‘Another heart-warming story!’
Summary
After the untimely death of her sister Clara, Leena has dedicated her whole life to her job. For over a year now, Leena has not had a single day off, afraid of the thoughts and memories that would undoubtedly circle back to her to haunt her. But as everyone expected, Leena slowly starts to suffer from this decision. After messing up an important task, her boss forbids Leena to re-enter her workspace for two whole months. Not wanting to go to her mom, Leena ends up with her grandma Eileen in rural Yorkshire. Both stuck in their current situation, and wanting to get away, the two women agree to a two-month swap. Now Eileen can finally get that second chance at love while enjoying life in the city. Leena will look after her cottage, finally being able to put her mind at ease. Will swapping lives help Eileen and Leena to find themselves?
Review
As some of you may know, I adored The Flatshare. It happened to be just what I needed during that stressful time in June. So, when I started to stress out again, somewhere last week, I decided it was time for me to pick up Beth’s newest book: The Switch. And I’m so thankful that this book also didn’t let me down.
The Switch brought me a heart-warming story about a grandmother and her granddaughter who both feel stuck in everyday life. The weird thing is, however, that this story felt so unfamiliar to me. This is probably because I don’t read a lot of contemporaries about elderly people. I loved that, actually. It was so refreshing to read from a point of view that for once didn’t belong to yet another angsty teen. It really spiced up the story for me. Because, if I’m being really honest, the story was a bit predictable from time to time.
This book also maintained this beautiful balance between heavy and important topics such as cancer and the loss of a loved one, and fluffy yet heart-warming scenes and dialogues. Just like The Flatshare, now I’ve come to think of it. Anyways, I think it’s really cool how Beth O’Leary combined these two elements to create a delightful and highly enjoyable read.
Conclusion
I’d recommend this book to everyone in need of a way to escape the stress of everyday life. Not just because that’s literally what the story is about, but moreover because I believe reading this heart-warming book can really feel like a much-needed hug.
| Product information: |
| Written by: Beth O’Leary |
| Pages: 336 |
| Publisher: Flatiron Books |
| ISBN: 1250769868 |
| Interested? Buy the book here |