I am not usually one for fantasy or magical realism, so I definitely stepped out of my comfort zone for this book because the description really grabbed my attention. That being said, I did not enjoy this the way that I've seen so many others love it on Booksta. While I really enjoyed parts of it, I found myself not in a hurry to pick the book back up. It is beautifully written though. I think it all comes down to it just not being the right book for me 🤷🏼‍♀️

Coming in hot with a review of The Change—a book you may or may not be familiar with. 😏
Also feeling extra cause I’m literally having a hot flash right now. I digress.

A wise woman once said, “We can’t freak out over all of the books.” Cheryl wrote this in her post yesterday and gave me permission to quote her. It’s true. But damnit, it is sorely disappointing to have Booksta give you the FOMO, just to find out it wasn’t the sweet literary release to cool off this hot mama.

This book was a hot mess. The Change by Kirsten Miller is about a group of menopausal women who have magical powers turned detectives turned vigilantes. It’s night sweats, rage filled treadmill sessions, and relationships gone sour. It’s a contemporary menopause manifesto slash witchy brewed diatribe slash revengeful rage drama all packaged together in a too long tableau. It’s a feminist Justice League meets the Usual Suspects. (Not the actual movies, but a nod to the movie names just to be clear.)

Lots of people are freaking out about this book. I get it. Underneath it all it’s about women standing up to the patriarchy. But this book is 480 pages! It’s a slap-dash inclusion of all of the things, and the plot within the plot is repeated three times. With a clear focus and a hard edit this book could be my everything. Right now though, it’s over-the-top revenge plot makes me want to run for the treadmill.

This book did not change my life. That’s okay. It’s a book that a lot of people are freaking out about and that’s cool. I’l continue my search. Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

What a unique twist on the suburban woman story! Loved each of these characters including their flaws. They each had their own strengths that I found to be very empowering. I did expect this to take more of a supernatural twist and was surprised that it didn't really. I'm not usually one for contemporary dramas but still enjoyed this quite a bit.

Witches of Eastwick meets Big Little Lies equals the best feminist revenge fantasy novel to date!!!! I love this book!

Finally!!!! Thank you, Kirsten Miller, for writing 50-year-old characters who know their history, their worth, their power, and their strength! Menopausal women do not shrivel up and die! We are bold, strong, funny, and independent!

Harriet, Nessa, and Jo take on shitty men of all forms - but mostly the rich, white entitled assholes who deem themselves rulers of the world. While dismantling the institution, these women become champions, role models, and sometimes saviors to women and girls being used, abused, and killed by these men. They give voices to the victims in ways other books have failed - women saving women! What's not to love about that?

But I also love that Kirsten Miller didn't make all men shitty! Both Jo’s husband and Nessa’s boyfriend support, love, and embrace their strong female counterparts. They don't question, mock, or belittle their opinions or actions, what real men should be!

This book is full of wit and sarcasm. The cleverness of the title alone clues you into the book's tone! I did solve the murder mystery but in no way did that affect my enjoyment of the book.

Throw this one in your beach bag! You're in for a fun ride!

I was skeptical at first. I thought how am I going to remember all of these characters! But I kept reading!!

I am SO glad I did. This was a fantastic read and I want more! This is a book with strong, independent females, willing to do whatever it takes to keep their children safe while also teaching them how to protect themselves through life.

I fell in love with these strong heroines and their future heroines! Please tell me there is more to come!!

Can’t recommend this book more! Smart, funny, and empowering, this book has it all. Not sure how the author kept so many character stories straight, but she did. Plot was tight and the characters were well developed. Will be thinking about this book for a long time.

I received a free advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

Overall, I enjoyed this book though I felt it did get long unnecessarily.
The gyst of it is this:
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.

And so the story goes...

