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The Regency Switch
Not yet published
Expected 3 Mar 26The Holiday meets Lost in Austen, with a sprinkling of Bridgerton steam… A gloriously witty, escapist and heartwarming romantic comedy about love, finding your people and living life to the full
***
Etta Moore expects nothing more from a Tuesday than another dull day in the office. But when her morning commute ends in Regency England, she is forced to accept the she and her ancestor Miss Henrietta Bainbridge – or ‘Mad Hetty’, as she’s known amongst the ton – have switched bodies.
Suddenly Etta and Hetty must get to grips with the new worlds they find themselves in. For Etta, it’s goodbye to dating apps and the daily commute and hello to the list of things ‘Ladies Do Not’ do. Luckily the dashing Lord Stanhope is on hand to aid her through even the most shocking of faux pas.
Meanwhile Hetty, who has always felt unseen and unknown, finds her truest self blossoming with the help of 21st century medicine and the most welcome attentions of her rather beautiful Adult Learning teacher, Stella.
Two hundred years away from everything they’ve ever known, might Etta and Hetty have actually found a place where they each truly belong?
***
Etta Moore expects nothing more from a Tuesday than another dull day in the office. But when her morning commute ends in Regency England, she is forced to accept the she and her ancestor Miss Henrietta Bainbridge – or ‘Mad Hetty’, as she’s known amongst the ton – have switched bodies.
Suddenly Etta and Hetty must get to grips with the new worlds they find themselves in. For Etta, it’s goodbye to dating apps and the daily commute and hello to the list of things ‘Ladies Do Not’ do. Luckily the dashing Lord Stanhope is on hand to aid her through even the most shocking of faux pas.
Meanwhile Hetty, who has always felt unseen and unknown, finds her truest self blossoming with the help of 21st century medicine and the most welcome attentions of her rather beautiful Adult Learning teacher, Stella.
Two hundred years away from everything they’ve ever known, might Etta and Hetty have actually found a place where they each truly belong?
320 pages, Paperback
Expected publication March 3, 2026
1 person is currently reading
65 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
What happens when the mind of a woman from 1817 goes into the body of a woman from 2023? Because a woman from 2023 still thinks the same as she did in her own time, and the same with the woman from the regency era.
Etta doesn’t really mind being in 1817, because she loved reading Jane Austin, Georget Hyer, and watching Brigerton, so that’s all she needs to know, right? And if things go poorly, she can always go back. Hetty, the woman who initiated the switch as told her so, so she pretends she is on vacation in the Regency era, and to go with the flow. Of course, some things she doesn’t like, such as the lack of rights, but she is in an upper-class family, with a maid, and friends with nobles, so life isnt’ all that bad.
Hetty, on the other hand, finds that modern medicine makes her depression that was driving her crazy in her own ear, go away. She also finds other things that were forbidden are open to her, such as education, and “the love that dares not speak its name” which is now common and legal.
Both of the main characters are quite lovable, and real. Their banter is natural, and I wanted more. Sorry to have the book end. And what a wild ride it was.
All the stars for this one. I would have devoured in one gulp, but I had to work and sleep. This is the author’s debut novel, and I look forward to many more from her.
Thanks to Netgalley and Harper 360 for making this book available for an honest review. This book will be published on the 3rd of March 2026.
Etta doesn’t really mind being in 1817, because she loved reading Jane Austin, Georget Hyer, and watching Brigerton, so that’s all she needs to know, right? And if things go poorly, she can always go back. Hetty, the woman who initiated the switch as told her so, so she pretends she is on vacation in the Regency era, and to go with the flow. Of course, some things she doesn’t like, such as the lack of rights, but she is in an upper-class family, with a maid, and friends with nobles, so life isnt’ all that bad.
Hetty, on the other hand, finds that modern medicine makes her depression that was driving her crazy in her own ear, go away. She also finds other things that were forbidden are open to her, such as education, and “the love that dares not speak its name” which is now common and legal.
Both of the main characters are quite lovable, and real. Their banter is natural, and I wanted more. Sorry to have the book end. And what a wild ride it was.
All the stars for this one. I would have devoured in one gulp, but I had to work and sleep. This is the author’s debut novel, and I look forward to many more from her.
Thanks to Netgalley and Harper 360 for making this book available for an honest review. This book will be published on the 3rd of March 2026.
October 21, 2025
I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley.
I absolutely devoured this book. A time travelling romance to the regency period was the initial attraction however, I loved the dual storyline with the two main characters points of view.
