This book started out really slow for me. It didn’t hold my attention. But that changed as I got further into it. This is a book of strong women and the difference they can make. It’s slightly paranormal and so good. An unlikely friendship forms between three women, each with their own ways to contribute to the solution. Girls are going missing in a rich, white enclave and the women must figure out where the girls are and how to fix the problem. Great story, well written, and kept me guessing until the end.

This book is the most captivating read of the summer! The main characters are strong, empowered women who are unapologetically formidable, whip-smart and powerfully female. The book reads like a middle finger to men who think they are bigger and better and stronger than women. And for this, I loved it!
The genre is fantasy with mystery and thrills. There are three badass women in their mid-lives who have unique "gifts" and are hell bent on righting the wrongs done to young women.
You will be cheering for these women as they work together with their mystical gifts to uncover a serial killer and right the wrongs of someone who literally got away with murder.
I love the female power aspect of the book, I loved the well developed strong characters. It's out of my usual genre but completely compelling in a way that is like no other book I've read. It's a top choice for this year for sure!

The Change had a really interesting premise - instead of women loosing power and status at menopause, the women Mattauk gain a power during this normally depressing time period. Nessa, a widow who's twin daughters have gone off to college, discovers she can "see" dead people -a gift inherited from her aunt. Jo, a gym owner, finds her energy is growing, and she gains a new strength. Harriet has been jilted by her husband for a younger woman, and develops a skill with plants - particularly lethal ones. When Nessa discovers the bodies of several young women close to a private, exclusive beach, the three women bind together to investigate, and meet out revenge to the men that preyed on the girls. The book was over 400 pages, and although the premise was great, it was a bit of a slog sometimes to keep going.

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✨The Change by Kirsten Miller✨

Genre: Fiction
Pages: 480

📚 In the Long Island oceanfront community of Mattauk, three different women discover that midlife changes bring a whole new type of empowerment…

After Nessa James’s husband dies and her twin daughters leave for college, she’s left all alone in a trim white house not far from the ocean. In the quiet of her late forties, the former nurse begins to hear voices. It doesn’t take long for Nessa to realize that the voices calling out to her belong to the dead—a gift she’s inherited from her grandmother, which comes with special responsibilities.

On the cusp of 50, suave advertising director Harriett Osborne has just witnessed the implosion of her lucrative career and her marriage. She hasn’t left her house in months and it appears as if she and her garden have both gone to seed. But Harriett’s life is far from over—in fact, she’s undergone a stunning metamorphosis.

Ambitious former executive Jo Levison has spent thirty long years at war with her body. The free-floating rage and hot flashes that arrive with the beginning of menopause feel like the last straw—until she realizes she has the ability to channel them.

Guided by voices only Nessa can hear, the trio of women discover a teenage girl whose body was abandoned. The police have written the victim off as a drug-addicted sex worker, but the women refuse to buy into the official narrative. Their investigation into the girl’s murder leads to more bodies, and to a world of stupendous wealth where the rules don’t apply. With their newfound powers, Jo, Nessa, and Harriett will take matters into their own hands…

📝Three magical women joining forces to solve a murder? Yes please💁🏻‍♀️

The writer managed to create a story that is both entertaining and insightful. Nessa, Jo and Harriett are such relatable and nuanced characters. I enjoyed how the book presented a character study on each of them. We learn of their lives, struggles, and personal growth.

The book is well-written and the plot kept me interested in the trajectory of the story.

💫Thank you partner @netgalley and @williammorrowbooks 💫

I loved every page of this book! The Change is a book about middle aged women, feminist rage, and female empowerment with a healthy dose of magical realism and fantasy elements. I couldn’t get enough. In these crazy times, this is just the book we women need to get ourselves fired up and ready to fight for whatever needs done.

Very interesting book. What woman hasn't at one point felt the way Harriet, Ness or Jo did?

Great characters - I'd love to read about them again! This book was long - but it kept you turning the page to see what was next. Great summer read.

