Wow! I went into this blind based on people I follow raving about it and am happy I did. The Change isn't my usual genre, but I ended up liking it much more than I anticipated! I love a good revenge story, and these characters didn't disappoint. I l appreciated how everyone in the town was linked and had their own backstory, with themes female empowerment, strength, and friendship running through it all. I did guess the final, final twist, but it didn't take away any of my enjoyment of things actually playing out. I wish the book was slightly shorter, as it dragged a bit, but ultimately I enjoyed it and would absolutely read another book (or a sequel?) from this author! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

“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.”

Sometimes, a book, even at nearly 500 pages, is not long enough.

Sometimes, the bookstagram hype is real.

Sometimes, you find yourself reading too fast because you must know what’s going to happen but you force yourself to slow down because you do. Not. Want. It. To. End.

Sometimes, you read the last chapter more than once because you just can’t bear for it to be over.

Sometimes, you buy multiple versions of the same book so that you have a copy with you everywhere (I have the ebook, hardcover, and audible).

Sometimes, you read a book so good that, when you turn that last page, you need some time. You need a minute to collect your thoughts. A book hangover, if you will.

I see why this was the @gmabookclub pick for May! This is one of those books that gives you a fresh perspective on the world. I just cannot even put into words how much I loved it. Strong, strong women breaking down the patriarchy?! Oh yes! All of the yes!

Thank you to Netgalley, William Morrow Books, and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

While this story was a bit bizarre (a supposed witch, a woman who sees dead girls) and trippy, it flew by in a flash and drew me into this unlikely group of friends.

I think each of the women bring a particular part of themselves to work well with the others.

This book was about finding out who murdered these girls and getting the justice that they deserve. This felt very modern because the rich "get away" with things and because the girls are from poor backgrounds... They were just disregarded! It was very sad but very fulfilling in the end for the help they got after death.

The Change by Kirsten Miller = Witch detectives 🕵🏻 🧙🏻‍♀️✨

The cover is really cool but so is the story. This book has a little bit of everything. It’s a very diverse read celebrating the natural “powers” (strengths) of women that go unnoticed. There’s a very intense story line but it also seemed a little like a cozy mystery to me at times which was a little confusing.
The writing was a little inconsistent, there would be pages when I would be totally immersed in the story but then some random, or immature lines would bring me out of the story. This is a fun ride and will have the reader furiously turning pages to find out all of the mysteries.

If you like strong female leads with a little bit of supernatural, mystery, and feminism, this is definitely something you should pick up.

INCREDIBLE! Don’t delay in picking up this binge worthy book of middle aged BADASS women!! 5 STARS!!

This was a really fun book! 3 woman from a long island community, Jo, Nessa, and Harriet, realize they developed powers as midlife changes approach. Nessa can hear, and see the dead. Together, guided by Nessa, the three woman find a woman's body left on a remote area of the beach. The police say she must be a drug addicted sex worker. The woman know that's not the case as more bodies turn up. They choose to use their powers to find out what exactly happened, and they will stop at nothing to get revenge.

I loved this witchy, feminist, fantasy story. I only removed a star because it was a bit on the long side, and parts draged a bit. But I definitely would recommend this book. This is a great read with some humor and would be a fantastic beach read!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

I read The Change purely based on the bookstagram hype. And look, I get it. This is a fun feminist revenge fantasy, and who among us hasn’t wanted to smash the patriarchy on occasion? But this book gives crazy, over-the-top, hysterical feminist rather than real, nuanced, strong, multidimensional feminist. The story is unique and engaging, but the end was a let down. I guessed the twist about halfway through the book… it just seemed so clear what was going to happen!

I wanted to love this one and can see the appeal - it’s fun to imagine getting our revenge! But it just didn’t work for me.

Thanks to William Morrow and Netgalley for the gifted copy.

The Change by Kirsten Miller is a strong revenge story embracing feminism and magic flair. A fierce ⭐⭐⭐⭐ read for me!

A body is found by Nessa who is beginning to embrace her familial gift of helping the dead. Her friends, Jo and Harriet, also discover gifts as they enter the change of menopause, and unite with Nessa as they pursue justice for this tossed out girl all in the most unorthodox ways! This opens up a can of worms for all the women, their families and friends, and the community. Most of all, for the toxic men in the town.

