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Time Travel for Beginners
Three strangers’ lives are forever changed when they’re all drawn to a mysterious agency claiming to have unlocked the secret to time travel.
Anna, Teddy, and Jade are on a collision course. The Agency is the cause. It is also the solution.
On a quiet road nestled within the bustle of Sydney lies a nondescript storefront known simply as the Time Travel Agency. At once a confounding mystery and a beacon of hope, the Agency seems to attract those who need it most. Single mother Anna is in desperate need of change, and the Agency gives her the chance to begin her career—and life—anew. Teddy is a genius at salvaging businesses but needs saving himself, and he’s drawn to the Agency hoping to travel back in time to untangle his troubled childhood and his recently imploded marriage. Jade has no interest in the Agency at all, because there’s no way people are literally time traveling, right? Jade’s present is challenging enough, with her spirited, increasingly bad-tempered daughter and a deeply buried secret too painful for words.
As Anna, Teddy, and Jade’s paths converge, the question of just how legitimate the Agency’s ventures into the past are becomes a mysterious, provocative, tantalising, and even heart-wrenching one to parse—but there is no denying that the ripple effects through all three of their lives are very, very real …
Anna, Teddy, and Jade are on a collision course. The Agency is the cause. It is also the solution.
On a quiet road nestled within the bustle of Sydney lies a nondescript storefront known simply as the Time Travel Agency. At once a confounding mystery and a beacon of hope, the Agency seems to attract those who need it most. Single mother Anna is in desperate need of change, and the Agency gives her the chance to begin her career—and life—anew. Teddy is a genius at salvaging businesses but needs saving himself, and he’s drawn to the Agency hoping to travel back in time to untangle his troubled childhood and his recently imploded marriage. Jade has no interest in the Agency at all, because there’s no way people are literally time traveling, right? Jade’s present is challenging enough, with her spirited, increasingly bad-tempered daughter and a deeply buried secret too painful for words.
As Anna, Teddy, and Jade’s paths converge, the question of just how legitimate the Agency’s ventures into the past are becomes a mysterious, provocative, tantalising, and even heart-wrenching one to parse—but there is no denying that the ripple effects through all three of their lives are very, very real …
516 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 4, 2026
About the author
Jaclyn Moriarty
27 books1,645 followersJaclyn Moriarty is an Australian writer of young adult literature.
She studied English at the University of Sydney, and law at Yale University and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, where she was awarded a PhD.
She is the younger sister of Liane Moriarty. She was previously married to Canadian writer Colin McAdam, and has a son, Charlie. She currently lives in Sydney.
She studied English at the University of Sydney, and law at Yale University and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, where she was awarded a PhD.
She is the younger sister of Liane Moriarty. She was previously married to Canadian writer Colin McAdam, and has a son, Charlie. She currently lives in Sydney.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 335 reviews
August 15, 2026
"If you could revisit one moment in your life, what would it be?"
Time Travel for Beginners is one of those books that’s almost impossible to describe without sounding slightly unhinged… and I mean that as the highest compliment.
If you’re expecting a straightforward time travel story, prepare to have your brain gently folded into an origami swan.
This book is whimsical, clever, heartfelt and delightfully strange. It follows a cast of wonderfully eccentric characters as they stumble through alternate timelines, impossible doors, family mysteries and all the messy, beautiful complications that come with wondering what if? Every chapter seemed to reveal another layer, and while I occasionally had to stop and think, I never felt like I was lost. It felt more like being swept along in someone else’s wonderfully imaginative dream.
What I loved most was the warmth. Despite all the time hopping and reality bending, this is really a story about family, grief, love, friendship and finding your place in the universe. Jaclyn Moriarty has a way of making even the most bizarre situations feel deeply human.
There were moments that made me laugh, moments that tugged at my heart, and plenty that left me smiling at the sheer creativity on display. I genuinely don’t think I’ve read another book quite like it.
I Highly Recommend.
Thank you Ultimo Press and Jaclyn Moriarty for my early readers copy.
Available Now!
Time Travel for Beginners is one of those books that’s almost impossible to describe without sounding slightly unhinged… and I mean that as the highest compliment.
If you’re expecting a straightforward time travel story, prepare to have your brain gently folded into an origami swan.
This book is whimsical, clever, heartfelt and delightfully strange. It follows a cast of wonderfully eccentric characters as they stumble through alternate timelines, impossible doors, family mysteries and all the messy, beautiful complications that come with wondering what if? Every chapter seemed to reveal another layer, and while I occasionally had to stop and think, I never felt like I was lost. It felt more like being swept along in someone else’s wonderfully imaginative dream.
What I loved most was the warmth. Despite all the time hopping and reality bending, this is really a story about family, grief, love, friendship and finding your place in the universe. Jaclyn Moriarty has a way of making even the most bizarre situations feel deeply human.
There were moments that made me laugh, moments that tugged at my heart, and plenty that left me smiling at the sheer creativity on display. I genuinely don’t think I’ve read another book quite like it.
I Highly Recommend.
Thank you Ultimo Press and Jaclyn Moriarty for my early readers copy.
Available Now!
August 9, 2026
ARC received in exchange for an honest review.
Three strangers are drawn to the enigmatic Time Travelling Agency, which claims to have unlocked the secrets of travelling through time. But as the stories begin to intertwine, Anna, Teddy and Jade begin to realise that time has a habit of repeating itself - and consequences have actions that ripple through worlds, changing people forever.
This has definite 'all vibes no plot', as we spend a lot of time with our characters exploring the mundane day to day living interspersed with slivers of time travelling. Think flashes of Jane Austen and Frances Hodgson Burnett mixed with school girl drama. Anna and Jade are single mothers, and I felt that we spend a lot do time seeing their relationship with their daughters - how different they are, and how they act as mothers and how this has shaped the girls behaviours and friends. It wasn't really what I was expecting from a book that is marketed as time travel, and while I didn't hate it, this didn't have a whole lot of action going on to keep me really invested. Jade's chapter in particular I found quite dull at times, as she spends most of it fretting about daughter Holly, or about loosing her creative spark.
