“No list of thrillers is complete without Robyn Harding,” proclaims Real Simple. Now the USA TODAY bestselling author of The Party delivers a riveting tale about the toxic relationship between two couples after a night of sexual shenanigans, and the manipulative teenager with an explosive secret at the center of it all.

Low Morrison is not your average teen. You could blame her hippie parents or her looming height or her dreary, isolated hometown on an island in the Pacific Northwest. But whatever the reason, Low just doesn’t fit in—and neither does Freya, an ethereal beauty and once-famous social media influencer who now owns the local pottery studio.

After signing up for a class, Low quickly falls under Freya’s spell. And Freya, buoyed by Low’s adoration, is compelled to share her darkest secrets and deepest desires. Finally, both feel a sense of belonging…that is, until Jamie walks through the studio door. Desperate for a baby, she and her husband have moved to the island hoping that the healthy environment will result in a pregnancy. Freya and Jamie become fast friends, as do their husbands, leaving Low alone once again.

Then one night, after a boozy dinner party, Freya suggests swapping partners. It should have been a harmless fling between consenting adults, one night of debauchery that they would put behind them, but instead, it upends their lives. And provides Low the perfect opportunity to unleash her growing resentment.

Book Type:

Psychological Thriller

Review: The Swap

Major trouble ensues after a night of couple swapping in Robyn Harding’s latest, THE SWAP.

High-school senior Swallow “Low” Morrison is immediately taken by the striking Freya Light. She seems so independent, spirited, different from those who surround her—a sharp contrast to her hippie, poly-amorous parents. Low has never quite fit in with those from her Pacific Northwest island community and she innately knows they have a lifelong “soul connection.”

After signing up for her pottery class, Low falls deeper under Freya’s spell. And once Freya begins to share secrets with her, Low begins to see her as her best friend—she’s no longer alone.

“Freya was a best friend, a parent, and a crush all wrapped up in one worldly, glamorous package. Later, people would say I was obsessed with her, but I wasn’t. With Freya, I was home.”

But in comes Jamie, who recently moved to the island with her husband after a devastating failed adoption. Jamie and Freya become fast and unlikely friends, as do their husbands, and once again, Low is on the outs.

Then one boozy night, Jamie and Freya swap partners and it changes everything. Worse yet, Low uncovers secrets with the power to destroy them all, and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to get Freya back.

Harding weaves a spiraling narrative rife with tension. Feelings of adoration, obsession, jealously and desire ratchet dangerously, in a way you know won’t end well. But it’s Harding’s characters that shine in this unnerving tale. It’s a character study that reveals the darkness and desperation within. The need to be seen and loved. The vanity and violence that lurks in the shadows. I was rapt, unable to tear myself away from seeing just how far these people would go.

Read it—it’s a provocative, page-turning tale of obsession perfect for a weekend binge.

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