What a sweet story with to enjoy when you want to read an unexpected love story between to people who evolve and find a new version of themselves after a house swap across the ocean. I really enjoyed this book! Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

The House Swap follows two young professionals as they swap houses and countries for 6 months. I thought the story was cute, even though it was a bit predictable. While one character was unlikeable in the beginning, we are allowed to follow him through his growing and maturing. I would definitely recommend to those looking for a fun romance.

Although James has been dating Emily for almost a year he isn't looking for anything serious. Happy to continue as they are, however, at her birthday party it is clear she is expecting a proposal. Fighting with him when it doesn't happen he breaks up with her, however, she doesn't take the hint and becomes somewhat of a stalker. He needs to get out of London for a while.

Cassie loves her home on an island in Maine, but with her publisher pushing for her to write a series of books based in London she knows she'll have to return to the UK for research. Advertising her home on SwapBnB she matches with James who asks her 101 questions about anything and everything - so much so that the swap almost falls through.

Making a poor first impression on each other they keep in touch across the first few months as they come across issues. Grumbling to each other about WiFi issues, stalker ex-girlfriends and animals. Somewhere along the way, they start looking forward to their phone calls, with attraction blooming when Cassie visits for a birthday party. Neither of them acting on their feelings especially given that Cassie is upset about a failed round of IVF treatment.

Meeting up again they grow closer in lots of ways but James has baggage from his childhood that is affecting how he lives his life now. Can he overcome past hurts to discover a brighter future? and will Cassie feature in this future?

Thanks to NetGalley! I really liked this book. Usually when I read these types of romcom books, I’m left wanting more of a build up or friendship and often find the books skip around too much. The build up in The House Swap was perfect. I wasn’t sure how the relationship would develop, but I thought the amount of traveling and phone communication was perfect. I would’ve loved a longer book, almost!

Cassies character was well built and developed, but I wish she grew a bit more. James started bland but developed into a 3D person.

Let me start by saying that I absolutely love the premise of this book. Swapping houses instead of just visiting, and a romance ensues? Sign me up! I was immediately drawn to this book because it reminded me of The Holiday with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet. Unfortunately, I was not able to get through this book after giving it a few chances, but I would like to try it again in the future. Where a book about travel might be an escape for some, personally it put me in a bit of a funk.

This story follows our grumpy hero James, and our very friendly heroine Cassie, who have agreed to swap homes for a few months, as they both need a getaway for personal reasons. Their conversations are quite forced and awkward over the phone, and they both have poor first impressions of each other. A perfect setup for an enemies to lovers trope.

While I really enjoyed the Maine to London swap, I had to put the book on hold when both characters were describing their new surroundings... mainly the decor of the house. It was very descriptive, and they seemed very negative. It was hard to read and enjoy knowing that travel is out of reach for now (in my country, at least).

To sum it up, a super fun concept, and is probably a very enjoyable read for those who are perhaps living in a country that has Covid handled, and who are not currently in lockdown.

At first I was a little scared of this book's subtitle (utterly gorgeous feel good romance) as it felt like that was setting the bar higher than could ever be achieved. I'm not sure it cleared the 'utterly gorgeous' tagline, but it was definitely feel good and an enjoyable rom-com. I found both characters to be believable, albeit with a much higher income bracket than the vast majority of people I know. The timeline of their relationship ('enemies' to friends to in love) didn't feel too rushed and the cast of characters at both locations were entertaining without being overwhelming.
I found both characters' growth to be organic without falling into the 'love has cured me' shortcut too much. The exception was with James' changing thinking around having a child - I wanted to buy his change of mind, and the author clearly tried to show the extended time for him to get there, it just still seemed fast on the page.
Banter between characters and their internal dialog along with the supporting characters fed the 'com' part, but it was definitely not slapstick or laugh out loud (not that I wanted it to be).

Based on my personal experience, Cassie's experience with IVF felt based in reality, but may be triggering to some readers.