There's a lot of retrospection to the story, how life can sometimes hinge on a singular moment that propels the direction of life in a completely new way. The person we are can change into something unrecognisable depending on how we behave and act. It was an interesting concept, and leads to bigger ideas about multi universes but I was just begging for more action. There's one scene, involving Anna and Teddy and an error message that I found so fun, a little bit Dr Who and completely illogical, and I just wish we'd had more of this throughout.
The time travel aspect also wasn't ever really explained, and used more as a device to move the characters forward rather than anything else. People don't believe time travel is real, no matter how hard the employees of the agency try to tell them the truth, which I found funny, but the reader is left in the dark as much as everyone else. And as one customer calls it, it was very anticlimactic.
Some interesting ideas, and glimmers of action, but this read a lot like contemporary fiction rather than a sci-fi to me and that wasn't what I was looking for.
Three strangers are drawn to the enigmatic Time Travelling Agency, which claims to have unlocked the secrets of travelling through time. But as the stories begin to intertwine, Anna, Teddy and Jade begin to realise that time has a habit of repeating itself - and consequences have actions that ripple through worlds, changing people forever.
This has definite 'all vibes no plot', as we spend a lot of time with our characters exploring the mundane day to day living interspersed with slivers of time travelling. Think flashes of Jane Austen and Frances Hodgson Burnett mixed with school girl drama. Anna and Jade are single mothers, and I felt that we spend a lot do time seeing their relationship with their daughters - how different they are, and how they act as mothers and how this has shaped the girls behaviours and friends. It wasn't really what I was expecting from a book that is marketed as time travel, and while I didn't hate it, this didn't have a whole lot of action going on to keep me really invested. Jade's chapter in particular I found quite dull at times, as she spends most of it fretting about daughter Holly, or about loosing her creative spark.
There's a lot of retrospection to the story, how life can sometimes hinge on a singular moment that propels the direction of life in a completely new way. The person we are can change into something unrecognisable depending on how we behave and act. It was an interesting concept, and leads to bigger ideas about multi universes but I was just begging for more action. There's one scene, involving Anna and Teddy and an error message that I found so fun, a little bit Dr Who and completely illogical, and I just wish we'd had more of this throughout.
The time travel aspect also wasn't ever really explained, and used more as a device to move the characters forward rather than anything else. People don't believe time travel is real, no matter how hard the employees of the agency try to tell them the truth, which I found funny, but the reader is left in the dark as much as everyone else. And as one customer calls it, it was very anticlimactic.
Some interesting ideas, and glimmers of action, but this read a lot like contemporary fiction rather than a sci-fi to me and that wasn't what I was looking for.
March 7, 2026
I just love Jaclyn Moriarty’s writing. Getting approved for the digital ARC was such a treat, and came along right when I was starting to feel like rereading “The Spell Book of Listen Taylor.” This was very twisty, charming, clever, and whimsical. It’s my favorite kind of sci-fi (very light on the sci). I loved the characters and the concept of a lowkey time travel agency staffed by research nerds. I think this book would be perfect for fans of the “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” series by Toshikazu Kawaguchi; “The Seven Year Slip” by Ashley Poston; and “Oona Out of Order” by Margarita Montimore.
Currently Reading
August 24, 2026there’s been a lot of magical realism/time travel books published in the past 18 months, and i’m not mad! i’m just really intrigued by the time traveling phenomena, but who isn’t?🙂↕️
August 9, 2026
Feeling instantly familiar, the Sydney suburbs and pop cultural references took me right there like I was there dumped firmly in my era. Written in a chatty vibe that matched my tone meant it was an easy read. Motherhood, it’s challenges and imperfect parenting were realistic, nothing was pretentious.
I never pick up time travel themed books, so this was the surprise. It was clever, unexpected and layered cleverly, twisty. Smart writing with thoughtful contemplative issues surrounding parenting, relationships and friendship.
I loved the realistic lean of the time travel arc, in the sense of what you can and can’t do. I didn’t have to suspend belief in the way my perceived perception would have been. I’m sure I would have had a quiet bias heading into this, which I only just realised now on putting my thoughts down now.
Fun fact, I’ve been meeting up with Aussie Reader Goodreads friends for almost 15 years. We do a bookswap, I could see as one of my friends was about to choose this book, the lovely sprayed edge edition, signed and all.
Thank you @ultimopress and the author for this beautiful arc. A surprise read as a reader who doesn't reach for time travel books.
I never pick up time travel themed books, so this was the surprise. It was clever, unexpected and layered cleverly, twisty. Smart writing with thoughtful contemplative issues surrounding parenting, relationships and friendship.
I loved the realistic lean of the time travel arc, in the sense of what you can and can’t do. I didn’t have to suspend belief in the way my perceived perception would have been. I’m sure I would have had a quiet bias heading into this, which I only just realised now on putting my thoughts down now.
Fun fact, I’ve been meeting up with Aussie Reader Goodreads friends for almost 15 years. We do a bookswap, I could see as one of my friends was about to choose this book, the lovely sprayed edge edition, signed and all.
Thank you @ultimopress and the author for this beautiful arc. A surprise read as a reader who doesn't reach for time travel books.
March 3, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this incredible book!
Time Travel for Beginners is a warm, surprising and satisfying sci-fi novel that focuses on 3 individuals and their encounters with Sydney's Time Travel Agency. Often considered an augmented reality AI stunt (kindly) or even a joke (usually), the agency is not bustling with customers on a regular basis....until Anna shows up and begins learning the magic and possible science behind this amazing establishment.
The writing is whimsical without being twee. I loved how Jaclyn Moriarty shifts POVs between her characters with ease, but they each had a distinct voice and POV. I could not get enough of this book and read it in one night because it was an absolute page turner. I highly recommend picking it up if you're a fan of time travel novels (a la The Time Traveler's Wife, The Seven Year Slip, The Ministry of Time, etc) and want a novel that feels like the best lingering hug.
