The Switch was fantastic! I had read The Flatshare last year and really enjoyed it. Beth O’Leary has now joined the ranks as an automatic buy author. I listened to the book and found the narration to be perfectly cast with Daisy Edgar-Jones as Lena and Alison Steadman as Eileen. The two women captured their characters brilliantly. The only complaint was the times when characters are having telephone conversations it’s difficult to hear the person on the other end of the line. O’Leary seems to have a gift for capturing real life and balances joy, sadness, mental health, work, family, relationships, and life. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to The Switch.

Sweet story about how to repair familial relationships after a death of a beloved. I wish there was more romance (duh) but it was lovely story. I listened to the Audio (thank youuuu NetGalley & MacMillian Audio!), and the narrators were absolutely great. The two voices of Eileen & Leena helped make the story fit with their unique voices. Perfect!

The Cotton family are struggling with the death of their beloved, Carla. Grandmother, Eileen, and granddaughter, Leena, decide to try a 2 month long swap. Eileen will spend the time in London trying online dating, while Leena takes a 2 month leave from her job and stays at Eileen’s Yorkshire cottage. Will this swap help them find peace?

What a lovely story! It was a sweet, funny story. I loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read and review this audiobook!

The Switch is my first time reading a book written by Beth O’Leary. I picked it assuming a book about an adult granddaughter, Leena, and her grandmother, Eileen, doing a life change would be a fun, light read. I was right and wrong. It was fun. Absolutely as entertaining as I expected. Leena was a young woman like many I know. Stressed out, overworked, boyfriend issues but added to that is a deep grief at her sister’s passing that results in a employer requested 2 month sabbatical. Eileen has lost her husband, not to death but to another woman. So the story had a lot more going on than just a light read.
Leena decides to visit her grandmother and that visit turns into a switch of homes for the two. Leena decides to take care of her grandmother’s house, family and community duties while Eileen goes to Leena’s London home. London has a much wider selection of eligible men. Yes, at 79, Eileen is diving into the London dating scene! You are never too old for love.
Listening to this book had me emotionally everywhere. It tackles some heavy issues but balances them out with love and humor. The ending had me good crying. The narrators, one was Leena the other Eileen, were just what this audiobook deserved. It honestly felt like I was a part of it. A friend listening in, a nosy neighbor eavesdropping. That was me. It is marketed as a romance but it offers so much more. Real happens in this book. It’s messy, it’s painful, the characters aren’t perfect and, it is at times, incredibly hilarious and touching. Eileen is the grandmother everyone wants to have. Honest, caring and at the stage of life where she will do as she pleases. Leena is not as strong. She is still discovering who she is and who she wants to be, in my opinion. The strong bond of love between them will warm anyone’s heart. The supporting cast of characters were just as awesome. This book gave me laugh out loud moments and tears streaming down moments. It left me emotionally satisfied.
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I received an advanced copy for review consideration from MacMillan Audio through NetGalley. This review is voluntary and written based on my experience with this audiobook.

The Switch by Beth O'Leary, narrated by Daisy Edgar-Jones and Alison Steadman, is my second audio book by Macmillan Audio via NetGalley Shelf. My first book was glitchy so I wanted to give this method another try and this time the book worked perfectly. What a joyful treat this one was, very cute and heartwarming, which are things I normally don't get to say because of the type of books that I usually choose. 

Grandmother Eileen switches locations for two months, with her granddaughter, Leena. Leena experienced a panic attack during a very important presentation at work and was forced to take a two month leave of absence. Seventynine year old Eileen is finally ready to jump into dating since her husband left her for a much younger woman.. The thing is, the dating pool in the small community where Eileen resides is much too small for there to be a chance to find anyone to date and Leena needs to get away from the hustle and bustle of her city life or she'll never be able to unwind enough to recover from her anxiety. So they swap homes and start doing their magic in their new locations. The synopsis makes it sound like this swap was hard for both women but I didn't see it that way at all. I feel like it revived them despite the difficulties (or because of them) of learning new things in each life. Both women brought people together and helped people change. But, both women are also still mourning the death of Carla, Leena's sister, and being back in her grandmother's little town, where Carla died, makes Leena face the grief that she had been stuffing down with work and busy-ness. 

This book is full of the people from both women's lives and the author and narrators brought them all to life. I need to read/listen to more books like this one because it certainly put a smile on my face. I also know that I'm beginning to get attached to audio books because of this experience. 

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ARC.

