This story starts out like many others about a woman who faces a crossroads in her life, but it makes a most unexpected turn. Leena is on an unplanned sabbatical after she screws up a work presentation. She retreats to her grandmother’s house to lick her wounds and counts on some tea and sympathy from her 80 year old grandmother, Eileen. Eileen, meanwhile is thinking about the missed opportunities in her life and longs for a second chance. So the two women come up with a solution, they will switch lives, with Eileen living in the city and Leena moving into her grandmother’s little Yorkshire cottage. From there, things take an unexpected, and sweet and funny turn. Steadman and Edgar-Jones do a bang up job of bringing this lovely story to life

The Switch is a romance novel featuring a family left behind.

Leena lost her sister 14 months ago and her life is imploding as a result. Eileen lost her granddaughter; her daughter and remaining granddaughter aren’t speaking.

From this sad premise comes the switch—Leena and Eileen switch places when Leena’s job forces her to take two months off. Eileen dates for the first time after the end of her marriage and Leena addresses the hole in her life with her sister and her mother gone.

While that makes the book sound sad, it’s not. As the women grow and change, it’s hard not to feel hopeful. This book is much like O’Leary’s last book—a cast of friends and side characters who for the most part play bit roles but occasionally come off the page and steal a scene because they are so real. There are also a few outlandish plot points that don’t work as well but don’t spoil the overall fun of the book.

This book drew me in much quicker than The Flatshare and is a better book overall. It ends in a happier place than where it began, tying up some unresolved grief in the process. Really enjoyed the two can-do female main characters.

Leena is ordered to take a two-month sabatical after blowing a big presentation at work. Eileen, Leena’s grandmother, is newly single, about to turn 80 and looking for a second chance at love. Leena proposes a solution: a two month swap, Eileen can find love in London while Leena will look after everything in rural Yorkshire.

I had so much fun listening to this audio. The story was fast-paced, cute and charming. I loved all the characters, Eileen’s was my favorite, I just adored her, she was a firecracker and her dating adventures were the best!
Overall if you want a book that will put a smile on your face, this is for you.

Thank you NetGalley, MacMillan Audio and Beth O’leary for giving me a copy of this ALC in exchange for an honest review.

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<b>The Switch</b> was a  feel good, womens fiction audiobook and I found it to be  a most enjoyable, easy listening experience.
In terms of NetGalley audiobooks it was my first - of hopefully many.     It was also my first Beth O'Leary novel and though I may not rush it to the top of my favourites list I've heard great things about her debut novel The Flatshare and would certainly read or listen to her work again. 

The story was relatable on many levels and covered off an array of themes including relationships of all shapes and sizes and had a wonderful variety of charecters old and young.    At the top of the list of themes was grief and the journey of rediscovering yourself in the wake of the loss of a loved one.    Though there were three generations of Cotton women in this story The Switch was essentially about Eileen and Leena Cotton trading lives for a couple of months.    At 79 Eileen is newly single and realises she wants one last chance at love but her options are slim in her quaint country town.   Leena, her granddaughter, is 29 and is being forced to take an eight week sabbatical from her job in London.    For the past two years she's thrown herself into her work in a desperate attempt to get over the loss of her sister.     She may well be a high flyer and professional success story but it has taken a toll on her wellbeing and her bosses are insistent she needs a break.    So, Eileen and Leena agree to swap lives for 2 months.    Leena will live in the country and take on Eileen's chores whilst Eileen will live in London and do a bit of online dating where there are plenty of eligible over 70's.

The two narrators Daisy Edgar-Jones and Alison Steadman both did a terrific job of portraying their respective characters and it was easy to imagine the characters O'Leary had created.  If you enjoy contemporary womens fiction with a bit of light romance thrown into the bargain this one is sure to please.    It was entertaining, not altogether unpredictable, and had the requisite happy ending to round off a really pleasant story.    3.5 stars on Goodreads.

My thanks to the author, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity of listening to this audiobook.

I was so excited to be accepted to review an audiobook for net galley, and especially thrilled that my first audiobook review is for Beth O'leary's The Switch. I read her first book, #theflatshare, last summer and I honestly, just love how she is able to tackle serious topics, and lighten things up with her a good dose of humour.