I wasn't sure I loved all the vengeance, but when it occurred to me that all of this would be an amazing and deserved end for every soulless monster involved in the still unfinished epstein saga, I had to admit I liked it more. This is a story that imagines justice for all those who buy their way out. I really liked how the women came together. This is what we all should do with our gifts, especially when they are extraordinary (and whose arent?!).

I did still feel sad that though the ending was satisfying, it didn't leave me satisfied. Maybe that's not a bad thing. I am also of the opinion that exacting vengeance leaves scars too, and that was dismissed in this story.

All said, once I framed this story in my own way, I did enjoy it! It has some really fun dialog and the heroine's are definitely not stepford wives.

Thank you to @NetGalley and @williammorrowbooks for the digital ARC of this book! Lucky for all, this is out now and is a @gmabookclub choice!

The Change by Kirsten Miller is one of my favorite reads of 2022 thus far! Not simply because it is a unique thriller, but more so because of the amazing strong female characters that the author created in Nessa, Jo, and Harriett.

In the small island community of Mattauk in the season of change in these three women’s lives we see many common experiences that will make this book relatable to many. Layer in the fantastical of powers that they find within both metaphorical and literal this book is a twisty ride of something much more than a whodunit read.

Career, death, identity, hope, responsibility, struggle and more - all are navigated by these women in unique and profound ways as they seek to solve the deaths of teenage girls using these newfound powers.

This is my first book by Kirsten Miller and it most certainly will not be my last. If you’re curious about the hype that this book is seeing know that it is worthy of it.

Great read about the power of women and the friendships that bind them together. Women that seem very different realize just how much they have in common and what they can accomplish together.

I did not enjoy this book. I felt it was more for YA audience. I was especially disappointed after all the hype – – I felt the "girl power" and this was very contrived. Clearly I am in the minority as most people seem to be enjoying this book.

A well written story of the power at the heart of all women, and those who choose to use that power for good. I literally could not put this book down. It grabbed my attention and never let go. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

▪️REVIEW▪️

The Change ~ Kirsten Miller

🙏🏼 Thank you to @williammorrow for this advanced eARC COPY

▪️READ IF:
* You consider The Witches of Eastwick a classic!
* You are ready to be totally wowed.
* The power of female friendships has sustained you.

▪️SUMMARY: In a quiet Long Island town, three women start to experience the changes that mid-life brings and soon realize that with change, comes strength.

Harriet Osborne, Jo Levison, and Nessa James are friends bound together by special powers and fierce determination. When a teenage girl’s body is found on the beach, they attempt to seek justice but learn that a narrative has already been spun, far from the truth. They soon realize that the only way to save these girls and rewrite the rules is to take matters into their own hands…

▪️REVIEW: I don’t read fantasy and long books make me nervous - but I read this and my god, I cannot stop talking about it!! This book was everything I didn’t know I needed - steady beautiful storytelling, fierce female friendships, and some feminist tricks and thrills that gave me major Jeffrey Epstein chills. The fantasy elements were enthralling, the characters were bad ass, and the message oh so relevant.

The chapters fluctuate between the present but then also include anecdotes about the characters and how got to where they are - little intermissions that give insight and set the stage for the next scene. I thought a brilliant move on Miller’s part for what some will say is a long read.

The Change is being described as “Witches of Eastwick,” meets “Big Little Lies” with some “Stepford Wives” vibes and I was HERE. FOR. IT. Will easily be one of the best books I read this year - an anthem for women who most certainly get better with age and experience! I don’t do star ratings anymore but ALL THE STARS!

I really wanted to love this book bc there was so much hype about it, but it wasn’t for me. I thought about not finishing it, but plodded through hoping there’d come a point it would grab me…but it did not. It was unbelievable, was hard to follow & seemed to drag on. I am from eastern LI & was so excited to read a book set on it’s seashore, but there is no town called ‘Mattauk’ & that threw me. If you’re a ‘man hater’ maybe this will appeal to you.

