The Change is a powerful and emotional novel that combines magic realism, contemporary fiction and feminism. The main characters, Nessa, Harriet and Jo are on the cusp of turning 50 when they discover their special powers. The women had to go through many struggles in their lives - getting pushed out of their jobs, trying to build their own businesses and taking care of their children, divorces, deaths - but now they have to come together to something even bigger - find out who’s been killing young girls in their neighborhood, stop them, and get justice for the victims.

I really, really liked this book! It was so refreshing to read about older characters kicking ass and taking names. The mystery of what happened to the girls wasn’t groundbreaking - the good/bad divide is pretty obvious- but it had a twist that I really enjoyed. I also loved how the novel called out the way we as a society consume true crime as entertainment and the way it underlined how sometimes we completely forget about the victims. I just wish that with how much of this novel is focusing on feminism and violence against women, we would also see something about trans women (especially Women of Color) who are so often victims of violence. This book puts things like WLW relationships or recreational drugs in a positive light, so the lack of a single mention that not all women menstruate and not everyone who menstruates is a woman rubbed me the wrong way. It was great to read a novel where the main characters deal with menopause, but not including trans women in a feminist book in 2022 really disappointed me.

TLDR: The Change is a captivating, sharp and thrilling story about the power that women possess. It approaches feminism from an anti-ageist perspective, but unfortunately falls short from being totally inclusive.

The Change is a fun, feminist thriller, full of female friendships and delightful vengeance. It tells the story of three women who meet serendipitously and feel an instant connection. They are all in their mid-40s and have experienced hardship at the hands of men, but are realizing that they hold strength and power to make a difference in their lives and the lives of other women and girls in their community.

The book could have used some tighter editing as the plot seemed to meander a bit in places and the text had moments of feeling repetitive. But it was still a very enjoyable book and I highly recommend it!

Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow Books for this eARC for review.

This was such an interesting fast paced story. Even though this is a lengthy book, it was total engagement from start to finish. It’s one of those book that after it ends, you as a reader always want more of it. It was that good.

The three main protagonists were going through a midlife crisis, the change, when their special gifts revealed themselves in a way that could no longer be ignored. And this was a good thing since their hometown of Mattauk, NY seemed to have a serial killer in their midst who targeted teenage girls.

This was a well written story that was tense and heartbreaking at times, but also filled with witty and humorous banter. I enjoyed how the characters supported each other in their fight for justice and how they evolved from mere acquaintances to a family unit that depended on and loved each other.

Overall, this was an empowering feminist revenge fantasy story, with very memorable characters, that will stay with you long after the story’s completion.

5+ Stars

Happy Publication Day!! My very Biggest Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for sending me an e ARC of The Change by Kirsten Miller!! 5+ Stars!! This category, Paranormal Women's Fiction is new to me and it is Fantastic!! The Change grabbed me on the first page and just hoped I could Hold On!! The friendship between the ladies- the Pull they felt to bond together and solve the mystery- was fascinating. The idea of leaving "the curse" behind and welcoming "the Gift" was clever and empowering. The characters were soo well-developed, the plot enticed you to keep reading and faster please, because where is this going... and growing! I hope the feminist POV is accepted well by readers. I applaud this style of storytelling and hope this category continues to grow and flourish. The Change is a book that I have been looking for to help me feel empowered and strong in this stage of my life. I think this is a seminal piece of work in women's fiction. Bravo!
#The Change #NetGalley

Three women who come into their supernatural powers during menopause join forces to exact revenge against affluent men who are killing teen girls in their Long Island seaside community.

I'm not at all surprised there's so much buzz surrounding The Change. It's an excellent feminist revenge fantasy that channels female rage into power against bad guys. It's a little witchy, a little mysterious, and plenty entertaining! Absolutely going to be one of the big books of summer and one I'd love to see adapted into a television series!

@Jordys.Book.Club on Instagram posted about this book right about the time I saw it was available through NetGalley. He described it as "Think THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK meets BIG LITTLE LIES meets ATOMIC BLONDE…". I've only seen the movie for The Witches of Eastwick but I've read the book Big Little Lies (and watched the series). I remember the trailer for Atomic Blonde but have never watched it. But I'm going to say Jordy hit the nail on the head.