While some books fit nicely into a genre silo, The Change is a mash-up of genres, and for readers, it works out quite nicely. Put mystery, fantasy, magical realism, and three extraordinarily strong female characters together and you are absolutely heading for change!

Three seemingly different women come together to investigate the death of a young woman, but we quickly learn that while each of our characters appears to be different, there is one very common and uniting thread that weaves within each one: they each possess an incredible power and have yet to realize what good can come from it. Once the trio fully embraces just how powerful they can be, there is nothing that can or will stop them from reaching their goal.

Fantasy/magical realism is not within my usual reading genres, so I was extremely pleased with how this book not only kept my attention but had me not really wanting it to end. There is so much more that this trio of women can teach us!

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for this ARC.

I loved:
▶️ The pacing of the first part of the book, fast and pulled me in so fiercely that I was convinced this book was going to be amazing.
▶️ Loved the feminist vibe and how none of these women took crap from any man in this book. It was empowering.
▶️ Harriet, she was my favorite character by far. Seeing her transformation was wonderful.

I hated:
▶️ How the pacing of the book about halfway through turned to a tortoise crawl.
▶️ The length of this book… too long! It could have been 150-200 pages shorter.
▶️ How it took everything I had to finish it and in the end I felt like the book was just ok.

The Change is primarily held up by a trio of strong women: Jo, a tough-as-nails small business owner, Nessa, a kind widow at a crossroads, and Harriet, a former advertising genius learning a new way to push beyond conventions. We quickly learn there's a supernatural tie between the women as well: each possesses a power that, when combined, uniquely positions the women to bring victims of heinous crimes justice.

The women live in an idyllic New York town reserved as a waterfront summer getaway for most, yet, as any murder mystery fanatic knows, there is a darkness looming in the town deeper than the residents could have imagined. Once the trio discover the first missing girl, their path is set in motion. The main characters strengthen their resolve and develop an admirable friendship in the face of extreme ugliness.

On paper, I should've loved this. I liked it just fine (and enjoyed bits very much), but overall, it fell a little short for me. Jo, Nessa, and Harriet were each very likable characters that were enjoyable to join, but their growth was stunted, which was a disservice to the narrative of growing into your own unique vision of yourself. The story didn't drag necessarily, but the length didn't do it any favors either. I found myself feeling rather alienated as a reader Miller seemed to not understand. Some selections were smart and subtle with clues and themes running as a strong undercurrent in the text, but they would be followed by a selection of overly expository text and hashtag phrases that came off as out of place attempts to reach readers new to the genre.

The savvy marketing behind The Change ensnared me as a dark murder mystery investigation spearheaded by strong women who --surprise!-- are a little supernatural. The text itself delivered what it promised, but as much as I enjoyed elements of it, it missed the mark for me.

This might be the best book I’ve read ALL year! I have no idea what I expected when I picked up this book but it was definitely not what I experienced reading this story!! It was amazing. It pulled me in and sucked me into this trio of women who made me laugh, cry and get frustrated with all the “men” in their world. I don’t want to give any spoilers, and in fact I think going into the story blind like I did, will make this journey more exciting. Grab this book! Grab an extra for your sister or best friend!

great! I loved the relationship that the three main characters, Nessa, Jo and Harriet build together. They each have powers (aka “gifts”) that complement one another and help them bring justice to a community with a lot of buried secrets. There are lots of twists and turns in this enjoyable book. Such a good read! Thank you #netgalley for the ARC of #thechange

I love a good story featuring a strong, independent woman ascertaining her own power - her own voice. The Change features three such women staring down midlife crises while struggling with the tough hand dealt them by life. It would be easy to fold, but instead they combine their newly discovered powers to challenge the status quo and thumb their noses at men who have relegated them to lesser positions in life. The end result for readers is a fantastic blend of genres including fantasy, mystery and women's fiction with a heavy side of social commentary all rolled into one high action, graphic story that I believe will appeal to readers across the board.

