Well hellooo there, my lovely bookworms. I seem to have neglected my blog for the last couple of weeks. I guess I got a bit burnt from work and just needed a little break. I haven’t been reading much either, been watching a lot of Bones which is a rewatch and it’s definitely what I needed to relax. But today I’m back with one of my first reads of February and so far my favourit reads of 2021. So I will head straight onto my review.
The Switch by Beth O'Leary Published by Quercus on January 21, 2021
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
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Goodreads
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?
My Review
Why not start February, the month of love with a romance novel. Those were my thoughts when I picked it up. Last year I devoured The Flatshare, I adored Beth’s unique writing BUT I have to say for me The Switch is my favourite out of the her two published books so far.
Leena and Eileen Cotton lost their sister/granddaughter to cancer last year and it left a huge hole in the Cotton family’s lives. Leena has been working herself ragged ever since her sisters passing and it’s leaving her empty. So when she messed up a business deal at work, they have 2 months of paid leave to live her life again. Work saved her from the grief but it stopped her from moving forward. Her grandma, Eileen is in need of man. After her ex-husband Reg left, she wants to find someone, but her village really doesn’t have a lot of choices especially in her little notebook of lists. So when Leena visits on her first weekend of her leave, they each decide to switch lives. One stays in the quaint little village away from the bustle and the other to embrace the city, vibrancy that is central London.
Eileen is my favourite character that I’ve read in a long time. First she has cats called Ant and Dec! 😍 She makes you laugh, from the nervous giggles and blushing to snorting and laughing out loud. She brought the sunshine to an otherwise cloudy day every time I opened the book. I looked forward to her chapters all the time. Eileen is such a character though, she is brazen and vivacious and I absolutely love her. In her home town she is the glue to village, she’s the heart of it, and she’s not afraid of poking nose in and making a fuss either. But she’s looking for love ever since her ex-husband left. She wants more. When she switched it up and embraced the city life of London, her younger self shined through, she left no stone unturned that certainly meant the various men and living her life to fullest. I admired her and why I loved her so much was because she really reminds me of my own Nan, unapologetic and feisty too.
You can tell that as a reader I was drawn more to Eileen and her open and vibrant character. Leena is very consumed by emotions, grief, anger. She’s learnt to bottle it up and it’s when she get involved in the organisations of Neighbourhood Watch and May Day carnival, she starts to unravel her feelings, she begins to open up. Leena hasn’t been able to forgive her mother since her sister’s passing. During the year Leena has been a shell of herself, her boyfriend urgh don’t get me started on him. He’s just incredibly annoying you can tell instantly that he isn’t the man for her. Maybe the Yorkshire Dales has one special guy for her.
Beth O’Leary has a unique way of writing that I adored in The Flatshare and even more so in The Switch. She writes with such humour, whit and charm that captivate you from the first page. Oh and I forgot to say Eileen has cats called Ant and Dec! I mean my favourite TV personalities in a romance book, I mean what more could want. This is a hug in a book, I just couldn’t get enough of it and just wanted to snuggle up and read it all day. I’m very lucky to also have a eARC of The Road Trip releasing in April which I can’t wait to read.
Thank you to Quercus for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
I loved this book, glad you did too.