Totally enjoyable, heartfelt novel with such lovely, funny and deep moments of connection across generations. Read it in 24 hours and can't wait for Beth O'Leary's next book!

I was excited to read another book by this author! I have to be honest and say I didn't enjoy it *as* much as The Flatshare. I think this is because I really struggled to connected with Leena until right near the end. I absolutely adored Eileen and wish she lived in my block of flats! I also wasn't entirely convinced by the romantic element to the book, I felt it was rushed into the last few chapters. Amazon has informed me there is already a title for Beth's book next year so I am already looking forward to that!
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication.

This book did not work for me. I loved Beth o Leary's The Flatshare to bits. I thought The Flatshare was well crafted with good plotting and excellent characters. The Switch reminded me of the film The Holiday, but in this case a grand daughter and her grandmother swap places. I found the characters underwhelming and if I wasn't such a big fan of o'Leary's earlier novel, I would not have finished the book.

For those who are still interested, the book deals with dating in seventies, mother-daughter relationships and women in family who always have your back.
Rating : 2.5/5

3.5
I completely fell in love with The Flatshare, so it's perhaps inevitable that I wouldn't love The Switch quite as much. I absolutely flew through this charming novel and couldn't put it down, but as someone who loved The Flatshare much more for its rom-com rather than its up-lit qualities, this book wasn't quite for me.

Swap lives with your grandma. Deal with your grief. Not a compelling concept but a story of getting away from your day to day norm means that you can deal with the big things. The total contrast between the two settings of London and rural Yorkshire and the characters is brilliant. I conjured up images for everyone.
Overcoming bias, ageism and the North South divide make for humour all the way through the book.
I cheered the characters on and would look out for the next instalment.

The Switch is the second novel from Beth O’Leary, and has a similar storytelling style to her much loved debut, The FlatShare.

The story follows career-girl Leena and family matriarch Eileen who are both experiencing discontent in their lives, so decide to switch things up.

Much like The FlatShare, this is an uplifting and easy read; the plot is fairly straightforward with likeable characters and again O’Leary uses the alternating perspectives of Leena and Eileen to drive the narrative forwards.

Through this, the reader starts to learn more about what is causing them unrest in their lives (despite being at opposite ends of the age spectrum, they have man-drama in common) and we grow familiar with the people in their support network. O’Leary is skilled in creating a supporting cast who enhance the main characters, and the “switch” element of this premise makes for an interesting read - we see Leena and Eileen in a whole new light, and perhaps this is a revelation to them both as individuals too.

While Arnold and Betsy became some of my favourite characters to read about, I found myself wanting more development for Ethan. I felt myself being pulled out of Leena’s love bubble, but I thought his character, and their relationship, needed more depth before I could muster a strong emotional reaction towards him, his actions and their situation.

A final reflection was that the ending felt a little predictable, and a little bit rushed. While the plot isn’t exactly packed with twists and turns, it had a certain sense of inevitability about it quite early on; for me, that slowed the pace of my reading because I was quite confident of where the story was going. While I wasn’t disappointed, I wasn’t particularly hooked or invested either.

The gentle pace and lighthearted tone of this read makes it perfect for a Sunday afternoon, but it’s unlikely to be a page-turned that keeps you up reading into the wee hours.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my advanced copy of The Switch, in exchange for my review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

TW: death in the family, grief, domestic abuse, cheating

All the stars for Beth O'Learys newbie, #TheSwitch! ✨

I loved everything about her debut novel, The Flatshare, and was initially worried that this book might not live up to how I felt about it, scrap that I absolutely loved every page!

The Switch follows granddaughter Leena and grandmother Eileen as they swap lives for two months. Leena heads to her hometown, a tiny Yorkshire village, for a long overdue break from her high pressures job, whilst Eileen who is nearing 80 heads to London to search for a second chance at love after being newly single and to discover the bright lights. Add gossiping neighbours, difficult family dynamics, trendy flatmates and online dating to the mix and being in one another's shoes proves more difficult than either of them expected.

Just like The Flatshare, the story is written as a dual narrative from Leena and Eileen’s perspectives. The story features so many wonderful characters, that all add to the experience of the life swap. Whilst being an uplifting, heart warming and feel good story, it also cleverly and so compassionately tackles the hard issues of grief and loss.

Huge thank you to @quercusbooks for the early copy via Netgalley. And to @betholeary, thanks for making such a beautiful story for us all and enjoy all the well-earned praise for your amazing book! 👏

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book.

The Switch is a novel about the women of the Cotton family -- the corporate overachiever, Leena, and her grandmother who lives in a quiet village in Yorkshire -- who decide to swap lifestyles for two months, to shake things up and see where they go from there. The title intrigued me by offering things I are dear to my heart: themes of inter-generation bonding between women in a family, work burnout, grief, and hopefully a sprinkle of jois de vivre that comes with the concept of a grandmother taking on a dating scene in London and sorting out all these youngsters and their hipster nonsense.