Three middle age women who have been dished by the men in their lives in one way or the other are dealing with the dreaded "change" and they resent it. Is this it? Is their life over? It wasn't suppose to be like this. When faced with more of the same old, same old, they must decide what they will do with the rest of their lives. Forming a friendship leads to each of them realizing and sharing their individual special gifts with the others. Nessa hears voices as her grandmother did before her - of people who have passed on. Harriet is a plant guru and healer, and Jo can channel all the rage she's feeling through her body and into other objects. When the three band together to seek revenge for a brutally murdered seventeen-year-old girl, no force on earth can stop them from hunting down and eradicating the evil hiding in this town. They're on a mission for justice and revenge for the dead girl/s discarded like yesterday's trash, for all the injustices women have suffered at the hands of men, for the poor, the forgotten, the lost. In doing so, these three hellions blaze a path of fury through the wealthy city of Mattauk, Long Island. Heaven knows, the self-claimed entitled residents' money won't protect them from these three as they put the world on notice. They're taking it back.

The Change is a stunning story that runs the gamut of human emotions. Readers are sure to find themselves cheering these women on as I did - laughing and hollering one minute and raging mad the next - producing the perfect balance to keep me turning all 500+ pages as the stakes are raised and the violence escalates. The author's expertise at interspersing wit and sarcasm into the grim story line helps tone down what might otherwise be considered male bashing, although one can argue that most men in this book certainly deserve what they get. Nessa, Harriet and Jo may be considered vigilantes - and I guess on one hand they are - but I see them as women coming into their own, shedding the roles forced upon them by society and welcoming their new found freedom and the many changes occurring in their lives. It's powerful watching them come to the realization that they're more than they've been told, that life isn't over at forty or fifty or even sixty. It's out there waiting for them if they're brave enough, strong enough to seize it with no fear.

Miller has rendered an epic, genre-defying, action-packed story featuring a mixed smorgasbord of genres with something for everyone. She flawlessly weaves in backstory, pulling readers in as they learn where these women came from and what sparked and fueled their rage. Support characters's stories are also shared, making readers privy to what drove them to become the people they are - good or bad. The end result is an intimate connection with almost all of the characters. The pursuit of a serial killer serves to drive this story forward at a breakneck speed through twists and turns to the final reveal. Miller brilliantly wrestles the multitude of threads together by the end, turning them into a masterpiece - an extraordinary story that flows from beginning to end showcasing several tough social issues with humor and grace.

The Change is for every person of a certain age who has been passed over, turned down and made to feel somewhat less. It's raw, at times dark and yet inspirational. I hope readers catch the double meaning of the title The Change and embrace this book with all the wonder and excitement it so richly deserves. Readers of all genres - fantasy, mystery, women's fiction, realism - I highly recommend this book. Don't let the classification or the long length deter you. The Change is simply phenomenal. The book to read in 2022!

This is the feminist mystery thriller I needed this week. Five stars. - I really couldn’t put this one down. I’d give almost anything to your Harriet’s garden.

In the Long Island oceanfront community of Mattauk, 3 women discover that midlife changes bring a whole new type of empowerment. Together with their unexpected new powers - Harriet, Nessa, and Jo get swept up in the murder investigation of a young girl, that the police have decided isn’t worth their time. What follows is a tale of ghosts, murder, feminism, witchiness, and revenge. ⁣
⁣
Harriet and her plant magic was the best part for me of the whole story - she definitely stole the show! It was a bit of a slow burn, but the message is kick-ass, the females are fierce friends, and the ending was so very satisfying! This would be so great to watch on screen!

oh my gosh ... THIS BOOK.
I'm getting to be at "that age."
I rarely need the heat on when it's freezing out.
I almost always need a fan or ice-cold drink within arms reach.
Estroven is one of my new best friends.
Nothing I have ever done before to lose weight works anymore.
Yes, boys and girls, your resident Pirate Queen is well and truly in the midst of peri-menopause on top of everything else. Thanks to Kirsten Miller, now I'm just waiting for my own special super powers to take hold like Jo, Nessa, and Harriett. I would especially be happy with Harriett's. She ranks right up there with Robert Thorogood's Judith for "I want to be like her when I grow up" characters. Although, being able to scald horrible people with my hot flashes like Jo can wouldn't be so bad, either. Not sure I could handle Nessa's without freaking out completely.
You'll just have to read the book yourself to know.

