*NB: There are a considerable number of typos, misplaced words and the like throughout this manuscript- more than in any other ARC I’ve read. Hopefully it will have a thorough proofreading before final publication. This part is a separate addition for NG that wasn’t posted elsewhere.*

Thanks to the Author, HarperCollins, and NetGalley for this advance copy of “The Change”. I wasn’t sure by the wording on NG if the book was only available to be read start to finish for 48hrs so I didn’t know what would happen past that with my copy. It turns out that didn’t matter as I was so engrossed in the twists and turns of the story that I finished in closer to 36hrs. This book’s characters and secrets revealed themselves both slowly and just at the right time. Nessa, Jo & Harriet each have a calling to protect women in unique ways. When missing girls’ bodies are discovered in this New York summer beach community, our heroines are compelled to solve the mysteries and bring the killer(s) to justice. You might think you know who did it, but there are still revelations right up to the very end! This story is going to stay with me for a while— we might not be able to change the world, but maybe we can change “theirs” (WYKYK).

Amazing read! I don't think I have ever read a book like this before. The women in this book each bring something different but they each learn their strengths. It was inspiring to see these women realize their worth. I was sad when this book ended. I would love to see more of what these remarkable women are able to accomplish.

An enjoyable read about middle aged women coming into their own unique powers. Together, they adventure to take justice into their own hands. It’s the female revenge story you didn’t know you need. I couldn’t put it down.

Wow! I absolutely loved this book. I have to mention that I looked into it because of @jordys.book.club and I’m so so grateful for the recommendation.

This book was SO FUN! So cinematic, so well=written, and just a feminist revenge fantasy dream. I will not stop recommending this book - I binged it in a weekend. Harriet, Jo, and Nessa will stick with me for a long time.

Thank you WM Books for my copy!!

I would like to thank NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read "The Change" in exchange for an honest review. This book is great for fans of "Practical Magic" and "The Witches of Eastwick". I loved the blend of adult coming of age and suspense embodied by this novel.

Watching these three diverse women find their power as mature women was an honor, and the added magical components added fun to keep the story moving forward at a good clip. Of course the murder mystery didn't hurt in the pacing either!

Nessa, Jo, and Harriet are distinct characters from different walks of life, but they compliment one another nicely. Their desire to do right by the murdered girl is intense, but for Nessa and Jo their maternal instincts seem to really trigger their biggest transformations in some regards, while Harriet's motivations are both murkier and clearer at the same time.

I greatly enjoyed this book, and freely admit it kept me reading well into the evening! And I won't spoil it, but there is a plot twist I did not see coming that was both brilliant and despicable at the same time.

I am grateful to NetGalley to have opportunities to read books like this that I may not have on my own. I really liked this book. It is a bit different that what I usually read. I don't usually pick up fantast book but I am glad I did for this one. One of the things that I liked most about this book was Kirsten's attention to detail. she did a great job describing the characters, surrounding and detials of the book.

This book was not what I expected, but I really liked it. I think this book would make a great book club discussion book for any book club of any age. Soo much to discuss.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4685262969

ALL. THE. STARS. This was such a trip.

You can read the synopsis so what I am going to give you is bullet points:
- bad ass women
- bits of magic but, lots of girl power
- numerous little story lines all intertwined into one
- surprise and twist and turn on every corner
- you think you know where it is going but, you don’t
- I read this in 24 hours… completely captivated
- unique and a fresh spin on the thriller genre
- top 3 favorite books for 2022 so far!

If you’re even on the edge of thinking about reading this. Be like Nike and just do it.

he Change is being billed as a cross between The Witches of Eastwick and Big Little Lies. I haven’t read either of them, but I did enjoy this book. It is strange. And it has fantastical elements. I’m usually good with strange, but not so into fantasy. I think this one works because I loved the female characters — Nessa, a woman who literally sees dead people. Jo, a woman with super strength that she finds in middle age. Harriett, a former advertising executive who gets tired of playing the game and turns to nature after her divorce.

What is the change? Change in life? Change in perspective? Menopause? All of those things.