In #theswitch, the Cotton family, grandma Ilene, Mom Marianne and daughter Leena, are all battling grief over the last few to several months since the loss of Leena's sister to cancer. Grandma Ilene was hoping to find a new romantic partner, and her grand daughter Leena was forced to take paid leave from her job (after she had a panic attack at work at the VERY WORST POSSIBLE time). Since eligible men for grandma are scarce out in grandma's town, Leena hatches the plan that her and grandma Ilene should switch homes (Leena's in London, and so grandma would definitely stand a match greater chance of finding romance there). They switch: homes, smartphones for flip phones, and exchange keys and responsibilities, and off they go. Leena had promised to help look after her mom, Marianne who was not coping with her grief (and lives in the same town with Grandma Ilene).

"The switch", therefore allows for comedy and drama, that is all just a pleasure to read.

But now for the audiobook. Well I am a great believer in the audiobook because most importantly, it allows me to listen to the story and either get up and do my exercise or cook, or do whatever it is I have to do (especially great when stuck in the car). I am also able to speed it up soI could get through the book as quickly (or as slowly) as I like.

This audiobook was fantastic to listen to, humour and drama both done very well. Alison Steadman and Daisy Jones were incredible to listen to. I really enjoyed it. I highly recommend listening to, and reading, Beth O'leary"s #theswitch. Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillanaudio for letting me listen to the book in return for my honest review.

This is a contemporary fiction novel about a grandmother and granddaughter who switch their lives and their homes for 2 months. This was an audiobook and I really enjoyed the narrators. They captured what I felt was the tone and feeling of the book.

Leena lives in London and has been working so intensely that she finally has a panic attack during a major presentation. She is “ordered” to take a 2 month paid vacation. Problem is, Leena doesn’t know where to go. She finally decides to visit her grandmother, Eileen whom she is very close to.

She visits Yorkshire where her mother also lives. She and her mom have been somewhat estranged ever since her sister passed away. She and her grandmother talk at length about what they want in life and decide it might be a good idea for them to switch lives for 2 months. Leena will stay in the village and do all of the things on Eileen’s “project” list, which ends up being more than she bargained for. Eileen will go to London and live in Leena’s flat with her flat mates.

Soon Eileen is helped to set up a profile on a dating website and makes friends in the apartment building. There are definitely some believability issues here with the many things that she is able to accomplish while she is there. She starts a club that will meet in a common space and hopes to bring seniors together. She also manages to meet two men on the dating site, one of which she has a “fling” with, for want of another word.

Leena meanwhile really gets to know the neighbors in Yorkshire. It’s a small town and everyone knows everyone’s business. She finds herself in charge of the local May Day event which is more work than she imagined. She also finds that her long time boyfriend, Ethan, isn’t very good at long distance romance while there is someone in this small town that she finds more than a little interesting.

Although I found the book a bit saccharine at times, there were some serious issues addressed including grieving over the loss of a loved one, really understanding and communicating with people and learning to love yourself and find your inner strengths.

I can highly recommend this as a great audiobook listen. It was quick and interesting and the narration was great.

I received an audiobook of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley Audiobooks.

This was a delightful novel with more substance than I anticipated - a pleasant surprise! The "switch stories" I've previously enjoyed in novels and movies swapped two people of the same age. In Beth O'Leary's upcoming release, 20-something granddaughter Leena leaves her fast-paced career-driven London life to live in her 79-year-old grandmother Elieen's small village cottage for two weeks during a "sabattical" mandated by her employer. Grandma Eileen uses this opportunity to stay in Leena's London flat and live the exciting big-city life for 14 days. Of course hilarity and missteps ensue.

I enjoyed watching Leena be reminded of the importance of connections to one's neighbors, a skill she neglected in London, and seeing Eileen teach that lesson to Leena's flatmates, fellow building residents, and the larger neighborhood. Eileen's antics to 'investigate' Leena's boyfriend were enjoyable if not somewhat unrealistic. Of course, the love stories were sweet and delightful. I also appreciated the far more serious plotline of Leena, Elieen, and their mother/daughter mourning the loss of Carla, Leena's sister.

