With a blend of historical fiction and time travel (two of my favourite things), I couldn’t wait to jump into The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds.

One of the things I enjoyed most of this book was the way Josephine’s grief was explored. Her trip to the past and disappearing the in the present was an intriguing parallel to her social withdrawal following the death of her husband. The speakeasy setting and the diverse cast of characters were fun to explore, making this a cosy and engaging read. I would have loved a bit more of Josephine’s life and relationships after the end of the book, but overall really enjoyed the story of her relationship with her great grandmother.

Thank you Harper Muse for a copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

We follow Josephine as she struggles through her life. She moved to a new neighbourhood and is recreating her identity through that. Throughout it we learn about the character and her family and friends. We also learn a bit more about her likes and dislikes. There is some elements of mystery as we uncover a history about one of her relatives. The book also has a fantasy element to it which I think readers will enjoy

In terms of my opinion, at the start I felt like I wasn’t going to finish this one but I pushed through and it did get better. I really enjoy how Josephine grows throughout the book as well as how the side characters help support her. It reminds me a little of a doctor who episode.

I struggled with the print version as the writing style didn’t immediately capture my attention. I switched to the audio book and was instantly able to be drawn into the story.
Perhaps I have never loved someone enough but I cannot imagine making a wish to not have lived just because my husband was gone…..but Josephine does just that. Add in a magical door and you have a story involving prohibition, family and insta-love. Which all ends up tied up in a perfect bow. Very Hallmark style.
A lot of people will love this book. For me, it was a solid read/listen but not mind blowing.
I received a ARC of this title, all opinions are my own.

This is a review of the audiobook.

The Vanishing Of Josephine Reynolds is beautifully written and, despite the time travel element of the story, completely believable. The imagery, particularly in the depiction of the 1920’s dresses worn by Josephine and Alma, is exquisite. While this is very much Josephine’s story, it is also about family connections, both between Josephone and her sister Katherine and between Josephine and her great-grandmother Alma. I loved the way Josephine grew into her own person after spending fifteen years being the wife her husband wanted to be. I also loved Alma’s charismatic charm. What a dynamic woman! The growing romance between Josephine and Danny Stewart during the 1927 timeline is both swoonworthy and tragic, given that Josephine has travelled back a hundred years to save Alma. While this was a secondary thread, I was on the edge of my seat hoping there’d be a way these two ciud make things work. The Carter Mansion, Alma’s house until her death and later Josephine’s, plays a pivotal role in this story. It reminded me very much of The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe for the way the front door and its key enabled movement between the two time periods. This has been a fascinating, gripping and compelling read and a book that I couldn’t put down. I loved it!

I love historical fiction and I am always happy to go back to it. I also love stories about grief. This was both and it was nice. Life in speakeasies during prohibition and the story of a woman finding herself through grieving. The magic door added something to the story as well and on paper it sounds perfect for me but I feel like it would have been better without the romance. I didn’t like that part and found it unnecessary and kind of unnatural in a way. It was still a good story and I enjoyed myself.

I absolutely adored this book!! From the first page, I was drawn into this amazingly beautiful story. It's a magical mix of historical fiction, mystery, and time travel. I loved seeing the journey and growth of Josephine as she found herself and her relationship with her sister is one that warmed my heart. This is one of my favorites and will be one that I always recommend! Don't miss out on this magical story!

3.5 stars. Josephine dealing with the loss and subsequent grief of losing her husband sells their house and buys back the foreclosed family home determined to start over again. She finds a hidden speakeasy in the basement and then finds the original door to the house in a salvage yard and has it placed back where it belongs. Turns out the door is enchanted and allows her to travel back in time to 1927 thus enacting a duel timeline in the present day where two things are true at the same time. She now has to race against time to make sure that she still exists in the present day. I really loved the characters and wish there was more time spent with them. I also liked the time travel aspect and the premise of how something so small as a sentence has the power to change things in the future.

Widowed at 35, Josephine decides to buy her grandmother’s former home. After finding the original door , she restores it to its former glory. A little time travel, reunites her with her young grandmother, and Josephine is able to alter the outcome of her life.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds was an interesting read. The story involves time travel and discovery of the lives of her ancestors. Josephine loses her husband and moves into her great-grandmother’s historic home. She discovers a hidden speakeasy in the basement, and before long, finds herself transported back to 1927.

It’s a quick read, fun, light and entertaining! Recommend!

