I heartily enjoyed this rare book of middle aged woman who cope with the change in their lives with friendship, love, & laughter.

More like a satirical exploration of women at midlife and the changes that brings on
After reading this book you’ll wish there were real people like the characters: Nessa, Jo and Harriett…and maybe want to burn your bra all over again. Wink! OK for starts, this is a mystery with some woo-woo paranormal stuff thrown in. As women in business Jo and Harriett reached their proverbial glass ceiling with no help from their male counterparts. Each handle their change in different ways but they all end up finding each other for a task none could have ever expected. There will be LOTS of twists, revelations and surprises. Ends well for some but not so much for others.
This was well-written (I only found a very few errors in my ARC) and fast-paced but I couldn’t get over the male bashing that takes place: over and over and over again. Yes, I’m sure the things attributed to the bad men could be real and yes, your ex could be atrocious, but I have sons too. I wouldn’t want them to be smeared with the same paint brush. Also, as a mother I was touched by some very poignant moments in this book. Overall, this was a fascinating book to read, but I wish there had just been less man-hating. The rest of the story is great. I volunteered to review an ARC of this book through NetGalley.

Thank you to William Morrow for the eARC of The Change!
In Mattauk, NY three women discover that with the "the change" they are also able to access powers that allow them to help other women in trouble. When the body of a young woman is discovered the women are compelled to find out what happened to her, and avenge her death.
This book was a complelling mystery that I could not put down!

Tough women, magic, humor and a dash of mystery. This book had some powerful quotes throughout the book on heavy topics, but threw in some witty banter as well to help balance it out. I enjoyed hearing the backstories of each women and how they came to be…badass! I’d recommend this book for anyone who loves a good mystery and is looking to dive into magical realism.

One of my favorite books of the year! This has been a blast as it has been a bookclub pick for many of my local groups.

When I started this I loved it so much and thought it was easily going to be my favorite of the year. About 60% in and it started to fall flat for me. I’m seeing this trending with other books I’ve read lately so maybe it’s just me. But let’s talk about what I loved. I loved the fantasy concept of women getting special powers once they go through menopause. As a woman of that age, I’m like sign me up!! 😂 Menopausal superheroes? Hell yes. Also loved the satirical writing style. There were parts that made me laugh at their outrageousness while also covering some serious topics. The murder mystery part was basic, so don’t expect anything shocking there. Overall it was satisfying in the end.

If you love bad-ass woman and watching them come into their own and harness their power, you will love this story. It's very reminiscent of Witches of Eastwick, and I can definitely envision this being a killer option for making into a movie. I'd certainly watch it. When I grow up, I want to be the perfect blend of these three (and sometimes four) ladies. I have never been the loudest advocate for women owning their glory simply because they are women. I personally believe it's more of personal empowerment than female empowerment, but these women make me want to ROAR!!!!

Thank you William Morrow for gifting me an eARC of this book to review via NetGalley. This book was a cool concept, and it taps into two topics popular with women right now: serial killer mysteries and fighting the patriarchy. Three women discover that menopause is not the end, it is the third phase of life, and during this phase, some discover they have superpowers. The three women find each other and work together to uncover the source of the mysterious deaths of young girls in the area. I hope this becomes a series, and it will absolutely make excellent tv!

In a country where being a woman is starting to be scary, The Change is the perfect screw the patriarchy, burn it all down girl power book! I loved the characters, their friendship, and their struggles. It was part mystery, part comedy, part women's fiction and just a wonderful read!

THE CHANGE follows three middle-aged women who are called to each other due to their distinct powers. Young women are being murdered in their oceanfront community and these three unlikely friends work together to bring justice to these girls and their families. Miller skillfully weaves elements of mystery and suspense with humor and magical realism. This was a super fun read with major themes of female friendship and empowerment. I basically inhaled it & highly recommend for fans of The Witches of Eastwick, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, Cackle, and Practical Magic.

Read this book! I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. I’ve never read anything from this author, but I certainly want to do so again. I cannot pinpoint a single problem with this book. The pacing, the character development and character journeys, the plot, the heroes and villains, and the wisdom are all top-notch. This is a feminist manifesto and a fantasy, a vision for what we wish could be.

The three main characters are Jo, Nessa, and Harriett, unlikely friends drawn together by complementary gifts and desires. All are at slightly different stages in life, having experienced similar sex discrimination but having different life experiences. All are strong women determined to make a difference and ensure that justice is served. There are some obvious unspoken references to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, but they only serve to reinforce the themes. They almost serve to display a different POV, but in the end, there’s no valid excuse for their behavior.

I think one of my favorite things about this book is the multitude of quotable statements, some of which I feel I simply must share. I’ll end my review with these.
“Nothing ages a person like poverty and misery.”
“‘Witch’ is the label society slaps on women it can’t understand or control.”
“...in case you haven’t noticed, somebody’s always killing women.”
“...every recipe is a spell. And all cooks are witches.”
“Anyone who needs a reward to be good isn’t good. They just like rewards. Good people do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do.”


There are a couple that made me laugh:
“Do I know you?” Harriet asked, “her head cocked, like a cat contemplating a roach.”
“Harriett greeted Chase with all the enthusiasm she would have shown a chin hair.”
Nessa makes this observation about the chief of police: “Rocca was in his early fifties, with the robust physique of a triathlete and the personality of a barbell.”


Another woman tells Nessa, “You’re the light that holds back the darkness… Women like you have always existed. Without you, the world would be thrown out of balance.”

