Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an advanced copy of The Switch audiobook. This was a fun light, with heavier undertones, romantic comedy. If you like the movie, The Holiday, you'll enjoy this book. I enjoyed the two narrators who voiced the two main characters. It was nice to hear the age of the grandmother and granddaughter in their age appropriate voices. The story was fairly predictable but that's typically what you get when you read this type of book. I love a good story set in a charming English village as this story was. Good summer vacation read.

I adored this book. It is filled with such heart and has solidified for me that Beth O'Leary is an auto-buy writer. I truly loved The Flatshare and I might have liked The Switch even more.

This story deals with grief beautifully. It is about standing up for yourself, it is about never giving up on your dreams. Never feeling like you're too old or too set in your ways to try something new. Never settling...I could gush for ages. It's just such a lovely story.

Both narrators did a phenomenal job, they kept you fully entranced in the emotional weight of this world.

HIGHLY recommend!

Such a light listen. Loved the characters voices and the story. Cute book with a good set of characters.

The narrator made the story come alive! A granddaughter and a grandmother switch homes and discover that planting roots in a new location results in finding love, friendship, companionship and healing. An absolutely captivating story!

Absolutely delightful story of a grandma and her granddaughter at a crossroads in life. The two decide to switch places with one another and take a break from their lives. The novel does a wonderful job describing the personal adventures both go on. The book did a beautiful job detailing the transformations of both women. Highly recommend this book.

I didn’t expect much from this book based on my previous experience with the author but I was still disappointed.

We get to see the two main characters being swept up in projects, side plots, and even the romantic lives of side characters, which led to very little romantic build up at the end of it. I usually do prefer it when romances include other plots and facets to their stories but the romance definitely took too much of a backseat in this book for it to be marketed this way. While I think this dual perspective was a good idea to start with, it did not get executed effectively.

We first get to experience Leena’s perspective: she’s grieving, she’s overworked, she’s in a relationship and she ends up handling errands in a small village in Yorkshire far from her fast paced London life. This could’ve been the perfect set-up for a “city girl comes back home, realises her city boyfriend is terrible and ends up with her honest and caring childhood crush” trope except it just did not work out for me. I think the reason for it is that she was in a relationship and relatively content with it (bar one instance) for most of the book and she barely had any interactions with the new love interest. I think it would’ve been more effective to have had her and Ethan break up a little bit earlier in the book for us to get more time with the man we were supposed to be rooting for. I think there was also a huge missed opportunity to have an actual discussion about how Ethan used to be her safe space, that there was a time he was there for her in a way she needed and I think we don’t really get to see the impact the loss of this would’ve had on Leena. I just feel like it was just brushed over because it was so late in the book. We also never got to learn anything past surface level about the new love interest (yes I absolutely forgot his name because he is so unmemorable) apart that he has a dog and a daughter, and that he’s a teacher, that’s it. It’s just impossible for me to be invested in a romance if only one of the characters is fleshed out.

Well, actually, I thought Leena herself didn’t really have a stand-out personality either. It felt like the only thing she had was being an overachiever and being angry at her mum and even then these two threads fell flat for me. The book opens up with Leena having a panic attack and implying these were regular occurrences for her but we never circle back to that, apparently these just stop because she’s not at that job anymore and not because she found actual healthy ways to cope with them or manage them. We also know she loves her job so much, and is overly invested in it but then her career becomes irrelevant in the book too. The storyline I appreciated the most with her was the one with her mum. I think Beth O’Leary did a good job at showing different perspectives on grief and fostering better communication and openness with your family. However, even that subplot felt rushed and fell a little bit flat by the end of it. I also did not understand why so close to the end of the book a whole new different thread about the mother having to find herself too was added, it just felt really messy.

We then also get to see Eileen (Leena’s grandmother, 79, single) using dating apps for the first time while experiencing life in London. Most of the time that she spends “romantically” with someone, which is already not a lot of time in and of itself, is not serious nor endgame from the get go so there was no way to feel invested in that except to say “good for her”. The other person she talked to a lot online also led to nowhere and at the end of the day she ends up with someone who she apparently had history with (not that we learn about that right up until the end) and so there is barely any build up to their shift in dynamic. I think there was just one too many romantic threads going on for me to feel invested in any. However, I do think it was very interesting to see her perspective on love and romance since we usually don’t get to see it in a lot of books.

