Overall this was a quick and engaging speculative fiction novel. It was both a captivating mystery and exploration of grief and human relationships. I think the genre crossing element makes this a read a wide audience could enjoy, it has elements from sci-fi, literary fiction, magical realism, and mystery genres. I wasn’t entirely satisfied by the ending explanation of why everything happened the way it happened (I don’t want to say too much and spoil anything!) but I’m having a hard time articulating what might have made it work a little better for me. That’s really my only complaint though and I still really enjoyed the read overall. I love stories that intertwine all the little details and give a reason for everything included in the story, and this novel did that skillfully.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review:
4.5 stars
This was excellent, and extremely bingeable- I couldn’t put it down. It’s a bit of a mix between literary fiction and thriller, both fast paced and thought provoking.

Set in a world where time travel exists, the technology allows for people to return to the past, but only for an hour. Each character is taking the journey to reconcile something they’ve lost, and the book feels deeply human in this sense. It made me consider what key moments in my life I’d revisit if I could, and it explores how hindsight impacts your view of an event. Underpinning this all is a mystery that unravels as the story goes on, balancing the philosophical elements with a plot that is an engaging page turner. The conclusions at the end are a little in-your-face in a hallmark-esque way, but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment. Would highly recommend.

Four strangers pay for the privilege of living 1h of their past, a past all of them long for more than anything in the world... but when they come across each other, and things don't go quite as planed, we know we're in for a very interesting ride.
A good SF mystery asking a lot of ethical/philosophical/difficult questions. This is about dealing with grief, forgiveness, living in the present vs the other tenses, learning and growing.

It's a smooth read, more about the human elements than the hard SF part, written to give a sense of optimism in life, and perfect for fans of cozy contemporary fiction. I'd put it at the top of your Christmas holiday reading list and I can see it being popular amongst a wide range of readers from all age groups, so perfect for more distant family members or colleague gift giving.

The prose reminds me of the lyrical Midnight Library. The story opens as a literary take on the loss of loved ones. Aeon expeditions is the lens that brings it into focus for us. The founder worked on this time visiting tech instead on valuing his family while he had them. The travel rules are broken for several travelers, strangely entangled. Maybe they can learn from the past.

I really wanted to like this book. It started off with a good premise of using technology to go back in time to relive a moment in time. However, the complicated plot and too many narrators made the story hard to follow. I am used to books with multiple narrators, but it took way too long to get to the point where the stories connected and made sense. The voices were interesting and I some characters were better than others. Sci Fi fans who liked things like Minority Report will enjoy this book.

Time travel is my favourite genre, and I'm always interested in reading different ways that people can travel. In this case, people can go back within their own timeline, affect events, but the changes don't persist when they return to the present.

We meet a range of people who have won a contest to go back for an hour. They all have interesting stories and reasons for wanting to go back.

Not too far into the book (enough that I don't think it's spoilery), we start to realise that there are connections between the people who have returned. From there, we learn a lot more about a series of events and the effect that they had on everyone and, as you may expect with a time travel book, some resolution of events.

A great time-travel / mystery combo with interesting people and an interesting mystery.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I'm always very happy about an ARC and being able to give it a review! <3

I never thought that you could immerse yourself in a book and that it would immediately trigger such intense emotions!

Every single story is written in an interesting and exciting way and I love how the individual stories merge into one.

Great idea, the characters are well implemented and the emotions are conveyed just perfect!

If you like time travel stories like I do, then this story is perfect for you.

WOW! Dete Meserve, the Author of “The Memory Collectors” has written an intriguing, captivating, and exhilarating novel. What would you do if you had the opportunity to time travel and replay and live in an hour from your past? In this “OUT OF THIS WORLD” well-written novel, the author explores the possibilities of several characters having that chance. The Genres for this novel are Science Fiction, Mystery and Suspense, Time Travel, Fiction and Adult Fiction. The author vividly describes the scenery, plot, dramatic characters, and the emotional feelings.

Dete Meserve has written a book that has many of the vibes that remind me of the movie “Back to the Future” I read this book in one sitting and couldn’t put this down. There are several characters that have the opportunity to time travel back for an hour in time, serviced by “Aeon Expeditions” a time travel invention that is very expensive and very selective for the participants. Mark Saunders, one of the main character’s husband had been working on this project.

