I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

This has been on my TBR pile for so long, and I'm glad I finally got around to it. I really enjoyed the storyline and seeing the characters change throughout the story was a great character development. The plot was great and kept my attention. I'm glad I got the chance to read this and will be on the lookout for more in the future!

Return Once More is the first installment in author Trisha Leigh's The Historians. The story is set in the year 2560. In 2510, irreversible destruction on Earth sent people into space. Sanchi, Amalgam of Genesis, is where we find out main protagonist Kaia Vespasian. Genesis was born out of the desire for peace and harmony. Kaia and her family are direct descendants from the Original colonizers, as well as Roman emperor Vespasian who ruled from from 69 to 79 BC. Vespasian founded the Flavian dynasty that ruled the Empire for 27 years.

On Genesis, citizens are exiled for only the gravest infractions, and families are often exiled with the person who committed the infraction. Kaia is an apprentice historian. She and her mates go on research trips back to important moments in history like the assassination of Julius Caesar to observe, record, and reflect. Historian Elders claim they are attempting to prevent the past from rising up on this new utopian where weapons are illegal, and crime is pretty much null.

Kaia's brother Jonah went off script 3 years ago, and now is considered a pirate. So, when Kaia finds Jonah's travel cuff, it sends her on a discover mission to find out what he's been up to, as well as what the Historian are doing. Kaia's friends are Analeigh Frank and Sarah Beckwith. Sarah has found her true companion with a fellow student named Oz Truman who Kaia discovers is doing some unsavory things that she herself end up getting involved in things she should have walked away from. After all, she has a target as large as Jupiter on her back thanks to Jonah.

Part of this story is about finding ones true companion when they turn 17. For Kaia, finding her companion ends up sending her back to Ancient Egypt and the son of Cleopatra, Caesarion aka Ptolemy Caesar who only lived 17 years before being killed by Octavian, the later Roman emperor Augustus. The romance between Kaia and Caesarion, the already over two thousand years dead Egyptian soul mate, was somewhat fairy tale-like, a tragic one, but fairy tale nonetheless. It also reverberates throughout history which is something she has been warned to avoid at all costs.

The story ends on a cliffhanger sort of ending. Kaia is in huge trouble. Oz is someone involved in major conspiracy that could have lasting effects. Her friend Analeigh found trouble helping Kaia, and her friend Sara is no longer speaking to her for reasons I won't spoil for fear it will take away from what really happens and why. I chose to read this book in the middle of the Pandemic to rid myself of a ever growing piles of books that I planned to read but shoved aside. Was it a good choice? Maybe. The idea of time travel is at the top of my list of things I like to read about. The idea of true companions is really nothing more than soul mates in other genres.

You’d think a book about a girl who travels back in time to learn what mankind did to make earth uninhabitable, and ends up meeting the love of her life in ancient Egypt would be right up my alley, but it SO wasn’t. I love history and learning about ancient times. I love time travel. I love the scientific explanations as to why time travel is possible. I love the excitement and mystery of time travel. So… what was my problem? Well, hold my drink.

1. Ok, so we’ve got these Historians who go back in time to analyze the great tragedies and mess-ups of humankind to ensure that these events do not repeat themselves. That sounds kind of cool, but ultimately we, as readers, only get to hear about the crap the world has gone through. One scene in particular about a fire in a factory really depressed me.

2. Something sciency has happened, and now people can find out who their ideal mate is. The problem is, their ideal mate could have been anyone since the beginning of human existence. This means that when these kids become of age they can get the name of their one true love who statistically isn’t even alive anymore. How demotivating is that?! If I found out that my one true love died in 15 B.C., then what’s the point of even trying to find love now? lol. This is what happens to Kaia. She finds out that her ideal match died during the time of Caesar. So… “Ok, here’s the name of the man of your dreams. He died thousands of years ago. You have the power to easily travel back in time to be with him, but DON’T because it could altar everything.” This is just so stupid! Of COURSE she’s going to go meet him. Of COURSE they’re going o fall in love. Of COURSE they are going to endanger practically everyone who has ever lived. Why would a society even do this to its people when it could easily destroy humanity!? Everything rests on lovestruck teenagers and whether or not they have the willpower to resist pushing a button that will take them to their greatest love story ever. *facepalm*

3. These Historians really aren’t supposed to change anything about the past because it could have detrimental effects on the future. But that doesn’t mean they don’t change EVERYTHING. They just secretly change things and go home, hoping the world and the people and the life they’ve always known still exist. Again, too much rests on a very flimsy system.

4. So… we know that too-stupid-to-live Kaia goes to visit her man, Oz, in Egypt. And of course she forces the instalove because science told her he’s The One. Oz is awkward and weird, and I don’t think that people in ancient Egypt talked like he talks in this book. They immediately fall in love because of some unseen reason, and he immediately understands and accepts that she’s a time traveler even though he’s never even heard of electricity, much less a time machine. It all just felt so wrong and forced.

5. I didn’t even care about the other characters. I just remember a lot of judging and moral grey areas.

6. You’ve got characters trying to play God, and I hate that. He’s doing fine on His own, thank you.

7. There is so much more that I hated about this book, but I’m getting tired of writing about it. You know how you hate something more the more you think about it? That’s me right now.

So… bottom line: don’t read this. lol. I just looked at Goodreads and saw how highly rated this book is and made that emoji face that has the big eyes and no mouth. I don’t feel like we read the same book. lol. There’s better options out there for time travel romance. This one was just depressing.

Oh, I loved this one! It was such a unique book that I don't even know where to begin! I'll just leave it at this: READ IT! It was amazing and romantic and ahhh, so, so good!

Could not finish - just never really got hooked on the story and the characters.