So wonderful to have a book about older women in midlife. It was engrossing, with so many layers to the story, interesting main characters, and a supernatural touch that was just perfect. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

“Yesterday, Nessa had heard something new—a whisper that seemed to roll in with the waves. Here, a girl said. …. she knew it was a message, and she knew what it meant. Someone was lost and wanted to be found.”

My thanks to HarperCollins U.K. Audio for a review copy via NetGalley of the unabridged audiobook edition of ‘The Change’ by Kirsten Miller. The audiobook was narrated by January LaVoy.

What a surprise Miller’s adult debut novel was. From the title and striking cover art, I assumed that this was going to be a literary dystopian novel featuring women who have gone through the change. Well, I was right about its focus upon women facing middle age though they were not living in a dystopian society. What I didn’t expect was a riveting feminist crime thriller with a touch of the paranormal running through it.

The novel focuses upon three women living in Mattauk, New York, each coming to terms with entering a new phase of their lives.

On the cusp of fifty Harriet Osborne has seen her marriage and career implode. She hasn’t left her house in months and her behaviour has become increasingly eccentric, as she develops a new relationship with nature.

Nessa James is a widow now living alone since her daughters have left for college. She has begun to hear the voices of the Dead, an ability that has often manifested in her family. When she was twelve her grandmother had told her: “one day your life will grow quiet, and that’s when you’ll be able to hear them …my aunt used to say, the gift arrives after the curse ends.” The voice she has been increasingly aware of leads her to the Osborne house and a meeting with its owner, Harriet.

Finally there is Jo Levison, who for thirty years has been at war with her body, now she discovers that her hot flushes and rage can be channeled into a powerful weapon. She also has recently opened Furious Fitness, a gym for women only. It’s where she meets Nessa and later Harriet and they strike up a friendship.

When Nessa’s voices lead the trio to the abandoned body of a teenage girl, the police quickly write off the victim. So the women undertake their own investigation and uncover a sinister conspiracy protected by a world of wealth and privilege. Will these three women be able to use their newly discovered abilities to avenge the innocent and punish the guilty?

I couldn’t wait to find out and zoomed through this brilliant novel just loving it.

With respect to the audiobook, American actor January LaVoy has narrated an impressive number of audiobooks. I have enjoyed her reading of quite a few titles across a number of genres. Sometimes I find American accents rather grating, though I found her voice very easy to listen to.

Overall, I found this an engaging read that was almost impossible to put down. I was quite invested in the lives of Harriet, Jo, and Nessa and was cheering on their battle against the ingrained misogyny they encounter. I appreciated Kirsten Miller’s storytelling and her skilful blending of genres.

Highly recommended.

Wow.

I’m genuinely speechless.

This book was beautiful but so heartbreaking! It made feel so much anger, so much sadness and so much need for justice in this goddamn world.

It took me quite a while to finish it, I know. The thing is, as a woman, I deal with the kind of bullshit the main characters were dealing with on daily basis but somehow reading this story made me experience all of it even more in a way. Every day a story comes out on the news about girls and women being murdered or disappearing and reading this book was kind of like torturing myself with the reminders of how much this world hates women. How much it views us as nothing more than sexual objects. That’s why getting through this book was so hard. For some people this book would be just a piece of fiction but for many of us it’s a reality.

The writing was incredible and gripping but oh, so fucking depressing. The characters went through so much development and so much shit happened to them, but no matter what, their connection to one another, their friendship was something that was so empowering it made me want to burn the whole fucking world down.

Listen, as much as I want to say more about this book I just can’t, I’m still shaken after finishing it. It was an amazing story about empowerment of women and their power to stand up to injustice. It made me feel so much and if there’s anything you should take from this chaotic review is:

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, READ THIS BOOK.

I think this could have been a wonderful book but there was just something missing form the audiobook. I found it was easy to get distracted and then lost in the plot, I wouldn't mind picking up a physical copy of this book at some point.

This book is about three women's lives who plot revenge. It's a great read however it may be triggering for some with the story being centered around sexual assaults on young girls.

For me, it was a brilliant book. I wasn't a big fan of the audio format but the book was much better.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I really enjoyed this book and the strong female characters. I usually enjoy a historical fiction and this was definitely a solid read. I would recommend this book to friends.

Good book. I was listening in my car driving and was feeling that missing something. Just would like to have real book.