Four strangers from Ventura California, go on Aeon Expeditons. Their lives are intertwined and connected more than they know. On a specific date, there had been a tragic occurrence with deadly and despairing consequences. If somehow, this travel back in time can change the circumstances, it would be a miracle. Aeon Expeditions make no promises. As a matter of fact, something goes wrong, and the hour expires and the characters remain in the past, not knowing when, how or what can happen. During this time there are twists, turns, dangers, and death.

I appreciate how Dete Meserve discusses the importance of forgiveness, second chances, family, friends, love and hope. I highly recommend this memorable and thought-provoking novel. Am I ready to purchase a ticket through Aeon Exhibitions? I do hope that Dete Meserve will be writing other books in this series. Please, Dete!!!

I found this book to be well written. It caused the four strangers to reflect on a night that affects them all till this very day. This psychological, page turning thriller takes the four strangers in a time travel to the past, where they get stuck. Their lives are forever changed.

Please read this book, you will not regret it. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC copy.

#TimeTravel #Netgalley #PsychologicalThriller #MustRead

4.75 stars

'The Memory Collectors' is a gorgeous story full of grief, longing and nostalgia for better times. As four strangers find themselves stuck in the past after using the futuristic technology of Aeon Expeditions, they come together to find out if their actions can help them overcome the problems in their future and how they might have more in common than they think.

Told through multiple points of view, we learn about each character and their reasons for wanting to spend time in the past. Each character yearns for something they have lost - family members, unfinished love, the freedom to live as they wish and support from their families. With them all having one key date in common, August 25th, they explore what could have been and try to answer the questions that have followed them for the next few years. I loved the pacing of this story and how plot points were revealed - it never felt rushed and the narratives flowed consistently throughout.

This book is inspiring, sad, reflective and mysterious. I have personally not read much sci-fi at all and I wouldn't say it is a genre that has particularly interested me before but 'The Memory Collectors' has changed my mind on this! It didn't feel so distant or dystopian and as the main focus wasn't on how time travel was possible and instead on each individuals lives it felt a lot more relatable.

I think my favourite thing about this book was the authors way of romanticising the mundane, and the importance of living every moment to the fullest. Although the characters initially begin with lots of regrets and things they wish to change, the book ends with a sense of acceptance, a reminder to appreciate what you have and not what could have been. I especially liked this within Elizabeth's story as it shows a real sense of growth and togetherness within her family after a great loss.

I will be checking out more from this author for sure, and will be looking for similar books as I just loved every second of this one!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC <3

*All opinions are my own !!*

I had a hard time starting this book because, unlike most people, I can't think of a time that I would like to go back to and relive again. That is not how I process the past and the author is setting that as a universal assumption to entice the readership. But once I laid my preconceived ideas about what the story should be and let Meserve tell me the story, I was fully engaged. I liked how the author followed the rules set up in the story and didn't bend them the way you would expect (that what you did in the past could directly change the future), The interactions seemed raw and genuine. Usually I don't like a head-hopping story, but this one rings true as the characters are separate, and their story arcs feel realistic. Toward the end I was reading as fast as I could because I could not wait to find out how the story ended.

I love time travel books so much. This one was a mystery that really pulled at the heart. I think anyone would love to go back in time just for 60 minutes to right wrongs. The characters were all grieving their own experiences and each story hit you in the gut and made you feel it with them. On top of rooting for these people and being so empathetic you have this mystery at hand. One of my favorite netgalley reads!

“The Memory Collectors” by Dete Meserve is a gripping time travel mystery. This creative story centers around four strangers who travel back in time and arrive just before they experience a traumatic life altering event that changes their lives forever. The four are connected in this tragedy but they are not aware until a glitch happens with the time travel technology and they become stranded for an undetermined amount of time. The mystery that enfolds around them is heart wrenching and the element of not knowing if they will be able to return to the present keeps you flying through each chapter. This is a beautifully written speculative fiction which adds the elements of mystery and romance. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in this genre.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Mystery/suspense readers I have a great book for your TBR pile. This is a moving story that explores the question, “Would you go back in time and experience a random hour of your life? Even if you knew the timeline would reset and nothing you said or did would change anything?” In The Memory Collectors, we meet 4 people whose lives were changed by August 25, 2025 forever.

