What do you think?
The Life Swap: a fresh, funny, big-hearted story about two sisters and one big idea
'Full of heart ... an accomplished debut. An ideal summer read that will make you laugh and tear up on the same page' Irish Times
'A page-turner with real heart' Roisín O'Donnell
'A riotous sisterly romp full of heart and humour' Kathy Lette
'Warm, uplifting - readers will love getting to know Sinead and Sarah' Niamh Hargan
Two sisters. Two messy lives. One idea that's going to fix everything...
No plans, no responsibilities - Sinead's 'living the dream' in Belfast. Really, she's been fired, her friends are fed up with her, and her judgy big sister won't answer her calls.
Single parent and out-of-work actor Sarah has just found out urgent repairs to her house in Dublin are going to cost a fortune. So she doesn't have the energy to deal with her immature sister Sinead, who only ever phones when she wants something.
When Sarah lands a high-paying role 100 miles from home, Sinead has a Sarah can stay at Sinead's houseshare while filming, and Sinead will move into Sarah's place to take care of her kids. Problem(s) very easily solved!
Stepping into each other's lives isn't quite what they expected though. As Sinead struggles with the non-stop chaos of parenting, Sarah rediscovers her rebellious streak - and how fun a crush on a handsome stranger can be. This summer the two sisters might finally start to understand each other. But will it be enough to fix everything?
'Great entertainment! Sisters in all their messy dysfunctional glory, rising to their separate challenges and learning to mend fences and reclaim lost relationships' Roisin Meaney
'Funny, big-hearted, and far too relatable. Read it before your own sister does!' Salima Saxton
'A page-turner with real heart' Roisín O'Donnell
'A riotous sisterly romp full of heart and humour' Kathy Lette
'Warm, uplifting - readers will love getting to know Sinead and Sarah' Niamh Hargan
Two sisters. Two messy lives. One idea that's going to fix everything...
No plans, no responsibilities - Sinead's 'living the dream' in Belfast. Really, she's been fired, her friends are fed up with her, and her judgy big sister won't answer her calls.
Single parent and out-of-work actor Sarah has just found out urgent repairs to her house in Dublin are going to cost a fortune. So she doesn't have the energy to deal with her immature sister Sinead, who only ever phones when she wants something.
When Sarah lands a high-paying role 100 miles from home, Sinead has a Sarah can stay at Sinead's houseshare while filming, and Sinead will move into Sarah's place to take care of her kids. Problem(s) very easily solved!
Stepping into each other's lives isn't quite what they expected though. As Sinead struggles with the non-stop chaos of parenting, Sarah rediscovers her rebellious streak - and how fun a crush on a handsome stranger can be. This summer the two sisters might finally start to understand each other. But will it be enough to fix everything?
'Great entertainment! Sisters in all their messy dysfunctional glory, rising to their separate challenges and learning to mend fences and reclaim lost relationships' Roisin Meaney
'Funny, big-hearted, and far too relatable. Read it before your own sister does!' Salima Saxton
381 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 2, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 8, 2026
This was a cute read, I loved the Irish setting, though you might not understand a lot of references if you've never been to Dublin.
I liked the story but it dragged on and could have been a bit shorter. The ending was good, it rounded the story up perfectly!
I liked the story but it dragged on and could have been a bit shorter. The ending was good, it rounded the story up perfectly!
July 7, 2026
Really lovely story! Everyone knows a Sarah and Sinead. All the characters were great and definitely had some laugh out loud moments with this one!
August 15, 2026
August 2026 at Bikini Island Hotel Port de Soller.
This was just what I was looking for for the poolside holiday read. It was an easy LOL read about two sisters Sinead and Sarah set in Belfast and Dublin. Sinead, the messy unreliable sis stepped up when it mattered most and boy did she have me laughing and crying all at once. To think douche morons like Declan exist had me rage.
This was just what I was looking for for the poolside holiday read. It was an easy LOL read about two sisters Sinead and Sarah set in Belfast and Dublin. Sinead, the messy unreliable sis stepped up when it mattered most and boy did she have me laughing and crying all at once. To think douche morons like Declan exist had me rage.
