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ClareR (6037 KP) rated The Switch in Books

Jul 18, 2020  
The Switch
The Switch
Beth O'Leary | 2020 | Contemporary
10
9.1 (7 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Switch by Beth O’Leary was a book that I was very much looking forward to reading. I had read, loved and gifted The Flatshare, her debut book. Then I read the synopsis for this book, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little trepidatious (is that a real word?). I had visions of Tom Hanks in Big, or of Jodie Foster in Freaky Friday, if I’m honest. I needn’t have worried, because this isn’t Big or Freaky Friday (sorry, if that’s what you’re expecting 🤷🏼‍♀️).

Instead, this is the story of two Eileens: 79 year old Eileen and her granddaughter Leena who is 29. They are both at times of great change in their lives. They’ve both just experienced the death of Leena’s sister, and Eileen’s husband has left her for a younger woman.

When Leena comes home for a visit, she realises that Eileen has been casing the men in the village with a mind to dating one. There isn’t a great choice. After a look on a dating website, she realises that the choice of men in their 70’s is far greater in London, so Leena creates an account on the dating website for her Grandma, and they swap lives for 8 weeks - the length of time that Leena’s boss has given her as a holiday, to try and recover from the loss of her sister.

I adored this book. Need I say more? OK, I suppose I should.
I loved how Eileen was treated as an adult with real feelings and sexual urges. She may be 79, but she isn’t some sexless old biddy, treated like a child. As much as we don’t necessarily like to think of our mothers/ grandmothers having sex , it’s highly likely that they do, and why not?

I loved how the death of Leena’s sister was treated. The long, slow process of grieving, and how it doesn’t just switch off, that there are no rules.

Leena’s love life is very entertaining too, and I was rooting for one particular character throughout.

So in conclusion, just do yourself a favour and go and buy this book. It’s ace. Beth O’Leary writes wonderful stories it would seem, about wonderful, quirky, normal people. I’ll be waiting and ready to read whatever she puts out there next, of that I’m sure!
  
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Kristy H (1252 KP) Aug 3, 2020

I'm so looking forward to reading this - glad to hear how much you enjoyed this!
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Ross (3284 KP) rated Squeeze Me in Books

Oct 13, 2020  
Squeeze Me
Squeeze Me
Carl Hiaasen | 2020 | Crime, Humor & Comedy
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
It's hard to satirise the most absurd president in history
I received a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I am quite a big fan of Carl Hiaasen, having discovered his quirky corrupt Floridian crime novels as a recommendation for fans of Chris Brookmyre. His books are filled with pollution, government corruption, and bizarre things happening to extreme characters.
Squeeze Me follows the strange disappearance of a rich old fan of the president (who isn't explicitly named but is a bulky chap who likes a tanning bed and has a younger, more attractive wife) at one of her many charity balls near her winter Florida home. Coincidentally, pest control expert Angie Armstrong is asked to dispose of a large, engorged python from the property. There then follows a rollicking tale of cover-ups, dodgy gangsters, racial intolerance, extra-marital affairs and murder, and a small appearance from everyone's favourite governor-turned-hobo-eco-terrorist.
This book is fairly typical of Hiaasen, with all the different characters crossing paths through unlikely events and plots. However, his books are famed for their extreme, unbelievable bad guys: the hoods hired to do a corrupt supposedly honest businessman/government official's dirty work. We have had someone in the past whose hand was bitten off and replaced with a weed-whacker, someone who was hooked on steroids and raped by a dolphin etc. This book is sadly lacking of such characters, as all the bad guys are fairly textbook thugs or criminals.
Also, Hiaasen readers are used to the unbelievable corruption at the hands of government officials, but when the real life president is so corrupt and unethical, any such corruption will struggle in comparison to the real thing. The president is more of a bumbling oaf who hires one man purely to service his sunbeds, another as a body double to test them out before he uses them. His racial hatred of non-North Americans is present, but becomes a small part of his character here.
This is a book about the bizarre adulation towards the president in those who are in his outer inner circle and clamouring for his attention, and the industry that builds up around them.
It is a little bit of a letdown from Hiaasen's best work, but still a great crime and corruption caper.