Additional CW for: miscarriage, fertility, family addiction, death of a sibling

Cassie needs to go to England for her job and James just needs out because of a crazy ex girlfriend. Their perfect solution is SwapBnB. Cassie will stay in a swanky London apartment and James will come to her house on a cozy island, but they pair couldn't be more different. James is broody and not very neighborly so how will he fit in with the people in this quaint little town? Cassie loves being back in London and takes the time to meet the neighbors that James neglected for all these years, forming friendships and having fun.
The pair are forced to communicate about things going on at their respective houses and at first, they aren't very cordial, but as time goes on, the two begin to form a friendship that is heartwarming. James doesn't form attachments due to trauma in his past and Cassie desparately wants a baby and is willing to do it all alone. Each of them are in very different places in life, but they could be just what the other needs. As they talk more and see one another, they realize this spark between them isn't something they should ignore, but how can it work when they live on opposite sides of the world?
I really felt the changes that each of the characters made in this story and enjoyed their back and forth through texts and phone calls. I love it when someone comes into your life you aren't expecting and it just throws you for a loop. I especially love it when the male falls hard and has no idea what to do about it. This book had all of the things that I love and just the right amount of drama.
Thank you to Netgalley, Jo Lovett and Bookcouture for an early copy of this book.

Cassie and James' story ends beautifully, but the beginning rubbed me the wrong way several times over. Cassie comes off as a highly neurotic and frankly annoying person and James is a jerk to most of the people he interacts with in the beginning chapters, especially the man who's job he destroys. He never makes amends for that or owns up to the fact that his career is built on exploiting and profiting off people at the expense of the environment or their livelihoods...and Cassie doesn't challenge him on that, despite her personal stake in keeping the island as authentic as possible. Their friendship blooms well, I think, but not well enough to compensate for the intrusive nature of Cassie's community in Maine and the glaring personality differences in the couple.

This book sounded like so much fun. But from the off I struggled to like James. I didn't really want to see him get a happy ending and that kind of spoiled it for me.

Not for me sadly!

I had high hopes for this book but I think it fell a little flat. It was cute don’t get me wrong but it always left me wanting more!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the Digital Arc for my honest review.

I was interested in this book as the trope of swapping sounded good to me! The book overall was alright.
A cute light hearted RomCom. Easy light read. Not my favourite of Rom Coms that I’ve read but it was still a decent read. I didn’t really feel like I connected to the characters very well. I ended up not really liking James. But I still found myself enjoying most of the book. This will be great for a summer read.

Novelist Cassie needs a place to stay in London while researching her next book. Investor James needs a quiet place near Boston to regroup after a bad break-up. When they swap homes, they don't expect to get caught up in each other's lives. But her quirky neighbors claim reclusive James as one of their own. His phone calls to Cassie become a daily event, and they remain entangled even after returning to their old lives. Despite the differences between them, could Fate have more in store for them?

This enemies-to-lovers story is a fun escape. It's sweet and emotional, with a caring heroine and grumpy hero. If you like small-town romance, this is a good choice.

Content warning: past miscarriage/stillbirth (not dramatized).

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This book was what I needed at this particular moment in time. Wholesome, honest and sincere, with a cast of side characters that honestly outshone the two main characters, The House Swap is a sweet story with a complicated under layer, which is arguably one of my favourite features in a romance.

Cassie is definitely my favourite of the two main characters, her eccentricities made her really loveable and her IVF storyline was refreshing to read about as often, especially in romance, you wouldn’t hear about a woman embarking on that journey alone. It took me a bit longer to warm to James but eventually I did really end up liking him.

I did have some issues with the pacing of the plot; sometimes I felt as though we were jumping from scene to scene without any sort of transition and I feel a few more transitory paragraphs could’ve made the story flow a little better.

I also felt like some plot points were just... dropped? Like how James’ ex was stalking him at the start of the book and then just kind of disappeared once she no longer served the story? I am quite picky on issues with continuity though, so I’m sure this wouldn’t be as much of a problem for other people.

Overall I did enjoy this story, the ending wasn’t to my personal taste but I really do believe that the majority of people will really enjoy where the author took this book.

Thank you Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My rating: ★★★

When I first read the synopsis of this book, being the great The Holiday fan that I am, I screamed: YES!!! It's absurd to me that there aren't more books with the same premise, because what could go wrong, right?

Right.

I think my expectations ruined a bit the book for me. It's not like I think that it's bad, per se, hence my 3 stars, because it was a fun, entertaining read, but I felt like I needed a bit more flavor, you know?