Just trying to imagine the different genres this covers doesn't seem like it would work but IT DOES!

Harriett loses her job & her husband and from the outside it looks like she's chosen to become a recluse, no one ever sees her in the daylight and has let her yard go wild and the HOA is in an uproar about it. Harriett actually has researched and started growing certain things on purpose. She calls herself a horticulturalist. But somehow if she tosses a seed out, the next day a full grown plant or flower will be there.

Nessa lost her husband a while back and now that her daughters are off to college she has a lot of time on her hands. She also has started hearing the dead. It's a family gift that gets passed down but doesn't fully come into being until she has the time to answer them. When she listens they can lead her to their bodies who haven't yet been discovered after they were murdered.

Jo lost her job in hotel management and then ended up opening a gym called Furious Fitness aimed at women only. She had figured out that the exercise helped with express rage she couldn't necessarily direct at anyone or anything else. Jo also discovers as she goes through menopause she has a power...she can produce a ball of fire in her hands if she really concentrates, but she's also burned a couple of men with only her hands.

Harriett, Nessa & Jo come together to find justice for 3 young dead girls that no one seems to even be looking for. They follow a trail back to a group of wealthy powerful men but have to find a way to prove it.

Sometimes the best books are the ones you never saw coming, am I right? 🔮⁣
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Thank you to William Morrow Books and Netgalley for my eARC of “The Change” by Kirsten Miller. It comes out THIS Tuesday (5/3) and it was so good that I recommend placing a preorder!⁣
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⭐️ rating: 5⁣
📚 genre: magical realism⁣
#️⃣ pages: 475⁣
🗓 pub date: 5/3⁣
⏳pace: moderate to fast ⁣
🧙🏻‍♀️the vibe: badass feminist witches take justice into their own hands ⁣
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“The Change” was not on my radar at all until @jordys.book.club mentioned it was available on Netgalley (a platform for book bloggers and other influencers to request digital advanced copies). I don’t read nearly enough witchy books, but I always LOVE them when I do. And I quickly became enthralled with “The Change.” HOW COULD I NOT? This is about three menopausal women for whom the change means tapping into their super powers.⁣
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From the publisher: “Guided by voices only Nessa can hear, the trio of women discover a teenage girl whose body was abandoned beside a remote beach. 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 the town’s most exclusive and isolated enclave, a world of stupendous wealth where the rules don’t apply. With their newfound powers, Jo, Nessa, and Harriet will take matters into their own hands…”⁣
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Even if this sounds like a departure from what you’d normally read, I would encourage you to pick it up. I really enjoyed it, and it did not feel at all like I was slogging through an almost 500-page book — it’s truly delightful.

This book is the perfect mix of thriller, contemporary fiction and fantasy. The characters are expertly developed, the feminist vibes are everything, it's laugh out loud funny at times, and a story is one that I got completely absorbed by. It's also incredibly refreshing to read about women in their 40s and 50s who don't see that period of their lives as the beginning of the end, but rather the start of something incredible.

“The Change” by Kirsten Miller

Between this book and “Lessons in Chemistry,” I’ve had so much fun reading about badass women who don’t take sh*t from anyone.

“The Change” is a fantastic read. I believe it’s considered “Magical Realism” and man do I wish my reality had some of this magic. Harriet, Jo, and Nessa are three women of a “certain age” who have a few things in common: menopause, particular skills, and a desire for justice. Luckily the three women find each other and realize their skills are very complementary toward their collective goal.

Prior to this book, I’ve only heard menopause referred to as something to be endured and symbolic of the end of things: fertility, youth, what it means to be a woman. This book completely turns that on it’s head an instead presents menopause as means of gaining something.

Girl Power meets True Crime/Ripped From the Headlines. I want everyone to read this book. If you’re a woman, you’ll want to be one of the female characters and if you’re a man, you’ll probably want to avoid them. Unless you’re smart—then you’ll want to join them.