I did end up liking her perspective more because Eileen was very endearing and she was truly trying to do the best for everyone around her. Her positivity could’ve felt a little overbearing at times but I think she was actually the only well-written character in this book so it was easy to root for her. It was heartwarming to see her try to foster a sense of community and caring everywhere she went.

What hurt this book is that there were way too many side plots. I was actually more invested in them than the romances and I think the author was trying to do something important with them but they kind of just stayed surface level for me. They weren’t quite as effective as they could’ve been had this book been a little more focused. While I love the idea of having these “switched lives” the problem with it is that the book is already divided in half between these two different perspectives, and then both of the characters have many different threads each. So it feels like you’re not getting enough of anything. Even the characters felt flat and one dimensional which made any point the author was trying to make lose its impact.

This was an easy read as an audiobook but I feel like I could’ve easily DNFed it if it had been a physical copy.

This audiobook was SOOO good. The narrators were fantastic and truly brought the story to life, and the tinny audio effects for dialogue over phone calls were a nice touch. It played like a TV show in my head and I would love to see it adapted. My only gripe was that you could hear the narrator for Eileen lick her lips before every sentence and that was...not enjoyable.
In terms of the writing and plot, time flowed well in the story; the pacing wasn't too fast or slow, it all just felt very natural and wasn't hard to keep track of. I cared about all of the characters (even the side ones) and they felt so REAL, like they could be people that I really know.
The reason it's getting 4/5 stars is that I don't think it's very memorable. While I may remember it as a good audio recommendation, I know that I won't remember the plot or the characters. It's a good read, but not a new favorite.
I must admit that I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much if I had read it physically (again, the narrators were just that good) so I definitely recommend the audio for this one.

The Switch is the story of two women: young Leena and her grandmother. Both women are grieving losses and both could use a change of environment for different reasons, so they swap homes. Leena moves into her grandmother's home in a Yorkshire village and takes on her projects, and Eileen moves into Leena's flat in London.
The story is funny and sad, at times. I think I much prefer the character of Eileen.
The recording is well done, I think. I enjoyed listening to it!

I recommend this book to women of all ages.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the Audiobook.

I loved this story so, so much. It was perfect. The Switch is heartfelt, expresses true emotions and has strong character development. The narrator was perfect. The story progressed at a good pace, but it is a VERY slow burn romance. I appreciate that both main characters were finding love instead of just Lina, as is typical. I will come back to this story and this narrator again and be recommending to friends of all ages. Sometimes we read just what we need at just the right time; I know this is going to be THAT book for a lot of people. It's perfect.

I was delighted to hear that NetGalley was adding audiobooks to review. I love audiobooks, most of the reading I did last year was through audiobooks. I love the idea of multitasking, especially when one of those tasks include reading.

I was even more delighted to find The Switch by Beth O'Leary was available to listen to. I have heard great things about this author and I was excited to see for myself.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story about a woman and her grandmother, both dealing with grief, decide to swap lifestyles. Leena lives in bustling London and Eileen lives in a small village in the English countryside.

I thoroughly enjoyed the two narrators of this audiobook, they did an incredible job of bringing this beautiful story to life.
I loved this concept of the lifestyle swap. I enjoyed the main characters, especially Eileen. The supporting characters were so lovely too. Beth O'Leary has created such a sweet, heartfelt story and provided beautiful settings and atmosphere. I enjoyed the humor and the dialogue in this book. Grief was portrayed well without bringing the vibe of the story down. Friendship was as big a part of this story as the romance was. I loved the friendships in this story.

This is my first Beth O'Leary read and I look forward to reading more of her work.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and the new NetGalley Shelf app for this listening experience. This review includes both a review of the content and a review of NetGalley audio.

Full cast/2 character audio is nice
Younger voice at 1.75 and older voice at 2x
Tinny recording
Don’t like the “down the phone line” style

I love the idea of an octogenarian having an adventure. I love the premise that you can always change something in your life.

I loved continuing to listen and the rest of/the secondary characters start to develop. Such a wide array of human kind that everyone can find relatable.

The romances are a little predictable, but still enjoyable to watch unfold. I also enjoyed the mother-daughter and grandmother-granddaughter relationships.

“I couldn’t have figured myself out, if I’d not been someone else.”

I hope to be as cool, active, and witty as Eileen when I’m 79.