This book was not what I thought it was going to be. For some reason I thought this was a mystery/thriller and went into the book with those notions. Surprisingly, it was a historical fiction with time travel! How fun!! The description is 100% accurate- had I read it. Either way, this is not my typical genre but I really enjoyed it. I wished for more at the end. I wanted more adventures, more between the two main characters at the end (if you've read it you know). I was sad it ended.

Josephine Reynolds is still grieving her husband's death, life doesn't seem to move forward without him. Jo is depressed and decided a change of scenery would do her good. Seeing that her great grandmother's historical home was up for auction after her lowly uncle lost it to the bank. Josephine buys the house and first order of business is to change the front door back to its original glory. Somehow Josephine stumbles upon the original door, but it's more than just a door- it's a portal to 1927! There she meets her great grandmother Alma. The rest of the story unfolds in the speakeasy beneath the house.

A solid 4 ⭐️ from me. I feel like some of the details could have been more thought out concerning the time travel but I can see why the author didn't want to focus too much on the mechanics of time travel. I really loved the ending too. I won't give out any spoilers but I enjoyed it.

I would read more stories like this. I am not a romance fan but I was for this title! I really loved the relationships in this book as well as the entire cast of characters. I would have loved even more description of the scenery- mostly
Because I love the timeline and the setting so much!

Thank you @netgalley and @harpermuse
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds by Jennifer Moorman is the second book I’ve read by this author. I read The Baker’s Man by her that I totally enjoyed. This one had so many things that I enjoyed about it and for some reason it didn’t all come together for me. I can’t put my finger on it.

The main character is Josephine Reynolds who is a young widow. She doesn’t know how to pull herself out of the grief she is experiencing. Her sister talks her into buying their old ancestral home that belonged to her great-grandmother. I was drawn to the story of a young widow.

She lives in Nashville, Tennessee near my town. That was interesting because the house sits in a historical part of town. I enjoyed her run-ins with the neighborhood historical society president which led her to find the original door to the house and have it installed. This door becomes her entry into 1927 and meeting her great-grandmother Alma as a young widow herself. We soon learn that Alma runs a speakeasy in her basement! How fun would that be and imagine meeting your great-grandmother as a young woman?

Jennifer Moorman did a wonderful job building the suspense but, maybe she did too good of a job for me. I became attached to the characters and worried about their demise. I hated to keep reading. I was afraid of what I would learn. I will have to say that at the end I had warm feelings for the book. I was hoping for a sequel but I think that might be a little too weird. You’ll see what I mean.

I almost think someday I will go back and read this book again knowing how nicely everything works out. At least most of it does. If you like Magical Realism, you will likely love this book. I definitely think you should consider this one for your reading stack!
Until next time…Happy Reading!

Don’t forget to support the authors you read by leaving a review.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author, Netgalley and Harper Collins. The opinions I have expressed are my own and I was not required to write a review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Widowed at thirty-five, Josephine Reynolds wishes she could disappear, but her concerned sister convinces her to buy their ancestral home, a Craftsman bungalow in disrepair and foreclosure. It’s a welcome distraction, and Josephine can’t believe her luck when she finds the home’s original door in a salvage yard.

When she installs the door and steps through it, Josephine is transported into 1927, where she meets her great-grandmother Alma, a vivacious and daring woman running an illegal speakeasy in the bungalow’s basement.

I enjoyed so much about this tale! I loved the dual timelines, especially the speakeasy of 1927! I loved the old house with all the secrets! I loved the characters, especially Josephine, but, you can’t forget Alma!

The story magically transports the reader in more ways than one. Not only are you transported to 1927 and all that entails, the family secrets keep you coming back for more.

Need a magical tale…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

I read The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds by Jennifer Moorman and here is what I think about that: this was a completely enjoyable read. There is time travel, romance, and a bit of mystery to solve. Josephine's husband has died. She is grieving. Wearing his old clothes, not showering, barely able to get out of bed. One day, her sister shows up bringing her food and telling her she has to get up and start living life again. She should sell her house and find something that is more her style. I should note that grief counselors tell you not to make any big decisions like selling your house for at least 12 months. But, then Kate, Josephine's sister, sends her an email about a house being foreclosed - it is their great grandmothers former house. Their uncle had owned it - he somehow conned their mom out of the house and then lost it to foreclosure but none of that is really explained in the book. Well, Josephine gets up and sells her house and buys her grandmother's former home and plans to restore it. One of the first thing she does is replace the front door - it isn't original, and she finds the original front door in a salvage yard. Next time she steps through the front door, she sees some words carved into the door, and she is transported back in time to 1927 - and walking in and meeting her great grandmother Alma. Alma is widowed and while she is seeing someone, she hasn't yet remarried and has yet to have kids. When Josephine steps out the front door, she is transported back to present day, but she begins to notice things missing. The timelines are altering. So, it is a bit like Back to the Future, where Marty McFly and his siblings begin to disappear. Josephine learns that the basement of the house is being used as a speakeasy and during a police raid, Alma is killed. If that happens, Josephine, her sister, her mother, her grandmother are all erased. So photographs are disappearing as are personal possessions. Josephine has to figure all of this out in the next couple of days to save all of them. In the meantime, in 1927, she is falling in love with Danny. This is a quick and enjoyable read with magical elements - like time travel. I enjoyed the story and the writing and I give this 3.75 stars.

