Beth O'Leary's books appear to have the misfortune of containing both the things I like to read and things I don't care for, and I am afraid the "don't care" parts ultimately outweigh the good ones for me.

The Switch is marketed as a funny romcom a la The Holiday, but it just isn't. To me, it read like sad women's fiction with a bit of humor, more in line with something like Last Tango in Halifax. The largest sublot was cancer and grief, so not exactly a cheerful material. The romance was peripheral.

The plot is simple - Leena and her 80-year old grandma switch their homes. Leena - to get rest in a small country town. Her grandma Eileen - to taste big city life in London.

I have to say, I was only interested in grandma's adventures. She was fun and funny, and a cracking date. As far as Leena's, eh. She herself had a personality of a wet blanket and her parts were mostly depressing, with a dollop of cheesiness and no chemistry on the romance front. Every time I got to Leena's chapter, I wanted to skip and move on to granny's. She knew how to have a good time!

O'Leary writes great dialog, and I like her sense of humor. But her stories, unfortunately, have the tone and themes I generally don't enjoy.

I received an audio arc of this novel on Netgalley, and it was read just wonderfully by 2 great British actresses. Alison Steadman is especially a treasure. Love her in both "Gavin and Stacey" and "Pride and Prejudice."

This book made me so happy! I both read and listened to this book. I loved The Flatshare and could not wait for The Switch to be published. It had the feel of a cozy mystery book with its small village and quirky characters but was so much more than that. The book was uplifting - can't we all use a little bit of that right now? The audio version had a great narrator - she used different voices for characters and even mimicked the sound of people talking on the telephone! I will recommend this title for fans of uplifting fiction! And pretty much anyone else who will listen to me :)

The Switch by Beth O'Leary is the story of second chances. Leena Cotton and her grandmother Eileen are both still reeling from the death of Leena's sister, Carla, the previous year. At the beginning of the story they find themselves at a crossroads. Leena, a Londonite and workaholic, is struggling at work and has just been given a mandatory 2 month leave. Eileen, living in a small Yorkshire village, just found out her husband of more than 50 years was cheating on her with a dance instructor and has moved out.

Finding herself suddenly with time on her hands, Leena suggested that she and Eileen switch lives for two months. Leena will handle all Eileen's village responsibilities and Eileen will get a chance to live out her secret London dream. Leena expects an easy, stress-free vacation and Eileen will get the adventure she's always craved. But expectations don't quite match the reality for either of them.

I really loved Leena and Eileen both. They were strong women who while trying to deal with surface problems and wrap around their new normal of the loss of Carla.. I thought both of their reaction, as well as Leena's mother, Marian, reaction to grief to be normal and something that isn't talked about enough. The story is lighthearted, fun but there is a depth too that makes it a great read.

I was given the opportunity to listen to the audio book and both the narrators, Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones, were wonderful. It gave a depth to the story to hear the accents and joy each took in the reading. I highly recommend listening to the full audio cast if you are able.

Note: I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley and the publishers.

This book is so sweet. Perfect reading for when you're feeling down. Eileen is 79 and her husband recently left her. Leena - who's name is also Eileen - is her granddaughter and forced to take a two-month sabbatical from work. They decide to swithc places.
All the characters are lovable, even if at first they appear grumpy or unpleasant. The story touches many important topics. The most important being how lonely the elderly can be. Another important topic is how to cope with grief after the loss of a loved one. The romances were sweet and slow burn.
The audiobook has two narrators. They had perfect voices for the story. The only thing that annoyed me a little was how in phone conversations the other voice in the other end of the receiver sounded tinny. But that was only a minor annoyance. I really enjoyed listening.
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this book.

The Switch is a cute story about a granddaughter and grandmother who trade places for a couple months. I love the relationships both character's develop when they switch places, ones that they normally wouldn't have had otherwise. This is definitely a wonder women's fiction read. I enjoyed both narrators of the audiobook too other than the grandmother had some odd mouth noises at times.

Leena holds a high power, high stress job in London. After a panic attack in the middle of a client meeting, she's forced to take a two month sabbatical and decides to use the time to visit her grandmother in her tiny Yorkshire village. When Leena arrives, it's evident that Eileen is going through a period of transition as well.

Leena's sister, Carla, died a year and a half ago, and the family is still reeling. Leena has hardly spoken to her mother since Carla's death, and the resentment runs deep. Shortly after Carla passed, Eileen learned that her husband had been cheating on her. Nearly 80 and newly single, she's ready for a second chance at life and love.

Recognizing her need for a slower pace and seeking a rebuilding of her relationship with her mother, Leena thinks it might be best to spend her sabbatical in Yorkshire. Meanwhile, seeing the lack of romantic options for her grandmother in Yorkshire, Leena has the brilliant idea to "swap" lives with Eileen. Eileen always speaks fondly of her brief foray in London before she was married, and now is the perfect time to relive her youthful days.

