Member Reviews
I went back and forth listening to the audio and reading depending on where I was. Kelsey Navarro Foster was a fantastic narrator. She pulled me into the book so easily and was very entertaining. James Anderson Foster.. wow I wish he narrated so much more in this book. I highly recommend this book along with the physical/digital copy. I need to find more from the narrators and the author!
This was a perfect 2nd book for the Ghosted series. I was so excited to continue the series and it didn’t disappoint. I received this as an ARC copy from NetGalley and first read the first book of the series, Ghosted. This can be read as a standalone, but I am happy I went back to read it in order.
Serena Otaki is a nerdy loving physicist working for CERNA in Geneva. She meets Henry randomly in a bar and they were perfect for each other. Serena’s insecurities about love and marriage cause problems especially when she isn’t honest with what was happening. An electrical storm happens while they are working together and BOOM, they have switched bodies.
Watching them slowly understand memories was adorable. With just seeing Serena’s perspective it made me feel bad for her because of all the doubts and worries she casts while in Henry’s body. I did think it was a bit weird they continued to grow closer while in each other’s bodies, but I enjoyed the thoroughness Sarah went through with her writing.
I am excited to continue the series and am ready to continue reading Sarah’s books outside of this series.
OH MY GOSH!!! I actually loved this audiobook, but was not expecting to after the first few chapters. Book starts off a little slow, but once you hit THE part, it gets so good. I thought I was going to be able to predict the ending, but it honestly took me by surprise. It is definitely a slow burn, but is not too painful. Would recommend to others!
This is technically the second book in a series, but you don't actually have to read the first book to enjoy this one. And I did enjoy this one! It was a unique take on two people really going through it to understand one another. In this case, it's switching bodies and going through experiences together while switched. It was a really cure story, although I did zone out a bit during the more technical scientific talk.
My opinion: Would Recommend
Level: High 4.5/5⭐️
Serena is a cat loving, physics nerd California native. She’s working on the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva and only wants to focus on physics. Nothing else. She meets Henry, an uptight physics loving Brit…who is also working with the Large Hadron Collider. They say opposites attract, but not with these two. There’s no way. An electrical storm and physics collide one night, causing Serena and Henry to switch bodies. What will it take to switch back?
This is like Love Hypothesis and Freaky Friday combined. It was a cute fun audiobook! Thanks Net Galley, W.W. Crown and Imprint of Swift and Lewis Publishing for the ARC! Pub date 2/20/24
Thank you SO much to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.
I absolutely loved this!! Such great characters and a great storyline.
My full review is to follow in a few days.....
This book is "Freaky Friday" but sciencey and romantic. I listened to the audiobook in one sitting, it was so good! I really enjoyed how the main characters got to know each other through their experience in the book. Having them see dreams of the other person was such a great addition to this trope. Highly recommend this book!
Fun enemies to lovers with a body swap twist!
Serena Otaki loves her job smashing atoms at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland. She has committed her life to her career and will not let a relationship with a man pull her away from that love. One-night stands are ok and she spends a highly enjoyable evening with a man named Henry. Regrettably, Henry Joule has just started a job at CERN and is Serena’s supervisor and has strong feelings for her after their night together. They keep their distance until one stormy night working together strange things happen and they wake up the next morning in each other’s bodies. They are now forced to spend time together to try and repair the switch and to convince their families everything is fine until they do.
The lovers body swap was very enjoyable and added some interesting things to think about – how would you feel to kiss yourself? Sarah Ready handled all these things very well with great dialogue and thoughtful commentary on the impact our parents’ relationships have on our own. Do not let the science setting discourage you, there were many words I did not understand, but it did not impact the storyline. This was my first book by Sarah Ready, but I will definitely read more as they are my current favorite sub-genre, Romance with a bit of magic. Highly recommend to romance readers.
My ratings:
Overall: 4
Spice: 2.5 – almost closed door with some references
Narration: 4
Audio format 🎧. Take a STEM Rom Com and cross it with the plot of Freaky Friday and you have yourself a copy of Switch by Sarah Ready.
What did I like about this book?
1. Several laugh out loud moments
2. Great chemistry and banter btwn the two main characters
3. Loved the use of “footnotes” throughout the book
4. Loved the setting (Geneva Switzerland and CERN)
5 Major science geek vibes.
Now to the not so good…..
1. In audio format it got confusing who was speaking after the two main characters switched bodies. This wasn’t a huge deal but I don’t think they consistently used the same voicing or if they did it was hard to follow
2. I felt this book was longer than it need to be. It got a little draggy in the middle and lost some momentum
3. Overall the ending was weak and parts of it didn’t fit the vibe of the rest of the book
Overall I did enjoy this book but it just slightly above average. I gove this a 3.5/5
Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC copy of this audiobook.
A laugh out loud, zany story where our 'couple' inadvertently switch.
When one is a well spoken English gent and the other a Californian gal, you can imagine the shenanigans they get up to trying to keep their dilemma a secret, whilst trying to switch back.
Erections and period pains are just a couple of sources of amusement.
All in all, a light hearted pick me up.