Some playback issues with the NetGalley Shelf audio app. Stopping at the end of chapters and having to force close the app. The inability to rewind past the start of the chapter and having to go to the menu, select the previous chapter, and then fast forward to where I wanted.

What a lovely book this was, I really enjoyed it, it was more women’s fiction than romance, and that was ok because reading about Leena and Eileen was a pleasure, I really liked both characters, specially Eileen and how they learned from this experience, I love the sense of community, which always sounds like idyllic to me.
The side character were all very charming with the exception of the boyfriend, which it’s a little tiresome, just didn’t need him at all.
I loved the narration too, everyone had their distinctive voice than shone through.

Well this was a light and easy read. I'm my case a listen.
I feel like O'Leary's novels have nothing new from other romance, chic lit or whatever you want to call it.
And that sadly makes this (and "The Flat Share") very predictable if you're a reader of the genre. I mean it has a change in location, finding out your partner isn't who you think they are, change in work conditions and relationships, a family members loss and the grief that comes with it for the ones left behind... As soon as O'Leary brings up something new, be it a forgotten key or swoon-worthy man, I know how she will use it in a predicable way. But that also depend on that I have read -a lot- of books like this one in my life.

That doesn't have to be bad, it was still cute and a good "palette cleanser" I feel like many books in this genre is.
So pick it up if predictability doesn't bother you and you just want something easy to read or listen to.

I was a bit wary of picking this book because I didn’t really enjoy The Flatshare as much as I thought I would. But this book pleasantly surprised me. I absolutely enjoyed reading it. I listened to the audiobook while reading the e-book and it was the best thing ever! The characters were great. The plot was simple yet very entertaining and gripping. I really loved the dual perspective in this novel. This book had me laughing, smiling and even made me feel like crying at some points.

The 2 main characters were amazing but so were the other ones! I loved Arnold. He was so fun, quirky (after his transformation😏), annoying yet lovable. The characters felt so alive.

The Switch isn’t simply a story about two women who swap lives for two months. It’s a story about losing a loved one, handling grief, learning about yourself and starting your life over. This book makes you feel and pushes you to think about your own emotions. I felt so interested in their love lives and was rooting for both Eileen and Leena all along! This book gets all the plus points for amazing characters!!

If you’re looking for a light, quick read which will make you feel sooo many emotions at once, definitely check this one out! It will not disappoint! I really enjoyed The Switch and I can’t wait to read more by this author!💕

I absolutely LOVED #TheSwitch, by Beth O'Leary. This story was done so beautifully and it was narrated perfectly by Alison Steadman as Eileen, the Grandmother who is 79 and has just been left by Wade her husband for a young dancer. Eileen lives in a tiny yorkshire village. Daisy Edgar-Jones narrates as Leena, her 29 year old granddaughter, who lives in London with a high stress job and has a panic attack and is told to take a two month paid sabbatical from her job so she can get her act together. The two decide to switch living arrangements. Eileen will live in Leena's London flat, and try to find love interests in the big city by swiping right or left on an app, as well as just finding herself. Leena will live in Eileen's house and take on her small town responsibilities, like bingo, commitee meetings and such. There she hopes to just relax and de-stress herself. Also, her mother lives there and both Eileen and Leena are hoping Leena and her mother can come to terms again after a falling out they had when Leena's sister died of cancer. Each of them have neighbor friends that can help them make their transitions happen. Also, they have great personalities, which end up making wonderful, quirky, fun and unexpected things happen for both of them.

There are a lot of wonderful characters in this book. A lot of heart warming things happen and what I really love is that O'Leary has a beautiful way of bringing out each person's personalities in the book, neighbors, new people and all. (Even Hank the sweet, lovable dog! ♡)

There are some good times, hard times, and some wonderful times. This book ends with warm fuzzy feel goods and I loved everything about it. I highly recommend the audiobook because the narration is done so well it makes you feel like you are part of the story.

I would like to thank #NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my advance LRC in exchange for my honest opinion.

To be published August 18, 2020.

Sometimes people just need a change of scenery, but with enough familiarity to bring comfort. That’s what happened in this story when a grandmother and granddaughter are both caught in life ruts and decide to switch homes for awhile and see what results. (one moves to London and one goes home to a small town)

Eileen, the grandmother, stole the show for me. She was the cutest! This book is just lovely. It’s more of a slow burn but I got a lot from it emotionally. I loved the two narrators for the audio book, and thought they did a great job of delivering convincing performances of the characters and I could feel all the feels. The story was very endearing and the characters lovable and relatable. Such a sweet story!

