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Let’s start at the end for this review. We all know how 99.9% of romances end, right? It’s not the ending necessarily that we’re wanting to wow us; it’s the journey the author takes us on to get there.

Y’all. Jo Lovett wrote ONE. CUTE. JOURNEY.

A banker from London with a tough exterior and a deeply hidden past trades his messy life to hide away on an island off of Maine. A kid’s writer with dreams of being a mom and a career that’s taking off decides to stay in London to develop plots for her next few books. Their homes are perfect for each other after connecting on SwapBNB. I definitely got “The Holiday” movie vibes.

What I appreciated so much about this book was the character development. The way each character flourished in their new environments and grew as people both separately and together made the story irresistible.

The first 50 pages or so I was slightly skeptical about this book simply because if I’m going to love a romance, it has to be special. And I was waiting for that feeling. Let me tell you, I got ALL the feelings. If you need a feel-good story, this is it!

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for the advanced digital galley of The House Swap by Jo Lovett in exchange for an honest review.

When I saw some reviews that compared The House Swap to the movie The Holiday, I knew that I wanted to read it, and I am so glad I did. There were so many elements of The House Swap that I enjoyed — the long distance (slow burn) romance, the quirky cast of side characters, James and Cassie.

I will say that I was a little surprised by some of the content because for a book described as “A funny and utterly gorgeous feel-good romance”, The House Swap dealt with some heavy themes. It would have been nice going into to know that infertility, miscarriage, and grief plays a large role in the story. None of this is mentioned in the summary of the book and that does a disservice to readers who might find these topics difficult to jump into without warning (nevertheless in a book described as “feel-good”). Overall I enjoyed the book but couldn’t write my review without mentioning this aspect.

I would recommend this for fans of romance novels with heart and those looking for a happily ever after with a lower steam rating.

The House Swap is truly an experience. We follow the life of James and Cassie as individuals in their own world, individuals in the other person's world and eventually when they crossover.
James wants a break from the chaos of his life and Cassie needs a change for more opportunities. They enter their houses for a swapbnb and expect to continue with zero communication. However things never go as planned and their day to day life gets intertwined.
I was wondering how a romance would begin with such a setting of a house swap in different countries no less, but it did evolve in one of my favourite tropes and really enjoyed their back and forth banter. It was such a slow burn, and such a character centric book and their romance was so cute. Cute because it was a closed door romance and i would have liked to read a little steam because both the characterswere older, but I understand it is the author's wish.
For a book that has a pretty easy going stroyline it does deal with serious issues. James has had a difficult childhood which has molded him into a cynical person undeserving of having his own family. Cassie has had a rough few years of her own which made her seek solitude, but still keeps her energy high and likes getting involved with her neighbours. Throughout the story we see how well they both are for each other and how their own insecurities pull them back from having the best.
I liked how their ages showed in their life experience and their naiveness through doubt. It was a mature romance wherein they discussed the practicality of their situation towards the end as much as it frustrated me, I do appreciate how James' decision unfolded. After believing in something for his entire life, Cassie didn't deserve an impulse decision on his part.
I dove into this book for the concept and didn't want to know the storyline in advance, however, I feel some TW are necessary. Loss of family members, miscarriage, neglect. On the other hand the books focuses on the family they choose and friends they can rely on for the good and the bad. It is a well paced book even though it has time jumps but seriously with a story that like this, I want to see their progress than day to day chitchat.
The House Swap is my first book by Jo Lovett but this author is definitely going in my look out list. And James and Cassie will remain a memorable couple.

Cassie and James both need a break from their homes and their lives- so why not switch homes on different continents?
They find one another on a website made for house swapping and agree for a 6 mos swap.
James is escaping a crazy ex-girlfriend and looking for a quiet place to work away from London and Cassie’s cozy Maine beach house seems like the perfect place to be. But when the spotty WiFi and nosy neighbors mix up with Cassie reminding him of his ex showing up and how tightly wound he was back in London... the two find one another talking almost daily.
Is the house swap more than just a change in location or an update in life?

