Thank you Net Galley and HarperCollins Audio for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was such fun to read. The Change follows three women in their late 40s who are sick of how they are treated by men and the world being full of misogyny. Jo, who is my favourite character in the book, runs a women’s only gym and is incredibly witty. Harriett is a botanist who has an ability with plants and used to work in a company full of men. Nessa can see the dead. One day, they find a girl dead on the side of the road. With children of their own, they vow to find who did this and punish them.

The Change is a feminist thriller exploring the power of women in menopause and the strength that they have. This does mention some quite serious topics, so I do suggest reading the content warnings before reading.

I would recommend this to fans of ‘The Power’ and anyone that enjoys women-strong thrillers. The fast-pace makes it enjoyable. One thing to note, however, is that the pace does slow down halfway through and at times it got a bit boring and for me personally there wasn’t enough action in these parts. I preferred the audiobook to the physical book as the narrator helped me visualise the characters more and I thought January LaVoy was the perfect narrator for this novel.

A great thriller filled with rich characters and an empowering spirit.

Three women, each having to overcome their own challenges, come together to take revenge on those who have caused harm to others.

An uplifting story about older women; proving that life isn't over when you reach 40+. It has some interesting twists throughout as well as a comforting ending.

Really enjoyable.

What a fantastic narration that is perfect for this spectacular novel. The narrator tackles each character and personality well breathing life into a powerful story of female power, solidarity and revenge against misogyny.
Taking the changes that happens to all women into something positive and enlightening makes this my favourite book of the year. This audio book adds a different element and I highly recommend though with lots of swearing wear headphones if around small children.

3.5/5 Intriguing and enjoyable to listen to this feminist revenge story has some fascinating characters who really held my interest throughout the story. Some twists were a little predictable and but overall this was a satisfying thriller with a fun fantasy angle that I really liked.
Thanks to Netgalley.co.uk and Harper Collins UK for a free eARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed The Change the characters were powerfully written and I liked the story line and the twists that kept me guessing and I now know abit about poisonous plants, my only niggle was January LaVoy’s narration, normally she is very good but I found there was a lack of vocal difference between the characters which when your listening to it becomes confusing.

A powerful and impactful listen focusing on three strong, fierce and independent women: Harriet; Jo and Nessa, who are all going through changes that see them metamorphosize from passive and overlooked women into their true selves. These women are ready to stand up and be counted and to make sure other women can hold their own too. In a rich community with social rules made to encourage women to look pretty, but remain subservient to their masculine counterparts, men have literally gotten away with murder. These women can see the dead, know their plants and herbs as well as any witch and are willing to fight to reveal the heinous men responsible for killing innocent teen girls, when the police show little interest. At almost 500 pages in physical format, this remains a pacy read and doesnt feel lengthy. The single narrator is animated and clear with a powerful voice that suits the narrative. The story and narration js girl power at its best. These women are not to be underestimated or messed with. Sassy gutsy and the kind of women you want in your inner circle. Fabulous audiobook. #thechange #kirstenmiller #netgalley

Such a satisfying, cathartic, powerful story of justice and revenge. This book has three women right all the wrongs of our corrupt, patriarchal world. The characters are nuanced with interesting backstories and are sometimes morally grey. Similar to Naomi Alderman’s The Power but with a focus on the menopausal life stage and how “the change” can be seen as a positive thing.

Thank you for an advanced audio galley. This book was not for me. Tho I enjoyed the first few chapters, I did not see them all coming together.

I really enjoyed the thriller part of the story, following our three heroines on their quest to solve the murders in their town. I loved the modern twist on the magic and witches.
I also found the backstories of the three women really interesting. The stories about their womenhood and difficulties in the world of men. The injustice and struggles of being a woman.
..but i didn't enjoy those two aspects of the book together.
The backstories really slowed down the thriller part and the thriller part felt like it was interrupting some serious feminist manifest.
I found myself cringing a lot and forgetting the main plot at times.

Audio ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.



Audio review: the narrator was January Levoy who is my absolute favourite audio performer so this was complete treat to listen to. Recommend end book Levoy narrates but definitely this one on its own merits.



Review: Okay, I've slept on it and had a bit of a cogitate, and I've settled on 4 stars. I enjoyed the overall story, the characters and the writing style enough to making it an easy 5 stars however a few little things - one in particular - held me back, which I'll get to.



In many ways, the Change is a grittier, more thriller-esque version of a paranormal women's fic, which is not a combination that always works but paid off quite nicely here. It's three main protagonists are all recently post-menopausal women who find themselves with specific enhanced abilities - ability to see the dead, summoning burning heat into hands, affinity for plants and poisons. Actually it would be more accurate to say that those abilities were there all the time and it took the menopause to make the three women really pay attention to them. Jo, Nessa and Harriet all come from different backgrounds and have different outlooks on life so they form an unlikely though tight friendship, strengthened by the knowledge that they have something they must do. From there the plot revolves around the hunt for a serial killer who favours teenaged girls. I won't go into any more detail because it's a fun and engrossing plot.



Okay, on the one hand, I am really enjoying books that are taking back the night for women who are past child bearing age. Traditionally, after menopause, women have become invisible despite the fact that the lifting of biological limitations has meant that they are a good chunk of the population who keep everything running. I'm enjoying it in light cosy mystery and paranormal mature women's fiction, and I've always liked the well drawn mature and elderly female characters in most of the books I read. I think menopause should be talked about more openly, as should periods in general (as should many issues around biological male health tbh - let's all be open about everything and stop acting like our bodies must conform to the parameters they only reasonably meet in our twenties!) In addition, having three main POVs as well as a handful of minor female POVs, meant that a lot of different female experiences when it came to things like puberty, pregnancy, sex etc could be given page time. The fact that Miller did this in a way that didn't bog down the story is worthy of applause.



This isn't an apolitical book. While there's black comedy and dry humour, and a fair amount of nuance, there's a lot of anger here. I completely get the urge to surrender to this. There are definitely things that are very specifically problems and injustices faced by women and its okay to be angry. I am leery of the fact that a lot of authors who are covering that angle, either cannot see, or refuse to acknowledge, that there are also problems and injustices specifically faced by men too. That's not to say that a writer has a duty to always present all sides of a situation, but it also means that if it strikes me as being a little warped in a particular direction, I get to say so.



Added to which, there is a lot of wish fulfilment here. I don't think that's a bad thing. I read fiction to be entertained and sometimes wish fulfilment is just the ticket. I can even muffle my inner critic long enough to enjoy what is basically a revenge fantasy - revenge fantasies can make great character arcs or just engaging stories, especially if you're playing with morality. It would be somewhat hypocritical to enjoy revenge fantasy written by men generally for other men (Jack Reacher, The Terminal List, Punisher etc) and be shocked by those written by women. So, yes there is revenge fantasy here accompanied by a lot of murder which might be understandable but objectively isn't laudable.



Where I came unstuck, and why I deducted a star, is that when you paired a specifically female versus male perspective with a revenge fantasy, what you ended up with was something that felt vindictive. I can and do laugh at close to the knuckle jokes. I am not easily offended. And once upon a time, I also clung to that same blinkered perspective because my survival and sense of self demanded it. But I'm older now and while I still carry my own weight of anger around, knowing what direction to aim it in is far less simple. There were times when the narrative had a meanness to it. A close to bone joke that made you laugh and then pause because you couldn't be sure the person who told the joke was entirely joking. That they might actually mean the funny but appalling thing they just said. I'm all for a rebalancing of power but that goes across the board regardless of gender or sex. I just can't get behind an attitude which suggests that men must either be carefully tamed or ground into the dirt, and either way women are superior. Because as far as I'm concerned that's sexism too.



A final thought: I live in the UK. In many ways the UK is less conservative on a number of issues - especially regarding gender inequality - than the US. We're not doing it better per se, but we are doing it differently. So perhaps my personal experience just isn't a perfect match.



Anyway, I did really like this book. I enjoyed it as a piece of witchy women's fiction and thought it also made some really good points. I would definitely recommend it, with the reservations I already expressed.

Setting the scene for “The Change”, I Googled “Mattauk, Long Island” to get a feel of what this area looks like. This seems to be a fictional town though, but with the creative use of slightly tweaked spelling of the name, I got a good idea in my mind of what it looks like. I picture it to be an exclusive hamlet, with beautiful beaches and gorgeous homes. It is this exact clean-cut and well-groomed look and feel of Mattauk that is “disrupted” by one of our lead protagonists, Harriet Osbourne’s “out of control” garden – and that is where the story starts.

In “The Change” we get to know three (fabulous, fierce, badass) females – Harriet, Jo and Nessa. Together, they discover that, with the onset of menopause (i.e “the change”), they became much more in tune with their bodies and (magical) powers and strength. Harriet is the “earth mother” who concocts potions and poisons from her garden, Jo can manipulate heat and fire and Nessa can see and interact with ghosts.

