*Arc kindly given by NetGalley*

I tried to like this book that this wasn't it. The plot sounded super interesting at first but I got to 50% into the book and kept wondering where was the chemistry between the couple? Where was the tension? I understand that the romantic aspect of the plot intended to be mature due to the ages of the main characters but I feel like there's certain elements within the romantic genre that need to be in the story (every single cliché can be mastered and worked through creativity) and this story lacked them. This isn't necessarily a bad but there were times I forgot I was reading a love story, and that kind of is a big deal since we're talking about a romance book.

I love a good, cheesy, lighthearted romance every once in awhile, and that’s what I was hoping for in this book. Cassie and James swap houses and get to know each other over the course of 6 months, mostly over the phone. Cassie goes through IVF because she’s 37 and desperate for a baby, James runs away from a crazy ex-girlfriend because he doesn’t want commitment, and eventually they come together to figure out friendship and romance. I really liked the premise and storyline of this book, but unfortunately just wasn’t feeling any strong chemistry between Cassie and James.

I received this book for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley.
I fun Rom-com with ❤️ heart. Fun and sexy that had me hanging on every word!

I admit the premise of this book drew me in. What self respecting romance reader doesn't stop on The Holiday every single time its on tv? Such a classic love story movie that would make a delightful book. I assumed this book would be somewhere in that same realm so I obviously wanted to read it.

This turned out to be a trust me book. What I mean is a it'll get better, just trust me. The first half the characters seemed very one dimensional. James wasnt a man any woman should be interested in let alone sweet Cassie, and she was painted in an odds girl light that didn't match her personality. However, mid way thru its almost as if the author fleshed everyone out and their personalities truly came thru.

This is a good story and a good book, it just could have been a little better. If you get a chance to read this one, trust me its gets better. ❤

3.5 stars. Thank you to Jo Lovett, Net Galley, and the publisher for the ARC of this book in exchange for my unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

Four and a half stars.

Cassie is a Glaswegian writer who relocated to a small island in Maine several years ago when her children's books became successful. Her wonderful, but pushy, agent wants her to set a new series of her books in London, a city that Cassie has rarely visited. She loves her quaint island with its patchy Wi-Fi and quirky neighbours.

James is a very successful venture capitalist. Determinedly single he is blind-sided when his half-hearted relationship with his girlfriend becomes conflated into an expected marriage proposal and then she won't take no for an answer.

The answer for James and Cassie is Swapbnb, James will swap his swanky flat in Central London for Cassie's rambling house in Maine and vice versa. Cassie and James couldn't be more different if they tried, she is desperate for a baby and intends to try IVF while she is in London, James never wants children. Cassie is sociable and friends with everyone she meets, while James doesn't even know his neighbours. Cassie left pages and pages of notes about her home, her animals, the locals and things to do in the local area, she even bought new bedding and filled the freezer with home-made food for James. James stripped his flat of towels, bedding and food ready for Cassie.

Although their interactions are prickly at first, 'why didn't you tell me there was only Wi-Fi at 3am?', 'why didn't you leave me any sheets or a pint of milk?' type of thing, they tentatively begin a long-distance friendship.

What I really liked about this novel was the maturity of the characters (both late 30s) and the way in which there was nothing forced about the romance. James comes back to the UK for his godson's christening but whereas in a rom-com he would have invited Cassie as his plus-one and the romance would have taken off like a rocket, in this book they meet briefly and chat then he returns to the US. It all feels very organic and grown-up. There's no teenage angst-fest, that's not to say that there isn't tension and 'reasons' but it all feels very real and unfolds over several months.

Just loved it!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I wanted so badly to like this book. It has a deeply charming premise and lovely locations and interesting side characters. But it felt like watching something through a snow globe, you can see what’s happening, but it’s at a distance and you can’t forget it’s not real.

I almost DNF’d at 35%, told myself if I still felt meh about it I would stop at 50% and then it got better. I was enjoying the story more, the characters were somewhat less annoying, and actually getting to know each other. Then about 75% in after a very closed door sex scene (ugh), I wished i had stopped at 35%. It never really recovered for me, and did not end at all satisfactorily.

