I really enjoyed The Once and Future Me! It gives The Redemption of Morgan Bright and Crypt of the Spider Moon vibes, but mixed with time travel and dystopian thrown in the mix! I loved the story, and was absolutely invested in how it would play out. I loved how our main character was just so unsure of everything, and was appropriately skeptical of everything. It's certainly cautionary in terms of the future, and full of commentary about how absolutely disgusting so-called "mental health facilities" were back in the day. There were a ton of exciting twists and turns, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. My one complaint? The ending! It felt like perhaps it was the start to a series, and if that is the case (I could not find a blessed thing confirming or denying), I will be amending my complaint. But if it is not the start to a series, then I ended up with some unfinished business, and we know I don't love that. But I really enjoyed every other thing about the book, so yay!

Bottom Line: Exciting and full of twists, this is a great take on time travel!

I was really enjoying this until about 75% in and things just got kind of slow feeling and a tad disjointed. I found the protagonist slightly annoying as time wore on. I also despised the ending. It was just too open ended for me. If this was going to be a series then it would be a four star read but as a standalone that ending just left too many things unanswered. I enjoyed the general premise I just felt it lacked polish. It was enjoyable but not memorable.

This book begins with a woman waking up on a bus. The year is 1954, and the bus…why does the bus have bars on the windows? Why can’t she sit up to stop her head from banging around? Why is she surrounded by people who look older than 25 - that’s not even possible, is it? Why does she not know her own name? Who is the woman that was being so nice, then stole her purse?

Soon, she finds out she’s on a bus bound for the Hanover State Psychiatric Hospital. Once she realizes that, she finds out that she somehow knows how to fight. HARD. Still, she is bested and brought inside the hospital, where she is told her name is Dorothy Frasier, and that she has delusions/schizophrenia. She has been sent to Hanover State for an assessment, and her husband Paul (what husband!?) has signed a consent form for her care.

She is given a room in the nicer part of the hospital, where she has nothing but time to think. She remembers a snippet of a man and a little boy - is that Paul? Something about him doesn’t feel right, though. She has realized she has a lot of random skills, like picking locks and knowing Latin. Is that normal for a 1950s housewife? Oh, and the biggest question of all is why does she keep being pulled to another reality where her name is Bix, where her friends and twin brother are, and where the year is 2035?

It takes some time to realize she’s on a mission to save humanity, but as the doctors begin trying their antiquated treatments, they start to compromise her brain. The drugs make her confused. Maybe she really IS hallucinating this future world, and maybe these treatments are actually helping. She is willing to do what the doctors say in order to get out and try to get to know her husband so she can start (or resume) a life with him.

This book is one of the more unique stories I’ve read this year! The small things I’ve mentioned are actually much bigger in the book, and there is a lot I didn’t want to spoil. This did remind me in some ways of “Girl, Interrupted”, but I’d also add in dashes of “In Time”, “Shutter Island”, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and of course, “Back to the Future”. This is very much its own story though, one I’d like see on the screen as well. I’m very picky about my sci-fi, but this hit the mark! 4.5 stars, rounded up for being a debut.

(Thank you to Henry Holt & Co., Melissa Pace and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)

Brace yourself for the twisty psychological historical dystopian science fiction thriller that is this book, because holy genre bender batman, this book has it all! The story opens with a women waking up on a bus about to be admitted into a mental hospital. They claim she is Dorothy and that it’s 1957, but she has no memories of being Dorothy and the voice in her head is telling her to run. There is a man named Paul who is claiming to be her husband saying he just wants her to get better, but sometimes she wakes up in a laboratory and the people there are telling her to stick to the mission. The doctor at the hospital says everything she is experiencing are all delusions and only “treatment’ in the unit will fix her problems… only the more time she spends in the hospital, the more things seem to be wrong. The shock treatments are causing injuries in the other women, and she seems to be forgetting more things each day and that voice in her head doesn’t seem to be one of them…Melissa Pace has managed to capture the claustrophobic, lack of control that was a reality for many housewives in the 1950’s. She has taken a setting that everyone seems nostalgic for, but she peels back the rose-colored lenses and reminds people of the reality of the times. The helplessness and isolation that many people experienced just for being themselves. Dorothy is a character that is filled with complexities, and she will remind you of the power that lies within every woman. She ends up being a character that you want to root for, that you want to save. The multiple timeline science fiction aspect will have you, the reader, questioning the sanity of Dorothy and wondering what is real. The pages will turn in a true thriller fashion as you desperately seek answers to all the mysteries. This is a top-notch psychological thriller that will keep you entertained.

Heart pounding psychological thriller meets dystopian sci-fi mash up makes for an exciting debut novel. 1954 mental hospital treatments and time jumping to 2035 to find out what the mission is for a patient who knows she isn’t Dorothy, but possesses some strange inner dialogue. Thanks to NetGalley and Holt for an advanced copy for a honest review.