This book is ADORABLE. It’s fun and uplifting the whole way through. That’s not to say it doesn’t cover some serious stuff but it does so with dignity.
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The story is told from two perspectives. The first is 29-year-old professional woman named Leena. She lives and works in London. Leena is floundering at work. Her boss is forcing her to take time off and at first she is very resistant. The other protagonist is her grandmother, Eileen. Eileen is almost 80 and has recently been dumped by her husband. She is also floundering. She wants to start dating but lives in a tiny village in Northern England with few prospects. They decide on a whim to switch places for two months. Leena will take over her grandma’s community work and Eileen will stay at Leena’s London flat and try internet dating. Both of course are fishes out of water and it leads to some entertaining circumstances.
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The thing that has both woman reeling is a death in the family. One year earlier Leena’s sister and Eileen’s only other granddaughter died very young of cancer. The family is shattered and they have to decide to move on. Not just survive but to live fully and find a place for their grief that lets them love the person lost but not lose themselves.
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The book is sunshine and will leave you feeling a little better about the world.

I absolutely adored this book, listening to it on audiobook certainly brought another level of life to it that for a story like this I highly appreciated. The dual narrative that O'Leary brings to her books is exciting and keeps you coming back for me - it really brought this book alive with two interlinking stories happening at the same time.
I loved the characters and found myself highly invested in their lives. There was some beautiful character growth and just the right balance of village gossip and city drama.
I cannot wait to recommend this book to so many of my friends.

This could not possibly be any cuter! I loved Leena and Eileen’s dynamic and while it was a plot that I had seen before, it was still fresh and engaging.

This had a bit of everything. It was heart wrenching, it made me laugh, it was romantic. This truly was everything you could want in a feel good story. It is just fun to read and I never wanted to put it down or set it aside.

I truly think that anyone who likes women’s lit, contemporary fiction or romance would embrace this book and I hope that they would love it just as much as I did. 4.5 stars!

This was a thoroughly enjoyable, absolutely delightful book to devour. It's The Holiday meets Major Pettigrew's Last Stand - a heartwarming tale where the two Eileen Cottons, a grandmother and her granddaughter Leena, are each at their wit's end in their current circumstances and decide to switch places. Eileen is looking for new love after her deadbeat husband left her for a dance instructor and Leena is mourning her younger sister's death which has affected her job performance. With the switch, they are each able to positively affect those around them, adopting new projects and ultimately, healing themselves and their relationships.

O'Leary writes super complex characters and though the plot sounds like something out of a romantic comedy, there is a lot of emotional recovery that happens between and within characters. Though it may feel fluffy at times, there is a lot more character driven plot than your average rom-com. The audiobook is brilliantly narrated by Daisy Edgar-Jones, recently of Normal People fame, and Alison Steadman. Both give heartwarming humanness to their respective characters though, whether it's by the writing or the narration, Steadman's steady, grandmotherly interpretation of Eileen truly makes her the best character in the book. There is something so fulfilling about older adults finding love and discovering themselves again. I was grinning ear to ear while listening to Major Pettigrew's Last Stand and The Switch very much brings the same feeling of indescribable joy to witness the blossoming of older, cantankerous characters into their old selves again. I felt the older cast of characters in The Switch outshine the younger however, I was entertained on both sides. There were some new technical elements in the audiobook (mainly, muffling the phone call voices to make it sound like it's coming out of the phone) which distracted me in a negative way, especially since the phone call was sometimes from the other character/narrator so it was weird to here the Edgar-Jones interpret Steadman's voice etc.

If you want an uplifting book that includes a wide range of emotions and yet ends on a blissfully happy note, this is the perfect book for you! It inspired me to call my grandmother more often and even send her a copy of the book. I immediately need to see this in movie form - someone get on it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron for a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Listening to both narrators was a pleasure. Their voices were warm and cozy, each time I pressed play the story and narration took me to a comforting place. I truly didn't want the story to end. This was a feel good book with enough twists and turns to keep the reader entertained. Humour and depth made the characters loveable and the reader hoping to hear from them again.

Overall I liked this book. The idea of switching places is not a new one in stories but the author was able to put a unique spin on it and include additional situations to the story to keep it interesting. The story alternates between the two characters that switch places. Lena, a workaholic had a panic attack at an important work meeting and was forced to take some time off to rest. Elaine, Lena's grandmother, is recently divorced and keeps herself busy in her small community helping others out and with an organization she helped build but she feels a little lonely and is interested in finding a boyfriend. When Lena hears of this she signs her grandmother up for internet dating and realizes there's more potential for her grandmother to find someone in her area of London than in her little village and Lena could likely get the rest that she needs by staying in her grandmother's village. So they switch!

In both respective environments there are a cast of characters that keep the story interesting and help each of the main characters along with what they are trying to achieve. Elaine meets all of Lena's friends and vice versa and it turns out they are even able to help them in ways they could not have predicted. I really thought that each of the prospective love stories would take over but it didn't and I liked that. It kept it real and focused on every piece of their livelihood. Elaine loves her daughter but Lena has had some issues with her mother since her sister passed away and it was nice to see that in the final chapter that they were all able to come together and repair those issues in a realistic and heart warming manner that wasn't too cheesy.