There was a lot of telling, and very little feeling or showing in this book. All the pieces were there, but it just wasn’t quite right, and I never connected with the characters. Lots of scenes where the characters narrated (in third person) about how much they enjoyed a conversation they had together but that we as readers weren’t part of doesn’t actual endear readers to the characters. So the only reason the characters fall in love is because that’s how romance novels work, not because we can feel their chemistry and see how their lives start fitting together. So close, yet so far.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy, all opinions are my own,

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Truthfully, I found this book hard to get into at first. James seemed completely unlikeable, and I held out hope for a redemption arc. There was one, of sorts, although not everything was resolved (what happened to the man who lost his job? Did parenthood make James reconsider his rather cutthroat approach to doing business?) neatly.

I found the writing style quite dry, and the dialogue and interactions between the main characters didn’t strike me as particularly romantic, so I wasn’t that invested in their relationship.

It was an enjoyable enough read by the end though, with a sweet ending, and I loved the premise, as well as the alpacas :)

This was just an OK read for me. It wasn't exactly what I was looking for. I felt like the chemistry between the main characters was a bit lacking and I was looking for a little bit more development. Overall was a cute read. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was not for me. I struggled to find any real positives to either character and was generally disengaged from the story and plot right from the beginning. I failed to see how their relationship was sustainable and felt that the story dragged on far too long.

Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adored The House Swap by Jo Lovett. Cassie and James’s story is such a lovely story - strangers who go on a house swap site - James in London wants to escape from his stalker ex, while Cassie in Maine, USA, needs to spend some time in London to research her next books. They start by disliking each other but as they get used to living in each other’s homes, befriending their new neighbours, trying out new things whilst facing their demons, they discover that they enjoy regular phone calls with each other. But there is a problem....... Cassie is desperate for a baby and James does not want to settle down or have a baby - so it looks like this is a romance to fail at the first fence......
A delightful, warm hug of a book. I loved it. I warmed to Cassie and James and found that I so wanted them to get together. Perfect comfort reading.

•A R C • B O O K • R E V I E W•
2021 Book #30 out of 80
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Thank you to @netgalley and @Bookoture for this ARC Ebook of The House Swap.
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THE HOUSE SWAP by JO LOVETT
Publication date April 19, 2021
⭐️⭐️ out of 5 stars
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I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publishers via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
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QUICK SYNOPSIS: Two strangers trying to escape from their lives, swap homes through a house-swapping website. They each pack their current lifestyle up and swap homes with one another. Though they initially get off on the wrong foot, they manage to connect more than just living in each others' homes.

BOOK COVER:
~ Such a bold color choice for the cover of this book. This really caught my eye as I was searching for books to read.

STORYLINE & THOUGHTS:
~ A good and easy light-hearted read.
~ An epitome of enemies to lovers kind of charm to the book.

BOOK CONTENT WARNINGS:
Infertility/miscarriage and addition issues
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**This review is currently posted on Goodreads. Review for Amazon, and Instagram (Bookstagram account.) will be posted in the future..

The premise of this book sounded great and reminded me of The Holiday. I read this expecting something light and easy between books with more difficult topics., and it was. However, I really struggled with caring about characters. The writing didn’t draw me in, and I didn’t feel invested in the outcome of their story. I found myself frequently checking to see how much of the book was left, and certainly feel it could be edited more to be a bit shorter. I really wanted to like this one, but it fell a bit flat.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Cassie is an author living on a small island off the coast of Maine while James is a big finance bro in London. They end up meeting when they decide to swap houses for a bit. Although at first, they don't like each other since they are such different people, they begin to learn more about each other and themselves.

I found this book to be pretty cute overall, and James and Cassie were really lovable characters. I think all their interactions were written so well, and I absolutely love the whole "I have no emotions and will never love but wait why does this person make me so happy what is this foreign feeling" trope.

HOWEVER, I feel like this book was more telling rather than showing. We're told that James and Cassie both experienced some pretty traumatizing events and it really affects how they interact with others. We're also told that James and Cassie start calling a lot more and sharing quality conversations. But besides the few times that the author shows, most of this stuff is kind of skipped over and just told about later.

But the thing I DISLIKED MOST about this was the use of the cheap tropes at the end of the book !! Without trying to spoil it, the author used my LEAST FAVORITE trope ever to try to get things where she wanted and I just hate whenever people use this tactic because it kickstarts people on a certain path that they would probably not have taken otherwise, and I want to see your personal growth to be a result of you wanting to improve yourself, and not because the circumstances dictate it.

