I absolutely love this author and this book. Unfortunately the ALC was glitchy and I was not able to listen to it fully. I did read a physical copy and cannot wait to see what is next from this author.

This story of a young woman and her grandmother switching lives is such a wonderful story! Lena Cotton, a young woman living in London, working a high stress job, and trying to cope (or not cope) with her sister's recent death, is one day told quite frankly by her boss that she looks like death waking and is ordered to take a two month "holiday" - which horrifies Lena. Once she realizes that she really does he a change of pace, she and her grandmother (who also needs a break from her life) cook up this delicious scheme to swap lives. Off Eileen Cotton goes to share a flat with Lena's friends in London for about 6 weeks (the adventure her newly single self never had) and Lena goes off to stand in for her grandma in the countryside, taking on ALL of her grandmas tasks and local responsibilities , which shucking all of her own. Lena learns so much about the liveliness and spunk of her grandma's friends and takes on many "projects" to make their lives better and winds up finding herself in the process. Her grandmother lives it up in London, and Lena's flatmates come to realize how much they enjoy an elderly roommate. This story had themes of grief, family strife, love interests, and the one theme that i enjoyed the most was just the heartwarming friendships made and how many of those were cross-generational friendships. Ahhh i enjoyed this book much like I did Ove, and much like Bachman, O'Leary is a new favorite author of mine! I want to read The Flatshare now and everything that comes after!!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. I'll be posting my review on Goodreads and Amazon

This book was so heartwarming. It's about love, loss, and learning to move on without forgetting those who've passed in our lives.

Leena has dealt with her sister's death by diving into work. When her boss forces her to take a two month long sabbatical she finds herself living in her grandmother's house in a small town outside of London. She doesn't know if she can handle the small town neighborhood watch and all the projects her grandmother has left her with but over time she makes some wonderful friendships and starts to rebuild the relationship with her mother. Both her and her mother realize that the death of Leena's sister broke them each in different ways and now it's about healing.

Eileen has a plan up her sleeve to bring her daughter and granddaughter back to life while also learning to live a little after her husband left her for another woman. Eileen moves into Leena's flat in London and takes up the online dating scene. She builds some great relationships with Leena's friends and neighbors. The conversations she has with Leena's friends are hysterical at times. I kind of wish I had a grandma like Eileen. She's so quick witted and isn't afraid to speak her mind.

This book was wonderful. I enjoyed every minute of it and definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good adult contemporary. It touches on grief, love, and family dynamics.

The audio was fantastic and had two different narrators that really made the book come alive.

A 70 year old single grandmother and her twenty something grandaughter, both kind of stuck in their circumstances, decide to switchplaces. Leanna is living in London and finds herself with a two -month forced sabbatical. Her Grandmother, Eileen, is newl single and looking for love. So the women swap locations, Eileen in London with more eligibile men then Yorksire and Lena to Yorkshire to look after some things and to relax.
They find that switch ones circumstances is not that easy.
I love the Flatshare and was looking forward to Beth O'Leary's fun and quirkly characters and she did not disappoint. The Switch was a great uplifting read during these dark times.

I enjoyed this book immensely. I loved the alternating view points between the two main characters and loved how it balances humor with darker subjects like grief. The relationship between the women are very realistic and complex. I absolutely adored Eileen, the 79 year old grandmother. She is hilarious and insightful and I aspire to become her in the future. Overall, a wonderful and pleasant summer read.

#TheSwitch #NetGalley

This is my first read by this author and it wont be my last.

I listened to the audiobook of the novel, the characters, the narrators, all fantastic and the story of the book, just great.

This book deals a little with depression and loss and will have you shedding some tears and then there are many laugh out loud moments and wishing that I had a grandma as cool and outgoing as Leena has.

This is a must read/listen for sure

After I read The Flatmates and enjoyed it so much, I knew I had to read The Switch. Beth O'Leary has written another enjoyable book. Although I liked The Flatmates more, this book was still enjoyable.

This is the story of Eileen (age 79) and her granddaughter, Leena. Both Eileen and Leena have grown tired of their lives for different reasons - Eileen is recently single and has realized that her home city just doesn't offer very many candidates for dating. Leena is stressed out at work and needs a mental break. Her company has issued a mandatory 2 month sabbatical. Eileen and Leena decide to switch places for those two months. Eileen was hopeful that London would provide more dating candidates and Leena knew that the small town would give her the blank slate she needs.