This book was interesting. I do think parts dragged on and the book was a bit too long for my immediate liking.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

After hearing people absolutely RAVING about this book before publishing day I was super intrigued and motivated to finally pick up my ARC copy. The story overall was pretty unique-3 women who all come into their own individual "powers" as they hit menopause that allow them to help previously murdered women in their area. Not sure if it's because I went into this one blind and had zero clue what I was reading about, but I found myself really not being able to get into this one. But like I said, I am definitely in the minority with my middle-of-the-road review so I recommend checking out some of those higher 4 and 5 star ratings for a better description!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with an ARC for review!

Three women, three roles. Many murders, many missing girls. One creative author.

I enjoyed this book, although it was a bit too long, almost 500 pages. A few chapters could have been cut. Many thanks to Netgalley

I went into The Change by Kirsten Miller with 0 expectations, and I am completely blown away! This is a genre-bending novel that has everything from mystery to women's fiction to magical realism/supernatural elements. The best part about the book is the 3 female MCs because they aren't afraid to say it like it is and they are all kickass in their own right. The story is mainly told from Nessa, Harriett, and Jo's viewpoints, with the occasional chapter from someone else as well. This reminded me a tiny bit of Malibu Rising, but don't worry people, it wasn't near as much, and it definitely enhanced the story each time. I loved that Miller was able to mix in each of the women's backstories as well, so the reader found out how they each ended up where they were.

Since this is a longer book, I decided it would be best to listen to it as an audiobook, and I was not wrong. Even though the audio is almost 15.5 hours long, it never for one second felt like it, and having January LaVoy narrate was the best decision they could have made in terms of a narrator. She was fantastic for every single viewpoint and just like every other time I have listened to her, she didn't disappoint in any way. I will say, almost every single one of the men is completely terrible in this book, but luckily Miller did throw us a bone with a couple of great guys. Some of the content is tough, I won't lie about that, but there is also an inspirational aspect as well, and it was just so great to see these women excel in their special powers. The Change is a story about very real things and we just so happen to have some magical realism mixed in, so if you're ok with elements that wouldn't *actually* happen in real life, I highly HIGHLY, recommend this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I've never read a book like The Change. The subject of menopause while not "taboo", is not mainstream either, and Miller's decision to couple that with the supernatural, well it grabbed me from page 1. Strong Harriett, fiery Jo, and quiet Nessa could not be more different from each other. In fact they don't even know each other at the start. All 3 are middle aged women with a different story to tell, but the have all been in some way screwed over by men and "the patriarchy". As they enter "the change", untold powers begin to emerge, and gravitate to one another and form a special bond of friendship and sisterhood. They work together to solve a string of murders in that the police can't or won't solve. I loved the writing style, the characters, and the story. I raged with them, cried for them, and cheered for them. 10/10

I was a little hesitant to pick up and read The Change by Kirsten Miller but I am so glad I did! Noted as one of the Good Morning America Book Club Picks I can certainly understand why. Miller takes us to the east coast community of Mattauk and introduces us to a group of women that have lived long enough to know life gets better as you get older. As these women get closer to "the change" their womanly powers take over. Harriet, Jo, and Nessa come together as a powerful collection of women saving young women from danger and punishing those who misuse and abuse women. Young girls are disappearing and turning up dead. No one seems to notice or care, especially the police force. But that ends now, Harriet, Nessa, and Jo will no longer tolerate this happening around their town. They won't stop until the young women can be laid to rest, peacefully.
I was really surprised by how much I really enjoyed The Change. I love Harriet! She is one of my favorite characters I have met so far this year. I'd love for her to get her own story and to hear more from her. I can also see this being made into a series for television---Hulu? Netflix? Anyone? I would definitely watch this! The Change by Kirsten Miller was a fast paced, easy to follow read. Miller draws your attention in with in the first few pages and doesn't let your attention go until the last chapter. I will definitely be recommending The Change to all my friends and would love to check out other works by Miller. Special thanks to Kirsten Miller, NetGalley, and William Morrow books for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. 4.5 stars for me.
#TheChange #NetGalley

LOVED!! This book was all over bookstagram and I’ll be honest not my usual kind of book but it peaked my interest and my goal this year was to read outside my norm. This book did not disappoint. It was a beast over 470 pages and I could not wait every night to go up and read another chunk. Practical Magic, Big Little Lies and Witches of Eastwick vibes! Feminist fantasy revenge with incredibly written characters! Must read!