July 14, 2026
✨Sisters✨Family Dynamics✨Humour✨Life Swap✨Belfast✨Dublin✨
Two sisters, both alike in their stubbornness, in fair Dublin (and Belfast) where we lay our scene.
Apologies, I’ve just rewatched Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet. Back to the book review…
A decade ago, Sarah and Sinead’s mum, Bernie, died, and ever since then the two sisters have struggled to connect.
Recently unemployed from her marketing job and skint, younger sister Sinead lives in Belfast with increasingly disenfranchised flatmates Barry and Marta. Life is one big party to her, but everyone else seems to be calming down, in one way or another. Everyone besides Sinead.
Sarah is a single mum to six-year-old twins and lives in Dublin. Her ex, Declan, is somewhere on the other side of the world with his camera taking photos of invertebrates (or something). All Sarah know is that he is about as reliable as a chocolate teapot.
When she discovers a fungal colony on her attic and is told that the roof needs to be replaced asap, Sarah has no choice but to accept a gig that will take her away from home for a few weeks but crucially enable her to fix that roof.
But who on earth could watch the kids?
Aunty Sinead to the rescue! For a financial reward, obviously (charity begins at home, afterall).
Sarah and Sinead agree to swap homes for the month; Sinead will take care of the kids in Dublin, and Sarah will crash at Sinead’s whilst she films in Belfast.
What could go wrong?
I loved seeing how the sisters caught glimpses into the others life, especially as they both believed that the other had it far easier and thus got to know each other in a way that they never had before.
The relationship, humour and dialogue felt natural and real.
The Life Swap may quite possibly have given me my favourite line in a book this year: ‘It’s self-preservation,’ Sarah would explain to the visitor. ‘Like, you know when you’re in a shop and Maroon 5 comes on? Yes, it’s an assault on your ears. Yes, it all sounds the same. But you just learn to block it out.’
As someone who worked in a department store once upon a time that insisted upon repeating Maroon 5, I felt the sentiment to my very core.
This is Jeananne Craigs first novel, and I’m already looking forward to reading whatever she blesses us with in the future.
Two sisters, both alike in their stubbornness, in fair Dublin (and Belfast) where we lay our scene.
Apologies, I’ve just rewatched Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet. Back to the book review…
A decade ago, Sarah and Sinead’s mum, Bernie, died, and ever since then the two sisters have struggled to connect.
Recently unemployed from her marketing job and skint, younger sister Sinead lives in Belfast with increasingly disenfranchised flatmates Barry and Marta. Life is one big party to her, but everyone else seems to be calming down, in one way or another. Everyone besides Sinead.
Sarah is a single mum to six-year-old twins and lives in Dublin. Her ex, Declan, is somewhere on the other side of the world with his camera taking photos of invertebrates (or something). All Sarah know is that he is about as reliable as a chocolate teapot.
When she discovers a fungal colony on her attic and is told that the roof needs to be replaced asap, Sarah has no choice but to accept a gig that will take her away from home for a few weeks but crucially enable her to fix that roof.
But who on earth could watch the kids?
Aunty Sinead to the rescue! For a financial reward, obviously (charity begins at home, afterall).
Sarah and Sinead agree to swap homes for the month; Sinead will take care of the kids in Dublin, and Sarah will crash at Sinead’s whilst she films in Belfast.
What could go wrong?
I loved seeing how the sisters caught glimpses into the others life, especially as they both believed that the other had it far easier and thus got to know each other in a way that they never had before.
The relationship, humour and dialogue felt natural and real.
The Life Swap may quite possibly have given me my favourite line in a book this year: ‘It’s self-preservation,’ Sarah would explain to the visitor. ‘Like, you know when you’re in a shop and Maroon 5 comes on? Yes, it’s an assault on your ears. Yes, it all sounds the same. But you just learn to block it out.’
As someone who worked in a department store once upon a time that insisted upon repeating Maroon 5, I felt the sentiment to my very core.
This is Jeananne Craigs first novel, and I’m already looking forward to reading whatever she blesses us with in the future.
August 4, 2026
Picked this up at Dublin Airport and it’s been a great beach read. Had me giggling to myself and devoured it in 3 days.