Great thought provoking fiction!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access this book in exchange for my feedback.

It’s been over a month since I finished this book, and as someone who reads 20+ books per month, many of them are forgotten - but not The Change.

The premise gripped me from the start, 3 women who have powers after going through the menopause and get together to utilise said powers agains their community and to try to solve a you d girl’s murder after one of them finds her body.

I love a badass strong female lead and this has 3. I loved that the ladies are older as there aren’t enough books with women aged 40+ and that supports some of the points made in the book.

It gripped me from the beginning, the narrator did a great job and I would recommend this book to anybody who likes strong females with some mystery and crime in their novels.

This is such an interesting premise - how the menopause is a time for change and renewal, rebirth, a change of focus and priorities. The story starts with some mundane daily life observations but quickly picks up and we are engrossed in the lives of:

Nessa: The Seeker
Jo: The Protector
Harriett: The Punisher

The narration of this book is superb and I'm keen to read this on paper to follow absorb the story as it was a great listen and empowering for women of this age!

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5
𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: Mystery/Fantasy

I listened to this as an audiobook and I have to say that January LaVoy was absolutely perfect as the narrator. There are quite a few characters in this story, right from the beginning, and if it hadn’t been for LaVoy’s talent at being able to cast herself in the role of the characters with different accents and voices, I would have been lost.

But back to the book! How can I even start describing this brilliant book?

I went into this one completely blind and was blown away by the writing, the original story and the fantastic characters. This book is sprinkled with a little bit of magic, a dash of witchcraft and a murder-mystery thrown in for good measure!

But it's the three female characters that steal the show!

Harriet's sarcasm, wisdom and cool demeanour are hilarious at times. Absolutely loved her!
And it was hard not to feel a kindred spirit in Joe's strength, as she battled her anger day after day while trying to cope in a man’s world.

And what to say about Nessa? Her gentle soul and selflessness warmed my heart and brought a tear to my eyes.

I loved the connection between these three women and I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery of the dead girls. By the end of the book, I was reluctant to let go if these new friends I had made!

Thanks to #netgalley and #harpercollinsaudio for the audio arc in exchange for and honest review!

Thank you to Net Galley for a copy of this audio book in exchange for an honest review
Jo, Nessa and Harriet, 3 completely different women who come together to solve the murders on young girls where they live. Kinda sounds like something you've heard before right? Wrong.
This book was the perfect mix of crime, sexism, women empowerment, supernatural powers and full on badassery that I had no choice but to love it.
The narration was really good and I quickly rushed through it to the end which thankfully wasn't a let down and definitely lived up to expectation!!!
Kirsten Miller, thank you, The Change cannot come any quicker

What a cracking read this one is! Part feminist call to arms, part sisterhood romp and part murder mystery/thriller - it had me hooked from the start.

You get multiple viewpoints as you follow our three main leads and learn more about how the patriarchy has hindered and held them back, sometimes even overcoming assaults, misogyny and discrimination. But not only is it a commentary of how women are treated, it’s also about how older women are treated. Their stories had me fuming. But they are no longer victims, as their particular roles become apparent, and their kinship is formed - they are a force to be reckoned with as they look to right the wrongs of young girls who have gone missing and the male dominated system couldn’t care less.

This was engrossing, addictive and fascinating - I couldn’t put it down and was desperate to read more to learn our characters back stories and how the main plot develops. Miller has crafted a great story here, with great characters and LaVoy is great on narration duties. I can almost see this one being made into a film or tv show.

Thanks to NetGalley, the team at Harper Collins, and the author for the opportunity to listen to this review copy.

Original and brilliant! This book is full of strong, wonderful characters, mystery, intrigue and emotion. I highly recommend this book.

The audiobook is also phenomenal as it brings the women to life and gives them voices.

I was really keen to read this book so I was very grateful to have the opportunity to listen to the audiobook. I have always loved magic realism and I loved the idea of a book featuring strong women who happen to be menopausal. Jo, Harriet and Nessa are three women who live in the town of Mattauk in the USA. At the start of the book we learn about their early lives and their difficulty with puberty, periods, work, and making their way in a male dominated world. In the present day they are perimenopausal and each discover that they have specific powers. They are drawn to each other and discover a body then go on to discover a series of murders of young girls and together try to crack the case.

