Stories that depict relationships between different generations of people are one of my personal favourites; especially when it’s family members who love each other but struggle to communicate. It’s the perfect setup for hijinks as well as some good comfort reading.
Need a feel-good pick-me-up? Give The Switch a try! This book is a warm, uplifting life-swap rom-com featuring an adorable grandmother and granddaughter duo. Meet the granddaughter: overachiever Leena Cotton, who is ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a big presentation at work. Meanwhile, her grandmother Eileen is single and about to turn eighty. Eileen would like a second chance at love, but her tiny Yorkshire village doesn't offer many eligible gentlemen. Leena, being the type of character who struggles to cope without a project to keep her busy, proposes a solution: a two-month swap. Eileen can live in London and look for love. And Leena will look after things in rural Yorkshire.
But with gossiping neighbours and difficult family dynamics to navigate up north, and trendy London flatmates and online dating in the city, stepping into one another's shoes proves more difficult than either of them expected. The quirky premise is a gateway into some absolute antics, from characters young and old. Leena gets embroiled in organising a village fair with a group of opinionated seniors and one handsome young schoolteacher. Three guesses as to what happens there. And in London Eileen is lovingly interfering in the lives of Lena’s flatmates, before turning her attention to other residents of the block of flats. All this in between her many dates! While the story doesn’t shy away from heavier topics such as grief, 
it is handled with great sensitivity and the tone overall remains warm and comforting. Like a hug in book form.
And here’s another funny book, as hilarious as it is bonkers! This is for readers who enjoy a little of the macabre mixed with their humour. And the premise isn’t so much quirky as it is borderline insane. It starts when Meddy Chan accidentally kills her blind date, and she turns to her interfering mother and three intimidating aunties for help. Their meddling set her up on the date so they kind of owe her. However, hiding a dead body becomes even more complicated when her family's wedding business has THE biggest wedding of the year happening right now. And just for extra chaos, add in a love interest, because it turns out the wedding venue just happens to be managed by Meddy's ex, aka the one who got away.
It's the worst time to see him again, or… is it? Maybe Meddy can finally find love and make her overbearing family happy.
For me, Meddy’s mother and her aunties are the MVPs of this book. These four formidable women and the sheer force of their personalities is compelling and laugh-out-loud funny. You can bet that the word “boundaries” doesn’t exist in their vocabulary. But amongst the chaos and dysfunction, there’s love, they would do anything for Meddy, including helping her hide a dead body. Although done in a hyperbolic fashion, Meddy’s struggle to balance individual aspirations with filial obligations will likely 
resonate with many readers. Particularly those from Asian families who just might have their own experiences with overbearing older relatives. To enjoy this story, I’d recommend not taking it too seriously. It has the high energy, over-the-top drama and zany humour as a soap opera, so it’s most fun if you can suspend your disbelief and be carried along from one bonkers scene to the next.
