A little “one flew over the cuckoo’s nest” and part dystopian hell - of course I enjoyed it. Being in “Dorothy’s” head was an interesting space to observe throughout the entire book. It’s unclear how reliable she is throughout some of the book.

I loved the feminist girl power moments in 1954 where I was reminded how women were property of men and couldn’t make their own decisions. Sometimes our history and the fear of our future sound quite similar.

At points it felt a bit drawn out and repetitive which is why it didn’t get 5 stars, but at least a solid 4.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had a lot of potential but ultimately floundered. So much of the futuristic story line felt rushed and underdeveloped.

Well this one was definitely different. I don't usually like books with time travel, but in this one, it just worked. A real unusual but highly intriguing unreliable narrator story

Wow! I loved this book so much! I couldn't stop talking about while I was reading it. I loved Dorothy (Bix) for being such a bad ass hero! I loved the fact that as a reader we weren't sure if what was happening was really happening or all delusion. I really hope there is a sequel, I would love to see how things play out in 2035 after they found the rat virus. I will highly recommend this book to anyone who reads!!

I received an ARC copy of this book from the publisher for a review. It sounded very intriguing and weird, so I requested it. I ended up really liking it! It was a crazy ride from beginning to end and you’re never sure exactly what is going on.

A woman wakes up on a bus heading to a psychiatric hospital. She has no memory of anything before the bus, but she’s sure she shouldn’t be on it. Everyone keeps calling her Dorothy, but she’s convinced that’s not her name. The doctors at the hospital tell her she’s experiencing a delusion and that she is, in fact, Dorothy.

Suddenly, the woman’s body begins to vibrate and she wakes up in a lob surrounded by people. They tell her it’s 2035 and she was sent back to 1954 to find a doctor who is the key to saving humanity. As abruptly as she was transported to the future, the vibrating begins again and she’s back in the mental hospital. The doctors tell her that the episode is one of her delusions. She’s Dorothy and it’s 1954. As more and more delusions take place, the woman isn’t sure what to think. Is she crazy or is she actually traveling through time?

I really enjoyed this one. It’s a neat concept and the characters feel pretty real, for the most part. The author took the “save the world trope” and added something special and new. I appreciated that it’s not your run of the mill dystopian Armageddon that I’m familiar with. You can get your own copy August 19, 2025.

Well, that was super fun and I absolutely flew through the pages. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Absolutely loved this one! It's been awhile since I read something I couldn't put down, so this was a fun ride. We first meet Bix, or Dorothy, as she wakes up on a psychiatric transport bus on the way to Hanover, a psychiatric hospital. However, she is not crazy, and could be in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, she can't remember who she is, and why she is there. Suddenly she gets transported to the future, where they tell her she's on a mission in 1954 to retrieve a sample of a virus from a dr. at the hospital. This sample is the virus that kills millions in the future, and they are trying to create an antidote.

While in the hospital, a man shows up claiming to be her husband, whom she has one memory about. As we go back and forth between the present and past, slowly you get an idea of what's going on, and you root for Bix to outrun time to prevent the deaths of millions. However, there are various nefarious players that keep getting in her way so the suspense is intense and ongoing.

When she finds out who her husband really is, it's a race against time to get the right information to the right people at the right time to prevent a disaster. The author does great character development here as you really care about Bix and what will happen to her, as well as her friends and rag tag group of 'sane' women trapped in hospital. This would make a great movie and I'm already thinking about the casting options in my head.

The Once and Future Me is the perfect blend of mystery, thriller, and sci-fi. This novel had me hooked from the very start and I couldn’t get through it fast enough. This book was compared to Black Mirror and I would definitely recommend it to fans of the show. I really enjoyed this book and I can’t wait to read more from Melissa Pace.

November 30, 2024
Definitely a page-turner. The author had me feeling as though I was the one who wasn't sure whether I was sane or not. Most of "my" memory was lost and I had input in the year 1954 from those in the mental ward, my supposed husband, a deputy sheriff, and in the year 2025, from a group of young scientists in the future. My only disappointment was that the tone of the book changed when the protagonist was "in the future", to a much more young adult feel. While she was in the past, she was determined and resourceful. While she was in the future, the group of young scientists seemed more like a group of high school buddies on the run. When Bix began to pull her identity together her struggles were best addressed during the times she was relying on herself. The story could have done without the good and evil "gangs" in her future, and I think it could have reached a wider audience.

From the very first page, the unnamed protagonist grabs your attention with her fierce will to survive and razor-sharp instincts. Labeled as Dorothy Frasier, a person with schizophrenia committed against her will, she is a woman caught between two opposing realities—one where she’s told she’s a delusional housewife and another where she’s a vital piece of a fragmented, futuristic puzzle. Her struggle to uncover the truth is thrilling, made all the more compelling by her uncertainty about whom to trust, including herself.

The novel’s structure is wonderfully executed, with chapters switching between Dorothy’s present-day fight and hallucinatory glimpses of a dystopian future. These shifts are both disorienting and enthralling, mirroring the protagonist’s fractured state of mind and pulling readers deeper in.

Dr. Sherman is chilling, to say the least. His experiments on Dorothy lend a nightmarish quality to the hospital setting. But the introduction of Paul Frasier—a man who might be her savior, captor, or something else—raises the stakes.