The three main characters are all interesting women and they are really well written. They have each had their own battles to fight and are quite different characters but form a friendship or maybe a sisterhood. They are all likeable despite their flaws and I loved Harriet. Of all of their powers I would like Harriet's the most - the ability to understand and control plants and fungi - she pulls some great stunts! I identified most with Nessa, the quiet one, who can hear ghosts calling to her. Jo is ballsy and gutsy and her strength and confidence are enviable.
The theme of women becoming strong and powerful from perimenopause onwards, instead of becoming weak and invisible was refreshing. In the early part of the book there is a lot about the difficulty (mess, indignity, secrecy, pain) of having periods and the women get to take back some control of their lives when their periods end. The women in the book were all sexy and smart however and there was no mention of thickening waistlines, facial hair and feeling frumpy!

The supplementary characters are useful to the plot but there are quite a few male characters and I must admit I got a little muddled with who was who at times. Although there is a strong theme of misogyny, there are some decent male characters like Franklin and Art - and some who are not what they seem! This is undoubtedly a feminist book and it shines a spotlight on some of the appalling behaviours and conditions that the protagonists (and women in general) have had to suffer. It's a real eye opener at times and although it is fiction it is most definitely a comment on society.

The book is reminiscent of those by Alice Hoffmann, one of my favourite authors, and definitely has some 'Practical Magic' vibes. I love the style of writing and the plot, pacing and tension are perfect. It is a long book but it's about right given its complexity. The descriptive language was evocative and I could easily picture the setting and, unfortunately, some of the more gruesome details! I really enjoyed the story and found the plot intriguing. There were twists, suspense, mystery and tension interspersed with more light hearted, emotional and and heartfelt moments.

I really liked the narration. January Lavoy is a talented voice actor and did a great job of the voices as well as the pacing and tone of the story. I would like to listen to more audiobooks narrated by her.

'The Change' had me fully immersed and the writing was superb. It had a real wow factor and it will stay with me for a long time. I will definitely read it again - I would love to read a physical copy. Many thanks to netgalley and HarperCollins for the gifted audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Well that’ll teach me to not read the blurb and just assume I know what something is about 🤣 This one wasn’t necessarily top of my radar as I had assumed it was some dreary Handmaid’s Tale equivalent (sorry fans but I’m just not in the mood for bleak!), but within one chapter I was utterly obsessed! This is far more of a feminist vigilante/revenge novel and it is BRILLIANT!

In a world where women aren’t respected or taken seriously, three very special women at a certain time in their life will come together to destroy whoever thinks they can get away with killing and disposing of young women like they’re nothing. With the police not investigating because the women come from poor or marginalised backgrounds, Nessa, Harriet and Jo will blow the mystery wide open and bring justice to whoever deserves it…

Seriously this was SO good! I listened to the audiobook which has great narration, but either way the story is just guaranteed to get you raging, and nodding along, and eventually whooping with joy and satisfaction as these women kick some serious arse! The timing of this novel was great for me with my current hot flushes and stresses as I found Jo ridiculously relatable - I just wish I could use my heat in the same way 🤣🔥

Obviously there’s a bit of a magical element to this all - Nessa sees the dead, Jo has her super strength and heat from the menopause, and Harriet uses nature to create all sorts of potions and spells. But whilst there are these fantastical elements, the subject matter is nothing but serious and painfully true about women’s role in society, and especially about the little coverage which the disappearances of women of colour, or from poor or troubled backgrounds get. You’ll definitely get angry reading this, but believe me when I say it’s worth it to watch these women take the power back!

It’s also another great look at female friendship, ambition, loss, grief, ageing, motherhood and so many important topics. I think anyone over 30 will relate HARD. Bloody loved it!

Both empowering and extremist. Fantasy super-abilities are not for me.

3.5 stars.

Women of 'a certain age'. Great. I'm pretty much there myself. A fabulous set of three protagonists to follow, with their various skills, backgrounds and strong personalities. But when it comes to why they might have a reason to be fighting/angry/, it felt as though a whole world of intolerant, sexist men had been created to enrage the reader and show the gender off in an unfair light.

I am being unfair in a way. These men exist, I am aware. But there are examples here of the WORST sorts of men, extreme stereotypes. Which irritated me.

Not only that, but I just don't enjoy realistic settings and stories (here menopausal women, missing girls, murder/mystery-type plots) with coincidentally useful 'powers' inserted. Here for no other reason really than the women have reached the Change era of their lives and metaphor-like, become powerful with their aging yet defiant and beautiful bodies.