It was fabulous to read this as an audiobook as the British accents of Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones brought great authenticity to the large cast of characters, especially Eileen and Leena. Thank you NetGalley for the Advanced Listening Copy of this novel!.

I loved this audiobook. The idea of a grandmother and her granddaughter changing homes for a couple of months intrigued me. With Leena being ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a big presentation at work, going to live in her grandmother's cottage in a small town sounds like a perfect spot to unwind and relax. What she was not aware of, were the number of jobs and projects her grandmother was responsible for that she was expected to take over. Eileen's husband recently left her for a younger woman and 79 year old Eileen is ready to try dating and see what she wants out of life. Of course, Eileen is a go getter, so the apartment building will never be the same after Eileen gets her hands on it.

I loved both the main characters. Eileen might be a 79 year old grandmother, but she is not old. She's fun, active, smart, friendly and loves making things better for others. She loves having a project. Leeni is a business woman who is organized and used to running things, that is not going to happen in the village. The story is told in alternating chapters and I really enjoyed Eileen's adventures. Leeni was having a more difficult time adapting, but it was fun to see what she was getting herself into. This book is full of emotions and had me laughing out loud one minute and getting weepy the next. There are some tough issues tackled in a fun way. It explores loneliness, fear, grief, mental health, spousal abuse and other domestic issues. A great book for a summer read or listen. Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones were awesome narrators. I loved the voices they used for the character they were narrating. The expression and intonation were perfect and the pacing was right on. I definitely recommend these narrators to those who enjoy audiobooks.

This book was exactly what I needed. I loved the focus on healing and dealing with grief. It was interesting to see how each of the characters dealt with their loss in different ways. I was a huge fan of the dual perspectives--we need more books with main characters over the age of 50. It was so refreshing.

The audiobook was brilliant. One of the best I have ever listened to.

Lovely. Simply lovely.
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Through this pandemic my heart has been drawn to simple stories. The Switch fit the bill ten fold. I adored everything about it.
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Let’s talk about the plot. Grandma and granddaughter switch lives. At first I thought it was going to be a little like Freaky Friday...which if I’m being honest made me very apprehensive. Delightfully that was not the case. A simple plot was exactly what this story called for. What are you missing? For both Lena and Eileen, they needed to leave their respective homes/towns and discover what was right in front of their face the whole time. Bravo Beth! Well done.
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I adored these characters. They filled this novel with love. Even the cranky, crotchety ones. The relationship between Lena and Eileen was well played. Sometimes that extra generation makes such a open, wonderful relationship and that was absolutely the case with this Grandmother and Granddaughter. The supporting characters had such depth, that they starred in the story in their own right.
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I want to talk about the audio a bit since I am reviewing the audio book. The narrators were perfect. Lending their voices to bring both points of view to life. I felt like I was wrapped in a warm blanket...sipping tea...listening to old friends tell me their story. They made it real.
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I would love to talk about this novel all day...because it makes me smile and laugh to remember it. I think this will be one of my favorites this year.
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I will highly recommend this to everyone I know. The family drama, combined with the perfect romance all set in a lively place lends itself to a read that will be appreciated by most ♥️.

I listened to The Switch on audiobook, and it was amazing. There were two narrators, one for each of the main women. The main characters are a businesswoman and her grandmother, and the narrators impressed me because the voice for the grandmother really fit the part. Plus, when phone calls occurred in the book, the narration became full of static. The special effects were fun.

The story is that a businesswoman has a panic attack at work due to the stress of losing her sister, so she is forced to take a paid two-month vacation from work. During her vacation, she decides to switch places with her grandmother. She will live in her grandmother's country home, and attend various neighborhood meetings. Her grandmother will stay in her flat in London, and look for a new man.

It is a heartfelt story that had me tearing up multiple times. Plus, how often do we get representation of women over 70?

I received this audiobook from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary has been one of my favorite reads of the year and The Switch earned its place right beside it. I so enjoyed this lovely novel. Beth O'Leary will be an automatic one-click author for me from now on. We follow Eileen and her granddaughter, Leena, in this book. Eileen is sick and tired of being 79 and finds herself newly single and ready to mingle. Leena is ordered to take a two month sabbatical from work after having a panic attack during a big presentation. Both are also dealing with the aftermath of a devastating family tragedy. They decide the best cure for being tired of their own lives is to switch lives for the two months Leena is off of work.

