‘Time Travel for Beginners is GORGEOUS’—Marian Keyes

On a bustling road in Sydney lies a nondescript storefront known simply as the Time Travel Agency. 

Inside, you’ll be welcomed by the smell of freshly brewed coffee, a selection of baked goods . . . and the question, Where in time do you wish to go?

The guidelines are simple: you can go whenever you wish into the past, and there’s no fear of altering the present. Have tea with Jane Austen, scream at a Beatles concert, witness the Olympics in ancient Greece. Perhaps a more personal trip? Visit your long-lost grandmother, recapture the heady days of your youth, return to the idyllic time when your teen was a babbling baby—or watch yourself make the one decision that changed everything.

Is it a hoax? And if it’s real, what’s the catch?

When single mother Anna is offered a job at the agency, she glimpses the possibility of happiness. Meanwhile, Teddy’s a customer hoping to untangle his recently imploded marriage. And Jade, who has a deeply buried secret, despises the agency for offering false hope.

In Jaclyn Moriarty’s incandescent novel, Anna, Teddy and Jade leap headlong into time, hurtling on a crash course towards one another. At turns entertaining and illuminating, Time Travel for Beginners explores the moments, big and small, that shape our destiny.

‘A joyfully sad, quietly clever and loudly delightful time-travel novel. Time Travel for Beginners only gets more delicious with every read.’—Justine Larbalestier and New York Times bestselling author Scott Westerfeld, co-authors of The Mortons 

‘A truly amazing book! Time Travel for Beginners is absolutely gorgeous, smart, funny, deep, dreamy and perfect. It left my heart full and happy.’—Rachel Cohn, New York Times bestselling co-author of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist

‘I could wish I wrote it but then I wouldn’t have had the pleasure of reading this truly extraordinary, exquisite novel . . . I just have to say it, my sister is a literary genius.’—Liane Moriarty, New York Times bestselling author of Here One Moment

Details

ISBN13: 9781761153723
Format: Paperback / softback
Number of Pages: 544
Edition:
Publication Date: 28 Jul 2026
Publisher:
Publication City, Country: Australia
Dimensions (cm): 23.4(H)x15.3(L)672
Weight (gm): 672

Author Biography

Jaclyn Moriarty is the internationally bestselling author of novels for children, young adults and adults. Jaclyn’s books have been translated into several languages, won the NSW Premier’s Literary Award, the Queensland Literary Award, the Aurealis Award and named as CBCA Honour Book and Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor book. They have also been shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, the Nebula Prize and the Russell Prize for Humour Writing for Young People. A former media and entertainment lawyer, Jaclyn grew up in Sydney, lived in the US, UK and Canada, and now lives in Sydney again. 

Reviews

‘Profound, funny, humane and clever, I recommend it VERY HIGHLY’

-- Marian Keyes

I could wish I wrote it but then I wouldn’t have had the pleasure of reading this truly extraordinary, exquisite novel. It’s both hilarious and heart-breaking, thoughtful and compelling. It’s hard for me (I’m the eldest) but I just have to say it, my sister is a literary genius.

-- Liane Moriarty, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Here One Moment

A treat for anyone who needs a reminder that time can heal anything, even the human heart....This gently eccentric tale of familial challenges will delight fans of Matt Haig and TJ Klune.

* Kirkus Reviews *

Moriarty’s novel has charm, especially between Anna and Teddy, and depth, with its encouragement to look toward the future, not the past.

* Library Journal *

A joyfully sad, quietly clever, and loudly delightful time-travel novel. By turns a meditation on mourning, happiness, and the deep truths of living. Time Travel for Beginners only gets more delicious with every read.

-- Justine Larbalestier and New York Times bestselling author Scott Westerfeld, coauthors of The Mortons

A truly amazing book! Time Travel for Beginners is absolutely gorgeous, smart, funny, deep, dreamy, and perfect. And it comes together beautifully at the end. It left my heart full and happy.

-- Rachel Cohn, New York Times bestselling coauthor of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist

This book floored me in the gentlest of ways. It was imaginative, original and utterly engrossing from start to finish. From its uniquely likeable characters to its intricately woven plot, I loved absolutely everything about it. If you are drawn to books which convince you that the seemingly impossible is utterly plausible, this one is for you.

-- Amelia Ireland, author of The Seven O’Clock Club

An ingenious concept, beautifully told. I couldn't put it down.

-- Libby Page, national bestselling author of This Book Made Me Think of You

In this brilliant novel of interwoven lives, Jaclyn Moriarty explores the very nature of reality in a story so filled with love, humor, and mouthwatering descriptions of chocolate cake that I couldn’t put it down.

-- Laura Bloom, critically acclaimed author of The Women and the Girls

A very rare treasure. Funny and compelling and rich, it is also a wise reflection on regret and the ways we carry the past with us. It's absolutely magnificent.

-- Kathryn Heyman, critically acclaimed author of Circle of Wonders

With compelling characters, a baffling mystery, and an ending that even savvy readers will not see coming, Moriarty’s latest is a winner that explores fate and how we are all connected.

* First Clue *

‘Time Travel for Beginners is a moving story about families, both the ones we are born into and the ones we create for ourselves, and particularly the enduring bond between sisters.’

-- Jess Lomas * Books + Publishing *