Discussing places where women are not welcomed, so-called ‘boys’ clubs,’ Harriett says, “Of course, we’re allowed…It would be scandalous if we weren’t allowed. So instead, we’re just not invited. Plagued by doubt because of all the failures Jo experienced in her professional life, she has a breakthrough because of Harriett’s words about not being ‘invited,’ at which point she realizes, “Jo had been good enough all along. They’d made her feel like a failure, when the truth was, they just hadn’t wanted her around. There was nothing she could have done.”

Nessa, who was widowed when her police officer husband was killed, contemplates the justice system, which “was designed to punish, not protect.” Nessa, Jo, and Harriett, on the other hand, want to protect.

This statement is telling: “No one teaches girls how to take care of themselves. We train them to be pretty and kind and polite right before we set them loose in a world filled with wolves. Then we act surprised and horrified when some of them get eaten…those people who wanted girls to be docile and disciplined were often the ones who took advantage of them.”

And this statement is profound, and therefore, one of my favorites: “Why do you think women are designed to outlive men? Why do we keep going for thirty years after our bodies can no longer reproduce? Do you think nature meant for those years to be useless? No, of course not. Our lives are designed to have three parts. The first is education. The second, creation. And in part three, we put our experience to use to protect those who are weaker.”

This is my other favorite quote: “God may have dictated the Bible, but it was put down on paper by men. And over the years, men have changed things that don’t make them look good. In the original story, Eve was the hero, and this snake was her friend… No animal is ever totally tame… They’re either too lazy to eat you or waiting for just the right moment…The most dangerous beast in Eden was Adam… He was God’s first try at humans, remember? And from the outside, he was magnificent… But there was something wrong with him—the thing that had convinced God to try again. He’d just come off making the animals when he went to work on Adam, and he forgot to change one little thing. Like the animals, Adam was driven by bodily needs. When Adam wanted to rut, all the reason God gave him went right out the window. With animals, sex is natural. What made Adam so dangerous was his desire to dominate…stay far away from those who seem driven by their desires. Don’t be one of the women who think they can feed those men. Those that do meet one of two fates. They either end up getting eaten—or they turn into monsters.”

What an interesting and unique story! I had no idea what to expect out of this and was so pleasantly surprised. I really loved how unique each of the main characters were. Feminist revenge in a small coastal town? YES PLEASE. The balance between mystery, murder, and humor was magic (😉-IYKYK). The tensions was continuously building and the character development was great. The only thing keeping this from five stars: I felt that the flashback chapters, while very important, seemed ill fitted into the story and didn’t flow smoothly.

While the writing was good, this wasn’t my favorite book. It seemed to be doing too much. There were a few too many storylines just for the sake of it and I found it to be too long.

This was such a crazy ride witchy ride I found kind of over the top at times but still couldn’t stop turning the pages. There were a lot of twists and turns that were at times completely unrealistic even taking into consideration the paranormal elements of the story but it was so very very entertaining that I didn’t care about the lack of logic in the plot . Would definitely recommend this if you are looking for a wild adrenaline filled witchy thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kirsten Miller, and publisher William Morrow for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a meaningful manifesto on female empowerment. I really enjoyed each of the characters and their powers. It was dark yet hopeful, heartfelt, and full of depth--all of which I enjoyed. But at times it felt a bit too on-the-nose during the latest Supreme Court rulings and everything else going on in the world, and I think I would've enjoyed it more if the world around me didn't feel so heavy. The magical realism simply drove home the sense of helplessness I feel in daily life lately. Also, it was about 100-150 pages too long and my attention waned in the middle (hence why it took me so long to finish it--I paused it to read Stephen King's Misery 🤣).

I enjoyed the heck out of this book. I had saved several quotes from it that I just loved but I'm stupid and my kindle upgraded and I have no clue how to find them. Anyways, this book is what that stupid Dietland should have been.

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

"I choose vengeance. She’s the only mistress I serve."

Girls are disappearing. Girl's bodies are being found. When no one seems to take an interest because no one deems the girl's lives worthy enough, a small band of women are pulled together by matched anger and frustration to figure out what's going on and who these girls were.

This was wonderful. I loved our three MC's - Nessa, Herriet and Jo. They each had such strong personalities and I loved each of them for the compassion and witchy goodness they brought to the table. I also found the end to be realistic. I read this with a book club and we tried to find relevant, real world cases that seemed to maybe be inspiration for this one and, unfortunately, there were too many to narrow down. This is why the story is so good- relevant, well written with characters you love and vegeance so sweet. I don't know if I started off loving the cover but by the end, I couldn't imagine any other. I loved this one

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

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I am the perfect reader of this book, a woman of a certain age… 😂 or am I actually 😭?
Jo, Nessa, and Harriett are women who have discovered they have unique “gifts” as they’ve reached menopause, and together they’re using their new skills for some vigilante justice.
At roughly 500 pages it might look long, but this novel flew by giving voices not only to these three main characters, but a number of women who’s stories deserved to be told. It’s empowering in giving voice and importance to women of all ages. I loved this unique blend of fantasy and mystery, and I know this one is going to be on a lot of favorites of 2022 lists.
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I really enjoyed The Change, but unfortunately I didn't make it all the way through before my advanced copy expired. I will be looking to either borrowing from the library or buying it so I can complete the book and provide a review.

This book was very fun and entertaining. I did feel it was a bit too long as other reviewers mentioned but I did enjoy the side stories. I disagree with other reviewers that ALL of the men in the story were painted in a negative light. That just isn't true. Art, Franklin, and Jonathan were positive male characters. I'm not sure if we were supposed to be in the dark along with Jo and Nessa about who the "bad guys" were but it was obvious to me so there were no surprises in the end. I don't read a lot of fantasy/magical realism but I enjoyed this one and would definitely recommend!