Recommend to anyone who needs a confidence boost—I want to be a pot-smoking, spell-casting witch when I grow up. 4.5 stars out of 5.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for my advanced copy.
Publication Date: May 3, 2022

Happy Pub Day to The Change! Thanks to @williammorrowbooks & @netgalley for the ARC, & to @jordys.book.club for recommending this so highly. It’s easily one of my favorite books I’ve read so far this year!

I had no idea what I needed in my life was a genre-defying, feminist, supernatural revenge fantasy, but I’m so happy that Miller showed me I did. I deeply enjoyed this book. For what you might assume is an action focused thriller, this is incredibly character-driven, and one of the most artfully woven stories I’ve ever read.

There are so many people in this book, but each has a varied and rich backstory. While it is mainly focused on its 3 leads (who are all fantastic and fascinating in their own ways), even the smallest characters in this story get their moment to shine. I think a large part of the success of that is due to how the novel is laid out. The flashbacks are interspersed at exactly the right times to highlight each person’s past. This is especially effective when it comes to detailing the horrors inflicted on women by the men in the story. As discussed by one of the leads, a lot of crime novels focus on the killers or the “bad guys” historically, without caring much about the victims other than what crime happened to them. Miller leans away from that trope to make sure each of her women has a voice.

The Change is by no means an easy book to read. It is painful and will make you so, so angry at points, but it’s a remarkably realistic portrayal of life as a woman (also with magic). Despite the focus being on the characters, at no part does it feel bogged down by details. Fast-paced with whip smart lines, you will easily fly through this story - which is a problem because you won’t want it to end.

It feels particularly poignant that this book was released today, one day after a historic SCOTUS leak that indicated the Court intended to overturn Roe v Wade, depriving millions of women of their fundamental rights over what to do with their own damn bodies. If you are also full of rage and want to feel vindicated by reading a book where a lot of bad men get punished, this is the one for you.

#jordymademedoit. Bookstagram totally sucked me in on this one and it was worth it. I couldn't put it down and absolutely loved the focus on older women and the power they bring to this world.

#THECHANGE by #kirstenmiller has been all the rage and incidentally is also about rage. This book explores what it’s like to be a woman in this world, with cruel expectations and even crueler men. But three women are about to show us what it means to really embrace middle age. There is an element of fantasy, but I believe a lot of what men fear of women has little to do with actual magic; it’s the sheer willpower we can wield.

There are so many thoughtful details and nuanced layers to behold. For one thing, all the women are introduced first. It’s subtle, but a man is merely someone’s husband, which I noted and appreciated. And while the missing and murdered girls proved to be a gripping storyline, I enjoyed reading more about how Harriett, Jo and Nessa discover and refine their powers, supernatural and otherwise. The work that went into climbing the corporate ladder, starting their businesses and cultivating real connection with the women and girls in their lives is at once remarkable and should not be. This was a fabulous tear-jerker.

Thank you to @williammorrowbooks and @netgalley for providing an eARC for review. This was very much a @jordys.book.club #jordymademedoit read. #THECHANGE is available TODAY.

An engaging mystery, thriller & paranormal read. True reparations dealt-Unforgettably
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2022
Like a mashed-up version of Practical Magic/Kill Bill/A Vigilante and the PowerPuff Girls rolled into one great read.…yes – humor, anger, revenge with sarcasm & wit. This may be my new Book of Spells, Grimoire or Life Chart. This is fast paced, fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable. My affinity with each character, the situations they faced- ones I have endured, equaled my investment. I did not overcome -I lived through painfully, embraced and grew into, adapted and succeeded – full bloom. Can’t decide if I’m a truth seeker, protector or punisher… but I don’t have to choose (hehe)
Thank the author for putting us on blast – articulating our repression with guns blazing, no effs given. We are knocking down walls, taking names and setting the list on fire … now excuse me while I feed my kids. I would read this again ... good morale booster.

Three bada$$ women discover a body and are determined to figure out what happened to the girl. I saw this book recommended again and again on bookstagram and went into it blind and was not let down in the slightest. The whole time I was reading it I knew it was going to be a 5 star rating. I loved everything about this book and want to recommend this book to everyone. This book is just so good I cannot say enough good things about it.