These things do happen in the book, but unfortunately, not in a way I found satisfying. I felt that the tone fell flat in between the two things it was trying to do: explore the themes of family/community and grief/healing, and a do a rompy intergenerational comedy of manners turning romcom. The themes could have been explored with more finesse, and romcom, well, could have been funnier. There were moments and scenes when I felt the connection with the characters, but they weren't really strung together in an impactful story. The general momentum of the book seemed more governed by the narrative inevitability of the genre cliches, rather than actual enjoyment of going through the process. Overall, itt felt like a Christmas Hallmark movie without, well, the actual Christmas (or Vanessa Hudgens to play Leena, lbr).

Eileen and Leena, a grandmother and a granddaughter who decide to switch their life for awhile. Would it work for each of them? The story presents family relationship, grieving, love, friendship and community life. It reminds us that no matter what age you are, you need someone else to rely on. Overall it's a sweet funny read. Thanks Netgalley for an electronic ARC.

Another lovely novel from Beth O’Leary that will give you a warm and fuzzy feeling inside ... after an emotional and draining year, London life is getting a bit much for 29 year old Leena. Meanwhile, her 79 year old grandmother Eileen wishes she’d taken more of the chances that she had in her youth ... the clue is in the title as to what happens next 😅 An easy read that somehow still deals with difficult subjects in places, the characters are all fantastic and so relatable - if you’re a fan of Marian Keyes and Lucy Silver etc, you will enjoy this book - and if you loved the flat share you will not be disappointed.

Leena Cotton is grieving for her younger sister Carla, who died recently, and is ordered by her boss to take two months off, after making a hash of an important presentation.. She doesn’t know what to do with herself so decides to go home to Yorkshire, to see her grandmother, Eileen. She also knows that she needs to see her mother, who lives in the same village, as they haven’t really connected since Carlas death.
Eileen is a sprightly 79year old, as well as grieving for her granddaughter, her husband Wade has left her after 50 odd years together. She wants adventure in her life. So the decision is made for them to swap homes for the 2 months.

I really enjoyed this book, it’s a heart warming read, explores how we all work through grief differently, and when it’s a family member, things are made harder as your normal support network are grieving at the same time. However, there is also lovely gently humour running through the tale, with some very realistic characters, most of who I really loved. A definite feel good factor by the end.

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review.

The Switch by Beth O'Leary
I give this book 4 stars
Eileen is sick of being 79.
Leena's tired of life in her twenties.
Maybe it's time they swapped places...

I absolutely loved The Flatshare so was extremely excited to get a chance to read the authors 2nd book and it certainly lived up to my expectations .
Another superb heartwarming read with characters that you instantly take to and a plot that draws you into their lives.
Told from Eileen (Grandmother) and Leena (Grandaughter) perspectives when they swap places for a couple of months.
Add a dash of humour,a past family loss and community life with new friends/new neighbours who all add something to the storyline and you have a book l would highly recommend .
Thank you to Netgalley and Quercus books for the chance to read and review .

This book has to be one of my most favourite of 202o so far. I was not sure how Beth O'Leary would follow the magnificent story that was The Flatshare. The Switch certainly matches that if not exceeds. I adored both characters of Eileen (Eileen and Leena). There were certainly relatable plot points especially in this modern world. I enjoyed the setting of the rural village alongside the modern busy buzz of London. I raced through this book in one sitting. Absolutely would rate this 5 stars.

I want to begin by saying I got this book for free through Netgalley, but all thoughts are my own. I was completely hooked reading this, as in I read it in a day and it's very rare that I read a full length novel in a day. I really do love Beth O'Leary's writing, and the concept of grandmother and granddaughter switching lives for 2 months really intrigued me. This book is written from the perspective of 79-year-old Eileen Cotton & her granddaughter Leena Cotton and the two perspectives sounded so different, they were just perfectly written and it was so easy to tell who was talking. All the characters were really well-written and provided a lot to the story. There was also such a variety of characters which I found made this more enjoyable. I loved the little bits of romance, I found myself laughing through certain bits of this book. I felt so connected to Eileen and Leena by the end of it and I honestly just didn't want it to end. When I got approved to read this from Netgalley it honestly made my day and I just had to read it instantly. If you've read The Flatshare and enjoyed it then please please please pick this up when it comes out next month. You won't regret it. It has such a sweet writing style, an intriguing and lovely plot. This is a really quick read because it's so addictive and easy to get through. I highly highly recommend this.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this from NetGalley and was super keen to read after enjoying The Flatshare so much. I loved The Switch even more!

The Switch is a lovely, quick read. I really enjoyed all of the characters - particularly Eileen - and genuinely cared about what happened to all of them. I was sad to finish it!