I loved this heartwarming romantic read, l especially loved the crazy antics that James and Cassie went through while switching houses, how their chemistry became more and more romantic as they got to know each other more, and I loved how they interacted with the neighbors in Maine and London. I definitely recommend this to all Romantics and fans of the movie The Holiday. It’s so reminded me of that movie throughout the story.

This is the sort of easy reading book that you can devour in one sitting! A quick, simple and predictable story but one that I lost myself in and thoroughly enjoyed. I loved the different settings - flashy flat in Holland Park, and cute island home in Maine. I liked both of the main characters, and the supporting casts of friends and family. Definitely the kind of enjoyable, romantic escapism that is nice to dip in to from time to time...

This book unfortunately fell flat for me. I was excited to read a book reminiscent of the Holiday but i just did not feel any connection between the two characters. There were a lot of time jumps that made the writing feel a little sloppy to me.

The House Swap by Jo Lovett

I requested this on netgalley as soon as I saw the author! I read Jo Lovett’s book The First Time We Met last year and it was such a lovely story that I was confident I’d like this one, and I was right!

I really love how realistic her characters are and how the main issue they face at the end is not some annoying misunderstanding but an actual real life problem to overcome.

House Swap is about Cassie and James, who end up staying in each other’s homes in a swap airbnb sort of situation. After disliking dealing with each other at first and getting over their opposing personalities, they develop a friendship. I loved these characters (and all their neighbours and friends). They were charming and fun. Cassie and James had amazing chemistry and I was really rooting for them from the very first pages.

Thank you @netgalley and @bookouture for my advanced copy! This book comes out on April 19th.

TW: miscarriage

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I absolutely loved this authors previous book so I was looking forward to reading this one and it certainly didn’t disappoint. This was a fun light hearted read and was perfect escapism in the current times. It was a lovely feel good read and the perfect pick me up. The characters were relatable and the story line was lovely and made me want to go on a swap bnb break right this minute and escape to sunnier and beautiful climes as the setting for the book sounded gorgeous and a perfect escape. I think this book would make a lovely film.

James finds it difficult to avoid his deranged ex-girlfriend, its upsetting his normally ordered life so a friend suggests doing a house swop. Cassie needs to move from her idyllic island life for 6 months to get background details for her latest book. So James and Cassie find themselves agreeing to the move. James just wants a quiet ordered life and can't understand why its necessary for Cassie to get so personally involved. On the other hand Cassie is amazed that James doesn't know his neighbours and doesn't seem to want to get involved in island life.
I totally loved this book, all the quirky details, watching James' & Cassie's growing friendship and unearthing their pasts made the book unputdownable.

Trigger warning: This book deals a lot with pregnancy loss, IVF, alcoholism, etc....

I loved this book, though I do wish I had more of a heads up that this book had such strong themes of pregnancy loss. While most of the book is light, romantic, and hilarious, there is a lot of underlying pain that the characters work through. Even though it isn't a light or always easy read, it is certainly a well-written book that is an overall great read!

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

I ended up DNFing this book at about 40% of the way through the book.

I was expecting this book to be similar to The Switch By Beth O'Leary but I found this book to be lacking of the sparkle that the Switch had.

I didn't really feel the the chemistry between the two main characters and I couldn't get invested in the romance at all and considering its a romance book its a pretty big deal. From what I read I will say that I enjoyed the character of James a lot more than Cassie.

I feel like there could be other readers who might enjoy it but for me it was a bit disappointing.

Cassie and James are both looking to take some time away from where they currently live and end up looking on a house swap website. Soon, James is living in Cassie’s beachside cottage, and Cassie’s living in James’s London apartment. They are both out of their comfort zones with the living arrangements and need to adjust fast.
The more Cassie and James talk, the more the tension between them mounts but along with it sparks begin to fly.
But when Cassie makes a surprising discovery, the pair are forced to confront their feelings and decide what kind of life they really want.

