The Change is like a guttural rage scream (and some how a soft tearful hug) of a book, and I couldn’t have loved it any more. 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. Revenge can be oh so sweet, there's an undercurrent of danger throughout this one that leaves the reader wondering if good really CAN prevail. Obviously for this plot to work, most of the men in this book are pretty despicable and easy to dislike, so if some man bashing bothers you, you probably should steer clear. For me, however, nothing was over the top and I was perfectly content to watch these women channel their frustrations into challenging the status quo and blazing a path of fury. This title is especially clever in its double meaning, and though this novel has tinges of fantasy elements throughout, it all feels within the realm of possibility...or perhaps a much needed eventuality! The tiny and affluent community of Mattauk, Long Island holds all of these women...but each is ready to burst out of her shell and into her true self. "The Change" has hit them all, but rather than bringing out a midlife crisis, each of them are set to discover the hidden talents that will challenge everything they know about themselves, once they are brave enough to explore them. Nessa has always suspected she had the gift that runs in her family...and now in her late forties, can confirm that she hears voices, calling from beyond the grave. Jo's hot flashes are far from your standard menopausal fare: she can actually FEEL them coursing through her, and can project them out of her body entirely...for good or ill. And there of course, there's the sassy, indomitable, and no-nonsense Harriet, whose former career being unappreciated in advertising is in the rear-view mirror...and whose nude sojourns in her garden are set to bear some interesting fruit.

Each of the three protagonists of THE CHANGE --- Jo, Nessa and Harriett --- develops a particular power in mid-life that’s uniquely suited to them. If mid-life were to bring you a specific new power, what would it be? How would you use that power? We deserve to know about victims, and Miller is conscientious about not keeping the focus only on those who deliver harm. Powerful. What a powerful, terrible, beautiful, frightening, empowering novel. That is what it’s like being a woman, at times, and this novel captures it perfectly. The Change is a contemporary novel with fantasy elements, but I firmly believe my friends who don’t like fantasy novels will LOVE this book. Especially my menstruating friends; this book has taken menstruation and menopause and turned them into superpowers for these women. Rage turned into super strength, a woman’s intuition turned into a supernatural ability to see the dead, the metamorphosis of menopause turned into innate power. Beautifully, thoughtfully done, Kirsten Miller. This doesn’t mean that other people can’t enjoy this novel, they absolutely can. It’s just that a topic that people usually view as taboo (for some ridiculous reason) is made to be the driving force of this novel. It is just the starting point, and then the book is completely taken to new heights from there. As I read it, it was done with a subtle hand. I didn’t go into the book knowing what the basis was, and I was in awe at the genius when realization overcame me. When the three women find the body of an innocent 17-year-old discarded like trash, they come together to use their powers to serve women whom the justice system has failed. It starts in April with a view of 256 Woodland Drive, once an object of covetous desire but it's now neglected and abandoned, its owner harriet Osborne hasn't been seen since early November. However, don't worry, Harriet is fine, let's just say she's been developing those green fingers hidden behind some pretty spectacular plants. harriet has always been a driven woman but now her drive takes a different path. Harriet teams up with former nurse Nessa James who hears the voices of the dead and gym owner Jo Levinson who utilises her furnace like hot flushes and strength in an almost super human way. These three phenomenal women are on a collision course with some of powerful inhabitants of Mattauk and they wreak their own brand of havoc for the best possible reasons to take down the rot at it's core.

Claude tells the girls who she procures, “What you just received was a shot in the arm... A little dose of ugliness. A glimpse of the way things really work. You survived, and now you’re not only immune, you’re stronger than you were before. Take the money you’ve made and the wisdom you’ve earned and put them both to good use. That’s what I’ve done.” Do you think there’s any truth to that? Do you think Claude really believes it? I went into this one completely blind, I remember seeing a review from one of my GR friends and thought : this book seems amazing. I didnt remember what it was about by the time I got into it. 🤭 Miller . . . has woven a pointed, punchy, and potent thriller for adults. . . . The Change is wry and clever, serious and exacting, and masterfully suspenseful in its conveyance of a deeply profound and feminist message. Jo starts her gym Furious Fitness because she sees that the women who come there “were blowing off steam before they exploded.” Why are so many women in the book so full of rage --- and what do they do with that rage? Do you identify with that anger? After Nessa James’s husband dies and her twin daughters leave for college, she’s left all alone in a trim white house not far from the ocean. In the quiet of her late forties, the former nurse begins to hear voices. It doesn’t take long for Nessa to realize that the voices calling out to her belong to the dead—a gift she’s inherited from her grandmother, which comes with special responsibilities.

Nessa James, a former nurse and mother of two daughters who are away at college, is gifted with the power of sight – a gift passed down through generations in her family. She can hear the voices of the dead and can also see them. She is a kind-hearted woman who will do everything in her power to help those calling for her help from the other side. Miller triumphs... The Change is that rare treat: a suspenseful story with great pacing, memorable characters, and an engaging voice. Fantastic in every way, this fierce anthem against misogyny is a smash.”— Publishers Weekly (starred review) Many thanks to NetGalley, William Morrow, and Kirsten Miller for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 5.3!!**

Described as a “feel-good feminist revenge fantasy,” The Change will center on a trio of 40-something women who discover unexpected powers which they use to hunt down serial killers and settle old scores.

When Nessa, Jo and Harriett find a young woman’s body near the beach, they’re enraged by the casual, dismissive narrative police provide about the girl. The three woman are determined to discover what really happened and decide to investigate themselves, with or without official assistance. ⁣Though there are very sad themes in this novel surrounding the mistreatment of women from a young age, there’s also so much empowerment. I loved the above quote and moment in this novel; it reminded me of the first time I watched Buffy Summers train a league of slayers. An absolutely iconic moment in my memory that has stayed with me, and I think this book will do the same. I also loved that the author turned mundane moments in our lives into something mystical and omnipotent. Cooking, fitness, gardening, and more. 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. I thought the premise was very strong and gripping. I loved the inclusion of magical realism. The story was centered on Nessa, Harriett and Jo whom I liked very much, especially Harriett. I always want nuanced portrayal in the books I read. Every person should be judged by who they are instead of the color of their skin or their gender. So it makes me really uncomfortable to see groups of people lumped together like this, as if the sin of one is a reflection of all. Nessa was the light in the darkness. Harriett was the punishment that fit the crime. She was the rage that would burn it all to the ground.”