The Switch is a humorous romantic story where Leena and her grandma switch lives to experience a little adventure in their lives.  Both women need a change.  Leena moves into her grandmother's house in Yorkshire and grandma ventures to London to find a new man. This charming story warms your heart as a group of misfit characters figure out what it important in life and their true feelings about themselves; to figure out what they need to be truly happy. I would also say that this one isn't a high romance book, so if you are looking for something with more "love" this one probably isn't for ya.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance audiobook.

What a fun book! And so much fun on audio. The narration was great!I loved listening to a story from the point of view of both a grandmother and her granddaughter. It was a refreshing read, perfect for summer.

The Switch is a humorous romantic story where Leena and her grandma switch lives to experience a little adventure in their lives.  Both women need a change.  Leena moves into her grandmother's house in Yorkshire and grandma ventures to London to find a new man. This charming story warms your heart as a group of misfit characters figure out what it important in life and their true feelings about themselves; to figure out what they need to be truly happy.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance audiobook.

The Switch is a bittersweet and charming slice-of-life story. Ever since Leena’s younger sister passed away from cancer, a heavy shadow of grief has hung over her family. Leena and her grandmother Eileen are both struggling to find satisfaction in their days. When Leena has a panic attack at work, she is forced to take time off. Eileen is looking for love in her tiny village, to no avail. Leena suggests a switch- Eileen will come and stay in her apartment and Leena will travel to the village. Both have preconceived notions and misconceptions about what it will be like to switch, which are beautifully unraveled throughout. As both women search for romance, deal with grief, and make friends, they learn that switching lives is much more complicated than it seems. 

I was lucky enough to receive an audiobook of this book! The story is read by two voice actresses, one for Leena and Eileen each. Both were very accomplished and pleasant to listen to. I absolutely loved the voice of Eileen, she perfectly captured and expressed Eileen’s personality. One thing that did not work for me is when an effect was used to simulate being on a phone call. This sounded scratchy to me and was a little difficult to listen to. Overall, the audiobook production was well-done and I enjoyed listening to it very much.

This adventure into the lives of the Cotton women and their journey was delightful. I preferred Eileen’s chapters, finding her wisdom and personality to be very heartwarming. While both women are dealing with lingering feelings of grief and sadness, Leena is younger and has less experience dealing with such things. This is understandable, but I almost wish I could go into the book and give her advice! The supporting characters of the villagers and Leena’s friends were an absolute joy to meet!! I felt as if I had traveled to a small village in England. There’s plenty of wit, jokes, and underlying lessons about grief. This story is not a romance, instead it is the story of two women coming to terms with grief and choosing to live their lives with as much meaning and happiness as possible. It was a very pleasant experience to listen to The Switch. The Switch releases August 18, 2020. Thank you to Beth O’Leary, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for a free audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

cannot believe how much I loved this book! I knew The Flatshare was amazing, and I could not get enough of it when I read it. I think The Switch may be even better to me. I just was so happy when I was reading it, and the story is so rich. Beth O’Leary just has a way with words and setting to create a beautiful atmosphere readers can enjoy. 

I know this may sound crazy, but I loved this book so much, It is sooooo good. Like I loved The Flatshare, but I think this book is even better. And all fans of O’Leary should read this immediately. Actually, everyone should read this book because it is just so damn awesome. 

This book starts out with Leena being put on a two month holiday after a panic attack while she was working. She sees this as punishment, and she is not sure she will survive. Work is her life, but she doesn’t really have a choice. After speaking on the phone with her grandma, Eileen, they decide she will visit. When Leena has arrived, her grandmother has made a list of men she could date since her husband has been gone. Leena thinks this list is a bit silly, but she also helps set up her grandma with online dating. After more conversations about life, they decide they are going to switch lives for a few months. Leena will stay in Yorkshire and run the neighborhood watch for her grandma, and Eileen will go try the dating scene in London. 