3.5 / 5 stars

The Once and Future Me blends psychological thriller, historical fiction, and speculative sci-fi, opening in 1954 as a woman with no memory of her past comes to on a patient transport to a psychiatric hospital. The doctors insist she’s Dorothy "Dee" Frasier, mentally ill and dangerous, but that doesn’t feel right to her. Neither do the visions of scientists who claim she is a time traveler named Bix with an urgent mission to complete. Trapped between two possible — and equally improbable — realities, Dee has to decide what’s real, who to trust, and whether her darkness is a weakness or the key to survival.

I really enjoyed the slow-burn intensity of the first two-thirds of this book. The 1954 hospital setting felt robust and immersive, and I loved being trapped in the fog of Dorothy/Bix’s mind with her — never quite sure what was real and what was invention. The sinister setting of the all-too-real psychiatric hospital heightened the intensity of the story in a way that was both beautiful and tragic.

Where it fell short for me was in the final act. I want to avoid spoilers, but there is a distinct shift, and the narrative lost some of the sharpness that made the first sections so compelling. Elements in this section didn’t feel as fully realized, and some aspects struck me as clunky or even a little juvenile compared to the careful precision of the earlier chapters.

Still, this is an ambitious, genre-bending debut with a slow burn buildup that builds toward a climax that, while uneven for me, still delivers tension and urgency. If you like your thrillers to play with perception and keep you guessing — and you can stomach the historical realities of how the mentally ill have been treated — there’s a lot to enjoy here.

First off, I would like to thank publisher Henry Holt and Company and author Melissa Pace for allowing me to read this book, The Once and Future Me, via Netgalley. All opinions following are my own.

This novel follows a woman in a hospital for the mentally ill. She can't remember anything about her life, but she strongly feels that she is not the person they think she is. They call her Dorothy Frazier, but she believes a woman by that name switched places with her while being transferred to the hospital. The doctors and her husband claim that she is schizophrenic and desperately needs treatment.

Then she starts telling the doctor and staff that she is from the future and is there on a mission. No one still believes her, and she is left to believe them or the voice that keeps telling her to trust herself.

At the beginning of the book and even into the middle, I was very intrigued. I honestly didn't know if I believed she was mentally ill or really a time traveler. It kept me going back and wanting to read more. However, I was extremely disappointed by the ending, and I even felt, to an extent, reading the whole book was a waste of my time.

Overall, I gave this book ⭐️ ⭐️. This is mostly tied to my feelings of the end of the book. The book left me feeling like it had so much potential that it, unfortunately, didn't live up to. This book just came out on August 19, 2025. It wasn't for me, but I encourage others to read and form their own opinion if the book sounds interesting.

Oh, what a wild ride this was. This debut novel from Melissa Pace is a fast paced thrill ride from start to finish. I went into this book blind and it’s the ideal way to approach a read that cannot easily be categorized.

THE ONCE AND FUTURE ME has something for anyone whose pulse quickens at unreliable narrators, psychological thrillers, or science fiction. No spoilers from me, but I will emphatically encourage you to read this book and allow yourself to be propelled by twist after twisty twist.

You’ll find yourself questioning who and what to believe. I’ll likely be thinking and talking about this book for quite some time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Company for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

UM excuse me what was that

We are following a woman in the 1950's who is in an asylum because she has delusions of being a spy from the future. Or we are following a woman who is trying to stop a deadly pandemic from wreaking havoc by going back in time and finding the first instance of it. I never knew what was real and what was a delusion and I loved every second.

A woman wakes up while being transported to a psychiatric hospital. She can't remember how she got on the bus or even what her name is, but she feels strongly that it isn't Dorothy Frasier-the name being pushed on her by a doctor who says she suffers from schizophrenic episodes.

What I enjoyed: This page-turning thriller kept my attention, even while sick with covid. I won’t give any details away, but plot became more and more interesting as it unraveled. I also appreciated the strong focus on a woman’s autonomy, especially when it comes to mental illness.

What I struggled with: Some aspects of the story were tied neatly in a bow while other aspects were a little more unkempt. It felt like we were expected to accept certain details without clear explanation for how those things were possible. I also could have done without the main character’s subconscious inner monologue.

This was almost a 5 star until about 60 percent to the book and it just lost me for a bit. I enjoyed the sci-fi time travel elements. Great for a debut and I would be interested in reading from this author in the future. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read.
4 star

An unreliable narrator who might actually be a time-traveler but happens to be in a psychiatric facility. Delusional and/or psychotic? For a good bit of the book it’s hard to tell. There was so much detail that I felt like I was trapped in a psychiatric facility in the 1950s.

Things made more sense as the book picked up and moved along. I was really enjoying it and noticed there was about 5% of the book left to read, but 20% of the story left to tell. I read to learn about the lives of others and to tie up loose ends; not to assume how things will work out.

Thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for an ARC of this book.

I read about 10% of this one and while the premise seemed interesting, I just wasn't really feeling engaged enough to keep going.

