This story started off good - a student that is treated like garbage just because she's part of the school's new initiative to bring in students with a lower income to their rich private halls.

There's a whispered rumor of "The Changing Man" that feels like an urban legend and gave some spooky vibes.

Unfortunately, it didn't hold. The story started going sideways and got confusing at the end. It felt like the author decided to go a different way and didn't completely stick the landing. I felt like I was reading a knock-off of "The Faculty".

This book starts with a solid premise - a girl out of her element at an elite prep school where something strange is happening. This is a set up we see surprisingly often in teen fiction but Oyemakinde uses it well. It's not just that Ife is one of only a few Black girls at the school. She's part of the "Urban Achievers" program, a system that allows the school to appear inclusive and generous while remaining overall classist and at times racist. The characters are decent if a little one-note. The setting is strong. The plot itself, though, wavers. The early chapters have strong spooky vibes and are reminiscent of "Get Out". Once the characters begin to uncover what is actually happening at the school, though, it begins to lose me. I won't get into the details here because I'm strictly anti-spoilers but the reveal barrels right past the boundaries of my willing suspension of disbelief. It's a plot that may work for some but which I ultimately found disappointing.

I find this book to be a perfect companion for Them by Jordan Peele. I was drawn in from the very first word. I also listened to The Changing Man via audiobook which only enhanced the experience for me.

I did receive an arc of the audio, and I absolutely loved it the best definitely some audio unedited parts like counting down or clicks as well. I’m sure it was corrected for the final draft. The book was phenomenal, set an academic setting with a main character is beating the odds with a supportive family. She does a phenomenal job of uncovering and figuring out this possession of children by the changing man I love that she was not a main character, who was making the choices a complete disaster … that makes me so angry. Some books the main characters just so immature and seems like they don’t have a brain, but this is not the case in this book

My first audio book from netgalley. I wanted to read more suspense and horror at the end of the year and this really scratched the itch. I enjoyed the school setting with teens solving a murder mystery. Pick this up

The first half of the book was pretty boring, just normal private school drama with a bunch of snobby kids and very grumpy teachers. The ending was the only "spooky" part, and even then, I was extremely confused as to what was going on. I kind of had a loose grasp on everything by the end of the book, but I still would have liked to have been given a clearer presentation leading up to what all happened. The characters were meh. The plot was okay. The overall story felt lacking. But, for being a debut, it wasn't too horrible. I was just hoping for more horror aspects.

I tackled this book via audio, with Afolabi Alli and Fola Evans-Akingbola narrating the scenes. I won't beat around the bush; this book is very much YA and was dragging. It took a while for me to get into the story truly, but by 80%, I called it quits. I felt like I got the gist of the story and didn't feel the need to continue.

I'm not sure if it was the narration that did it or the writing because, honestly, the premise of the story had potential. The Changing Man is a cool melting pot mixture of the lore of Slenderman, Get Out, Body Snatchers, and doppelganger activities. Plus, I'm pretty sure the author got some inspiration from the real-life case on the subject, but who knows? The delivery just wasn't hitting for me.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* So i actually used my point to get this book because it sounded like an amazing book and ended up getting the audiobook from netgalley the same day the book arrived! Really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend for sure, happy i have a physical copy i can borrow to other people who would want to read it!

For me the cover caught my eye first. I love a classic horror type vibe and I still feel this one speaks to a young adult thriller/horror. If you've seen The Faculty or Body Snatchers, you'd enjoy the premise for this one.

The writing style is fitting the young adult high school scene. There's the drama, social structures and nuances of the teachers that lets you know something is off in slow doses. The urban legend of the Changing Man was a nice touch that starts to build the intrigue.

The characters grow on you as they begin to flesh out. I really liked Ife as a main character. She has what I'd consider a relationship with her parents that isn't as strained as most in books like this. She's standoffish purposefully and I liked the reasoning behind it. I would've liked a little more from the supporting characters in background and less on the every day happenings. It tended to take away from the building mystery.

When the action hits, it hits hard and fast. I like the transitions in genre for this one. Like I mentioned, very classic The Faculty meets Body Snatchers. I also had the ability to listen to the audiobook. It's narrated by Diana Yekinni with unique voices and accents. I adored listening to her narrate and effortlessly keep the character personas in order.

While it's slower paced than I'm used to for most horrors I did enjoy reading this one. It's a fun addition for Spooktober tbrs. PS: The mushroom design on the hardcover is perfection! True rating 3.5/5.

Ife misses her friends and would rather be back home at her public school than on scholarship at this boarding school. Finally making friends and plotting her brief escape, she never imagined things would turn out quite like this.

Taking an expected but no less shocking turn into fantasy Ife and her rag tag group of friends set out to uncover the secrets hidden amongst the school's walls.

"The Changing Man" mixes reality with mystery, fear with intrigue, and delivers a twisted story.

Tomi Oyemakinde's The Changing Man begins with a disappearance and a legend - the perfect opening for a novel set at an elite boarding school. The reader will be hooked from the opening scene. Ife, the strong narrator, doesn't want to be at the exclusive Nithercott School. But, when students start disappearing, Ife begins to investigate the school and the legend of The Changing Man. If Ife and her friends don't act quickly, they might be next. a Good thriller perfect for YA readers looking for a haunting tale.

