Leena Cotton is ordered to take time off work to de-stress; Eileen Cotton wants an adventure before she turns 80 – the duo decide to switch!  With Leena taking on her Grandma’s responsibilities in Hamleigh for two months, covering Neighbourhood Watch meetings and organising the May Day event and Eileen, living in Leena’s flat in London with her granddaughters friends and enters the world of online dating, it’s recipe for hilarity, disaster and personal revelations!   I’ve been struggling to get into a book recently and my sister gave me her copy of The Switch and it was exactly what I needed!  I never normally read light-hearted books like this but I loved it!  It’s been such a long time since I laughed this much at a book and now I can’t help but want more books like this on my bookshelf! I can’t help but be slightly jealous that Eileen’s online dating life is much, much better than mine!   The only thing is, this story is now leaving me with a lingering thought – if you could switch lives with a family member for two months, who would you switch with?

When Leena blows a major presentation at work she finds herself on two months leave. At a loss, she travels to Yorkshire to see her grandmother Eileen. When she find’s Eileen’s list of potential new love interests, limited in the small village, she suggests that Eileen go to London for two months. She could enter the dating scene in the capital and Leena could stay behind and look after Eileen’s tasks. Then they could swap back. With Eileen on board, neither of them could imagine what would happen during The Switch. From the first page I knew I would love this book. That love grew the more I read until I reluctantly turned the final page. There is a warmth that emanates from the pages, that engulfs the reader and makes them want to remain curled up with the book. There are a whole host of wonderful characters that fill the pages of The Switch. Eileen is the person I hope to be when I grow up. Feisty, kind, considerate of others, she does the right thing automatically. She doesn’t feel her age or that at 79 she should be held back from anything, including finding love. Her Yorkshire ways, being used to talking to neighbours, having a different perspective on life, radically changes the lives of Leena’s flatmates and fellow residents. Leena is a perfectionist and automatically gravitates towards the practical. Research is her way of copying. So when she finds that her coping mechanisms haven’t worked she finds herself floundering. It is her idea to swap places with her grandmother. Eileen can go looking for love and Leena can perhaps finally face her sister’s death. The village is populated by people who like to know each others business. They think they know everything about everyone but as they soon discover that isn’t the case. Leena opens them up to new ways of thinking and that they don’t always know their neighbours as well as they think they do. Back in London, very much the opposite is the case. The residents of Leena’s building don’t know each other, do not speak. That is until Eileen comes along and makes them. They discover much more about themselves in the process too. Then there is Jackson. The step son of Eileen’s next door neighbour Arnold. The same next door neighbour with whom Eileen has had a battle for the last 40 years. He befuddles Leena, who is not used to befuddlement. Watching the relationship change and grow between the two was a joy to read. In fact, the whole book is a joy to read. And sometimes we all need to read a little joy. Beth O’Leary is fast becoming one of my new favourite authors. I can’t wait to see what she pens next. Highly recommended. Practically perfect in every way. Highly recommended.

I chose this book just from a critics recommendation, I was not disappointed.

I was introduced to Beth O'Leary' books by my daughter in law and I am so grateful to her. The Flat Share and The Switch are vibrant books which you cannot put down.

This charming novel was the epitome of comfort reading. While it incorporated heavier topics, the story had such a strong sense of community and heart that it was always a delight to read. Would I recommend?... Yes, if you too want to try on another life for a while Read if you like: - contemporary fiction - dual perspectives - exploration of family dynamics - character growth - unexpected friendships - romance sub-plots