Oh, friends. This is a fun one! I know this book has been flooding your Instagram feed lately, especially since it was selected as a Good Morning America book club pick for May. I must admit that I had very little desire to read this one until absolutely EVERYONE on bookstagram was raving about it. I read “feminist revenge fantasy” and wasn’t sure if it was the right book for me. Naturally, I had to give it a try because you know, FOMO. It was definitely a #bookstagrammademedoit moment! I am so glad that I picked it up because I ended up really enjoying it! The hype was real for me, and I highly recommend the audiobook! It was very well done. I adored all of the badass, strong, and confident women in this novel. Harriet was by far my fave, and I kinda wanna be just like her when I grow up. Ha! And holy smokes! That ending! What in the world? Definitely blew my mind a little. I could use about a million different words to describe The Change, but I’m just settling on a handful today:

Wicked
Brilliant
Smart
Sexy
Satisfying
Shocking
Twisty
Disturbing

If you’re looking for some juicy entertainment, give this one a go! 4/5 stars for The Change!

The Change. Wow. This book was like nothing I have ever read. At the heart of The Change is a story of women. Women who have been passed over, overlooked, told to be quiet or made to feel small. Women who have been discarded and cast aside. It is a story of when women have had enough.

Harriet, Jo, and Nessa are three very different women with very different pasts. But they all end up in the same small beachside town. While living in this town they each discover a unique gift. Oh, and did I also mention they discover a body? The three unlikely friends band together to investigate who is killing girls in their town. What they unleash will not only aid in the efforts of finding a serial killer but also in the metamorphosis of each woman.

The book is part thriller (hello...serial killer), part Witches of Eastwick (dabble of magic), and part a tale of friendship and belonging (I kept thinking of Idgie and Ruth). The three elements combined made a book that I could not put down. It was unique and compelling and everything I didn't know I needed in a book.

I really enjoyed the beginning and middle of this book which is a fusion of several genres including thriller, romance, and supernatural. All three main characters Nessa, Jo, and Harriet had fascinating back stories and all three characters had qualities and strengths that complimented each other. The three use their strengths together to help solve a murder mystery in a small beach town on Long Island. I was a bit disappointed in the end as I feel it did not lead up to the hype from the beginning and middle of the story. however, the book itself while a little long was still very entertaining and certainly worth a read!

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley

I can see why this one got so much press. It's sold as a feminist revenge story and it does fulfill that promise, but it's so much more. It's an ode to the power of women and what can happen when they stick together. It's also a reminder that, despite what our male-driven society might say, women get more powerful and wonderful with age.
The national news this book is based on is very obvious, so the big reveals weren't that big when they happened if you're at all familiar with it, but getting there was still a pulse-pounding, powerful story. Miller not only created a group of relatable and engaging characters, but she also put them through the wringer in a series of expertly-paced events. I loved that she also takes the time to explore the women's pasts and how they shaped who they are at the time of the story. It shows how they come into their power and makes the compelling message of the story even more impressive.
I walked away from this one both sad that it's not just fiction and happy to think that it might inspire women to take their power into their own hands (minus the murder, but you know what I mean).

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the thought-provoking read!

Kirsten Miller's The Change is the epitome of Girl Power, women supporting eachother and witchiness and I loved the overall message. There are not many times I read a book and feel such a profound sense of intrigue from the first page. The atmosphere and settings within this book are beautiful and I think I want to live in Harriet's vine and plant covered house with her magical garden and bees that do her bidding. This book reminds me of The Witches of Eastwick, but darker and with a greater sense of wit, charm and a focus on taking down the patriarchy. The story focuses on 3 women who come into their powers. Nessa can hear the voices of the dead and must locate their bodies to help them move on. Jo is extremely powerful and strong. Harriet is knowledgeable in herbs and plants and can communicate with and control nature. We follow their journey of chasing down a serial killer and pooling their powers to change their world starting with their corrupt community.
The Change is a powerful story that will stay with you long after you read it. It was such a thrill to read and I loved these women so much. Read it. It's amazing!

Kirsten Miller’s The Change is guaranteed to be one of the biggest books of the summer, possibly of 2022. It is a well written mystery/thriller/witch novel about three women going through menopause who aren’t going to let that, or the men in their lives, control them.

The characters are extremely well developed. I kept turning the pages because I had to know what happened next. I figured out the whodunit part early on, but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment and there were still some surprising aspects.

I gave this book 3.5 stars though because I felt it was a bit long and could have used some editing. Additionally, the flashbacks got frustrating and the timeline wasn’t entirely cohesive. But, overall a great book that I will be sure to recommend to my friends.