Nessa James was born with a gift, she can hear the voices of the dead calling to be found and be put to rest. She enlists the help of her new friend, Jo, and the neighborhood witch, Harriet, and together they set out to find the source of the voice calling out to Nessa. Once they find one body they soon find out there are many more close by and Nessa fears there is a serial killer in Mattauk. The 3 women work together to find out who it is and burn it all down.

This story was so different and I loved it! It addressed gender equality and ageism, but also has some fantasy and magic involved. If you want to read about some bad a** ladies taking down the bad guys with a touch of supernatural elements then grab this book! Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC.

The Change is ultimately a book about revenge. Harriett (former ad exec), Jo (business owner), and Nessa (housewife) all have special powers, and they will use them to bring justice to the people who have wronged them. Harriett specializes in herbs and plants, Jo can channel her emotions and anger, and Nessa can hear the dead speak to her. When they discover that a young girl''s body has been found, they realize that this girl is not the only one who has been abused and murdered. They make it their mission to find the person who is killing young women. Until they do, they will not rest, and the voices speaking to Nessa will not quiet.
This book really surprised me at the end - I wasn't expecting the reveal. But, you must suspend your belief as this book does rely on a bit of mystery and magic to make its case. This was a different thriller.
Thanks to BookClub Girls and Harper Collins / William Morrow and NetGalley for the copy of The Change. All opinions are my own and freely given.

I was immediately enthralled with this book. I thought the book handled some tough topics in a very well executed way. The mystery throughout the book was great, it had me sitting on the edge of my seat. The twist an turns were unmatched. I devoured this book in one day, it was extremely hard to put down.

Each character had intense and in depth story lines. Harriet had the most comical parts, with her witty come backs in my opinion. Jo was a straight up boss and a major badass. Then we have Nessa who brought in a something mysterious. The way their story lines crossed was great, and very original.

It’s not very often that I stumble upon a book that captivates me like this one. I would even say that this book was “unputdownable.” I will not give any spoilers, because who like spoilers, but I will say that if you like supernatural, comedic haunted tales—this is an ideal book for you. The main characters, Jo, Nessa and Harriet are all so like-able and different, yet they fit together like a perfect puzzle. If you haven’t read this, do yourself a favor and read it.

What a deliciously wicked read. I enjoyed reading about more mature women and the lives they still have in them. It was entertaining and thought provoking!

I really enjoyed this author’s writing style, witty and engaging and lord knows I don’t mind characters with a potty mouth! The story itself was an interesting one and I liked the characters. I was somewhat uncomfortable with the discovery of the girl’s body on the beach and the descriptions. I think many readers will absolutely enjoy this one. I would ultimately score it higher, but some parts weren’t for me.

Loved The Change so much. I was putting off reading it because of the length but talked my book club into reading it with me and that was the push I needed. I am SO glad I read it. It had all the things i love, witchy vibes, badass women taking control, revenge murders. It had so many layers to it, it wasn't just the story and murders, there were so many hard hitting ideas that all women go through, men taking credit for our ideas, men expecting us to be housewives, men setting expectations for women and not allowing us to be who we choose. I can't rave enough about this one. It did run a little long, I thought the story was over but realized I had about 150 pages left. I t could have been a little shorter but over all it was a great read.

QUICK BITS
-Badass female MCs
-Multiple perspectives
-Pretty Girls meets Practical Magic

REVIEW
Oofta, I can easily say I have never read a book quite like The Change.

When you pick up this book you quickly learn that the author is out for blood, mainly the blood of every man that has ever done her wrong...and the characters of this book follow suit.

This is one of those rare books that defies genre as it is a bit of literary fiction, mystery, magical realism...and badass (okay that's not a genre, but it stands).

Witnessing the mystery unfold as the women of this book discover how their strength is their beauty is incredibly enjoyable.

The one caveat when you pick up this book is to expect the evolution of the characters to be just as prominent as the plot (aka lengthy detailed backstories).

If you are thinking about picking this one up, my only recommendation is to grab a friend, because you are going to want to talk this one out with someone.

RATINGS
4.50/5.00 Gut Rating

10 Characters
10 Atmosphere
10 Writing Style
7 Plot
10 Intrigue
8 Logic
10 Enjoyment
= 65/14
=
4.64/5.00 Cawpile Rating

3.00/5.00 SOS Rating (scale of surprise)

This was such a fun read of revenge. I usually don’t like books with magical storylines, but I really did enjoy this one. I liked all of the characters and their various struggles and how they overcame them. I also liked the revenge aspect. Tough women taking down sleazy men, what’s not to love?! It was a little long, but I enjoyed it so much that I’m glad it kept going! I loved how everything was wrapped up at the end. Overall this was a fun read and will be a perfect summer read!

If you’re looking for a dark, feminist mystery, look no further! I could not put this book down. It centers around three women who live in an island who soon discover they have powerful gifts. They use these gifts to take justice into their own hands when they are ignored by the police following a string of disappearances.