Elizabeth; who lost her adult son in a senseless accident
Andy; a bestselling author who lost (and never found) his true love
Logan; who lost the use of his legs and is paralyzed despite having climbed mountains
Brooke; a felon released from prison from a night she made a grave mistake

These 4 people go to the past, thanks to Aeon Technologies, the corporation who facilitates time travel. But in this case, they get stuck. A multi-POV story, we wonder how their lives may intersect, how they will experience life differently, and how they are forever changed afterwards.

This is a book that will have you turning the pages at a faster and faster pace, the anticipation of the timeline of events is immensely powerful. I highly recommend this book for those who enjoy a psychological thriller, themes of “what if” and time travel.

Thanks to @netgalley and @crookenlanepublishers for the ARC. Book to be published 5/20/25.

I thought this was such an interesting premise for a speculative fiction novel- the ultimate "what if" story, that is about time travel and solving a mystery, but really to do with living with the choices we made. I really enjoyed reading this.

An extraordinary yet entirely believable premise: What if you could visit any moment in the past for just one hour?

Through the innovative Aeon company, time travel has become a reality, but it comes with strict limitations. You can’t choose the exact time you visit, you have to be selected through a rigorous application process, and most importantly, nothing you do can alter the present—at least, that’s the rule everyone has always believed to be unbreakable.

In The Memory Collectors, four strangers are unexpectedly brought together, each haunted by a life-altering incident from their past. When they discover that they’re still trapped in the past long after their hour should have ended, the group must unravel the mystery of what went wrong. As they work together to uncover the truth, they grapple with their past actions and their current desires to make changes.

Part thriller, part mystery, part romance, and fully immersive speculative fiction, The Memory Collectors will pull you in and make you reflect on the impact of your own past actions!

#crookedlanebooks #thememorycollectors #detemeserve

What would you do if you could spend an hour in your past? Four strangers in the beach town of Ventura, California are about to find out.
I must admit, I was immediately drawn to the premise of this story and it did not disappoint!

Elizabeth wants to return to her son, who died in an accident. Andy is desperate to find a lost love. Logan wants his freedom of movement back, after an accident left him in a wheelchair. And Brooke is hoping for relief from the guilt of a mistake from the past. Now, Aeon Expeditions have made it possible to return to the past for an hour. Except nothing you do there will change the future, it is just a chance to revisit what has been lost. But in a twist, each of the participants get more than they bargained for.

This was just so cleverly written, the way the author wove together stories and revealed truths. It was heart wrenching in places but also hopeful and I flew through this in less than a day. If you love a little time travel and a completely unique story, then this will be the one for you. 4.5*

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this gifted review copy.

Wow- this was a stand out read to me. I loved everything about it. In fact, I was so engrossed as it came to a close I almost was late to the Taylor Swift concert - that says something! This novel which is both sci fi and literary comes together so well and gives you much to think about - what if you could relive an hour of the past (without changing the future). I’d love to see more in this world whether a continuation of these characters or a new group.

This was such an unexpectedly fun read! It was a mix between sci-fi/mystery/lit fic. It had so many elements of a story that I really enjoy and this is one that I will think about for awhile.

In the future, there is a company who allows people to time jump to go back to the past for 60 minutes to relive a certain memory. 4 people did a time jump and all sent to the same exact day in the past but a glitch happened and they were essentially stuck there for longer and they had to figure out what to do while they waited to be returned back to the present. They didn't know each other, but their lives were connected in crazy ways. I love how this mystery all unfolded through the first 2/3 of the book. I couldn't put it down! I'm usually good at figuring out the mystery before everything is revealed but this one kept me guessing!

I would have rated it 5 stars, but it just felt a bit rushed and unsatisfactory in the end. When it actually ended, I thought "is this the last page? That can't be right." It just felt very rushed for the last 20% of the novel. Maybe I was just sad it ended so soon haha. But I do love how everyone learned lessons and how while they couldn't change the past, reliving the past had changed them for the future they came back to. It was very beautiful. A lot of quotable lines in the book that made you think.

Definitely recommend this if you loved "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow" since it gave me the same vibes.