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.