5/5 stars no notes!
Time Travel for Beginners is a warm, surprising and satisfying sci-fi novel that focuses on 3 individuals and their encounters with Sydney's Time Travel Agency. Often considered an augmented reality AI stunt (kindly) or even a joke (usually), the agency is not bustling with customers on a regular basis....until Anna shows up and begins learning the magic and possible science behind this amazing establishment.
The writing is whimsical without being twee. I loved how Jaclyn Moriarty shifts POVs between her characters with ease, but they each had a distinct voice and POV. I could not get enough of this book and read it in one night because it was an absolute page turner. I highly recommend picking it up if you're a fan of time travel novels (a la The Time Traveler's Wife, The Seven Year Slip, The Ministry of Time, etc) and want a novel that feels like the best lingering hug.
5/5 stars no notes!
August 10, 2026
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.
Sydney, Australia. The Time Travel Agency hung out a shingle on a bustling street, and almost immediately became the town's favorite joke. "Time travel? Yeah, right." Cue the eye rolls, bad reviews, and plenty of people wondering who they were trying to fool. But...what if they weren't?
If you're looking for a hard sci-fi novel that delved into the mechanics and paradoxes of time travel, this is not it. Instead, it's literary fiction/magical realism with a sprinkle of mystery. It’s centered on three people, Anna, Teddy, and Jade, each wrestling their own struggles with loneliness, belonging, grief, and the need to connect. Somehow, the Time Travel Agency becomes a refuge for all of them.
And that's really what makes this story work. The time travel is certainly the hook, but the heart of the story is much more human. Anna, Teddy, and Jade are all looking for something in life that they just can’t grasp, and a way to make peace with the things they can't change.
The one thing I was really not expecting, though? The humor. And that twist! That really got me. The whole story is quirky, a little mysterious, occasionally funny, and surprisingly tender.
It’s a long book, but it doesn’t feel like a long book. The pacing moves along nicely, helped by the text messages and journal entries sprinkled throughout. The shorter sections and extra breathing room on the page make it an easy book to fly through.
If you're looking for a different take on time travel, this is one to try.
Sydney, Australia. The Time Travel Agency hung out a shingle on a bustling street, and almost immediately became the town's favorite joke. "Time travel? Yeah, right." Cue the eye rolls, bad reviews, and plenty of people wondering who they were trying to fool. But...what if they weren't?
If you're looking for a hard sci-fi novel that delved into the mechanics and paradoxes of time travel, this is not it. Instead, it's literary fiction/magical realism with a sprinkle of mystery. It’s centered on three people, Anna, Teddy, and Jade, each wrestling their own struggles with loneliness, belonging, grief, and the need to connect. Somehow, the Time Travel Agency becomes a refuge for all of them.
And that's really what makes this story work. The time travel is certainly the hook, but the heart of the story is much more human. Anna, Teddy, and Jade are all looking for something in life that they just can’t grasp, and a way to make peace with the things they can't change.
The one thing I was really not expecting, though? The humor. And that twist! That really got me. The whole story is quirky, a little mysterious, occasionally funny, and surprisingly tender.
It’s a long book, but it doesn’t feel like a long book. The pacing moves along nicely, helped by the text messages and journal entries sprinkled throughout. The shorter sections and extra breathing room on the page make it an easy book to fly through.
If you're looking for a different take on time travel, this is one to try.
July 4, 2026
What an absolute joy this book is. Perfect antidote to the world.
Anna gets a job in a time travel agency in Neutral Bay, Sydney. No one believes the time travel is real but wonder how do they make it seem so lifelike?
Teddy is a customer of the agency following a devastating split from his wife.
Jade is taking writing classes in a room above the agency.
They are entangled in each other’s lives in ways that slowly unfold.
The 400+ pages flew past.
I am definitely biased towards this book because it’s set in my old Sydney ‘hood. And it’s also is a great story.
Jaclyn - usually a writer for children and young adults - is especially skilled at creating the teen girl characters which add a depth to this story. What even is this genre? Who cares, it’s fun.
Thanks to Ultimo Press for a review copy. This book publishes at the end of July in Oz.
Anna gets a job in a time travel agency in Neutral Bay, Sydney. No one believes the time travel is real but wonder how do they make it seem so lifelike?
Teddy is a customer of the agency following a devastating split from his wife.
Jade is taking writing classes in a room above the agency.
They are entangled in each other’s lives in ways that slowly unfold.
The 400+ pages flew past.
I am definitely biased towards this book because it’s set in my old Sydney ‘hood. And it’s also is a great story.
Jaclyn - usually a writer for children and young adults - is especially skilled at creating the teen girl characters which add a depth to this story. What even is this genre? Who cares, it’s fun.
Thanks to Ultimo Press for a review copy. This book publishes at the end of July in Oz.
August 16, 2026
I am always intrigued about time travel stories. I love watching Doctor Who and escaping reality for a while in the TARDIS. Time Travel For Beginners was a change up from my usual dark, serial killer reads and it was lovely.
Who hasn’t thought about travelling back in time to see a pivotal moment of history right. Well, the Time Travel Agency in Sydney’s lower north shore can make that happen for you. Anna is a single mother to a 13 year old daughter and finds herself working at the agency. Surely it can’t be real she thinks. Little does she know this place will change her life.
The Time Travel Agency lets people go back in time, never forward as that time hasn’t happened yet. You can go back but you can’t change anything, but you can see your loved ones again, you can see a time period that you have always wanted to see. The possibilities are endless.
We have this wonderful story through three different points of view. As well as Anna we have Teddy who wants to fix his marriage and Jade who is grieving and doesn’t know how to live without their loved one. They all have regrets, they all want to fix something. There is a something connecting them all.
