Switchcraft

by Mary Castillo

Best friends since back in the day, Aggy and Nely are as different as two women could possibly be. Aggie's slim, stylish, and owns an upscale boutique and a long history of no-strings relationships. Nely has a busy baby, a metiche mother-in-law, and some extra post-pregnancy pounds she can't quite shed. And when they reconnect at a New Age spa, each friend finds herself wishing just a little that she had the other one's life. Big mistake! Thanks to the metaphysical meddling of a somewhat grumpy guru, Nely is now Aggie and Aggie is Nely—switching bodies, love lives, families, closets . . . everything! The grass may not be quite as green as it originally appeared. As luck has it, they'll be stuck this way until the next full moon! And with a husband, his very suspicious mama, a temperamental tot, a business on the brink of disaster, and a sort-of boyfriend—not to mention a sleazy stalker—thrown into the mix, Aggie and Nely suddenly find they're not just walking in each other's shoes . . . they're running!

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Fantasy

304 pages, Paperback

First published September 25, 2007

About the author

Mary Castillo's novels have turned romance and mystery readers into dedicated fans. She is the author of The Dori O. Paranormal Mysteries starting with Lost in the Light and Girl in the Mist. Her romantic comedies include Switchcraft, In Between Men and Hot Tamara and novellas featured in the anthologies, Orange County Noir, Names I Call My Sister and Friday Night Chicas.

Reviews

[Jenna Lundgard · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5
Throughout the book it was going a pretty good pace but by the end it was so fast and they didn’t say when they switched narrators and it got really difficult to understand. I liked it for the most part but there were some parts that I hated. Anyways it was alright

[Sandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited about reading this book. The story seemed fun enough. I was expecting a nice light read for the summer.

I think the story had potential. Unfortunately, the writing did not live up to anything. This book was filled with errors in punctation, grammar, and just plain ridiculous mistakes. Let me explain myself: Audrey is mispelled in one instance, where it said Audre. Near the end of the book, Jeff's name is suddenly Charles. What's up with that? And I just noticed that, right there on the back cover, Aggie is spelled Aggie and Aggy. How does a book get published with so many oversights? How do characters names get messed up like that?

It just bothers me a lot when I see mistakes like this in a book. It felt like I was reading a first draft. This author may have the imagination, but she definitely does not have the writing skills. On top of the blatant mistakes that leapt off the pages, there were loose-ends and in some parts of the book, we couldn't tell who was who anymore. This author should definitely get a good writer, revisor or editor to proofread her books and CORRECT them BEFORE putting it out there on stores' shelves for people to buy. When I buy a book, I'm expecting a finished product, not a rough draft. Typos happen. Sometimes a little mistake slips in. But Mary Castillo's book has so many, there is no excuse. Perhaps writing classes would be a good investment to consider.

Sorry.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a cute, fun read!!!! I read this book in 3 or 4 days.

[R. Jetleb · Rating 4 out of 5]

An old theme -switching bodies - redone. I had a hard time getting into it, but along the way I started to care about the characters and how it would all turn out. The ending was a twist I did not see coming, and the ending was satisfying.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute

This book would make a great beach read. Light and sassy with humor and awkward dilemmas, this is an easy fun novel.

[Ronda · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was like reading a rough draft. There were many errors, and the plot was really choppy. I should have DNF'd, and couldn't wait to be done with it.

[Vicky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Aggie is a high maintenance, no strings attached single owner of a failing boutique. Her best friend, Nely, is an overweight, married mother of an eighteen-month-old and subject to an overbearing, meddlesome mother-in-law. Both look at each other’s lives with a touch of envy.

While on a girlfriend’s weekend at a New Age spa, the pair end up getting their spirits switched into each other’s bodies. What follows is a month of mishaps, misadventures, and a new understanding of each other.

The story is a bit cliché having been done in “Freaky Friday” (twice) and other similar stories. The premise is different in that the switch lasts a full month. The evil mother-in-law is also a stereotypical cliché. In addition, the writing is mediocre, making one wonder if Avon is in need of a good copy editor. There were multiple point of view shifts, many within the same page, leading to confusion as to whose head we were in and when. While in one person’s POV, we were given information from another character that the first person had no way of knowing, such as while talking on the phone in Character 1’s POV, Character 2 pounded on the wall – something the point of view character had no way of knowing. For this one sentence, we were drawn out, then abruptly dumped back. There were also a couple of loose ends left dangling or with unsatisfactory ends.

I think with a good editor and a major re-write, this could be a very good story. As it stands, it is mediocre at best. If you can ignore the cliché’s, stereotypes and head-hopping, go ahead and try this story. But if you’re just looking for a fun “switch” story, go rent “Freaky Friday.”

[Mary]

Of course, I loved writing it but I hope will you enjoy reading this fun, challenging story about the best friends.