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Beth O'Leary's second novel has two protagonists: Eileen and Leena, a grandmother and granddaughter, who decided to swap houses since both of them are going through a rough patch. Eileen was just left by her husband who decided to live with a younger dance teacher and Leena was forced into some vacation, because she has not been dealing well with work's pressure after her sister's death.

First of all, I have to say I was not a big fan of the author's first book, unlike most people out there. I thought it was ok, but I didn't really enjoy it as I was expecting to. However, when I first read the synopsis of this one, I felt immediately curious to read it, since it reminded me a lot of an awesome rom com "The Holiday", with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet, therefore I decided to give the author a second chance and I'm so glad I did it!

My favorite character - hands down - was Eileen. She is so amazing! She has a lot of attitude and she's so funny, and yet there's something really vulnerable about her. Besides, it felt so good to have a 79-year-old woman as a protagonist, since it's not as common as it could be.

Leena was also a good character, but not as good as Eileen - although to be fair it's really hard to compete with her |o| - still I liked the way her grief was developed and her relationship with her mother and friends as well. Plus, the side characters are hilarious and very nice.

There's also some amazing romances in here. There are two tropes which I absolutely adore: enemies to lovers and friends to lovers and they were so well done! Actually, maybe my only problem with the book is that I wished we had even more romance in here.

Overall, it was an amazing read. I highly recommend it if you want a dramatic book, with a lot of humor and romance as well. If you loved her first book, I'm sure you'll love this as well, and if you didn't read her first one, I think it's also a really good way to get to know her work.

I absolutely ADORED this book! Having read The Flatshare I had high expectations, The Switch surpassed them!
Eileen and Leena are wonderfully written characters who essentially switch lives for two months- Eileen moving to London, whilst her granddaughter Leena takes on her many responsibilities in the Yorkshire village. The range of supporting characters is so rich and original with each having their own mini side plot which helps make this such a brilliant read.
At the heart is a family struggling to come to terms with a tragic death. This is dealt with deftly, with understanding, exploring the impacts on the characters, without dwelling on the sorrow and grief.
Grandmother Eileen’s foray into online dating is sweet and humourous. Her zest and enthusiasm for life made me smile and wish she was my granny!
I could go on and on! I can’t wait to buy a copy for my mum and for friends and discuss the characters with them. Will also be a good read for book clubs to suit all ages!
A contender for book of the year already!!

I loved this book! I adored Eileen and Leena, along with the (mostly) delightful supporting cast of characters - I'm really going miss them all! What a wonderfully feel-good read, despite dealing with some serious issues.

Between this and The Flatshare, Beth O'Leary is firmly on my list of auto-buy authors.

TW: cancer, death, grief, adultery, domestic abuse

Thank you so much NetGalley and Quercus Books for allowing me to read an eARC of The Switch. All views and opinion are my own.

I have honestly been putting of reading The Switch because if the insane amount of love I had for The Flat Share. I was so worried that it just wouldn't live up to it but I feel like that's unfair to put on this book because it was never going to be The Flat Share; they are completely different books with such different plots but ultimately the same amazing soul. I adored The Switch. It had me laughing, smiling, and crying my eyes out.

Beth creates amazing characters in Eileen and Leena, but also all of the wider secondary characters. There isn't one character in this book that isn't fully developed; they all have their own quirks and characterisations. This book has such strong and powerful messages about friendship and being there for one another in the darkest of times. I think it also handles grief really well; people go through grief in such different ways and when you lose a loved one it's even harder because those that you need to support you, also need support yourself. I feel like the representation of grief was done so well and my heart went out to Leena, Eileen, and Marian.

This novel is just so utterly charming and uplifting; it is never too late to start your life over, whether your husband leaves you for another woman or you're finally brave enough to stand up and say you deserve more, you always have a second chance. Eileen was just so delightful; her meddling was hilarious and i love that she could just get away with anything as she was an old woman.

Although I knew Leena and Jackson were going to end up together at the end it never felt cliche; I had no idea of the amazing journey they were going to go on and how they would end up together. This is what I love about Beth's writing; she weaves together such amazing stories which should feel predictable but they just never do. She manages to put such soul into her stories and they are so heartwarming that I just absolutely adore everything she writes.

I laughed so many times reading this; I just couldn't help it with all the antics the characters get up to. Honestly one of my favouite characters was Arnold, not quite the grumpy old man we thought he was! I just adored everything about this and Beth O'Leary is most definitely becoming one of my favourite authors. Now... how long do I have to wait for the next one?

Now all I want is to be Eileened.

"These people. There's such a fierceness to them, such a lovingness. When I got here, I thought their lives were small and silly, but I was wrong. They're some of the biggest people I know"

A warm and cosy read, like curling up with a hot water bottle and a blanket. In fact, that's what I did whilst reading this book! A spirited older hero in Eileen Cotton was a real tonic. In fact, many of the strong characters are women, and they all rescue themselves. Refreshing and a lovely read. Very well recommended.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. I very much enjoyed it.

Reviewed on Goodreads.