This is a heartfelt story with plenty of twists and turns that I thoroughly enjoyed. The Moriarty sisters sure can write!
Thank you to Ultimo Press for the gorgeous ARC to read.
Who hasn’t thought about travelling back in time to see a pivotal moment of history right. Well, the Time Travel Agency in Sydney’s lower north shore can make that happen for you. Anna is a single mother to a 13 year old daughter and finds herself working at the agency. Surely it can’t be real she thinks. Little does she know this place will change her life.
The Time Travel Agency lets people go back in time, never forward as that time hasn’t happened yet. You can go back but you can’t change anything, but you can see your loved ones again, you can see a time period that you have always wanted to see. The possibilities are endless.
We have this wonderful story through three different points of view. As well as Anna we have Teddy who wants to fix his marriage and Jade who is grieving and doesn’t know how to live without their loved one. They all have regrets, they all want to fix something. There is a something connecting them all.
This is a heartfelt story with plenty of twists and turns that I thoroughly enjoyed. The Moriarty sisters sure can write!
Thank you to Ultimo Press for the gorgeous ARC to read.
August 9, 2026
What a gorgeous book - though I’d expect nothing less from Jaclyn Moriarty. Very emotional, funny and thrilling - I gasped out loud at one of the reveals late in the book! An absolute delight from start to finish
August 14, 2026
Heavier on the rom-com and individual storylines than on the time travel. The last third includes an interesting time paradox, but it’s a slog to get there.
August 12, 2026
Time Travel for Beginners has such a clever premise: time travel is real, people are doing it, and yet almost no one actually believes they’re traveling through time. Because the experience is expensive and commercialized, customers mostly assume it’s some elaborate VR attraction or high-tech ride without realizing the very real implications of what they’re doing.
And for the first quarter of this book, I was completely hooked.
Anna is a single mom raising her young daughter, Nicola, and working a rather dead-end job at a nut bar when a friend encourages her to make a change and take a job at a time travel agency. There she meets Teddy, a customer with whom she develops an increasingly complicated connection.
Anna was easily my favorite part of the book. She’s quirky, relentlessly optimistic, and genuinely delightful, with an inner monologue that frequently made me laugh. I also really enjoyed her chemistry with Teddy. Their relationship has a bit of a Sliding Doors quality to it that works particularly well with the time-travel premise. Teddy’s two friends—and their ongoing group texts—were also great comedic side characters.
I listened to this on audio and really enjoyed the narration. The Australian narrator has a wonderfully animated delivery that worked especially well for Anna, both in her internal thoughts and her interactions with everyone around her.
Unfortunately, the book eventually became too ambitious for me. There is a lot happening here: the rules and implications of time travel, Anna and Teddy’s relationship, Nicola’s storyline, twists, multiple side plots, and some increasingly complicated maneuvering within the time-travel universe. At a certain point, it felt as though the story kept expanding rather than moving toward a satisfying conclusion.
My biggest issue was simply the length. I was invested enough that I genuinely wanted to know what happened, but I found myself steadily increasing the audiobook speed just to get there. Several storylines seemed to wander or ultimately lead nowhere, and after such a strong setup, I found the final resolution surprisingly odd and unsatisfying.
There’s still quite a bit I liked here. Jaclyn Moriarty’s writing is funny and imaginative, Anna is an immensely likable protagonist, and the central concept is one of the more interesting approaches to time travel I’ve encountered. I just wish the middle had been significantly tightened and the ending had delivered more on the promise of that fantastic opening.
A creative, quirky read with a terrific premise that ultimately tried to do a little too much for me.
⭐️ 3/5 stars
🎧 Read via audiobook
And for the first quarter of this book, I was completely hooked.
Anna is a single mom raising her young daughter, Nicola, and working a rather dead-end job at a nut bar when a friend encourages her to make a change and take a job at a time travel agency. There she meets Teddy, a customer with whom she develops an increasingly complicated connection.
Anna was easily my favorite part of the book. She’s quirky, relentlessly optimistic, and genuinely delightful, with an inner monologue that frequently made me laugh. I also really enjoyed her chemistry with Teddy. Their relationship has a bit of a Sliding Doors quality to it that works particularly well with the time-travel premise. Teddy’s two friends—and their ongoing group texts—were also great comedic side characters.
I listened to this on audio and really enjoyed the narration. The Australian narrator has a wonderfully animated delivery that worked especially well for Anna, both in her internal thoughts and her interactions with everyone around her.
Unfortunately, the book eventually became too ambitious for me. There is a lot happening here: the rules and implications of time travel, Anna and Teddy’s relationship, Nicola’s storyline, twists, multiple side plots, and some increasingly complicated maneuvering within the time-travel universe. At a certain point, it felt as though the story kept expanding rather than moving toward a satisfying conclusion.
My biggest issue was simply the length. I was invested enough that I genuinely wanted to know what happened, but I found myself steadily increasing the audiobook speed just to get there. Several storylines seemed to wander or ultimately lead nowhere, and after such a strong setup, I found the final resolution surprisingly odd and unsatisfying.
There’s still quite a bit I liked here. Jaclyn Moriarty’s writing is funny and imaginative, Anna is an immensely likable protagonist, and the central concept is one of the more interesting approaches to time travel I’ve encountered. I just wish the middle had been significantly tightened and the ending had delivered more on the promise of that fantastic opening.
A creative, quirky read with a terrific premise that ultimately tried to do a little too much for me.
⭐️ 3/5 stars
🎧 Read via audiobook
August 16, 2026
I really enjoyed this. I really liked the storyline and how everything came together at the end. I also really liked reading the customer satisfaction reports—they were such a fun addition to the story. An all around good read.
August 17, 2026
Whew! I almost DNF’d this book around 100 pages but I’m glad that I stuck with it. Why? Well, I was a little bored, and too easily distracted, and there were so many characters (some of whom were far too similar) and I felt like I kept getting lost in the plot points. Ugh.
