An engaging first novel, with an interesting setup for having an unreliable narrator and a definitely emotional connection with the protagonist. Avoiding spoilers, I’ll say I enjoyed it overall, but pacing-wise the first half drags a bit and the last quarter has a whole lot (including a Bond-movie-worthy explanation by an antagonist and at least one Deus Ex Machina moment) crammed in a short space. The conclusion isn’t fully satisfying, in a way that seems to be leaving room for a sequel or trilogy rather than having being left open to serve the story..

But still, the connection that Pace makes between the reader and Dorothy as the narrator questions her own sanity is extremely well done, and will keep you flipping pages to the end to find out what’s really happening. It’s an engaging first effort, and I’ll look forward to seeing what else Pace has in store. On a decimal 1-5 scale, I’d rate it 3.75.

Thanks to Netgalley and Henry Holt & Co. for the ARC.

An interesting concept with a mostly gripping pace, "Once and Future Me" will generally work for people who, like me, were fans of shows such as Fringe, Dark and Continuum.

It has a good mix of MK Ultra-meets-Stepford Wives for the first half and a heavier dose of suspenseful sci-fi for the second half, a motley of genres that in my opinion helps keep it intriguing.

Author Melissa Pace apparently has also written TV pilots, and it shows in that the plot moves generally swiftly, albeit episodically. But also in that there are several deus ex machina moments that in my case did strain the suspension of disbelief towards the latter third of the book. That dinged my enjoyment of it a bit, as well as the fact that even with a first person narrative it is hard to get a sense of the main character given the memory loss aspects — and therefore several of the supporting cast, so to speak, also feels not quite fully cooked so that the ending (appropriately, given the marketing, very "Dark Matter"-like) didn't quite land for me.

That said, the writing sometimes really soars in a way that made the novel overall enjoyable. I.e. this phrase that felt particularly evocative: "a high-pitched scream now pours from this audience of children raised by each other".

It's a 3.8/5 for me, rounded up.

This book is a 4.5 star read for me! I can't get over the fact that this is a debut novel! This author is one I will be waiting to see what comes next!

I will admit when I first read the synopsis I was nervous to see if there would be too much going on in this book since we are following the main character who may or may not be from the future. Or may or may not be this Dorothy lady who is a paranoid schizophrenic.

Instead, I was gripped with wanting to find the truth and following her through all that she went through to try to see what her reality was! I feel for myself this book was fast-paced and kept me interested until the end.

Why I rate it a 4.5 star is because I feel the ending fell a little flat for myself, but the rest of the story kept me interested!

I have to thank Net Galley and Henry Holt & Company for my advanced reader copy!

I was excited for this one and wanted to absolutely love it, it just didn't blow me away. For me, the pacing lagged and I just couldn't get invested. I would still recommend this to someone wanting a time travel story!

Thank you, NetGalley and Henry Holt and Company, for the ARC!

What a great plot! This book really has something for everyone. Part thriller, part sci-fi, with some US History, biological warfare, mental asylums, a bit of a love story and I can see the movie version already. The narrator is maybe unreliable or maybe mentally ill or possibly a time traveler. Quite chilling for sure. My only issue was with the pacing; I felt like things moved a bit too slowly at times. Otherwise this is an outstanding debut and I will be reading Melissa Pace’s next novel. Thank to the author and Net Galley for the preview copy.

I loved this book, and it will give me nightmares. The book starts with the FMC on a transport bus in 1954 headed to a psychiatric hospital but with no memory of who she is or why she’s there.

This story is told by a very unreliable narrator, who is diagnosed by hospital staff as a schizophrenic and administered treatments common at the time, like electroshock therapy. The narrator is either ‘Dorothy Frasier,’ a paranoid and suicidal schizophrenic, or ‘Bix,’ a time traveler from the future sent back 12 Monkeys style to save the world from a deadly plague.

The storytelling is fantastic and unravels in an engaging and captivating way. As a reader, I felt confused and unsure of what was happening right along with the FMC.

This is a fantastic edge-of-your-seat psychological sci-fi thriller.

Spice: 2/5
Plot: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
My Enjoyment:5+/5

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Publication Date: August 19, 2025

What an absolute mind-f of a book! I loved this so much that I couldn’t bring myself to read the final few pages for days because I just didn’t want it to end. This was such a gripping, immersive read that I was genuinely unsure whether Dorothy was actually Dorothy Frasier or a time traveler from the future. The psychological tension, the historical setting, and the dystopian elements all blended together perfectly to create an unforgettable experience.

Dorothy is a fantastic protagonist, and her struggle between two possible realities was masterfully written. I felt every ounce of her confusion and desperation. The one thing that didn’t fully work for me was the characters from the possible future. While we’re told that Dorothy cares about them, we don’t spend enough time with them to really feel that connection. I wish those relationships had been fleshed out more rather than just being told they mattered.

