I loved Beth O'Leary's The Flatshare because it was quirky, fun, and well-written. So, of course, I was excited to read The Switch. I wasn't disappointed! In the middle of a pandemic this book was just what I needed.

The Switch, at its core, is about loss and how we cope with it. Following the passing of Leena's sister/Eileen's granddaughter, the pair are both having trouble moving on with their lives. After some rather unfortunate events, the granddaughter and grandmother decide to switch places for 2 months. Leena heads to her grandmother's house in a quiet English country town while Eileen decides to live out her dream of moving to London. Along the way the pair each meet a funny and diverse cast of characters.

This book was a real breath of fresh air. Very rarely do you come across an elderly character in a book and if you do oftentimes they're disillusioned or crabby. Eileen was kind, charitable, funny, and go with-the-flow in a way I wish I could be! I very much identified with Leena, who was about my age, very organized, and passionate about work. The book moved quickly over the 8 weeks with both Leena and Eileen going on some funny adventures along the way. It was also very refreshing to read a book that had some romance, but where it wasn't the main focus. It felt natural that the characters ended up with who they did, but it was not until the end that their compatibility was even realized. By the end, it felt like a natural conclusion to their journeys.

I listened to this as an audiobook and felt that this only added to my enjoyment of The Switch. There were a few sections during phone calls where one person sounded like they were coming through a phone, kind of far away, which I thought was distracting. I would much prefer to hear a regular conversation. Otherwise, the acting was very good, I especially liked the voice of Eileen.

Thanks to the publisher's for a chance to listen to the audiobook!

I picked this audiobook because I love the description. I thought it’s an interesting idea and even better, the setting is in the U.K.
The main characters: Leena Cotton, the grand daughter and Eileen Cotton, the grand mother.
Leena...is just a generic contemporary character. A supposedly successful and smart professional but is the passive member in a relationship. In the end she was just being carried by events. She is very passive that she has to be pushed kicking and screaming by the people around her to see that her boyfriend is cheating on her. She’ll just vanished in the crowd of contemporary characters tomorrow.
The grandmother, Eileen Cotton, now she is a memorable character. Her character, or at least her crowd are often placed in stories to be side characters but in this story she makes romance and dating in people over 60 fun and adventurous and actually lovely without it sounding trying hard. I think the way Eileen came out is a credit to this author - a first read/listen for me. If I’m to introduce Eileen: “This is Eileen Cotton, who lived and tasted life’s sweet and bitter flavor. She almost sat and take a rest but then said ‘not yet!’ And picked up her proverbial bootstrap and took on that next hill and showed me that age 60 onward does not have to mean end of the adventure.”
After putting down this book I wonder why I never read romance with main characters over 60 in age. If they were written like this one, I will definitely love to read it.
Also the community created in this story is relatable, and yes, a place I want to be. I love that not all the characters are that perfect people, instead each community is made up of mostly good people, dotted with those neighbors we love to glare at, yet are still accepted in the community.
The narrator did a great job in interpreting the voices, specially Eileen’s voice. And the author is definitely one I’d like to check for another book.
Audiobook is provided by netgalley.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for this AC of the Audiobook The Switch by Beth O'Leary in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first novel by this author and I had heard great reviews from her last book: The Flat Share. I enjoyed the story of The Switch and the narrators Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones but found the pace of the novel a bit slow for my taste.

Resumé from the book description: 

When overachiever Leena Cotton is ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a big presentation at work, she escapes to her grandmother Eileen's house for some long-overdue rest.

Eileen is newly single and about to turn eighty. She'd like a second chance at love, but her tiny Yorkshire village doesn't offer many eligible gentlemen.

So they decide to try a two-month swap. 

Cozy listening, some humor and lots of feelings involved. I would move in with Eileen, the grandmother!

I listened to the book on the new NetGalley app and technically, it needs some improvements.  While listening to it, in many occasions, the next chapter had to be selected manually, which doesn't make for a pleasant listening experience. Also, the volume and quality of the sound during telephone conversations dialogues were varying and disturbing.

I would recommend this novel and can picture it as a movie as well.

Loved this so much! I have the book too. Beth oleary has such amazing books and I highly reccomenedd her. Her stories are real feel good stories. A real turn pager

Eileen and her granddaughter Leena swap places for two months. 79-year-old Eileen goes to London to look for a new love, and Leena stays at her grandmother's house in the country to look after her things.