Brilliant, infuriating, devastating, and most importantly, satisfying. It was maybe a bit too long, which did drag the pace down, but I can’t think of anything to cut out since it all becomes relevant to tie the end together. I wouldn’t call this especially twisty, but the threads slowly pieced together to create a satisfying conclusion.

Oh. My. Word!! This is EASILY my favorite read of the last 18 months!! This book is phenomenal! (It’s also totally rated-R.) This is my first Kristen Miller book. Thanks to #NetGalley for the gifted advanced copy. Unfortunately, it arrived on my e-shelf just weeks before publication… So this 500 page book took a while to get through.

Jo, Nessa and Harriet … You do NOT want to be on their bad side… But they are also a trio I’d love to be friends with! The Change is Big Little Lies mixed with Desperate Housewives…toss in girls gone missing, a body on the shore, a secret, poison garden, hot flashes that turn to fire & fury, and the ability to see the deceased and you have the perfect concoction for revenge on the bad men in this world. It was amazing… and I would love to see this as a movie… I would definitely pay to be in a theater for this one.

I would not recommend this book to a man who is squeamish about blood or the description of what becoming a woman means. While 90% of the men are horrible in this book, there are also redeeming and loving ones, too… for that reason, if you are confident in your manlihood, then take a peek. You just might walk away with a new-found appreciation for the powerful species that are women…
To women in their 20’s — you may not fully appreciate the representation of menopause or even perimenopausal women in this book. But I think you might still enjoy it. Some of my favorite books involve middle age characters—there’s just something so raw in the development that you don’t see with younger characters.

Kristen Miller—you’ve outdone yourself with this novel. Bravo!

Witchy, vengeful, middle aged women? COUNT ME IN! I'm sure this book will trigger a few people but I loved it and hope it becomes a series because I want more Jo, Nessa, and Harriet!

Nessa has a "gift", dead people come to her looking for justice, Jo is trying to make her all women's gym a success while supporting her husband and daughter, and Harriet has been deemed the town witch and is so done with men's BS in general. They team up to figure out who has been killing girls in their idyllic beach town.

I had a feeling I knew who the real "bad guy" would bev early on, but I still really enjoyed getting there!

The Change is a unique and engaging portrayal of how women are seen and treated in middle age. I loved the women relationships and the wonderful atmospheric vibe. A hit!

The feminist rage and revenge novel we all need right now! This was fun, compulsively readable, and relevant. I really loved my reading experience, although it lost some of its magic at the end for me. I will be recommending this one to friends for summer reading and beyond.

I really love a character driven story and The Change certainly delivers on strong, memorable characters. This book was a mix of so many things; with magical elements and women being bad asses, I could not put it down!

My favorite character had to be Harriet, but I also loved the relationship she formed with Jo and Nessa. I thought their interactions were comical at times, but also heartfelt. I also appreciated how the author included their backstories throughout, leading up to the present.

There were so many moments while I was reading when I felt enraged by how the women were treated or the misogyny of some of the male characters, but what made this book so great was how the women in the book took that rage and spun it into action. It was magical, vengeful, and a really great read. Would highly recommend reading THE CHANGE if you haven’t already!

How refreshing to read about some bad ass women who get their strength later in life. And using that power to screw with some big shot evil. I loved every moment of this story. I don’t know where Miller got her idea but I’ll be reading everything she writes. The characters were SO enjoyable. Their back stories, transformations, relationships- all so lovely. I got this as an arc from net galley (thank you!) and had no idea it was considered fantasy. Not usually my thing but this was a bit of everything. I bought a copy thru BOTM to send my mom and sister. :)

I enjoyed this suspenseful story. This is not my first book by this author but it is one of my favorites by her. This is a well written story where the author used details to make you feel part of the story. I also enjoyed the author's writing skills that made the story come to life. This is a story about three women who find a murdered teenager. As the bodies begin to pile up, these three find new powers and take things in their own hands. You don't want to miss what happens in this story. The characters pull you into the story from the first word. They are connectable and have great growth throughout. The twists and turns had me turning pages fast just to see what would happen next. This is a great story that I really enjoyed and what the characters add to the story is great. I highly recommend reading this book.

This was a great read! Who doesn't love reading about strong women taking a stand and making their own way?! I loved this book from start to finish.

This was too much of a stretch for me, and not my typical genre. But after all the amazing reviews I knew I needed to give it a try…fair enough. But I think my initial instinct was right. Just not my cup of tea.

I loved the message of strong powerful women of ‘a certain age’. Great theme.

But the book itself just felt too long. And I found myself setting it aside on many occasions.

I’m much in the minority here, as most every reader I’ve come across has loved it. Enjoy!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow.

LOVE, love, LOVED this read and want more from these characters. This would be an EXCELLENT screen adaptation. Great pacing, great characters. I loved the connection created between the main characters and found myself simultaneously wanting to be part of them, while feeling as if I were just by reading.