But then something clicked and the storylines started to make sense and I *thought* I had things figured out (newsflash: nope, I absolutely did NOT) and I started to thoroughly enjoy all the twists and turns and wrinkles in the multiverse and the complications of time travel. Total fascination. Kudos to the author for sticking the landing.
So much of time travel theories can mess with your head and the sliding door implications of multiverses can make you spin in endless circles—but there was one particular allusion to that tingly experience you can have (sometimes in dreams, sometimes in real life) when someone you’ve already lost feels like they’re actually there with you—for a brief moment—and it’s so viscerally real that it’s both heartbreaking and joyful simultaneously, and the happiness and sorrow go hand-in-hand, but you wouldn’t trade that second’s worth of time for anything. It’s implied that those are times when the multiverses are so close together that the veil of time is thin, and “crossovers” can happen, albeit just for a single stopped freeze frame of time.
In our family, we call those instances “visits from the other side.” They are rare, welcome, and memorable.
You know I just love all the time dimension stuff!
Four stars.
Big Book Summer Readathon 2026
But then something clicked and the storylines started to make sense and I *thought* I had things figured out (newsflash: nope, I absolutely did NOT) and I started to thoroughly enjoy all the twists and turns and wrinkles in the multiverse and the complications of time travel. Total fascination. Kudos to the author for sticking the landing.
So much of time travel theories can mess with your head and the sliding door implications of multiverses can make you spin in endless circles—but there was one particular allusion to that tingly experience you can have (sometimes in dreams, sometimes in real life) when someone you’ve already lost feels like they’re actually there with you—for a brief moment—and it’s so viscerally real that it’s both heartbreaking and joyful simultaneously, and the happiness and sorrow go hand-in-hand, but you wouldn’t trade that second’s worth of time for anything. It’s implied that those are times when the multiverses are so close together that the veil of time is thin, and “crossovers” can happen, albeit just for a single stopped freeze frame of time.
In our family, we call those instances “visits from the other side.” They are rare, welcome, and memorable.
You know I just love all the time dimension stuff!
Four stars.
Big Book Summer Readathon 2026
August 16, 2026
This is a tough book to review. I came so close to DNFing multiple times but persisted mostly because I didn’t have another audio book cued up. Finally , with about 20% of the book to go, the time travel aspect of the theme ramped up, some clarity about the characters arrived, and I was hooked. But, OMG, it took awhile.
I thought this was going to be a scifi time travel book, but the first 80% is more:
Sibling stories. There are three sets of siblings competing for space. first two brothers fighting, second a woman mourning the loss of her sister, and then the main character with her strong bond to her sister.
Raising daughters/parent child issues. It seemed like every character was wrestling with a parent or child issue. And the teens were full of angst. A huge part of this book was the MCs wrestling with these parenting issues.
The time travel. The MC takes a job at the time travel agency and for most of the book its about that. Working in a time travel agency, the clients and the personnel.
Romances. So many couples, potential couples, new couples, casual couples, flirty couples.
The book was long. On audio I had a hard time following the cast of characters and I honestly did not get Jade’s presence at all. That gets cleared up, but it took a long time.
If you enjoy modern family/dating etc dramas with some lite romance with a touch of time travel this may be your book. This is the rare book where persevering to the end can be rewarding, so wannabe DNFers may want to keep going. If large casts of characters are harder for you to follow with audio, consider print. And if you are just frustrated with the plot, skip to the last 20% and satisfy your curiosity.
I thought this was going to be a scifi time travel book, but the first 80% is more:
Sibling stories. There are three sets of siblings competing for space. first two brothers fighting, second a woman mourning the loss of her sister, and then the main character with her strong bond to her sister.
Raising daughters/parent child issues. It seemed like every character was wrestling with a parent or child issue. And the teens were full of angst. A huge part of this book was the MCs wrestling with these parenting issues.
The time travel. The MC takes a job at the time travel agency and for most of the book its about that. Working in a time travel agency, the clients and the personnel.
Romances. So many couples, potential couples, new couples, casual couples, flirty couples.
The book was long. On audio I had a hard time following the cast of characters and I honestly did not get Jade’s presence at all. That gets cleared up, but it took a long time.
If you enjoy modern family/dating etc dramas with some lite romance with a touch of time travel this may be your book. This is the rare book where persevering to the end can be rewarding, so wannabe DNFers may want to keep going. If large casts of characters are harder for you to follow with audio, consider print. And if you are just frustrated with the plot, skip to the last 20% and satisfy your curiosity.
August 8, 2026
Jaclyn Moriarty's time travel book has some Before the Coffee Gets Cold vibes while still delivering a compelling and original novel.
I knew I was going to enjoy this book when I saw that it was set largely on Sydney's North Shore and even made an oblique reference to one of my favourite chocolate shops in Kirribilli! Anna inexplicably finds herself employed at The Time Travel Agency, a business that purports to take people back in time. She suspects it's all just actors, or a scam, but is happy to play along while she tries to take control of her life, connect with her pre-teen daughter and consider whether she should pursue a relationship.
When fate and the agency throw Teddy, a charming but broken man trying to get over an infidelity, and Jade, another young mum, into the mix, Jaclyn takes the reader on a wonderful ride as each characters world is opened up by the opportunity to observe (but not change) their past and reimagine their future!
I knew I was going to enjoy this book when I saw that it was set largely on Sydney's North Shore and even made an oblique reference to one of my favourite chocolate shops in Kirribilli! Anna inexplicably finds herself employed at The Time Travel Agency, a business that purports to take people back in time. She suspects it's all just actors, or a scam, but is happy to play along while she tries to take control of her life, connect with her pre-teen daughter and consider whether she should pursue a relationship.
When fate and the agency throw Teddy, a charming but broken man trying to get over an infidelity, and Jade, another young mum, into the mix, Jaclyn takes the reader on a wonderful ride as each characters world is opened up by the opportunity to observe (but not change) their past and reimagine their future!