A few things did not convince me. Why the panic attack at the beginning of the book? Maybe I missed something. The almost 80-year-old granny from the country goes to live alone (ok not really alone, but you know...) in a big city like London? Hm, I don't know.

Easy to listen to and funny. But at a few points, I lost interest in the story and found it quite boring.

This novel does not quite fit my style or genre. All in all, it is a nice and sweet little story, but that is all. There is nothing special about it. One of those I'll forget in a heartbeat.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this! All opinions are my own.

This was such a feel good book. It didn’t quite live upto my expectations as I was comparing it to Flatshare but it was still pretty great. I loved the character of Eileen. She was such a badass Grandma!!! Leena didn’t particularly leave much of an impression but I still loved her PoV because of all the small town shenanigans it showed. All the characters were quirky and memeorable in their own way. I would definitely recommend it for anyone looking for an easy breezy feel good book.
I consumed this book in the form of an audiobook. The narrator did an excellent job but I had problems with the quality pf the audiobook. There was a weird echo the whole time I was hearing it. It happens at higher speeds like 2x. I don’t know if it was a problem with the Netgalley shelf app or if it was the audiobook itself but it made the listening experience quite uncomfortable in the beginning. I got used to it later but it still wasn’t the best experience. Speeds higher than 2x caused skipping issues with the audiobook, so I would like to request Netgalley to hopefully correct this issue in the future.
But again, the book was pretty great and I would definitely recommend it!
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to review this audiobook

Much props for having a main character in her 70s and characters well into their 90s. I've always found myself friends with people older than I and it's so enriching, but I don't often see that reflected in shows and books, so this is great.

Eileen is laugh out loud funny. The book tackles serious topics like loneliness and grief but is so humorous throughout.

The audio version was pretty good too, I'm happy there were two narrators, both in the right age range for the characters. Nothing is more unsettling than a 13-year-old character who sounds like a high schooler/20-year old, or a character in their 80s who is narrated by a 30-year-old.

My only critique on the audiobook is that audible swallowing and mouth sounds could be heard often enough to trip me up a little, if you have that sensitivity too. But the story and narration was so well done that I wasn't wigged out enough to stop listening.

Lots of characters - I could have seen less of them and more in-depth delving into the love interests more, find out what makes them tick. Overall, I recommend "The Switch" because it shines a light on a population we need to see represented more!

Thank you NetGallery for the ARC of this book.
First of all I was really really excited for this audiobook for 2 reasons; the first one cause I recently read the flatshare and loved it and the second one was cause I saw that Daisy Edgar Jones was one of the narrators. So based on those 2 aspects I will review this book.

As a book written by Beth O´Leary, I kind of enjoy half of the book, literally just half. I love the story of Eileen and how her character reminds of in a way to my own grandmother, full of energy and power as the woman of her age. Nevertheless the chapters of Leena were kind of boring and nonsense; I feel like she didn't even know herself. Super slow burn… for real super slow. Definitely Eileen´s chapters saved; the book at least for me.

On the other side the audiobook was amazing. The sound effects, the narrators, the emotions they show were amazing. It was nice in general and especially I found it calming and such a nice thing to listen to during the day.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the audiobook!

I really loved "The Flat Share" by Beth O'Leary, so I had high hopes for "The Switch".
The plot reminded me a bit of the movie "The Holiday": two women changing homes and taking some time off. But, in this case, we're talking about a grandma and her granddaughter.

Leena, the granddaughter, lost her sister recently and doesn't get along with their mother. She's been extremely busy, working non-stop, doing everything she can to keep her mind off her feelings. She has a boyfriend, Ethan, but he also works a lot and they only see each other once a week. She has friends, but it's pretty clear how lonely and unhappy she is, even though she doesn't want to admit it.

Eileen, her grandmother, lived her whole life trying to please her husband and living by his rules. Now that he's gone, she wants a new relationship, with someone who actually loves and respects her. At the same time, she's a bit embarrassed, since she considers herself too old and doesn't know where to find a good man. She has no interest in anyone from her small city... But she's feeling so lonely, she's even willing to "grow to love" someone, even if they have absolutely nothing in common. That's her newest project.

When Leena causes some trouble at work due to her exhaustion, her boss demands her to take a two-month license. When she finds out about Eileen's project, it becomes hers too. She wants to help Eileen to find happiness. That's how she comes up with the idea: they're switching homes for 8 weeks. She stays at her grandma's home, dealing with her mother and with all Eileen's chores, completely disconnected from everything work-related, while her grandma goes to her place in London, going out on dates and living the adventure she always wanted when she was younger.