The Change by Kirsten Miller is a unique paranormal story. I wish there had been a warning on the book regarding some of the items in it. I was looking forwarding to reading this paranormal thriller (and then I started reading The Change and was shocked). I had trouble with the significant amount of foul language, nudity, graphic details on menstruation, and the intimate situations. There is also a great deal of man hating. I am a feminist, but I do not believe that feminism should involve bashing men (continually). The villains in the story were a little overdone. I could envision that cartoon villain in the tuxedo with the top hat and cape who twirled his groomed mustache (the type with the curled ends). I liked seeing the three witchy women came together to find a killer. Jo, Harriett, and Nessa unite to get justice for the girls being murdered in their town, Mattuak. I like how their magical powers complemented each other. Each of the women gained their powers upon reaching menopause. I liked that the protagonist were my age. The story is more of a paranormal thriller than a mystery which disappointed me because I love solving whodunits (and the blurb made is sound like a paranormal mystery). The pacing varied throughout the book. The beginning is slow as each of the characters are introduced. It takes a little while to get to the killings. I felt the story was overlong (almost 500 pages) and the author is overly descriptive. There were so many extra characters along with the backstories that were unneeded. I thought the second half was long with a predictable ending. I had a hard time getting through The Change. I am not a fan of books that make me cringe and grimace. While The Change was not my cup of tea, I suggest you obtain a sample to judge it for yourself. The Change is a bewitching tale with post-menopausal powers, a nefarious garden, murdered women, a distressed mother, an evil villain, and crucial justice.

This trio of women might just be my new favorite fictional characters. Nessa, Harriett and Jo - I adore you!!! Strong female characters are where it's at. The focus on female friendships had my whole heart. And this storyline, phenomenal. There's nothing quite like exposing the ugly truth of how society treats women.

The Change is sooo well written and is going to stay with me for a very long time. I can't wait to see what Kirsten Miller writes next.

This book was exceptional and will absolutely end up being one of my favorite books of 2022! I've been so stressed about turning 40 this year, about getting "old". Instead of dreading it, I'm going to embrace it. And who knows ... maybe I'll tap into some of my own powers.

Huge thank you to Harper Collins Canada and Netgalley for my e-copy!

The story is about three women - Nessa James has inherited the ability to see and hear the dead while Jo Levinson and Harriet Osborne develop interesting powers in their forties. When Nessa is led to the body of a dead girl, the three join forces to uncover the murderer. Along the way, Nessa becomes aware of two more dead girls. The investigation leads them to an exclusive enclave of powerful rich men. The women are determined to ensure that the guilty are punished, the girls identified and the families notified.
Engrossing read, especially the parts where the women were using their powers -highly recommend.
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy.

Smart, relevant, and captivating! The Change takes some tropes of the thriller genre, twists and flips them and, in doing so, creates a riveting social commentary on how women in society are devalued by the toxic men in power. Far from preachy, the characters and plot line weave heartbreaking truths into the narrative that only the truly brainwashed could refute. I absolutely love that the three main women are over 50, confident, self sufficient, powerful, talented, and total badasses! The literary world often mirrors society and portrays women, even their heroines, as unreliable, hysterical, paranoid, fragile creatures who lack self control and need a male love interest to save them or talk sense into them so they can save themselves. Well, The Change doesn’t subscribe to any of that bullshit and I love that! Even though the main subject of the novel and the many poignant truths were heartbreaking, the kickass female trio gave me hope that if we as women just understood our own power we could change the narrative for good. Such unique and powerful read!

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow & Company for the opportunity to read an advance electronic copy of The Change for an honest review.

Ya’ll. Will. Love. This. Book. The Change by Kirsten Miller is fun, suspenseful and finally features a cast of mid-forties women. Nessa can see ghosts of murdered young women. Jo is the protector and Harriet is the witch who can concoct the perfect dose of revenge. These three ladies meet when a young girl’s body is discovered near the beach of their town, but Nessa senses there are more bodies. How many girls are there and who has taken their lives? Nessa, Jo, and Harriet are going to find out and make sure those responsible receive the justice they deserve.

