The Switch by Beth O’Leary

I have read and reviewed the author’s previous work: here

This is a class above the author’s previous work (which I also enjoyed). In an earlier review, I debated how many ways older women, paired with a younger person (in that case, it was a child) could teach each other about the joys of life. Once again, I have to alter my estimation of the successful combinations possible because this was pure joy. I was a blubbering mess for huge chunks of it, but that is something I have to take into stride when venturing into this genre.

The only thing that put me off a little was the age of the elder Eileen, who is going to turn eighty. I have a grandmother at that age and even giving the allowances that being from different cultures could mean, I think the clarity of thought was a little too sharp. I would have digested her part of the narrative easier if she was a decade younger. But that’s probably just me, and the rest of the tale was so engrossing and so in keeping with the nature of UpLit that I felt buoyed by the end. Also, despite it being a pretty big book (at 400 pages), I read it in one sitting.

This is about two Eileens, the younger is still unable to come to grips with her sister’s death. The older is facing her eightieth and is unhappy with her life. They decide to switch their lives to try something new. We have the usual suspects of caricatures of a small town, their roles being equal parts irritating and heartwarming. The younger(Leena) moves into an elder dominated town whereas Eileen ends up in London and finding out things about her granddaughter’s life that she never paid any attention to! The romance for both halves of the story is more in the background, while still being a prominent player in the whole picture.

It is a fun read, a must for those who like the genre and for anyone who is looking for something remarkably cozy to read.

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.