Both of them feel like they have full lives yet there is something missing. Leena is all about her career and her life in London. She has a great boyfriend and her life is great. But she is still not dealing with the death of her sister. Eileen loves her small town, but she wants companionship. They both just need more, but they aren’t quite sure where to find it. 

I loved seeing Leena and Eileen go through their journeys. It was such a fun read to see them grow, change, find love, and just learn to be happy finally. I was hooked as soon as I started reading, unable to stop. This is just so well written. The main character shine and so do the secondary, each one a personality aiding the story and making me care about them. 

This book also evokes various emotions. I was laughing at times, but it was also very sad. It was heart wrenching to hear about Leena lose her sister and not really dealing with the grief. Cancer can be terrible, and I know how much the loss can hurt. I lost my own mom to cancer when I was sixteen so I could relate to how much it can change you, but I just loved it. O’Leary just writes in this way which makes you feel so many things, but in the best way possible. 

The writing is so friendly and welcoming. As I am an American, I cannot say if the descriptions of the places are right. But I did want to visits them. I would love to live in London or even in the village in Yorkshire. Either sounds lovely to me as I have lived in America all of my life and nowhere here sounds as great as the village in this book. But I think I would also miss the city so I would want to be in both places if I could.

There are some tough topics covered in this book as well, and I would advise people to be aware of this when they read the book. O’Leary also covered tough topics in her first book, but she does it so well. This book deals with grief, death, depression, mental health issues, loss, loneliness, and domestic abuse. But the way it is written is well done, but I think it something people should be aware of in case these bother them. 

The dual narrators are well done, and I loved them both. Eileen made me smile the whole time, and I was happy when Leena was learning to chill out more. As someone who has been close with my grandma my whole life, this story was extra special for me. 

This is probably one of my favorite books of the year, and I can’t wait for a new Beth O’Leary book next year.

Thank you to Netgalley and Quercus publishing for the review copy. 
I really loved how cute this story was! I loved the family dynamic, especially the grandmother/granddaughter relationship. I also enjoyed the small romance plots in this book and how they didn't overpower the overall story of growth and family and grief. I loved how the characters relied on each other and helped each other through their grief and loss. This book was also super cute and funny! Highly recommend if you like contemporary stories and are looking for something wholesome to distract you from how crappy the world is right now.
TW: loss of a loved one (loss of a sibling)

I. LOVED. THIS. BOOK. I loved O'Leary's last book, so I knew I wanted to give this one a try, but this is not the typical type of plot I am drawn to.

I am so glad there is now an audio option for books on NetGalley. I loved listening to this, and having two different narrators for the two difference perspectives.

Oh my...this  book was just lovely. When grandmother and granddaughter switch homes and essentially lives, adventure ensues. I fell head over heels for the feisty 79 year old Eileen. Quite honestly, I want to be her when I grow up! Beyond the romance aspects of this novel, I was utterly enchanted by the relationship between Leena and Eileen. Highly, highly recommend!

Delightful Book!  Loved the storyline, but found it to be a bit unbelievable at times, 79 yr old Eileen and 20 something Lena, trade homes and cities for two months.  I just couldn't buy into a 79 yr old Grandma suddenly moving to the city and becoming besties with her granddaughter's friends.  I would have also like to see more character development with Jackson and the relationship between him and Lena.   Ms. O''Leary does deal with several difficult topics; cancer, death, infidelity, and abusive relationships very well. With tact and grace and a bit of humor, she takes these topics and weaves them into a  light story of family and healing.

If you are looking for a book with characters, this one will fill the bill quite nicely! A 29-year-old woman switches "lives" with her 79-year-old grandmother for 2 months, including living in each other's homes, interacting with each other's friends, and fulfilling each other's obligations. The inclusion of the realities of today's dating situations, personalities, relationships, and grief for the death of a family member make this book full of action, reflection, and hope. I listened to the audiobook, which held my attention as the book started slowly and switched viewpoints and narration with each chapter. The narrators were excellent for this book and helped me as an American really feel like I was in Britain with the characters in their locations..

