I was immediately hooked with this story. I loved that it had magical elements but still felt realistic. Harriet, Jo and Nessa are amazing characters. I laughed several times at the dialogue. I enjoyed the mystery aspect a lot. The ending felt a little rushed to me but I was happy how it ended.

Loved it! I get the hype, the rave reviews, all the buzz! This is female rage, empowerment, and friendship at its best with some magical realism thrown in that makes this one of the most entertaining reads of the year for me. This book put all the parts I loved about The Power, The Husbands and Nightbitch into one story with better characters, an intricate plot and witty dialogue. Highly recommend this one!

I was influenced into reading this book, and I’m so glad. Jo, Nessa, and Harriett are just badass women. Superheroes in their own right. Their friendship and characters make this book worthy of 5 stars.

While the ending didn’t catch me by complete surprise, it also didn’t make me want to throw my kindle (so that’s a win).

Claude- I kept hoping my intuition was wrong. Shame.

**I received this advance copy free from William Morrow, Harper Collins Publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

✨Book Review✨
The Change by Kirsten Miller
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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I recommended this book to like ten people before even finishing it, if that gives any indication of how much I loved it.
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This book was not perfect, but oh my gosh I loved the characters more than anything! I want to be Harriet when I grow up. This book was the perfect amount of magical, and the women were complete badasses. This book makes me look forward to getting older, as it does such a brilliant job fighting ageism and showing that women after menopause continue to be strong, sexual, independent, and capable of taking care of themselves.
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If you like books about strong women fucking over shitty men, and the idea of magical powers that emerge with menopause intrigues you, stop what you're doing and read this book NOW! It will without a doubt be in my top books of the year. It might even make its way into my top books of all time. Loved it!

If you only read one thriller this year, make it this one! This is the best book I’ve read in a long while!
Three women, each strong in their own way, find a dead body near the beach. As they begin to put the pieces together, things get more complicated.
This book had major plot twists and a great ending!

THE CHANGE review

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

🍄I’ve seen a loooooot of hype for this one so I knew I wanted to check it out for myself! I had really similar vibes to The Lost Apothecary (but an even more insane storyline). I’ve seen this book described as magical realism, but it felt more like straight up fantasy to me (not a bad thing, just not what I was expecting).

🍄Here’s a summary of the plot:👇
In the community of Mattauk, three women discover that in their midlife changes they’ve all developed unique powers. Jo, Nessa, and Harriett must work together and use their powers to uncover the town’s darkest secret. But other members of the community seem intent on keeping the secret buried. They decide it’s up to them to take matters into their own hands…

🍄This one felt super loooong. I enjoyed the story, but would have enjoyed it more if it was a little more fast paced. I felt like the ending was super predictable, but this one was still a fun read. Plus I always love a good revenge storyline. I didn’t love it, didn’t hate it, but it was a fun read different to what I’m used to!

🍄Thanks @netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for my arc of this one!

Three women brought together by their own separate identities. Each has their own power.
After the body of a young girl is found and then more, the women follow in each others footsteps to discover who the murderer in their small quaint town is.. Fabulous book!

The Change is one of the best books I’ve read so far this year. Harriet, Nessa and Jo are three very different women who end up becoming not only best friends but so much more. As they fight to right wrongs that have been perpetuated in their town, they find themselves up against an enormous web of evil. I loved how this story played out and was almost disappointed that my suspicions about a certain character turned out to be correct as I really liked the person. Overall this is a phenomenal book that I could not put down. I highly recommend this book!

The Change follows three women, Harriett, Nessa, and Jo, as they work to solve the case of several murdered girls in their town. When the police prove to be of little help, they take it upon themselves to get justice for the girls that society turned its back on. Along the way, they each develop different powers that help them to achieve this justice. These ladies couldn't be any stronger. The subject matter may be hard to read at times, but it is also so empowering to see them take things into their own hands. Read this one!

The Change explores the power of menopausal women and the poignant strength of friendship; supplies satisfying revenge fantasies and camp; and winds it all through our middle-aged heroines' satisfying solving of a disturbing set of mysteries.

“Why do you think women are designed to outlive men? Why do we keep going for thirty years after our bodies can no longer reproduce? Do you think nature meant for those years to be useless? No, of course not. Our lives are designed to have three parts. The first is education. The second, creation. And in part three, we put our experience to use and protect those who are weaker.”
In Kristen Miller's novel The Change, set in Mattauk, Long Island, three women cope with various challenges surrounding aging, change, and unexpected new beginnings.
Nessa's husband has died, and her twin daughters have left for college. The former nurse is coping with loneliness--but then she begins hearing voices like her grandmother once did. They're making insistent suggestions about what she should do with her life, and Nessa realizes they're coming from the dead.
Harriett's career and marriage have fallen apart, but she's also undergone an incredible metamorphosis she can't ignore--and her abilities are overwhelming to anyone who was expecting her to stay quiet and contained.
Jo has battled with her weight and struggled with her body image her whole life. She has a loving husband and a wonderful young daughter she adores. When she is terribly wronged at work and her career is cut short, she realizes that her hot flashes can be channeled into power, and she reinvents herself while exploring her dramatic strength and the potentially useful fuel of her fury.
Nessa, Jo, and Harriet work together and use their newfound abilities to try to solve the mystery of a missing girl, along the way uncovering dark, disturbing patterns of abusive power and shining a light on the horrifically effective shields provided by money and privilege.
The tone of The Change is largely campy, as middle-aged women heroines unite against the book's sometimes caricature-like, purely evil bad guys by using their new-found fantastical powers. The revenge-fantasy element is particularly satisfying.
But what I loved most about The Change was the unapologetic embracing of the frequently fraught menopausal stage of life. Miller allows the frequently dreaded and bemoaned middle-aged shifts and changes to lead her female characters to realize their terrific strengths. Separately they're formidable, but together, they build a collective power that is the community's only hope to right terrible, horrible, longstanding wrongs.
I received a prepublication digital edition of this book courtesy of William Morrow and NetGalley.

Loved this book! So different. And empowering. Loved the idea behind it and the characters. With a mystery built in. I have recommended this book as a summer read to many! Great and would love a sequel.

The Change is a tale of betrayal, secrets, revenge, love, and bad ass women taking down (some of) the patriarchy. Nessa, Harriet, and Jo are three women who all experience The Change. Whether it's the acquisition of new powers or a strengthening of dormant powers, these women learn how to shape the world through fire, botany, and visions. When Nessa's powers lead her to the body of a young woman, the three start a journey together to understand the cuase of her death, only to uncover so much more.

This book was fast paced and beautifully written. The main characters were strong, well developed, and a comfort when looking at the world they're dealing with. This was a great book for those who like some magical realism or subtle supernatural features in their books without going overboard or seeming to obscure. While the "twist" at the end was somewhat predictable, I felt that it was important to the plot and still strengthened the message of the book.

🌿 B O O K • R E V I E W 🌿
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Title: The Change
Author: Kirsten Miller
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (Rounded up to 4 stars on Netgalley, Goodreads and Amazon)
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I’m a little torn on my rating here. Did I enjoy the story? Absolutely, but there are a few things that really kind of irked me about this one. I wasnt really sure what I was getting myself into reading this one, but it is most definitely unique.
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The Change follows three women with very unique “powers”, Nessa can see the dead, Harriett is a horticulturalist and Jo can channel her inner anger through the palms of her hands. Intrigued? So was I! I really liked the witchy vibe, but in a more realistic sense. The story was set up and executed with the perfect mystery, involving the discovery of a serial killer in their town. I enjoyed how the story unfolded and how each piece fell into place perfectly, Miller left no stone unturned. A huge bonus for me was that we get a little insight to the victims in some chapters, where we see their side to the story. It really gave such a powerful perspective to the story. The acts of revenge in this one were perfectly placed throughout. The ending - twisty and one I did not see coming. I loved it. Truly phenomenal.
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If I truly loved this story then why am I so torn? Well, if I am going to be completely honest, this story really seemed to be a huge bashing on men. I am very proud to be a woman, and I absolutely loved the strong female roles in this one, and yes enjoyed the acts of revenge at points, but this almost felt like this was written in pure angst against men and at times the over abundance of hate for men was off-putting. There were a bunch of characters that seemed to get distorted through the lengthy chapters in this one, there were points where I was reading and a name came up and I thought “wait who was that?”. Could this have been shorter? Sure, did I mind the length though? No not necessarily.
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I think this will most definitely be the book of the summer, I think that it is one that will have great discussions that will be a favorite for many! This one is well written, though can be long winded at times, has a great storyline; I just personally didn’t like the anti-men message that I perceived.
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Huge thank you to Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
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#netgalley #netgalleyearc #netgalleyreview #threeandahalfstars #tornrating #feminismbutnot #antimen #perfectmysteryandmagicalrealism #thechange #kirstenmiller

Such a great story!! I didn’t know what to expect going into this but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised for sure.