I would summarize this but I finished it 20 days ago and my memory is fuzzy.
I did enjoy it overall. It was hella weird but I found the characters interesting and the whole premise and story different in a good way. I also love a boarding school setting. It was very very weird though and it kept getting weirder. I honestly don't know what to say. It was different. And I let myself be carried by the story. I kept being surprised by the turns it took and the whole atmosphere was eerie and perfect for Halloween season. So if you're looking for something different, don't look further.

For fans of Ace of Spades and I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me. This is a thriller/horror set at a boarding school. It was intriguing. It was thrilling. I enjoyed the narrator. A perfect read for spooky season. Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen in exchange for a review.

First off, I need to take a minute and admire this creepy cover. This would have given me nightmares as a kid. I think it represents the story so well.

This was a fast paced book with a lot going on. I did struggle to keep track of everything that was going on at times. It felt like reading the book instead of listening it would have helped me fully grasp all the little details. The narrator did a good job overall, but some of the voices she did for certain characters were abrasive to listen to.

I think a lot of YA readers will connect with lfe and her struggles starting at a new school with no friends. I enjoyed the evaluation of her friendships as the story progressed. It definitely gave off Stranger Things vibes with the gang of friends.

I enjoyed the ending and how all the twists came along the way. The supernatural aspect really added to it.

Overall, this is an interesting debut with elements of mystery, suspense, horror, and friendship.

Look out for the Changing Man if you want to stay the same person.

This was a fun book! I admit, I wanted less high school drama, more creepy monster but the mystery element of this book, led by Ife and her friends, helped balance it out well in the middle. The three kids seemed to work really well together, and I enjoyed the scenes with them all together. I liked Bijal and Ife, but Ben needed to be a little more fleshed out. I also loved the scenes of the monster in the beginning. The vibes with the orange smoke and leaving behind strange plants in its wake are so so good.

Unfortunately, I think the only thing that really kept me from enjoying this was the twist that shifted the story into a different genre. I genuinely wanted it to stay horror/paranomral, but it took a surprising turn into sci-fi. That said, I know many readers will enjoy the twist and should definitely read if you're a fan of science fiction. Also, and I'm surprised by this, I got lost a little bit because I couldn't keep any of the teacher names straight.

I gotta say, not sure why most of the reviews I read say the dialogue is cringy and childish. First of all, they're teenagers. Second, it's not cringy at all? I was lucky enough to receive an early audio copy and it sounded great.

A solid debut from a great new writer!

I want to thank both NetGalley and BookishFirst for allowing me to win both an audio copy and a hardcover copy of The Changing Man by Tomi Oyemakinde. This story was super crazy. It is a wonder how no one has caught onto what the school secretly is about. Some much starts to take off when the three main characters deep dive onto missing kids. The teachers slowly show they are not all there. The amount of times the characters find themselves in trouble is crazy. And once the true nature of The Changing Man is known, it becomes a rush to save anyone and everyone. Having the audio copy was a nice change to listen to it as I do things around the house and I felt it did add more to the over all story. If you like suspenseful thriller-like stories, you will more than likely enjoy this one as the twists and turns were fun. This is a great time of the year to give it a shot.

Really enjoyed The Changing Man by Tomi Oyemakinde. The boarding school setting and The Faculty-inspired narrative were fabulous.

Thank you to Macmillan for my gifted copy of this audio book for review.

I had the opportunity to both read and listen to this book, so I flipped back and forth a little bit. Some of the names in the book were unfamiliar to me, so I liked having the audio to make sure I was pronouncing them properly in my head while I was reading. I liked the narrator and found her to be engaging. I felt that the voice was a little bit older than the character, but I got into it, and it was not something that bothered me.

I have been on a recent YA kick, and this book was really something.

Ife (pronounced ee-feh) has started at a pretentious boarding school, on a scholarship. She is having trouble fitting in, missing her friends back home, and finding herself unintentionally in trouble. The school has a legend about someone or something in the woods known as The Changing Man. When Ife meets Ben, whose brother went missing shortly before, and Bee, the three form a friendship and are in search of answers. There is something strange happening to the kids at the school, and everyone seems to be covering it up.

The first half of the book is a little bit slow and gives a lot of detail about the school and less important characters, but it picks up into a wild monster (?) alien (?) creature (?) tale. Ife and her new friends need to defeat the leader, so the cycle of missing children doesn't continue.

The legend dubbed the creature "The Changing Man" because people would encounter it in the woods, and then all of a sudden have a complete personality shift. I found it fun to try to figure out what was going on,

There is a lot going on in this book. I don't know if it was one that most adults would enjoy, but it reminded me of a longer and more in depth R.L. Stine book. At first, I wasn't entirely sure where the book was going and if it was going to turn out to be a natural or supernatural explanation, but it quickly took an over-the-top supernatural turn.

Love this! Our girl is an urban scholarship student at a fancy British school. She is noticing some weird stuff and is also aware of the legend of a changing man.
She makes a few new friends.
I don't want to reveal anything but you need to listen to this! It is wonderful!

DNF @ 56%.

I'm over half way through this book, and I still don't really have any idea what is happening besides the typical high school drama. I was intrigued by the premise of this book, but the pacing and the execution is just all over the place.

Also, the audiobook narrator was incredibly annoying when she did impersonations of some of the characters because she would do a high pitch nasal sound, which was really grating.