As soon as I read the first line of the summary that “Dark Matter meets Girl, Interrupted” I knew I had to read this one right away! I was hooked from the start and I literally gasped out loud as soon as I finished reading because I could not believe the ending. Right away my reaction was pure shock and I need more! There were so many moments in the story that I kept doubting the FMC and I was caught up in the story with her. She was an untrustworthy character that she didn’t even know who to trust including herself. This book was such a whirlwind that I know I’m going to remember it for a very long time and I definitely could see this being adapted into a movie or TV series because it was just that good. Highly recommend! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review and feedback.

3.75/5 Stars
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I am really impressed by this debut novel by Melissa Pace! The story follows Dorothy, a young woman with amnesia who is trapped in Hanover State Psychiatric Hospital in 1954. I really enjoyed how unreliable Dorothy was as a narrator. From the voice in her head telling her she is from the future and has a mission to complete, to the people around her that are trying to convince her she is schizophrenic, it was such a unique read! I loved seeing her discover herself and regain her memories over the course of the book. It was also really cool to see her interacting with people in both 1954 and 2035. My biggest complaints, however, are that the end of the story seemed too rushed. It felt like there was so much that remained unresolved and left me feeling a bit unsatisfied.
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Overall, I think that The Once and Future Me is a really unique book and a great psychological thriller

The Once and Future Me by Melissa Pace was an engaging debut.
A well written story that kept me hooked from the very beginning.
The characters draw you in and keeps you flipping the pages.
The Once and Future Me grasped hold of my attention right from the start, and I found myself fully immersed in the story immediately.

Thank You NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for the eARC.

This book was WILD. I do not typically enjoy time travel in a book, but this was an exception. I was so immersed in trying to determine what was real and what wasn't. Who was trustworthy and who wasn't. What a fun, wild, and twisty adventure!

When I say I rated this book four stars, I mean that like I rated it the highest four stars. Like, 4.75 stars. The Once and Future Me is one of the few books this year that lived up to every expectation I set for it and even exceeded it. When I got my Aardvark Book Club copy I held it up to my mom and said, “It’s giving…’I’m in the grippy sock motel, but I’m also from the future, but I’m also in 1954, but I’m also not in 1954, so which is real?’”

This is indeed the roughest sketch of the plot for debut author Melissa’s Pace’s work of speculative fiction: A woman finds herself stuck between two realities, not knowing which is “real”, and is confined in one of the worst places for a woman in 1950s America: a psychiatric hospital. The future her is independent, has a mission, has traveled time, is a skilled fighter, and knows useful but criminal things like how to pick locks. The present her doesn’t get to make any decisions for herself, is expected to be everything a man could ask for from a woman, has to follow the hospital’s strict rules and schedule, and is expected to do such stimulating things as crafting pot holders and learning to dance ballroom. While our protagonist often wants to rail against the patriarchy and all of its injustices, sometimes it seems like it might be so easy to just become complacent–to not examine who the future her is.

One of my biggest takeaways from this book was that no matter if it’s 1954 or 2035 or now, men have been and are always going to be looking for a chance to silence women. It’s simply a matter of looking for an excuse to. It’s up to women to keep fighting, for ourselves and for each other. Every woman who helps to keep women down is a collaborator in their own downfall and they’re fools to not see it, but it’s not right to just leave them behind. We as women have a mandate to try and reach them because we hope someone would try and reach us. Time and time again in this book our protagonist makes tough decisions that cost her time, energy, and blood for the sake of trying to save just one more woman or shed a little less blood, showing us that there is always another choice we can make. 4⭐️


I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Dystopian Fiction/Historical Fiction/Psychological Thriller/Sci Fi/Speculative Fiction/Time Travel/Women’s Fiction

This book is very interesting. It took a completely different direction than I anticipated. It maintained my interest and I look forward to reading more from the author.

So the thing that drew me to this book was that it was similar to Dark Matter. I haven’t read that book but I have watched and loved the show. So, based on that understanding I’d say it is similar but with some key differences. In Dark Matter I wouldn’t say they’re time traveling, they just going to parallel universes so that’s where the differences start.

Upon starting the book I was like okay is she actually Dorothy or from the future? I do really love when a book can make me question what’s real or not but I feel like the chapters in 1954 tried to do this too much and I ended up confused many times, rather than excited about the prospect of finding out the truth. The chapters in the asylum started off intriguing for me but I think the story took place in that setting for too long because I found myself getting bored during those chapters. The pacing was just a bit off for me and a little too slow. I did really enjoy “the future” more than the past.


Something that would have elevated this book for me would have been further development of side characters. I was actually a bit intrigued by some of them and wanted to learn more about them.

I didn’t really enjoy the ending of this story. After all that, I’d have liked a bit more closure. Like is there going to be a book 2? If there is then the ending is fine. But yeah, I don’t know, I’m just kind of unsatisfied.