Switched appeals to all the tropes. Enemies to lovers? Check. Wit and charm? Check. Fake dating? Check. Heartwarming family love and personal growth? Check. This book was enjoyable, funny, and well paced. I think it's a BIT heavy on the "science-y" explanations on the front end, but it's fine - I think it's just unnecessary. I listened to the Audio (ARC) and the narrator was excellent. The story revealed things about the characters all at just the right time, and failed to go off on too many tangents. It's a lighthearted, fluffy weekend read, great for a beach read, vacay read, or rainy afternoon.
Thank you so much net galley and Sarah ready for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
Oh. My. Gosh.
This story was beautiful and so unique and honestly a new favourite! This is my first ever book by Sarah ready and it’s made me question how have I never heard of this author before?! BECAUSE WE ALL SHOULD HAVE!
Henry is quite honestly my new book boyfriend who I adore with my whole heart. This book gives me “your name” vibes which is my favourite anime film in the entire world so i guess it’s natural that this idea to me is so beautiful and fantastic. Honestly it was executed fantastically and I cannot wait to read more of Sarah’s books.
Ducky has my heart too, the journey we go on with her truly makes you feel so close to her, she goes through so many emotions in order to find herself and quite literally I just fell head over heels with both of the characters as well as their love and passion for one another. I love ducky’s drive for her work, a woman passionate about her work is always to me such a fantastic thing to be represented in books!
Not only did I really enjoy the romance plot I thought this book was hilarious and so funny, I loved the chemistry of Henry and ducky and how they worked together. I just think the entire dynamic was fantastic!
Truly I cannot recommend this book enough! You need to read it, I cannot wait till I can get my hands on a physical copy of this beauty!
2.75 “i got through it - at what cost” stars
༺♥༻ Overview
A romance mixed with a little bit of magic realism and the concept time?? Now that’s an idea! I delved into this book in the form of an audiobook, soo first audiobook of the year and ARC!!
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC! This review contains my honest opinion where the words are mine and mine alone!
༺♥༻What to expect
📬One-night stand
📬Opposites attract
📬 Switching bodies
📬Fake Dating = forced proximity
📬A tad bit funny dialogue and amazing narrator
༺♥༻Characters
⚛️Serena Otaki
Serena was indeed a free-spirited character. She loves her job and ofc physics. She doesn’t believe in love because it changes people, ironically they change to the exact replica of their partner, or so she says 😑 In the beginning i didn’t get her perspective at all, like the girl was ADAMANT about her position and kept mentioning it 🫤 but then it was revealed because of her parent’s relationship, and that made her a tad less annoying...
I have to admit, I didn’t like Serena 😭 and the thing is i don’t even remember why 😀 Her character was not at all memorable, it was as if she was written after Henry’s character was solidified. She is the complete opposite to him and that was it 😀
⚛️Henry Joules
Bruh, Henry my man…is a family man yayy. But he was also insta-love with Serena and for me that was an automatic uh no 😭 (i dont like insta-love..) About Henry, he is clean, British, likes tea, and uh also likes physics? That’s it 😀
⚛️Their Relationship
A one-night stand where sparks fly + insta love, im sorry but that’s not for me. But I did like to see their relationship grow. After the body switch (which took foreverrr) Serena and Henry both got to see different sides to each other. Like Henry’s love for his family, Serena’s passion for her career and love for her family. and ofc each other’s love for tea and coffee 👏😀
The weird part in their dynamic was where Serena was like “I only saw Henry when I was looking at myself, i saw his eyes and HIM” i was literally so confused 😭 It’s a book, yes, but I was genuinely like huhh but he’s in your body so isn’t it kind of hard to ignore the fact that u are brushing YOUR HAIR away from YOUR eyes, you are HUGGING yourself and saying “i felt my breast against henry’s chest” (something like that). That was kind of un-comfy 😭 Is it just me??? oh well…
Ngl, the ending was sweet, the confession was also heart-warming so I bumped up a couple of .75 points 🥹 However, every time I thought they were gonna switch i was holding my breath and they….didn't i was like oop 🙊 Playing with my emotions 😭💀
༺♥༻Plot & Writing/Pace
The pace in the beginning was so slow (or its just me) cause istg i thought i already passed 10 chapters before they switched 😭 Long story short, the beginning felt a tad slow and the ending felt rushed 🙂
The concept of switching bodies is interesting and always will be, but the intriguing part was what the author choose to implement. Like Serena and Henry both got to keep their actions but not their likes and dislikes. So it was really funny when they had to switch accents.
THE NARRATOR NAILED IT!!! She was amazing, and switching in between tones and accents was flawless 👑
The physics references had me 💀💀 which did not make the spicy scenes enjoyable, i had to skip them cause i was rolling my eyes 🫤 But using footnotes and the concept of breaking the fourth was interesting!
Overall, not fully a three stars because i don’t remember majority of the book 😭
I loved Switched. The story line was so well written and executed. I liked how we got a good bit of the story from when Serena and Henry were themselves and from when they switched bodies. We were able to really get to know the characters and see how they were alone and together. The narration was amazing. I look forward to book 3 in this series.
