Book Description 

Strange things are happening behind the bright pink facade of Bayside’s premier laundromat, Joyful Suds, home to Joy Moody and her twin daughters.

For much of their lives, Joy has been lying to Cassie and Andie. What started as a colorful tale to explain how the twins came to live with her grew over the years and was always something she meant to set straight. Joy really did think she had more time. Worse still, Joy is struggling to define the truth from the lies.

The girls have long believed they are vital to the future and must stay hidden to stay safe. Joy has told them that their impending twenty-first birthday is significant; they will step into their roles as leaders of a revolution and life as they know it will change. Joy was right – everything will change, just not in the way they expected. On Andie and Cassie’s birthday, Joy Moody is found dead and her girls face a world they are not prepared for without their mother. Joy Moody is out of time… in more ways than one.

My Review 

I loved Mayne’s debut novel Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder, so I was very excited about the opportunity to read her latest book. 

Cassie and Andie have spent their entire lives being told that they are from the future and they are going to return to 2050 on their 21st birthday. Their lives certainly change on that milestone day, but not in the way they expected. 

They must now untangle the mystery surrounding their origins, which is doubly confusing (no pun intended) because they have been sheltered for their entire lives, almost never leaving the sanctuary of the laundromat. 

The titular Joy, architect of the whole scheme, also provides her point of view, but as the blurb states, this fades away midway through the narrative, leaving far more questions than answers regarding motive and reasoning. 

This book was so good– the premise is highly original and it was executed so well. Andie and Cassie, who both serve as narrators, are not total recluses because they interact with the people who come to the laundromat, but as I mentioned, they have been somewhat sequestered their entire lives and never been to school etc. They have been told that they need to be kept hidden from the mysterious adversaries from the future, and they have mostly accepted this as the truth, although there is some skepticism as the day of their “Departure” draws closer. 

I would absolutely recommend Joy Moody is Out of Time. With this stunning sophomore book, Mayne has become an insta-buy author for me. I love the unreliable narrators and the plot twists that both of her books have provided. Even though I knew there was going to be at least one plot twist, I was not prepared for how the story was going to unfold. I am going to be talking about this book with all of my bookish friends.   

I received a digital ARC of this book from St. Martin’s/NetGalley