Sunday 22 August 2021

The Switch - Beth O'Leary || Netgalley Review


 

Leena is too young to feel stuck.
Eileen is too old to start over.
Maybe it's time for The Switch...

Ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a big presentation at work, Leena escapes to her grandmother Eileen's house for some overdue rest. Newly single and about to turn eighty, Eileen would like a second chance at love. But her tiny Yorkshire village doesn't offer many eligible gentlemen... So Leena proposes a solution: a two-month swap. Eileen can live in London and look for love, and Leena will look after everything in rural Yorkshire.

But with a rabble of unruly OAPs to contend with, as well as the annoyingly perfect - and distractingly handsome - local schoolteacher, Leena learns that switching lives isn't straightforward. Back in London, Eileen is a huge hit with her new neighbours, and with the online dating scene. But is her perfect match nearer to home than she first thought?



*I was gifted my copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review*


It's been a while since i read a really good contemporary or at least it feels like it. I wanted something feel good and light hearted and when i spied this on my netgalley shelf i knew it would tick all the boxes.

We meet Leena as she heads into an important work meeting, except she isnt on her finest form as she suffers a panic attack during the meeting, soon after it is suggested she take some of the annual leave she hasnt used and give herself chance to recover and grieve a bit over the death of her sister. Although she really doesn't want to take a break its kind of forced upon her.

We also meet newly single Eileen at nearly eighty she is not in a position she expected to be, she still wants her big life adventure. So when Leena (her grandaughter) goes to visit she suggests they switch lives for a while, Leena can stay in rural yorkshire and find herself a bit and Eileen can live the glam life in London. The pair decide to go for it and what follows is a journey for both characters as they learn about who they are and what they deserve.

The Switch is a lovely feel good read with a fantastic bunch of well rounded characters, complete with flaws. Eileen is something else, she is funny, stubborn srtong and caring. She wants not only happiness for herself but those around her. I loved reading her interactions with her friends and seeing her personailty and loyalties shine through. She had me laughing out loud and my heart warming within the same sentence.

Leena initially comes across as a high powered focused business woman committed to her work but she is so much more than just that, she is focused but she can be focused on any task given to her, she is strong willed, like Eileen she is also stubborn. Yet there is a hidden layer to her that we discover as she spends time in the countryside. 

I thought this was a great read that takes two peoples lives and flips them over and lets it all unfold.If you want something that is going to lift your spirits and brighten your mood by the end then this is a great choice for you.








Beth studied English at university before going into children’s publishing. She lives as close to the countryside as she can get while still being within reach of London, and wrote her first novel, The Flatshare, on her train journey to and from work.
You’ll usually find her curled up with a book, a cup of tea, and several woolly jumpers (whatever the weather).

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