SOMETIME THIS CENTURY

An Austen-obsessed woman time-travels back to the Regency era.

Annabel Blake has always felt she was born in the wrong century. A New Yorker who constantly rereads Jane Austen’s novels, she knows she’d feel much more at home in the Regency era, where she could dance with gentlemen, practice her manners, and wear her beloved empire waist dresses. Annabel so loves Austen that she’s even writing her own Regency novel. When she gets the opportunity to stay at her literary agent boss’ crumbling family estate in England, she jumps at the chance to work on her novel in the perfect setting. However, Annabel is soon interrupted by two unexpected guests—her influencer sister, Cassie, who’s more into selfies than novels, and Cassie’s fun but deeply unserious ex-boyfriend, Billy Bronson. The house is full of surprises, including beautiful costumes and an old writing desk where Annabel finds an invitation to a local ball. Dressed in authentic garb, Annabel, Cassie, and Billy attend the party but soon realize that it isn’t simply a Regency recreation—they’re actually stuck in the year 1815. They’ve traveled back to a period of no electricity or phones, and unless they can figure out how to return to their own time, Annabel and Cassie must make good marriages if they want to survive. But when Annabel meets the Darcy-esque Henry Leighton D’Evercy, she realizes that perhaps she was right all along—maybe she really is meant to live in another century. She falls for him almost immediately, but will she be able to make a place for herself in this era, or should she try to help her group find its way back home? Silva creates an immersive world as Annabel, Cassie, and Billy adjust to their new reality. There are plenty of funny scenes as they struggle to fit in—as when Billy accidentally becomes known as Mr. Doofus, or when Cassie tells everyone that their family estate is called Bloomingdale’s.

A comical and charming love letter to Jane Austen.