Josephine finds herself in a position that she never imagined she would be in. She's 35 years old and a widow. Her life always centered around her husband and his career, as she never finished school, they never had children, and she did whatever he wanted to do. After his untimely death, she finds herself in their expansive house with no purpose to her life. With her sister's encouragement, they find out their ancestral home is for sale in Nashville. Josephine has so many wonderful memories there, so she sold her current home and relocated there. Returning her family's home to its former glory becomes her new purpose and when at a salvage yard, she comes across the actual door to the home, which she assumed was long gone after a renovation. Once she brings this door back to the house, it becomes a door to the past - quite literally - in that when she enters it, she finds herself in her home, but the year is 1927. Josephine encounters her grandmother, who is a force to be reckoned with, but she quickly realizes that her grandmother will die at her speakeasy during a raid if she doesn't fix things. The more she travels back, the more it alters things for Josephine and her family. Jennifer Moorman's The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds is a cozy read filled with historical details and magical realism.

At first, I wasn't a big fan of Josephine in The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds. She was pretty whiny and helpless. She had low self-esteem and it got, quite honestly, boring. Once she started to gain control of her life and fix up her family's home, I enjoyed her a bit more. Her interactions with her grandmother in the past were charming and I was rooting for her to not only take back her life but help with her grandmother's unfortunate fate.

Moorman includes a lot of details about the Jazz Age and speakeasies, which made this a fun read at times, especially if you are a fan of the time period. However, I did not really believe that Josephine would find a love interest in 1927, so I could have done without that part of the story, but overall, it worked out just fine in the end.

If you are looking for a slow read to escape in filled with magical touches, give The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds a try this winter. Let me know in the comments if you are a fan of books with magical realism and if this book is on your winter TBR list.

I really liked this book. Josephine Reynolds is a thirty-five-year-old widow who has lost her zest for life. Her sister convinces her to buy and renovate their ancestral home. Much to her surprise, she finds the original door for the house. This door turns out to be magical. When she says the words written on the door and uses a special key, she time travels to 1927. Her great-grandmother Alma is living in the house and running a speakeasy. Josephine discovers some secrets and must change history or her great-grandmother will die, and Josephine will not even exist. This book is a little of every genre-history, romance, mystery and family drama. It is very well-written, and it caught my attention right from the beginning. I liked the time travel aspect, but I also liked the way meeting her family transformed Josephine. By the end of the story, she has learned to let her husband go and seems ready for a new love. A must read! Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the change to read and review this book.

I wanted to love this book but it was an average read for me. It felt slow at times. There were aspects I loved such as the time period, but overall it was just an okay read for me.

This is a story about a woman who gets a second chance to rebuild her life. After hitting rock bottom, Josephine discovers a way to travel back in time and reconnect with her grandmother. The author's use of time travel lets us see the protagonist's growth and transformation in a very unique way and the introduction of the 'disappearing' plot thread adds such a fascinating layer of tension and urgency. Through this journey, the author raises important questions about identity, grief, and the human experience.
The novel's thoughtful pacing and nuanced characterization make for a rich, emotionally resonant read. Notably, the author's portrayal of grief and loss is both realistic and compassionate. This was my introduction to Moorman's writing, and I'm eager to explore more of her books!

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A magical story about discovering ourselves amidst pain and loss, family ties, and figuring our what's worth fighting for. Jennifer Moorman blends reality and magic in such a natural way that it makes you believe that it could actually happen. The history and descriptions are so vivid that you can hear the jazz from the speakeasy as you read the story!
Enchanting from the first page!

This book surprised me quite a bit, because it did not expect to get som invested. I loved the plot, really loved it and this is the kind of book that made me think about for a long time after I finished it. Jennifer writes very visually, so for me it was like seeing a movie inside my head.

Because of the brilliant writing, it was a delight to read, and I felt the author truly loved writing this story. This book is one I could easily turn into a movie. I just loved it, I can’t say anything else!

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

I absolutely adored this story. Time traveling,love story,speakeasy! I have loved all of Jennifer’s books and this one I’d wonderful! Highly highly recommend.

SO magical. SO emotional. The writing and atmosphere drew me all the way in. Obsessed. Perfect book to read during fall in my opinion.

The vanishing of Josephine Reynolds started out dull but soon picked up pace and got quite interesting. The biggest issue I found with this book is Josephine didn't feel like a character who is in her 35. She felt like a person who was very naive and not very mature or adult. She hasn't seen or known anything about outside world which kept nagging at my mind. And I found it hard to believe and I'm not sure of my reasoning.

There's nothing much exciting in the book but I liked how it turned out towards end. The dialogues between the characters felt very dull and boring sometimes. Otherwise it was okay. In the middle I found myself very distracted and not enjoying the story as much as I wanted to. But towards end it was pretty good especially the ending was perfect. And that increased my rating for the book.

I don't know what was the point of nagging neighbour coz it didn't add to the story exactly. Josephine can be really annoying at times. Elma although seems like a good character, I found her a bit pushy. If characters had been fleshed out better it would have helped the story more. Only Katherine was the character who I found endearing.

I found it odd that when Elma was this feminist kind of person, I didn't understand her need to start something illegal for the era especially when it didn't support her cause. Or maybe I missed something altogether, I am not sure. The ending was simply too good for me as I wanted it to be something positive.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins Focus | Harper Muse for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

“Among the whispering and the stars.” - @jenniferrmoorman by way of The Great Gatsby

Josephine lost her husband Nathan recently. They were married for 15 years and now she’s widowed at 35. Encouraged by her sister Katherine, Josephine buys her Great Grandmother’s foreclosed property in an effort to not escape her past, but to continue to live. What she finds inside those walls is the adventure that will bring life and love back to her.

