Kat's Reviews > The Switch

First of all, let me give a shout-out to my friend, Tina, who recommended I listen to the audiobook, because I can’t imagine a better way to experience this book than through the charming narration of Daisy Edgar-Jones and Alison Steadman. They really brought this story to life, and I loved every second of it! After my last frustrating audiobook attempt with The Thursday Murder Club, I feared my mind would go wandering again, so this time I put a leash on it and read along to the audio in my Kindle, which worked like a dream.

After the death of her sister to cancer, successful young London business consultant Leena Cotton finds herself struggling to cope and is sent on a two-month sabbatical by her company. At the same time, Leena’s feisty 79-year old grandmother, Eileen, recently abandoned by her husband and watching over Leena’s grieving mother, Marian, in quaint little Yorkshire village, Hamleigh-in-Harksdale, decides she’s ready to find love - or a fun fling at the very least. In this heart-warming, feel-good twist on the rom-com genre, Leena and Eileen agree to switch places for eight weeks, Eileen moving in with Leena’s roommate, Martha, in London, and Leena moving into Eileen’s Hamleigh home for eight weeks.

Trading homes opens up whole new worlds for these two, introducing Eileen to online dating and Leena’s eclectic mix of flatshare building residents, and throwing Leena into the - mostly elderly - village Neighborhood Watch and planning committee for Hamleigh-in-Harksdale’s annual May Day festival. Both scenarios created plenty of smiles and laughs, and I loved Eileen and Leena’ storylines equally. As an aside, I have to admit it was mildly uncomfortable for me to hear about a 79-year-old woman getting jiggy with her online match - but then again it’s kinda the same phenomenon that happens when kids don’t want to imagine their own parents having “happy” time. I digress.

Part of what made this story so delightful is the extended cast of characters, who were so full of personality. I was utterly charmed by the aged residents of Hamleigh. They are my kind of fun, and even the crotchety ones were lovable. Betsy, Arnold, Basil, Roland, Penelope, Nicola all stole my heart with their antics. On the younger end of the village residents, Jackson, who develops feelings for Leena, is just plain ol’ dreamy, and I loved his story with Leena. In London, Leena’s friends Bee, Martha, Yaz, Fitz, and building resident, Letitia, all egged Eileen along in her adventures and proved to be the very best support system she could have wanted.

All of this humor is deftly balanced with the underlying and melancholic story of the death of Leena’s sister, Carla, as Leena, Eileen and Leena’s mother, Marian, all find healing for themselves and with each other, which was very touching.

It’s a lovely story, and I highly recommend it!

★★★★★ ❤️