Joy told her twin, 21 year old daughters, Cassiopea and Andromeda, that on their 21st birthday they will be taken to 2050. She runs the Joyful Suds Laundromat. The girls were homeschooled, no TV, no internet, to keep them safe. Their neighbor Monty loves them and runs his own business. Joy also has a terminal glioblastoma and hasn’t told anyone. Cassie and Andie are going to time travel to 2050 in order to save the world.

This book has really different pacing. You can’t think of it as beginning-middle-end. It goes in a different direction at 50% of the way through, which is pretty intriguing. The characters are easy to love but their behaviors are confusing. I didn’t love it, but some will! I liked it and I’m glad I read it.

Although the blurb suggests magic/fantasy, it’s more of a mystery or coming of age book. If you’re in the mood for something different, put this in your TBR.

Audiobook review- appreciate the performance. Australian narrator and good dialogue. This story is good an audio.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the ALC. book to be published 8/18/25

Wow! I needed up enjoying it way more than I initially thought.
Women’s fiction isn’t one of my go-to genres but it combined with a mystery component really made for a compelling read.

I consumed the audiobook which was narrated by Annie Maynard. She did a fabulous job speaking at the perfect pace for an audiobooks 1x speed. I also really enjoyed her Australian accented vocals which to an American gives it a fun edge and always you to really immerse yourself in the story. Had I read the ebook I probably would have imagined a British accent since word usage is so similar with the two areas and there wasn’t geographic specifics used throughout the book to remind the reader where it takes place. So the narration helped considerably!

The book is broken into 4 parts and in those parts while it’s all in 3rd person, each chapter focuses on a different character. The main 3 female characters are Joy and her two identical twin daughters, Andie and Cassie. Part 4 switches focus a bit and has the male next door neighbor Monte in the forefront. The books is also multi-timeline between 2002 and 2023. I won’t give further specifics to avoid spoilers!

I think the author, Kerryn Mayne artfully laid the book out to keep the reader engaged as while you knew the outcome from the start for the most part, it was the interweaving of the finer details that was so engaging. I lived the little twists along the way.

I think this is such a fun summer read and it comes out in the US on August 19th 2025.

I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary audio ALC from MacMillan Audio through NetGalley to read which gave the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My general rating system is below. Since I primarily read ARC books I rate according to how I think like minded readers will receive the book. I will round up or down depending on many factors and try not to let my personal wants affect a books ratings.

⭐️ Hated It but pushed through as I don’t DNF ARCs I have received.
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, content issues, poorly edited.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but it had something that stopped me from rounding up. Usually the book may have much more potential than what was given. I recommend it but with reservations.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I Really enjoyed it or think others will. These are solid reads that I definitely would recommend for a variety of reasons.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! These are books that remain rent free in my head for well after unfinished the book. It can be for a variety of reasons from being very well written or just the vibes that captured my mind. These books are also ones I would probably read again.

Imagine brainwashing your kids for most of their lives to the point that they truly believe they’re time travelers from the future.

That’s exactly what Joy does to her twin daughters, and while she sort of has an excuse, it still left me struggling with the whole concept. These girls are 21 years old and have never had phones, watched TV, or used the internet. They’ve been homeschooled their entire lives, and somehow the neighbors in this totally normal suburb never thought to ask questions?

It becomes pretty clear early on that Joy is hiding the twins for a reason, and honestly, your suspicions are probably correct. I won’t spoil anything, but it’s not a shocking twist.

I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator did a solid job. I enjoyed the story overall, especially the strong character growth from the twins as they slowly began to question the world around them and find their own voices. Still, I had a hard time getting past just how isolated and naive they were, and the fact that Joy never really left them with any solid answers.

That said, the story wraps up well, and I think it’s one a lot of readers will enjoy.

3.5 ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the early listen!

3.75 stars

This is a peculiar read (in a good way), and while diehard _Lenny Marks_ fans may not find quite the same magic here, there's still a lot to like about this surprisingly layered narrative.

The titular Joy Moody fits her name: a series of intriguing contradictions, highs and lows included. Joy has two daughters, Cassie and Andie, whom she procured in what I'll call an unconventional way. Now, they are preparing to return to the future to their biological parents. After all, these two were born in 2050, which is decades from now. What?! It's important to know that Joy is a fan of sci fi AND that she has a concerning medical issue in the mix. Her once stories have become her reality, and while the girls were young and isolated enough to manage this strange life for a long time, as the title also foretells, everyone here is out of time in more ways than one. Things are about to change permanently.

There is a lot of quirkiness in these characters and plot, but there is also some meaningful subtext relating to love, happenstance, and the meaning of life. Overall, this is another winner from Kerryn Mayne, and I cannot wait to see what Mayne's next protagonist gets up to.

Started off without grabbing my attention too much. Didn’t love it but didn’t hate it. Just was an interesting story I guess.

Kerry Mayne is a breath of fresh air for authors. She writes quirky novels with a lot of heart at the center. this was just as good as Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder. I was lucky enough to get both the written and audio ARC. They are both fantastic.
thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was weird, sad, and wonderful in the best way. I went in expecting time travel, what I got was a story about love, grief, and the lies we tell to protect each other. Joy is a heartbreaking character, and I couldn’t stop reading as everything unraveled. Quirky, emotional, and quietly devastating. I’ll be thinking about this one for a while.