I enjoyed reading about Josephine traveling back in time from present day to almost a century ago to her great-grandmother’s speakeasy. I really enjoyed reading and gelt what the roaring 1920’s must have been like! The author did a great job describing the style of that era.

I really enjoyed the author’s exploration of time travel and magical realism. What happens if a wish is made in current time and how does that affect the past and future? What happens if you change the past to correct the future? What happens to an object like a book if carried 100 years into the future? Does it look old and withered and does it look new when returned back in time.

More importantly do the people forget a traveller they’ve met in the past when they have to return to their current day? I really enjoyed thinking about these elements while Josephine is struggling with loss in her current day and then again in the past.

Thank you Netgalley for extending me an ARC as well as the audiobook. I am familiar with the narrator who really tells the story rather than just read it. I was able to easily pick up the audio where I left off in the book. Both print and audio were quite enjoyable. The opinions expressed are my own.

This was my first read from this author. The story is told in third person and while it did start off a bit slow, I found myself not wanting it to end or even knowing how I wanted it to turn out. The author did an amazing job intertwining events of the past into the present, enough so that I would love a novella just to see how things work out. This is a book that sort of sticks with you for a while afterward, leaving you to ponder how impactful our thoughts or wishes could truly be.

This was a cute time travel novel that takes you back to the 1920s. This book kept me interested until the end. If you like magical romances you will love this book. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Loved the time-travel elements and empowerment theme of this quick historical novel.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is my first book by Jennifer Moorman and I enjoyed her writing style a lot! It's a good story with a dual-time line.

In the present day Josephine Reynolds is recently widowed and trying to put her life back together. With help from her sister she decides to purchase her old historic family home just outside of Nashville. As she begins to organize and refurbish the home she finds a secret trap door in the basement and it surprisingly opens and there in all it's glory is a "speakeasy" from 1927. Soon she finds herself in that world and she needs to save her Great-Grandmother from a terrible fate.

This story has a good mix of historical fiction with time-travel and romance. I just found it a little slow-moving but it did entertain.

The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds was my first book by Jennifer Moorman, but it certainly won’t be my last. This book is a mix of a few genres: fantasy/magical realism/time travel, romance, women’s fiction (I hate that name), and historical fiction. It kept me entertained, for sure, wondering how events would turn out.

Josephine is widowed at age 35. Deeply grieving the sudden loss of her husband, she starts to realize that she had let herself “vanish” into whatever he wanted her to be and that she’d lost her sense of self along the way. One day, in despair, she wishes she’d never been born, not realizing the far-reaching consequences of that wish.

Her sister has started trying to encourage Josephine to get on with her life, to try something new or go back to something she wanted to do before her marriage. Her sister works in Nashville real estate and shows Josephine that their old family home, mismanaged by their uncle, is now in foreclosure. Josephine decides to buy it and restore it to its former glory.

I don’t want to spoil the story for future readers, but the publisher’s blurb gives a lot away. As Josephine and her sister explore the mansion, they uncover what looks like a former secret speakeasy in the basement. Via the newly rediscovered original door, Josephine finds herself transported to 1927, meeting her great-grandmother Alma as a young widow herself (blame WW1). Upon her return to the present, things start disappearing from her current life and she realizes she needs to go back and somehow stop her great-grandmother from dying in a Prohibition-era raid, to avoid her own existence going poof.

I loved the details of everything Josephine encounters in the 1927 timeframe. There were some wonderful characters, including a love interest for Josephine. How will that pan out? And will Josephine be able to warn the partygoers in time to avoid disaster? The current timeline also has some fun characters, including the obnoxious nosy neighbor who is on the committee/homeowners’ association that oversees what owners can and cannot do with their historic homes.

I had access to both the ebook and the audiobook and the narration by Kathleen McInerney was excellent. Thank you to Harper Muse and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a review copy of this book and for the opportunity to listen to a review copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

After her husband dies at 35, Josephine doesn't know who she is. Her whole life was wrapped up in her husband, and now he's gone. When she attaches the original door to her family home, she is able to step back into the time period of her grandmother. While in this other world, Josephine begins to rediscover herself. There are beautiful depictions of the Jazz age. I found myself caught up in this story of a woman realizing who she is as an individual.

The first thing that grabbed me was how beautiful and descriptive the writing was, immediately evocative and emotional — this set a great tone for the story. This was an emotional story that did a great job capturing the complexities and stages of grief, particularly widowhood. Josephine felt like a fully realised, vulnerably-written character that had a beautiful character arc amidst fantastical circumstances.

There was a lot of attention to historical detail which helped to really immerse myself in the story. I expected an emotionally-driven story to be slower paced by the high stakes kept the pacing quick.

Sometimes the greatest grief you can feel is the mourning you feel when you have lost yourself, in a marriage especially. The era of time worked to weave a magic background to this fascinating story.

Intensely captivating and utterly enchanting!

Master storyteller Jennifer Moorman's latest magical tale, THE VANISHING OF JOSEPHINE REYNOLDS, is a testament to her exquisite storytelling skills. It's a must-read for all book lovers, especially those who enjoy historical fiction and time travel narratives.