Lovett pens a light, cute romance between two people who seem to have nothing in common. James and Cassie have different reasons for swapping their homes with each other. Except each leaves out crucial Information, initially. I was slow to warm up to James,. Eventually his backstory is filled in so I could understand his decisions. Cassie was endearing and I loved her love of animals. I predicted what would happen, and the ending is befitting of the quirkiness for these two. It’s a light breezy read that is a welcome relief from the heavy atmosphere of reality.

A smart funny and witty story . Two strangers who swap house and finding love . Great secondary characters .
I received this novel from net galley and the publisher as an ARC. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for sending me this ARC! This review will also be published on my instagram @Lemonpietrick on publication day.
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Short summary: Cassie and James moved to each other's place due to circumstances and ended up getting involved in each other's life.
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I wasn't a fan of James' character in the beginning (what a jerk), but I'm definitely jealous of him: imaging owning a penthouse in London, and when life gets messy, you just swap your house for a place on an island with alpacas? When I'm in a optimistic mood I'd definitely try to make a calculation for how much I should earn for a lifestyle like his. I'm also jealous of Cassie's position: imaging quitting your job as a lawyer, only to become a famous children's book writer and your agents pay to you to travel around the world for inspirations. I'm not sure if I can manage any of these but thanks to this book I get to experience both.
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James's character arc is heartwarming. I don't now exactly how he changed from a jerk to a super chill guy, but I guess alpacas have that magic. The romance was mediocre and I'm not feeling the chemistry, but it was an okayish cute and *clean* read.

James and Cassie have swapped houses. James is a cold, brash business man. Cassie is a friendly, hospitable writer. James doesn't see any reason why they should have to speak to each other during their individual stays in each other's homes. Cassie assumed they would have semi-frequent contact. What could possibly go wrong? As you might suspect, both are going to get something very different from what they imagined. 

This book was an unexpected delight. I smiled my whole way through reading it. The relationship between James and Cassie was both believable and adorable. Jo Lovett effortlessly touches on some sensitive topics in the pasts of the characters, which made their inevitable closeness that much more rewarding to read. I found the story to slow quite a bit in the middle, making it easy to put down at times, but found I blew through the last 25 percent in my eagerness to know what happens. It was an easy and heart-warming read. 

Special thanks to @NetGalley and @Bookouture for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A feel good story with interesting characters and settings. I enjoyed this fun story about two strangers brought together when they decide they need to go to another place for a few months and arrange a house swap. London and a small Maine island provide the background for James and Cassie. A quick read. I found it irritating that the cover appears to whitewash Cassie, as she is middle eastern and described as such in the story. Doesn't impact the enjoyable of the book, but I dislike when the cover and story don't match.

This was a lovely read, very cheesy and pretty predictable at points but overall that didn’t lessen how much I enjoyed reading it. Sometimes you just want a sweet book where you know you’re gonna get a HEA, and this was one of those books. The premise definitely reminded me of The Holiday, and I really enjoyed the slow-burn enemies(ish)-to-lovers storyline. Occasionally the pacing felt a bit strange, since it seemed like we were skipping through time quite quickly (e.g. Cassie is waiting for James to arrive at the pub so they can hang out with friends, he arrives, and then it instantly cuts to them leaving the pub; this sort of thing happens a few times) but this wasn’t a major issue. I would put a CW for infertility/miscarriage and addiction issues.

A sweet feel-good romance that was mostly predictable and yet enjoyable.
37-year old children's books author, Cassie Adair has to temporarily relocate to London to do research for her new book series. 35-year old James needs a break after his ex begins to stalk him. Both Cassie and James find the solution to their respective predicaments in each others homes, when they log on to SwapBnB. Though initially they get off on the wrong foot, Cassie and James's awkward relation slowly shifts from that of landlords to friends and eventually, something more. But what hope does a relationship between them have when they live in different continents?

The author has described Cassie's island home and James's London penthouse in such a charming manner that I am tempted to do a house swap in either of these places myself. The book moved at a slow pace and the chemistry between the protagonists was almost negligible until about 50% of the book. From there on, it read at a decent pace giving out all the feels and the happy ending that I was looking forward to. More than romance, the plot revolved around the personal growth or 'slaying of demons' for each of the main characters. The sub-characters were well-written too and added to the charm of the book.

Overall, a light-hearted and engaging read. Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.