Quercus to publish 'perfect' Flatshare follow-up

Quercus will publish The Switch, a second novel by The Flatshare author Beth O’Leary, in April 2020.

O’Leary’s debut was pre-empted by Quercus in October 2017 in a six-figure two-book deal and has been sold in 32 territories. Since it’s April release the novel has sold 10,860 UK print copies across all editions, according to Nielsen data.

The second book in the deal tells the story of a grandmother and granddaughter, Eileen and Leena, who swap lives for two months.

“Leena is tired of her busy city life,” the synopsis explains. “Eileen would like a second chance at love, but her tiny village doesn’t offer many eligible gentlemen. When Leena decides to move to Yorkshire while Eileen stays in her London flat, they believe there are fresh opportunities ahead. But with gossiping neighbours to navigate up north, and online dating to contend with in the city, stepping into one another's shoes proves more difficult than either of them expected.”

O’Leary said: “I’ve spent this last year getting to know Leena and Eileen Cotton inside out, and they’ve both become very dear to me. I can’t wait for readers to meet them and I hope they’ll fall in love with them too!”

Fiction publisher Cassie Browne described The Switch as a “perfect follow-up” to The Flatshare. She said: “Beth’s gift for storytelling and for creating charming and relatable voices is in stunning flow again and confirms her position as an extraordinary talent and a deeply exciting writer to watch.”

Agent Tanera Simons, from Darley Anderson, added: “Beth has already charmed thousands of readers with The Flatshare, and with The Switch she offers another utterly original premise and more irresistible characters. Existing fans and new readers alike will fall in love with Eileen and Leena Cotton as Beth effortlessly navigates complex family dynamics with humour and warmth.”