I listened to this as an audiobook and Lena and Elaine both got their own narrator. I wasn't really a fan of Elaine's narrator, I found that she read as if she was acting and it wasn't very realistic but it wasn't bad enough to stop listening. When a character was talking on the phone they would add an effect making it sound like it was a recording which was a neat addition.

This book was SO fun! I didn’t enjoy The Flatshare as much as everyone else so I was a little skeptical going in but I immediately loved the characters in this book. This is largely thanks to the awesome narration — particularly the voice of Eileen. This book reminded me so much of one of my favourite movies, The Holiday! Eileen and her granddaughter switch places, one to a small town and one off to the big city. Eileen trying to navigate the world of online dating at 79 was both inspiring and hilarious. I enjoyed her story more than Leena’s but I still loved the small town setting and her love interest, Jackson. I think I would have liked to see a bit more drama and less of a tidy ending, but this is the perfect book for when you’re just in a feel-good mood.

Audiobook Review-
Overall 3.5*
Performance 3ish*
Story 4*

The Switch was an entertaining story. It was sweet and fun, and at times emotional.
I liked the idea of a granddaughter and her grandmother switching lives for a bit, to get them both out of the funk they seem to have found themselves in.
Leena definitely needed a break from her life and I enjoyed her time in Hamleigh- as she got to know the towns people, reconnect with her mother, and forged friendships with a whole new generation. Grandma's time in London was entertaining. She really took to the whole dating scene and the veritable smorgasbord of eligible men in her age bracket. I thought it was sweet how Leena's friends embraced her, and how she made herself at home for the short time she was there. I really liked the secondary characters, they added a lot of interest and entertainment to The Switch.

While I enjoyed the story, and would recommend reading it, I did not enjoy the audio performance and wouldn't recommend the audiobook. I liked both narrators voices, that wasn't the problem- I think they both did a really nice job with their characters, and even the secondary voices.
I don't know if the quality of the audio will improve by release day, or if this was a finished copy, but I found it hard going, thanks to the "mouth sounds" of the narrator for Grandma. I could not listen to this other than in my car, when I tried it with ear buds it honestly made me cringe. I can't think of another audiobook or narrator I've had this problem with, but it was very distracting and didn't make for an enjoyable listen. I don't know how to describe it exactly, but if you have any auditory sensitivity issues, you may want to steer clear.
Another issue with the audiobook- when Leena or Grandma were speaking to someone on the phone, it was made to sound like the other voice was coming over the phone line, which was fine, but a few times they seemed to have forgotten that's what they were doing because all of a sudden it would just be them speaking, without the tinny sound through the "phone". I would have preferred if they just left that effect out- it would have worked better with a full cast type performance.

I was excited to see NetGalley offering audiobooks as a review option, I've just disappointed this one didn't work out better for me. I know I would have appreciated the story even more if I had just read it- the poor audio experience definitely clouded my enjoyment. This is a book I would recommend reading over the audiobook.

This was so so cute! The story was great and I loved that the focus wasn't on the romance but improving yourself and dealing with grief. Dealt with perfectly.
I loved the two characters who felt appropriately developed and had an interesting family dynamic that was great to read. The character development was perfect, I enjoyed it a lot and am intrigued to read future works from Beth O'Leary as her writing style is definitely my cup of tea.

There are two narrators in this, one the young Leena and her grandmother Eileen. Both narrators are great and are so expressive, it was a joy to listen to them. I especially enjoyed that when the characters were on the phone, it used a filter that made it sound as so. This was a great addition to the experience. The only issue I had with the narrators was the younger of the two had a hiss to the end of some words that was like nails on a chalkboard but after an hour or so I stopped noticing it!

This is such a cute book!!! I loved listening to three generations of women come to terms with life changes, grief, and even find love. Eleanor, the grandma, was my absolute favorite. I hope to be her when I grow up. She's smart, brave, witty, sexy, charming, frankly she's everything I strive to be. This is just a feel good story that will make you smile. And I'm always a sucker for some British humor.

When I picked up the Switch to start reading it, I was expecting a fun summer rom=com, with quirky characters and lots of shenanigans. While I definitely got some shenanigans and the grandmother/granddaughter main characters are quirky, it just wasn't quite what I expected. This is very likely my own fault though, as it's clearly labeled as Women's Fiction, and nowhere does it say "rom-com."

