Copy received from Hachette Australia for an honest review

3.5-4 stars

The Flatshare was one of my favourite books of 2019, so it was an anxious moment when I received The Switch.

This book was just the salve I needed for my head and heart after reading a few emotionally draining stories in the week prior.

It says it all in the blurb, so you know what you are going to get. This is very much a character driver rather than plot driven tale, and even though it is quite predicatable, it is an enjoyable read.

It is kind of like the movie The Holiday, where grandmother/daughter do the house swap. Eileen and Leena have heartache in their pasts, and perhaps this swap will be a clean start for both of them?

And I gotta say - I am calling Eileen "Grandma gettin' it on" - you'll see why when you read it.

The Switch is a slow paced (though not unbearable slow, pleasurable slow) story of finding oneself again.

The narrator were perfect for Leena and Eileen. They brought that extra element to the story, one that I already liked.

I am looking forward to what Ms O'Leary brings us in the future.

I was so excited for The Switch, as I recommend The Flatshare to everyone I know! The Switch was a delightful family dramady about a grandmother/granddaughter who decide to switch places for two months. This book has laugh out loud moments but also parts that bring tears to your eyes- it focuses on themes of finding your passion, friendship, grief, forgiveness, and love.

I really enjoyed the audible version, and thought the narrators really captured the characters really (although sometimes young Lena talked a little fast (I actually had to make sure I haven’t sped up the speed at one point!)).

The story was complex and captivating. I loved how the focus was more on healing within a person and healing fractured relationships. Having the focus of the book revolve around the strong relationship between granddaughter and grandma was interesting and made for a promising story.

I did have problems with the execution of the audiobook. At times I would find myself distracted by the mannerism of each actor. I could constantly hear the smacking of lips and it would irritate me while I was listening. I had a hard time focusing on the story and truly enjoying it because of this.

I wanted badly to enjoy the audiobook, but I felt like the way it was edited and the actors used made it really difficult to enjoy. The story itself was very good, but I think for me I would better enjoy the book if I read it instead.

I was able to get the audiobook of “The Switch” a few weeks ago on NetGalley and finished it last night.

I loved this book. I was excited to read Beth O’Leary’s new title after loving The Flatshare so much last year and The Switch did not disappoint.

Leena is given a 2-month leave from work after she has a panic attack at work. She’s had a rough year and her employer thinks it’s time she gives herself some R&R.

Meanwhile, Leena’s 79-year-old grandmother Eileen is bored with her life in the country. When Leena comes to visit they hatch up an idea - Leena will stay at her cottage in the country and take over Eileen’s projects, and Eileen will head to London, live in Leena’s flat and have an adventure.

I really love that Eileen is a fully developed (and spunky!) character of her own with a whole storyline. She might be a grandmother but that isn’t her defining identity in the story which was such a breath of fresh air.

Initially, I gave this 4/5 stars, but I’m already rethinking my decision and am probably going to bump this up to 5⭐️.

The Switch will be available here in North America on August 18th.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

The Switch is a fun escape with all its British charm and likable characters. Seventy-nine year old Eileen living in rural Yorkshire and her Londoner granddaughter, Lena, decide to swap lives. They're hoping the two month switch will be just the change they need to rediscover themselves and get their lives back on track. They exchange it all- homes, phones, friends and projects. It's got all the feels and plenty of wit. Grandma is an absolute hoot! If you're looking for a light, enjoyable read, I highly recommend it.

I love house swap stories, so I jumped at the chance to listen to this audio book!

This is a dual POV story of Leena - 20 something overachiever living in London who has just been forced into a 2 month sabbatical and her granny Eileen - 79 who lives in rural Yorkshire. Both of these characters are so delightfully presented that I want to be friends with them both!

They decide to swap houses which leads to an entertaining tale of Eileen discovering how to cope in busy London. In Yorkshire, Leena also has to cope with relationship issues and feelings about her sister’s death.

There is a touch of romance in the book, but it is more of a feel-good story involving Leena and Eileen’s respective journeys brought on by their new living arrangements. This is such a fun feel-good book, I am going buy a copy for my Mom to enjoy!

The narration:
I applaud the decision to go with dual narrators, so we got distinct voices for both Eileen and Leena. Both characters are appropriately and effectively voiced.

Story:4/5 stars
Narration: 4/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my ALC of The Switch in exchange for an honest review.

This was a hugely charming and delightful story in every way, with laughs, love, profundity and genuine warmth. I adored both the writing and each of the narrators. I did not want this audiobook to ever end. Both of the main characters (Eileen and her granddaughter Leena) felt like old friends of mine by the time I was halfway through, and I was sad for my relationship with them to end.