You get “the power of three” feel – and actually as mentioned in the blurb, strong “The Witches of Eastwick” vibes (the 1987 movie, not the lame TV-series). The three women unite in their joint aim of breaking the chauvinistic and patriarchal chains controlling their lives in various shapes and forms and seek revenge and/or whilst investigating a spade of murders in their town. Sisters doing it for themselves.

I absolutely loved this book! It is fierce and fabulous, overflowing with feminist force, finding empowerment and justice in the most badass way ever. Each of the three female leads brings a strong back-story to the table, and with brilliant charachter development and fast-paced storytelling I was hooked from the start. I even started casting the movie adaptation in my head, so strong the visualisation in “The Change” was for me!

It is a bit challenging to put this in a specific genre (not that it is an issue, it just shows how a unique offering this is) – this book offers quite a bit of overlapping and diversity of themes – how about magical/thriller/female fiction? It is clever, witty, funny, and fiery! Can I say again that I absolutely loved it?

I listened to the audiobook, courtesy of #NetGalley and Harper Collins Audio/Harper Collins UK. It was brilliantly narrated by January LaVoy. #TheChange

OMG please can someone invent a time machine so I can go back in time and read this book for the first time again?!?! I loved it so so much. I don't even know how to describe it properly other than some genre bending, feminist, mystery, paranormal type thing lol. The characters were amazing and so relatable, the plot was interesting and had a good few twists, and even though there were some magical elements to the story it all felt so realistic and believable. Honestly, I've raved about this book to everyone I know. I adored it and would have been happy if it never ended. Apparently this was a long book but it definitely didn't feel like it. I listened to the audiobook and just lost myself in the wonderful narration

This was a ballsy, revolution of a book and I loved it. It wasn't what I expected, I'd describe it as a murder mystery, thriller, with some badass witchcraft thrown in, but it kept me listening and felt extremely topical given the current state of the world. In short, if I am ever in a bind - I'd like Harriet in my corner please. Can we start a Hashtag BeMoreHarriet?
I'd recommend this to anyone who likes their thriller with a side of feminism and a big dollop of satisfying comeuppance on top.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins UK Audio for this advance listener copy in exchange for my honest review.

I loved, loved, loved this book! This was one of my best reads of 2022. This may go down as one of the best reads EVER! I fell in love from the very first page. Every minute of it was amazing and I will be running out to buy a print copy ASAP.

First, let's talk about the characters. I loved Jo, Nessa and Harriet. They were so relatable that I felt like I knew them personally by the end of the book. I would love a sequel so I can find out what they are up to next. Second, let's talk about the plot. It was like Practical Magic meets the Whisper Network with a serial killer and a revenge plot thrown in. This book could have worked without the magical aspect, but the magic just made it all the better. I loved the female empowerment that radiated from the story. It left me with a feeling of empowerment just reading it. I love how the three women took on some powerful men and took them down. It was so satisfying. And the twist at the end was both shocking and gratifying. I was left wanting more. This will definitely get a reread at some point in the future and will be recommended highly to everyone I know who enjoys magical realism. And some that don't. I cannot recommend this highly enough. If I could give it 6 stars or more, I would. This was one that I didn't want to end.

The audio was great. I loved the narrator. I will absolutely be looking for more books from Kirsten Miller and more narration from January Lavoy.

Nessa is the light,
Harriett is the punishment that fits the crime,
Jo is the rage that burns everything down.

This is a story of three women who fight back, try to make the world a better place, and take revenge, if you kill the monsters, this won't send you to hell, right?
Well, I'm pretty sure we can't rely on public justice, right?!
This book is like this hell awesome!

“There’s a dead girl down by the ocean who needs our help. She’s been calling to me, and she won’t be found unless I go look for her.”

Nessa’ll find the girl's body. Jo’ll make use of her powerful energy, be able to protect them. And Harriett’ll punish whoever’s responsible for killing the girl.

I love them, seriously, I fucking love the witch, lady ninja and a lady who talks to dead people.
The characters are perfectly built, it is so rare, so many cool women in only one book. The story was so engaging and you will be surprised from the first page to the last chapter.

Harriet Osborne a former director, lives in her garden growing,
She doesn't do curses, Chase. Fungi, yes. Rashes, sure. Infestations, absolutely. But curses, no.
She makes things from plants for people who need them or for revenge on men.