This certainly wasn't what I expected when I started reading a book about 3 women who are going through "the change". One is going through menopause, one is going through coping with an empty nest, and one is going through losing her job and her marriage. Stories as old as time. Right? WRONG! Well the traditional changes that women face are certainly in the story but add in a splash of supernatural, a little witchcraft, and some superhero for extra measure and that is closer to what this book is about. And these 3 women are able to channel all this into results we all want to cheer for but are afraid to do in real life. If you want to read a book that keeps you not just interested but intrigued throughout and hoping it isn't the end of the book yet when you turn the page, pick up The Change. I know I will be looking for more books by this author.

As a 40-something year old woman, I have to believe I am part of the target audience for this book. I heard a lot of buzz about this book on bookstagram and was very excited when I had the chance to read this book via Netgalley. The "change" the book is talking about seems to me to be a play on the term referring to when a woman hits menopause, and flips it on its head and instead, turns it into a term for when women stop wasting their energy on men and start channeling it in a new, much more productive, direction, thus creating a feminist manifesto for those over forty.

This book was super fun to read, and even better, it has a lot to say on women's role in society and, more particularly, how the value of a woman can changes throughout the course of her life based on her age. I related to this book so, so much. Not so much the superpowers, unfortunately. But more so to the feeling that as I get older, I care less and less about things that used to matter a lot more than they do now. The mystery portion of the book was also very compelling and well written.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and it resonated with me a ton. I purchased a hardcover copy and I plan on sharing it with all of the other powerful (older) women in my life, and with some of the younger ones as well, so they know they will have a lot to look forward to in the future.

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for this honest review!**

The Change is a murder mystery/magical realism offering about a group of women who develop supernatural abilities as they enter menopause. The plot line and characters are interesting and held my interest, although both were rather over the top in terms of believability. The ending was a bit disappointing when the perpetrators don’t have to face the justice of the legal system—just the vigilante justice of the main characters. In spite of this, I would read the next book if it is the first in a series.

I loved this book! I loved these women! This is a book that will be in my top reads of 2022. When young girls go missing, their souls cry out and they are heard and cared for by Nessa, a widowed empty-nester. Two other women help her with their womanly powers and will not be stopped by any type of authority. They will do what they have to to uncover the truth and set these souls free.

This book is all about woman power. A great fantasy/murder mystery all in one.

It follows our main characters Jo, Nessa, and Harriet. They each have a gift in which they are each learning how to use and control throughout the book. These gifts allow them to help solve a mystery in which young girls are disappearing from their neighborhood and wind up dead. The police aren’t helping much since the girls are poor and their existence didn’t matter. Yet that’s what the author leads us to think.

This book has many twists and turns. At the same time when a new character is introduced to the story, their backstory is explained to gain a better perspective. That point may turn off some readers but I didn’t mind it at all.

Would I recommend this book? Absolutely. I loved it. Harriet is by far my favorite character. Always straight and to the point. The strength of a woman far surpasses what we think and know. These women proved that.

This was a great story about women finding themselves and discovering their abilities after 50.

Three women who previously only knew each other by sight join to solve the kidnaping and murders of teenage girls. All are troubled girls that no one would miss if they went missing. The murdered girls call to Nessa James for help and with her ability to her the dead, she goes to them. Harriett Osbourne has forsaken the corporate world for growing herbs and flowers with varying uses. Jo Levison owns a for women only gym where everyone is accepted. Many find themselves using the facility to work off negative emotions by pushing themselves far beyond their comfort zone.

The women’s quest into solving the murder one young girl leads them into a society of people so rich that normal laws and societal expectations do not apply. Danger abounds as the three use their talents to find justice.

I found this book to be exciting, interesting, well-written and intriguing. I want these ladies as my besties! A great read.


I received an ARC from William Morrow through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.