It made me smile quite regularly and actually laughed out loud at one point. (I very rarely laugh at books)
The plot moved along smartly. There was a bit of heat which was relevant to the storyline.
I thought the author made a smart choice with the two love interests for our main characters.
I have already recommended this to someone else.
I absolutely devoured this book. A time travelling romance to the regency period was the initial attraction however, I loved the dual storyline with the two main characters points of view.
It made me smile quite regularly and actually laughed out loud at one point. (I very rarely laugh at books)
The plot moved along smartly. There was a bit of heat which was relevant to the storyline.
I thought the author made a smart choice with the two love interests for our main characters.
I have already recommended this to someone else.
October 15, 2025
Historical, scifi romcom - what more do you need?
—
Are you kidding me? Regency romance, time travel, lesbian shenanigans, Reddit reactions on Instagram? Sign me up! I’m so there!
Seriously, Gaskell gives us a big city girl/country village milieu romance all twisted up and topsy-turveyed out through a science fantasy lens, like a glorious mix of Jenny Colgan (romance writer) and, er, Jenny Colgan (scifi author), with two—TWO!—protagonists I would gladly follow to the ends of the earth. Etta Moore is stuck, her life in London a round of sleep-commute-work-commute-sleep and repeat, the men she meets a series of no-hopers. When she’s accosted by a pair of lovely old ladies with the chance for a holiday from her life, she—well, she doesn’t quite grasp it with both hands, rather more being shanghaied into it, and the next thing she knows, she’s 200 hundred years in the past, in someone’s else’s body tied to a chair and meeting her brother in that time, and his friend, the most gorgeous man Etta has ever met in her life. Will sparks fly, or will Etta be found out and deemed mad?
In 1817, Henrietta Bainbridge is also stuck, her debilitating malaise driving away her family and friends, until she comes up with a (hand-wavey) method of time travel, and lo and behold, she ends up in Etta’s body in the present, aided by her two aunts/descendants. She’s not prepared for the modern world (while Etta has all her hard gleaned knowledge from Jane Austen and Bridgerton, neither of which mention chamber pots), nor for the beautiful woman teaching her computing basics. Will Hetty finally find her heart taken by someone, or will she crash and return back to her original present?
In a brilliant mix of romcom, sci-fi and comedy (extra com, if you like), Gaskell creates two characters and their worlds, their allies and enemies, and, this being a romance, a pair of endings that more than satisfy. A few loose endings (for the sequel?) but the romances and the comedy that help us get there are perfectly judged, and the characters are suitably novel. There’s one character where I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, and it did, but boy was I surprised. I applaud thee, Helen Gaskell, romance author!
Four and a half stars
—
Are you kidding me? Regency romance, time travel, lesbian shenanigans, Reddit reactions on Instagram? Sign me up! I’m so there!
Seriously, Gaskell gives us a big city girl/country village milieu romance all twisted up and topsy-turveyed out through a science fantasy lens, like a glorious mix of Jenny Colgan (romance writer) and, er, Jenny Colgan (scifi author), with two—TWO!—protagonists I would gladly follow to the ends of the earth. Etta Moore is stuck, her life in London a round of sleep-commute-work-commute-sleep and repeat, the men she meets a series of no-hopers. When she’s accosted by a pair of lovely old ladies with the chance for a holiday from her life, she—well, she doesn’t quite grasp it with both hands, rather more being shanghaied into it, and the next thing she knows, she’s 200 hundred years in the past, in someone’s else’s body tied to a chair and meeting her brother in that time, and his friend, the most gorgeous man Etta has ever met in her life. Will sparks fly, or will Etta be found out and deemed mad?
In 1817, Henrietta Bainbridge is also stuck, her debilitating malaise driving away her family and friends, until she comes up with a (hand-wavey) method of time travel, and lo and behold, she ends up in Etta’s body in the present, aided by her two aunts/descendants. She’s not prepared for the modern world (while Etta has all her hard gleaned knowledge from Jane Austen and Bridgerton, neither of which mention chamber pots), nor for the beautiful woman teaching her computing basics. Will Hetty finally find her heart taken by someone, or will she crash and return back to her original present?
In a brilliant mix of romcom, sci-fi and comedy (extra com, if you like), Gaskell creates two characters and their worlds, their allies and enemies, and, this being a romance, a pair of endings that more than satisfy. A few loose endings (for the sequel?) but the romances and the comedy that help us get there are perfectly judged, and the characters are suitably novel. There’s one character where I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, and it did, but boy was I surprised. I applaud thee, Helen Gaskell, romance author!
Four and a half stars
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC!
Two young women, Henrietta from 1817 and her ancestor, Etta, from 2024 trade places with the help of a metaphysical bracelet. Each woman is thrust in to a completely new world full of strange social demands and experiences. Each meets a special someone very much of their own time, but with whom they form a bond that would have been impossible before the switch.
The Regency Switch is a fun, frothy book examining social mores over time and the way different keys fit different locks. It has a specific eye on the way women exist in such different time periods, the varying challenges, freedoms, and expectations. Both Etta and Hettie are sympathetic and well-rounded characters who I came to feel for. I loved watching them navigate their fish-out-of-water situations, and the love stories were both wonderful and heart-warming. There's a lot of great humour, touching moments, and the secondary characters were fantastic too. I was absorbed completely into both women's worlds and had a great time with this book.
Two young women, Henrietta from 1817 and her ancestor, Etta, from 2024 trade places with the help of a metaphysical bracelet. Each woman is thrust in to a completely new world full of strange social demands and experiences. Each meets a special someone very much of their own time, but with whom they form a bond that would have been impossible before the switch.
The Regency Switch is a fun, frothy book examining social mores over time and the way different keys fit different locks. It has a specific eye on the way women exist in such different time periods, the varying challenges, freedoms, and expectations. Both Etta and Hettie are sympathetic and well-rounded characters who I came to feel for. I loved watching them navigate their fish-out-of-water situations, and the love stories were both wonderful and heart-warming. There's a lot of great humour, touching moments, and the secondary characters were fantastic too. I was absorbed completely into both women's worlds and had a great time with this book.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The Regency Switch is a fun and charming take on Regency romance with a time-traveling twist. I warmed to the writing instantly, with its humorous and confessional style, trying maybe a bit too hard but still witty and cozy and British. The call to action came so fast, it felt almost abrupt - I’d expected more time Bridget Jones-ing - but getting right down to the action is so rare these days that I can't really complain. I loved getting swept along with Etta's Regency adventure and romance with MMC Max, and Hetty's finding her way to freedom from her mental health struggles and the forced heterosexuality of her own time felt so rewarding. I'll take a sapphic subplot wherever I can get one! Sure, it's all a little - a lot - contrived, but it's also a time-traveling, body-swapping Regency romance, and that's probably the point. Suspend all disbelief, and you’ll have a great time with this one!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC :)
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC :)
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
First off I love time travel stories and anything about the Regency period so I was looking forward to this. Hetty and Etta switch places and each has to navigate their new world and the people they're involved with.
Unfortunately this book did not work for me at all! The present day story wasn't a bad read but the Regency story was off the charts. Etta was a very unlikable character. She carried on as she would in her own time for the most part and people just accepted it. No one even raised an eyebrow at the outlandish things she did and said which didn't sit right with me.
The Regency part was crammed with information, too much information.
I don't like swearing in books because for me it jars and breaks the flow and lately I've seen in creep in to many novels and the innuendo in this one just went on and on.
I see from other star ratings that it definitely has it's fans but sorry, I'm not one of them.
Thanks to HQ Digital and NetGalley for an early copy.
Unfortunately this book did not work for me at all! The present day story wasn't a bad read but the Regency story was off the charts. Etta was a very unlikable character. She carried on as she would in her own time for the most part and people just accepted it. No one even raised an eyebrow at the outlandish things she did and said which didn't sit right with me.
The Regency part was crammed with information, too much information.
I don't like swearing in books because for me it jars and breaks the flow and lately I've seen in creep in to many novels and the innuendo in this one just went on and on.
I see from other star ratings that it definitely has it's fans but sorry, I'm not one of them.
Thanks to HQ Digital and NetGalley for an early copy.
November 18, 2025
This was a really fun wee read with a lot of heartwarming moments.
Positives:
- I loved Hetty being able to get medicine for her depression and being able to come out, it was so sweet
- I enjoy when historical romances have a modern twist, which this had in spades
- Max is green flag central and that’s my favourite kinds of MMCs
- The sapphic romance was lovely and they complimented each other really well
- I really loved the end note about what Etta got up to
The negatives
- The pacing was off at points, the start dragged quite a bit
- Etta makes several really obvious mistakes, which was frustrating from someone who was meant to have watched a lot of Bridgerton
Overall, a really good, light-hearted read!