August 4, 2026
Time Travel For Beginners by Jacqueline Moriarty, this book is mainly about single mothers they’re 13 year-old daughters and navigating motherhood and dating and although Ana does work at the time travel agency there’s only one significant time travel scene and in my opinion it was so disappointing. if Miss Moriarty wouldn’t be such a skilled writer I probably wouldn’t have even finished the book but I found each woman’s POV in different struggles interesting but this is not a time travel book like I know time travel stories to be. There’s no fish out of Water it’s more like a spectator a few time travel scenes there were some of them weren’t even long enough to even be interesting one of them only saw women washing their clothes in a stream I mean she could’ve left the whole time travel thing out and resolved the issues a different way and I think it would’ve been a much better book but because I was going in excited to read something about time travel I was really let down but again the story is really interesting so I would recommend it but not as a sci-fi but more a literary fiction novel. #NetGalley, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview,
August 10, 2026
Updated review 10/08/2026:
A huge thank you to Ultimo Press who were kind enough to send me a copy of Time Travel for Beginners by Jaclyn Moriarty 💫⏳
A multi POV story about life, love, and time travel.
Set in Sydney, 3 different strangers lives are intertwined after they discover the Time Travel Agency.
They’re all at a crossroads in their lives, and searching for answers to different questions, which the Time Travel Agency may or may not be able to provide.
This story is full of love, pain, exploration, and hope.
Can Anna, Teddy, and Jade find the answers they’re looking for?
And is time travel actually real?..
I was obsessed with Jaclyn Moriarty in primary school / high school and was so excited to read this - and it did not disappoint!
Reading this was like reuniting with an old friend, my brain recognised the writing style and was like “aaahhhhhh, yes, there you are again!”
One of the aspects I’ve always loved in Jaclyn’s writing is email / letters / correspondence - you can feel the personality of the characters shine through in such a special way.
This story is so multi-layered and so full of heart, it really takes you on an emotional journey.
The mix of magical realism with the time travel adds such a nice touch to the story, and seeing how each character experiences it in different ways is excellent.
Highly recommend checking this one out!
Time Travel for Beginners ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
____________________________________________
Original review 26/07/2026:
Loved!!!! Diving back into a Jaclyn Moriarty book felt like seeing an old friend again.
Such an interesting and though provoking concept about time, our choices, and different universes.
I got a bit confused sometimes but tbh that always happens with me and time travel.
Full review to come.
A huge thank you to Ultimo Press who were kind enough to send me a copy of Time Travel for Beginners by Jaclyn Moriarty 💫⏳
A multi POV story about life, love, and time travel.
Set in Sydney, 3 different strangers lives are intertwined after they discover the Time Travel Agency.
They’re all at a crossroads in their lives, and searching for answers to different questions, which the Time Travel Agency may or may not be able to provide.
This story is full of love, pain, exploration, and hope.
Can Anna, Teddy, and Jade find the answers they’re looking for?
And is time travel actually real?..
I was obsessed with Jaclyn Moriarty in primary school / high school and was so excited to read this - and it did not disappoint!
Reading this was like reuniting with an old friend, my brain recognised the writing style and was like “aaahhhhhh, yes, there you are again!”
One of the aspects I’ve always loved in Jaclyn’s writing is email / letters / correspondence - you can feel the personality of the characters shine through in such a special way.
This story is so multi-layered and so full of heart, it really takes you on an emotional journey.
The mix of magical realism with the time travel adds such a nice touch to the story, and seeing how each character experiences it in different ways is excellent.
Highly recommend checking this one out!
Time Travel for Beginners ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
____________________________________________
Original review 26/07/2026:
Loved!!!! Diving back into a Jaclyn Moriarty book felt like seeing an old friend again.
Such an interesting and though provoking concept about time, our choices, and different universes.
I got a bit confused sometimes but tbh that always happens with me and time travel.
Full review to come.
August 14, 2026
I love Australian humor; I should start with that—super dry, but also perfectly absurdist. If you’re with me on that, I think this is a great book for you.
I’m also oddly fond of a time travel trope, and this book fits these two faves together just right.
There is a nondescript store front on a bustling suburban street in Sydney identifying it as the Time Travel Agency. Most people think it’s a joke, or an amusement park-type of show of some kind, but Dr. Nastevski, who owns the agency, takes it quite seriously. So do her four employees, though their customers, not all of whom are *completely* satisfied with their experiences, are happy to think it’s some kind of a trick.
Anna, the single mom of a 13-year-old girl, is the Agency’s newest employee, and she has no idea *what* to think, though she likes her new job, and has had fun “traveling” through time to meet several great writers and a famous playwright (you know the one).
Teddy, our MMC, is recently brokenhearted because his new wife left him for his (gulp!) big brother. He wants to go back in time to see if he can find out what he did wrong to cause the breakup.
The Agency’s rules for time travel are dependent upon the theory of multiverses. You can’t travel to the future—duh—because it hasn’t happened yet. And you can’t change anything in the past that will affect the present or future. You simply create a new multiverse from that point and when you return to your point of origin nothing is any different.
But there is still plenty of shenanigans to be had, as is usual in time travel stories. In this one, there are three 13-year-old girls and their mums, and some perplexingly trying times parenting them, along with a few broken hearts, a system that *might* have needed a little more time in beta testing, and a romance or two.
The book might be just a bit long in the middle, but there’s a cool twist to be had there, and the conclusion is lots of fun. I also appreciated Jaclyn Moriarty’s subtle wisdom, about time, about regrets, about life in general. It all came together very well.
I’m also oddly fond of a time travel trope, and this book fits these two faves together just right.
There is a nondescript store front on a bustling suburban street in Sydney identifying it as the Time Travel Agency. Most people think it’s a joke, or an amusement park-type of show of some kind, but Dr. Nastevski, who owns the agency, takes it quite seriously. So do her four employees, though their customers, not all of whom are *completely* satisfied with their experiences, are happy to think it’s some kind of a trick.
