The Switch is told from the point of view of the two main female characters, Sophia and Elena. Sophia suggests to Elena that they swap husbands secretly at night, and sleep with them without their knowledge. What follows is a succession of events where the reader has to suspend their disbelief, and an ending that was incredibly twisted.

The book has 4 main characters, all of whom are unlikeable, and a disturbing storyline with multiple moral and ethical questions raised. The book made me feel very uncomfortable, but I liked the writing style and would probably read another by this author.

Opposites attract, not always for the same reason. Elena’s attraction to Sophia is partly upward mobility; Sophia’s reason is complex and dark. Elena (37) is a freelance proofreader, and she usually does it in a local café in Wimbledon Village. Sophia (30) is a woman of independent means who frequents the café. They first meet when Sophia’s handbag is stolen while she’s in the Ladies and Elena helps with the aftermath (or possibly that was a setup, because we don’t hear any more about it). Elena and her husband Adam – a middle manager in a bank – can’t afford to own a property in the area, but are house sitting for a relative, whereas Sophia and her husband Finn – who owns his own business but is rich anyway – live in a large mansion in an exclusive street. The two women meet regularly and have a very friendly relationship, the men are peripheral, but aren’t very sociable when they do meet. However, everything is rolling along nicely until Sophia asks Elena if she is familiar with Roald Dahl’s adult short story collection “Switch Bitch” and, in particular, the story titled “The Great Switcheroo”. In this story two men agree to swap wives. Sophia suggests that she and Elena reverse the roles and swap husbands. The husbands are not to be made aware. A detailed plan, involving switching perfumes, swapping jewellery, hair cut to the same length, and blackout blinds being installed (and other refinements) is drawn up. And the whole thing works like clockwork, more or less. What can possibly go wrong?
To answer that question you’ll have to read the book, after suspending all disbelief, including the notion that any man who has been in a monogamous marriage for several years would not notice that the ‘wife’ had changed. The sex scenes are well written, and highly detailed. The rest of the book is also well written, but the plot becomes not so much twisted as tortuous and your suspension of disbelief needs to be ratcheted up as you move through the reveals, the dénouement and the epilogue.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

• 3.5⭐️ •

If you’re in the market for a suspenseful slow-burn mystery/thriller, look no further! The Switch was unsettling and twisty and I enjoyed it a lot.

The couples at the crux of this story are Elena and Adam & Sophia and Finn, and they are all very intriguing (and unlikable 😅) characters. I can truthfully say I’ve never read a book with this sort of premise before! I was a bit skeptical before I took the plunge and although there were some scenarios that were pretty implausible, overall I ended up being vastly enthralled by the story. Swapping partners at night ~ without their knowledge ~ is wild, and also pretty fucked up 😶 but it definitely did make for a compelling plot.

Despite the bulk of the story being quite insane anyway, events only get weirder towards the ending somehow. I’m not sure if I liked the conclusion, but I can’t deny that I was flicking through the pages like a madwoman as I was really curious to see how everything panned out.

Thank you to Random House UK & Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I struggled with this one. I definitely wouldn't call it a thriller, more a domestic drama full of not very sensible people!

Struggled to finish this to be honest, if it hadn’t been an advanced copy I probably would not have.
A book of manipulation, dark secrets and generally characters who I disliked immensely. First few chapters I felt it could be working up to a good story but I felt the rest of the book was way too unbelievable and I really did not like it.
This is my own opinion only.

I almost didn’t finish reading The Switch, which is something I rarely contemplate when it comes to books. However, I truly thought it was terrible, and I honestly can’t think of any redeeming qualities. I don’t want to be mean with my thoughts, as this is someone’s book and they’ve worked hard on it, so I’ll explain my issues as kindly and succinctly as I can.

I struggled with every character in this book: they were all vapid, stupid, and oblivious to what was going on around them. The whole plot of the switches was absolutely unbelievable, and further plot twists were just utterly nonsensical. I lost count of how many times I almost put my copy down then and there, but I was so aghast at the story that I had to see how it ended.

The Switch isn’t badly written, and there are a couple of good ideas in there somewhere, but I found that its execution wasn’t for me at all. I love psychological and domestic thrillers, but I like them to have a modicum of realism, a sense that the shocking events could actually happen. I didn’t get that from The Switch, and it’s a shame as I was looking forward to it. I’ll still try more books from Lily Samson in the future, but unfortunately I won’t be recommending this one.

I loved this book.
A completely new concept that kept me guessing and had a hell of a twist half way through that I really didn’t see coming!
I think you have to be willing to suspend belief when it comes to the switches, though it was also easy to believe Adam really was clueless!
All in all, pretty messed up but thoroughly enjoyable and I’m hopeful for a sequel!

Quite a different type of story - a fun idea that slowly becomes more sinister. Written from the points of view of the two main female characters. Tense at times and hard to put down.

A tale of secrets, lies and manipulation. It had a strong start, but by the middle of the book the pace had completely dropped off. I found the second half of the novel too far fetched and didn’t really enjoy it. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK Cornerstone and the author for the chance to review.

