Book Review #78: The Switch by Beth O'Leary

Hey Guys x

I had pre-ordered this book as soon as it became available to do so because I was, and am, such a huge fan of O'Leary's first book, 'The Flat Share'. I really liked her writing style, so I definitely thought that I could take a gamble on her next novel.

Leena has been ordered to take a two-month sabbatical from work after messing up an important presentation. At her wits end in London, she decides to go and visit her grandmother in Yorkshire. But when she gets there, she finds that her grandmother, Eileen, is almost as disillusioned with her life as she is. So Leena proposes the two switch places - she will stay in Yorkshire and carry out all of her grandmother's tasks, and Eileen will take Leena's place, living in London for the first time in her life. But as they both discover sides of themselves that they never knew existed, will the Switch change their lives for good?

I really enjoyed this book.

To be honest, it took me a while to get into. I had come to this book after reading a few thrillers and murder mysteries in a row, and at first it felt a bit bland. There were no murders, no mysteries to figure out, no danger. So for a while I was absent-mindedly flicking through the pages, waiting.

And then suddenly, I just became completely sucked into the story, to the point where the book became a really relieving part of my day, where I could turn away from my stresses and fall back into the world of Leena and Eileen, and I loved it!

For a start, these are two great protagonists. Leena and Eileen are characters that can really hold the story up without any help.
I have to say that Eileen is the more compelling character for me. She's a character that I don't really read about, and I loved delving into both of her worlds. The book did a great job of showing her wealth of experience, and using this to shape the way that the Switch changed her life. And as fun as it was reading about her, and the way that the book didn't shy away from anything when it came to her London adventures, I also really enjoyed the way that her story ended. She was definitely my favourite character of the entire novel.

Speaking of the characters, something that the book got really right was the use of background characters that formed both Leena's Yorkshire life and Eileen's London one.
It feels like it would have been hard to handle and juggle so many characters, but Leary does this with such expertise that you are never confused about who someone is, and each of these characters are given their own personalities even if you don't hear that much from them.

However, for me the place that the book fell flat was in the creation of Leena's love interest. There were characters that we should have heard more from than others, and he was one of them. Of course, we always knew that he was going to be the love interest, but we never got to know that much about him outside of his job. And it felt like their relationship developed a bit too quickly, particularly because of her own romantic circumstances almost all the way through the story. Not only would I have liked to get to know him more, but I think Leena needed to get to know him more too.

What was good?
I just sat for a few minutes trying to come up with something else, good or bad, to say about this story, and I couldn't think of anything. Because the thing is, this is exactly what is says on the tin - a cute uplifting story that will keep you entertained all the way through. I also love the way that grief was portrayed, and the fact that, while it wasn't the sole focus on the novel, it was weaved really well into the lives of these characters.

What was bad?
There was nothing about this book that I disliked, as such, other than what I've mentioned about Leena's love interest. However, I will say that it was very predictable. I didn't mind this because I enjoyed the story that the journey was taking me on, but it was still easy to guess where we would end up.

Overall
As I said, I really enjoyed this book. it's a light, really easy, enjoyable read, and I'd definitely recommend it if you're looking for something to take your mind off of the current situation!

3.5/5

Lou