forward to meeting eligible London men.

Unfortunately, I just never found myself enjoying this one quite as much as I had hoped to... it moves a bit slowly and the projects that each woman takes on never really captured my interest very much. It's a cute enough story - though I was surprised to find myself enjoying Eileen's half of it more than Leena's - but nothing unpredictable at all ever happens.

The two audio performers do a good job - and I especially enjoyed the voice of Eileen. I am glad that there were two performers, and while I never disliked this one, I just never felt all that driven to keep listening to it at every opportunity.

I'm going to rate this 4 stars even though I could only get through 1/4 of the book.

Not sure why, but the audio version was not working for me. It sounded muffled, like a robot, and was hard to listen on speed 2 and just way too slow at a slower speed.

I'm not going to give up on this though and will read the physical book because I'm very curious how this turns out. But audiobook was a no for me. Unless I got a bad copy somehow (not sure that's possible, but maybe?) it just didn't work for me.

This was such a charming, heartfilled book that talks about grief, finding yourself and friendship. I absolutely loved the duel perspectives of this audiobook. This book reminded me so much of the movie The Holiday, which is one of my favorite movies ever!

This book is about a twenty-nine year old workaholic named Leena and her seventy-nine year old grandmother switching lives for two weeks after Leena is made to go on a two week sabbatical from her job. Leena is forced back into her home town and her old life after her sister's death. Eileen makes home in Leena's town and quickly learns about online dating and makes friend easily.

My favorite chapters were by far Eileen's chapters. I haven't laughed out loud while reading a book in a really long time. I love that this book focused on Eileen's love life just as much as Leena's love life. It was such a great read about a family that is grieving, but also finding a way to rekindle their love for each other as well. I also loved that this book has two different types of romances: an enemies to lovers and a second-chance romance. Such a good read! Highly recommend!!

Thank you, Libro.fm, NetGalley, and MacMillian Audio for an ALC of this book!

Every once in a while a book comes along that is just the salve you needed. The Switch, by Beth O'Leary, is one such book. As a big fan of O'Leary's book, The Flatshare, I was eager to read The Switch and it did not disappoint.

This story chronicles grandmother (Eileen) and her grown granddaughter (Leena) as they "swap lives"...Eileen to Leena's life in London, and Leena to her grandmother's life in tiny Yorkshire village. The result is a charming and endearing story of two women facing new challenges, new loves, and unlikely friendships.

Unlike The Flatshare, I would say The Switch is less of a romantic comedy, and more of a family story focusing on two strong women gaining their confidence back in different areas. In addition, it touches on grief and how the loss of a family member truly can change the trajectory of a life, especially when no one is really ready to face their true feelings.

If you are looking for an easy and entertaining read/listen, definitely pick up The Switch. The narrator's performance is spot on and adds so much to the story as well!

<i>arc provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review</i>

I’m going to start off this review with saying how much I loved both narrators! They both did such an amazing job and I am so thankful that I was able to listen to this audiobook via netgalley! I highly recommend going the audiobook route with this book!

As for the story, this was another book that I had no idea what it was about beyond knowing my love for Beth O’Leary’s writing. They really know how to write such wonderful characters that feel so so real.

This story was laced with grief, romance and family and I really enjoyed every aspect of it. This had me giggling one moment and crying the next. I also really enjoyed that this story was about our two main characters rediscovering themselves and that romance was not the main focus of this book at all.

I will warn you though that if you’re sensitive to stories about cancer and losing someone to it, I wouldn’t recommend reading this as that is a major point in both character’s lives.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time with this book. The characters had so much dimension and voice and I adored both of them so much. I highly recommend this if you’re looking for a story about family, love and life and how these characters navigate it as they are both in completely different parts of life.

3.5/5 🌟

For the audiobook narration, I did notice some inconsistencies with the phone dialogue. Sometimes the person on the other line had a filter over their voice (as if you were listening to them through a phone), but sometimes they didn't. Other than that, I enjoyed it and didn't have any issues with the narrators.

The main reason why I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would is because there was a lot less romance than I expected. I think fans of The Flatshare may be disappointed in this book like I was bc of that fact. The plot was just okay, but I just wanted so much more out of this book. I will say that I enjoyed Eileen's POV quite a bit, but Leena's bored me a lot. I almost DNF'd this several times because of Leena.

**Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review**

This is a cute British rom-com that is similar to the movie, The Holiday, except the “switch” is between Leena and her grandmother, Eileen. After Leena is forced to take time off from her job in London (side note- the whole time I was just thinking about how it would be a DREAM for someone to force me to take a 2 month holiday from work), she visits her grandmother in her quaint village town. Eileen is looking for love, but there are no eligible men in her town, so the two make a plan to trade places for a couple of months. This love story is very predictable, as one should expect from a cute British rom-com, but it also touches on themes of grief and the impact of grief on family relationships. While I enjoyed this lighthearted, endearing story, I never quite connected with the characters or was completely immersed. The star of this show for me was the narrator of the audiobook who did a fantastic job!

This review is of the audiobook although I'm sure the hard copy is almost as good. I loved Alison Steadman's role but Daisy Edgar-Jones grated on me a bit.
I really enjoyed the author's previous book, The Flatshare. This one, The Switch, was at times highly predictable but offered laughs and even suspense along the way. The essence of the book reminded me of Fried Green Tomatoes types who are "older and have better insurance". A fun book!