Reader Reviews from HarperCollins' FirstLook program where readers are treated to Advanced Reading Editions

» "Unlike other body swap stories Mary Castillo's new novel, Switchcraft is fresh, mesmerizing, and unmatched in what could have been a very derivative story in the genre. Castillo's unique story is creative in that it deals with Latina peers and the culture of their machismo men. It is modern without being stereotypical."
--Terrilyn F.

» “An enjoyable ride. The best, most painfully realistic character and plot device comes in the form of the overbearing, meddlesome, nightmarishly passive-aggressive mother-in-law. If you are married, you will either cringe in recognition or sigh in relief at this hideously controlling and yet totally human creature.”
--Victoria M.

» “Switchcraft is full of humorous moments along with touching insights about being a mother. I enjoyed the twists and turns down to the last page!.”
--Ana A.

» "Intriguing, fascinating tale which allows us to discover how self-insight can lead to beneficial life changes! I thoroughly enjoyed this book."
--Barbara K.

Thanks,
Mary

[Reese · Rating 2 out of 5]

My rating is more like a 2.5. I enjoyed it in the beginning of the book and it really held my interest, however, towards the latter part of the book (including the ending), it just didn't do it for me. I think that's another reason why it took me so long to read the book.

This book was about 2 bff's (Aggie and Nely). Aggie's single, stylish, blunt and owns her own boutique desperately wanting to settle down... but with who?. Nely's timid and passive (esp when it comes to her nagging mother-in-law), a married-stay-at-home-mom to an 18 month old who I think may be suffering from postpartum. With life so busy and crazy for the both of them, they decide to take a weekend trip to a New-Age Spa. During a late-night meditation excercise, something goes wrong, leaving Aggie and Nely switching places and trapped in the other's body until the next full moon. No matter if it's your best freind or someone you think you know.... it really is the hardest thing to do. In their case... it's almost impossible.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Friends, Aggie and Nely, are now leading lives that are very different lives They go on a girls weekend that includes a meditation session with a guru known for his transcendental powers. They get more than they expect when, during the meditation, they exchange bodies. Even more frustrating is that they have to wait until the next full moon to change back.

I really enjoyed this book. It is chick lit but it does delve into problems people have to face at one time or another, relationships, trust, child rearing and peer pressure to name a few.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun, quick read about two woman who each think the other has the better life. How many times have we thought are friend or a sister has it so much easier? Aggy and Nely get a chance to find out - and the grass is not greener on the other side! I loved Guru Sauro - what a fruitcake, just the guy to get it all messed up but exactly what was needed at the same time. This reminded me of a grown-up version of Freaky Friday. The switch starts bad but is beneficial to both because each friend does something the other friend never would have done but really helps in the other's life.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this on sale at the bookstore and needed a quick read before I started my next bookclub book. This was a cute story about 2 friends - 1 is a mother and the other is single. Both envy eachothers lives believing they have it good. They end up accidently switching bodies after a weekend getaway and live each other's lives for a month. It's a learning experience for them both that the grass isn't always greener. It's a fun read

[Mevia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story was lacking. There were parts where names were wrong or characters' children weren't introduced well, causing confusion. Needs a ton of proofreading. It has great potential and the author had good characters, but this book needed more development and a closer attention to detail. There was a "Charles" that should have been a "Jeff" and countless typos. I thought that was very sloppy editing.

[Isabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun story from one of my new favorite authors. I love that Nely calls her mother in law La Cacuy. Haven't we all wanted to do that at some point. It was a great "the grass is greener on the other side" kid of story. Give it a try you will not regret it.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good beach read. Has a fun trading places premise between two friends who lead quite different lives. Be prepared to stretch a bit for believability. The ending was especially interesting and I actually sat up a bit to read that part.

[JoLene · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars (rounded to 3)
Somewhat typical chick-lit, although here there are two heroines. It was nice to see a happy marriage (even with an unhappy MIL). From the title, I thought that there would be some witch-craft involved, but this was more new-agey.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bubblegum read: light and fun. Exactly what the cover and cooky name promise. May not have been a "great" book by literary standards, but I'm a sucker for cheesy plots like switched bodies, so I enjoyed it.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very reminiscent of a Freaky Friday type scenario, but it was a quick read, and I enjoyed it.

[Ellenjsmellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started this, but had to return it to the library to get a couple of books on my list. I will return to this one some day. It has a latina flair to it.

[Berit · Rating 1 out of 5]

I usually love trading-places novels, but this was the dumbest book I've read so far this year!

[Consuelo · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining easy read.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick, easy read. Didn't love the ending, but I enjoyed the story.... Kind of made me wonder if this is what it would be like if Erin & I switched lives :)

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best friends' version of Freaky Friday.

[Emily Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit confusing in the beginning, yet I felt it was a good story. Just not a great one.

[Kate]

Light & fun!

[Sophia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is very much like the original Freaky Friday and predictable.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luv'd it!

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

quick and easy...thanks carrie!

[Laura McKenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, easy, entertaining read. Interesting characters, too.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was a decent beach read but I don't highly recommend it