The Switch by Beth O'Leary

THE SWITCH is the title of the soon-to-be released novel from Beth O'Leary, an author labeled “the new Jojo Moyes” by Cosmopolitan UK. This light, uplifting story is sure to please the many fans they share. At the center is Leena and her grandmother, Eileen.  Leena is burned out and heads to the rural English countryside to gain some perspective.  Eileen, on the other hand, is seeking new challenges and the “switch” seems like an ideal plan. Leena takes over her grandmother’s responsibilities and learns about dog walking, village committees, and local customs while Eileen meets a new man and then discovers a hidden admirer. There’s romance, comedy, and self-reflection all wrapped up in this easy-to-read, summer offering. Escape and enjoy! THE SWITCH received a starred review from Booklist and was a LibraryReads selection for August.

Light summer reads ...

THE MISSING TREASURES OF AMY ASHTON by debut author Eleanor Ray was a bit of a surprise – part romance, part mystery and plenty of details about Amy’s hoarding tendencies. Traumatized by the disappearance years before by her boyfriend, Tim, and her best friend, Chantel, Amy collects all sorts of items (lighters, mugs, clocks, newspapers, flower pots and more). Years later, she is still struggling to come to grips with the abandonment (did they run off together?) when a new family with young children moves in next door, forcing her to begin to reevaluate her lifestyle. Elements of the plot are a bit obvious, but readers will develop affection and respect for Amy. THE MISSING TREASURES OF AMY ASHTON received a starred review from Booklist. 

THE ROAD TRIP by Beth O'Leary (The Switch) is a light summer read, chosen for the June 2021 Hall of Fame LibraryReads list. Dylan and Addie spent a dreamy summer together in Provence a few years ago, moved in together and then broke up, and now meet by chance on the way to a friend’s wedding. Forced to cram together into a Mini with Dylan’s manipulative best friend (Marcus), and Addie’s supportive sister (Deb) and a socially awkward wedding guest (Rodney), the adventures begin. Told from multiple perspectives, partly as a road adventure and partly through flashbacks, this romance-y novel looks at (often negative, if well-intentioned) influences and the resulting (often poor) decisions. As Addie notes, “that’s the thing about almost: you can be ninety-nine percent there, you can be an inch away from doing it, but if you stop yourself from stepping over that line, nobody will ever know how close you were.” If you are a fan of O'Leary's writing, the characters did not seem as appealing as those in her earlier work and THE ROAD TRIP, while entertaining, was not as much of a “feel good” story. 

Work in Progress by Kat Mackenzie

WORK IN PROGRESS by Kat Mackenzie is a very light, romance novel which features glimpses of a tour around the United Kingdom, complete with a reading list (see below) associated with each of the stops. That alone would be great fun, but readers observe the bickering turned attraction between a recently jilted young American woman named Alice Cooper (who loves lists) and the tour bus driver and organizer, Scotsman Robbie Brodie. Their adventures in castle ruins and local pubs are often funny and somewhat absurd, but that just adds to the escapist appeal of this debut travelogue rom-com. WORK IN PROGRESS received a starred review from Booklist (“Readers will enjoy the abundant gentle humor, intergenerational friendships, and armchair travel—as well as the slow burn of a tasteful romance.”) Suggested for fans of Katherine Center and Beth O’Leary.

Reading List: Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson; The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown; The Waverly Novels by Sir Walter Scott; Dracula by Bram Stoker; Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte; A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare; The Liar by Stephen Fry; The Adventures of the Second Stain by Arthur Conan Doyle; Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome; Persuasion by Jane Austen; Sixpence House: Lost in a Town of Books by Paul Collins; Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas; Selected Poems by Robert Burns; Whisky Galore by Compton Mackenzie; To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf; Outlander by Diana Gabaldon; 44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith; With numerous references to Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding; And a couple of bonus titles: Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus by John Gray and Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen.