Thank you NetGalley for granting me access to the arc of The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds! I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT!! I have never felt so immersed in 1927! And at a speakeasy! My heart is bursting with love and I feel like dancing! At one point Josephine thinks to herself "why not turn up every part of my life? Why not live louder and bolder?" YES!!! That is exactly how I feel after reading this story!! This book is why I love to read!!! GAH!!!

Josephine is struggling. Her husband died unexpectedly and she's not sure how to go on. She even wishes she'd never been born. In an impulse she ends up buying an old mansion that used to belong to her family. In the basement, she finds an old speakeasy and soon after unexpectedly ends up with a door leading to 1927. Add she travels back and forth, she realizes she's disappearing. She had to figure out how to save herself. This is a great time travel book!!!

Ok my only issue with this is it reminded me too much of outlander with the magical transportation frame and then your in a new place in a new time period. Doesnt mean I didnt like it its just ive read it already. I absolutely loved all the descriptions and the places that everyone went to and her spending time with her family who she never thought she would see again that was heartwarming.

I just could not get into this story. I found it boring. The plot did not capture my interest and it was a struggle to finish it.

I really enjoyed this book. I love historical fiction and if you love the 20s and jazz age, you will enjoy this too.

I think the story is well thought out and well-written. I think the details of the 20s era is great and I can picture it in my head. I would love more depth in the story during certain points and I didn't feel like the time lapses during the days completely match up (for example, there is a point where the MC is in the 20s during the day, she is invited to a party later that night, she goes back to present day, sleeps the entire night and wakes up to go back in time to the party)

I think the development of the FMC is pretty good. I think sometimes she lacks emotional depth as she is experiencing the 20s. I'd love to also get more from Alma since she is so important to the overall story. I loved the dialogue and the language used is authentic to the time period.

The ending is wonderful (although predictable) and truly ties up what happens in the story. It gave me all the feel goods and I appreciated it.

I think overall, it's a good book. A quick read that is really nice to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for an ARC of The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds.

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

The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds is reminiscent of the Christopher Reeves movie "Somewhere in Time" or the Sandra Bullock movie "The Lake House." Josephine, the protagonist, mourns the loss of her husband (or does she?). The opening is a bit confusing as the author must paint a picture of her relationship that inspires her depressive grief yet detaches her from her former husband, Nathan. As a widowed woman, the author tries to build relatability as Josephine must come to terms with the knowledge that she had lost her identity in the marriage, deferring to Nathan in almost every circumstance, including major life decisions, household decor, lifestyle, and other events. At the same time, the author disperses some sensual imagery around Nathan and Josephine's romantic attachment to him. This has an abrupt transition at the beginning and mentions of Josephine's resentful feelings and/or grief become repetitive in description and somewhat contradictory. Her depression (i.e. Twilight-style or like the Zoe Saldana movie "From Scratch") is quite dramatic considering her emotional resentment over his controlling personality.

However, the book becomes substantially better once the supernatural time-traveling plot is introduced. She chooses to leave the fancy house that Nathan picked out, and tries to find her roots by purchasing an old family home. When confronted by the HOA rep about the tacky modern front door, she locates the historically-appropriate door to replace it. In fact, it's the original door! She notices that the door is a portal to the past when her grandmother Alma ran a speakeasy in the basement. However, the speakeasy was raided and now Josephine has to figure out how to rescue Alma in order to save her own existence. Once again, it's metaphorically significant because Josephine struggles with self-actualization and tends to lose herself in the plots of other people's stories. She meets a man named Danny who takes notice of her and a lovely romance ensues. Josephine continues to visit the 1920s through the portal, but she notices that there are consequences in her "real" life. The narrative style and how the supernatural plot unfolds feels far more "real" and developed than her real life plot. The 1920s atmosphere and the dresses that she wears create a beautiful backdrop for Josephine's transformation from a timid follower of a woman to a fierce and protective woman. I thoroughly enjoyed watching her develop as a character; this part made the book worth reading and set up the novel for an appropriately wonderful resolution.

I would definitely recommend this book to women who enjoy time-traveling historical romance that is low-smut and a perfect blend of romance-writing and literary writing. Josephine is an older woman already having been in a marriage, which also makes this more interesting as a romance than a typical hot-blooded young woman. There is some commentary about how women managed to gain power in a time period like the 1920s and Josephine learns from Alma how to take back her own life. There are Great Gatsby allusions (of course!) and also a touching interracial relationship that is touching. Although the beginning was abrupt and odd, the book was a very satisfying read once Josephine moves into the new house. Stick with it!

How do you describe an indescribably wonderful book? This was the type of book where I never wanted to stop reading because I felt the story would continue without me!

Recently widowed Josephine Reynolds, in all her grief, feels that she is just a shadow or ghost of her usual self and wishes she could just disappear. Her sister Katherine encourages her to move through her grief and become the woman she wants to be, to be her real self. When they find that their great-grandmothers home has gone into foreclosure, Katherine convinces Josephine to buy the house. The tale that ensues is a magical tale of a Narnia-like portal Josephine passes through to meet her great-grandmother in 1927 where she experiences fringed flapper dresses, cloche hats, windowpane suits, French 75's, prohibition & bootlegging, and a speakeasy. The descriptions are so real that I could see the smoky speakeasy, smell the cigarettes & alcohol, and hear the jazz music.

As a result of meeting her grandmother, Josephine learns to become herself again, regains her momentum and strength, and finds that you can live and love again. A truly wonderful read.