Leena makes her way to her grandmother's home in the tiny village of Hamleigh-in-Harksdale. She is quickly faced with dealing with her broken relationship with her mother and also the inner workings of small town life. She throws herself into the Neighborhood watch and the upcoming Mayday celebration. Eileen has a rough start in London, but is soon enveloped by Leena's friends and begins being the meddlesome and well-meaning matriarch of the group. Eileen also learns the ropes of dating apps thanks to Leena's friend, Bea, and soon finds herself involved with several men. Meanwhile, Leena is questioning whether she really wants to return to London and her fast pace life again.

The book is heavily character-driven, which I absolutely adored. The complex relationships contained in its pages were so emotional and raw, while still maintaining that fun wit and cheek that I love about Beth O'Leary's writing. I had the absolute pleasure of listening to this book via audiobook and it was a delight! Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillon Audio. The audio was masterfully done and the narrators were perfectly matched to their characters.

This was a 5-star read for me, and I'm 100% certain that the amazing narrators of the audiobook had A LOT to do with it.

The Switch by Beth O'Leary is written from the POVs of the two main characters, Leena and Eileen Cotton, and each of these has their own narrator in the audiobook edition. Leena is a 29-year old overachiever and workaholic with some unacknowledged grief, and her grandmother, Eileen, is a 79-year old force of nature looking for a new adventure and another shot at love. Despite their similarities in terms of personality traits, these are two characters that are distinctly different in terms of the life phases they are in and their overall circumstances, which means that in order for the audiobook to be successful, the narrators need to convey all of this perfectly.

And man, do Daisy Edgar-Jones (Leena) and Alison Steadman (Eileen) do that and more!

Edgar-Jones's Leena is teetering on the edge of a nervous breakdown as the story takes off, even after she makes the titular switch with her grandmother to go live in a small Yorkshire village. She sweeps the listener up in Leena's ups and downs and very believably grows the character into the confident, at-peace-with-herself person that's only hinted at in the beginning. You can quite literally hear how Leena comes to terms with everything she needs to in order to move forward in her life. Small narrator quirks, like audible breaths and mouth-wetting, which would normally be big no-nos, feel natural and comforting and make you feel even more like you're listening to a normal human being trying to work their way through life. I hope Daisy Edgar-Jones reads many more audiobooks - she's found a new fan in me.

But, even with Edgar-Jones's Leena being near to perfection in my view, she's blown out of the water by Alison Steadman's Eileen. Don't get me wrong - the narrator quirks I mentioned are even more prevalent here, and in a normal narrating sense, she's not that good. What makes all that okay, and more than okay - absolutely perfect - is that Steadman reads Eileen exactly the way I would have pictured her in my head. How many 79-year olds do you know who don't get out of breath now and then, or don't lick their lips between each sentence? Steadman's honest, older woman voice just perfectly encapsulates what it is to be Eileen - fiery, nosy, bull-headed, caring, and daring, all wrapped up in a grandmotherly package that just makes you want to hug her.

Their narration of side characters was fairly good, and I don't have any major qualms in that department. This isn't the type of book where the narrator's voice needs to change completely for each character for the listener to be able to follow the story or to have a better listening experience, so it's a bit of a moot discussion point. The audibook's structure is also good, breaking it up into alternating POV chapters according to the print edition, and they average around 15 minutes each - perfect listening chunks.

It's worth mentioning that I have the feeling I'd have rated the book a bit lower, had I read it instead of listened to it. I think the story is less complex on paper and might lack a bit of the gravitas that the narrators' interpretations brought to the table. Basically, it's a rather light, straightforward read (albeit still really good) turned into a deeply emotional and highly entertaining listen by the narrators. I just felt like a million bucks by the end of it, and I don't think there's more you can ask for from this kind of book.

I throughly enjoyed listening to The Switch. The story itself was very wholesome and funny in parts, I especially enjoyed Eileen's storyline. I haven't read many stories that centre romance and over 70s, The Switch offered a new perspective. The narrators of The Switch were great they really helped to illustrate the story and liked having different narrators for each perspective as it made the novel easier to follow.

Highly recommend The Switch if your looking for a fun and feel good story!