It's a light, cute book, and I'm sure people who are looking for romcoms to spend an afternoon under the covers, maybe this is the book for it. Nothing life-changing, just a great time to pass the time.

Entertaining RomCom for a light summer, beach read.
The story revolves around a banker,James, who decides to swap houses with a writer, Cassie. They both need a change of scenery and time away.
Though the story line is a bit cheesy and quirky, it was a sweet read.
Thank you to NetGallery, Bookouture and author, Jo Lovett for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed are my own.

I have not yet had time to read this novel before the archive date. I am looking forward to reading it and once I do, I will come back and leave a proper review!

This was unfortunately a no from me.

I had high hopes for this book, the house swap trope sounded great, similar to The Holiday. Unfortunately, it fell flat for me. I liked Cassie a lot more than James. He was just written as a horrible person so well in the first section of the book, that I couldn't get past it. It also seemed jumpy from sub-plot to sub-plot, which made it a difficult read. The plot has real potential, but unfortunately, I didn't think it lived up to much of it.
I also could, unfortunately, tell the author hadn't spent much time in Maine since right towards the beginning, she described it as pristine white beaches with bright blue water... if you have ever been to Maine, that's not it!

Overall, I was fairly disappointed,

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

I started this book absolutely hating one of the main characters and was worried that I wouldn't love the book because of that.

BUT that's just part of the fantastic journey of this story!! You actually fall in love with all of the characters, even the ones who you can't stand. I actually found myself getting very emotional at times, and that never happens when I'm ready your basic everyday rom com.

And this is everything but that. It centers on Cassie, a woman living on a remote island off the coast of Maine, and James, a finance dude living in London. They decide to swap home for 6 months, as she needs to visit London for work, and he needs to escape from everything for a while. It takes James a bit to get adjusted, but Cassie spreads sunshine and kindness wherever she goes. These two DO NOT hit it off, to say the least, but they find themselves in constant contact as they settle in to each other's homes. And then eventually, they realize that they actually enjoy each other, and.......NO SPOILERS, but it's absolutely wonderful.

This lively cast of characters support the two main ones, and provide absolute joy and delight on every page. I highly recommend this book to people who love love. Warning: There is a discussion of a lost pregnancy, for anyone who may be triggered by that.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!!

CW: addiction, infertility struggles

This is a cute, fun story about these two very different people from two very far apart countries who needs to swap house for different reasons. James is this very serious city boy from London who just needs an escape from his old life and Cassie is this Glaswegian living in an island in Maine who needs to take necessary step towards her goal in life.

As they swap houses for the next six months, their old lives interfere with each other’s and they don’t get off on a good start as James’s stalker ex comes annoying Cassie and loner James gets a taste of the island life and having to socialize with the neighbors. They then constantly text and call each other to work out each of their problems and from there, their friendship start to bloom.

I really enjoyed reading this book! I loved the near-enemies to lovers, opposite attract kind of romance between James and Cassie! I also really love their friendships with each other’s neighbors.

I have to admit that I struggled getting through until 30% of this book because James was such AN ASS. I was fuming with anger with how curt and cold he was to everyone and I was annoyed reading his POV but as headjusted to the island life, he started opening up and I found him to be more likeable. I loved his genuine care for the alpacas and chickens and for Cassie’s neighbors especially Laura! He’s also such boyfriend material with how he can bake a mean cake 🙈 Cassie was such quirky character and I loved her to bits!! I felt so sad for her during her pregnancy journey even though it’s not something I want myself.

I enjoyed most of the middle part of the book but towards the last 25%, it felt a bit dragging? And too insta-love like. For some reason, I can’t find it in myself to feel that James was genuine but I just went along with the story for enjoyment’s sake.

Another personal issue for me was that this book’s smut was fade to black but that’s just me. I just wished we had more descriptions because with the sexual tension and chemistry they had, it would’ve been amazing to read about.

Overall, this was a quick, lighthearted read that I enjoyed mostly! I highly recommend when you just want to escape for a little while and read a really good, sweet romance!

I ended up DNFing at 16%. I didn't like James character and I couldn't get into the writing because of it.