Retro, Jessica M. Goldstein
Retro, Jessica M. Goldstein
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Retro

Author: Jessica M. Goldstein

Narrator: Allyson Ryan

Unabridged: 13 hr 55 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/23/2026

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

An out-of-work actress gets a job as a tour guide for an ultra-luxury time travel company—only to discover her trips to the past could upend her present—in this rollicking, speculative debut novel.

“Retro is so much fun! It’s got nostalgia, ennui, inappropriate workplace crushes, jaunts to weird little bits of history, terrifying corporate overreach, and jokes: What more could you want?”—Holly Gramazio, author of The Husbands

When Ash spots an ad for Retro during a depressing Instagram scroll—she’s in debt and unemployed; everyone else is, evidently, thriving—she’s surprised the algorithm sent it her way. She’s heard of recreational time travel, but it’s way out of her budget. Then she sees the caption: Come away with us! We’re hiring.

So begins Ash’s life as a Time Travel Agent, leading wealthy tourists on vacations to historical hotspots. She takes bachelorette parties to live out their cowboy-romance fantasies in the Old West; she chaperones “’20s for your twenties” birthday excursions to speakeasies; she smiles politely as rich Wall Street guys give prospecting a shot during the Gold Rush. It’s all thrilling, outrageous, and totally surreal. Bygone America is just a Retro Metro ride away.

Despite Ash’s tendency toward cynicism, she finds herself swept up in her dazzling new job. Sure, Ash isn’t the actress she’d always dreamed she’d be. But isn’t this so much better? It’s like Ash’s life is a movie, complete with an impossible love triangle. How is she supposed to choose between her mysterious office crush and the handsome private eye pursuing her in 1937?

For the first time in years, Ash’s life feels enviable—so she’d really rather not pay attention to the strange things happening to her memory and relationships outside Retro. But as her trips threaten to unravel her real life, she confronts an unsettling truth: Escaping into the past was never really an escape at all.

*Includes a downloadable PDF containing the illustrated RETRO METRO map from the printed book

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Quotes

Retro is so much fun! It’s got nostalgia, ennui, inappropriate workplace crushes, jaunts to weird little bits of history, terrifying corporate overreach, and jokes: What more could you want?”—Holly Gramazio, author of The Husbands

“This charming debut novel has hints of the big-budget Hollywood rom-coms of yesteryear. . . . As much as this is a delightful, breezy read, it feels all the more relevant and thought-provoking regarding our era’s obsession with nostalgia—and why that may be worth reckoning with.”Marie Claire

“A magnetic read—equal parts charming, melancholy, and strange—perfect for those with sharp tongues but yearning hearts.”—Emily Hunt Kivel, author of Dwelling

“I love the book’s exploration of what it means to be human: how we impact each other, the importance of memories, and how we leave our own mark on the world. Fans of time travel, thought-provoking premises, and unique stories will enjoy this one.”The Buzz Magazines

Retro puts a fresh spin on the time-travel genre, blending the allure of times gone past with the absurdities of corporate work culture. Shrewd, witty and original.”—Aisling Rawle, author of The Compound

Retro is smart, funny, and delicious. If I could time-travel, I would go back and read it again for the first time.”—Alexandra Petri, humor columnist, The Atlantic

Retro is delightful and disturbing; meticulously researched and intricately imagined; propelled by an engine of crackling cleverness and razor-sharp prose but constantly retaining a North Star of genuine heart. This novel is a cri de coeur, a wild adventure, a brilliant book.”—Moriel Rothman-Zecher, author of Sadness Is a White Bird

“Jessica M. Goldstein always has her finger on the pulse of pop culture, and she’s adept at writing about it in perceptive and hilarious ways. In her funny time-leaping novel, she doesn’t miss a beat.”—Christopher Monks, editor, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency

Retro is a smart exploration of time travel in the Instagram age: a vividly imagined and gently satirical novel, with a keen eye for the ways nostalgia and commerce intertwine.”—Hanna Bervoets, author of We Had to Remove This Post

“ Existential but silly, heady but oh so juicy!”—Casey Scieszka, author of The Fountain

Retro is the kind of speculative novel that seems realer than reality. It provides a whip-smart critique of influencer culture and the ultrawealthy, while being utterly readable and compelling. The end provides a twist that I never saw coming.”—Tasha Coryell, author of Matchmaking for Psychopaths

“A nuanced, biting cautionary tale about how not staying present can erase our very selves.”Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Goldstein expertly combines the nostalgia of historical fiction, the allure of science fiction, the humor of workplace fiction, and hints of romance to create an immersive tale that will appeal to diverse audiences.”Booklist, starred review