The good bits first. The descriptive prose was very good and set the scenes well. The characters were well drawn and interesting. The bad bits. The plot was unbelievable and the ending too obvious; I kept waiting for a twist that never arrived, which was a shame as overall I enjoyed the book.

A dark tale! Farfetched but an enjoyable read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This had the makings of a great debut. The idea of couples swapping leads to lots of great potential storylines.

The characters were good, they were well written and the descriptions of the settings were also enjoyable.

My biggest problem with this is the ending. It was just completely unbelievable after a very enjoyable storyline.

Full of twists and turns. A fast paced book that I didn't know what was coming next!
A great read, definitely need to read the next book from this author.

A very fast paced and gripping read. It had twists that I couldn't predict. Overall, I did really enjoy the book.

I’m not sure whether two women would actually get away with switching partners in the dark but it’s a good concept and well written as to how it could happen. A very intriguing read and keeps you hooked.

An excellent debut read that kept me hanging on page after page. As this is a debut I really can’t wait to read the next books!

Proofreader Elena is working from the coffee shop near her temporary home when she meets Sophia. New to the area Sophia and her husband Finn have the life Elena can only dream of and it’s not just the house she’s coveting! In a twist on the Roald Dahl tale of husbands swapping places, Sophia persuades Elena that they could do the same. But is it just to see if they can get away with it, or is there more to it? It’s not long before Elena and husband Adam are sucked into a dark and sinister plot where nothing is as it seems.
I thought I was going to really enjoy this psychological thriller but it just kept falling short of the mark. The reason for the swap wasn’t what I expected but equally didn’t excite or intrigue me. None of the characters were likeable, in-fact they were all a bit sad and I wasn’t invested in a happy outcome for any of them. A disappointing read.

Weird storyline about a couple of women who decide to do a “switch” without their partner’s knowledge. I’m a bit dubious that this could be accomplished but nevertheless I found myself hooked and finished I the book in one day.
A compulsive read

I really enjoyed this book, and for a debut novel it was absolutely fab!
The book was super pacey and had so many twists and turns. It had very short chapters, and that really helped with its pace and suspense.
The plot wasn't particularly straightforward, and it was very far fetched at times, but that didn't hinder my enjoyment.
Excited to see what Lily Samson does next!

A domestic thriller about two couples living in a posh part of London. The characters were unlikable and unbelievable and I failed to finish the novel.

A quick read, but so, so implausible. I could see the ending after the first few chapters. Sadly, characters with no redeeming features & constant jolts back to reality by a scheme that was beyond belief meant I didn't enjoy this read.

Having gotten back into thrillers recently, I was looking forward to The Switch but unfortunately this one wasn’t for me.

I found the pacing to be a redeeming factor as I flew through this novel but unfortunately didn’t really enjoy much of it in the process.

I found the plot was just too unrealistic and the twists and turns even more so which made it difficult to engage fully.

This might be for some readers but unfortunately I wasn’t a huge fan.

A deliciously dark, slightly insane thriller with complicated characters who you may not like but you will definitely be intrigued by.

Not one likeable character among the four main protagonists. Two couples, wealthy Sophia and Finn; and Elena and Adam meet in Wimbledon. The wives become friends and all get together. Manipulative Sophia persuades Elena to do a night time bed switch unknown to the men. What's behind this? Although the reader can guess fairly quickly some of the background it's still a bit of a shocker. #netgalley #theswitch

Sounded great - didn’t meet expectations.

This is the story of Elena and Sophia, who meet by chance in a local cafe and become friends.

Elena’s relationship with boyfriend Adam is a little bit stale and isn’t helped by Adam’s unpleasant and manipulative mother imposing herself on them. Seemingly she wasn’t a great mother to Adam but we don’t really find out much about how/why.

Sophia seems to have a great relationship with her husband Finn and when the two couples meet for dinner, Elena is very taken with the charming older man.

When out for a few drinks with Sophia, Elena and Sophia discuss their relationships and Sophia introduces the idea of swapping partners to spice up their sex lives. Elena is taken aback but then can’t stop thinking about the idea of sleeping with Finn.

Sophia’s idea is based on a Roald Dahl story ‘The Great Switcheroo’, from an anthology of his short stories, where two husbands decide to sneak into the beds of the other’s wives and have sex without revealing their identities.

Sophia believes that men would be far less likely to spot the switch that women and once Elena agrees to the idea, they discuss how it might work.

This is the point that things started to fall apart a bit for me, as the premise is ludicrous. Even if the idea was appealing, how would a man really be fooled by perfume, nightwear and a piece of jewellery.

I don’t ever want to reveal plot details or twists in a review but let’s say that this switch is probably one of the least far-fetched aspects of this story.

The narration, whether Sophia or Elena, becomes more and more stilted and unrealistic as the story progresses. If it hadn’t, it may have made the rest of the book more readable.

Things turn out to be more and more bizarre and ridiculous as the story progresses and I did contemplate giving up on reading it but I did want to know what happened - and that’s the shame of it, there was a really good idea under all the repetitive ‘Switch Bitch’ nonsense. It just didn’t make it out from under the unappealing characters (not a single redeeming feature amongst them), weird behaviours, utterly unrealistic scenarios and peculiar narration.

I would really like to read more from this author, as I think there were some good ideas and it was well laid out, with the twists cleverly revealed (if crackers) but I think she needed some better editing or more honest first-readers.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an early reader copy.

This was a bit different but enjoyable to read plus it keeps your interest for many reasons. If two women look alike do you think they could swap places in the dark at night without their husbands realising? It can here with many consequences and this is book land so not true or even possible, well that is my view. Are people ever what they seem, this will make you think about each woman and their end goals. A dangerously disturbing story that you just have to finish tonight.

Bonkers bonkers!

An interesting debut from Lily Samson. This domestic thriller follows two couples (Elena and Adam, Sophia and Finn) from the POV of Elena and Sophia. Mainly set in present day suburban London with some flashbacks and a jaunt to Nice! Sophia suggests a plan to 'switch' husbands without the men noticing, as reprieve from the domestic drudgery the women suffer. Attractions flare and betrayal is rife.

If you can suspend disbelief over the premise and don't get caught up in the problematic and criminal nature of it (which is very lightly addressed in the book), this is a fun, twisty and quick read. I would recommend for a summer beach read (especially if you are heading to Nice!!)

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the eARC,

Who’s life do you want?

New to a neighbourhood Elena and Adam are delighted to strike up a friendship with Sophia and Finn. As they grow closer lines become blurred and boundaries are crossed. Just how long can they keep this up and what dangerous secrets are about to be revealed?

Not at all what I was expecting but I really enjoyed it. An easy read to binge on. Thanks to @netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#TheSwitch
#LilySamson

Elena & Adam have been given the chance to house-sit his auntie's house in Wimbledon for a few months, it's a welcome break from their cramped little flat and they immediately fall in love with their plush surroundings. When they meet Sophia & Finn, their neighbours, they are drawn into their lives with Elena & Sophia becoming close friends, so close that when Sophia suggests they play a game of switch on their partners, Elena goes along with it, never realising that she's going to be so attracted to Finn and how dangerous a game they are playing or what Sophia's true motives behind it all are...

This story drew me in from the start and I was intrigued as to where it was heading, then came the introduction of the game by Sophia and it all went a bit crazy from there! In my opinion, The Switch is more domestic drama than psychological thriller, one where you definitely have to suspend belief over the plot of sleeping with each others husband's without them realising and there was always going to be the danger that someone was going to lose themselves emotionally in the experience. There are some good twists along the way, a couple of which were unexpected and, if you like a story with lots of betrayal and secrets, this is one for you. All in all this was a quick and easy read.

I'd like to thank Random House UK, Cornerstone and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Amazon and Goodreads.