Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

The Switch by Beth O'Leary

20 reviews

ruthhelizabeth's review against another edition

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funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0


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theonlybaillie's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25


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beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Full review to come.

I had decidedly mixed feelings about The Switch.

The first third of the book was great - it was well-written, the pace was good, and it was funny and heartwarming. It was pretty predictable and cliched, but at that point, I was enjoying it so much that I didn't really care. I thought that the exploration of grief as a theme was well done, especially in how it affects the family members of those who have died - it was very sensitively written. There were also brief references to domestic violence that were also handled well, I thought.

Unfortunately, all of the above was nearly ruined for me by the author using a trope that I really dislike:
the first boyfriend of one of the narrators (Leena) turning out to be a massive two-timing douchebag, so the new love interest can then conveniently swoop in and save the day
. Ugh.  And the fact that
the first boyfriend's redeeming qualities were basically swept aside
. I also disliked that
the new love interest was basically described as being built like a football/rugby/soccer player, and didn't seem to have much personality beyond that. I know that sounds mean, and I'm sorry - but that's how I felt
.

I also disliked how the author had the characters do things that I found ethically questionable, purely to advance the plot.

To sum up: The Switch is a novel that started off well but turned off this reader by using a nasty trope that authors should really stop using.

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xlaurareads's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

this one was a cute and nice enough read but nothing exceptional, really. it was kinda boring sometimes and felt a little too slow-paced for me from time to time. the idea for the story is quite intriguing, though, and i found myself liking grandma eileen's story a tad better than leena's because it was much more exciting and i felt there was going on more. what a great character, this old lady. nevertheless, the story lacked some kind of action and idk, it just wasn't my sort of book, or at least not at the moment. still cute. 

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purplepenning's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.0


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doodeedoda's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes

2.5


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wisherrox's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0


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freydawreviews's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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coffeedragon's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

This was a really fun read, recommended! 

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linesiunderline's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was a book I picked up on audio when it was first released and for whatever reason (British narrators usually really work for me), it didn’t click at the time. 

I’m so happy I gave it another try because it was exactly what I needed at this moment and I loved it the whole way through.

You might enjoy this book if you tend to love stories about older people continuing to discover themselves and to live rich lives. Think The Lido, Eudora Honeysett, Lilian Boxfish… Also, if you enjoy a story about community, small town life, and all of the funny, complicated things that can happen in such places, this read will give you that.

In tone, I was reminded of the titles I’ve read by Jenny Colgan - light romance, gentle insights about life, a little heartbreak, happy but still believable endings.

Oh, and this book has SO many cups of tea in it, if that gives you a sense of how cozy and heartwarming it is.

I adored it!

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