I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Positives:
- I loved Hetty being able to get medicine for her depression and being able to come out, it was so sweet
- I enjoy when historical romances have a modern twist, which this had in spades
- Max is green flag central and that’s my favourite kinds of MMCs
- The sapphic romance was lovely and they complimented each other really well
- I really loved the end note about what Etta got up to
The negatives
- The pacing was off at points, the start dragged quite a bit
- Etta makes several really obvious mistakes, which was frustrating from someone who was meant to have watched a lot of Bridgerton
Overall, a really good, light-hearted read!
I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper360 for an ARC of this novel!
I will admit, I found The Regency Switch to be a bit confusing at times. There was little to no explanation of the Season, for instance, and I found myself grasping at it based on context. I think I would have found it more helpful had there been a simple one sentence explanation. I'm American, not British, so that might be part of it anyways.
Outside of the confusion that I experienced, I found this to be a delightful read. Hetty's naivety made her fit into 2023, while Etta's made her stand out a lot in 1817. I was surprised how enjoyable I found this book- I'm not one for sci-fi and time jumps like this- but I found both of their stories sweet and the ending made me swoon!
I will admit, I found The Regency Switch to be a bit confusing at times. There was little to no explanation of the Season, for instance, and I found myself grasping at it based on context. I think I would have found it more helpful had there been a simple one sentence explanation. I'm American, not British, so that might be part of it anyways.
Outside of the confusion that I experienced, I found this to be a delightful read. Hetty's naivety made her fit into 2023, while Etta's made her stand out a lot in 1817. I was surprised how enjoyable I found this book- I'm not one for sci-fi and time jumps like this- but I found both of their stories sweet and the ending made me swoon!
October 24, 2025
"You're Henrietta Moore, and it's 2023. But we're offering you a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, right here, right now. If you take this bracelet, you'll be Henrietta Bainbridge, and it'll be 1817."
I have a soft spot for stories like this - Lost in Austen, 13 Going on 30, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure - where magic is sprinkled and unlikely adventures happen. This one is written with vim and vigour, and is a lot of fun.
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy.
I have a soft spot for stories like this - Lost in Austen, 13 Going on 30, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure - where magic is sprinkled and unlikely adventures happen. This one is written with vim and vigour, and is a lot of fun.
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This was such a fun, fast read! I am thankful for the opportunity to read an ARC of this from NetGalley. I was really excited for this one, as a Jane Austen fan and regency lover! In some ways, this book reminded me of The Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict. I love the same theme in this of body switching in regency era/modern times. I really enjoyed both Etta and Hetty, and their own personal struggles. I am always happy to see LGBTQ+ characters in regency stories! I was so happy for Hetty that in 2023, that she was able to fully live her life out loud. This was such a fun read, and I would highly recommend it for anyone looking for a good vacation read!
January 14, 2026
The book is the epitome of a fun & cozy time. The story jumped right into the middle of things where I would have preferred to know a bit more of the background but also this way it caught my attention immediately. With the alternating POVs it was hard to put the book down. This definitely fills any gap left by Bridgerton for the regency era fan. I don’t consider myself one but it’s for sure an era that I don’t mind reading about. I loved Hetty‘s and Etta‘s storylines and how they found their way through their new times. I also don’t mind that it was a shorter read in general, but it left me with a couple of questions that I would have loved to hear more about.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I got an ARC of this book through NetGalley.
This was really 4.5 stars for me because I could not put it down. I probably would’ve done 5 stars, but a couple things held me back.
The beginning was a little rough around the edges for me, but I was good after a couple chapters. The only other real gripe I have is that we didn’t get a little more detail about what Hetty did to the bracelets. But in the end it doesn’t really matter—this is a fun time travel romance and not a book that is taking itself too seriously.
This was really 4.5 stars for me because I could not put it down. I probably would’ve done 5 stars, but a couple things held me back.
The beginning was a little rough around the edges for me, but I was good after a couple chapters. The only other real gripe I have is that we didn’t get a little more detail about what Hetty did to the bracelets. But in the end it doesn’t really matter—this is a fun time travel romance and not a book that is taking itself too seriously.
January 7, 2026
I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it. This would actually be a great movie. It just didn’t do anything for me. I love the concept. It’s super clever! I just didn’t fall for the characters. I did laugh out loud at some parts though!
Thank you netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book!
Thank you netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book!
October 17, 2025
This just didn't work for me.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
What a delightful timey wimey historical romance! A Dr Who/Bridgerton crossover perhaps?
Thanks to Edelweiss for sharing the ARC.
Looking forward to more from Helen Gaskell in the future!
Thanks to Edelweiss for sharing the ARC.
Looking forward to more from Helen Gaskell in the future!
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