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 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.

Once Leena learns of Eileen's romantic predicament, she proposes a solution: a two-month swap. Eileen can live in London and look for love. Meanwhile Leena will look after everything in rural Yorkshire."

This book may not have a unique plot on the surface - two very different people switching positions for a time. It's a classic tale. But, in "The Switch", the characters are delightful and engaging from the start, and you are pulling for them to find what they need. In the classic tales, the participants are so uncomfortable in their new places in the world that they can't wait to get back, but in this story, they are more conflicted - enjoying their new life and missing their old. It is a delightful story, and it was sad when it was over.

I listened to this on audiobook, The narrators couldn't have been a better fit. The voices of the two main characters were perfect for them. It brought to mind a vivid image of what they both looked like and kept the story rolling. The one complaint is most likely with the NetGalley app which is fraught with bugs and design flaws. Because the book is told from both Leena and Eileen's viewpoint, each chapter alternated. But it skipped every other chapter. If you listened to chapter two of Eileen, it would go straight to chapter four and miss Leena's Chapter three. I was so tired of trying to locate the in-between chapters, that I ended up listening to Eileen all the way through and going back and listening to Leena. So I cannot recommend the audiobook for that reason. If it were to be fixed, I would recommend it to anyone.

I simply couldn't.. I tried, and I kept pushing, but the story was too bland for my taste. Leena's anxiety attacks were not believable: why would you screw a presentation in from of clients when you are so good at your job and so well regarded by management? Why would it be so difficult to take a two-month leave when your company requires you to take the annual leave you are entitled to? Then we have Eileen, Leena's 79 year old grandmother who asks her granddaughter to switch life with her. So she ends up living in London, in Leena's apartment and learn how to work Tinder and try to understand when men send women dick pics.. 

If you are looking for a lazy Sunday romance read, that might be a book you might want to pick up. 

The audiobook was narrated by two actresses. I enjoyed the Leena's narration --it was cute, young, dynamic. Eileen's narration on the other hand was very hard to listen to.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for this audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received a copy of this audiobook from Netgalley.  Thank you to the author, to the publisher and to Netgalley.  This is the first book that I have read by Beth O'Leary and I really enjoyed it... It was a quick, light read, but I still felt a connection to the characters.  The story was fun and fast paced.
I would recommend this book...perfect for reading on the airplane, on vacation or anytime you want a quick read

I received a free advance listening copy of this book from Macmillan Audio via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. 

The Switch is a charming story, reminiscent of The Holiday, in which Leena, 29-year-old management consultant in London, and Eileen, her 79-year-old grandmother in a Yorkshire village switch houses for two months. Although each character is dealing with grief and loss, the book also contains a number of laugh-out-loud moments as they navigate their newfound surroundings. The audio narrators enhanced my enjoyment of the story, reminding me of the setting, although I found that I needed some time for my ears to adjust to unfamiliar accents combined with the quick pacing. Once I got acclimated, I wanted to keep listening to find out what happened next. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a delightful story about reinventing oneself and creating community.

I loved this. 
If you are looking for an escape book this is one I would recommend. 
Leena and her Grandmother Eileen swap lives after Leena is given a sabbatical from her job for 2 months. 
Eileen leaves her Yorkshire life for fun in London and Leena takes on the role that Eileen left behind, both find they love their swapped lives but also miss parts of their old lives. 
Eileen tried online dating while Leena has left her boyfriend in the City. 
Do both women love their new lives and friends enough to make the swap a permanent one? 
I think this worked really well as an audio with the text conversations and also the online conversations Eileen had on the dating sites. 
For me this book was just as good if not better than the authors debut novel Flatshare.