Anna, the single mom of a 13-year-old girl, is the Agency’s newest employee, and she has no idea *what* to think, though she likes her new job, and has had fun “traveling” through time to meet several great writers and a famous playwright (you know the one).
Teddy, our MMC, is recently brokenhearted because his new wife left him for his (gulp!) big brother. He wants to go back in time to see if he can find out what he did wrong to cause the breakup.
The Agency’s rules for time travel are dependent upon the theory of multiverses. You can’t travel to the future—duh—because it hasn’t happened yet. And you can’t change anything in the past that will affect the present or future. You simply create a new multiverse from that point and when you return to your point of origin nothing is any different.
But there is still plenty of shenanigans to be had, as is usual in time travel stories. In this one, there are three 13-year-old girls and their mums, and some perplexingly trying times parenting them, along with a few broken hearts, a system that *might* have needed a little more time in beta testing, and a romance or two.
The book might be just a bit long in the middle, but there’s a cool twist to be had there, and the conclusion is lots of fun. I also appreciated Jaclyn Moriarty’s subtle wisdom, about time, about regrets, about life in general. It all came together very well.
August 6, 2026
There aren’t enough words for how fun this book is!
There’s a Time Travel Agency just living its best life in a shopping center in Sydney, getting mediocre reviews on the internet. Most people think it’s some kind of party trick akin to an escape room, or virtual relatiy. When single mother Anna gets a surprising job offer at the agency and walks in her first day, she loves the homey atmosphere and the other three employees. She’s especially charmed by Teddy, a repeat customer. The longer Anna works at the agency, curating literary trips to visit famous authors of the past, she starts to wonder if the time travel thing isn’t just a gimmick, but is, in fact, real.
Teddy approaches the agency during difficult time in his life. His wife has left him, and he feels if he can just go back in time he could figure out what went wrong in their relationship. However, time traveling along his past reveals just how fallible memory can be.
Jade is also a single mother with a complicated past. She’s taking a creative writing class in an office above the time travel agency, and her life converges with that of Teddy and Anna in a surprising way.
I absolutely LOVED this book. I was immediately drawn in by the witty dialogue and creative writing style. I loved all the characters, and found the text exchanges between Teddy’s friend group and various email exchanges absolutely charming. The idea of time travel and its parameters and limitations has always been intriguing to me, and I loved the way this book approached the topic. The highlight, however, is the relationships between the characters. I loved everyone and feel so sad to part with these new friends.
Thank you so much to Net Galley and Berkley for the digital ARC. All opinions are my own.
There’s a Time Travel Agency just living its best life in a shopping center in Sydney, getting mediocre reviews on the internet. Most people think it’s some kind of party trick akin to an escape room, or virtual relatiy. When single mother Anna gets a surprising job offer at the agency and walks in her first day, she loves the homey atmosphere and the other three employees. She’s especially charmed by Teddy, a repeat customer. The longer Anna works at the agency, curating literary trips to visit famous authors of the past, she starts to wonder if the time travel thing isn’t just a gimmick, but is, in fact, real.
Teddy approaches the agency during difficult time in his life. His wife has left him, and he feels if he can just go back in time he could figure out what went wrong in their relationship. However, time traveling along his past reveals just how fallible memory can be.
Jade is also a single mother with a complicated past. She’s taking a creative writing class in an office above the time travel agency, and her life converges with that of Teddy and Anna in a surprising way.
I absolutely LOVED this book. I was immediately drawn in by the witty dialogue and creative writing style. I loved all the characters, and found the text exchanges between Teddy’s friend group and various email exchanges absolutely charming. The idea of time travel and its parameters and limitations has always been intriguing to me, and I loved the way this book approached the topic. The highlight, however, is the relationships between the characters. I loved everyone and feel so sad to part with these new friends.
Thank you so much to Net Galley and Berkley for the digital ARC. All opinions are my own.
August 16, 2026
4.5*
This was such a fun story! I am struggling to review it because there is too much I worry about giving away, but I’ll do my best as vaguely as possible. So, you know the premise: Anna, a single mom who works at a really crappy company, ends up getting a chance to work instead at a local business that she assumes is just a kitschy gimmick, advertising time travel. First, I really loved Anna’s down to earth character and related to her a ton. I also really enjoyed her new coworkers at the Time Travel Agency. Teddy was a great character too, and I adored his friend group chats! Jade was probably the character I felt least connected to, but I still liked reading about her.
The actual time travel was more off-page, which is kind of a bummer, but what we did see was very fun. I don’t want to say much more because the whole concept of whether time travel is real is part of the plot, so. But I’ll say this: I loved how it was handled, and I loved how the characters’ lives wove together. And even though it was on the longer side, I really loved the book and it never felt draggy. I'd say it's a "light" sci-fi, so if you're more into contemporary fiction, you'd probably still appreciate this one.
Bottom Line: I want to go to the Time Travel Agency, too. Good people, good times.
This was such a fun story! I am struggling to review it because there is too much I worry about giving away, but I’ll do my best as vaguely as possible. So, you know the premise: Anna, a single mom who works at a really crappy company, ends up getting a chance to work instead at a local business that she assumes is just a kitschy gimmick, advertising time travel. First, I really loved Anna’s down to earth character and related to her a ton. I also really enjoyed her new coworkers at the Time Travel Agency. Teddy was a great character too, and I adored his friend group chats! Jade was probably the character I felt least connected to, but I still liked reading about her.
The actual time travel was more off-page, which is kind of a bummer, but what we did see was very fun. I don’t want to say much more because the whole concept of whether time travel is real is part of the plot, so. But I’ll say this: I loved how it was handled, and I loved how the characters’ lives wove together. And even though it was on the longer side, I really loved the book and it never felt draggy. I'd say it's a "light" sci-fi, so if you're more into contemporary fiction, you'd probably still appreciate this one.