Now, let’s talk about the ending. If there’s one thing that will make readers scream, it’s that. It felt more like the end of a chapter than the end of a book, and I was left yelling, “What the f-! It can’t end there!” If a second book were available, I’d be downloading it immediately. Unfortunately, this book isn’t even out yet, so we’ll most likely be waiting a while.

But even with that ending, I can’t recommend this book enough. Dystopian world, mental asylums, U.S. history, time travel. It has everything. This a book that I won’t stop pushing on everyone I know. Easily a 4.5-star read, rounded up to 5.

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this one! I love when books have you questioning reality and what you are reading. A lot of the time, I questioned what I was comprehending. A fresh thriller. Setting it in a 1950s women's psychiatric hospital was scary in itself but having a whole subplot of biological warfare and time travel set it off. The only thing is that it got a little slow in some of the parts and got a wee bit repetitive. Other than that a great story. Recommending this one, definitely.

This book did a great job at building suspense and making the reader question what was reality or delusion. It was a very interesting premise melding sci-fi with thriller and also exploring womens ability to resist their oppression regardless of the time period. There were a few aspects of the story that I didn't enjoy, Like some traits of the character seemed incongruous with each other and the ending seemed rushed and incomplete.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc. This book was great. Super enjoyable, fun and also a little crazy. I would recommend reading it.

Okay, picture this: You wake up on a super-sketchy bus (so a normal city bus) headed straight to Hanover State Psychiatric Hospital. You’ve got no memories, zero clue who you are—just a name tag calling you Dorothy Frasier (probably the worst part IMO) and a serious suspicion that something's WAY off. And just when you think things can't possibly get weirder, a lady snatches your purse and suddenly you're parkouring through hospital staff like Jason Bourne meets Harley Quinn. Um, hello?! What just happened??

But wait, it gets wilder.

One seizure later, you wake up in the year 2035 hooked up to wires, like you've landed smack in the middle of a Black Mirror episode. Future people swear your name is Bix, not Dorothy, and oh yeah—you’re humanity’s last chance to find the cure for a deadly virus in 1954. No pressure, right?

And just when you start believing that wild story, you’re dragged back to 1954 again—this time into the hands of some super-shady doctors who think lobotomies and electroshock therapy are solid cures for literally everything (yikes). Enter stage left: Paul, your ‘devoted husband’ who insists you’re Dorothy and starts pulling out the sentimental photo albums to prove it. Uh...what?!

And thus begins the ultimate mind game—is she Dorothy, the paranoid schizophrenic wife, or Bix, badass future heroine sent back to save the world? Who even knows at this point? (Certainly not me, the clueless reader clutching my Kindle and screaming internally the entire time.)

Honestly, my brain feels like it's been through an intense CrossFit session. This book messes with your head in all the BEST ways. Every time I thought I knew what was going on, the author gleefully tossed another twist my way, leaving me absolutely shook. Seriously, there were moments I was convinced I might also be losing my mind!

Melissa Pace serves up delicious chaos, creepy doctors straight out of American Horror Story, and snarky inner dialogue that's genuinely laugh-out-loud funny. Dorothy (or Bix? Girl, pick a side!) is sarcastic, scrappy, and impossible not to root for. Her voice made the whole bizarre situation a joyride—albeit one that occasionally had me yelling "GIRL, STOP MAKING SUCH TERRIBLE DECISIONS!"

My only gripe? The ending. After 300+ pages of frantic running, clever escapes, and wild reveals, the finale felt a little rushed, leaving me craving more closure. (Please, book gods, tell me there's a sequel coming?!)

Bottom line: If you love twisty thrillers, dystopian chaos, and unreliable narrators that keep you second-guessing literally everything, run—don't walk—to grab this one. Just brace yourself for the mental whiplash.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. Y’all gave my brain a workout, and I’m here for it.

In this thriller/sci-fi tale, a young woman wakes up on a bus that is taking her to a psychiatric facility in Virginia. The year is 1954. She has no memory before waking on the bus, but she somehow is a highly skilled fighter. The only information she is provided from a doctor overseeing her treatment and a husband she does not remember, but she in not sure she trusts everything is as it seems. The woman wants answers and she will need to find them on her own, no matter what the cost. This story has twits and turns and is perfect for fans of Black Mirror and AHS Asylum. Thank you Henry Holt & Co. and NetGalley for the ARC. You can grab this book when it publishes August 19, 2025 wherever you buy your books.