Who would have thought a swap of locations for Eileen and Leena would have caused so many feels! Such a heart-warming story of grandmother and granddaughter who are both ready for a change of pace when the country mouse goes to the city and the city mouse moves to the country. A fantastic reminder of the benefit of a change of scenery. Not just a holiday, but a two-month switch. Full of friendship, family, forgiveness and love. As funny and entertaining as The Flatshare with additional family dynamics!

This broke my heart, it was splendid, phenomenal, gut wrenching masterpiece.
I swear this was something that caught me unaware, I wouldn’t normally pick anything up like this. The plot seem
Interestingly enough but I wasn’t overly impressed that I wanted to immediately read this. But as I wanted to venture out I decided to check out the audiobook kindly provided by Netgalley and the publisher. Thank you so much to them because if not for them I wouldn’t have discovered this gem of a book.

I will say that this book was a little slow in the beginning and I wasn’t entirely sure that I was going to be able to get into it but soon enough I was sucked in and I couldn’t stop listening to it. Eileen & Leena both brought so much to the book that kept me so interested.

I wouldn’t say that this book did not have its flaws or that Leena did not piss me off by not believing her grandmother when she told her her boyfriend was a cheating asshole. That whole meltdown scene just put me off to her character and made me not like her as much. But I feel like it was a reaction expected of her character, up until that point all the other choices she had made totally indicated that she would possibly react stupid to this news. I feel it was mostly because she did not want to experience another loss after the passing away of her sister. Which in turn made it a little more understandable. Not smart, just that I understood why she made those choices.

I really enjoyed the bonding moments in this book, seeing them interacting with people in their life, their town and all of these peculiar people made the book 100% better.
Arnold was indeed my favorite person outbid this entire book, every scene he was in I was living for it.

The plot was a little predictable I kind of knew what was going to happen before it actually did, but I don’t know I feel like it was so eloquently done that I honestly did not mind it one bit.

Lastly Eileen was my favorite POV to actually listen to, everything she was feeling all of those experiences she had in London where so real and she’s absolutely the best old lady ever. I loved that she was so caring and down to earth and just loved seeing the best in people. No doubt she had her flaws just like Leena but I’m glad to see that she changed for the better after London.


Overall I loved this book, that’s all.

I hadn't enjoyed the Flat Share by Beth O'Leary as much as I thought I would so I was hesitant to read The Switch as I wasn't sure it would be for me. However, I absolutely loved listening to The Switch as an audiobook.

The two narrators were perfect - I loved how there was a different narrator for the dual perspectives so it was easier to follow along, and also they were just great narrators.

The story was wholesome and Eileen's chapters often had me laughing or smiling along. I would definitely recommend this book, especially as an audiobook.


(Review will also be posted on Instagram soon.)

Loved this audiobook. A real feel good story which was brought to life by the two narrators. I've never come across Beth O'Leary before but I will be sure to look out for anything else she writes.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest review.

The Switch is a lovely and touching new book by Beth O'Leary. I adored her book The Flatshare and The Switch is just as wonderful if not better. In the Switch, Leena Cotton and her 79 year old grandmother Eileen Cotton decide to switch places for two months. Leena moves to the British Countryside and Eileen moves into Leena's flat in London. I absolutely loved the story told by the two perspectives and wish more books had more older characters! The author is able to create such vivid and fun characters, I truly fell in love with both communities and all the friends and family who lived within them. Since a death in their family, Leena and Eileen are suffering from sad and touching grief. Their resulting journey into themselves was so well done and thoughtful. The audionbook was a true DELIGHT with amazing performances by both narrators.
Thanks to Macmillan Audio, Netgalley, and the author for this advance audiobook. My thoughts and review are all my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron books for my adiobook of Flatshare by Beth O’Leary that publishes August 18, 2020 in exchange for an honest review.
I found this book to be really fun, with a lot of heart! There were times when I was moved with laughter or sadness, which isn’t easy to do for me! I found Eileen to be an absolute joy and adored her spunk, and her relationship with Lena was so tender and sweet. (I apologize for any name misspellings, I have not see how their names are spelled, as I read with my ears).
Also, the narration was lovely! I’ll be coming back for more by this author!