The theme of this story reminded me of one of my favorite holiday movies, The Holiday, in which the heartbroken Kate Winslet swaps homes with Cameron Diaz over the Christmas holiday. The theme here is similar, only it is Leena, the overworked and overextended professional living in London, who exchanges homes with her sweet grandmother out in the country. The Switch immediately reveals new adventures and new sides to each woman's personality, wherein grandma Eileen is stronger and spunkier than you may have realized, and Leena has a softer side that might be able to let go of work for a bit and have fun, and, potentially romance.

Many wonderful hijinks ensue. One of my favorite parts was hearing all about Eileen (the grandma's) rather full and ribald dating life. We don't often get a lead female character of a certain age who is shown to still be very interested in dating and sex, and I loved this. The narrator's voice was so warm and lovely that it fully contributed to Eileen being one of my favorite book characters of the year. I wish I had a grandmother like Eileen! I also love, love, LOVED her interaction with her eventual love interest and the way that story unfolded during her other forays into online dating. I laughed, I snorted, and MAYBE I even cried. What more can you ask for in a sweet and clever romance about a fabulous over-70 lady (or lady of any age, for that matter?)

I also loved and related to the overworked Leena, who was a fish out of water in her grandma's neighborhood, but who finds adventures and a potential love interest nonetheless. Leena also finds the opportunity for her assertiveness to help a neighbor of her grandma's who may be in a dangerous situation.

The writing is just lovely and the realizations the characters have about what they are really looking for in life and love are entertaining but also more profound than you might expect from such a lighthearted book. But I am truly blown away by the lovely voice work of both narrators. I almost felt like I was watching a movie, because I could visualize the entire story through both of their voices. I am sure this is a wonderful book to read as well but the audiobook really adds another layer of warmth and fun that I encourage you to experience.

5+ hearts rather than stars for this totally sweet but not at all sappy modern romance and self-discovery of two different generations of women. I am on my way to look up more books (preferably on audio!) by this very talented author whose writing is so warm, kind and genuine. I daresay (hmm, that's the British in me coming out from listening to this) that this is exactly the kind of book we all need to read in these politically charged, pandemic inflamed times --- it will remind you that love, fun, and socialization await us and affection is something anyone of any age can find at any time.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and Beth O'Leary. This book has so much heart but is not at all cheesy. It is one of my top ten books of 2020, and by far the best romance/chick lit book of 2020 thus far!

Another fun book from Beth O'Leary! Listening to it on audio was a delight also because the narrator brought the story to life with her variety of voices. Would you ever switch your entire life, even for a few months to see what might be out there for you?

The Switch was an interesting read about two women escaping their current reality and trying to find themselves. Just so happens these two women are grandmother/granddaughter. This slice-of-life style story isn't usually my thing, but I found the narrators of the story dragged me in.

Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones did an amazing job portraying Leena and Eileen. The emotions felt by Leena and Eileen were well acted. One didn't dominate over the other either - I never felt drawn more to one and dreading the other, as I have found in other duel perspective stories.

I can't wait to read Beth's previous book and I plan to look out for Alison and Daisy in any other narration roles.

DNF

Narrator drove me crazy. You could hear all the spit in her mouth and every time she swallowed it was super noticeable. I may try just reading the physical copy of this one later

Thank you to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for this ALC of Beth Leary’s “The Switch.”

Still reeling from her sister’s death, Leena breaks down at her high profile London job and is ordered to take a 2 month sabbatical. Meanwhile her 79 year grandmother, Eileen, wants out of her small countryside town and longs for an adventure. So they decide to switch lives.
Both Leena and Eileen encounter more than they bargained for: self discovery, unexpected friendships, new hobbies and passions, love, and they each learn how to heal their grieving family.

You’ll love all the British phrases and you’ll love the narrators. “The Switch” was a delight!


This review will be posted on my blog and Instagram on August 18.

I feel like this was lacking a lot that I couldn’t put my finger on. The idea is insanely appealing, especially in this day and age. I feel like both women went with a goal of bettering themselves. But did that happen? I don’t really think so. Sure, they got out of bad situations and decided how the course of their life will change, but the root of their problems are still there.

Leena is still as work obsessed as ever, and Eileen still likes to be in charge and take over every space she comes to. And sure, those aren’t necessarily bad things, but the whole point of Leena’s sabbatical was to take a break and sort out her overworking tendencies.

Overall I’d say it was a good book. There was a lot I enjoyed. However, the characters felt a bit stiff and the plot felt like it could have done with a bit more to enhance the ladies lives. If you are looking for a quick and easy book to escape into someone else’s life for a time being, this could be the one you are looking for.

First off I want to thank NetGalley for a chance to review this audio version of The Switch by Beth O'Leary.

I am currently DNF'ing this audio, I will be picking up a physical copy of the book because I just cannot get into this piece as an audiobook.

The sound quality is a bit off. Some parts of the book are pitched extremely high and others are so low you cannot hear it, even with the volume turned all the way up. I feel like a physical copy would suit me better this time.

This was a charming British book. I really enjoyed this audiobook. it switched between a quirky English village and London. I enjoyed the village bits the best. The one thing I didn't like about the audiobook was when the phone calls had a special effect on them that made them sound like phone calls. It was jarring.

This audiobook was lovely to listen to. Eileen is 79 and her and her grand-daughter Lena decide to swap lives. Lena slows right down and gets involved with Yorkshire village life and Eileen finds her sensual side in London and decides to find love. I liked the two different voices for each character. I think a good audiobook can really bring a story to life and this one did just that. An easy warm listen.

I love the team narrators !!!!The narrators were okay for this book i was not mesmerized, the best thing was the distinct voices for the granddaughter and grandmother as it made it sooo easy to follow the storylines. good take on issues of being alone and finding the right life partner and balance.

If you’re looking for something light and fun to read, Beth O’Leary’s The Switch would be perfect for you! I had been seeing her debut book, The Flatshare, all over bookstagram and had always wanted to see what the hype was all about; so, I was really happy when I got an audiobook ARC from Netgalley!

There really isn’t anything I can say about the plot that hasn’t been mentioned in the synopsis. It was pretty much all there: Leena and her grandmother, Eileen, switched lives for a couple of months and they learned a lot of things about themselves. It’s a classic feel-good book that would make a great feel-good movie that you would watch a thousand times while eating a pint of ice cream every time you need a pick-me-up. It’s just so dang charming!

Daisy Edgar-Jones and Alison Steadman both did an amazing job with the audiobook as Leena and Eileen, respectively. You could really tell a lot about their personalities from the first time they were introduced. Leena was obviously stressed out and on the verge of a panic attack, and Eileen’s good-humored nature shone through. It is amazing narrators like them that always gets me hooked to audiobooks.

The lack of heavy conflict in the story made listening to The Switch such an easy feat. I managed to finish it in less than 2 days – just in time to be included in my July reads! Leena’s story was entertaining to listen to, especially the unlikely friendships she made in Hamleigh. Eileen’s, however, was the more exciting of the two! At her age, it was really fun to see her date around and be confused among three (3!) men. It was also nice that she managed to leave a lasting mark to her London friends, no matter how brief their time together was.

There were some serious elements like grief, relationship breakdown, and even marital issues, but they are all essential to the growth of all the characters involved. I loved how things panned out and how conflicts were resolved. It’s an amazing book and everyone should read it. And I really mean everyone!

I read Beth O'Leary's debut -The Flatshare - and really enjoyed it. The way she had the characters talk to differentiate them was a little on the odd side, but I did not mind.
This book blew that book out of the water for me. Eileen and Leena were truly so different and both so intriguing. Eileen I think captured my heart and will with anyone else who reads! It was so enjoyable that all of the characters were really flushed out.
I just felt all the things reading this book, but mostly I had a big smile on my face the majority of the time.

I wholeheartedly adored this book! After reading and loving The Flat Share I knew I wanted to read this book as well so when I saw it was available as an audiobook on NetGalley I jumped at the chance to get to read it. Also, the fact that it was narrated by the absolute ICON that is Alison Steadman and Normal People's Daisy Edgar-Jones really sold it to me! I love when audiobooks have multiple perspectives narrated by different actors as I feel like it adds a lot to the story that you don't always get from a single narrator. This was just so charmingly Beth O'Leary and I loved this one just as much - if not more than I loved The Flat Share. I loved all of the characters and this was such a fun read but it also deals with very serious topics as well such as death, grief and abuse but all rolled up in a charming little tale of love, friendship and family. It gave me major Hallmark Christmas movie vibes as in I kind of knew how it was going to end right at the start but it was so fun and sweet and it was nice just to do life with the characters. I couldn't recommend this book enough!

Rating: 3 stars
Recommend? For lovers of Sophie Kinsella books

[Thank you to NetGalley and the author for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review]

I enjoyed listening this cute story about two women, a grandmother and granddaughter, who switch places. The story was a little slow but very sweet, with just the right amount of serious issues and character growth. It reminded me of Sophie Kinsella, although with a bigger focus on family than romance.

I also thought the audiobook was well done. The dual perspectives are voiced by two different actresses; the granddaughter is played by Daisy Edgar-Jones, who played Marianne in normal people, and it was fun to hear the recognizable voice.