But saying all that, I still highly enjoyed this. Because it was still full of the twists, ploys, puzzles and shocks as other similarly plotted books. I also liked Nessa, Jo and Harriet as characters. A demure widow with grown daughters, a former hotel manager and now (women's only) gym owner, an ad exec pushed out because of her age and gender.

I do enjoy a good ‘revenge’ story, of those deserving of punishment getting their just desserts (the vigilante idea appeals), and this gives powerful women a chance to satisfy this urge.

So it was both satisfying and troublesome for me. A great audio choice though, with different characters taking over the narrative reins regularly, building up the story from different perspectives, with their backstories and current investigations together. It sped by.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample audio/reading copy.

WOW!

I just finished this audiobook and I have to say this was the most unexpected 5 star read I have had. This novel started off a bit slow and due to the amount of different characters introduced I was initially a little bit disoriented, but the pacing picked right up at around the 15-20% mark and each character came to life really well.

This story follows Nessa, Jo and Harriet, three very different women with different backgrounds and gifts. Nessa is a former nurse who is able to see the spirits of those who have passed away. Jo is a CEO of her own gym and has for a long time struggled with her womanhood. Harriet, former advertising expert and recent divorcee, is known around the town as a 'witch' who has a garden filled with all sorts of plants. When Nessa approaches the two other women, they find the remains of a young girl.

The main characters are each so unique and offer something so completely individual to the story I genuinely couldn't work out when the story began if the number of characters was necessary, but having finished this I can say that every piece of the puzzle worked together really well and I found myself gasping while listening to this audiobook more than once!

This book is very low fantasy but uses those light elements in a really interesting way to drive the plot forward. This becomes a fairly complicated murder mystery with much commentary on the state of sexism and misogyny in the world which made me want to punch a pillow at times !! I was genuinely shocked by how the story kept progressing, and just when you think the story is winding down, it springs back up with an added layer of intrigue.

The audiobook narrator was absolutely excellent - having three female main characters and knowing exactly who is speaking at any time due to the absolutely distinct voices she was able to provide them is proof of the expert way in which this was presented.

Some trigger warnings (potential spoilers ahead): <spoiler> murder, sexual assault, rape, kidnapping, sexual trafficking/human trafficking, ghosts and general eery topics, poison, fire, mention of eating disorder </spoiler>

I received a complimentary copy of this novel by HarperCollins UK Audio via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, which I leave voluntarily

Women have the power to change the world, but what if those powers were also deadly?

Everyone should read this book, and every woman should definitely read this book. I expected this to be a literary, feminist, crime mystery with realistic magical elements woven in - and it was exactly what I hoped for. It had the intrigue of a murder mystery, with magic that powerfully drove the plot and enhanced the characters, and the gorgeous prose of a literary read (get your highlighters out - every other line deserves to be a quote on someone’s wall).
I didn’t think anything was missing, the characters were really well rounded (shout out in particular to Harriet) and I connected with all of the women in the story. I’m generally a speedy listener, so I listened to it at double the regular reading speed, but that didn’t hinder my enjoyment at all and the narration was excellent. It’s one of those reads that sticks with you and I can’t wait to recommend it to my book club friends so we can discuss every page. Huge thanks to the author, Kirsten Miller, narrator, January LaVoy, and publisher, HarperCollins, for this advance review copy. Views my own. 5*

Feminism. Magic Realism. Supernatural. Horror. Brilliant.

Those are the words I would use to sum this book up. I loved the characters in this book and the strength they show. There no bullshit approach to fighting for justice and when they come together they are a force not to be reckoned with.

Each of the woman have their own individual personalities that compliment each other so well and they are so likable. Harriet, the woman seen as the town witch stood out to me with her I don't give a shit what the world things of me, Jo for her strength, giving woman a place to feel safe and Nessa, who really comes out her she'll in this story.

We truly get to see the characters develop and blossom in this story which has some tough topics in so please note the trigger warnings before going into this but I thoroughly enjoyed this story of woman fighting for what is right and the avenge these poor girls and serve the justice that is deserved.

I bloody loved the magical element to this story, the each woman holds their own unique power which helps find out what had been happening with these young girls and their disappearances.

A highly recommended story to those who enjoy thriller reads with a strong theme of female empowerment throughout.