Unfortunately, I'm just not as into Women's Fiction, so for me this one was only a 3-star read. There is nothing wrong with the writing, I enjoyed the characters, but the story was more serious and not as fun as I'd hoped. So while I don't rate this as a 4-star for my own enjoyment, I will give it a 4-star for the genre. If you love Women's Fiction, I think you will really enjoy this tale of life-swapping and finding the self you thought you'd lost.

The narrators made this story so beautiful to listen to.
Alison Steadman is perfect as Eileen Cotton - you can hear the caring gran in her voice.

I enjoyed the alternating chapters narrated by the two narrators as Lena and Eileen. Their voices had a good chemistry between them.

The basis of the storyline is very clever - three generations of a family broken by the death of a sister; daughter; granddaughter. The oldest and youngest members decide to swap lives after Lena undergoes a traumatic experience, for two months. Lena from London goes back to a Yorkshire village and Eileen leaves her Yorkshire village for London.

What happens next is a delightful journey between London and the Yorkshire Dales.

Beautifully read. It'll stay with me for a long time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to listen to this book.

Right book, right time. I was in a bit of a reading slump, couldn't find something that really appealed on my shelves and then Netgalley released audiobooks. Yay! This was my first and it certainly won't be my last.

The narrators switch from Eileen a feisty elderly woman, voiced by Alison Steadman with humour and verve and Leena her granddaughter voiced by Daisy Edgar-Jones, who manages to perfectly convince as the frustrated and tired, overachieving businesswoman. I loved hearing their voices, the two different flavours added so much to the story.

Eileen is angry, having suffered her rather insufferable bore of a husband for years, he has taken off with another woman, left her high and dry and desperate for company, and a bit of sex to go with it. Leena has been treated badly at work, a coworker with very mean tendencies has worn her down and she is tired. Her boyfriend who seems so marvellous is very absent which also doesn't help. Both these women are still grieving for Leena's sister who died a year ago from cancer. Then they come up with the brilliant idea of swapping lives, Leena will go to the country, live in Eileen's house and Eileen will go to London and try the lifestyle there. And in this way, the action begins. There are challenges for both women of many kinds.

This book is fun, full of action, and lots of hilarious moments. Your heartstrings will be plucked, you'll cheer at the village fair, squirm at the uncomfortable scenes which bring in some big issues such as family violence and infidelity, but overall you'll have a really fine time. It is a great big dollop of feel-good drama.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for access, I had a really good time. Must just up that rating to 5 stars

This was such a brilliant audiobook and one of my favourites this year!

I loved this simple story of a Grandmother and Granddaughter swapping lives for 2 months. Eileen and Leena were fantastic characters who I emphasised with from the beginning of the book. I must confess that Eileen was my favourite out of the two of them, it was so good to have an older woman portrayed in such a favourable light. I especially enjoyed her getting to grips with going online to find a new man, and her dating adventures! I also loved how she fitted in so well with Leena’s flat mates and how she got to know the neighbours too.

There were a lot of laughs in this book, and some stand out scenes that had me laughing out loud or cheering. It’s a good job I wasn’t in public as I would definitely have got some puzzled looks!

I absolutely loved Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones performances they were superb and I wouldn’t hesitate to listen to anything by them again.

I can see why there’s so much love for the The Flatshare now, and I’m delighted that I’ve still got that audiobook listen to. I’ve also just added her next book, The Road Trip, to my audible wishlist, even though it’s not due for publication until next year!

If you enjoy contemporary fiction you’ll definitely love this on audio.

The Flatshare is one of my favorites reads this year. In fact, it might actually be my first rom/com, what have I been missing, right? So it only stands to reason that I preorder Beth O'Leary's new book The Switch from the UK. Release dates can be earlier there and BookDepository offers free delivery worldwide. A win-win.

Now the wonderful folks at Netgalley have launched a new app and offer audiobooks for review. It gets better...The Switch was available to listen to. How could I say no to that? Well, I didn't and decided that a test of the app and a combination read/ listen was in order.

However, in the end, I ended up just reading it. The readers were wonderful in the audio but I just felt I’d enjoy the book more reading it myself. Obviously this is my issue because most loved the audio.

The Switch is told from the pov of grandmother Ellen and her granddaughter Leena which gave this book a nice contrast in the narrative. Where Ellen is spunky and rather fearless in her adventures, Leena is burdened with past hurts but hid behind a cloud of keeping busy trying to ignore them.

The Switch is a delicious rom/com that tackles grief. Is that even possible? It takes a talented author that can do that with respect to the situation and make it work. Grief is such an individual thing, everyone handles it their own way and this book showed the effect it has on others. I think I would have loved a little more interaction between a couple of players here on that level. But all in all, this was a great read and one I recommend.

Well done Beth O’Leary, you have cemented yourself as a go-to author, can’t wait to see what comes next...actually Road Trip does in 2021.

This book was part of my 2020 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge - #29