Saturday, September 05, 2020

REVIEW: The Switch by Beth O'Leary

Title: The Switch
Author: Beth O’Leary
Publisher: Quercus
Publication Date: April 2020
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: 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 neighbors and difficult family dynamics to navigate up north, and trendy London flat mates 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 neighbors, but is her perfect match nearer home than she first thought?

My Thoughts: A charming story about a young woman and her grandmother and their plan to switch places for two months. Leena is on a forced leave of absence after bombing a major presentation at work. Leena’s grandmother, Eileen, is nearly 80, single and ready to mingle. Both feel a change of scenery would do them the world of good. Leena needs peace and tranquility and Eileen is looking to meet eligible men in the big city. Leena is also carrying a lot of resentment towards her mother over the death of her sister and Eileen is convinced that time together will help her daughter and granddaughter resolve those issues. Leena and Eileen both must navigate new surroundings to find their place and purpose.

This story was easy to follow, and I liked Leena and Eileen a great deal. Leena takes after her grandmother in many ways and I enjoyed their interactions. They adjust very well to their respective situations and appear to thrive in their new surroundings. The supporting characters gives the story more depth and a sense of camaraderie and family.

My Final Verdict: A book about grabbing life by the tail and hanging on, relationships, forgiveness and second chances will interest readers of several genres.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of The Switch from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.


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I am not a professional reviewer, but I love to read and share my opinions on my reading with others who are interested. I work full time but my ideal perfect day would be to curl up with a good book. The majority of the books I review here are from my private collection and my reviews are provided purely for entertainment purposes. I receive no compensation whatsoever for sharing my thoughts and review on any book. If you would like me to review your book, please email me at sharalsbooks@yahoo.com Happy Reading! :o)