During this time, both women find themselves in a new way and both realize that their old lives are no longer acceptable.

I listened to the audio version of this book - I would recommend the print version instead. There is too much "smacking" noises by the narrators - it is very distracting.

I was provided this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions above are mine without biases.

I was gifted this audiobook from Netgalley and Macmillan Audio in exchange for my honest review. I am absolutely thrilled that I was chosen for this audiobook. The Narrators made the story come to life.

I believe it can be hard for authors to portray a masterpiece in the sense that you feel completely enthralled within the book. Like you are one of the main characters and while you read the book, you are playing it like a movie, featuring yourself as one of the main characters. Beth O' Leary accomplishes this EVERY.SINGLE.TIME with EVERY.BOOK she writes!
You can tell with every single word that she writes, that her passion is true. Follow this Dual Narrative on an adventure that will make your day that much better!

-Meet Eileen, a Grandmother in her 70's who life is a little dull. Living the single life at her age is taking a toll on her loneliness.

-Meet Lena, the Granddaughter of Eileen who lives a very busy life in the hustle and bustle of London, UK that sometimes gets so overwhelmed she struggles with panic.

Welcome to the Switch. The Adventure that both Eileen and Lena take in order to hopefully find that one part that they are missing in life. Will Eileen at the age of 79 find love? Will Leena find a place that she belongs? Take the adventure of this wholesome book and follow these ladies as they figure out what it is they are missing in life.

I CAN NOT wait for the next Beth O' Leary Novel as she has become one of my favorite authors that I specifically seek out. Her stories are always fun, humorous, and full of good vibes!

The Switch is a charming rom-com told from two points of view - a twenty-something woman and her grandmother. Both are experiencing a loss that has hobbled their family and when they are given an opportunity to swap lives, they take it. The characters in the book are funny and kind and it's easy to be drawn into their stories. The two narrators do a great job conveying the wide range of emotions these ladies feel, from devastating loss to giddiness. This is a great choice for those who enjoy humorous romances with just a bit of spice. And bonus points for an active senior protagonist.

I have abandoned some audiobooks because I cannot spend hours in the company of the narrative voice, but the instant I started listening to The Switch I fell in love. I am so glad I chose to listen to this book rather than read it. The voices of Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones added so much to the experience, fleshing out the story, drawing out the emotions, bringing the characters to life. Both narrators are a perfect fit to read the chapters designated for their character as the story passes between the two. Listening to Alison Steadman, her voice tinged with sadness, or holding onto a chuckle I could imagine Eileen. Likewise, listening to Daisy Edgar-Jones, her voice anxious, sorrowful, apologetic, I could see Leena. The story is so original, so very lovely - Eileen in her eighties abandoned by her husband looking for a bit of the excitement she missed out on in earlier days; Leena struggling to cope after losing her beloved sister. Swapping into each others’ lives, homes and friendships, they try to come to terms with what has happened to them. The result is funny and poignant and life affirming. I didn’t want this to end. With thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this audiobook

Thank you Netgalley and Flat Iron books for access to this audiobook in return for my honest review.

This book has just the right amount of family, drama, love, and laughter. The main grab for me were the characters. They were well written and gave the story life. I also liked that the story bounces between Lina and Eileen’s points of view. It was written in a way that didn’t make it hard to follow who was talking.

I really enjoyed the book and plan to follow up by reading the other books by Beth O’Leary.

I listened to this as an audiobook from Net Gallery and thoroughly enjoyed it. I haven’t read The Flatshare yet but I know it’s popular. The Switch is a lovely story about family relationships, the pressures of life and so much more. A beautiful and wholesome story with characters that you root for.

Cute story, great narration but I’ve discover audiobooks are for me. It is in no means the fault of the book just a personal preference. I loved the authors las book, The Flatshare. This one did not disappoint and was enjoyable.

DNF at 23%

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

The Switch by Beth O'Leary was the first audiobook I downloaded through NetGalley's new program, and I had really high hopes for the story and its characters. Unfortunately, I was bored to tears by both Leena and Eileen, and I never wanted to continue listening to the book. Nothing happens for the first quarter of the book, and by then I'd lost interest in the story.

Additionally, the quality of the audio may have been a tad too good, since I could hear the wet smacks and deep breaths Alison Steadman frequently took while reading her part. She definitely sounded like someone's grandmother, and I could easily picture her as Eileen, but the sounds were too realistic in my ears (especially when I was wearing headphones), and I found myself cringing whenever her character spoke for long periods of time. However, while less mouth-noise would've been nice, the story's slow pace and uninteresting content were the bigger issues.