From the time travel, romance, and self-discovery to the excitement, adventure, and speakeasy to the glamour, decor, fashion, parties, and charm of the 1920s era reminiscent of The Great Gatsby—it will surely captivate fans (Alma and myself included).

With Jennifer Moorman's signature blend of Southern magic, charm, historical details, and family bonds, THE VANISHING OF JOSEPHINE REYNOLDS is a beautifully told story of courage, resilience, self-discovery, and second chances.

Audiobook...

I enjoyed reading the book and listening to the audiobook performed by one of my favorite narrators, Kathleen McInerney, @theveronicat, a perfect voice for this Southern gem. The magic, history, and vivid descriptions come alive as the characters with an engaging performance, ensuring an entertaining and immersive experience. I highly recommend the audiobook. (I love Kathleen/MKA audiobooks).

About...

Josephine Reynolds, a 35-year-old widow, finds herself at a crossroads after her husband Nathan's death. It has been six months, and she is still grieving. She had lost herself in their marriage, giving up her friends, preferences, and identity to fit into his world.

Her sister Katherine suggested she sell the house and move elsewhere to start over fresh. Then they found their grandmother's house in Nashville was being foreclosed, and she decided to buy and renovate it.

The historic Victorian home in Belle Meade, The Carter Mansion, was a wedding gift to her great-grandmother Alma when she married in 1916. She had not been inside the house since childhood, but the photographs resurrected those memories.

First, she finds what appears as a speakeasy in the basement, and then she goes to replace the front door with an original one and finds herself transported back to 1927 and the magical era of the roaring 20s, where she meets her great-grandmother Alma, a daring woman running an illegal speakeasy in the basement.

What happens next transports readers to another time and the what ifs? Josephine must race against time to rewrite history to save Alma and her future, where the past and present collide.

My thoughts...

CAPTIVATING! I loved this charming story of Josephine Reynolds and her great-grandmother Alma. I am typically not a fan of time travel; however, I found this one a delight! I adore anything historical homes and the 1920s!

The drama builds with each page, and I could not wait to see how it would turn out. A seamless blend of choices and chances celebrates the enduring spirit of women. Memorable, atmospheric, nostalgic, suspenseful, and mysterious, with an unforgettable heroine.

With parallel timelines, Josephine faces decisions in the present and the lush Jazz Age of the 1920s. I enjoyed the present with Josephine, her mom, and her sister, as well as the 1920s timeline with all its prohibition, speakeasy, scenery, drama, vivid descriptions, and fashion.

Heartwarming: The author opens the door to possibilities and offers readers a perfect blending of Southern, literary, and historical fiction, romance, coming-of-age, time travel, and some magic! From self-discovery, loss, love, and second chances! A testament to family ties and the power of love.

This is my first book by the author, and I cannot wait to read more!

Recs...

This is for fans of the author and those who enjoy Sarah Addison Allen, Sarah Jio, Rea Frey, Patti Callahan Henry, Karen White, Matt Haig, and Meg Shaffer.

A special thank you to Harper Muse and Harper Collins Focus for an ALC and ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion.

blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: Jan 14, 2025
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I gobbled bus book up in no more than 24h. It reminded me by turns of A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams, or of The Midnight Library by Matt Haig and without being as an intense a love story as the former or as dark as the latter, this had the depth of historical detail of the first and endearing characters of the second. Absolutely recommend for fans of historical fiction and not only.

P. S. If you ever wondered what fabulous outfits and make-up being a flapper girl would've entailed, this book is for you!

Share your review!

Can one thoughtless wish erase a life?

"Infused with Jennifer Moorman's signature blend of magical detail and heartfelt storytelling, The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds is a tale of resilience in the face of loss and a testament to the timeless bond of family."

This is an incredible story that was hard to put down. It is a real story of grief, finding yourself in the midst of heartbreak and starting over—simply magical. Moorman's vivid descriptions and intricately crafted characters drew me in completely. I love dual timelines, and this book delivered that element beautifully. All the details were truly tied together so seamlessly.

I plan to revisit this story at a later date, but for now, I am rounding this down to 4 stars. However, I may bump it up later on...we shall

What to expect:

✨ Mystery
✨ Magical Realism
✨ Historical Fantasy
✨ Dual timeline /time travel
✨ Atmospheric

Thank you so much, HarperCollins Focus | Harper Muse, for providing me with this ARC. The publication date is January 14, 2025. Many thanks also to Jennifer Moorman. I was fortunate enough to get a signed, personalized edition in addition to reading the ARC. 🥹


As always, all thoughts are my own. 🖤

I have been on a magical realism kick as of late and have been eating up anything within the genre.

The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds follows Josephine after recently being widowed. Finding herself lost in her grief and unsure of what to make of her life after living so many years for her husband rather than herself, she sees her Great Grandmother, Alma’s house up for sale. Josephine buys the estate and learns more about Alma and her life running an underground speakeasy during the 1920’s. But the granting of a wish made by Josephine in the depths of her grief, may end up changing her future and that of her Great Grandmother forever.