It was a good read, but I think my expectations were too high and that got in my way. The characters are great, each one has a very distinct personality, which made the whole process even more interesting… But some parts were a bit too slow for me.

Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones did a really great job as narrators.

One of the most delightful books I've read this year! Leena and Eileen are a hilarious granddaughter-grandmother pairing and I found myself frequently laughing out loud at their wit and shenanigans. Many professional women will feel a camaraderie with Leena and I suspect, like I did, will think how lovely it would be to have a grandmother like Eileen. She's a hoot and still making things happen at 79! Follow their adventures with endearing friends and neighbors as these two switch residences and re-learn who they are. Bravo to the narrators who did a fabulous job bringing this charming novel to life and transporting me to lovely England. To Mrs. O'Leary, could you write a sequel because I'm missing my new friends?

I was thrilled to listen to The Switch after reading O'Leary's first book, The Flatshare, earlier. I am a sucker for all things British, and this contemporary romance worked well for me, especially on audio. The dual narrators (one as Leena, the granddaughter; the other as Eileen, the grandmother) helped visualize the switching chapters and narrators, and emphasized the humor in O'Leary's writing. I might have missed on some of that if I had only been reading in print.

I appreciated the character of Eileen especially- it was refreshing to read an elderly character with a rich, full life who seized the opportunities that came her way.

This was my first audio ARC from NetGalley.

I really loved this audiobook. The characters were fun and believable, (I mean, who would not want a grandma mother like Eileen Cotton) and the story itself was delightful. I also thought that the narrator did a fabulous job!
This is the first book I have read by Beth O'Leary, definitely but not the last. I would very highly recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley, Beth O'Leary, and Macmillian Audio for the ARC.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Switch by Beth O'Leary. Although I was expecting more of a focus on the love lives of the characters as the summary suggests, the book is much more focused on relationships in all aspects of their lives; Leena's love story almost seems like an afterthought, and Eileen's is more of a tongue-in-cheek reference throughout her story. However, I became attached to Leena, Eileen, and everyone else, and I found myself thinking about each character's struggles in equal measure. I always like finding characters I can root for, and O'Leary provides them in spades here. There were moments that felt contrived for the sake of The Plot, but they were few and far between. Furthermore, the narrators of the audiobook are superb! I want Daisy Edgar-Jones to narrate everything. If you are looking for a book that will make you laugh, cry, and cheer out loud, this is the book for you.

What a sweet story! Beth O'Leary is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors. After truly adoring The Flatshare, I knew I had to request this book. When Leena is required to take a 2 month sabbatical from work and learns that her grandmother Eileen is looking to find love again, they decide to swap lives. They swap apartments, phones and even charity and volunteer duties.I loved the story from start to finish, and will continue reading anything this author writes!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a much appreciated digital audiobook download, in exchange for an honest review.

I had already read and loved this book. The narration on this is lovely, I liked both narrators and felt that they gave the story an extra level.

I really enjoyed this sweet story. It's told in dual POV by the grandmother and granddaughter and it's lovely to get an older character that feels fully realised and just as important as the younger characters.
Both main characters are narated really well and bring out the humour in the book but it's not just fluffy and the romances almost feel incidental, it's more about both characters finding their way through grief and back to themselves.
Overall, this was adorable but sincere and enjoyable throughout, recommended!

I loved this one!!!
The narrators add Soo much to the story. I could totally relate to Leena and Eileen's one as a friend and the other as a loving grandma.

Also this book made me miss my grandma more than ever.

I loved her personality and I think we could all learn from her.

This is my second book by Beth OLeary

Delightful, funny & heartwarming!

An absolute pleasure to listen to! I loved this uplifting tale so much. The audiobook was absolutely perfect!

I thought the narrators did a great job, their voices clearly reflected women of the ages of the characters. I liked how phone calls sounded different.

I want to be Eileen Cotton when I grow up! I absolutely adored this book!

When I first read the description of this book, I assumed it was going to be another version of The Holiday in book form. While there were similar themes, it was really refreshing to read. I loved the relationship between Leena and Eileen and how they both very easily fit into their "new lives" after switching homes for two months. There is a certain level of suspension of disbelief needed to buy into this story (especially as an American! Would a London company really give someone 2 months paid leave in a situation like this!? I doubt it). Either way, I found this story extremely charming and I would absolutely recommend it to anyone looking for a light, fun read. Everyone could use a story like this right now when so many things in the world are so heavy. An excellent palette cleanser!

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review!