“Family can be so complicated but if you just pick your own way of doing it, you can end up with something pretty perfect all the same.”

This is the first book by [author:Beth O'Leary|13038484] I've read, but it certainly won't be the last. I snagged a copy of this audiobook on NetGalley simply because I liked the cover. What can I say? I definitely judge books by their cover and I'm not afraid to admit that.

I loved this story. The Switch follows two women: Leena, a young professional who is ordered to take a two-month break from her job after she has a panic attack during a big presentation, and her almost 80-year-old grandmother, Eileen. Eileen has just recently gotten divorced but is very active in her small community of Hamleigh but the romantic possibilities are few and far between. Leena suggests an unconventional solution: she should take care of her grandmother's house in Hamleigh and Eileen should search for love in London.

What follows is a delightful story of Leena figuring out who she is without working 12+ hours/day and getting to know the quirky townspeople of Hamleigh. Eileen jumps into the online dating scene and begins chatting with men (a love story at almost 80? Yes, please) and also makes connections with Leena's flatmates, some of whom Leena has never interacted with. I was captivated by this story and the alternating perspectives. The audiobook narrators were spot on; I would love to enjoy more stories with either one of these narrators telling the story. All in all, this is an enjoyable story that will have you questioning what is most important to you and how to pursue those things.

My biggest complaint with this audio file was the sound was extremely distorted when I tried to speed up the audio. I usually listen to audiobooks at 1.5x speed but there was an awful echo when I listened at that speed. I was able to listen at 1.25x speed, but the sound quality isn't where I would expect it to be. This was disappointing as I would have loved to speed up the audiobook to a speed that was comfortable for me to listen to but a speed I could also understand the narration.

TW: depression, panic attacks, death by cancer

4.5 stars

**Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.**

Leena is put on a two month long stress leave from work after a disastrous presentation. When she calls her grandmother who is recently single, they come up with the idea to switch lives for two months. Lena will move to the village of Hanley and live in Eileen’s house while helping with Eileen’s community volunteering commitments. Eileen will move to London to Leena’s flat with her flatmates and try online dating. They both end up learning more about themselves and each other that they ever thought possible.

The characters in this novel are just lovely. They all had such distinct personalities and I could just imagine what they would look like. Eileen reminded me of my granny sometimes which made me like her more. I thought O’Leary’s depiction of grief was very accurate as we see Leena try to come to terms with the passing of her sister. I loved seeing how Eileen and Leena navigated all of their challenges which could often be comical. The writing style was very light and digestible and I adored Leena and Jackson. If I could choose one word to describe this book it would be cute. It was a feel good story that still dealt with realistic issues. I listened to this one on audio from @librofm, @netgalley and @macmillanaudio and I must say I wasn’t really a fan of the narration. I didn’t let that take away from the writing though!

I have to thank NetGalley for the advanced audio book. Audio books are not my favorite, especially when the female reader does the men’s voices also. This book is a sweet wholesome novel that everyone will love. Beth O’Leary shares with us another perfect read. The story takes place between a sweet little British village and fast paced London. Eileen is 79, her husband just left her for a dance instructor. Leona, her granddaughter works and lives in London. Eileen once had a job and apartment waiting for her in London, but then married and never left Yorkshire Dales. Leena, has a panic attack in a big client meeting and her bosses forces a two month sabbatical on her. The two decided to switch places for two months. Eileen will go to London and have an adventure she always dreamed of. While Leena heads home for the first time since her sister died. Can these women find themselves and recover from the heartbreak they can break out of. Will Eileen survive dating apps and London. Will Leena survive all of her grandmothers jobs she does for the village and being in the same place with her mother, she can’t seem to forgive 🤷‍♀️

beth o’leary does it again. I am absolutely obsessed with this book and I loved it so so much. Like her first novel I really enjoyed the discussion of the toxic relationships and how to not only cope with them but to escape them and to move forward which I thought was a really important discussion that is often overlooked. And I just loved each and everyone of these characters because they were so authentic and genuine with their quirks and their personalities. I felt like a member of their family or one of their friends reading this novel and it was honestly sad to finish the book.

I listened to the audiobook version of this and loved it!! It had to grow on me, but once I got into it, it was a wonderful story. I would highly recommend it! Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to obtain this book.