The Switch

A Novel

By: Beth O'Leary

Narrated by: Alison Steadman, Daisy Edgar-Jones

Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's Summary

"Daisy Edgar-Jones and Alison Steadman team up as a fun, quirky grandmother and granddaughter pair in this lively narration...The two narrators, each portraying her respective character's point of view, are a perfect match." (AudioFile Magazine)

This program is read by British actors Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones, star of Hulu's Normal People.

A grandmother and granddaughter swap lives in The Switch, a charming, romantic novel by Beth O’Leary, who has been hailed as "the new Jojo Moyes" (Cosmopolitan UK)....

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 long-overdue rest.

Eileen is newly single and about to turn 80. She'd like a second chance at love, but her tiny Yorkshire village doesn't offer many eligible gentlemen.

So they decide to try a two-month swap.

Eileen will live in London and look for love. She’ll take Leena’s flat, and learn all about casual dating, swiping right, and city neighbors. Meanwhile, Leena will look after everything in rural Yorkshire: Eileen’s sweet cottage and garden, her idyllic, quiet village, and her little neighborhood projects.

But stepping into one another's shoes proves more difficult than either of them expected. Will swapping lives help Eileen and Leena find themselves...and maybe even find true love? In Beth O'Leary's The Switch, it's never too late to change everything...or to find yourself.

A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books

"A delightful, romantic respite that is full of heart, with stellar narration and thoughtful production to distinguish it as an audio." (Booklist, starred review) 

"A cozy, hopeful escape that will make readers laugh, cry, and feel inspired." (Kirkus, starred review)

©2020 Beth O'Leary (P)2020 Macmillan Audio

Try the print version

AVOID the audiobook version if you cannot stand wet talkers! There are far too many saliva noises - I couldn’t finish chapter 9.

My first review after 10+ years...

I should have taken other reviewers’ advice and passed on this one. The story is slow, and the narration is like fingernails on a chalk board. She is SO noisy that it’s hard to get past her mouth noise to pay attention to what she is actually saying. If, like me, mouth noise grates on your nerves, PASS on this title. Like another reviewer said, read the book!

I returned.

Cute story, terrible narration

I really loved The Flatshare and went so far as to pre-order The Switch when it had zero reviews. It's a cute little story about a granddaughter and grandmother switching apartments for 2 months so they can each shake things up a bit. I enjoyed the dynamics between the generations and was inspired by Eileen's quest for love (and sex!) on the cusp of 80 years old. I may have enjoyed this more in a printed version because the audio recording drove me nuts. The narrator reading for Eileen sounded like she was a millimetre away from the mic and had mashed bananas in her mouth. It was dreadful listening to all those mouth sounds and breathing while still trying to concentrate on the story. If that sort of thing doesn't bother you, then go for it. The story is sweet even though it's pretty predictable. But if you have even an iota of auditory sensory issues, then maybe skip this one.

The worst narration of any book I’ve listened to

I feel bad for the author of this book. The story itself is lovely - psychologically astute, with much feeling and love for the characters. The fact that I stuck with it until the end is because of the author’s writing ability and engaging story.

If you want to enjoy this book, my advice is not not purchase the audio version. As was said by almost every other reviewer here, the narration of the Eileen character was unbearably annoying. It’s hard to describe how irritating it was. It’s a mixture of wet, gasping, swallowing, spitting, smacking. It was awful. It made my skin crawl. I was too cheap to abandon the audio version and buy the ebook (and told myself she did not read every chapter after all) but I regret it. I never got used to it and dreaded every chapter she read.

I did like the narrator who read Lena. Very lovely energy and I felt she brought the character to perfect life.

I would have given the book 4 stars otherwise but the narration ruined it for me.

HORRIBLE WET SMACKING NOISES

Less than five minutes in I knew I wouldn’t be able to listen to this book. I’m very disappointed as I loved The Flat Share. I am baffled that this recording made it to publication, it’s one of the worst I’ve ever heard. Spare yourself the constant cringe.

Great Rom-Com Spanning Two Generations

Had to purchase this because The Flat Share was unique, well written, and just lovely. This novel is more of the same and also excellently narrated. I quite enjoyed listening to the older voice. O’Leary got me addicted to British rom-coms and I find them all light-hearted. I hesitated a few times before purchasing this novel because the synopsis didn’t appeal to me much. Really glad I went with it though. A little bit of everything without getting too dramatic. The only thing that had me pausing was the long list of characters. Other than that, another great one by O’Leary.

Really great story!

I almost passed due to the reviews. I am so glad I didn't. Yes, there is a bit of mouth sounds from the reader BUT it's not that bad. The story is sweet and endearing. Loved it.

Adorable fun story!

I’m a fan of Beth O’Leary, so I’ve been looking forward to the release of “The Switch”. The story was sweet and fun and the characters endearing and likable. The narrators were both terrific, except they both sounded like they were eating peanut butter sandwiches between sentences. It drove me absolutely crazy throughout the entire book. I don’t know if this is an editing thing or a narrator thing but it was unbearably annoying. I hope it’s an editing thing because both narrators were delightful and I would love to listen to them again in different circumstances. The fact that I still listened to the entire book is a testament to how great this book is. If you’re looking for fun British romcom this is it! But if you have sensitivity issues with lip smacking sounds, skip the audible and buy a hard copy of the book :)

A Delightful story

I felt as if Grandmother Eileen Cotton was telling me a story, over tea. Love and family in a picturesque setting, with all the foibles of real people, and the small choices we make to be happy and whole.

Thoughtful, funny, and touching

I loved this book. It was so fun to watch the characters grow and find themselves. Others have complained about the narration, but I thought both narrators were fantastic.