The House Swap reminds me of the movie The Holiday. James needs to escape a crazy ex-girlfriend and Cassie needs to research London locations for work. They both agree to swap houses for a few months, not realizing how their new locations and each other will become such an important part of their lives.

This was such a cute love story! I did not want to put this sweet romance down. Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the copy in exchange for my honest review!

What a fun concept. I love that these two individuals find ways to connect outside of their normal lives.

This story captured how some stories need to be spoken from the individual even when they don't want to be said.

I connected with the male character quite a bit considering we have VERY similar backgrounds. I appreciated the poignant way the author approached those childhood traumas.

My only big issue was the length of the novel. This could have been condensed greatly.

Overall, I enjoyed the read but I dont think I would read it a second time.

I recieved this book from the publisher in advance for an honest opinion. 3.5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for a honest review.

•• What's this about? ••

Cassie needs spend some time in London for two reasons. First, she needs to know better the city for her next book. Second, it's the perfect opportunity to try a IVF treatment because she really really wants a baby.

James need to escape from London. His ex-girlfriend is stalking him after he didn't proposed. Also, he is escaping from a ver bad past with his family.

When their friends tell them about a house swap, they met each other online and settle a house swap for six months.

So Cassie goes to London to James' tidy apartment. And James arrives in Cassie's bright house.

Just one thing, they missed to tell some things. Like stalker girlfriends and very friendly neighbors.

•• What do I think about it? ••

The first half of the book is about the new life of Cassie and James in new places. The way they grow as persons and how they know each other during that time.

The second half is about the relationship between James and Cassie after the house swap.

I have to say that I enjoyed more the first half. It has very good scenes between the main characters and their new neighbors.

I really loved the secondary characters. They were a huge part of the story. My favorites were Laura, Anthony and Juliet. They were so funny and cutes.

And the epilogue... oh God, it was so lovely.

Maybe it's kind of slow in some parts but it's a very lovely reading.

But, I do recommend it. It has a very good and lovely story.

I read this one as a break from some really deep and topical reads and it's absolutely perfect for that. It's cheesy (in a fun way) and sticky sweet, but it's exactly what you'd look for and expect from a rom-com enemies-to-lovers trope. If you're expecting a soul-seeking, life-altering novel, you've come to the wrong place, but I found it to be delicious escapism.

Major 'The Holiday' vibes with this book! There were a lot of touchy subjects that came up regarding infertility and pregnancy loss.

This was exactly what I needed in my life at this very moment of time!!
First time I've read a book by Jo Lovett but will definitely be heading over to the kindle store to see what else is available

In general: 4.5 stars. But massive TW to those dealing with infertility, pregnancy/baby loss. Also discussions of addiction, esp. alcohol feature prominently.

Overall impression: Cute enemies-ish to lovers slow burn adult Rom Com. If you have absolutely no experience with any sort of infertility/pregnancy trauma or loss you will probably enjoy it.

I really liked this book until the last 15% (I'll put any spoilers at the end of this review). Cassie and James swap houses and end up in a relationship that grows slowly and organically. It was a slow burn, but I was really rooting for them. I felt pretty invested in both their lives, and it felt like a real part of the story not just filler like some Rom Coms have.

Cassie is a little bit of a Mary Sue, but not overwhelmingly so. James is not very likable up-front, but he goes through a character arc (a little too quickly IMO, but I won't quibble) that completely changes his personality over the course of 7 months.

The rest of my review is going to make you wonder why I am giving it 4.5 stars, but it's really just me airing a niche grievance. If you have no problem with infertility storylines, etc. you will probably like the book and you should stop reading now/ignore me. Overall I really did enjoy the book!

---Spoilers---
As someone who has gone through fertility treatment, including (successful) IVF, I HATED the accidental pregnancy thing. It became obvious as the story progressed that there was no way to resolve things otherwise, but I was disappointed that the author chose to go that route. Before that the author had dealt with the topic in a way that I found refreshingly delicate. Not 100% great, but better than I've ever read in a romance novel.

Then, just when I had reconciled that okay, maybe the story dealt with it in a way that I could accept, the epilogue introduced a SECOND unplanned pregnancy, and that's when I got mad about it. Come on! It's a little overkill, and I would argue pretty insensitive for an author who seemed to know what she was doing when dealing with these sorts of themes.