The switch is really a fun book to read. I would compare it to a Sophie Kinsella novel. The grandmother is a delight and her antics are quite entertaining.

A good audio book. I enjoyed the narrator and appreciated the English accent as the setting was also in England. If readers liked the authors previous book, they will like this one.

Beth O'Leary has absolutely become an auto-buy author for me. Her writing tackles authentic issues in a way that feels natural. Her pacing is excellent and she always tugs at my heart strings. I loved the relationships shown in this gem of a book & the way each character was fleshed out. I loved the story, plain and simple.

My only struggles were with the audio portion of this book. Neither have anything to do with the content of this book. First, the netgalley audio player is glitchy and frustrating. Having to constantly deal resetting chapters took away from the flow of the story. Secondly, and this is going to be a personal problem (again, not something with the author whatsoever), the recording/narration was VERY slow and extremely spitty. If this doesn't bother you, you'll be fine. The constant spit noises definitely impacted my enjoyment of listening to this book. Now, this isn't something that is an issue with the content of this book so I cannot fault O'Leary. This is wholly a personal issue.

Thank you very much to O'Leary, Macmillan & netgalley for an advance listening copy for an honest review.

I've read the book earlier this year and it was a 5 star book for me. But since I read as well as listened to The Flatshare last year, I really wanted to listen to The Switch as well.

I had some issues with the audiobook. It was more about the quality of the narration in a technical sense, not necessarily the narrator's themselves but instead the extreme sensitivity of the microphone. It honestly took some of the enjoyment away from the story.

But as soon as I got used to noises, I was able to really enjoy the book.

Overall, the audiobook was able to convey everything the book is about. The uplifting friendships, the more serious topics, and the charming characters. I loved the book, and feel the audiobook was a good match, just not a great match.

Eileen is stuck in a rut while her granddaughter, Leena, needs to focus more on her self. After Leena is forced to take personal leave and recharge, she decided a change of scenery and switch locations with her grandmother. Eileen thinks this is a great idea and will broaden her romantic prospects. Both realize that sometimes traveling outside your comfort zone can help change your perspective. The Switch is a heartwarming story about finding yourself in someone else's home and rediscovering how to be loved. O'Leary brings tenderness and a positive perspective into dating over the age of 50. Not shying away from fully displaying the hurdles of dating online and in-person over 50. As well as embracing Eileen's romantic relationships and allowing her to completely embrace her sexuality. Both characters are allowed time to develop by making mistakes and learning from them. The pace of the plot allows readers to thoroughly absorb both lives and appreciate the journey they take. Readers will fall in love with the smark wit of Eileen and the exhausted state of Leena. O'Leary is able to balance romance with family reconnection and death.

3.5 Stars - The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary was one of my favorite books I read last year and I was so excited for her next book. I wasn't completely disappointed by this book but it didn't quite live up to my expectations either. This book was much more of a woman's fiction than a romance. We follow Leena who has just been forced on a two month break because she is not dealing well with a tragedy in her personal life. We also follow her grandmother Eileen who was recently left by her cheating husband. The two decide to saw places so that they can get out of their ruts. The side characters were also great, I loved the village the Eileen lives in and the friends they both make with people who are not their own age. Leena with her grandmother's friends and the neighborhood watch and Eileen with Leena's much younger roommates and friends. Overall I enjoyed the stories of both women and the self journey's they go on. I think I just wanted more romance and it was more on the back burner in this book. Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan audio for my advanced audio copy of the book.

This is the first audio book I've read via NetGalley and am not sure if I was my connection or the voices but it lost some effect because of their voices being uneven, sometimes shrill, and there was a constant echo in the sound. Overall, a cute,fun story that will keep you entertained. I enjoyed the characters and their adventures as they switched homes. Overall a good read. Jacket cover gives an adequate description so I will not detail story. Read or listen and enjoy!
I received this book as an Advanced reader copy and was under no obligation to provide a review. The opinions expressed are my own.
Thanks to the author,publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook. It was a story that was very easy to get lost in. This is the story of two Eileen Cottons, Eileen and Leena, grandmother and granddaughter, who due to a series of events decide to swap places for 2 months. Leena leaves London to go to her sleepy hometown, while Eileen takes up residence in Leena’s London flat. This story is told from both of their points of view. I was a little concerned that I would find the story of the “old lady” a bit of a bore, but I absolutely loved Eileen. She’s a firecracker if a woman with a heart of gold. Listening to how she found her place in busy London, surrounded by Leena’s youthful roommates was unexpectedly beautiful. She makes the most of every situation she’s in. I adored how she saw Laticia in her suffering and found a way to help. Eileen is a helper, through and through, and I adored her sass. I loved the meaningful connections she made with each and every person she met. The small, gossipy village community that Leena relocates to reminded me of Stars Hollow, or perhaps the village in Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society. It was quaint and adorable. The hijinks of the elderly residents kept me laughing. I loved the juxtaposition of Leena’s two lives. In London she lived an incredibly busy business woman life. In the village she finds herself equally busy taking over her grandmothers projects, but is more content and purposeful. Overall, I found Leena‘s experiences to be less compelling than Eileen’s, but enjoyable all the same. The romance in this story is slight, but sweet. Eileen’s unexpected love had me grinning like a fool. Leena’s love story was a bit predictable and nonexistent in a lot of ways, but sweet none-the-less.

My one big complaint is that I don’t recommend the audiobook version because you can hear the voice actors mouth sounds and swallows and it was highly distracting to me.