This book started off strong but lost steam 3/4 of the way through. What started off as enjoyable feminist snark turned judgmental and heavy handed as the action started to peak. Still an enjoyable read, but I was disappointed that the ending relied so heavily on black and white thinking. There was a lot of room for nuance that got lost.

I loved this book. I read it slowly, not because I wasn't engaged, but because I wanted to savor every last chapter.

It's a feminist revenge fantasy featuring three middle-aged women coming into their powers. But it's also a heartbreaking tale of women who deserved better, and an investigation into a possible serial killer.

The writing's snappy at times, which forever works for me -- I just love a story that pulls you in alongside writing that hits.

I didn't personally care for a plot point or two but I see why the author wrote them that way.

Recommended if you like books featuring powerful women, fighting misogyny, and murder mysteries. It's labeled fantasy but I felt that it was very much set in our world (read: even if you, too, rarely read fantasy, you may well love this one like I did). And it's the rare book I was grateful was close to 500 pages.

One of the best fantasy books I've read in years. It is a little long, but other than that, there's not a single thing I would change about this book. If you are feeling ragey at the world right now, read The Change!!

This book caught me by surprise because this usually isn't my genre of choice, but what a great, well-paced story!
I would describe it more magical realism than fantasy, as its a story of three strong women who use their superpowers for good. Although it's a long book at just under 500 pages, the story is well developed and interesting enough with plenty of twists to keep you turning the pages!
If you're a fan of mystery solving, witchy characters and girl power, I would highly recommend!
Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC.

The old woman who lives in the overgrown house. The successful gym owner. The woman who can see the dead. They all have a strange something inside of them that brings them together in an unexpected but powerful way when young girls in their area start turning up dead.

I'm not sure if I have anything to add that hasn't been mentioned in the kazillion reviews that popped up for this book overnight. This is going to be the book of the summer! The Change has garnered huge popularity since its release date AND FOR GOOD REASON! We love a hyped-book that holds up to the adoration!

The Change is best described as a supernatural mystery with strong female empowerment themes. There are so many different plot-threads and magical elements to this multi-layered, supercharged, story. Miller seemed to decide why not edit out some cool shit when you can have it all. I felt nervous for Miller at around the halfway point. There were a lot of balls in the air and I didn't know if this ambitious debut novel was going to go down in flames or rise to the occasion! In the end, I felt that the many different flavors of story elements came together in a seamless and unexpected way. I need the change to be the first book in a series because I didn't want to leave these characters behind.

The most succesful part of this novel was the dazzling characterization that brought effortless chemistry to the book. The mystery wasn't difficult to sniff out, but because the characters were done so well, I didn't mind a couple predictable "twists"

I'm on board for whatever Miller has up her sleeve next, but I also just want this book to be the start of a series. Imagine multiple supernatural mystery books with a host of badass, nuanced, female leads? Its been a rough couple years Miller, WE DESERVE THIS!

Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for an advanced copy of of The Change in exchange for an honest review!

The Change is available to readers now!

I absolutely loved the concept of this book, how plants were featured, and the characters coming into their power at menopause. The storyline was fantastic, and I fully enjoyed the twists and turns.

There were, however, some tough things in this book that kept it from perfection. One was the pacing which would ramp up to a big event and slow back down to an utter crawl before revving up again. I did love how things came together but I think more could have been done in the chapter arrangement and length to keep important plot points in the forefront without the predictability.

I still very much enjoyed this and would recommend, particularly for the main characters!

Favorite quote here:

“This is what you were made for,” she told her. “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 our designed to have three parts. The first is education. The second, creation. And in part three, we put our experience to use to protect those who are weaker. This third stage, which you have entered, can be one of incredible power.”