This book may be close to 500 pages but I still managed to binge it in 24 hour. While not entirely what I was expecting, this genre-defying book is easily a five star read!

Harriett, recently divorced and let go from her advertising job, hasn’t been seen in a month. Her house especially her garden, once the showpiece of the neighborhood, is out of control. For the first time in her life, she is taking control and cares little of what men think of her. Her ‘green thumb’ has grown her the reputation as being the Witch of the island.

Nessa, a retired nurse has recently become an empty nester. As a widow and with her girls gone, her life has gone quite. She’s entering her third phase of life and coming into her gift of hearing the dead and helping them be at peace.

Jo, once running one of the largest hotels in NYC, now owns her own women’s only gym. After years in the corporate world and of being passed up by men less deserving of their positions, Jo is filled with rage. Mixed with menopause, this rage fuels her and gives her physicals powers to protect the women around her.

All three women are extremely different from each other, but they were meant to be friends. The balance they bring to each other makes them a force to be reckoned with. I thoroughly enjoy their friendship and the dynamic between the three women. I also found it refreshing to have three badass main characters going through menopause. The discussions around menopause was enlightening and I loved the way Miller framed it within the story. These women were the best reminder that a women’s life isn’t over when they hit menopause.

While these three characters and their background stories are vital to the plot, the actual plot starts after they discover the body of a young girl. When the police write her off as being a sex worker who over dosed, the three women take it upon themselves to investigate further. With Nessa’s gift confirming that there was foul play, the women soon discover there may be a serial killer in their beachside community.

Miller does an amazing job of creating complex, interesting, and relatable characters. Not only to we get to know so much about our leading ladies, we also get small character chapters on other girls and women vital to the story. Almost everyone we meet in this story gets a small backstory, This really puts a focus on our victims whose powerful stories really stand out.

I would most certainly call this book a work of feminist literature and while you can feel the rage in the pages, it’s (in my opinion) entirely realistic. From Miller’s depictions of Jo and Harriett losing out on jobs to men less qualified to how much a rich man can get away with will really resonates with readers. Miller does an excellent job of also include men who stand apart and don’t fall into classic stereotypes. One of my favorite conversations in the story is when Harriett is pointing out the irony, that the only opinion that seemed mattered for an AD targeting middle aged women was from men.

This book had me laughing one minute and outraged the next. I had so many conflicting feelings throughout the entire story and I’m obsessed with our three main characters. I want to be just like Harriett, Jo, and Nessa when I’m grown up! While this story is 100% entertaining, it also is a thought provoking story about how women are ‘suppose’ to be according to society.

I could go on and on about how much I loved this book. I already know it’s going to be one of my favorite reads of 2022. The Change comes out next Tuesday, run don’t walk to grab a copy of this one!

AMAZON | GOODREADS | ★★★★★

The Change comes out May 3, 2022! Huge thank you to William Morrow for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.  If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof_books.

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