The book started off relatively strong with Josephine's grief being the catalyst for many of her decisions going forward, however somewhere near the middle, the book started to trail off for me and lose some of its lustre. While the story is supposed to be somewhat ‘high stakes’ considering Josephine is literally fighting to save her Great Grandmother's life and by extension her own, it never feels high stakes. I never felt any real sense of urgency from Josephine. For example, even knowing what day and time the life changing event was to occur, Josephine literally left it till the eleventh hour to action any sort of concrete plan.

This book was good and the plot had so much promise, but something felt like it was missing.
A solid book, but just not quite for me.

** I received a complimentary copy of this book from Harper Collins via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A book with time travel? Sign me up. Josephine is suffering from grief of her husband and just wants to disappear. Be careful what you wish for. She is able to travel back in time where she meets her great grandmother who she needs to save. Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for the advanced copy.

Time travel is one of my favourite tropes and I really enjoyed this! I loved that Josephine was able to travel between eras and wasn’t stuck in the past. Josephine was really well developed as a character and her relationships with other characters were all well done.

Josephine, newly widowed, purchases her late great-grandmother’s home. In her grief, she wishes to disappear, and discovers that, through the early death of her great-grandmother, her wish is coming true. She finds a way to travel through time, and works to save her great-grandmother’s life, and therefore her own

Widowed at 35, Josephine Reynolds, encouraged by her realtor sister Katherine, sells the house her late husband loved to buy their ancestral home, the Carter Mansion, out of foreclosure. Shortly after moving in, she hears music in the basement and makes the shocking discovery that there was once a speakeasy there, operated by her great-grandmother, Alma.

More shocking still is her realization that she can travel back to 1927, but once she meets Alma, parts of her current life start disappearing and she discovers her own existence is threatened by the possibility that Alma is killed during a raid of the speakeasy. As she voyages between the present time and 1927, she struggles to prevent Alma from being killed. She also meets Danny, a young widower who makes her see that her romantic life may not be over.

There are some signifcant holes in the plot, but that doesn't detract from the charming story. I loved the details of 1920s fashion and cocktails. Alma was delightful, managing to be maternal to a young woman she has no clue is her great-granddaughter. And the author manages to bring it full circle with a potential new love interest for Josephine back in the present day. #TheVanishingofJosephineReynolds #NetGalley

The premise was super solid, but I felt let down by the ending - it didn't seem to consider the consequences of the premise well enough.

What an absolute treasure this story was to read! The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds by Jennifer Moorman is a story of magical realism about a woman named Josephine who time travels back to 1927 to save the life of her great-grandmother Alma. Back then during the time of prohibition, Alma, who lived in the Carter mansion, ran a speakeasy in her basement. With Josephine recently becoming a widow and feeling somewhat depressed, she makes a wish that she later regrets. If she doesn’t go back and make things right, her great-grandmother Alma will die in a raid and then all of her future offspring including Josephine will have never existed. It’s up to Josephine to make things right. This was a really fun book to read, I really enjoyed reading about how they dressed during those times and the characters were all pleasant and very caring. Things sure were so much different back then! There’s a romance involved that even though it couldn’t ever go anywhere, it opened up the possibilities for future relationships. This is a book that you won’t want to miss out on, I highly recommend it. Now that I’ve finished this, I’m anxious to read all the other books by this author. I’d like to thank Taylor Ward, Senior Publicist at Harper Muse for accepting my request to read an early copy and NetGalley for the arc. I loved reading this story and I can’t wait to read more by Jennifer Moorman. I’m giving this a 5 star rating!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse for the advanced digital and physical copies.

I’ve read and loved many of Jennifer’s books, but this one is my absolute favorite! The 1920s speakeasy and time travel vibes were right up my alley!

Things I loved:
- I loved that when Josephine traveled back to present day, her interactions in that timeline were not overly complicated.
- I loved that the time travel aspects were not deep seated in confusing timelines, and there were not a ton of twists to follow and understand. It was simple and lovely, and that’s what made the story so magical!
- I loved that there was a romantic element to the story — the ending gave me “The Age of Adeline” vibes — but it was more about family and what it means to find yourself again after being absorbed by someone else for so long.

If you love any of the things mentioned above, you will adore this book as much as I do!

All the stars for this gem of a novel! We meet Josephine Reynolds, newly widowed, and somewhat lost on how to move forward and start healing. Her sister Katherine urges her to make a few changes so she can find happiness again and so in a thoughtless moment Josephine wishes to herself that she were never born. The next day Katherine sends Josephine house listings in the area and to Josephine’s delight she spots her family’s old mansion up for sale. Wondering how it ended up foreclosed on, she buys it and sets in motion a chain of events that could alter her past and future, hopefully not causing her careless wish to become a reality.

I love time travel stories and this one has it all, including an old mansion, a love interest, and the roaring 1920s. I LOVED this book and cannot wait to get my hands on a hard copy for my library. Thanks for NetGalley for an advanced copy.