Rating: 
Summary: Very silly
Review: Despite the fact that I'd read everything else Olivia Goldsmith had written -- I particularly adored THE BESTSELLER and FASHIONABLY LATE -- I held off on picking up SWITCHEROO, because the plot sounded so implausible. However, I found the unabridged audio version at the library, and figured it might make a good background accompaniment to housework and exercise.Well, I was right about the implausible part -- we are expected to believe that wife Sylvie & mistress Marla can change places, and not even Sylvie's KIDS would notice, to say nothing of her friend of 20+ years, her dad, etc. (Wisely, Goldsmith made Sylvie's mom be in on the plot. You can't fool a mom!) I found myself wishing that Goldsmith had made the switcheroo happen via supernatural means, a la FREAKY FRIDAY. I don't think I would have had to suspend my disbelief quite so much then! Everyone in the book is dumb as a box of rocks (Marla is an airheaded, malaprop-spouting new ager who says things like "How dare you insult my grandma" when Sylvie corrects her grammar). I will admit, though, that the final scene, when all is finally revealed, made me chuckle. And the audiobook's narrator, Cristina McMurdo-Wallis, is a marvel. I'd gladly listen to her read just about anything -- even this silly piece of fluff.
Rating: 
Summary: IN FOUR WORDS OR LESS...THIS BOOK IS HORRIBLE!
Review: Don't believe good reviews of this book. It was so simple-minded, so preposterous, and so STUPID at times, that I could not believe I was reading it all the way to the end. First of all, I won't get too much into it, but the story is totally unbelievable. Sylvie, a middle-aged housewife, finds out that her STUPID husband, Bob,(if you doubt that he is stupid, please read further) is cheating on her. She confronts his mistress, whose name is Marla, and finds that she is her EXACT TWIN, except 10 years younger, and therefore, skinnier and without wrinkles. Eventually Sylvie and Marla decide to go off to a spa together, get makeovers and plastic surgery so that they look like EACH OTHER (Bob was too stupid to ever notice that they looked exactly alike, if you can believe that) and then SWITCH PLACES, so Sylvie can get all the nookie she has been missing, and Marla can see what it's like to ACTUALLY BE MARRIED, since she's wanted to be married since the seventh grade. And NO ONE is the wiser. And then, of course, hilarity ensues. Secondly, the conversations between characters are totally inane! Example: "God, I'm an a--hole. No, I'm the world's biggest a--hole." Bob stared out the window. "Think of the biggest a--hole in the world. Now raise it to the power of ten. That's me. I am a thousand a--holes." "Don't be so grandiose," John told him. "You're just a common garden-variety adulterer. I see them every day. Your d--- is running the company right now. I might as well be talking to it." Bob nodded morosely. "You're right." He looked down at his crotch. "He's the C.O.O." He sighed. "You know what I wish? I wish I could get him off the board of directors. Or just cut it off. Or better, I wish it would just fall off. It's ruining my life." John snorted. "Bob, eunuchs are not happy guys."..."I'd like to see the research on that," Bob said as John turned the car into the driveway....... If you enjoy that passage, there's plenty more where that came from, and worse. If not, sorry to torture you. Heed my advice and don't waste your time.
Rating: 
Summary: I got caught up in this book before it ever left the store
Review: Everyone of Olivia Goldsmith's books have been wonderful, but this one made me want to stay up til wee hours just to get in another chapter. The Thanksgiving dinner chapter alone was worth the price.