Finally, a book where being in your 40s is a strength and is viewed with power as opposed to invisibility and desperation. While investigating the murders, we learn about each woman’s backstory, and the men who have underestimated them along the way. Those backstories were personal and there is a little bit of Nessa, Jo and Harriet in all of us. Forget Carrie, Charlotte, and Miranda, I want to be these ladies.

If you are looking for a book with a little bit of fantasy, a lot of suspense, and badass women, then this book is for you. Get on your local library’s hold list or purchase from your favorite bookstore immediately! This is the PERFECT book club book. Thank you to @netgalley for the ARC.

**Many thanks to NetGalley, William Morrow, and Kirsten Miller for an ARC of this book!**

Ghosts and murders and feminist witches...oh my!

This tough, tenacious, and somewhat terrifying trio of ladies are JUST the sort of vigilantes you need to READ to believe!

The tiny and affluent community of Mattauk, Long Island holds all of these women...but each is ready to burst out of her shell and into her true self. "The Change" has hit them all, but rather than bringing out a midlife crisis, each of them are set to discover the hidden talents that will challenge everything they know about themselves, once they are brave enough to explore them. Nessa has always suspected she had the gift that runs in her family...and now in her late forties, can confirm that she hears voices, calling from beyond the grave. Jo's hot flashes are far from your standard menopausal fare: she can actually FEEL them coursing through her, and can project them out of her body entirely...for good or ill. And there of course, there's the sassy, indomitable, and no-nonsense Harriet, whose former career being unappreciated in advertising is in the rear-view mirror...and whose nude sojourns in her garden are set to bear some interesting fruit.

It is Nessa's ability to hear the dead that draws the three in as one united force, and the unsolved disappearances of several girls from the Mattauk area that urges the women to band together to find answers...and more importantly, harness their individual powers and impose a little bit (okay, a LOT) of justice. So many men have held them back in their own personal journeys, have silenced them, held them down, and suppressed their power....until now. As the investigation builds to a fever pitch, can these women unlock every secret, break down every door, and FINALLY destroy the patriarchy, evil man by evil man, once and for all?

This book is hailed as a cross between Big Little Lies and Witches of Eastwick...and while I'm very familiar with the former and only slightly with the latter, I can say comfortably that this is only a starting point for The Change. Perhaps my favorite thing about this book is how fresh and ORIGINAL it is, to the extent that comparing it to other books in some ways does it a disservice. Miller isn't afraid to GO THERE, and her characters are not the gossipy, paranoid, sometimes snooty and always secretive moms with secrets galore that you find in Big Little Lies. Rather, they are all fierce, interesting, compassionate, and relentless Women (with a capital W) who all have pasts that have inspired them to strive for a different future. Miller weaves in just enough backstory throughout to keep the reader invested and to explain each character's motivation without bogging down the book. By story's end, I certainly felt like I KNEW these women, and I was sad to say goodbye! Harriet in particular is QUITE the card...if I could end up with one tenth of her sass by the time I'm in my mid-forties, I'd say I'm doing alright!

Revenge can be oh so sweet, there's an undercurrent of danger throughout this one that leaves the reader wondering if good really CAN prevail. Obviously for this plot to work, most of the men in this book are pretty despicable and easy to dislike, so if some man bashing bothers you, you probably should steer clear. For me, however, nothing was over the top and I was perfectly content to watch these women channel their frustrations into challenging the status quo and blazing a path of fury. This title is especially clever in its double meaning, and though this novel has tinges of fantasy elements throughout, it all feels within the realm of possibility...or perhaps a much needed eventuality!

"There have always been those who want to deny women power. And there are also women who refuse to accept it....But many women are simply too frightened to see things as they really are--or to accept that the world men have made must be destroyed."
"Yes, but are we really supposed to destroy the world?" Jo asked.
"Not the world---their world."

Some men want to watch the world burn...but as for these women?


...You'll just have to wait and see.

4.5 stars