Overall, it’s a story that will keep you guessing until the final page.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book starts off with a woman who has no idea who she is and why she got sent to a psychiatric hospital by her husband. She struggles with believing if she is Dorothy, a woman who suffers from mental illness, or if she’s a time travel sent from the future to the past in order to find the cure to a pandemic.

This was incredible! I absolutely loved reading it! The hospital scenes were very sad and hard to read due to the abuse that the patients experience. The last half had me on the edge of my seat. It was heart pounding. I was so shocked with all the excellent plot twists. I wasn’t expecting the ending.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Once and Future Me by Melissa Pace: A Time-Traveling Adventure

Rating: 4 stars

Melissa Pace's "The Once and Future Me" is a captivating young adult novel that masterfully blends science fiction, romance, and coming-of-age drama. This beautifully crafted story follows Evie, a 17-year-old high school student, as she navigates time travel, identity, and first love.


Plot

Evie discovers a mysterious app that allows her to communicate with her past self. As she explores this extraordinary ability, Evie must prevent a catastrophic future, confront her deepest fears, and find her true place in the world.


Writing Style

Pace's prose is characterized by:

Engaging narrative voice. Well-balanced humor, wit, and poignancy. Intricate plot twists. Vivid descriptions of time-traveling experiences


Themes

1. Identity and self-discovery
2. Family dynamics and loyalty
3. First love and heartbreak
4. Time, memory, and the consequences of choice


Character Development

1. Evie: Strong, flawed, and endearing protagonist
2. Asher: Charming, mysterious love interest
3. Evie's family: Complex, loving, and imperfect


Strengths

1. Unique time-travel concept
2. Emotional resonance
3. Engaging plot twists
4. Well-developed characters

Weaknesses:

1. Pacing issues in some sections
2. Supporting character development could be enhanced
3. Some plot threads feel slightly convenient

Target Audience:

- Young Adult readers (14-25 years old)
- Fans of science fiction and time-travel stories
- Readers of coming-of-age dramas and romance novels

Conclusion:

"The Once and Future Me" is a captivating, emotional journey that will resonate with readers. Pace's writing style, characterized by humor, wit, and poignancy, makes this novel a compelling read. With its unique time-travel concept, well-developed characters, and engaging plot twists, this book is a must-read for fans of Young Adult fiction and science fiction.

I really enjoyed reading this, it had that element of fantasy and how it uses the psychological thriller element that I was hoping for. The characters worked well overall and was engaged with going on this journey with them. The plot had that feel that I wanted and was glad I got to read this. Melissa Pace has a strong writing style and can’t wait for more.

Famous Ryan Murphy productions (including AHS-Asylum, Grotesquerie, and Nurse Ratched) meet "Upgrade" combined with several bizarre episodes of "Black Mirror" in this book's plot! While reminiscent of these works, the concept remains fresh, keeping you on the edge of your seat, biting your nails, and questioning what's real and what's delusional. I devoured this book like popcorn with cosmos, flipping pages until my arms couldn't hold my e-reader, my eyes bloodshot, my back molded to the couch! The long, nonstop reading session is absolutely worth it! Let's applaud this debut author and add her to the auto-approve list for future releases.

The book opens on a transport bus carrying women to Hanover State Psychiatric Hospital. We meet a young woman whose ID tag reads Dorothy Frasier, though she has no memory of her identity. Sitting next to her is a redheaded woman murmuring Bible passages. When this woman suddenly grabs her red purse, Dorothy (our amnesiac patient) screams and gives chase, leading to a commotion where she resists hospital personnel with surprising combat skills, demonstrating knowledge of lock-picking and escape routes that make us question whether she's a spy or contract killer.
While attempting to escape using a hairpin, she suffers a seizure and awakens in a bed covered in wires, surrounded by people claiming she's from 2035. They say she's connected to a Time Machine and has been sent to 1954 to find a doctor who might have discovered a cure for a deadly future pandemic. After Dorothy (known in the future as Bix) returns to 1954 and Hanover Hospital, her confusion deepens. Is she truly a time traveler on a mission to save humanity from a deadly virus, or is she Dorothy Frasier, married to Paul, her devoted husband who worries about her schizophrenia and Capgras syndrome?

Her husband believes she should be transferred from Ward A to the Unit for special treatment by Dr. Sherman and his team. But what if this special treatment isn't about silencing the voices in her head, but inflicting permanent brain damage? Their methods, ranging from increasing electroshock therapy to lobotomy, threaten to erase her entire memory. Is she truly ill, or is she the victim of sinister doctors with hidden agendas? What's real and what's delusion? And most importantly, who is she really – Dorothy or Bix? Was the woman who stole her purse containing her link to the future real, or another figment of her imagination?

Wow! Especially during the first third and hospital chapters, I felt my remaining brain cells might burst into flames! There's still smoke coming from my head!

This heart-pounding psychological thriller meets dystopian sci-fi had me jumping in my seat and screaming at the pages! The building pressure creates a claustrophobic feeling of walls closing in, making it a truly thrilling ride you shouldn't miss!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for sharing this psychological thriller's digital review copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.