Rating: 
Summary: 3 and 3/4 stars
Review: Heroine: Average/Plump Imagine the joy of finally seeing your children off to college and making big plans for rekindling the romance between your husband and you. Imagine that your plans fall through time and again because your husband is so busy with work and late-night "meetings." Imagine confronting the subject of those "meetings" and discovering to your great shock that she looks exactly like you . . . 10 years and 15 pounds ago. Now imagine, just imagine, switching places with her! What worked for me: I love funny books, and "Switcheroo" certainly had some laugh-out-loud lines and memorable moments, which was very helpful in offsetting the altogether heart-breaking story of a marriage crumbling amidst a mid-life crisis. As a wife myself, I could certainly sympathize with Sylvie Schiffer's hideous plight. But I was surprised to find how much pity I could dredge up for young look-a-like mistress Marla. Size-wise Sylvie was slightly plump and feeling frumpy in the beginning of the story, but she shed some weight in order to be able to swap lives with Marla, who gained weight for the same reason. (Ordinarily fussing over losing 10 or 15 pounds and getting plastic surgery would bother me, but I think for the most part the author handled the situation in a rather tongue-in-cheek way and gave society a bit of a thumb-to-the-nose where its beauty standards are concerned.) What didn't work for me:
Well, it's a modern-day faerie tale that uses science in place of magic, so let's face it . . . plausibility isn't really a factor here. I hope to high heaven my grown children are never so unobservant or self-absorbed that they cannot tell the difference between me and a total stranger, especially when the stranger has a completely different personality and way of speaking than I do! I wanted to like the husband, and I certainly pitied him, but the vindictive streak in me thinks he did not suffer nearly enough for the havoc he wreaked in the lives of Sylvie and Marla. And you've gotta love a word processor's find/replace tool. I certainly think there must have been a last-minute plausibility boost made to the manuscript using one. How else can you explain a 29 year old woman constantly being referred to as a young girl and talking as though she's hanging out in her dormitory lounge? Really, I suspect that Marla was 19 right up until 2 minutes before this book hit the presses. Overall: Great bubble bath book for fans of screwball comedy, but be prepared to really work at suspending your disbelief while reading. Warning: some coarse words, weight loss and plastic surgery scenarios. If you liked "Switcheroo" you might also enjoy "Infernal Affairs", "Tara Road", "Good in Bed", "Jemima J.", "Having It and Eating It", "Princess Charming", "Welcome to Temptation", "Faking It", The "Stephanie Plum" mystery series, "Plum Girl", "Bridget Jones's Diary", "Last Chance Saloon", "Fast Women", and "Getting Over It".
Rating:
Summary: Terrific reading...nothing deep, but very entertaining
Review: I bought this book knowing it would not have any big social message...but OTOH, I knew it would not be a typical "romance"novel. I have not even seen 1st Wives, so I had no notions going in. I laughed my head off. This book is so subtly humorous and so enjoyable, I could not put it down. Great book.
Rating:
Summary: O.K. but might as well wait for the movie
Review: I enjoyed "First Wives" and "Bestseller" as good beach reads but I found this one only mildly amusing. I feel like she wrote it as a treatment for the (sure to come) film script.
Rating:
Summary: ENTERTAINING PIECE OF FLUFF
Review: I enjoyed Switcheroo by Olivia Goldsmith, but it wasn't as intelligent or as funny or insightful as Bestseller or some of her other books. This was quite a enjoyable book that was basically about 2 women who are with the same man, one as his wife (Slyvie)and one as his mistress (Marla)- both look the same only the wife looks 10 yrs older. Marlahas always wanted to be his wife and Slyvie wants to be his mistress, so they change themselves a bit and viola! swap places without the hapless man knowing anything about it.. Although this story asks you to suspend belief, as it is unrealistic in places, plus the main man is definately not the brightest fellow, it is still cute and worth reading if you have a Sunday afternoon free and you don't want a 'heavy' book.
Rating: 
Summary: Let's make this a movie, Goldsmith!
Review: I enjoyed this light-hearted and "oh so true" novel about women and men and what happens when the man goes off to play! True, the story makes plenty of male-bashing jabs (I am finding this is all too often common in Goldsmith's books?) but it was told so hilariously well! It is amazing men and women share the same planet together! I would have changed the plot just a little. I was expecting Marla to be the love child between Sylvia's father, Jim, and his mistress! Wouldn't that have been interesting! How else could they look so much alike??!! Well, maybe the silver screen will pick up on this twist to her novel. Happy reading!
Rating:
Summary: Awful - One Star
Review: I feel awful having read this book. It is such a bad read that I felt bad physicaly and mentaly after listening to this crap. This thing wasn't funny. There wasn't a single moment where I even recognized humor. Maybe Goldsmiths attempt at satire was lost on me, I don't know. These one-dimensional charachters and their absolutely pointless lives. I was hoping that Bob would blow his head off in that car of his. The ending of this book is one of the biggest cop outs of all time. I do not recommend this book to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Lighthearted and entertaining
Review: I found myself laughing over and over again. A little unbelievable but that is what makes it cute. A good book for the not so serious type. I read it in 2 days.
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