Title: The Switch
Author: Beth O’Leary
Publisher: Quercus

[Synopsis]

Eileen is sick of being 79.
Leena’s tired of life in her twenties.
Maybe it’s time they swapped places…

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 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.

Once Leena learns of Eileen’s romantic predicament, she proposes a solution: a two-month swap. Eileen can live in London and look for love. Meanwhile Leena will look after everything in rural Yorkshire. But with gossiping neighbours and difficult family dynamics to navigate up north, and trendy London flatmates and online dating to contend with in the city, stepping into one another’s shoes proves more difficult than either of them expected.

Leena learns that a long-distance relationship isn’t as romantic as she hoped it would be, and then there is the annoyingly perfect – and distractingly handsome – school teacher, who keeps showing up to outdo her efforts to impress the local villagers. Back in London, Eileen is a huge hit with her new neighbours, but is her perfect match nearer home than she first thought?

[My Review]

The Switch is a light-hearted, fun read about a grandaughter and grandmother who switch homes to give eachother a new lease of life.

Leena, in her twenties and working for a fast-paced company in London, is ordered to take 2 months off work after she messes up a big presentation – she needs a proper break. Her grandmother Eileen, who lives in Yorkshire, is tired of being on her own and missed out on life in London when she was younger. They’re both grieving after the death of Leena’s sister, so a house swap seems like a great way to take a break and experience a little of the other’s life. Leena heads to a village in Yorkshire, whilst Eileen moves to trendy Shoreditch.

What follows is entertaining and at times quite predictable, but I really enjoyed the sweet characters and their interactions, plus the element of romance that unfolds. If you fancy a break from gritty crime novels, this is the perfect novel – it’s got a lot of light-hearted moments. However, that’s not to say that it’s without emotional parts, too – the fact that Leena’s sister Carla has died adds a real sadness to its pages.

Some of the story was perhaps tied up perhaps a little too perfectly for me, but I still really enjoyed The Switch – not quite as much as The Flatshare, which I loved, but I think this is a great follow up by author Beth O’Leary.

[Rating: 4/5]

Many thanks to Quercus for providing a copy of this book on which I chose to write an honest and unbiased review.

DON’T FORGET… FOLLOW ME ON: INSTAGRAM @SNAZZY_BOOKS_ / GOODREADS LAURA / AND TWITTER @LAURANAZMDEH!