August 26, 2026
4.5 🌟 ughhhh I just loved this 🥹 the complicated sister dynamic, navigating after the loss of a parent really screamed out to me. Think: The Holiday if it was set in Belfast / Dublin with chaotic sisters. Such a cosy read too. Big fan.
July 17, 2026
An absolute joy of a book, the perfect summer read, or winter, or spring or autumn even. Read and enjoy.
July 28, 2026
The Life Swap by Jeananne Craig published July 2nd with Hachette Ireland and is described as ‘a heartfelt, laugh-out-loud debut novel about what happens when big sisters step back and little sisters step up’.
Sinead and Sarah grew up with a mother who very much loved them but, who struggled at times to keep the household afloat. As the older sister, Sarah always felt a responsibility to be the sensible one and not to be adding to her mother’s concerns. On the other hand, Sinead, the youngest, was flighty and feisty. She trod the path of the rebellious teenager, often causing much stress in the home. As the years went by the relationship between the two sisters could be fractious but things really came to a head when their mother died. Sarah felt an enormous responsibility, with an old head on very young shoulders, but Sinead handled her grief differently, leaving a gaping hole in their relationship that resulted in many sparring matches over the years.
Now Sinead is still living life like a student, paying little heed to the adult world she inhabits. Her friends love her but even their patience is thinning out. Meanwhile Sarah is feeling the pinch. As an unemployed actor and a single mum, with two young children to care for, she is under serious financial pressure. When she gets the shocking news that her home is in need of serious roof repairs she can feel her situation slipping out of her control. She is exhausted, worn down and feeling the loneliness of this life she now lives.
When an unexpected work opportunity arises Sarah is thrilled and excited but there is one big catch. The role is in a Belfast-based production which is 100 miles away from her home in Dublin. She can’t drag her kids along after her as there would be too much upheaval with their education so what to do? The answer comes from the most unlikely source when Sinead, currently jobless, suggests a house swap that will also be a life swap. She will move into Sarah’s home and mind her children, while Sarah can move in with her housemates in Belfast and make some money, while also revitalising her acting career.
Over the following days and weeks both sisters discover snippets about the life choices of the other, with slivers of understanding unwittingly slipping into their consciousness. But after years of both not ever really truly acknowledging the pain the other is carrying, is it too late for Sarah and Sinead to be the friends they once were when they were children?
Jeananne Craig captures beautifully that unique relationship between sisters. While often antagonistic, a bitterness can sometimes become entrenched and left to fester over the years. Sarah and Sinead lost their way following their mother’s tragic death, when they were both on the cusp of adulthood. Both had their own path to follow but they never really allowed for the fact that it was okay for both of them to think differently and choose differently. While Sinead was very much stuck in her student days, Sarah was a mother with her own distinct challenges to face. This life swap was an opportunity for both to have a sliding doors type of experience that had the potential to bring them closer or drive them further apart.
Sinead and Sarah will be relatable to many readers which really adds a lovely authenticity to their story. With the perfect combination of humour and warmth, it is an uplifting tale that will simultaneously bring a tear and a smile. A beautiful debut, written with genuine empathy and a vibrant wit, The Life Swap is a very easy book recommendation from me!
Sinead and Sarah grew up with a mother who very much loved them but, who struggled at times to keep the household afloat. As the older sister, Sarah always felt a responsibility to be the sensible one and not to be adding to her mother’s concerns. On the other hand, Sinead, the youngest, was flighty and feisty. She trod the path of the rebellious teenager, often causing much stress in the home. As the years went by the relationship between the two sisters could be fractious but things really came to a head when their mother died. Sarah felt an enormous responsibility, with an old head on very young shoulders, but Sinead handled her grief differently, leaving a gaping hole in their relationship that resulted in many sparring matches over the years.
Now Sinead is still living life like a student, paying little heed to the adult world she inhabits. Her friends love her but even their patience is thinning out. Meanwhile Sarah is feeling the pinch. As an unemployed actor and a single mum, with two young children to care for, she is under serious financial pressure. When she gets the shocking news that her home is in need of serious roof repairs she can feel her situation slipping out of her control. She is exhausted, worn down and feeling the loneliness of this life she now lives.
