Sophie Reads YA: Katy Cannon

2022 Beat the Backlist challenge

ARC Review: The Switch Up: L.A. Exchange (The Switch Up #2) by Katy Cannon

11:00

The Switch Up: L.A. Exchange
Series: The Switch Up #2
Author: Katy Cannon
Published June 25th 2020 by Stripes Publishing

Goodreads Synopsis
WILLA
Film director
LA insider
Impulsive
Looks like Alice

ALICE
Eco warrior
LA tourist
Cautious
Looks like Willa

Alice can't wait to visit Willa in LA – home of Hollywood, where dreams come true. Their plan is to explore the city and see the sights, but then Willa gets the opportunity to work on the film project of her dreams and she can’t say no! The only problem is she is absolutely 100% supposed to be taking part in a beach clean-up. Which, now she thinks of it, sounds pretty perfect for Alice... Can the girls really swap lives again? Cue plotting, outfit swapping and award-winning performances. But everyone knows that real life is nothing like the movies…

The second instalment in THE SWITCH UP series and the perfect read for fans of GEEK GIRL and SUPER AWKWARD.
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

After being caught pulling the switch up last summer, Willa and Alice have become the best of friends. With Willa now living in LA, and Alice in London, they haven't seen each other for 9 months, but the Easter holidays is just around the corner, and Alice is headed for California to spend her break with Willa. But when Willa gets into trouble at school, and is forced to 'volunteer' at a local beach clean up charity, as well as being invited to help with a film shoot, she's spread too thin. How can she do both of these, and spend time with Alice? Can they pull off another switch, or have they learnt from the past?

This book was a quicker read that the first one, but at the same time, I think I got a little more annoyed at parts. I loved that Alice and Willa have stayed in touch, and are now really close friends, but really, have they learnt nothing? They knew that they had hurt people - namely Luca and Hal, and their parents - by the lies in the summer, so why could they think that to have Alice take Willa's place at the beach clean up, getting to know and grow close to Jake, without it causing some pain? I did like how it was all resolved though, and I think I'd probably read a sequel - I want to know what happens with Alice's dad's wedding. If you liked book 1, you'd probably enjoy this one.

Dates Read:
January 2, 2022

Rating
3 Stars

2022 Beat the Backlist challenge

ARC Review: The Switch Up (The Switch Up #1) by Katy Cannon

10:00

The Switch Up
Series: The Switch Up #1
Author: Katy Cannon
Published June 13th 2019 by Stripes Publishing

Goodreads Synopsis
WILLA
Drama queen
Fashion guru
Spontaneous
Looks like Alice

ALICE
Bookworm
Allergic to fashion
Planner
Looks like Willa

LAX Departure Lounge. Two girls board the same flight to London as complete strangers. When the plane touches down, it’s the beginning of the craziest plan ever. Can Willa and Alice really swap lives for the summer?

Things are going to get complicated...

The first in a fun new series, this summer read is The Parent Trap meets Freaky Friday and is perfect for fans of GEEK GIRL and SUPER AWKWARD.
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Two girls bound for London from LAX decide to pull off the biggest prank ever. Willa Andrews and Alice Wright have never met before, but when they are put together in the Unaccompanied Minors lounge, abandoned by the parents for the summer and sent to stay with people they've never met, they hatch a plan. For the three weeks they are going to be away from home, they'll swap lives, and be the other person. Alice wished she could stay with her father in Australia, rather than being shipped off to London to stay with his 'friend' (girlfriend), and Willa wants more than anything to be in London, at her acting course, rather than on a farm in Italy. It sounds like the perfect plan, and somehow, they pull it off. But the longer they spend with the people they meet, the harder it is to lie and keep up the facade. And what will happen when the truth, inevitably, comes out?

This is a book that I've tried to read about three times now, and every other time I only managed to get about a third of the way through before moving on to something else. However, I decided to start 2022 focusing on old ARCs, and persevered through The Switch Up, and it's sequel, quite quickly. This was an okay book. It's definitely one focused on more of the younger side of YA, and I reckon kids in years 7-9 would love it. Out of the two characters, Alice was my favourite. I think she has a similar personality to what I had as a teen, whereas Willa was too much of an extrovert and very dramatic for my liking. I did feel really sorry for them, feeling abandoned by their parents for the summer, when they were going through changing and challenging times in their lives. I enjoyed the book, but I think the amount of lying to others and lack of planning annoyed me a little too much, so I only gave this book 3 stars. If you enjoyed The Parent Trap or Freaky Friday, this is probably a book for you.

Dates Read:
January 1-2, 2022

Rating
3 Stars