I had such high expectations for The Switch since I loved The Flatshare. Unfortunately, this book missed the mark for me. When I initially read the summary, I thought that this would have been a lighthearted book, but there’s underlying sadness throughout the book which is fine, but it kind of threw me off guard. Aside from that, I found the storyline to be a bit too slow and too predictable. In terms of the audiobook, I liked the narrator for Leena, but the narrator for Eileen was unbearable to listen too even though I did like Eileen over Leena in the book. I won’t give up on this author since I loved The Flatshare. Even though The Switch wasn’t right for me, it may be contemporary romance that may work for you.

Thanks for the prerelease copy of the switch to @macmillanaudio. I would highly recommend this endearing quick paced family drama about a granddaughter, daughter and mother and their journey after a family loss. This is a story of healing searching for happiness and feminism. Highly recommend this book. Look for it on release day August 17th

** I received an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.**
There is something about the way this author writes characters. Last year, The Flat Share was such a delightful surprise that I could not wait to get my hands on this book. I was so excited when I was given the audiobook through NetGalley.
Although this book does have romantic elements in it, it is not a romance. It is a book about how loss reshapes a family and all the people in it. When a close family member is no longer physically present, the family has to learn how to reshape around it. Sometimes finding who you are without that person can be very difficult. It may create a space that can never be filled.
This book focuses on a family of women who have been dealt several blows. First, they lost a granddaughter, daughter, and sister and then the grandfather ran off with a dance instructor. Leena has lost her sister to cancer and has been slowly self imploding ever since. She is over working and has a panic attack in the most important presentation of her life. Her employer forces her to take a sabbatical to sort herself out. Her grandmother Eileen not only lost her granddaughter but also her husband and is finding her small hamlet not very conducive to finding love again. After a weekend together, they decide to switch lives for a time and see if they can each find what they need,
I loved that this book looks at this 79 year old woman as a vibrant, sexy woman. Here is no pandering to her age. She is a full, beautifully written character who still desires and loves and makes mistakes. I loved her point of view so much.
I loved that Leena has to learn to work differently in the small hamlet and also has to learn to forgive her mother. IT is really hard to be angry at a person who has died. It is much easier to blame someone you can still touch. Her journey is not an easy one but it was very well written.
This book touched me in a way that is difficult to define. My family lost my uncle when I was about 3 years old and it reshaped itself around a wound that never healed. My mother, her sister and my grandparents did not talk about him much and they certainly did not talk about his death. It was just something that was always there. I often wonder who they all were before he died. I understand how that change how an entire family works.
This book is beautifully written and the two main characters are fully developed women whose hopes and dreams have been knocked off track. They are not cardboard cut outs. I just really enjoy the way this author writes characters with such nuance and humanness.

This was an enjoyable book - the first audiobook from NetGalley that I had listened to.

When Leena has a panic attack during a high-profile presnetation at work in London, she is 'encouraged' by her boss to take 2 months off to de-stress. She decides to go and visit her grandmother Eileen in her small Yorkshire village, and while there, she discovers that Eileen had dreams of living in London when she was younger, Eileen, 79 years old, has been trying to find an eligible man to date, but is not finding anyone in the village that she would want to date.

A plot is hatched, for Leena and Eileen to swap lives for 2 months. Leena will come and live in the village, and will take on Eileen's responsibilities organizing the village fete, complete with Eileen's flip phone, while Eileen will go and live in Leena's London flat, where with the help of Leena's friend, she will try online dating.

No suprise, both find their new lives trying, and have to learn to deal with people and their new surroundings, in different ways. Both describe their progress, and personal growth in touching and sometimes amusing ways. We lelarn about the heartbreak that both have suffered and how they are dealing, and not dealing with it. Both characters realise they have underestimated what the other does in their day to day lives. Eileen and her elderly friends were very fun to listen too - the older characters definitely were the most amusing in this novel. Especially as they navigate the waters of online dating!

The narrators of the audiobook - Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones, did a wonderful job of voicing all of the characters. I enjoyed the fact that each character had a distinct, and very appropriate voice. The plot was easy to followand the sound quality was very good.

I would definitely read more by this author. Many thanks to Macmillan audio for a chance to listen to this book in return for an honest review.