When an unexpected work opportunity arises Sarah is thrilled and excited but there is one big catch. The role is in a Belfast-based production which is 100 miles away from her home in Dublin. She can’t drag her kids along after her as there would be too much upheaval with their education so what to do? The answer comes from the most unlikely source when Sinead, currently jobless, suggests a house swap that will also be a life swap. She will move into Sarah’s home and mind her children, while Sarah can move in with her housemates in Belfast and make some money, while also revitalising her acting career.
Over the following days and weeks both sisters discover snippets about the life choices of the other, with slivers of understanding unwittingly slipping into their consciousness. But after years of both not ever really truly acknowledging the pain the other is carrying, is it too late for Sarah and Sinead to be the friends they once were when they were children?
Jeananne Craig captures beautifully that unique relationship between sisters. While often antagonistic, a bitterness can sometimes become entrenched and left to fester over the years. Sarah and Sinead lost their way following their mother’s tragic death, when they were both on the cusp of adulthood. Both had their own path to follow but they never really allowed for the fact that it was okay for both of them to think differently and choose differently. While Sinead was very much stuck in her student days, Sarah was a mother with her own distinct challenges to face. This life swap was an opportunity for both to have a sliding doors type of experience that had the potential to bring them closer or drive them further apart.
Sinead and Sarah will be relatable to many readers which really adds a lovely authenticity to their story. With the perfect combination of humour and warmth, it is an uplifting tale that will simultaneously bring a tear and a smile. A beautiful debut, written with genuine empathy and a vibrant wit, The Life Swap is a very easy book recommendation from me!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I loved this story of two, semi-estranged Northern Irish sisters forced by necessity to step into each other’s shoes.
Sinead is a young, single woman living with flatmate-friends in Belfast. Although she works in marketing, her hard partying lifestyle hasn’t changed much since her university days. But lately, her flatmates are finding her hangovers less amusing – and so is her boss. When Sinead loses her job, she wonders if her straight-laced sister, Sarah, with her lack of financial concerns and easy life, can help her out.
Although she’s fortunate to have the Dublin home her boyfriend inherited from his grandmother, nothing else in Sarah’s life is easy. Said boyfriend abandoned her and their six-year-old twins. He rarely pays child support, let alone visits. And Sarah’s burgeoning career as an actress has had to take a backseat to the demands of single motherhood. Commercials and voice-overs allow her to work within school pick-up times. But when she gets an offer for a role for a famous film director, expensive home repairs force her to take the offer, even if it’s in Belfast. Then again, since her sister lost her job, babysitting the kids might force some responsibility on her for the first time in her life.
For financial reasons, Sinead and Sarah exchange lives, and begin to build a better understanding of the sibling they’d earlier dismissed. This was a lovely story, and I enjoyed following along on Sinead and Sarah’s life swaps – and to see how their new sense of understanding helps to change their own lives for then better, too. Also accompanied by great Irish humour and atmosphere. Highly recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy - all thoughts are my own.
Sinead is a young, single woman living with flatmate-friends in Belfast. Although she works in marketing, her hard partying lifestyle hasn’t changed much since her university days. But lately, her flatmates are finding her hangovers less amusing – and so is her boss. When Sinead loses her job, she wonders if her straight-laced sister, Sarah, with her lack of financial concerns and easy life, can help her out.
Although she’s fortunate to have the Dublin home her boyfriend inherited from his grandmother, nothing else in Sarah’s life is easy. Said boyfriend abandoned her and their six-year-old twins. He rarely pays child support, let alone visits. And Sarah’s burgeoning career as an actress has had to take a backseat to the demands of single motherhood. Commercials and voice-overs allow her to work within school pick-up times. But when she gets an offer for a role for a famous film director, expensive home repairs force her to take the offer, even if it’s in Belfast. Then again, since her sister lost her job, babysitting the kids might force some responsibility on her for the first time in her life.
For financial reasons, Sinead and Sarah exchange lives, and begin to build a better understanding of the sibling they’d earlier dismissed. This was a lovely story, and I enjoyed following along on Sinead and Sarah’s life swaps – and to see how their new sense of understanding helps to change their own lives for then better, too. Also accompanied by great Irish humour and atmosphere. Highly recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy - all thoughts are my own.