Sweet, charming and feel-good in the best way... Sort of ‘The Holiday’ meets ‘Calendar girls’ meets ‘The Lido’ in a very British rom-com that’s less about the romance and much more about community and friendship....
I did an audio/print combo and enjoyed both very much.... Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones are perfect on audio as grandma and granddaughter Eileen and Leena, who swap homes and lives, find themselves and a community to be a part of... and of course a little romance. I was drawn to Eileen’s story more, and find her quietly heroic and truly inspiring. I hope at eighty I am as feisty, adventurous and go-getting as her. 
Thank you to both Flat Iron books and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this lovely book. And so happy to hear that both this one, and Beth O’Leary’s debut ‘The Flatshare’ are making it to the big screen... these stories are perfect for it.

This is another winner by Beth O'Leary! After listening to The Flatshare and loving it, I eagerly waited for the release of The Switch, another novel with an interesting premise. And it was just as good as I'd hoped it would be.

Twenty-nine year-old Leena from London decides to switch places with her 79-year-old grandma Eileen from a quaint village in Yorkshire. Leena is still mourning the death of her sister Carla and is overworked, and Eileen is ready for a bit of adventure in her life, although she does it more for her granddaughter and wonders what she is getting into.

Once again, O'Leary creates a wonderful cast of characters, both in London and in Yorkshire. I loved, loved the fact that this novel starred seniors (I work with seniors). As both Leena and Eileen share each other's lives, we get to see it through their different perspectives. Along with the characters, we get to appreciate the strength in the different age groups.

Oh, but I had some good laughs! This is British rom-com at its best. There was not one boring moment in the story as it alternated between Leena and Eileen's narration. Both Alison Steadman (who narrated Grandma Eilleen's part) and Daisy Edgar-Jones (who narrated Leena) were amazing! Their voices were spot on for their characters with good inflection and full of emotion, making this such a  great listen. Steadman was able to get the men's voices well too. I was so impressed with her narration.

What I'm loving about Beth O'Leary's writing is that she tackles serious topics, in this case grief, anger, mother-daughter relationships, friendship and love of neighbor, all while telling a good story, mixing in some good romance, and making us crack up with laughter. I'm now a fan and look forward to seeing what lovely story she will regale us with next!

Content warning: F-words and religious expletives

The author has crafted an amusing enjoyable book.  Much like “The Flatshare” this is a book that leaves you smiling.   The story is entertaining the characters are funny, the situation the heroines find themselves in is unusual and interesting.  Trading places with your grandmother poses a whole new set of problems.   The audiobook was set at a good pace and having each heroine have their own voice was a nice touch.  This was a good fun book!

When Carla Cotton died (before the novel begins) she left her mother, sister, Leena, and grandmother, Eileen, in a world of grief. They’ve tried to move forward but aren’t having much success.

This is mainly Leena’s and Eileen’s story. As things play out Leena and Eileen decide to switch things up and change places. Leena will spend her sabbatical at her grandmother’s house in a village and Eileen will live in Leena’s London apartment. This might be the change they need to jumpstart their lives. I really enjoyed the spots these two found themselves in – some laugh out loud scenes. I know this: I want to be like Eileen when I’m her age! I loved her willingness to try new things while, at the same time, reconsider people who’d always been in her life.

Beth O’Leary wrote about serious and relatable subjects with a light touch and yet just enough weight. I think fans of Jenny Colgan and Jojo Moyes would enjoy The Switch. I loved listening to the audiobook (alternating between 1.5x and 1.75x speed). I was thoroughly entertained by the narration of Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones. I thought their performances were spot on as they brought the characters (main and secondary) to life and made me cheer on Eileen, Leena and all the rest.

Leena and her grandmother Eileen swap places after Leena is forced to take a 2 month sabbatical from work and Eileen wants to move to London where there are more dating prospects.  Both of their stories are equally surprising and interesting and it was a lovely storyline to follow on audio, especially with all the accents and voices of the additional characters added into the mix.  I haven't read Beth O'Leary's other book, The Flatshare yet but after listening to the The Switch, I definitely will!  Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advance copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.