This novel expertly crafts merged timeline branches (1927 and present day) that balance topics of grief, loss, love, adventure, depression, and self-discovery with women’s rights, racism, and the prohibition era. I’m such a fan. I couldn’t put it down. I loved the internal struggle to chance something new as yourself or fall into the safety of family. Bravo.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you to @netgalley and @harpercollins for this #advancedreaderscopy - pub date was 1/14/25

#2025bookchallengebook11of100
#netgalley
#thevanishingofjosephinereynolds

This was a surprising book for me. I went into it thinking it was going to be a mystery about a disappearance and instead I get a time travelling historical fiction with a dash of romance.
This was a bit of a slow start/ slow burn as we were introduced to Josephine and her story. It's not until we are quite into the book that we get to the meat of it with the time travelling door and we meet the 1920s cast which are frankly much more interesting and endearing. It really does make you quite nostalgic for the past.
As the book progresses, the pace of the book picks up and soon we are well on the way to an exciting ending where you're just not sure how it should end. Head vs heart much like the dilemma Josephine herself has.
I was torn on the rating of the book because the first third was rather a bit tedious for me but the rest made up for it.
For lovers of historical fiction or time travelling this is not a bad one to pick up.
Many thanks to Harper Collins Focus for providing me with an audio and digital copy of this book via NetGalley for review. All opinions are my own.

Intriguing concept, though the romance did not work for me.

3.5 stars rounded up.

A dash of magical realism and time travel that allows an unhappy Josephine Reynolds, recently widowed and wishing she'd never been born, to travel back in time and meet her great-grandmother - and possibly change her own fortune? Sign me up! My love for family history (and history in general) made this book an absolute must read for me. And talk about a stunning cover!

The author really delivered on the family history, and the feeling and setting of the 1920s timeline Josephine travels to was impeccable. I enjoyed her writing, and she did an amazing job with the different characters.

However, Josephine's decisions made it hard for me to root for her at times - if you travel back in time to prevent something from happening, wouldn't all your focus be on doing that? Instead, Josephine was very easily and constantly distracted. More importantly, the romance angle dampened things and just did not work for me. When the book opens, Josephine is fairly recently widowed and still grieving her husband of fifteen years. However, as the story progresses, her husband just sounded more and more controlling and, honestly, quite horrible. I get that grief is grief, especially after a long time spent with someone, but to want to cease existing without him seemed extreme, given how seriously unpleasant he came across. As for the new romance possibility, it just didn't seem credible - those two hardly spend any time together at all, and it felt mostly unnecessary and distracting. While I did enjoy how that romance tied into the ending of the story, the reveal in the end was a bit... icky to me if you think about it in terms of family.

Overall, this was a solid and enjoyable, though not flawless, read with much less magical realism than I was expecting.

I received a copy of both the novel and the audiobook, and in this case much preferred the former. While the audiobook production was good and I liked the narrator and her impersonation of Josephine, her rather high-pitched voices for both Katherine and especially Alma didn't feel like a great fit for me personally and made those characters sound very juvenile.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Focus | Harper Muse for the copies of this book / audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

"The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds" was published on January 14, 2025.

Loved Jennifer Moorman’s last book. I usually don’t read books that have magical realism included and Jennifer has a magical way of including MAGiC in her writing that is intriguing, whimsical, and hooks you from the start. I love her books and this one another home run!!

I loved this book. It was just what I needed to read. A touch of magic and love. A time travel that takes you back to 1927. To a time when things were so different but in ways the same. It was such a good story...

What if you could go back in time. Would you? If so, who would you want to meet? I'm not sure who I would want to see and talk too. Maybe a relative I read about in a genealogy report that I read about. He was called "The Lost Poet Of Georgia." A long time ago. That would be kind of cool, right? But at the same time it would be scary...

Josephine Reynolds was grieving the death of her husband. As I read a little about him I didn't much like him. Or maybe it was just her. She gave up everything for him. All of her dreams. Even the decorating of their home was his choice. But she loved him and she was grieving for him.

Josephine decides to sell the home she made with her husband and buys her grandmother's old home. The house is now in a historical district so there are things Josephine has to do to keep the house up. Including getting a front door. She finds the original door and has it installed. Things take a big turn now. One day Josephine walks in and everything is different. A whole different era for her. She's with her great grandmother, Alma.

Alma ran a speakeasy in her basement back in 1927. It was booming and seemed to all be well. Something is going to happen though that may cause a big difference in her great granddaughter, Josephine's life. Josephine has to stop events from happening but how can she convince Alma that it's really true.

There is also love in the air. A birthday party. A raid. A discovery of self. I throughly enjoyed this book. It started out strong for me and ending right where it should have. A few things made me hold my breath and other's made me gasp out loud. This book is so good. Traveling back in time was fun. Thinking about who I would visit was exciting. A wonderful book...

Thank you #NetGalley, #HarperCollinsFocus, #HarperMuse, for this ARC.

I loved the written version and I loved the audiobook version even more.
Phenomenally written and holds your interest throughout. Great characters. I love the setting. Just a really nice book.

I really love this book! I thought it was perfectly atmospheric and sweet. I liked the timelines in this book and the various POVs. Overall, a solid and engaging book.

I absolutely hated for this book to end and I will add I wished it would have ended another way for romance sake but it was a lovely book full of romance (not too graphic either) and fashion. Josephine needs a new start and she finds it in the most adventurous way. The roaring 20s comes alive in a sweeter way then is often depicted but what we so often see is not a typical day in that time. Two worlds woven very easily together.. 10/10

This one wasn’t for me. I was a bit too whimsical with the magical realism aspects of the book. While the story was there it just wasn’t really holding my attention.

A great dual timeline book. Lovable characters. And the time traveling element that kept me on the edge of my seat. Highly recommend.

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.