Where to Start Reading Adam Eccles
If you are new to the witty, dry, and often speculative world of Adam Eccles, choosing your first book depends entirely on what kind of flavor you are looking for. Eccles has carved out a unique niche by blending the traditional romantic comedy with sci-fi, time-travel, and tech-nerd elements—often referred to as "lad-lit" with a geeky twist.
For the quintessential Adam Eccles experience, the best starting point is his debut novel, Time, for a Change (2018). It introduces his signature style: a cynical protagonist, a dead-end job, British-style dry humor, and a sudden, bizarre twist of speculative fiction. If you prefer a more focused, retro-arcade nostalgia trip, System Restored (2022) is highly recommended. For readers who want to dive straight into a multi-book narrative rather than standalones, beginning with the Toby Steele series starting with 22:22:22: Frequency Shift (2023) is the ideal path.
The Toby Steele Series: Chronological Reading Order
Unlike his earlier standalones, this series follows a continuous storyline focusing on Toby Steele, an ordinary night-shift IT worker whose life is completely upended. This is a techno-thriller and comedy hybrid that should be read in strict chronological order:
- 22:22:22: Frequency Shift (2023) – We meet Toby Steele as he survives the graveyard shift, only to find himself entangled in a massive cosmic event on February 22, 2022, leading him into the crosshairs of a mysterious, shadow organization.
- 23:23:23: Power Shift (2024) – The direct sequel that continues Toby's adventure as his newfound abilities and the secret conspiracy develop further.
The "Need a Little..." Universe
Another interconnected segment of Eccles' bibliography is the story of Jamie Newgent. While starting as a standalone novel, it expanded into a serialized continuation that readers of speculative romantic comedy will love. The correct reading order is:
- Need a Little Time (2020) – Jamie Newgent's career and marriage have collapsed, prompting him to try restarting his life. However, he discovers a literal temporal rift and a spiral staircase in his apartment building, leading to time-travel antics.
- Need a Little Reboot (Serialized) – Released in multiple short story volumes, this follows Jamie and his companion Anna as they attempt to navigate life and survive the retro era of the 1990s.
Standalone Novels in Publication Order
The majority of Adam Eccles' books are standalone novels. Although they occasionally share similar thematic DNA (such as tech jobs, regret, and second chances), they do not share characters or plotlines, meaning you can read them in any order you choose. Here is the chronological list of his standalones by publication date:
- Time, for a Change (2018) – The story of Terry, a cynical office worker whose monotonous corporate grind is disrupted by a mysterious wooden box that gives him a chance to fix his life and find romance.
- The Twin Flame Game (2018) – A fast-paced, sarcastic romantic comedy exploring the absurdities of modern dating, matching, and connection with a heavy dose of dry prose.
- Who Needs Love, Anyway? (2019) – A heartwarming midlife crisis story focusing on Danny Watts, a single father with a "dad-bod" who keeps finding himself stuck in the dreaded friend zone.
- The Soul Bank (2021) – A supernatural comedy-drama following Andy Clarke. After staying at a dull business hotel, Andy begins experiencing strange dreams that start to feel far more real than his actual life, testing his relationships and sanity.
- System Restored (2022) – A love letter to the 1980s. Forty-year-old retro gamer Derek Cooper finds a mythical, legendary arcade cabinet called "Time Portal" that lets him travel back to 1981, combining tech-nerd engineering with a moving story of regret.
- Significant Other Machine (2026) – A rom-com focusing on Sam, a socially anxious young woman running her own IT business, who finds unexpected connection and comfort in an AI companion.
- Cold Heart October (2026) – A departure into music-focused literary drama, set on the west coast of Ireland. It details a cult indie band from the 1990s whose reclusive lead singer, Mick Grady, is pulled back into the spotlight decades later by a viral video, forcing him to confront long-held grief.
What to Know Before You Start
Adam Eccles' novels are heavily influenced by his own life. Having relocated from the UK to the rugged west coast of Ireland over twenty years ago, he uses the Irish landscape and small-town dynamics as a frequent backdrop. His background in the tech sector directly feeds into his stories; expect plenty of jokes about deleting emails, server maintenance, coding, and the general malaise of corporate IT life.
While his books deal with speculative concepts like time travel, supernatural banks, and AI, they are fundamentally grounded in human relationships. The focus is always on ordinary, flawed characters trying to figure out how to love, forgive themselves, and make the most of their second chances.