lydiahephzibah's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 rounded up. A little far-fetched and the start felt a bit rushed, but the story had heart and it's a pretty good younger teen / middle grade adventure for fans of The Parent Trap!
thewoollygeek's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this, but it wasn’t my favourite read. It was interesting but nothing new or original, the characters were nice, but it just seemed a rehash of popular switch movies and books. The characters felt a little immature at times, it’s a fun read, but overall I wasn’t blown away.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
courtnetto's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
adalia_'s review against another edition
4.0
a rly good chill (kind of cringy) 'tween' book. even though it was a bit young for me, i rly enjoyed it and it was a nice change to murder mysteries lol
amysbookishlife's review
4.0
First and foremost, this was such a fun read that had me longing for summer and wanting to get away and go on holiday. This was my first trip into a Katy Cannon book and it really didn't disappoint. I was whisked away on this crazy adventure, which let's be honest none of us (even myself at 25) would have the guts to do. Also, as I love the movie Freaky Friday I was instantly hooked in by the premise of this novel.
Yes, the swapping lives trope has been done countless times but I felt that in The Switch Up there was a unique twist. It didn't feel like a copy of anything else and I really did enjoy the whole concept within the book. The plot was easy enough to follow, but was a little bit predictable. However, this didn't deter me from enjoying it. I absolutely loved the dual POV narrative between Alice and Willa. This was, in my opinion, the best way to tell their story and it was just great to get to know both characters equally. Both girls had totally different personalities and I loved getting into both of their heads. If this was done from a single POV narrative I don't feel like the story would have had as much appeal.
Can we also talk about the settings for a moment? Both were just as gorgeous as the other and I loved being taken to London for one chapter and then Italy the next. As someone who is a big fan of London and who lived there for a while the descriptions of the capital took me back to my time there and I found myself starting to reminisce. It is amazing when a book does that to me and I just adored it. Italy, well I have never been there before but just by reading The Switch Up I know I have to go in the very near future. From the descriptions it sounds beautiful, and I did feel at times like I was there. The descriptions of both settings were very vivid and this just added to the whole vibe of the book.
Alice and Willa were both really interesting characters with equally as intriguing personalities. However, it did take me a while to warm up to Willa. When I first met her I found her to the your typical 'spoiled brat' and I did start to worry if I would like her in the long run. I didn't need to worry, mind you, as as the story progressed I found myself getting to know her more and more and you do start to realise that under the facade is a pretty normal teenage girl. With Alice, well I saw a lot of myself in her. I too am a bookworm and a careful planner and I just related to her a lot despite the age difference. It was a joy to see her come out of her shell throughout the book and have her develop into a more confident young woman.
The Switch Up was an amusing, beautifully written clean teen read. It, in my opinion, is the perfect book to accompany you on your summer holiday this year or if you aren't going on holiday it is the perfect book to chill out with in your garden on a sunny day.
Yes, the swapping lives trope has been done countless times but I felt that in The Switch Up there was a unique twist. It didn't feel like a copy of anything else and I really did enjoy the whole concept within the book. The plot was easy enough to follow, but was a little bit predictable. However, this didn't deter me from enjoying it. I absolutely loved the dual POV narrative between Alice and Willa. This was, in my opinion, the best way to tell their story and it was just great to get to know both characters equally. Both girls had totally different personalities and I loved getting into both of their heads. If this was done from a single POV narrative I don't feel like the story would have had as much appeal.
Can we also talk about the settings for a moment? Both were just as gorgeous as the other and I loved being taken to London for one chapter and then Italy the next. As someone who is a big fan of London and who lived there for a while the descriptions of the capital took me back to my time there and I found myself starting to reminisce. It is amazing when a book does that to me and I just adored it. Italy, well I have never been there before but just by reading The Switch Up I know I have to go in the very near future. From the descriptions it sounds beautiful, and I did feel at times like I was there. The descriptions of both settings were very vivid and this just added to the whole vibe of the book.
Alice and Willa were both really interesting characters with equally as intriguing personalities. However, it did take me a while to warm up to Willa. When I first met her I found her to the your typical 'spoiled brat' and I did start to worry if I would like her in the long run. I didn't need to worry, mind you, as as the story progressed I found myself getting to know her more and more and you do start to realise that under the facade is a pretty normal teenage girl. With Alice, well I saw a lot of myself in her. I too am a bookworm and a careful planner and I just related to her a lot despite the age difference. It was a joy to see her come out of her shell throughout the book and have her develop into a more confident young woman.
The Switch Up was an amusing, beautifully written clean teen read. It, in my opinion, is the perfect book to accompany you on your summer holiday this year or if you aren't going on holiday it is the perfect book to chill out with in your garden on a sunny day.
goldenbooksgirl's review
4.0
This follows two girls called Alice and Willa with rather similar faces, who meet in an airport lounge and hatch a plan to switch identities for the summer to escape having to stay with people they very much do not want to. I really liked both girls (I particularly related to Alice), and loved that the dual narrative allowed me to see both their perspectives and summers. I also loved the friendships they form; most notably with each other of course, but also with the absolutely wonderful people they meet whilst pretending to be each other (Luca was my particular fave, but I was also very fond of Mabel and Hal) I also really liked the humour within the book as it made me chuckle a lot, and I thought the London and Italy settings were so fun to read about (especially Italy- the descriptions were gorgeous!). finally, I thought the way both girls developed throughout the book was wonderful, and it was lovely to see them change and learn as things went on. The perfect book for a sunny day, or even one when you need a splash of metaphorical sunshine to brighten life up. 4.5/5
ruthsic's review
4.0
The Switch Up has two similar looking girls swapping places for their summer, where they are both going to places where the people don't really know them. Willa, who is being shipped off to her aunt's place in Italy, wants to instead go to London for an acting course; Alice, who is being sent to live with her dad's old(new) (girl)friend doesn't want to really get to know her, so Willa convinces Alice to switch places. Alice gets to go to one of her mother's favorite places in Italy and Willa gets to attend the course - seems simple, but of course there are complications.
From the different personalities of the girls, to their polar fashion choices, and the details of them specified to their temporary guardians, the girls have a lot of homework to do on the other, seeing as they were strangers to each other. Each of them gets what they want, but they also come to feel bad for deceiving their temporary guardians, who are nothing but nice to each of them. I think the age of the girls (14) plays very well into making this low drama (yeah, the cover does say drama, but it is more of the family variety than teen variety), and also keeps romantic developments out. The family aspect of it is highlighted more, as a result, and keeps the story's focus on that, which was good.
On the whole, it is a nice, entertaining, light-hearted, yet emotional, story about families.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Stripes Publishing, via Netgalley.
From the different personalities of the girls, to their polar fashion choices, and the details of them specified to their temporary guardians, the girls have a lot of homework to do on the other, seeing as they were strangers to each other. Each of them gets what they want, but they also come to feel bad for deceiving their temporary guardians, who are nothing but nice to each of them. I think the age of the girls (14) plays very well into making this low drama (yeah, the cover does say drama, but it is more of the family variety than teen variety), and also keeps romantic developments out. The family aspect of it is highlighted more, as a result, and keeps the story's focus on that, which was good.
On the whole, it is a nice, entertaining, light-hearted, yet emotional, story about families.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Stripes Publishing, via Netgalley.
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