I have read/listened to other books by this author and they are great short reads with cute romantic stories. This one was really difficult for me to get into. I felt that some parts were more raunchy than her normal writing, and the story had a different feel to it. I just couldn't get into it like the last book I read from her. The narrator was ok, sometimes I had a hard time following along to her as well. I didn't like some of the reading/voice acting.
I will preface by saying I'm not the target audience for this type of book. Science bores me but I do find it interesting but only in a romanticism type of way. I am also not that into romance novels although I don't hate them and I have picked up and enjoyed a couple now and then. This book has a really good idea but unfortunately I found myself bored. I did like the main character, Duckie, er, Stephanie and I enjoyed her passion and love for science. I related that to my own love of reading. The male love interest was so, so boring, things happened way too fast in the beginning. It was funny and the majority characters were 3D, there just was something about this book that didn't make me fall in love with it. On a re-read sometime down the line I might change my mind though.
I recommend this book for romance fans who want something funny, sweet, scientific, and different!
A hughe thanks to Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review
I’ve been in the mood lately for women in STEM romances, and this book did not disappoint. For fans of Ali Hazelwood, but with a Freaky-Friday twist.
The MFC, nicknamed Ducky, is an American working in Geneva, Switzerland at CERN with the large hadron collider. The MMC is a tall gorgeous British man named Henry. This story is quick paced, exciting, and surprising.
While the story starts and ends with a weird fourth-wall breach that I wasn’t really a fan of, but the rest of it in between was well worth that bit of discomfort. There are a few bits that I won’t spoil, but where plot points that seem like they should be discussed and worked through are somewhat tossed out there and then glossed over, but it doesn’t detract too much from the overall read.
I listened to this as an audiobook and embarrassingly laughed out loud multiple times while walking my dogs. It has some very funny moments, as well as sweet ones, sad ones, tense ones, spicy ones, and so much more.
I will definitely be going back to read the first one in the series, although it’s not necessary to read it first, as I enjoyed this one a lot and didn’t feel I was missing anything. It’s light and fun; nothing earth-shattering, but an enjoyable read that made me laugh, so I’m happy with it,
For those that choose the audiobook, the narrator did a good job of alternating between a male British voice and female American voice to make it clear who was talking, which can be difficult in a body switching story. I found the narration easy to listen to and follow along, and the voices fit well. This is a great story for audiobook, as it enables you to experience Ducky’s shock when hearing her (his) voice for the first time after the swap. Overall, would recommend listening to it if you like reading that way.
Thanks to NetGalley, W. W. Crown, and imprint of Swift & Lewis Publishing for access to the audiobook.
Switched is a modern romcom focused on Serena and Henry, two brilliant physicists who spend the night together before Serena stops things developing any further between them. Unfortunately for her, they experience a body swap at work and they are most definitely stuck together while they figure out how to unswitch.
Switched is the second book in the Ghosted series, although they appear to be standalones with some characters from prior books making a cameo. So even though this was my first Sarah Ready book, I thought it definitely worked as a standalone and I didn't feel like I missed any context by coming into the series at book two.
I liked the immediate funny tone in the first chapter before it went downhill for a few chapters - I found Serena unlikeable to start with and I hate insta-love. But luckily (for me), Serena ends things so badly with Henry that they quickly end up more in the enemies category, which meant hooray - my favourite trope was back in play! I suppose they actually fell into the (brief) lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers trope. With my favourite trope locked in, it further improved from the point of the switch, which happened around the 25% mark. I'm really glad I continued and gave it a chance because post-switch I really enjoyed it, and warmed up a lot to Serena as the book progressed and we learn more about why and how her beliefs about love developed as they did.
In terms of audiobook specific thoughts, the narrator reflects the material well and does a great range of accents and intonations to distinguish the characters and I can't fault her narration. She perfectly embodied the character of Serena.
Disclaimer: I received an ALC from NetGalley, but this is my voluntary and honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I did not know what to expect coming into this book, but I thoroughly enjoyed the relationship between Serena Otaki and Henry Joules. The imagery and self reflection from Serena's narration kept me engaged and excited. It does not hurt that I also enjoy the girl who is against falling in love, but does so instantly. The in between them getting together was slow and did not have much of a pull between the two especially with all the science talk, but it soon picked up again. I will be enjoying more of Sarah Ready's writing!
Slight Spoiler Ahead ...
I love the touch of them being themselves, but understanding each other through the other's bodies and memories. It gave this great connection that was already established between the two.
I really loved Sarah Ready's first book in this character series, Ghosted, so I was thrilled to be selected for Switched. Overall, I enjoyed Switched.. the storyline was fun and interesting but I struggled connecting to the characters or feeling their chemistry. I wish it was dual POV, I think that would've helped a lot. I'd still recommend and look forward to reading the next in the series!
Thank you to W. W. Crown, and imprint of Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks for this ALC
Switched is a light, entertaining book. I grabbed it for my weekend read. The premise was fun for me, I liked the idea of switching, the science, and the romance. What I didn't enjoy was the extremely long descriptions of everything from the FMC, the first 3 chapters she's describing stuff that is not relevant and just after that is where the actual story begins. It does get better after the middle of the book. This was a fun, romantic story.