I loved the strong female characters that are in their 50s!! The writing was good and the story was unique. The only complaint I have was this needed a hard edit. It did not need to be 480 pages to tell this story!

I’ve read YA books co-written by Ms. Miller but I wasn’t prepared for this book. As a woman of a certain age—I recently turned 50–the way women, especially older women, are viewed by society has been forefront in my mind.

As intended, part of this book was infuriating but it was equally cathartic and empowering. The three lead characters were interesting and compelling in their own ways and the plot was solid. I think it’s slightly difficult to categorize a book like this but I think that’s just fine. Bottom line it’s a well written and enjoyable read I think readers will respond to.

THIS BOOK IS INCREDIBLE.

If you were reading contemporary fiction from 2016-2018, then you know that a lot of dystopian or magical female revenge fantasy books came out. Even now, this genre is pretty popular, with books like The Violence coming out this year.

I haven’t read any as good as this one. Sold as Big Little Lies meets the Witches of Eastwick, this book has it all: a despicable crime in need of solving, compelling social commentary, a touch of magic, and a desire to burn the world down.

The characters, Harriett, Nessa, and Jo, are so well drawn. I particularly appreciated how well their powers suited their personalities and backgrounds. It felt very well researched and characterized.

Finally, the ultimate resolution REALLY fit the book, and I think made for a really satisfying ending. I can’t recommend this book enough!

So my house has been neglected, because I couldn’t put this book down! I’m not usually a fan of mysterious powers or gifts, but this book was soooo good! In this story, we see a small group of women come together to make things right. Along the way, they uncover secrets that will shock you! Loved it!

Let me start by saying I loved this book, absolutely enjoyed it all and wasn’t ready for it to end. I’m not entirely sure how to classify it - magical realism - mystery/suspense - feminist revenge fantasy? This genre-defying book is just fantastic. Three middle aged badass women, each with a touch of magical power out to right some wrongs. I was invested from the very start and engaged until the last sentence. The plot is well paced and the characters are all fascinating, though I must say Harriet was my clear favorite. Her snarky comments made me laugh and I loved how she put everyone in their place.

This book is on the longer side (480 pages or 15 hours and 25 mins on audio) but I still flew through it. The only small takeaway I had was the ending felt a bit lackluster after the build up. If it were the first in a series, perhaps the way it wrapped up would have made more sense, and if there is a book 2 that is coming with these characters I will be first in line for it! If you are looking for a creative plot with 3 fierce independent women MCs, I highly recommend you pick this one up. 4.5/5⭐️

Thanks to @netgalley and @williammorrow for the gifted DRC! The Change will be out on May 3, 2022.

I saw this book all over bookstagram so I immediately requested it, but unfortunately it fell flat for me. I thought it started out very strong and I was excited to see where it would go, but the book was too long and there were too many fantasy elements that I didn’t enjoy. I think this would be a great book for those that enjoy fantasy novels more!

Oohh this one was a trickster!

I don’t even know how to describe it. Three middle-aged women meet and realize they all have powers and team up when one of them finds a dead body.

That’s the gist.

I say this book is a trickster because for a good chunk of it, I didn’t care for it. Not gonna lie. All the women in the story are amazingly fleshed out. Their backstories are so in depth. But at times, I felt it was…too much? Idk, the author (@kirstenmillerbooks) seemed to jump from one character to the next, from present to past and the switches jarred me. To me, at first, it wasn’t flowing well. I thought about DNF’ing.

BUT! Y’all. These women are some strong, badass women. They don’t give a shit. They don’t take no for an answer. They take up space when men object.

It’s honestly such a good example of how women are treated in 2022. It’s a take on toxic masculinity. It’s a take on the Epstein/Maxwell horrors.

It’s a pretty incredible novel that tackles some dark shit. A major trigger warning for sexual assault of minor and murder.

I’m honestly so happy that I stuck it out when I wanted to DNF.

THE CHANGE comes out May 3.

Thank you to @williammorrowbooks and @netgalley for my advanced e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book started out wonderfully--the characters were unique and interesting, and it was enthralling to learn about their newly-found powers. I love mystery novels, so I was excited to see how these characters and the mystery combined. But about midway through the novel, it began to drag, and by the time I finished the book, I was far less enthralled with any of it. I think that all the components for a great book were in here, but it could have used significantly more editing to make the second half match the intensity and interest of the first.

Many thanks to William Morrow/HarperCollins and NetGalley for the ARC!

I did not finish this one. It was my fault because I didn’t realize it was fantasy. I missed that part of the description. I will read most genres except for fantasy. What I did read of this book was good but when it started getting into the supernatural, fireballs and things, it just wasn’t for me.

4.5 women are superheroes stars

Set on the Long Island town of Mattauk, this story features three women who band together to overcome evil in the community.

Nessa, a retired nurse, has inherited the family gift of hearing the voices of the dead and seeing their ghosts. She’s soon drawn to the ocean by a girl in a blue dress and brings along Harriet and Jo.

Harriet has just left a career in advertising and her marriage. She has retreated into her house while the garden takes over. Now she’s a force to be reckoned with in Mattauk!

Jo has left behind her career as well and now is hot all the time. She discovers that she can in fact channel all that heat.

As the women discover the body of a young girl in a garbage bag, they embark on a journey to uncover what has been happening in the community. Hindered and unsupported by the police, they are truly on their own. As they each come into the full power of their gifts, I knew that they would help these young women and punish the perpetrators.

This book was not what I expected, but I really liked it. There were elements of crime to solve, powerful change agents in these women, humorous moments, and characters that I could really root for and believe.

As the story progresses, we learn more about the young girls who are victims of terrible crimes and each one is named, and their families notified so that they have resolution. I’m still thinking about this one a few days after I’ve finished, so that’s a strong sign to me of a great read! I recommend this one!

Before I get into the review, I want to say a quick thank you to NetGalley and the publishers over at William Morrow & Company for letting me access this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Change is an Adult Fantasy/Mystery/Thriller about a group of women in Mattauk who have discovered magical abilities as a part of their midlife crisis. Those abilities end up putting them on a collision course with the evil that lives in their wealthy beach town. I’ve seen this pitched as Big Little Lies meets The Witches of Eastwick. The Change is out on May 3rd and is available for pre-order now.

There was so much in this story to love and, yet, it fell short for me. I love this beachfront town and all of the wealthy (and not so wealthy) people who live and work there. At first this story really gave me Revenge vibes which I loved and wanted more of. But the story focuses less on the rich people in town and more on the lives of the people who also live and work in this town and have to make it work. There is an ensemble cast of characters who all have their parts to play in this story. My favorite character is probably Jo because she seems the most well rounded character in the story. I feel like I know her a lot better than I know other characters. I love the image of strong women wanting to take back their town after disaster strikes and wanting to prove that women belong here just as much as the men do.

But where this powerful feminist message got lost for me was that it was constantly putting the men down in the first half of the novel. As we learned in the 2010s, that’s not how actual feminism works. Feminist ideology is not about hating men. I also didn’t love the messaging that came across as the women discovered this horrific event. It was seen as: of course this happened. Of course a woman was sexually assaulted and murdered. They’re a woman in a world of men. It was gross and it severely dialed down the horror of seeing what happened to this character. Also, I didn’t appreciate that most of the villains in this story were villains who might one day give a speech outlining all their evil plans while twirling their mustache. Their actions alone would have made me hate them. I don’t then need the author to add another level of evil behavior to make sure I know who’s the bad guy.

The things I enjoyed and really wanted more of were the magic elements and the women pulling together to take care of business. I loved that this was a magical realism story while also having a mystery/thriller element. I love the way the genres were mashed together. But I just found this a little heavy handed.

This was AMAZING. A feminist undertaking of the witches of east wick mixed in with some revenge plotting and a murder mystery that is multi layered. So many twists and turns but always maintaining the theme of female discovery and power. The feminist undertone was done in a way that makes anyone want to root for the three women from all different walks of life that are brought together to solve the disappearance of girls from their small island. Mixed in are the stories from many other women near and far who have been brought down by some of the people who reside. The glory of taking back their power and sex keeps you glued to the pages.