Published 16th April 2020 by Quercus.
Read April 2020.
Leena Cotton is one of those people who gets through life by taking the bull by the horns and throwing herself at a project, so after the tragic death of her beloved younger sister, Carla, it was natural for her to devote her energy to her work - encouraged by her equally workaholic boyfriend, Ethan. But despite this, she has been finding it difficult to cope with the terrible grief that won't go away and after blowing an important presentation at work, she is ordered to take two months off to get herself together.
Two months away from work seems unthinkable to Leena, but she heads off to her grandmother's cottage in Yorkshire to get some rest - despite the fact that this will mean she is more than likely to come face to face with her mother, Marian, who she has been avoiding for months, as she blames her for her sister's decision to stop treatment.
When Leena gets to Yorkshire, she realises how much she has missed out on over the last few months and some things are brought into sharp focus during her long-overdue visit home. It seems her mother has not been coping well since Carla's death and Leena knows they really should try to sort out their differences. Her newly single grandmother, Eileen is also trying to make a fresh start by meeting someone new, but there is little in the way of partner material in the rural hamlet she calls home.
After some thought, Leena comes up with what she feels may be the ideal solution for them both - she and Eileen will "swap" lives for the two months of her sabbatical. Leena will stay in Yorkshire and take on her grandmother's responsibilities, while Eileen moves to London to find love! But trying to contend with tricky neighbours and strained family relationships in Yorkshire, and trendy flatmates and on-line dating in London, both of them find the change of scene more difficult than they thought it would be.
However, Leena and Eileen were never ones to shy away from a challenge. Leena throws herself into village life, getting stuck-in to the various projects Eileen is in charge of and does her best to impress her neighbours - although the annoying and handsome primary school teacher, Jackson, is most distracting. And Eileen finds she can make herself useful in London, while having a steamy romantic interlude.
Both Leena and Eileen learn a lot about themselves and each other during their "swap". What is it they really want out of life, and is this to be found in their old lives or their new?
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I absolutely adored Beth O'Leary's debut story about Tiffy and Leon, The Flatshare, which I have been recommending all year as "like your favourite Christmans movie.....but without the Christmas bit"! If you have read it, you will know exactly what I mean, and if you have not read it then I strongly suggest you do so as soon as possible - it is quite simply fabulous.
So, The Flatshare was going to be a hard act to follow and I will admit to being a little nervous about reading Beth O'Leary's much anticipated follow-up. Would I....could I....love it as much as her debut novel? Well, I really should not have worried, because The Switch is absolutely gorgeous - in fact, it is "like two of your favourite Christmas movies combined...without the Christmas"!!!
This time around, we are treated to not one, but two beautiful storylines - those of Leena and Eileen - women in completely different stages of life, but who are nonetheless more like each other than they realise.
Leena has always been so sure of herself and the direction her life is heading, so it comes as a bit of a shock to her when she cannot get over the death of her sister by throwing herself into the things that she has always taken in her stride. This time, work is not the answer and she is forced to acknowledge that she she has not been happy for quite a while. Moving to her grandmother's village, taking different responsibilities and connecting with new people make her recognise that she has lost herself over the last few months and she needs to confront the grief she has pushed deep inside her if she is going to move forward - and a big part of this is coming to terms with the anger she feels towards her mother.
Eileen has always been a force to be reckoned with, and yet, she allowed herself to stay in a loveless marriage that was well past its sell-by-date. She has been feeling for sometime that she needs a new man in her life, but the local choices are limited, and she is unable to go too far as leaving Marian in her fragile state seems quite out of the question. But Leena's swap idea gives her a chance to really make a difference to not only her own life, but to the lives of others too.
Both women find out such a lot about not only themselves, but each other, during their time in the other's shoes. They also both make a big difference to the people they meet in their new environments. There is joy and heartbreak, love and loss, laughter and tears and you find yourself rooting for so many of the people you meet in these pages.
It was so lovely to read a book full of wonderful characters of so many different ages in this book. Beth O'Leary writes them all so beautifully and acknowledges that even the older cast members can be interesting, capable and have a lot to offer in the way of friendship and advice to the younger ones, as well as vice versa, which was so refreshing. There are also a lot of touching moments here that recognise that loneliness can affect more than just the elderly members of society, and that developing a sense of community can be very rewarding for all concerned.
But this is also a book that encompasses so much more to pull the heart strings, along with lots of laughter. It is moving and heartwarming, and the kind of great big hug of a book that we all need at the moment. The Switch has worked its way right into my heart and has definitely earned a place on my for ever shelf - right next to The Flatshare. I can't wait to read whatever Beth O'Leary comes up with next!
The Switch is available to buy now, from your favourite book retailer, and I guarantee is it going to be every bit as big of a hit as The Flatshare - so get in there early!
From the cover of the book:
When overachiever Leena Cotton is ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a big presentation at work, she escapes to her grandmother Eileen's house for some overdue rest. Eileen is newly single and about to turn eighty. She'd like a second chance at love, but her tiny Yorkshire village doesn't offer many eligible gentlemen.
Once Leena learns of Eileen's romantic predicament, she proposes a solution: a two-month swap. Eileen can live in London and look for love. Meanwhile Leena will look after everything in rural Yorkshire. But with gossiping neighbours and difficult family dynamics to navigate up north, and trendy London flatmates and online dating to contend with in the city, stepping into one another's shoes proves more difficult than either of them expected.
Leena learns that a long-distance relationship isn't as romantic as she hoped it would be, and then there is the annoyingly perfect - and distractingly handsome - school teacher, who keeps showing up to outdo her efforts to impress the local villagers. Back in London, Eileen is a huge hit with her new neighbours, but is her perfect match nearer home than she first thought?
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