The Swap

Content Rating: 18+ Genre: Fiction, Thriller, Domestic Thriller, Suspense Published: June 23, 2020, by Gallery/Scout Press Obsession…Jealousy…Manipulation…. These three things drive The Swap. Robyn Harding has done it again, delivered a suspenseful story that is unique and original. The Swap is filled with impeccably developed characters that are so incredibly unlikeable that you will love to hate them. They are all wrapped up in toxic, dysfunctional relationships, intermixed with adultery, and spousal abuse that will have you shaking your head and saying, What the he!! is wrong with these people. The Swap seems purposely constructed around Freya, with all the other characters, Low, Jamie, Brian, and Max, telling the story from their perspective. Combine all these elements, and you get a fast-paced story that is highly addictive and entertaining. Low Morrison is about to graduate from a high school where she has no friends, and she feels like she never quite fits in. The small-town people of Hawking views Low’s polyamorous parents, who live in a commune-like setting, as an oddity, and this causes Low to feel even more of an outcast. Beautiful Freya, a former social media influencer, breezes into Low's sad, lonely world one day at school, and Low becomes instantly mesmerized by her. Freya is there to talk to the principal about advertising the pottery classes that she is teaching. Low sees the classes as a way to get close to her. Freya gives Low everything lacking in her life, attention, validation as a person, a friend, and confidant, all wrapped up in a beautiful package. “She saw me. She really saw me. I was not simply a misfit teenager, tall and awkward and outcast. I was a kindred spirit.” Freya and her husband Max, a former professional hockey player, have escaped to this small island in the Pacific North West after a tragic mishap on the ice destroys their idyllic life. Freya has a seductive aura around her that attracts everyone she comes in contact with, or does she seek out weak people so that she can manipulate them? Low starts taking pottery classes with Freya, and the two develop a fortuitous relationship that becomes more of an obsession than friendship. "Later, people would say I was obsessed with her, but I wasn't. With Freya I was home." Freya is lonely and depressed living in this small isolated town. Low fills that need in Freya to be loved, adored, and the center of attention. Low's obsession with Freya and her husband grows, she begins confusing friendship with lustful thoughts and dreaming about a future with them. To say that Low is confused is an understatement. Things are going well between Freya and Low until Freya meets Jamie. Jamie and her husband Brian, have recently moved to Hawking, attempting to live a simple, healthier life in the hopes of having a child of their own. And then one day, Freya walks into Jamie's small gift shop, asking Jamie if she would be willing to sell her pottery. The two women become fast friends, and this leads to Freya distancing herself from Low. The two couples quickly become friends, and in a short period, Jamie comes to revere Freya too. Then one-night Freya suggests trying shrooms, and the two couples end up swapping partners. Now, this is when things get very interesting, in more ways than just the swap. “I wanted to be Freya’s fun, wild, adventurous friend, but I had a bad track record with the persona. But for Freya…maybe I could try?” Harding intertwines these three women’s lives in such a deviously seductive way that it will shake you to your core. So that about wraps up my review, I will not be telling you one more deliciously deviant word about this book, except to say, read the book. * Please note the quotes in my review are subject to change once the book is published. * ** I kindly received this galley by way of NetGalley, publisher, and author. I was not contacted, asked, or required to leave a review. I received no compensation, financial or otherwise. I have voluntarily read this book, and this review is my

WOW!.... This book I only started a few days ago and just couldn't put it down... It was so well written and I had such a good feel of all the characters... Especially Low... I loved her chapters some comments were so comical and you can just picture the scene at home with all her little brothers and parents and chaos lol 😆 I will defo look for more books by this author... This one was brilliant and had me hooked... I love books that do different chapters dedicated to a certain characters point of view as the story just flows together.... This one is a 5 star read all the way 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🤗👍