With the two women "swapping" lives for two months, they both step out of their comfort zones, make new friends, and come to an inner peace they both needed. Witty, funny, and overall an enjoyable read, this was a predictable but certainly feel good book. I listened to the audio and both narrators were exceptional. Eileen was hilarious and made me long for the days of laughter and sweet memories I have with my own grandmothers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this audiobook.

I enjoyed this audio book. A very easy listen with quite a few laugh out loud moments. The characters were all likeable. The only negative, which wasn't huge because there wasn't very many of them, was the audio when they did them as phone calls. I always had to turn the volume up. All in all very pleasant and enough little drama and funny situations to keep listening from beginning to end.

This book was super fun to listen to. I loved the authentic accents used and the fact that there were 2 narrators. The plot was unique and I laughed way more than once out loud, which was a little awkward since I was at work some of those times! I think that this was far more entertaining to listen to versus reading.

Beth O'Leary returns with another heartwarming and funny story that is enhanced by the excellent dual narration. The two voice actors really nail the characters with Leena's London business accent and Eileen's mature, yet humorous voice. The concept of altering a living situation to force personal change has been done before (even by O'Leary herself) and thus makes the plot somewhat predictable. What makes this story stand out is the focus on using the new scenario to find a way out of grief and into the rest of life. By stepping into each other's lives they "come back together again, not just to each other, but back to ourselves." Bonus: there's also a hunky small-town guy and room for surprise even in old relationships.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC. Unfortunately it was not for me. I had a really hard time connecting with the characters or caring about the plot. I thought the romances were really underdeveloped and the book may have benefited from a little bit of history or something to give us more of a connection to the characters. I liked that this book showed us an older person finding love but I didn’t feel the chemistry. I really didn’t care for either of Lenas love interests. Overall I just never cared about any of this book and I slogged through it so Beth O Leary may just not be the author for me. Also, why did they have to switch cell phones? Dumb.

SPOILERS AHEAD:
Lena and her grandma, Eileen, switch places. Eileen goes to live in the city (London) after her husband leaves her and Lena goes to her grandmas place in the country when she’s forced to take a 2 month break from work. They both get completely immersed in each other’s lives in a way that didn’t feel very realistic. Eileen gathers a bunch of people and starts a hangout for old people. She also has a sex only relationship with a guy she met online dating. Lena works on a May Day parade and meets a guy. She ends up staying in the country to be with him after her grandma finds out her long term boyfriend has been cheating. The grandma ends up with a guy back in the country that was her annoying neighbor.
There’s also the storyline involving lenas mom. She lives in the country and is not coping after the death of Lenas sister. There’s a lot of animosity between Lena and her mom because they don’t agree about her sisters treatment plan. They have a good confrontation scene that was somewhat emotional but could’ve been much more of prior development would’ve been better.

I absolutely LOVED this book, and the audio is A+. British accents and duel narrators--wonderful. This was the perfect light read that I needed right now.

Eileen "Leena" Cotton has a panic attack at work after overworking herself for years. She is forced to take a two month leave, and ends up "switching" lives with her grandmother--the other Eileen Cotton. Eileen in London and Leena in Henley. It's fairly predictable, but that doesn't take away from the joy of the book.

I have had the author's previous book, The Flatshare on my Kindle TBR for a while, and I'm definitely moving it to the top.

When a Grandmother and Granddaughter swap lives and homes for two months, one needing a break from their current life and from the stress and the other wanting to finally get a chance at the life she once wanted to live, they both get an adventure and uncover some part of themselves. The Switch came to me at the exact moment I needed it and was therefore exactly what I needed, cute, wholesome, and oh so fun!. Although it was definitely a light, romantic, contemporary, it went a little deeper with the characters and their backgrounds, however, still keeping to it's light-heartedness that I was really craving. This book does deal with heavy topics of love and loss and although there is absolutely romance within this book, I wouldn't say that those aren't the overall aspects of this book. 

I listened to the audiobook version of the book, thanks to the new NetGalley Audiobook Section, and I must say that I really liked how that narrators presented it. There are two different narrators for this book, one for Eileen and one for Leena. What they did well, which is something that audiobooks often don't do very well, is that the narrators voices were easily to distinguish between. This was needed, one because of the ages of the two characters, which just added and pulled me into the book and story so much easier. The performance felt more real, making the story and overall affect, one of my favourite audiobooks I have listened to in a while. Even down to how phone calls were performed. 

I've already put Beth O'Leary's Future release "The Road Trip" on my TBR list, ready for it's release new year!!

This is a beautiful story about love, family, grief, trauma, anxiety, friendship, betrayal, and community.
The story is told from the perspective of - Eileen (grandmother) and Leena Cotton (granddaughter). 29-year-old Leena Cotton is very successful in her career but for after the death of her sister, she started working day and night to cope up with the loss. Which resulted in 2 months forced Sabbatical from work. Whereas Eileen at age of 79, recently got divorced. She is looking for a second chance in love. Eileen is trying to start dating again but believes that there are not many options available in the town.

