Reviews

The Changeover by Margaret Mahy

flightlessowl's review

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

stephxsu's review against another edition

2.0

This disappointed me. After coming highly recommended by a whole bunch of my favorite reviewers, I really expected to be swept off my feet completely. But what THE CHANGEOVER was for me turned out to be was an outdated set of supernatural romance tropes. The protagonist, Laura Chant, reminds me of a blundering Meg Murry, if you like that type—but I have always wanted to give Meg a shake for always being so teary and hand-wringing. The plot is a straightforward enough one, yet seems to drag on despite the entire book being only around 200 pages—perhaps a sign that things were not going right for reader-me.

ravengrimsbane's review

4.0

This was a childhood favorite, and I bought it yesterday in a fit of nostalgia. Is it as good as I remember? Not quite, but it was damn close. There are a couple of mildly sexist comments that I could have done without, but not so offensive that they ruined the story for me.

At it's heart, it's a book about a young girl finding the power she needs to save her younger brother. She grows up a little, she accepts the changes she needs to make, and she finds love along the way, and while the age difference is enough that my mother would have freaked if I had dated a guy that much older when I was that age, she handles it well.

kittykhan's review

emotional funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

lunalora's review

This was one of my favorite books as a teen in the 80’s. I read it multiple times. Pleasant surprise to see it come up on my recommendations. May have to dig out a copy to read as an adult

capricious_conundrums's review against another edition

4.0

I've been wanting to read this book in ages (because I found an interesting Harry Potter fan fiction that starred the two main characters) and I was very delighted to find it in my local library. This book is just.. wow. The UST between Laura and Sorry is so thick that you can probably cut it with a knife! And how Sorry's past affected him. Wow. This book was better than I thought it would be.

I'm sad that there's no sequel, but I understand it would be unrealistic to push them both into another complication. Plus, I'm sure a sequel for this book would probably have been quite hard to write and droning to read. Which is why I'm even more happy to read to that slight crossover with Harry Potter fan fiction, because not only does it have Harry/Hermione, it also delves substantially into Laura/Sorry and it also incorporates the Changeover beautifully into the plot. And now I know I'm babbling about something that is not relevant to to a book review. Yeah.

And Sorry's such a smart-ass. An amazing, funny (albeit annoying) trait that a boy can have ;)

sleepgoblin's review against another edition

5.0

This was fantastic. The writing was really well done. The main character is a girl going through some coming of age things, and yet I was never annoyed by incessant teenage quibble. There was a part near the beginning that brought up fears in me so real that I had to put the book down for a few days. The story itself isn't really a horror story, but it's written so well that the moments of fear are very striking. I also found it refreshing to have a realistic ending to a love story. Highly recommended.

xoeybear's review

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I read this book obsessively when I was a kid. Probably at least 100 times. I didn’t even own it. I would just check it out at the library often. I am now 35 and just read it again for the first time in over 2 decades and am starting to realize just how formative it was for me. 

Although none of the characters are  explicitly queer, this book has such strong queer, trans, non-binary *energy*.  Laura was so relatable to me as a queer, brown, latinx kid that I didn't even notice back then the book didn’t take place in the US! Lol. Now as an adult, I really appreciate a non-US perspective in stories so it was a nice surprise. 

I’ll also echo what some reviewers mentioned about how the adults in Laura’s life are not vilified by other adults and that’s a breathe of fresh air. 

Only reason it didn’t get 5 stars from me is because of the problematic nature of the romance. Sorry is legally an adult by the end of the book and Laura is 14!! Also so much unchallenged moments of dubious consent. I know this book is from the 80s but jeez! 

Anyway, heed the content warnings but otherwise, this is a quick read with interesting characters and emphasis on familial bonds. Loved it! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual harassment

Minor: Sexism and Adult/minor relationship

rukmini's review against another edition

4.0

Such an excellent book. The best YA fiction is more intense than adult fiction. Purer, the description of all those newly felt emotions.

cricca's review against another edition

emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75