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.

This is one fierce feminist revenge fantasy!

I'll be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect from The Change but found myself immediately immersed in this book. Fair warning, it will absolutely enrage you in parts, but it is worth it to see how the story plays out.

What I really loved about this book was author Kirsten Miller's attention to detail. Not only did she craft incredible leading ladies, but even her "minor" characters also had a backstory. The retelling of Adam and Eve was just a minor part in this book that really stuck out to me as especially profound and there are so many nuggets like that, bigger themes and lessons that make this book pretty special. It's a testament and sobering reminder of all the ways men can do women wrong (hence the feminist label) but I felt it provided depth to the story that I found incredibly engaging.

I had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook and was blown away by the narrator January LaVoy. How she was able to give these characters distinct voices and performances was incredible, Nessa was my personal favorite.

This is a perfect book club pick because you will want to talk about this one after you finish reading it!

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow and Harper Audio for the advanced copy and the opportunity to share my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When I saw The Change described as “Big Little Lies meets The Witches of Eastwick," I knew I had to read it, and was delighted by this genre of feminist revenge that I didn’t even know existed.

An unlikely group of middle aged women are brought together by the discovery of an abandoned body of a teenage girl off Danskammer beach in Mattauk, NY. The local police have written her off as a sex worker who had probably overdosed while on a job, but Jo, Nessa and Harriet don’t buy into that explanation, and begin to investigate, finding more bodies and a quickly deepening plot. As the investigation progresses, the women come more and more into their powers, which become useful as they end up against the ‘good old boys” club that seems to have total control over their world.

A delightful read that will have me looking for more books with middle aged women as heroines! A rare 5-star rated book for me!

The Change was definitely an interesting tale. 3 women brought together by special ability they each posses, trying to stop a string of killings of young women in Mattauk, NY. Jo, Nessa and Harriett are exceptional characters and they make the story come to life. Their interaction with each other is a delight and I really enjoyed this story.

“CONSIDER YOURSELVES WARNED MOTHERF***ERS! “

Watch out, Mattauck, NY!

Three women on this Long Island, oceanfront community are about to discover that with “THE CHANGE” of life they have gained some new powers.

And, once WE got past the descriptions of THEIR past menstrual cycles, it was a BLOODY good time! 🩸

Nessa knew that she had inherited a special gift from her grandmother which came with responsibilities, but she didn’t start seeing the ghosts or hearing their voices, until her late forties.

Jo Levison, spent 30 years at war with her body, but she has just learned how to channel her hot flashes, into something much more powerful. Turns out, she is good at protecting people.

And, on the cusp of fifty, Harriet Osborne, has just lost her advertising career and her husband, and she has never felt better-even if the neighbors have started referring to her as the witch who resides at 256 Woodland Drive. She seems really good at doling out punishment to those who are deserving of it. After all, she reasons, “who said that being a Witch would be a bad thing?”

This unlikely trio, become friends when guided by the voices that only Nessa can hear, they find the dead body of a teenage girl abandoned off Danskammer beach.

The Police have written her off as a sex worker who had probably O’D’ed on a job, but would a scared customer really take the time to put her in a black, plastic trash bag, and tie it with a bow?

The women don’t buy into that narrative, and Nessa is determined to give the girl a name, and bury her with her dignity, so the women begin to investigate. Their sleuthing will lead to more bodies, and the startling conclusion that a serial killer may have been getting away with murder for YEARS.

When I began the book, it reminded me of “The Help” in feel, even though the story is completely different!
Three unlikely friends, undeterred by any obstacles that come their way, determined to RIGHT a WRONG!

Described as a feminist revenge fantasy, it is told with GOOD humor, and BAD language, and it couldn’t be more fun!

I was hesitant to request it when I saw that it was 480 pages, but really, the pages did fly bye! So don’t let the length deter you from picking up a copy on May 3rd, 2022.

Thank You to William Morrow & Company for the gifted ARC. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the copy of The Change. This book was not for me. It started out really well, and I liked the separate storylines of each of the women. Then the more supernatural things were brought in and the book lost me even though ‘supernatural’ isn’t usually a deal breaker for me.I just wasn’t feeling it in this book, even though the writing was engaging. I will try again because this could just be a mood thing for me.

This was an unexpectedly delightful book--not necessarily the plot--but the interplay between the three main characters. I had never heard of revenge fiction, but it made me laugh. I liked the mystery and how the characters worked together. I liked how they would not back down and they didn't let others define who they were. It was wickedly delightful. Would definitely recommend.

This is important. Thousands of teenage girls every year are abused, raped and sometimes murdered. This book addresses this very serious concern. Yet, this story is on the edge of being a little bizarre written by an author with a very good imagination.

Three women become “fast friends” with a plan to bring justice to a system that is broken in a beach town of NY. Harriett heals and punishes with her plants. Jo uses her physical strength to protect them. And Nessa has a gift of hearing and seeing the dead. They were all in their mid-forties –- a time in their lives when they want to make a difference for young girls.

It was said that girls are told from a young age that pretty can open doors for their future. But when they are born into poverty, pretty doesn’t go very far and sometimes they are forced into undesirable positions. The three women understood this and felt like together, they had a calling to help. One of the mothers of a missing girl said, “the cops aren’t going to listen to a witch and a lady ninja and some woman who talks to dead people.” This would be a challenge.