There was also a bit of emotional gatekeeping that the author put in (more than once) that rubbed me the wrong way. All the mentions of older, childless NOT by choice people being "bitter" in old age. Totally unnecessary and rude. It's okay to voice disappointment and be upset about a major life experience that you missed out on.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Rating: 2.5 Stars
This review will be shared on my goodreads and twitter.

James and Cassie for their own respective reasons decide to swap houses for a period of time. Over the months spent in each others homes they slowly learn to become friends and learn the ups and downs of each others lives - despite their relationship starting on bad footing. Cassie is what one might call a quirky girl who loves a good pop of color and feeding her pet alpacas and chickens in the comfort of her own backyard. She also has struggled with infertility and miscarriage which has driven her to try IVF in the hopes of becoming pregnant. While James is your stereotypical businessman who is determined not to have children due to his dark past.

I was prepared to give this book 3 stars until the very end. Not only does it end with a miracle pregnancy there are TWO miracle pregnancies. On top of that James makes the decision to propose with an implied wedding for a year later on their daughters birthday?! I cannot stand pregnancy trope especially when the pregnancy occurs as a plot twist at the end of a book where the main character has struggled to get pregnant. It feels insensitive to people who have been trying but I personally don't have experience so I don't want to speak on that too much

The characters felt really shallow in the sense that they had no depth. They had their own issues but it was heavily dialogue driven, everything we found out was through conversation between the two. I really liked James and Cassie but their relationship moved so quickly and there was so many time skips where there could have been more inner monologue or description of events that were merely skimmed over.

I don't normally pick up books that talk about IVF because I don't think many authors portray it well and I didn't realize this was a book like such until after I got the ARC. While there are some things I don't like I think that it was a nice story with a light hearted cast of characters and friends. Having the main character have alpacas was new and it was interesting to imagine James having to go and feed them everyday considering he's such a city boy.

PS. I feel so cat fished by the cover because James is BLOND! Still a really cute cover though it is welcoming and nice to look at.

The House Swap is pretty much a book version of The Holiday, similar to Beth O'Leary's The Flatshare, though that book is better. I liked that it delivered what the synopsis promised, with likable enough characters who are developed well over the course of the novel's events. As with most stories where the romantic leads are kept apart, however, The House Swap does suffer in that it's hard to become fully invested in the relationship. That being said, the few moments where there's a bit of a turn from the expected are when the characters do come together and *surprise* they don't just fall madly in love, or have sex and feel awkward about it later. Overall, I'd say it's worth reading if you're a big fan of the genre, or want 'more of the same'.

A very engaging, easy read with relatable characters, “The House Swap”, by Jo Lovett (Bookouture), features a wonderfully unsympathetic hero (in the beginning) and a contrasting friendly heroine.
James is such a cynical, aloof man, sometimes rude and cold, and the way the author wrote his nastiness is really fascinating and full of humor. Only a gregarious, warm person as Cassie could awaken such a emotionally closed-off person.
Perhaps the changes his character goes through are too radical, but the gradual revelation of his backstory shows how deeply it molded his actions and personality. I loved seeing the world through the character’s lenses and the cohesiveness the author kept about it throughout the book.
Cassie is a great heroine with the right amount of warmth, kindness and wit.
This was a fun, entertaining read, with great secondary characters, two different, interesting settings and a few cute animals, too.

Very cut light rom-com that was a pleasant surprise! Fun characters and great settings. Enjoyed it very much. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher!

This novel was markedly different to anything I’ve read before but it had a nice warm familiar feeling about it. Loved the characters and the concept.

This is a sweet and charming comfort read. I thought the author did a great job of weaving in interesting characters and developing a compelling chemistry between James and Cassie. However, the pacing was off for me. The timeline was muddled (weeks would be dragged out or completely skipped over) and the last 20% lulled a bit. Overall, I liked the book and I would definitely read something else by the author.

This was a fun, lighthearted and easygoing read! It reminded me a little bit of the movie The Holiday! The House Swap had adorable characters and it made me want to travel...like really badly! Maine and London, here I come?!?! This book went quickly for me, and I love that it was a funny and adorable romance that had plenty of feel good moments!

