After messing up a big presentation at work Leena is told to take a two month sabbatical. Embarrassed and unsure what to do with herself without work, she escapes to her grandmother's in the Yorkshire countryside.
Eileen is 79 and newly single. When her granddaughter seeks solace at her country cottage she is glad of the company.
But when Leena finds Eileen's very short list of eligible men in the village, she comes up with a plan. They'll switch lives for eight weeks.
Whilst Leena takes care of everything in Yorkshire, Eileen can live the life she always dreamed of in London.
After loving O’Leary’s debut, The Flatshare, I was desperate to get my hands on The Switch, especially after seeing it has been optioned for a movie.
From only a few chapters in I could already recognise that these characters were going to be warm and filled with quick wit and charm, something that is quick becoming O’Leary’s style. As much as I liked Leena, the outstanding character for me was Eileen, as I’m sure many will agree. Is there anything more endearing than a 79 year old grandmother with gumption?
The supporting cast of the unruly OAP villagers and Leena’s London friends and colleagues added a wonderful texture to the story. My particular favourites were Arnold and Fitz, their quick humour and one line quips often had me laughing out loud.
As with The Flatshare, there were some underlying hard-hitting themes cleverly woven into the story. Emotional domestic abuse and loneliness of the older generation were both addressed and given the seriousness they deserved without pulling the overall good humour of the narrative down.
This is a must read for fans of the rom-com genre; filled with quirky and lovable characters, and providing plenty of laugh out loud moments.
Beth O’Leary is taking my 2020 reading by storm, and fast becoming one of my favourite authors. I just have one question…where can I find myself an Eileen?
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