I was excited to read this book with an original plot. Parts I enjoyed but the downside for me was that I felt like the second half was long. It reminded me of a TV series that has a predictable ending and keeps on going forever. I believe it would have been better if it had more edits. It also seemed like the author was writing with a punching bag for almost all the male characters. I could see how it related in part to Jeff Epstein’s victims which made it very difficult to digest.

My thanks to HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Change by Kirsten Miller tells the story of Jo, Nessa and Harriet who meet because of their supernatural abilities and use them for the greater good. I really loved these characters. They each had a different ability but worked together. Very pro woman which seems to be under act these days. There was a good gradual character development. I loved the dialogue between the characters. It was very true to life. I hope the author will write a sequel with these same characters. I will recommend this book. Thank you for allowing me to review this book.

What a delightfully evil little book! "The Change" chronicles the adventures of 3 women who discover they possess magical powers after going through menopause. They band together to take down a network of evil men on their East coast island with humor and gusto. It's a brilliant twist on the current media obsession with female murder victims. Instead of being nameless victims whose stories are serialized on podcasts, these women talk back, and use the living to enact their revenge. A mischievous and fun read that reminded me that we have too few books with middle aged women as heroines.

A brilliant, unputdownable 5-star stunner that will have you cheering one minute, and then reeling over the atrocities of the world the next!

“No one had seen the woman who lived at 256 Woodland Drive since early November. Now it was late April and the house looked abandoned…The owner’s name was Harriett Osborne, and though she wasn’t new to the neighborhood, few people on Woodland Drive could claim to know her.”

That opening had me dying to know who Harriett was, and what was up with her.

Harriett is a former advertising director who was recently let go from her lucrative job. Her marriage is done, and nobody has seen her for months. Her garden looks out of control to the residents of Mattaulk in Long Island. That garden will end up being very useful.

Jo Levinson used to be an executive, but wasn’t able to hold on to the title that is usually awarded to men, and that is NOT because her talent was lacking. Now in the midst of menopause, she is a wife and parent, and she also runs a female-only fitness center and directs her red hot rage into a power nobody else has.

Nessa James is a widow with two daughters in college. A nurse and recent empty nester, her time at home is usually quiet…except for the voices that only she can hear. The voices are from those who are no longer living. See, Nessa has a gift. She can hear dead people, and it’s her responsibility to find their hidden bodies so they can be at peace and cross over.

What do these three very different women have in common? They are all middle-aged, they have all been screwed over by men, and they all have powers that will make them a force to be reckoned with.

Oh, and they are total BADASSES!!!!!

It soon becomes clear that there is a serial killer among their community when Nessa hears the voice of a teenage girl leading her to the beach. The police refuse to look too deep into it, shrugging the victim off as a drugged up prostitute.

Harrriett, Jo, and Nessa decide to come together with their powers…and nobody better stand in their way. Time to pay the piper!

This book is phenomenal, and it’s a complete standout for me this year! I have no doubt it will be on my top 10 list of favorite 2022 reads. There is no way I can adequately express how much I loved it, but I’ll at least try.

Author Kirsten Miller writes a genre-defying book that had me laughing/snorting one minute and absorbed with something much darker and sinister the next. The balance is extraordinarily successful and continues throughout. She writes the hell out of not only the main characters, but also side characters whose stories need to be told. You’ll know the backstories to everyone in this tale, from vengeful women to terrible men in power, victims’ families, those roped into the turmoil, a murderer, and second to most important - behind the three leading ladies - the victims.

We deserve to know about victims, and Miller is conscientious about not keeping the focus only on those who deliver harm.

As stated earlier, the women in this are total badasses, and you’ll be rooting and hollering as they take down evil forces in the world. Their stories are powerful, and their backgrounds are probably relatable to a number of women. Feminism doesn’t always work for me in fictional novels, but it excels here. And for those worrying that this is a man-bashing bonanza, don’t worry…There are a few good men who remain mostly unscathed. Nessa, Jo, and Harriett aren’t anti-male. They’re anti-bull$!t.

The book is on the longer side, but don’t let that deter you. I picked it back up every time I got a chance and didn’t want it to end. It was so gripping. If nobody has optioned this for a movie deal yet, they need to get on that STAT!

I hope The Change finds a large audience. I for one will be recommending it, and have already been telling people about it as I was in the midst of reading it.

I won’t specifically discuss the TWs, but this book is definitely rated-R.

Thank you to William Morrow for a widget of the ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Expected Publication Date: 5/3/22.

Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com

"The Change" by Kirsten Miller is set to be released by @harpercollinsca on May 3rd, 2022. Thanks to them for this advanced reading copy. Trust me friends, you are going to want to read this one. It's 480 pages, but a page turner and I felt like it was over too soon. It has elements of witchcraft, murder, the pacing of a thriller and the special elements of friendship and growing as women, into who you are supposed to be. Jo, Harriet and Nessa develop their strong relationships, and their own unique gifts as they go through the "change" in their late 40s. They learn to reclaim their power, and how to not take any more crap from men. I really enjoyed this read and I loved the three main characters. Witches, feminism and power? YES PLEASE! #witchy #amreading #harpercollins #bookstagram #thechange #advancedreading
trigger warnings of sexual assault and death