Reviewed by Christian
TITLE: Switched
AUTHOR: N.R. Walker
NARRATOR: Joel Leslie
PUBLISHER: Tantor Audio
LENGTH: 8 hrs and 50 mins
RELEASE DATE: September 20, 2017
BLURB:
Israel Ingham’s life has never been easy. He grew up in a house devoid of love and warmth. Nothing he ever did was good enough. The fact that Israel is gay just added to the long list of his father’s disappointments.
Then a letter from Eastport Children’s Hospital changes everything.
A discovery is made, one of gross human error. Twenty-six years ago, two baby boys were switched at birth and sent home with the wrong families.
Sam, Israel’s best friend, has been his only source of love and support. With Sam beside him every step of the way, Israel decides to meet his birth mother and her son, the man who lived the life Israel should have.
Israel and Sam become closer than ever, amidst the tumultuous emotions of meeting his birth family, and Sam finds himself questioning his feelings toward his best friend. As Israel embraces new possibilities, he needs to dissect his painful relationship with his parents in order to salvage what’s left. Because sometimes it takes proof you’re not actually family to become one.
REVIEW:
TW- For trans men: The book mentions that “all gay men” love dick and a few other things like that. It’s only about a paragraph near the beginning of the book and nothing like this ever gets mentioned again. This brought on a bit of dysphoria for me but I decided to go on with the book. It’s a heartwarming book so I am glad I did.
Israel grew up in a wealthy home with parents who were never there, did not appreciate their son being gay, and he was always trying to please them. He met Sam and his other friends in University and him and Sam became inseparable. Sam’s family became a second family to him. One day a lawyer brings in him and his parents and tells them that Israel was switched at birth with another boy.
Israel hope’s that his father doesn’t try and fire him the a job that he loves (at his father’s company). His parents try and come to terms with what is going on. Israel is lost and doesn’t know what to think or do. He is always leaning on Sam for support and Sam is a great support for him. Israel starts to see Sam in a different way and so does Sam with Israel. But now is not the time to try a relationship. Israel starts therapy and helps his father and mother through some tough times also. He gets to meet his birth mother… and others!
Switched was way more heartwarming than I thought it was going to be! Israel and Sam are such good best friends and even better lovers. They are hilarious and I literally laughed out loud a few times listening to them and their friends. It’s good to laugh. It has such a good ending.
The characters were written very well, even down to each of the parents. I wish there had been maybe one more explicit sex scene in the book. But to those who don’t care for them too much, this book would be perfect. I am glad that the book explains what Israel’s parents are going through and the certain reasons why they are the way they are.
Joel Leslie does a wonderful job with this book’s narration. I normally can’t understand Australian accents very well (I couldn’t get through Red Dirt Heart) but he does a wonderful job with these ones! He has definitely grown as a narrator in this aspect. Every character has their own tone and different speech pattern. The passion between Israel and Sam (even when they were just friends) was very real. He made them come to life.
N.R. Walker and Joel Leslie brought out almost every emotion a person can have, in this book. Wonder, anger, happiness, sadness… and everything in between. It was the perfect length and had a wonderful ending. A must read for sure!!
RATING: 
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