I very much enjoyed Jo Lovett's previous book, The First Time We Met, so I was very excited to be approved for an ARC of The House Swap by Netgalley and Bookouture. Unfortunately, The House Swap just wasn't the story for me. I did think that that Cassie and James were nicely fleshed out as main characters, and all the side characters really added quite a bit to the story. But I felt the story lacked good pacing, and I didn't really feel like I had any concept of time throughout the story (like how much time had passed between chapters - Cassie and James suddenly seemed like they had made leaps and bounds in their relationship, and had frequently talked, but this was not made clear in the pacing/timing of the story).

I really enjoyed this book - I felt like the characters and their motivations were fleshed out nicely and I could understand why they made the choices they did. I think I would happily have read a hundred more pages to get further insight into the characters and it would potentially have been nice to see a little more discussion between the ending and the epilogue but all in all, this was a really enjoyable read that I devoured in one sitting.

What do a wealthy career-man from London and a Glaswegian author living on an island off of Maine have in common?

They both need an escape from their lives.

James and Cassie are both in desperate need for a change of scenery and they stumble upon each other on a house swap and match. James seeks the solace of the island while Cassie needs new inspiration for her upcoming novels with the added bonus of accessibility of IVF treatment in London. It seems amicable enough until both James and Cassie realize they are NOTHING alike and prepared for the swap in completely different manners. Initially the lines of communication open up over concerns related to their agreement, before the gradually start swapping more than just stories from home. Can 2 people really know each other and fall in love through minimal face-to-face interactions, or is their relationship simply a result of homeowner responsibility?

**

When I read the description, I was anticipating a story similar to The Holiday or The Switch. Basically I was buckled up for an incredibly cliché, cheesy, and heart-warming trope and I was here for it. However, I was pleasantly surprised in the uniqueness of the plot. Unlike the aforementioned storylines, Cassie and James' relationship started as mutual swappers, not people they met on their own journeys. Each character had significant back story and I truly enjoyed how James and Cassie helped each other process past traumas.

One highlight for me was James' character development. In the first few chapters I thought to myself "wow, I really can't stand this guy and I'm not sure how I can possibly ship him and Cassie" YET HERE I AM. Total face turn.

The greatest flaw in this book, however, is the timeline. I often found myself confused in how much (or little) time had past and why it felt like a character would make a plan and 2 sentences later the plan was suddenly being unfolded. I also would have enjoyed more of a peek into James and Cassie's relationship considering the nature of it. Reading more about their communication while apart (via email or notes) would have gone a long way in my connectedness to the characters and the believability in their love story.

Overall, a pleasant read with some welcomed surprises.

Cassie is a children’s book author based on an island off the Maine coast. But her publisher wants her to set her next book in London. To do this she agrees to a house swap with James, a private equity finance guy with a swanky London flat but a bland and emotionless life. Cassie makes friends with her neighbours, leaves a freezer full of food for James and just happens to have alpacas and chickens on her land. James leaves no food, no bedding and no notes when Cassie arrives. They start chatting to each other and little by little get to know each other better and better. I really enjoyed this story. Both had emotional backgrounds to deal with and help each other with. And despite the misunderstandings and awkward moments, the ending of this book is a happy one. A charmer for sure!

A quick, light hearted read for anyone who’s a fan of a sweet, predictable story. It was cute; and I’m not saying that like it’s bad because it isn’t. James needing an escape from an ex and Cassie needing a place closer to her publisher and wanting to be inspired for her new novel both participate in a house swap. Predictably they don’t exactly get along, not only swapping houses they’ve swapped each other’s lives, neighbours, friends, the whole thing. Eventually they meet properly and find reasons to continually talk to each other. Finding out they don’t in fact hate each other, confiding in one another and connecting on a level that you can clearly see where their story is going. It’s cute, it’s romantic, and it’s fun. Perfect light read for the spring.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for approving me to read and review The House Swap by Jo Lovett.

I really enjoyed this one. It was a lovely light, easy read that touched on some emotional topics as well. At the beginning of the book I didn't like the main characters, Cassie and James, as their flaws were really highlighted but as the story went on their friendship and relationship developed and by the end of the book I could have easily read more about them.

For fans of the romcom genre I would definitely recommend this book.