This book at first really reminded me of The Switch or even The Flat Share both by Beth O Leary. It had those vibes. These characters at times though got on my nerves and it really showed the power in miscommunication. The story was sweet although kinda cheesy at times. It did seem to drag a little bit towards the end but I loved how the story finally ended. I also enjoyed that there was some serious issues too involved with the basic rom com storyline.

#gifted E-arc received from Netgalley and Bookouture with no obligation to review.

This was such a gorgeous, uplifting read.

Cassie and James are both at a turning point in their life. Neither of them are happy with their current circumstances, and both take a leap of faith and swap locations with each other for six months. Cassie moves to take in the lights of the big city in London, and James moves to an island in Maine to befriend the locals and a few Alpacas along the way! Little do they know that they will come to appreciate things they aren’t accustomed to, and that their lives will change as a result.

This reminded me of the film the Holiday, but had a lovely story of its own.

I loved this, it was so warm, the characters were charming, and, it was a warm hug of a book! I also really appreciated the honesty with which the author tackled fertility struggles. I am really looking forward to trying another Jo Lovett book.

A light, easy comfort read that centers around the familiar trope of swapping lives. A solid romance with good pacing and relatable characters. Predictable but in the best way. A fun summer read for me.

The House Swap starts with our two characters, James and Cassie, in not particularly good circumstances. She’s in turmoil trying to come up with the plot for her next book and he’s struggling when a relationship ends rather acrimoniously. In desperation, they each decide to try a house swap and end up paired.
Basic premise of so many movies/books. They swap lives, don’t particularly hit it off at first and appear quite different. Deep down, though, we sense a spark...and the book uncovers it, throwing them into different scenarios so we sense their compatibility and hope they eventually catch up.
There’s nothing really unexpected here. It’s emotional in places, and you have a pretty good idea where this will end up. Solid good fun, and a bit of light relief that will throw a little light into your life when you need it.
Thanks to NetGalley for granting me access to this in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Trigger Warning: Pregnancy & Miscarriage

This was a very cute romance with some fun plot lines and comedy in between. Even though it was predictable I enjoyed the main characters chemistry and their witty banter.

Thanks to Bookotoure and NetGalley for a copy to honestly review.

3.5 rounded up

This gave me diet ‘The Holiday’ vibes.
A cute premise of course, a house swap, lives intertwining, strangers finding someone from afar. I just didn’t get that emotional click, even when visited with some hard topics in the pages.
The super slow build up that leads to a racing finish, the romance between the characters, none of it sold to me that this couple was one made of everlasting true love stuff.
A good one time, but I won’t be revisiting.

This book is sweet, funny, and so heartfelt. At the beginning I disliked James, he was so damn rude, and such a horrible man, but then once you get to know him you start to really love him. I pretty much did what Cassie did and judged a book by its cover (she did the same thing when she met James.)

Ok let me sum up this amazing romance novel, Cassie has a new book deal, she has to travel to London for it, but she's finding it hard trying to find a place to stay and also something that wont be permanent. James wants to get away himself, then one of his friends told me him about SwapBNB, and this was exactly what he needed.

I was wondering how these two people are going to fall in love if they are swapping in different parts of the country. Anyway they make it work and their happy ending is so special, loved it.

Thank you netgalley for approving me to read this gem of a book. This book reminded me a lot of the movie The Holiday where Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz swap houses for the holiday season to escape their lives and wind up meeting Jack Black and Jude Law respectively. On the surface House Swap is very similar in overall premise, except with our house swappers we have a sort of enemies to friends to lovers story that manages to also pack in a bunch of personal growth, development and somehow also stays light and fun at the same time. I had a hard time putting this one down, both characters were relatable in some way and I loved reading how their house swap experiences helped them tackle various personal demons, grow as people and build their friendship.