The Switch: the joyful and uplifting novel from the author of The Flatshare

· Hachette UK
4.4
114 reviews
Ebook
352
Pages
Eligible
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About this ebook

'SO CHARMING, SO SWEET AND SO LOVELY' MARIAN KEYES

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?

PRAISE FOR THE SWITCH

'Another life-affirming joy' HEAT

'Great holiday read' 5* READER REVIEW

'Warm, witty, and a cast of characters I wish I was friends with' LAURA JANE WILLIAMS

'Wonderful, funny and so heart-warming!' 5* READER REVIEW

'Sparkles with wit, warmth and compassion' GILLIAN McALLISTER

'Beth O'Leary has done it again!' 5* READER REVIEW

'Heartwarming and uplifting. Everyone should have an Eileen in their life!' HEIDI SWAIN

'Her books are a warm hug and a mug of hot chocolate on a chilly day, just perfection' 5* READER REVIEW

'Eileen Cotton proves you don't have to be in your thirties to be Bridget Jones. A triumph!' ANSTEY HARRIS

'A really wonderful, heart-warming and life-affirming read' 5* READER REVIEW

'Bursting with warmth and humour' LOUISE O'NEILL

'Bursting with zest' 5* READER REVIEW

'I loved it! A total joy to read. Such a breath of fresh air' LIBBY PAGE

'One of the most enjoyable books I have had the pleasure of reading' 5* READER REVIEW

'It's an absolute joy from beginning to end' MIKE GAYLE

'This book is SO SPECIAL' 5* READER REVIEW

'Brilliant, warm, funny, full of heart. Completely loved it!' RICHARD ROPER

Ratings and reviews

4.4
114 reviews
Emily LikesBiscuits
November 14, 2022
Again an easy read. The Author writes so fluidly it's always a pleasure to get through. I didn't enjoy this title as much as The Flat Share, for some reason I didn't care too much for either of the protagonists. The love interest for Leena was too obvious from the first mention of him and the whole book felt a little two-dimensional.
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Gemma Darking
March 9, 2021
Do you know what I tried really hard with this book I wanted to like it because in the beginning I did enjoy parts but nothing really kept me interested wanting to find out more... Got to a point where I badly wanted to read but just couldn't be bothered to read this book... Then thought lifes to short to waste on books your not kean on... It stretched over a whole month for me to read half where as if I'm enjoying a book I can read it in just a few days... Says it all really but hey we can't all like the same so just because I didn't enjoy doesn't mean you won't 🤗 Just not for me... Hence the 2 stars 🌟🌟😑✊🤙
3 people found this review helpful
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Alison Robinson
May 2, 2020
Leena Cotton is a stressed executive, living in Shoreditch, working all hours, until she has a meltdown/panic attack at a client pitch and is ordered to take a two month sabbatical. Leena's grandmother Eileen lives in a small village in Yorkshire, her husband left her for another woman, and she is feeling stifled and unfulfilled in her life of Neighbourhood Watch, May Day celebrations and other minutiae of village life. Even worse, there are no eligible men for her, all the men in the village are too old, too boring, too right-wing, or her sworn enemy. After bemoaning their fates Leena and Eileen decide to swap lives, Leena will move to Yorkshire and Eileen will move to London for two months, Eileen also hopes that this will give Leena and her mother Marian a chance to reconnect as the two of them have been at loggerheads for over a year. Laugh as a nosey Yorkshire grandmother moves into a trendy warehouse conversion in Shoreditch, flat-sharing with a very pregnant, unmarried lesbian and a single guy. Of course she sorts everyone out and manages to meet all of Leena's neighbours, something Leena has never done. Oh, and Eileen discovers internet dating and friends-with-benefits arrangements. Meanwhile, Leena is discovering the joys of rural village life, fetes, fierce rivalry with neighbouring villages, gossips, Easter egg hunts and trying to organise the May Day event. I requested this ARC ages ago, kept putting it off but as soon as I started this I could barely put it down, sweet, funny, charming, and even sad at times, I was fully invested in both Eileen and Leena's new lives. Highly recommended romance and laughs. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
22 people found this review helpful
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About the author

Beth O'Leary is a Sunday Times bestselling author whose novels have been translated into more than thirty languages. Her debut, The Flatshare, sold over a million copies and is now a major TV series. Her subsequent novels, The Switch, The Road Trip, The No-Show and The Wake-Up Call, were all instant bestsellers. Beth writes her books in the Hampshire countryside with a very badly behaved Golden Retriever for company. If she's not at her desk, you'll usually find her curled up somewhere with a book, a cup of tea and several woolly jumpers (whatever the weather).

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