I want to thank #netgalley and Harper Collins Focus for my advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. This book releases on January 14, 2025.

4⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Focus for an advanced copy of The Vanishing Of Josephine Reynolds.

Josephine is a young widow still reeling from the sudden passing of her husband. Her sister tells her that the home of their great grandmother Alma has been foreclosed on and Josephine decides to buy it and restore it to its glory. They find a speakeasy in the basement that their great grandmother ran. She replaces the front door with the original from the home and when she enters she walks into the 1920s. She realizes she needs to help Alma to save her future.

I really enjoyed the book. I liked the writing style and the characters. I also enjoyed the plot and how everything ended up tying together.

Fantastic story! This book was incredible—did not want to put it down. We have a dual timeline, along with great characters and storyline. This author was new to me and I will be looking for more from her. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I requested to read this book because I wanted to attend a pre-release event for it. It left me little time to get into it, which turn out to fine, because it's a compelling read.
The book begins with the grief of a widow who realizes she has ceased to be her own person. She lived in her husband’s shadow. But that’s not the “vanishing.” She makes a wish that she had never been born. I know what you're thinking. No—its not another “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
Josephine, at the urging of her sister, sells her house and moves to a part of Nashville where she buys back her family home, the one her great-grandmother and grandmother lived and died in. That’s when things begin to happen. The house needs some renovation and Josephine buys back the home’s front door from a salvage dealer. When it is installed, she find an inscription beside a pane of window glass in the door.
Josephine, who at one point made a wish she had never been born, says the words out loud and finds herself in 1927. She meets her great-grandmother and discovers her ill formed wish has created an alternate timeline. The novel then becomes a race to save the original timeline (and her great-grandmother.)
You’ll learn about prohibition, and speakeasies, as Moorman crafts her characters to deal with a potentially fatal raid. That’s about as much as I can say without spoiling the read. Even if you not a big fan of time travel, I think you will enjoy The Vanishing of Jospehine Reynolds. I'm happy to recommend it to you.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC and thanks to Libro FM and the publisher for the ALC.

I thought this was a mesmerizing novel. If you know me, I am a sucker for a good time travel story. And this book gave me all the feels. It had romance, it had drama, it had comedy. A little bit of something for everyone.

Kathleen Mcinerey did a great job with the narrating. This story was so beautiful and emotional. I really enjoyed it.

I love time travel books, the magical realism is written well, after finding her grandmothers hidden speakeasy we follow Josephine to the 1920s. A great story watching her start to live her life after becoming a widow.

Thank you #netgalley for an arc of #thevanishingofjosephinereynolds

I’ve been diving into a lot of historical fiction lately, and The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds immediately caught my eye with its intriguing premise. Time travel? The Jazz Age? A family mystery? Count me in.

The writing is beautiful, balancing vivid descriptions of the 1927 Jazz Age with the emotional depth of Josephine’s journey. From the glitz of the speakeasy to the quiet moments of reflection, Moorman’s prose brought every scene to life. The bond between Josephine and her great-grandmother Alma felt so genuine, making the stakes of Josephine’s journey even higher.

The blend of history, magic, and heart is seamless, and watching Josephine navigate both past and present was as moving as it was suspenseful. If you’re into richly detailed settings and stories where family ties transcend time, this one’s for you.

If you’re into richly detailed settings and stories where family ties transcend time, this one’s for you. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Focus for the ARC!

An inherited house, a secret speakeasy in the basement and a magical door that takes Josephine back to the 1920s, where she comes face to face with her own great-grandmother…fabulous! One of my favorite reads of 2024.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins and Jennifer Moorman for an ARC and including me in the IG book tour.