Jo Levison has a gym, an unemployed husband and a daughter and feels her huge energy inside herself.

Nessa, a widow with twin colleagues daughters, a former nurse, has a gift like her grandmother, she could hear dead voices, too.

They are going to help a girl, but things get worse and soon find out, there are others. Girls should stick together, right?!
I enjoyed the story, this is about so many women who had no choice, broken or badass who never bent.

"Where she saw promise and possibility, he saw proof of a broken mind."

My Huge Thanks to HarperCollins UK Audio via NetGalley, I listen to this great Audiobook, and each character performed excellently by January LaVoy, I have given my honest review.

I initially requested this audiobook because of the cover (I know, I know) and would like to thank Netgalley for approving my request in return for an honest review.

I listened to this audiobook in one go while I was working (and when I'd finished too!) and must admit, I think I got completely hooked. I think it was probably my least productive day in work!

At it's core, it's about 3 women with special "gifts" and how they come together to use said gifts for good!

Definitely worth a read/listen.

The Change •::• Kirsten Miller
•::• AD/PR Product •::•

I received a copy of the audiobook narrated by January LaVoy via @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Oooohh what a listen! I’m a little bit gutted that I didn’t read alongside this audiobook! I thought it was a fab concept!

Feminist to the max! This book was all about women! Revenge is powerful and our main ladies are just that!

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

We love to see a witchy vibe! With a need to take crime investigations into their own hands, this book was SO well crafted!

The book is paced really well and the narration was really good. It tackled some serious subjects and at times it was a difficult listen.

I’d really recommend giving this a go! It’s Millers first adult debut and one not to be missed!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a really interesting and enjoyable story with strong female protagonists, witchy vibes, and a large mystery to solve. I liked how the witch element was mixed in with the thriller element. I'd never read anything like it with that combination before, and I loved it. Despite the reason they were brought together, the level of friendship between the three main women was so lovely to get wrapped up in. This book demonstrates the power that can be unleashed when women band together—girl power at its finest!

5 Word Review: Power, responsibility, justice, revenge, punishment.

This book made me feel things. Mostly anger and sadness, but oh boy is there power in that.

The Change was phenomenal.

January LaVoy does a wonderful job narrating the story - each character had such distinct voices that I was sure it was a full cast audiobook. I am off now to search for more of their work, because they're a new favourite audiobook narrator.

I loved all of the characters, but Harriet was my favourite. She's sick of everyone's shit, she's living for herself, and I am here for it. I am envious of her garden, of her knowledge, and I'm inspired by her drive. She's so driven and subtle (and not so subtle) and I just... When I grow up, I want to be Harriet Osborne. She is the punisher and deserves that title.

Nessa is such a wonderful maternal figure and I really felt for her bearing the brunt of responsibility - she was the one that could talk to the dead and that is such an incredible pressure. She seeks out those who have lost their voice and returns it to them, revealing the ghastly secrets of their deaths. She offers such precious closure.

I love what Jo did for other women. I love that she created a safe space, nurtured it, protected it. She is the protector, and I loved how she channelled her very warranted rage.

This book can get very, very dark at times. It doesn't shade away from violent misogyny, and it explores the dangers of it. I was so glad that there were moments of humour and friendship to lighten the mood, and I smiled and laughed with the characters.

If you were a fan of Big Little Lies or loved The Sanctuary by VV James then you will love this story of power, protection, and punishment.

I can't wait to read more by this author.

I know you’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but I did with this one as it reminded me of Circe, another book I loved this year. This meant when I got the email to say I’d been accepted on NetGalley for the audio book that the subject matter came as a complete surprise. And what a great surprise it was!

This is the story of Harriet, Jo and Nessa, each one middle-aged, menopausal and fighting misogyny in their lives. They’re also very special women, with each of them having a magical power. (If this isn’t your thing, don’t be put off, it’s more of a Desperate Housewives vibe rather than Marvel).

They come together after finding the dead body of a young girl and are determined to use their powers to investigate her death when the local police won’t. Kirsten Miller describes the book as a ‘feel good feminist, revenge story’ and that pretty much sums it up.

It’s a brutal, sad, scary, joyful, funny, hefty listen, the audio book was a 15 hours, but with January LaVoy’s excellent narration the time flew by!

It’s absolutely brilliant, I loved it and I can’t recommend it enough.

Thanks to @NetGalley and @HarperCollinsUK Audio for the DRC.