Member Reviews
Thank you to NetGalley and W.W. Crown (Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC) for my audio ARC, all thoughts are my own!
Switched is another cute romance from Sarah Ready with a fun little plot twist! As always with Sarah Ready's books, I enjoyed the light tone combined with both banter and depth, and the spark of the connection - quite literally in this one! Parts of this story had me laughing out loud, especially as Henry and Serena were figuring each other out (😉), and other parts were more emotional. I appreciated the pace of the romance in this - Sarah really took the time to develop each character's individual story while also slowly bringing them together. It made their romance and connection all the more believable and had me rooting for them until the very end.
I actually prefer Sarah Ready's books on audio, and this one was no different. The narrator did such a good job of switching back and forth between the voices/perspectives so it was easy to follow and had flare that kept me engaged!
Overall a super cute story and I look forward to reading what Sarah has for us next!
Sarah Ready does it AGAIN 🤭
plot line:
For Serena Otaki, free-spirited Californian, life is simple. She loves smashing atoms at The Large Hadron Collider near Geneva, Switzerland. She loves Star Trek, spicy tofu, and her cat, Captain Purrk. She loves her messy (slob-fest) apartment, her chaotic brand of organizing, and staying permanently, happily unattached.
Life is perfect. She has one true love—physics.
Loving a man isn’t in her future.
For Henry Joules, uptight Brit, life is simple. He loves making analog black holes, drinking piping hot tea, and organizing his pencil tray. He loves his family, red meat, and obsessively cleaning his spotless apartment.
Life is perfect. He has many loves—physics, family, friends. He can’t wait to find the woman of his dreams.
Love and marriage are in his future.
One perfect night Serena and Henry meet. Sparks fly, particles collide, the universe comes to a halt, and…
It was a mistake.
They’re too different.
It won’t work.
Love isn’t in their future.
Until an electric storm causes an unexpected event at the particle collider and suddenly—they’ve switched.
Serena is in Henry’s body.
Henry is in Serena’s body.
And both life and love are suddenly very, very complicated.
my thoughts:
wow , just wow!
my first 5 star read of 2024.
I think this is the fastest I’ve ever read a book - not that time matters , but I don’t usually tend to finish a book within 24 hours since starting it 🙃
after being skeptical and wondering “how well can someone write a story about two character switching bodies , make the plot make sense and overall enjoyable for the reader” but I’m glad Sarah put my worries to rest and showed me how it’s done.
not only did this book have so much description - that many other books tend to leave out , it also included multiple tropes , footnotes , diagrams and illustrations!
(which I’ve never seen in a book before).
Serena and Henry’s love story (in my opinion) is a masterpiece - with the twist and turns that happen in this book as a reader you feel emotionally and physically connected to these characters.
also can we talk about Henry? UGH MY HEART 💔 he is quite literally the epitome of “book husband” and will added to my never ending list of “fictional men that I love”.
i highly recommend this book for anyone who needs something comforting to read or perhaps needs a new perspective on love.
thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review ☺️
With so many good books to read in this world, this one was a DNF.
What didn’t work for me was a combination of the narration and plot. The narrator’s tone evoked a snide teenager more than an accomplished physicist. And the premise that the main character has such black and white ideas about relationships (like that all couples become enmeshed, make join names and wear matching outfits) is a trope that didn’t land for me in this instance.
I can see others liking this book, it has all the right ingredients for a romcom novel, And it was refreshing to have a steamy encounter early in the plot, not dragging sexual tension through the entire storyline as some books do!
This was a good story with a great narration. However I just could not get into it. I am not one who enjoys when the main character talk directly to me. Breaking that fourth wall. If that is something you enjoy then this is for you! I did really enjoy just how dedicated to her career the main character is. Some people just know exactly what they want and they go after it! I loved that this was celebrated in this book. The Narrator was spot on for this character I absolutely loved how she totally nailed her personality and the attitude.
Listened to it in one sitting and absolutely adored this second book as huge fan of freaky Friday this was absolutely perfect! Loved the characters and all the twists they had to go through because of the switching ! So good! Recommending!
Thank you W. W. Crown, and imprint of Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks for allowing me to read and review Switched on NetGalley.
Published: 02/20/24
Narrators: Kelsey Navarro Foster and James Anderson Foster
Stars: 2
Disappointing. Switched requires more patience than I am able to come up with. A 10 hour plus audiobook -- 338 pages in total that had me read the synopsis twice before 30%. I was bored with the cheap science references. I was bored with the dual PhD sex starved scientist seriously? And it wasn't even written well. Ramble, ramble, ramble -- words representing physics.
The narration didn't work at all for me. When Kelsey spoke I kept wondering what grocery store had I heard her asking for price checks and calling grocery baggers to the front of the store. I changed my volume several times, every 5-10 minutes, trying to get a break; it didn't help, she is just loud. KNF is reading, not performing, and it shows. The material doesn't equal the professed educational achievement of the main character. James didn't work for me either. I found him to be fake. It was like watching a bad audition. I am just over it.
The bottomline -- I would recommend seriously sampling the audio. The narrators broke the book for me. My experience could have been 3 stars as opposed to 2. The first roughly 30% is whining and filler. The switch needed to occur much sooner.
Thanks for the audiobook arc !!
Here are some key points that I liked and didnt like :
--> The narration was so on point !!
--> The comedic parts made me laugh which almost never happens. Although I have to admit sometimes it focused too much on the background. It also feels like the characters are talking to the reader and also its written in very easy manner.
--> Spaghetti rain?? T_T it did make me laugh but it seemed kinda childish 😭
--> Watching them understand each other was so cute <3
--> The switching thing did seem awkward at some points like them kissing T_T
I am really enjoying reading/listening to Sarah Ready books. This is a very enjoyable listen and I loved the plot on this one. It was good to hear about characters from the first book in the series too. I was able to lose myself in this book and would thoroughly recommend it. Can't wait to read another of her books.
Serena & Henry's meet at a pub and the booth she takes she didn't notice a sign telling her not to sit there. Henry found this funny and ended up saving the day and giving her his jacket. Since she leaves her pants behind. they spend time together go back to his hotel and really get to know each other. He falls right away and wants to see her again and see where this goes. She on the other hand has a no relationship policy and she wants her work to come first. She pushes him away only to find out he's her new boss. You can cut the tension with a knife
Fast Forward about a year and a half and nothing has gotten better they don't get along at all. They are both physicists and one night an electric storm happens and they end up switching bodies and now they are to figure out how to switch back. The only problem is he's going to his brothers wedding and she has a family emergency and now they have to pretend to be each other and stay together. What could go wrong? or Right?
They have great banter and the funny and series moments go together well
This is book 2 in the ghosted series and you do get to see the past book characters but this can be read as a stand alone.
Sarah Ready has become a must read when she drops a new book. Netgalley introduced her to me and I've never been happier to find her there it!
*Thanks to NetGalley for the audio arc in exchange for my honest opinion
I don't know why I was suprised about the premise of the followup to <i>Ghosted</i> but I was. <i>Switched</i> can be described as a freaky friday situation but trade the mom and daugther characters with two hot twenty somethings who have a steamy night together and then find out they are employee and new manager the next day. I can appreciate the storyline about Serena and Henry knowing they where cosmically made for each other but not truly believing it so the universe forces them to switch bodies so that they can see how the other might feel.
I did grow fond of both characters and was rooting for them. But the switching of bodies was not my favorite theme to read about. I got distracted often and too wrapped up in semantics and it took away from the story.
<b>4.5/5+</b>⭐
<b>Spice Rating</b> - 2.5/5🌶️
<b>Tropes</b> : Sci-Fi Romance, Forced Proximity, Fake Dating, Enemies to Lovers, Workplace Romance
This book follows Serena (a true-blue woman of STEM) and Henry who meet in Geneva and have a one night stand. One electrical storm and a whole lot of physics mish-mash later, they've swapped bodies now. A whole lot of Freaky Friday vibes going on, but make it sexy.
The characters, I love. The story, I am obsessed with. The cute diagrams, tables and graphs? Well done, well written. Sarah is a seasoned writer and it shows. Also, while we are on the topic of characters, can we talk about how cool Zelda is and how excited I was to see her cameo in Book 2 as well??!
This was so well written, I love the language Sarah Ready uses, funny, flowery and romantic, utterly engrossing. I picked up the first book in this series just before getting started with this one as the concept of it intrigued me just as much as this one did, and let me tell you, the first book did not disappoint either. Love the spice, the romance, the emotional depth and the characters.
