The Swap

Hot damn! This book was fantastic!

Take a night out at a friend’s house, mix in some “shrooms and do a little spouse swapping and you have one heck of a mess – an enchanting, toxic, burning down like a house on fire mess.

Low Morrison lives on an island off the Pacific Northwest. She lives with her hippie polyamorous parents and younger brothers. She does not quite fit in and for once in her life finds purpose and a connection when she signs up to take pottery classes from Freya. Low soon becomes friends with Freya.

Freya, the beautiful pottery instructor is married to an ex-hockey player and was once an Instagram influencer. She now fills her days making pottery and teaches classes. Freya did not want to move to the island, but her husband insisted after the event that ended his career. She does not quite fit in either. She soon makes friends with Low.

Jamie and her husband moved to the island for quiet time. He is an Author and needs the solace to write and possibly, just possibly this will help them have a baby. Jamie sells Freya’s pottery in her store and she and Freya become friends.

Low does not like that Freya and Jamie have become friends. She wanted to keep Freya to herself. But Freya and Jamie are around the same age and both are married. It makes sense that they would have more in common.

Things take a turn when Freya suggests swapping partners after an evening doing ‘shrooms with Jamie and Brian. What could go wrong?

Friendship is a wonderful thing – except for when it is not. Not when it is toxic and unhealthy. I loved how this book showed how low self-esteem, loneliness, isolation, and a need for companionship can make people easily overlook, forgive, excuse, or ignore when someone is mistreating them. Plus, it also shows how vapid, self-absorbed, and manipulative some can be.

This was on heck of an absorbing page turner for me! I could not put this book down. There is a lot to digest and ponder in this book. There were also some things I was willing to overlook. I was having too good of a time reading this to care that grownups where turning to a young girl for emotional support, advice, doing their dirty work, etc. But then again, they are all so desperate and wacky that it also made sense. Plus, if Low’s parents were not off having sex with everybody and their brother, they might have been more concerned about the amount of time their daughter was spending with those much older than her.

This was a fabulous distraction from current life, and I loved every single page. Heck, I may even take up pottery, what else am I going to do, read? lol.

A fast paced, well written, page turner which did not disappoint. I was hooked from page one and had a hard time putting this book down. I found it to be absorbing, fun, and full of tension. It was basically just what I needed!

I received a copy of this book from Galley/Scott Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.