"Grandma... what if we swapped? What if I came up and looked after all your projects and you had my flat in Shore ditch and I stayed here?"

They switch houses and routines for two months. Leena move to the town and Eileen moved to London. Leena takes over Eileen’s many activities in the village; Eileen in search of love discovers internet dating in London for the first time which was entertaining. These 2 months in each other’s life changed them in a good way.

The part which touched me the most in the book is about loss and grieve. How people feel when they lose someone very close to them. How they deal and cope up with loss and how life changes for them.

I love all the characters especially Eileen. I recommend this book to those who are in women fiction. It is a light-hearted book with a great story.

As far as the narration is concerned Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones narrated the story so wonderfully. I enjoyed both of these narrators and will be looking for other audiobooks they have narrated.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing The Switch in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved this one <3

The Switch is a story of grandma and her granddaughter, who switch their homes for a time. Leena, the granddaughter goes to live in rural Yorkshire, to the little town where everybody knows each other. Aileen, the grandma goes to enjoy her life and try the dating scene in London.

It was o lovely :) I adored the grandmother's story from the first few sentences and after a few chapters, I started to love Leena's story arch too. It was really funny with some laugh out loud moments, and just a very precious story. Ideal for summer, or when you just want to feel good.

I really enjoyed the audiobook and narrators were excellent.

What a charming, endearing, delightful book! I am a fan of stories of people switching places, getting out of their rut and chasing their dreams. And this book took a slight twist on this, when 25-year-old Leena decides to swap homes, lives and daily duties with her 79-year-old grandmother Eileen. Leena leaves the high stress life of London, her eclectic group of friends, her lukewarm boyfriend, and her high-stress life, and moves to the small village that she grew up in, where everyone knows everyone else. And Eileen leaves the comfort of her home, predictable routines and nosy neighbours to shake up her days in London, and maybe find a new romantic interest. The shenanigans that ensue for both women are funny and delightful. But don't go into this book thinking that you won't encounter some deeper topics and emotions.

I loved Eileen's spunk, and willingness to grab a situation and make it her own. And the mix of neighbors from her village had me ready to pack my bags for rural England. The narrators, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Alison Steadman, added another layer to this story, bringing these characters to life, and convincing me of the emotions and predicaments, keeping it believable and fun. O'Leary's prose is smooth and relatable, and provided me with the perfect summer read. Highly recommend for those readers who enjoy supportive families, nosy but loveable neighbours, and a bit of love and romance on the side.

I thought this audiobook would be a modern retelling of Freaky Friday based on the title. As I settled in to listen I was pleasantly surprised that it was not. It’s a modern romantic dramedy set in London as well as it’s countryside. The narration is superb and I didn’t feel a female narrator took anything away when portraying the male characters. The story does not drag and there is a lot going on from beginning to end but its easy to follow. The story is told from two vantage points, Lena who is a young career twenty something with her life all planned out but suddenly has hit some bumps in the road. Then theirs Lena’s 70 year old Grandmother Eileen who lives in the countryside and has been left by her husband and is exploring online dating as a way to find love again. The relationship between the two is closer than mother and daughter and during a weekend visit they decide to switch lives. Lena, a workaholic, has been offered an 8 week paid sabbatical after a failed work presentation. The time in the country will allow her to take personal assessment and get a much needed break. Eileen sees this as an opportunity to step out of her comfort zone and dive deep into the dating casual dating.
There are quite a few characters in the story which are part of Lena and Eileen’s life. The background for each was sufficient to get invested in the characters. None of them seemed excessive. The story unfolded in an orderly mannerly. There were moments that were moments that were funny as well as sad (dealing with the sister’s illness and death and grief). All in all this is a well rounded book and a highly recommended read.

This story was exactly what I look for in a book - fantastic relationships, fun romances and awesome family dynamics. Eileen Cotton was a delight. I loved everything about her and would absolutely read more of her story. Leena had remarkable growth and navigation through her grief. The romances were lovely, but I would definitely have enjoyed more exploration of the new relationships at the end of the story. Overall this was a lovely book.

This was a sweet audiobook. I love listening to this from Leena and Eileen as they swap places to live. I liked how they try to make the best of the change. Overall a cute story with a fun cast of characters.

I really enjoyed listening to this book, Having a narrator for the granddaughter and another for the grandmother really made it more vivid. Generally I like books/movies where there is a life swap, but this book really stood out. The grandmother was so fun and full of life, I’d enjoy more stories of her.

This was a great audiobook. Very talented narration added much to the experience of The Switch.. 79 year old Eileen has recently been abandoned by her husband Wade. Eileen begins to reflect on her life before her marriage. Eileen longs to enjoy a fulfilling life in spite of everything that's happened. Her granddaughter, Leena, is experiencing troubles of her own. After a panic attack at work she is forced to take some time off- spending it her grandmother. After comparing recent life events. Leena has the wild idea that the two should switch lives for a bit. .
O'Leary's writing style is humorous and witty, she creates characters that are endearing.
Highly recommend. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to review this audiobook!