The only thing that felt was not up to snuff about the book were Serena's long inner monologues, they were cute and funny but a bit cringey in some places. But <spoiler>The initial panic Serena feels when she has the one night stand with Henry and the one chapter long overthinking and inner monologue which follows; I totally get it. I understand what made her overthink the way she did, react the way she did and if I was in her place I'd do the same because I think we have similar thought processes. </spoiler>
The audiobook was well done, with Kelsey Navarro Foster & James Anderson Foster doing a great job with the narration. The pacing, quality and production of the audio were all great. It was such an enriching experience listening to this audiobook, added to the whole ambience of the plot for me.
Overall, a must read if you like humor, a hint of paranormal, sci-fi and spice in your romances. Can't wait to pick up the next book in this series! This was a quick treat and I believe I have found a new auto-buy author in Sarah Ready!
<i>I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Thank you to Netgalley, the Author and the Publisher for providing a complimentary copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.</i>
I recently read a fascinating book that gave off a 'Freaky Friday' vibe. It had some hilarious moments that were sure to tickle your funny bone. Although Serena was initially harsh and unkind to Henry, she soon realized the error of her ways after switching bodies with him. Despite this, I must confess that I couldn't entirely get into the book. Nonetheless, I must commend the narrators for an outstanding job."
I feel so lucky to listen and review this - thanks to NetGalley. Switched is based in the same world as Ghosted so is a little different and quirky. It's a sweet, love story with likeable characters. As usual, with Sarah Ready, I would highly recommend.
Audiobook: The female narrator is excellent as "Serena". There isn't much of the male narrator who's voice is not quite "Henry" for me.
Thank you @netgalley for the Audio ARC.
Enjoyed parts of this book. Freaky Friday feels with the body swap, and also similar to Ali Hazelwood with the scientific elements.
I did feel there were a few too many quirks and plot twists for my take, but there was a line I loved!
“But isn’t magic just science that we haven’t yet explained?”
The narrator was engaging, I did feel it would have worked without the male narrator near the end. This might have been a NetGalley app glitch but some of the chapters had very long pauses in between.
Overall I was entertained with this cute romance book!
Ohmigosh! Switched was such a cute read! I absolutely adored Henry and Serena and the narrators, Kelsey Navarro Foster and James Anderson Foster. I did get a little confused who was speaking once they switch.
I really liked that we saw beyond the characters current situation in Switzerland and in their office and got to meet their families and see their childhood dreams.
This started off with a situation that had me laughing out loud in my car, and by the end crying, screaming, and falling more in love.
I didn’t realize this was the second book in a series - but I enjoyed Switched without having read the first book.
Thank you to NetGalley and W.W. Crown for the audiobook ARC of Switched.
This is not my usual read, but I really enjoyed it. The science was a fun extra character. The narrator was really good and never took me out of the story, you do not need to have read the first book in the series; I had not. My friend read it and agreed it was not necessary. Very fun!
This book is definitely something that I have not read before. The switching of genders threw me off a bit and the talk of their new body parts. I loved the speech at his brothers wedding and how they came together as a couple. The story line was cute, I did end up enjoying it but took a bit to fully get into, I would recommend just know that you need to be patient in the beginning.
so i gave 4 stars to this book/audiobook because this is a fucking rollercoaster, i laughed, i cried, i was confused... i was everything.
i loved the science references and when they switch i was addicted and i just couldn't stop listening. i was fascinated all the time.
This book was so much fun! I love nerdy Rom-Coms that have a heartfelt plot. I instantly feel in love with both characters and the journey they went on together. This was book had me laughing and crying and feeling all the feels!
Switched is a super fun rom-com that I think could be a 5 star rating if I had read the physical copy vs. listening to the audio. Our main character, Serena, is a science nerd through and through. She adds character to the story right off the bat by doing things like breaking the fourth wall to talk to the "other dimension", adding footnotes to her inner thoughts, and making graphs and charts to better explain her feelings. I felt like I missed out on a lot of fun visuals with the audio book and during the more science heavy dialogue I found myself spacing out. The narrator for the audiobook did an excellent job with all the accents in the story though, and that alone makes this still worth a listen! Between just Serena and Henry there are 6 different voices the narrator has to preform, depending on the scenario they are in. The female narrator does such a good job in fact, that I was really thrown off during the one chapter read in Henry's POV by a male narrator. The Henry voice actor sounds like a very elderly British man. His voice is so much deeper and his lines are delivered in a much slower pace than the female actor's' portrayal of Henry that it sort of gave me the ick. Especially considering that Henry is an adult virgin, the discovery of this "true" voice is giving 50 year old virgin instead of a cheeky 30.