Bottom Line: I want to go to the Time Travel Agency, too. Good people, good times.
August 4, 2026
What a delightful book! I love Jaclyn Moriarty's writing (loved Gravity Is the Thing so much too!) and I was thrilled to read this one.
The premise of time travel, while far-fetched, is executed with such realism that I fully bought into it. Complete willing suspension of disbelief here :) in order to spend time with these characters.
This was a story about mothers and daughters, sisters, and the universal experience of regret over not appreciating the people we love while we have them. It was beautifully done. Her writing style is so conversational - almost conspiratorial in a way that makes me feel like I’m reading the thoughts of a close friend. The way she wove together plot points and brought everything together in the end was brilliant and so pleasing - a reader’s dream, in my opinion!
It was a delight to read. Also, if there really IS such a nondescript storefront anywhere in the world, someone please tell me so I can also go have tea with Jane Austen. :)
Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the eARC of this book!
The premise of time travel, while far-fetched, is executed with such realism that I fully bought into it. Complete willing suspension of disbelief here :) in order to spend time with these characters.
This was a story about mothers and daughters, sisters, and the universal experience of regret over not appreciating the people we love while we have them. It was beautifully done. Her writing style is so conversational - almost conspiratorial in a way that makes me feel like I’m reading the thoughts of a close friend. The way she wove together plot points and brought everything together in the end was brilliant and so pleasing - a reader’s dream, in my opinion!
It was a delight to read. Also, if there really IS such a nondescript storefront anywhere in the world, someone please tell me so I can also go have tea with Jane Austen. :)
Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the eARC of this book!
August 20, 2026
I love time travel novels, so this one was right up my alley. I enjoyed getting to know all the characters and how their lives intersected but it got a little confusing for me at the end (I understand it but it took some time to figure it out). This is slow-moving and I have a difficult time staying tuned in when a story moves slowly. I wanted more about time travel but it’s really about how messy relationships can be and didn’t quite hit the mark for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the review copy.
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the review copy.
August 7, 2026
Damn, I love time travel.
This book begins slowly, focusing on our reality with time travel in the background. And for a while there’s a question - is the time travel even real, or is it simply a clever business model?
But as the story continues, we discover that our protagonists lives are connected and soon the mechanics and rules of time travel grow broader and more fascinating.
What if you could have a glimpse of another life? What if you could see how one decision changes everything? What if you couldn’t live that life, but exist in the knowledge that there’s another you, making other choices?
Time Travel for Beginners shows remarkable depth and touches on grief in beautiful ways.
It’s a slow burn, but it’s worth it!
Thank you for the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book begins slowly, focusing on our reality with time travel in the background. And for a while there’s a question - is the time travel even real, or is it simply a clever business model?
But as the story continues, we discover that our protagonists lives are connected and soon the mechanics and rules of time travel grow broader and more fascinating.
What if you could have a glimpse of another life? What if you could see how one decision changes everything? What if you couldn’t live that life, but exist in the knowledge that there’s another you, making other choices?
Time Travel for Beginners shows remarkable depth and touches on grief in beautiful ways.
It’s a slow burn, but it’s worth it!
Thank you for the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
August 14, 2026
This story is a really charming and witty magical realism story set in Sydney. Instead of getting bogged down in heavy sci-fi physics, it focuses on a cozy time travel agency and how it affects the lives of three people—Anna, Teddy, and Jade—dealing with grief and second chances. At over 500 pages, the middle section does drag a bit, but the clever twist totally makes up for the slow pacing. Overall, it's a really heartfelt, comforting read that fans of Matt Haig or TJ Klune will love.
August 23, 2026
3.75
The romance is cute and a very intriguing way to look at time travel
The romance is cute and a very intriguing way to look at time travel
August 23, 2026
Intriguing. Thoughtful. Dreamy.
August 4, 2026
This was definitely an entertaining read!
I really enjoyed the idea behind the story. It kept me engaged from beginning to end, and I was looking forward to see how everything would unfold. The characters were compelling, the plot was imaginative, and the writing made the story easy to get lost in.
I really liked the ending. It left me with a profound appreciation for life and served as a beautiful reminder to embrace the present and cherish the moments we often take for granted.
If you enjoy imaginative stories with memorable characters and a message that stays with you long after you finish, I do recommend picking this one up.
I really enjoyed the idea behind the story. It kept me engaged from beginning to end, and I was looking forward to see how everything would unfold. The characters were compelling, the plot was imaginative, and the writing made the story easy to get lost in.
I really liked the ending. It left me with a profound appreciation for life and served as a beautiful reminder to embrace the present and cherish the moments we often take for granted.
If you enjoy imaginative stories with memorable characters and a message that stays with you long after you finish, I do recommend picking this one up.
August 13, 2026
This isn’t what I expected from a time travel book. It’s VERY slow and if I stopped and restarted the book, I forgot character names/roles they played as it felt like there were quite a few players in the game with only three main characters. I DNF on page 94/528. The length of the book was also a con for me seeing as how it just goes over the day to day activities with not much excitement throughout.
July 17, 2026
I absolutely adored this book. I went into it blind and didn’t know what to expect. It followed 3 characters POV, who are all connected in one way or another. They all had their own struggles and were facing things both in the world but also in their own heads, so I enjoyed seeing their perspectives and how they were feeling. This book gave me the same feeling that Midnight Library gave me. It just showed what it is like to be human, to appreciate the little things, and to pick yourself up again after you’ve been pushed down. Their stories slowly get woven together and the ending had me in a chokehold. I could not put the book down for the last 150 pages or so.
I loved this book. I will 1000000% read it again (and probably soon). This was my first time reading a book by Jaclyn Moriarty and I can’t wait to start another one!
Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group, Jaclyn Moriarty and team for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
I loved this book. I will 1000000% read it again (and probably soon). This was my first time reading a book by Jaclyn Moriarty and I can’t wait to start another one!
Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group, Jaclyn Moriarty and team for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
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