The characters development is excellent, the story line is engaging from beginning to end, and the book ends exactly as I envisioned!

Thank you NetGalley, Harper Collins, and Harper Muse for allowing me to read an advance copy in return for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for the chance to read this delightful story!

This was a fun, breezy read great for fans of 'Midnight in Paris'. The time-travel didn't get too convoluted, which I always appreciate. I was expecting a fun read from the premise alone, but was pleasantly surprised by the way this story tackled love, grief, and healing. The romance was sweet, and the characters all feel distinct and likeable (Except Barbara, who deserves a kick in the tush! lol) The ending was bittersweet, of course, but I wasn't disappointed.

I highly recommend picking this book up, and I will definitely look into other titles by this author.

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

I want to put those quote about wishes because it made me stop to think.
I believe the old saying goes be careful with what you wish for because it can happen. Others might call it karma
"Those made from the deepest part of someone's heart even the broken pieces, well, they can dramatically change life. The stronger the wish, the stronger the possibility of change.
She said that listens to our wishes. Time breaks and reforms. Like branches of a river, time can split from
a single point where a vital event occurs— when a specific wish is made a single point where a vital event occurs— when a specific wish is made— and create alternate outcomes simultaneously.
Wow! That certainly leaves a lot to think about doesn't it. This quite came from Leo. I'm loving his wisdom.
Josephine is a pretty cool character.
This is an amazing book. I love time time traveling adventures. I was pretty happy when I received this book.

3.75 rounded up.
Josephine buys her great-grandmothers house and finds a secret speakeasy in the basement. After replacing the front door back to the original, she finds herself able to walk into 1927 and meets her great-grandmother Alma. Josephine accidently messed with the timeline and is now disappearing from the present. She needs to right the past and save Alma from a deadly raid to her speakeasy.

I did enjoy this book. It's a low action, low conflict magical realism book. Josephine needed to find herself again after losing her husband months before. I'm not sure how much I really liked the main character, and I would have rather stayed in the past with Alma.

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with an arc to read and review honestly

I'd never read anything by this author, but will be looking for more. I read several hundred books each year and this has by far been my favorite new read of 2024!! It's a quick and easy read, but it has a lot of depth to it. The read experiences the Jazz Age through an accidental time travel that could cost our protagonist her life, but ends up saving it instead. The journey is eventful, historical, and personally revolutionary. The house is a character in itself, there's a beautiful ending to the story, and a few twists and surprises that will keep you on your toes....the mystery of who Leo belongs to still wonders me... A little bit of something for everyone here!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Focus for an ARC of The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds.

I think this was a case of right book, wrong reader. The writing was lovely and the story wrapped up so nicely at the end, but for my liking it was not enough magical time travel and too much historical fiction romance. This would be a great choice for someone who enjoys those genres.

3 stars for my personal taste, but 4.5 stars for the right reader!

The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds is the story of a modern day widow and her time traveling adventure back to the 1920s where flapper dresses and speakeasies were in high swing. During her trips between the past and the present day, she discovers the way to move forward from grief and loss, and she also makes a beautiful connection with her great-grandmother. She even meets a handsome man named Danny, who makes her contemplate whether to stay in the past or go back to the present day.

This was the first book I've read by Jennifer Moorman. I enjoyed learning about Speakeasies and also about the way women dressed back in the 1920s. It was a quick and easy read, and the writing style felt like a Hallmark or Lifetime mystery. Not super heavy or depressing, however, I found myself not really connecting with the story or the characters.

When I finished the book, I still had questions that were left unanswered. Why did uncle Donnie switch out the doors? Where did he disappear to? What happened after the end of the book? I would have loved an epilogue to clarify Josephine's future.

Overall enjoyable clean read, with a touch of romance and mystery.

Content: Kisses only romance, drinking, no noteworthy violence or swearing. Overall very clean read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The concept of this book (time travel, seeing what your life, friends, hobbies, personality would be like if you lived in a different era) was fascinating to me. And the book is fine, but that's the thing... it's just fine.

The concept had potential to be executed to brilliance, but it was just.......... fine. Lukewarm. Not bad at all, worth a read and enjoyable, just…. not bad, but not great.

After the loss of her husband Josephine buys her Great Grandmother's historic mansion that had gone into foreclosure. She finds a hidden door in the basement that reveals a secret past to the house. Josephine stumbles upon a way to travel back in time to the 1920's and tries to save her Great Grandmother and her entire future.
This book was just okay for me. For some reason I didn't get invested in the characters or the story. I have read other books by this author and will definitely pick up her next one as well.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book for review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds by Jennifer Moorman, one of my favorite authors. Magical! Just magical.

This book had me feeling every emotion the words reached from the page and hugged me. A real story of grief and finding yourself in the midst of heartbreak and starting over. Magical and loving

In a depressive rut after the death of her husband, thirty-five year old Josephine wishes she were never born. Accidental time travel drops her into 1927, racing against the clock to save her great-grandmother’s life and her own eventual existence. Over time, Josephine learns how much of herself she lost during her marriage and seeks to find herself again.

Overall this is a light, easy read without spice or violence on the page, though there is plenty of insight to consider if you’re looking for it. The jazz age speakeasy and old mansion settings are palpable and add so much to the story. I was pleasantly surprised how well the time travel element is handled. I think this book will have wide appeal.

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

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

1) this book instills so many emotions! I laughed, cried, smiled, and felt love. I tend to rate based on feelings and emotions and if a book can make me really truly feel something it is an automatic 5 ⭐️

2) I thought it was unique and fun! It was genuinely a fun book to read.