I did read The Change last week after all the hype surrounding this book on Bookstagram. This was the bonkers story of 3 women with special powers focused on solving the murders of various girls in their beach town and taking down men who have wronged the girls and themselves. Bonkers. It was magical realism mixed with female empowerment and female friendship. I am here for all the strong women. I am here for the small town crime vibe. I am here for the quirky characters that made me laugh out loud. But I wasn’t here for the fact that it was ridiculously long but it entertained me and distracted me.

This book is everywhere right now and I've only seen glowing 4 and 5 star reviews. There is so much hype around this and I was SO excited to pick it up. It's being marketed as Big Little Lies meets The Witches of Eastwick and a feminist revenge fantasy. This is a very unpopular opinion and I know I'm in the minority on this one but I really did not care for it. It has very similar vibes to The Whisper Network which also was not for me. My main issue with the book is it's about 200 pages too long. I was bored for so much of this and the 'reveals' were quite underwhelming and I rolled my eyes so hard at them. I considered DNF-ing several times but wanted to see it through to see the hype and if things would turn around. This truly felt like 'all men are evil - women are far superior' messaging that was pushed throughout and yet the women are also evil and take no responsibility for their role in the drama.

In the Long Island oceanfront community of Mattauk, three different women discover that midlife changes bring a whole new type of empowerment…

This story is about three women, who have come to a turning point in their life, and find each other. They all have unique abilities and need each other. 

At nearly 500 pages, I was quite intimidated by this book but this did not feel like a long book- this flew by! I was completely enamored by these characters, especially Harriet. She is honestly one of my favorite characters of all time. I loved that the author really dissected these characters and let the reader get to know them. The slow burn writing was necessary to really bring these characters to life. 

This is a murder mystery with some magic sprinkled in. This story really highlighted how powerful determined women can be. 

I listened to some of this on audio and it was so well done. The narrator uses a silky all knowing voice for Harriet, it fit her to a T. 

This was a 5 star for me! Loved every minute of it.

“Yes, you’re afraid of me because I’m better than you are. And if you give one talented woman the power she deserves, another will follow. Then another. And together they’ll show that their way is better. Then your whole fake f*cking world will come tumbling down.” I like the quote. Three women are lead to the body of a teenage girl once they reach middle age and discover gifts they never knew they had before. The teen girl was brushed off by authorities as a sex worker with probable connections to illicit drugs, but the trio are determined to uncover the poor girls’ truth and prove police wrong. Who knew that in the process they find many more girls with the same unfortunate fate, a serial killer, AND an even bigger shock along the way?’
Thank you Netgalley, Kirsten Miller and William Morrow for the opportunity to read and review this book. Wow. I don’t even know where to start. This book had so much to offer and then some! The book itself was very powerful and amazingly written! It is a very lengthy book, and I feel like if I were to reread it I would probably get even more out of it the second time around. Very feminist and some very in-depth talk about periods, so if that doesn’t interest you, then this isn’t a book for you. It also had some serious twists involved. I really liked the characters and loved watching them grow not only as individuals but as a group as well. This book has a lot of triggers in it including drug use, rape, suicide, abuse and more. There were some parts that were a bit confusing for me, but overall I really enjoyed the book. I’m rating this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Change by Kirsten Miller is a tour de force on the power of women and the satisfaction of revenge. I enjoyed every page of this novel. The characters felt like the kind of women I hoped would become my friends, and if not, certainly not my enemies. I would love to see these women in a second novel or even a movie version of the book. A definite read.