The Switch

Cant get enough of British rom-coms, Beth O'Leary does it again. I loved The Flatshare and The Switch is just a brilliant. The narrators of this audiobook truly brought the story to life. Two thumbs up from me. If you're looking for a sweet listen, this is a book for you.

An easy fun read - cute story with likeable characters. I enjoy when older adults are shown to be strong vibrant real humans rather than shells of their former selves. 

4.5 stars

I almost DNF'd it because it's about sibling loss, but I decided to take inspiration from the characters and push through. I'm glad I did! Lovely story. It's not often that one of the main characters is 79 years old.

No final da minha resenha de “Teto pra Dois” eu disse que leria mais trabalhos da Beth O' Leary e... Meu Deus! Aquele livro foi lindo, mas esse... Perfeição.

Beth tem o dom de tratar de temas pesados (relacionamentos tóxicos, saúde mental, luto) de um jeito realista, mas extremamente leve e esperançoso. Os personagens são tão bem construídos e legais que fico com vontade de ser amiga de cada um deles (menos de vocês Ethan e Ceci. Vocês eu detesto!). É um dom e uma arte ver a vida com humor e leveza e esse foi meu sentimento ao ler essa história incrível sobre família, amor e autodescoberta. Sempre fui muito amiga das minhas avós e uma das minhas melhores amigas tem 92 anos então é incrível ver outros jovens valorizando amizades que acrescentam tanto quanto os amigos idosos.

Amei os aspectos diferentes entre as gerações conversando de um jeito tão construtivo. E como cada um pode contribuir pro outro.

O passo do livro é muito bom e não tenho nada do que reclamar. Gargalhei e chorei bastante, me sentindo parte daquela família de amigos e orgulhosa das mulheres Cotton. Amei ver como superaram o luto e cresceram juntas. Gostei da dose de romance que a história trouxe também. A espera me deu borboletas no estômago e o romance da Eileen foi o meu favorito.

Estou decidida a ler QUALQUER coisa que Beth escrever. Até a lista de compras.

⭐ Ponto positivo: Nem dá pra resumir

❌ Ponto negativo: Queria mais cenas do Mike e da Bree (seria incrível um livro deles)

When I think of the “slice of life” type fiction, this book fits perfectly. Yes, it's a romance, but it reads more contemporary. I say that because the main characters don't get together with their romantic partners until their last chapters of the book. The plot is more about Eileen and Leena learning about themselves and their place in their world. They connect with people they ordinarily wouldn't and create found families in each other's circle of people. I don't read many books with characters over the age of 70 and Eileen was fantastic. I loved the way grief was handled. It was a heart warming story and I feel like it would make a great mini series on the BBC.

There‘s just something about old British people scheming and romancing that makes them so adorable and fun to read about. (Additional to their war on technology which cracks me up thanks to my own grandma)
The story really highlighted some problems that elderly people might deal with, that nobody really addresses (such as their sex life, loneliness or being stuck in loveless marriages) and I really applaud it for that.
Of course I didn't mind the broad-shouldered, kind hearted and dreamy eyed love interest either.

I enjoyed this book, gutsy and nice to have a feisty older character in it.

4/5
Such a delightful read! I loved the different perspectives. Reading Eileen embark on a dating journey was too fun! I felt super connected to Lena and loved her own journey, as well.

This book has been on my radar since it was published last year, and I'm so glad it was! The story is about new beginnings at any age, the value of friendship, and the ways family can grow apart and then come back together as different people. There is plenty to laugh at, including 79-year-old spunky Eileen who is figuring out smartphones, London tubes, and online dating with a little help from friends. I listened to this book on audio, and it was great - the narrators did a great job! There were different voices for different characters, but it didn't distract from the story - it added to it. This was a fun fun read.

Thank you #netgalley and @macmillanaudio for an advance listening copy of #theswitch in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked both narrators because they both brought the story to life in their own unique voices. The story was super fun and made me chuckle quite a few times while also having some emotional moments as well. Out of the two main characters in this story my favorite was most definitely Grandma Eileen. I'm saying that I didn't enjoy Leena but Granny was definitely funnier. I knew where one particular story line was going the moment we met a certain character. Overall I give this book 4 stars.

A story about a woman connecting to her granmother is sweet, in theory but I just didn't care for it. I didn't find the characters or plot progression particularly enjoyable.

La verdad es que ha estado entretenido para ser un libro del que no me habría llamado la atención sino fuese por haber escuchado tambien de la autora sobre su anterior novela, no esta mal aunque podría haber estado mejor.

Książki Beth O'Leary są dla mnie niesamowitym comfort read'em. Tak samo było w przypadku Zamiany.
Leena, która kompletnie nawaliła podczas ważnej prezentacji, jest zmuszona do dwumiesięcznego urlopu. Choć od dawna skupiała się wyłącznie na pracy, perspektywa wolnego czasu wcale jej nie cieszy.
Jej porzucona przez męża 79 - letnia babcia, Eileen, postanawia znaleźć sobie towarzysza. Niekoniecznie na całe życie – zadowoli się wieczorami... czy raczej nocami. Niestety, w najbliższej okolicy nie ma odpowiednich kandydatów.
Leena wpada na genialny pomysł: zamienią się na dwa miesiące. Babcia wprowadzi się do jej mieszkania w Londynie, a ona spędzi ten czas w wiejskim domu Eileen.
Lecz upragniony spokój na wsi zakłóca Leenie pewien przystojny nauczyciel, a kipiący energią Londyn i randki online stanowią dla Eileen nie lada wyzwanie.
Beth O'Leary ma sposób na zrównoważenie ciężkiego z lekkim, co jest po prostu cudowne. Z obsadą barwnych postaci i momentami śmiechu na głos, ta podnosząca na duchu opowieść była właśnie tym, czego potrzebowałam, a Elżbieta Kijowska, która fantastycznie przeczytała historię babci prawdziwe złoto.

“Czy można mówić o prawdziwej przygodzie, jeżeli nie podjęło się przynajmniej jednej nierozważnej decyzji?”

Just a pure hit of serotonin right when I needed it. This needs to be a movie. Just adorable and sweet and fun all the way around. Highly recommended.

Leena is in mourning for her sister who died of cancer a year ago. Leena works hard, too hard, at her job, and it all falls apart. She is asked to take a two-month sabbatical.

Leena's grandmother, Eileen, is single at 79, and she has always dreamed of living in London instead of her small village.

Almost on impulse Leena and her grandmother decide to change places for the two months, switching homes, friends, cell phones, everything. What will this experiment be like?

(a small spoiler alert)

I was completely taken with Eileen and Leena as characters, each living strong in completely different lives, but each foundering a bit, and the way each took their strengths as people into the new situations and both improved the world and improved themselves. Eileen and Leena are very different and yet also totally the same, and their environments, their friends, their own lives were all strengthened by the switch.

I enjoyed [b:The Flatshare 36478784 The Flatshare Beth O'Leary https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1552471375l/36478784.SY75.jpg 58189559] a bit more but this was a perfectly lovely book. O'Leary finds inventive ways for her characters to meet and share each other's lives and it's always a treat to read the character development that comes along with it. THis book was just a sweet ball of fluff.

Loved, loved, loved the fact that this book gave an 80+ year old woman a story of her own that didn't relegate her to a stereotype like “meddling grandmother” or “dotty, sex-crazed loony” or even “Alzheimer's-ridden object of pity.” I wish the resolution to the “switch” hadn't been quite as predictable (of course both Eileen and Leena will end up living in the country, away from Big Bad London) but all in all it was a strong sophomore effort after [b:The Flatshare 36478784 The Flatshare Beth O'Leary https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1552471375l/36478784.SY75.jpg 58189559]. TW for death of family member from cancer, as the journey from acute grief towards healing is just as important to the plot as the romance.

Beth O'Leary has written another charming and lovable book. Although I did not enjoy this one as much as her debut, The Flatshare, it was quite an enjoyable read. The premise of the book is that a grandmother (Eileen) and her granddaughter (Leena) decide to trade lives for two months because they are both in need of a change that will hopefully put their lives back on track after the loss of a loved one. The switch turns out to be beneficial to both of them, and they learn new things about themselves and how they view the people in their lives.

I love the character of Eileen, the grandmother. She is so full of life and ready for adventure. She brings a sense of community to her granddaughter's apartment block that was desperately lacking. She is a sweet character whom everyone loves. Leena, the younger character, is less charming than her grandmother, but I liked her too. She has some moments when I found her to be very naive and overly trusting, especially in terms of her boyfriend. However, she learns a lot about herself during the switch, and I like how her character grows.

The small town charm and sense of community that is portrayed in this book is refreshing and very appropriate in our current climate. It made me wish for more of it my own life.

I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. It is sweet and uplifting. Just the kind of read needed when real life is a bit chaotic.

Started off poorly but picked up speed about 75 pages in. I came pretty close to DNF'ing but I'm glad I didn't.

Even though I'd like to believe that this many people would be open minded and open hearted to the different generations and the whole swap but deep down I kinda doubt it, I can't leave my love undeclared here: I absolutely adore a good British romance, with the irony and the twisted sentences and the bottled up feelings.