I was reading this book for the sci fi thriller aspect of it (which I did like) but this book spent way too much time on the gaslighting horror show that was Hanover, and I just didn’t really enjoy reading it. It’s well written, and the turmoil bix went through seemed really authentic, it just wasn’t what I was looking for. Ending was also too abrupt, I wanted a proper resolution after spending almost 70% of the book in an insane asylum

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A woman awakens on a bus bound for an insane asylum in the 1950s with no memory of who she is or how she got there. Is she Dorothy, a woman with paranoid delusions who poses a threat to herself and others as her doctor and husband claim, or are her visions of an urgent futuristic mission to save the world the ultimate reality?

This book dives right into the action and ends on a cliffhanger primed for a sequel. I felt the middle lagged when Dorothy is undergoing treatment and then discharged, but picked right back up again! I enjoy an unreliable narrator, and Dorothy is definitely one since she can’t rely on her memories and doesn’t know who to trust. This intriguing psychological thriller skillfully touches on the cruel treatments women were subjected to in the 50s as well as addresses the question of “How am I not myself?”

This book is out August 19th, and hopefully we’ll get a sequel from Pace in the near future!

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt publishing for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story begins with a woman on a patient transport bus bound for Hanover State Psychiatric Hospital in 1954, with no memory of who she is or how she got there. The doctors tell her she's Dorothy Frasier and has a history of paranoia, schizophrenia, and even violence. She's also having visions of the future, the year 2035, where she's someone named Bix who has been sent to the past on a mission to save humanity. What is the truth? Is the voice in her head a symptom of Dorothy's disease or is she really Bix?

The Once and Future Me was an incredible ride from start to finish - I was on the edge of my seat constantly questioning what the truth really was, totally caught up in the mystery of Dorothy/Bix. The ending came far too soon for me, as I could have remained in that world for much longer (sequel?? please!!!). And while mystery is compelling, immersive, and a lot of fun, the book spends a lot of time exploring mental health. While 1954 was certainly a different time, the way we see these women being treated and robbed of their agency is all too chilling a reminder that perhaps we have not evolved as much as we think.

I really enjoyed this ARC and the concepts and world that were created by the author. I enjoyed the dual time periods and really loved once more info about the present day events were revealed. But then it basically had no ending- if you’re being really generous you could call what happened a cliffhanger. I feel like we got through so much meat of this book (380 pages of which 50 pages could have been cut) to not have any answers whatsoever in the end so… what was the point? I will need to sit with it a bit but the end definitely has me disappointed. A lot of great aspects, especially for a debut. If there IS a sequel, I will definitely be reading it!

This book was a wild, entertaining ride!

You have time time travel, an unreliable narrator, a dystopian pandemic-filled future, the misogyny of the 1950's mental health, and a quirky main character who is either Bix from the future or a mentally unstable Dorothy from the present. This book kept me turning pages late into the night. If anything, the ending felt a bit rushed. Maybe it's a set up for a sequel?

Thanks so much to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC!

While well written, this one didn't work for me. It was a slog to get through. Perhaps I just didn't resonate with it conceptually. I understand we are meant to be learning things alongside Dorothy and that is not my favorite literary device. How to keep something on the confused-to-enlightened path while being engaging at the same time? That is just damn difficult, although I would still say this is a worthy and ambitious effort and I liked it enough to keep Melissa Pace's future books in mind.

Thank you to Henry Holt & Company and NetGalley for the e-ARC!

For fans of AHS Asylum, Continuum, The Society, and The Last of Us, The Once and Future Me follows an amnesiac woman from the moment she wakes up on the patient bus to Hanover State Psychiatric Hospital in 1954. She has knowledge that doesn't align with the reality of 1954, and slang that doesn't exist. And a husband that she remembers, or does she?

Pace has created such an intriguing mystery in The Once and Future Me, which deals with the misogyny and stigma of mental health of the 1950s, and more current topics of contention like religious extremism and viral events, but the handling of it fell flat for me. I spent more of the book confused than I would have liked to, even with the clues and information we're given.

The pacing is at times break-neck, and at others, crawls along. I would have liked less of some characters that weren't really contributing over others that I think could have really helped the book along more.

Some of the characters I really loved, like Georgie, Worthy, Ethan, Kyung, and Gideon! None of these are the main character. I felt neutral about Bix. She agitated me for how she let things happen to her, and then when she did make decisions and do something, it was usually ill-thought out and generally hard to read. However, she was getting gaslit out of her mind in that hospital on top of the amnesia, so, hopefully she gets better in the next book.

This book ends on a random cliffhanger, in that it felt like the climax you were expecting doesn't happen: it ends right before where you think it will go. Heck of a way to find out there's going to be a sequel.

Please let there be more relationship building as we go forward, I can't just have characters thrown at me and told Bix cared-cares-about them, so I should, too.

Once again, thank you to the publisher and NetGalley!

A fun and unpredictable adventure that bends genres. I read it without reading the book's description, so it was full of surprises. I enjoyed it the whole way through.