I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook - both the story and the narration.  The duel narrators allowed the story to have even more of a distinctive feel between the granddaughter and grandmother’s stories.

It is difficult not to enjoy this sweet, endearing and heartwarming story. 

If you have an anxiety disorder or have experienced burnout, you will recognise yourself in Leena’s story, thus why I enjoyed it so much. I saw myself in the story, working endlessly, not taking any annual leave for a year, my body giving up.

After blowing a big presentation at work due to an impending burnout, Leena is forced to take a 2-months break from the only life she knows: work, work and more work.
In the small village of Hamley, Eileen, Leena’s grandmother feels a little lonely. Years ago she dreamt of moving to London, but an unplanned pregnancy precipitated her into marriage and forced her to settle... only to be left by her cheating husband.
They both decide to switch living place for 2-months to try and achieve their respective goals.

The writing is sweet, very funny at times (the same kind of humour I loved so much when reading the Flatshare), and it’s easy to relate to both sides of the story.

Unpopular opinion: not to take away any of the amazing story, but I don’t particularly like the title “The Switch”, nor the idea that this is a proper switch. They’re not switching lives (which I see as a very easy comical concept that’s been done and redone for years), they’re only switching living arrangement. The word “switch” is mentioned several times and I disliked that a little, because it makes the story slightly artificial, if not cliché.

The end is a little predictable but I still had a great time reading it!

very cute story! loved eileen so much! i switched between reading & listening to this on audio and loved the experience.

I will definitely follow this author, I had already read the previous book and I loved it and I also really liked this one.

I appreciated the audiobook narrators who really brought the book to life.
it was without a doubtt a good and light reading.

The Switch is my first book from Beth O'Leary and my first audiobook from Netgalley.

"Leena Cotton is ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a presentation. She heads to her grandmother's house in Yorkshire for some rest. 
Eileen Cotton is almost 80. Her husband left with the cha-cha instructor but Eileen is not ready to give up on relationships just yet.
So Eileen and Leena switch places - Leena moves to Yorkshire for the two months and tries to take over Grandma's responsibilities while figuring out how to relax and slow down. And Eileen moves to London to jump into a bigger dating pool. Neither is ready for what they'll face. Is it too late for either one of them to change?"
I love the voice of Eileen here. She's proof that you're never too old for love and relationships and just wanting someone to hold you and tell you you're pretty. And that it's never wrong to stick up for your children or grandchildren.
Leena is still dealing with the death of her sister and her feelings about what their Mom was willing to do to save her. O'Leary does a nice job with the family dynamics in coming to grips with loss.
There are some wonderful characters that O'Leary gives us in the village of Hamleigh. And love in unexpected places for Leena and Eileen.
This is not an action thriller. This is people trying to navigate their lives and deal with grief and betrayal.
I would love to sit down for tea with Eileen .
A nice story from Beth O'Leary

I listened to audiobook of this book. The narration is beautiful mimicing each character spendidly!! Loved the chemistry between granddaughter and grandmother. The book has lot of humor, love, romance. it's a beautiful escape to the world of love, loss & hope. Absolutely must read. Thank you #netgalley for the copy!!

This was one of my favorite reads of this year. This is a fresh new take on the usual switch stories which makes it something new to behold. The switch between grandmother and granddaughter was amazingly written. This is a book that I would recommend far and wide and has been added to my favorites.

I was reading a physical copy of “The Switch” by Beth O’Leary when I joined NetGalley and discovered the audiobook version under Listen Now. I was approximately half-way through the physical book. The book was very entertaining, but listening to the audiobook really brought it alive. The narrators, Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones, sounded just like I imagined them. They were perfect. They also portrayed the other characters so you could distinguish them from each other. I hate when there is not enough distinction between characters. The premise of this book was very cute. Leena Cotton, grieving her sister’s death to cancer to the point of messing up presentations at work, is ordered to take a two-month sabbatical to get herself together. Her grandmother, Eileen Cotton, has been left by her husband and is trying to plan a way to have a second chance at love. The two decide to swap lives: Leena will live in her grandmother’s rural Yorkshire home and take on her community duties and Eileen will go off to London and live in Leena’s flat with her flatmates and try online dating. It sounds unbelievable, but it reads true, in my opinion. The things the two of them get up to are incredibly funny. Of course, there are challenges for both of them. They each learn lots about themselves and others in their lives that they didn’t realize and there’s a lovely message there. The Yorkshire village is full of small-town fun, but putting a grandma smack in the heart of London to find love is hilarious!

I like the alternating perspectives. I don’t connect with either character and find it hard to believe a woman approaching her seventies is as sexually frustrated as Eileen. Pretty slow storyline as both women are unhappy and starting over.

This audiobook was perfectly splendid! The story was a lovely mix of family, love, character growth and brings it all together with a happy ending! I loved the actors that were narrating they did an exceptional job. This was a very lovely book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for my honest review! 

This  audiobook of The Switch was a delight to listen to. A  lighthearted read that I think readers of all ages  would enjoy.  The narrators were excellent and made the story even more fun to listen to.  I  would highly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for my honest review!

The Switch is just everything. It’s heartfelt. It’s hilarious. It’s thought provoking. It’s sweet. Beth O’Leary has created a masterpiece in Eileen and Leena. Eileen is sassy and has so much spirit. She’s a wonderful character that shows just because you’re 79, that life can hold a world full of adventures. Leena is an overachiever with a heart of gold that wants to help Improve the lives of those around her. Beth O’Leary fills this novel with colorful side characters that help Eileen and Leena find purpose and adventure. This book is a true gem!

The Switch was light and enjoyable read. It was cute and heartwarming, but didn't blow my mind and I think it will be one of those books that I won't remember anything about in a couples months.
I felt like the characters, specially Leena, were ones that I've read before in other romance books.
One big complaint of mine is how choppy the scenes felt, the transitions didn't feel smooth and I caught myself in a different place without knowing how I got there. There could have been less things happening but better been planned out and written in a more seamless way. But that is more an editing issue in my opinion.

It was overall a pleasant expierence and I loved the narrators for it. They definitely fit the characters' voices.

My Goodreads rating: 2 of 5 stars
Personal rating: 4/10 - C 

Eileen Cotton and her namesake granddaughter Leena have decided to switch lives for a short period. Eileen has always wanted to experience London but gave it up to raise a family and Leena is on a much needed forced break from work, so has decided to go back to her home town.

In this swap, they both learn much about their own selves lives and the lives of those around them that they would have otherwise taken for granted.

This was a cute story of a grandmother living out dreams of living uninhibited and a young woman finding her happiness and it often reminded me of a Hallmark Movie, which I do enjoy. But these characters and their stories just didn't pull me in, they fell a little flat for me. It was a nice break from my normal, heavier, type reads so I don't regret reading it. 

#NetGalley #TheSwitch

This was very different from The Flat Share, which was a chick lit style romance but it was subtle, original and sweet. It seemed to me that this was trying too hard to be funny, the characters were just a little bit too eccentric and zany to be plausible and so for me it came off as silly and fluffy rather than funny I'm afraid.

The other thing that didn't help my enjoyment was the narrator's voice. The narrator doing to the older voice had a kind of nosy mouth, clicking away as she spoke that bugged me once I'd noticed it. And as she narrated half of the book it was hard to ignore.

And while it's great to have a bit of diversity and older characters finding romance , I really, really don't want to read about eighty-year-olds getting it on. Please.

That said, the romance wasn't really the point of this, it was more about finding your true self and learning about who you want to be than romance, that was just a small part of the story. It did make me think about my own grandma and granny who I lost a few years ago now and the influence they had on me and it really made me wish I'd have had longer with them in my life as an adult, so it was a real pity the frothiness overshadowed what could have been a really poignant and thought provoking story in favour of going for the laughs.

I'm sorry I didn't enjoy this more, but the Flat Share was so good, hopefully the next one will be more to my taste.

Complete story.

Thanks to the publishers via netgalley for my arc.

The Switch by Beth O’Leary was such a fun book. The two main characters were well developed and had a great deal of depth. Even the secondary characters had depth and great narratives. The writing was engaging and kept me wanting to listen, so much so I found myself sitting in my car after I got home from work. I liked that the audiobook had two different readers to capture the essence of the two main characters. 

***** I received an ARC from NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my honest review. *****

Well narrated by the two readers. A fun captivating story. Great to see the lessons these characters learn through this wild experiment. A nice slip into another more gentle world. I highly recommend this for a light and carefree read.

Leena, her mother, and her grandmother are each trying to recover from losing Leena’s sister to cancer. While her boyfriend has been there for her, she needs something more, something different. After a panic attack at work, she is given two months off. A visit to her grandmother leads to the switch. Grandma Eileen will go to London for an extended visit and adventure, including online dating. Ilene will stay in the village, attend to her grandmother’s responsibilities, and work on her relationship with her mother. 

This needs to be a movie! Just the right balance of funny, sweet, sad, and romantic. I appreciate that the ending wasn't rushed. The bit with one of Eileen's online men was wrapped up a bit awkwardly, but the rest was just right.

The audio book narration is wonderful!

I loved this feel good book!
It was a typical "switching places" type format, where the two protagonists switch homes and activities, each bringing conflict & contrast to the other's life, but what saved it from becoming predictable was the heartfelt narrative of Eileen & her granddaughter and namesake, Lena.  Each gave a refreshing perspective as they navigated their own personal grief, while taking on each other's responsibilities as they switch houses on a whim.  I love it when the characters learn and grow from their experiences.
Great ending, too!

I absolutely loved the premise of this book. Was it more or less the equivalent of reading a hallmark movie? Yep, it was, and you know what I’m here for it. I love Eileen’s spunk and how she was fearless in getting out and making things happen.  I think there’s a little bit about my and younger generations that’s perhaps sometimes too accepting of the status quo.  (not getting to know neighbors, sticking your neck out for an idea- just the business of modern society etc) If you enjoyed her first book the Flatshare, you’ll enjoy this one. I thought the pacing of this one was a bit better, and I got into the storyline faster. 

I was super excited to see NetGalley releasing audiobook ARCs and was thrilled to get this one.  The narration was great, however the app at least when I used it was super glitchy and terrible. I’m a ‘fast talking northern’ and can’t stand listening to an audiobook at normal speed. I’m 1.75 or 2.0 always for listening. Well, this one didn’t work. It was digitized and had a truly bizarre echo. The fact that I enjoyed the book despite all this is truly something. I haven’t requested any audio arcs since then, so I have no idea if they’ve fixed this yet ( for reference I finished the book in July this summer)