August 7, 2026
A heartwarming, honest journey of complicated circumstances between sisters Sarah and Sinead (no fada).
If you have a sister or not you’ll find the relationship between both women very relatable. We all have someone in our life who we’ve kept at arms length or simply grown apart from thanks to the chaos of everyday life and responsibilities. Or maybe, a devastating series of past events one can’t let go.
Sinead is the definition of life of the party, but she’s also a passionate worker, deeply protective of who she loves and very easy going. She shares a flat with Barry and Marta (everyone needs a pair of friends like them) and is going through a major life shake up. The time has come in her life to face responsibilities without losing herself.
Sarah is a single Mom to her adorable twins. She is a talented actress who is at a crossroads in her life. Very responsible and tough, she desperately needs money to fix her roof and gets offered the role of a life time, but it’s in Belfast, and she is in Dublin. Her useless ex and Father of her children (his insufferable selfishness was written very well, too well 😭😂) has left her with no support.
With Sinead out of work and needing to repair her life and Sarah desperately needing the money from this wonderful acting opportunity, both sisters must learn to rebuild and trust each other. Together as a team they are unstoppable. By swapping their everyday lives, both woman are given the opportunity to understand each other on a level they never have before.
The writing was pristine, the plot wonderful and a joy to read, I found myself just flying through the pages. It was also very funny. Overall, a great debut!
If you have a sister or not you’ll find the relationship between both women very relatable. We all have someone in our life who we’ve kept at arms length or simply grown apart from thanks to the chaos of everyday life and responsibilities. Or maybe, a devastating series of past events one can’t let go.
Sinead is the definition of life of the party, but she’s also a passionate worker, deeply protective of who she loves and very easy going. She shares a flat with Barry and Marta (everyone needs a pair of friends like them) and is going through a major life shake up. The time has come in her life to face responsibilities without losing herself.
Sarah is a single Mom to her adorable twins. She is a talented actress who is at a crossroads in her life. Very responsible and tough, she desperately needs money to fix her roof and gets offered the role of a life time, but it’s in Belfast, and she is in Dublin. Her useless ex and Father of her children (his insufferable selfishness was written very well, too well 😭😂) has left her with no support.
With Sinead out of work and needing to repair her life and Sarah desperately needing the money from this wonderful acting opportunity, both sisters must learn to rebuild and trust each other. Together as a team they are unstoppable. By swapping their everyday lives, both woman are given the opportunity to understand each other on a level they never have before.
The writing was pristine, the plot wonderful and a joy to read, I found myself just flying through the pages. It was also very funny. Overall, a great debut!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Is the grass greener? How accurate is our judgement of someone’s life from the outside? Are relationships set in ways that can’t be shifted?
‘The Life Swap’ tackles complicated relationships with characters who are flawed and real and who you can really get behind.
These are characters I will think about for a while, working through how I first viewed them through the development the author grants them.
The author avoids a trite and simplistic ending, instead giving us a sense of hope for the future launched from where we leave these characters.
Love discovering an author I will look for in coming works.
I was grateful to read this through NetGalley and the opinions are all mine.
‘The Life Swap’ tackles complicated relationships with characters who are flawed and real and who you can really get behind.
These are characters I will think about for a while, working through how I first viewed them through the development the author grants them.
The author avoids a trite and simplistic ending, instead giving us a sense of hope for the future launched from where we leave these characters.
Love discovering an author I will look for in coming works.
I was grateful to read this through NetGalley and the opinions are all mine.
August 26, 2026
I love a good life swap book, and this one delivered on the trope. Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity. I enjoyed the contrast between the city and small-town settings as the characters step into each other's worlds. Watching a single, carefree career-focused woman realize that childcare is a lot harder than it looks made me chuckle, keeping a small one out of trouble is no small feat. It was also interesting to see how a stressed-out single parent dropped in a child free Belfast house-share has the opportunity to breathe. It’s warm, highly relatable, and a genuinely enjoyable read from start to finish.
July 15, 2026
Fun and funny read!
September 8, 2026
Loved this book I laughed out loud in a lot of parts ! Loves the Derry banter looking forward to her next novel
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews