A heartwarming story about a grandmother and granddaughter dealing with change and pushing themselves towards growth. I loved the cast of characters that welcomed both characters into their new living situations in London and Yorkshire. A very good portrayal of grief within a family with levity provided by the funny situations the characters get themselves into. Love the audio book version with Daisy Edgar-Jones. 

Thank you to the publisher for access.

I don't normally listen to audiobooks but something drew me to this offering from Beth O'Leary. I've seen her books many times on Instagram and have thought they look like my kind of books. I'm glad I chose to listen to The Switch because it was a delightful surprise that I needed. 
The format of the book lent itself beautifully to the audiobook format. Both narrators gave each of the characters the gravitas and heart that they deserved. They evoked the emotions of the characters perfectly at each turn. 

The story itself is a wonderful reminder that regardless our age, we are al deserving of real and everlasting love. I have no qualms in recommending this audiobook to any and all friends.

What a wonderful gem of a book!!! The audio was fantastic!!! This is cute and heart-warming. The story alternates between Leena and Eileen. I enjoyed both stories equally. 

Leena lives in London and has been suffering greatly since the passing of her sister. Her Grandmother, Eileen who lives in a tiny village in Yorkshire has also been feeling down since her husband of over fifty years has recently left her. They decide to switch places for two months. Leena will go off to Yorkshire and live in her Grandma's house and Eileen will go to her flat in London and live with her friends.

This is such a sweet feel-good type of book that I know I would have loved even if I'd read it. The audio was like a bonus for me. I love the writing style. I will definitely pick-up any book written by Beth O'Leary in the future!

I'd like to kindly thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for granting me access to this Audiobook. It was a fabulous experience!!!

P.S. I did not realize that Daisy Edgar-Jones from the series, "Normal People" narrated Leena's part. I loved that book and only just recently watched the series and loved her in it. It was a treat to hear her narration.

This book was so cute, and fluffy and it made me feel like everything was good in the world. I don't really know how to express what i felt whilst reading this book, other than the fact that it gave me butterflies in my stomach.
I've never read quite a book like this one, specially one involving an older set of character, and i loved that. 
I'm not really a contemporary fan, i'm more into fantasy, but the fact that i read this book in two days and enjoyed it as much as i did speaks volumes to me. 
The only thing that i would've like to see done differently is that i wanted the side characters a bit more flashed out, i felt like some of them lacked substance.

There's a quote towards the end that really hit hard:
 "You were healing. You’re still healing. You’ll maybe always be healing. And that’s OK. It’ll just be part of what makes you you"

Overall, this was a feel a feel good book that i know i'll recommend to anyone i think might enjoy it.
(actual rating 3.85 out of 5 stars)

So let me first start off by saying I am a huge audiobook fan. Lately, I can not get enough of them. However, with this audiobook, it was really hard to get into as it echoed no matter what headphones I listened to this on. I had to keep it on 1.0x while listening. But as for the story itself, It was a cute book about switching up your lifestyle from the same old things every day. This story has all the feels and I am going to read other books by Beth because it was really fun loving and sweet! 


Thank you Netgalley and Macmillian Audio for a copy of this audiobook.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

"The Switch" is a story about a girl and her grandma switching places for two months so they can step out of their tedious daily routines and see life with a new perspective. The book was okay, I don't think I was the target audience of the book so I personally didn't enjoy it as much as other people have. I liked the relationships that some characters had and the funny situations they sometimes found themselves in. Other than that, the story was a little slow, so that might be a deal-breaker for some. I still think you should give it a try if you enjoy reading contemporary stories that focus on the characters' lives.

I just loved the audiobook of The Switch
Great story and like her previous novel it’s a best seller. 
5 stars

This is the second book by Beth O'Leary  that I read. I enjoyed The Flatshare but I really loved The Switch.

I didn’t know what to expect about this book since romance has never been my favorite genre but I really enjoyed this mix of romance and chick-lit.

This is an adorable, sweet, feel-good story, but also it explores themes like depression, illness and grief, so be warned.

Regarding the characters, Eileen was an amazing character and my favorite by far. She is interesting, a good friend, very clever and a great grandmother. She is the kind of person I’d like to talk with in front of a cup of coffee for hours. Leena was fun too but Eileen was so great. 

I'll definitely be reading more of O'Leary's future books.

Really tried to get into this one, but it was really slow for the plot to get going. I feel like this is one story wheee the alternating perspectives just didn’t work for me. Ended up being a DNF.

I absolutely adored this audiobook! The dual narrators totally make the story and listening experience!! It reminded me of Gilmore Girls, but set in England. I really enjoyed the dynamics between grandmother and granddaughter and the dialogue. What a fun, feel good story.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.

After reading Beth O'Leary's debut The Flatshare I was very excited for her follow-up. This follows Leena and her grandmother Eileen who decide to switch houses and lives for 2 months to rejuvinate themselves. I loved following both characters but Eileen was particularly charming.

Eileen finds herself in London after a life in a small English town dating for the first time since her husband left her and making friends with other seniors who have felt lost and forgotten in the city. It is seriously darling and I just love any story about older people falling in love.

Leena's story is more traditional contemporary fare - young Londonite goes to small English village and falls in love with the simpler way of life (and maybe one of the townspeople).

I overall really enjoyed this book. There is a running storyline of grief and lots of family relationships to explore. The romances are definitely on the back-burner in this one but that didn't bother me at all. Would recommend and will definitely continue to read from Beth O'Leary.

3.5 Stars
I'm very picky when it comes to audiobook narrators and both of these women did a really good job!
The story was very quaint and I loved the grandmother, Eileen. Our society often depicts older generations as demented, dull, and asexual people and I really appreciate the fact that this book challenges those ideas. Overall, the book was enjoyable in the moment, but not one that will stick with me in the long run. 
My one complaint is that both main characters were named Eileen and despite so many opportunities, no one used the phrase "come on, Eileen." lol.

Very cute, sweet read.  The two main characters were both unique and strong.  I would recommend to just about anyone.

A warm and charming book to read. The grandmother in the book, Eileen Cotton was truly an affable character that I fell in love her with right away. The narrators too played their roles to the "T", making the audiobook a delight to listen to. But the book overall, was like one of those Christmas holiday movies, cute and endearing,where the girl and the boy end up together eventually.

Beth O’Leary has become one of my favorite authors. One of my favorite reads this year!! I could not recommend it more.

This was my first novel from this author and they didn’t disappoint. The Switch was such an adorable story, definitely what we all need right now.

Slow paced and character driven, but kept my attention. The concept was brilliant and I loved the dynamics between the main characters. It’s a wonderful view into the lives of grandmother and granddaughter, one I wish I had. 

The audiobook was lovely and I enjoyed the narration. Soothing and cozy, definitely easy on the ears and I’d probably listen again.

Thank you to netgalley, publishers and author for the ALC of this wonderful story in exchange for an honest review

I was really looking forward to this one because I enjoyed The Flatshare so much, but this one fell flat for me (it may have been in part due to the audio version which I found very underwhelming).

Sorry, I thought I would not be able to listen and review this title, but t still appears on my bookshelf on my NG app, It may be due to me sampling the start of the narrator.  I will update my review once I finish listening to it (over my holiday break).

thank you

I received this book in audio form from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. 

Honestly I think I just like something about the way Beth O’Leary writes. Her writing makes me smile. In this one, the older characters in particular sang off the page. Eileen is a delight!

While this feels slightly unrealistic, I loved the concept of 79 year old Eileen going to London and connecting with all Leena’s friends. And I loved what she accomplished while there. Honestly I want an Eileen in my life. 

Leena is also lovely and it’s actually fun to watch her slow down to village life readjust her priorities. Her passion for the activities really shone through, even if her over enthusiastic execution sometimes was hilarious. I also liked that she’s clearly not dealing well with her sisters death and even before this is something that comes up in detail it is obvious. Grief is hard to show and I think it was really well done here. Especially that Leena thinks she’s doing better than her mum when I think it’s the opposite!

Romance wise, I liked that Eileen was open to life in London. Her fling was so fun. I liked that we get to see her chats too, but also get to see that online dating doesn’t come without it’s cautions. And Leena begins to realise she may want more than the business relationship she seems to have developed with her boyfriend. However that side of things left me a little cold - it’s all a bit too convenient. Plus while I know this is a “feel good romance” it really does seem to portray romance and relationships as a solution and it would have been nice to reflect on someone who was happy alone. Leena’s mum or Fitz for example seem to be but it’s never delved into.

In the theme of continuing to like the older characters better - the villagers were way more intriguing to me. From Eileen’s neighbour lightening up (even if this did feel sudden and too easy) to her best friend living with an abuser, there’s a lot going on that we get to see Leena dealing with. 

Basically all books need more senior citizen characters! A fun, light read despite some of the serious content. 4 stars. 

Trigger warnings - abuse, grief, catfishing

I like the idea of an audiobook more than I can actually pay attention to an audiobook, so I had some difficulties paying attention to this book. But I actually enjoyed the narration and how their lives got switched up. Now I want to actually read this book as well.