I listened to the audio book of The Flatshare last year and adored the story about two people with opposite schedules who share an apartment and have never met, yet start to fall for each other through note writing. When I saw O’Leary’s latest book come available for review, I was thrilled. Then, when I was able to also review the audio book, that was just the icing on the cake. What an adorable story!
The Switch is an August 2020 release by Flatiron Books.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links, see disclosures for more detail.
About the Book:
When overachiever Leena Cotton is ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a big presentation at work, she escapes to her grandmother Eileen’s house for some long-overdue rest.
Eileen is newly single and about to turn eighty. She’d like a second chance at love, but her tiny Yorkshire village doesn’t offer many eligible gentlemen.
So they decide to try a two-month swap.
Eileen will live in London and look for love. She’ll take Leena’s flat, and learn all about casual dating, swiping right, and city neighbors. Meanwhile Leena will look after everything in rural Yorkshire: Eileen’s sweet cottage and garden, her idyllic, quiet village, and her little neighborhood projects.
But stepping into one another’s shoes proves more difficult than either of them expected. Will swapping lives help Eileen and Leena find themselves…and maybe even find true love? In Beth O’Leary’s The Switch, it’s never too late to change everything….or to find yourself.
My Thoughts:
I gave this book 4 stars (really good!)
What a beautiful, heartwarming, and yes, sad at times, but ultimately life-affirming book.
Leena and her grandmother Eileen are both handling the death of Carla, Leena’s sister/Eileen’s granddaughter in their own ways, but both are having their own problems. Eileen is floundering after a divorce and trying to figure out what life has for her at 79. Leena has a panic attack at work and they force her to take two months off to regroup. Leena and Eileen decide to swap homes to work on their respective issues.
I listened to this book on audio and Leena and Eileen are voiced by different narrators. Each of the narrators perfectly embodies the voice and demeanor of their character. I was particularly drawn to Alison Steadman, the narrator for Eileen, as her portrayal is absolutely wonderful.
As Leena, Eileen, and Marian (Leena’s mother/Eileen’s daughter) work through their grief, the author does an excellent job capturing the different aspects and how it affects people differently. That’s not to say that this book is filled with melancholy, because it isn’t. It also has romance, loads of humor, and friendship. O’Leary balances the weightier aspects of the tale with lighter, funnier pieces. Whether you listen to the book on audio or read it on the page, this is an absolutely delightful book.