I had the opportunity to read an arc of The Switch by Lily Samson, a debut psychological domestic thriller but unfortunately this book really wasn’t for me.
This book is just jam-packed full of drama, it’s SO f*****-up, I don’t know a polite way of saying it. You’re left questioning if anyone is a good person. Elena was an idiot at the start but somehow she became even more delusional and unaware as the story went on. It’s hard to read the scenes with the ‘switches’ which, let’s be honest, is rape. But it is the twist, the sickening reveal, where I had to draw the line.
I honestly don’t even think I fully comprehend the ending. Whilst this book was so wild, it was even more bizarre to wrap up the book with an attempt at a HEA.
I think the writing had some inconsistencies and plot holes because there’s too many unanswered questions.
It’s not my kind of thriller and I think this book is difficult to recommend so that it reaches the right audience, but it would make a great book club discussion because of the questions it poses of ethics and morality. I think it also needs trigger warnings because it was very uncomfortable to read at times and the content warning list may even take up a whole page, including lack of consent, rape, trauma, abuse, cheating and pregnancy (plus many more which would be considered spoilers) but please know what you’re getting yourself in for.
⭐️ 1/5

Thank you to NetGalley, Cornerstone and Lily Samson for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy.

Review posted to Goodreads.

The Switch is a debut novel for Lily Samson and she has definitely set off with a good start.
Elena and Adam are house sitting in a perfect house in a perfect place in London, life is starting to feel a little it easier until Elena meets Sophia in a coffee shop. They get along well, so well that Elena invites Sophia and her husband for dinner one evening. Sophia’s husband, Finn arrives and Elena is instantly attracted to him. Sophia puts an idea forward that entails them swapping partners for one hour without their partners knowing. This brings with it a lot of stress, trust and excitement saying yes brings with it troubles and they are nothing she would have ever dreamed of including doubting if she’s with the right man.
This was a fast read that I enjoyed, lots of twists and turns, quite dark at times but definitely thrilling. An original storyline that had very different characters in, some I liked some I didn’t but nice to see an awful mother in law in there!!
I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

An entertaining book although it feels important to suspend belief and believe in coincidence as you read it! Some good twists and turns and a fun page turner.
Thank you to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book

This book is a great read. It had me hooked from start to finish and I didn’t want to put it down. A thriller at its best.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Everything about this book was fantastic from the start, completely gripping from the first chapter! The characters were loveable and hateable in equal measure. Overall one of the best reads in a long time

Creepy story around obsession and infidelity, although not all is as it seems. Well paced and the gradual reveal works well. The voices of the two main narrators are well crafted and you feel more connection with their positions the longer the story goes on. Recommended

I've just finished this book, having started it this morning just to keep up my reading streak, I found it hard to put down. It wasn't my usual murder thriller, but that didn't stop me getting invested in the plot. Some twists were easy to spot, but others crept up on me. A good book to read with a good ending too.

if you are able to siband belief and not question too much then it is a goodish read
I did like the characters and some of the narrative and did like the awe of them moving to Wimbledon
LOVED the Mum in law - always great to have such a love to hate person in a book
needed more but would rradily read more from this author

Elena and Adam, a couple from London, are asked to house sit in their dream location. While there, Elena meets beautiful Sophia and her husband Finn who she is drawn to. When Sophia suggests a thrilling game of a secret partner swap, Elena agrees. It soon becomes apparent that this situation is far more dangerous than she could ever imagine.

This thriller was definitely different! I was keen to read as I enjoy books with original, crazy plots so this hit the mark on that. I thought that for a debut this was pretty well written as well. The characters were quite unlikeable but I feel they had to be due to the subject matter.

Although I had to suspend a lot of disbelief and I guessed some of the twists, I still found that I enjoyed the story and was fully invested in this unsettling, wild thriller. I’ll definitely read more books by this author. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

This is a twisty thriller that left me a bit stunned, didn’t see that ending coming.

Elena is living a perfect life with Adam when she meets Sophia, this is when Sophia suggests switching each other for an hour with their partners. It’s a thought out process and one night at 12, they are setting the action into motion. All is not well though and someone is harboring secrets.

I liked the characters in this book, both different, but similar. Enjoyed the plot and was felt it finished really well. I didn’t see that ending coming and was a bit of a shock. 4stars

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

This was one bizarre and ridiculous but also entertaining novel!

In The Switch, we follow two couples - Elena and Adam, who are looking after Adam's aunt's flat in Wimbledon whilst she's away, and Sophia and Finn, an elusive, rich couple who live nearby. Elena and Sophia meet one day and from then on, the two women become close - and Elena realises she is becoming increasingly attracted to Finn. One day, Sophia suggests they swap places in the night to sleep with each other's husbands - much like the Roald Dahl short story...

What I loved about this novel was that it was, in many ways, absolutely batsh*t crazy and unbelievable - as if their partners wouldn't notice they weren't sleeping with the right person, plus plenty of other 'would that really happen' moments... and let's not even try to delve into the consent implications - but it was great fun to read if you just suspend all your disbelief! Men definitely don't come off too well in this novel but I think it needs to be judged purely for entertainment purposes.

The Switch starts with a focus on Elena and her feelings towards both Sophia and Finn, as well as the difficulties in her relationship with Adam, but we then switch to Sophia as we learn she has her own, much darker, reasons for wanting to switch partners for the night. I liked this element of mystery, and getting inside Sophia's head to some extent whilst Elena remained blissfully ignorant. The novel then switches between various perspectives as the novel continues.