The Switch, Beth O'Leary

This was a fun book. I enjoyed that the author brought an older person (aged 79) into the life of a younger person (aged 29) - grandmother and grandchild.

The Switch is a lighthearted novel where grandmother has just been dumped and granddaughter has just royally flubbed a work presentation. Both are suffering from grief (loss of grandchild/sibling). The two decide to switch lives, taking the elder Eileen to live in London with the younger Eileen’s (“Lena”) flatmates. Lena moves into her grandmother’s home and steps into her grandmother’s life.

Through some fun twists and turns (grandma gets on a dating site and Lena falls for the local primary school teacher) the story weaves in and out of the lives the two now lead. And without much strife, all the hiccups and loose ends are tied into a tidy bow. And yes, they all live, as expected, happily ever after. I’m not generally a huge fan of this type of “as predicted” trope, but in this case, I thoroughly enjoyed, The Switch.

Lynda Wolters