Swapping Lives

The grass is always greener as this book portrays. Vicky Townsley is single but not loving it so much. She has a top job in London with "Poise" magazine. The only thing missing is a husband and children to make her life complete.Amber Winslow is a stay-at-home mom who had been a practicing attorney. She and her husband are extremely wealthy due to the husbands job on Wall Street. However, Amber is unsatisfied with her life. She has everything. She lives in a beautiful neighborhood outside of Manhattan. She spends tons of money on her clothes and her lifestyle.The editor of "Poise" magazine comes up with a plan. She wants a successful single woman and a married mom to switch places to find out which lifestyle is the best. Vicky is chosen to switch lives with Amber the stay-at-home wealthy mom.Once their lives are swapped, Vicky and Amber are surprised to find that they miss their lives. The insights that they glean from their switch help them to make changes in their lives going forward.This is a fast chick lit read that I found enjoyable.

This was an okay chick lit book. I think I'm losing my patience for these kinds of books, but they are perfect for listening to on the long drive to and from work. I don't have to exert too much attention in order to stay focused.Vicki, the features director at Poise magazine in England, is single and wonders what it would be like to be married with children. She decides to find out by writing an article for Poise magazine after swapping lives with a married woman for a month. Amber, a housewife living in the Connecticut suburbs, exhausted by trying to "keep up with the Joneses", is the perfect swap partner. She is married with two beautiful children. It seems like an intriguing premise, but it took over halfway through the book before the swap even took place and honestly, the build up to the swap was rather boring.Amber really got on my nerves. So caught up in her society lifestyle, she was forever buying all the expensive brand-name clothing and hiring ridiculously expensive interior designers to decorate her home, all to impress her society "friends" who were constantly judging her and talking behind her back. We're supposed to feel sorry for her choice to live this shallow lifestyle? She rarely spent time with her children, but I felt we were supposed to be sympathetic to her plight. I felt she was a shallow, neglectful mother, leaving the nanny to take care of everything in regard to her children.When the two women swap lives, predictably, they miss their own lives. I didn't learn anything new here. It was an ok book and was an easy read, but seemed quite shallow (at times outright annoying). Very predictable.

This novel is another delight from Mrs. Green! Swapping Lives explores the lives of two women who live in completely different worlds. The first woman, Vicky, is a single features editor at a British magazine. The other woman, Amber, is a wealthy Conneticut socialite with a husband and two children. Both women are going through a rut in their lives and wonder what it would be like if (for Vicky) she had a husband and kids and (for Amber) if she was suddenly single again, would their lives be more fulfilling? In order to find out they swap lives for a month in an experiment to see if they'd truly be happier in another woman's shoes. As expected there are some predictable, chick lit elements to this book. But, overall the novel is entertaining and you will find yourself rooting for both heroines as they discover that the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

Yet another well rounded story based loosely on the TV show "Swapping Lives", but with more character development. Funny, witty and filled with insights about how most women often long for what they don't have until they get the lightbulb perspective of what they do have is pretty good. Green always manages to fully vet her characters so that even when the story lags a bit, you're so invested in the players, you remain engrossed. Fans will love this one as much as all her other books. Well done Jane!

Jane Green returns to some of what made her great in this novel, but I consider it the last of her greats before she began to get formulaic. I adore Vickie and have a bit less patience for Amber, but Green perfectly captures both a single girl and high society American life.

Is the grass greener on the other side? Or in this case, is her life better than mine? A successful single gal temporarily swaps lives with a rich, routine-oriented mom. The result? Our lives and our choices are the right ones for us! For the real-life version of this theme, read, "I'll Have What She's Having"!

I discovered Jane Green in London. Since Mr. Maybe always followed her books. And loved them. This one is a nice book. You have a nice time reading it.

Fun easy reading, but also thought provoking. While searching for "the grass that is always greener", what would you find about your life to change or appreciate more.

I thought the start was a bit slow but once it got going it had a good pace to it. Vicky and Amber who were both not satisfied with their lives both found out more about themselves by living each others lives. Still can't work out who was happiest.

A well written book that shows that life is not always greener on the other side. Enjoyed the characters especially the ladies of the league and how bitchy they were.

Haven't some of us ever wondered what it would be like to temporarily switch places with someone, maybe because we might think their life is so much more glamourous ? In her usual style, with warmth and true understanding, Jane Green takes Vicky and Amber on that journey.

It was a very easy read, I kept waiting for things to happen....but they never really did. Its a good concept for a book....but poorly executed. There was no conflict..apart from one or two things that were skimmed over.

Jane Green has been a favourite of mine since Jemima J......that said, some of her mid to later books seemed a bit cringey and earnest....and I’d like her to think of another word to use rather than “discombobulated” as frankly she’s done that to death!!! Anyway, this one is well worth a read and back to her usual sparkling work!