I was really excited to read this but it was a 3*** read for me.
A bit too sci-fi and characters weren't as developed as I'd hoped. I think that either readers will really love this or feel so-so about it. It is a good exercise in thinking about who/what you'd go back to if you could revisit a time in your life.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

Book Review: The Memory Collectors by Dete Meserve

Dete Meserve's "The Memory Collectors" is a captivating exploration of the age-old question: What if we had the power to alter the past to influence the future? This intriguing premise is deftly woven into the fabric of the narrative, as she invites readers into the world of Aeon Expeditions, a concept that tantalizes with the possibility of time manipulation.

From the outset, Meserve's storytelling prowess is evident. The novel pulls readers in with a gripping narrative that seamlessly blends elements of science fiction with deeply human experiences. The characters are intricately crafted, each with their own unique struggles and triumphs that resonate on a personal level. Meserve's ability to develop characters is nothing short of exceptional; their emotions and thoughts are vividly portrayed, allowing readers to form intimate connections with them.

"The Memory Collectors" is an unputdownable page-turner, a testament to Meserve's ability to maintain suspense and intrigue throughout the story. The pacing is expertly handled, ensuring that the reader is consistently engaged, eager to uncover the next twist or revelation. The novel's exploration of time and memory is both imaginative and thought-provoking.

This book is a remarkable novel that combines a fascinating concept with exceptional character development. It is a story that lingers long after the final page is turned, leaving readers to ponder the possibilities of time and the enduring power of memory. Meserve has crafted a narrative that is not only entertaining but also deeply moving, making it a must-read for fans of speculative fiction and character-driven stories alike.


I want to thank Dete Meserve for the ARC copy and great honor of reading "The Memory Collectors". I have read her previous books and each one of them have been extraordinary. I am never disappointed in her stories. I recommend this book for an experience in what if the possibility of a return to the past could alter the future. Fascinating to ponder! All opinions and thoughts in this review are my heartfelt own.

The Memory Collectors is a book about time travel and second chances, but not in the way you might think.

Aeon Expeditions offers a peculiar service to a selected few for an amount of money that would put your average Joe in crippling debt: the experience of a random hour in a person’s past, except without the possibility of changing one’s real timeline and creating an inescapable paradox.

However, the four people we follow in the book, connected by a date that has forever shaped their lives, soon realise that their hour in the past has come and gone, and they still haven't gone back to the futuristic time travel agency’s sterile hangar…

The premise of the book is incredibly intriguing, and since I enjoy time travel stories it held my attention for the entirety of the book; the mystery and the thriller elements were also interesting, and I speeded through the chapters to find out what exactly happened in that fateful August night.

The novel is very approachable and with short chapters to boot, giving it a snappy tempo and making it a perfect beach read.

Personally I found that the internal logic fell apart at times, even with all the preemptive failsafes that were added to forestall someone like me trying to poke holes in the narrative; I also didn’t enjoy the first person narration for all four pov characters, as they all end up having the same voice and overall objectives after a while.

It was all in all a pleasant read!

Access to the ARC acquired thanks to NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Imagine getting another chance to go back in time to a moment that haunts you! More time with a loved one, fix a mistake or take a chance on something?
Time travel is the theme and four people get a chance to do just this. Californian Mark Saunder, owner of Aeon Expeditions provides this chance.
One has lost their son, one wants a second chance, one looses mobility and one wants to fix a mistake. Will this be the chance of a lifetime, or will this make things harder for those involved. After all we can’t change the past but we can learn to move forward.

New technology allows you to visit your past for one hour. When you return, the past is reset, as if nothing has changed. Elizabeth jumps into the past to see her deceased son one last time. Andy is searching for a woman he fell for and spent less than a week together. Brooke is looking to go back in time before she struck and killed a man with her car. Logan, paralyzed in an accident, years to climb mountains, and push his body once again. When the travelers cross paths, the technology glitches, and they do not return as planned. They discover each other, and find that their lives were connected in the past.

I really enjoyed the concept, storyline, and characters. Everything was woven together in unexpected ways. I saw real character growth and development throughout. I would love to read more from this author!

What would you do if you could revisit your past, if only for an hour? This book follows 5 seemingly strangers who travels back in time for one last chance to live their life as if future mistakes never happened. We follow these strangers while their stories get tangled together and mysteries from their past unfold.

A fantastic story about regret, sadness and how to overcome your past mistakes. These characters are written beautifully and you can just feel their longing. I cried several times and I´m very pleased with the ending.

I will absolutely read more from Dete Meserve after this book, highly recommend!

I loved this book! If we could only travel back and time and visit the people we know/knew. The characters in this book all had a reason to go back and try to redo wrongs and find out why things happened the way they did. If you get a chance to read The Memory Collectors please do! It is well worth the read!

Do you ever think about how your life might have been different if you’d changed one thing in your past? Taking that further, what if technology existed to return you for just one hour to a pivotal point in the past—though you won’t be able to change the future? Knowing you couldn’t change history, is there still a point in your past you’d still want to visit for just one hour? For four characters in this book, Elizabeth, Andy, Logan and Brooke, the answer is a resounding yes.

Their trip is facilitated by Aeon Enterprises. The four characters, all strangers to each other, find themselves in the same time and place, a seaside night when a road accident will ruin lives. But the trip to the past doesn’t last just one hour; instead more time passes, the travelers don’t know how long they’ll be in the past. But maybe that extra time is an opportunity to understand the past better, resolve some questions, help come to terms with the past, and move forward in a different way when regaining the present.

This turns out not to be much at all about time travel. Instead, it’s a personal journey for the four characters in which they find many answers and some real help. It’s an engaging journey to take with the characters if you’re interested in novels about personal loss and growth. I was much more interested in the time travel aspect, so this wasn’t quite what I was looking for, but I can see its appeal if I judge it on its own terms.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

Such a promising premise and the first third was great. But, the resolution to the several mysteries was so disappointing that I cannot recommend this one.

A sci-fi tale, The Memory Collectors (2025) by Dete Meserve features four characters given the possibility of re-living their past. Aeon Expeditions provides opportunity for people to time travel back into their past for an hour. Elizabeth wants to spend the time with her son; Andy want to reunite with his first love; Logan wants to experience action-sports; and Brooke wants to escape from the memory of her big mistake. Transported back to Ventura, California, the four discover they are trapped as their secrets of that beach tragedy are revealed. A time travel fantasy is a somewhat disappointing read, with a two and a half stars rating. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without any inducement. With thanks to Crooked Lane Books and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes.

This was such an unusual story, considering how much I read, I am always pleased when I can find a book with a plot i haven't seen before. And I love time travel novels so I was excited to read this one. Once they started traveling, I kept looking for the connection between them.

Even though it got convoluted and a little hard to follow in some sections, this book in its heart was about grief, second chances, love, forgiveness and maybe a little bit about destiny. I loved the message it had about the power of self-forgiveness and I also loved that things can feel and be so different if we have the ability to widen the lens with which we get to see them.

with gratitude to netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Dete Meserve's The Memory Collector is a mind-bending thriller that grabs you from the first page and doesn't let go until the final, shocking revelation. Imagine having the chance to revisit your past, not as a mere observer, but as a participant. That's the tantalizing premise at the heart of this gripping novel.

Four strangers, each haunted by a life-altering hour, take a leap of faith with Aeon Expeditions, a company promising a one-hour trip into their personal history. There's Elizabeth, desperate to reconnect with her deceased son; Andy, searching for a lost love; Logan, yearning for the physical freedom he lost; and Brooke, seeking solace from overwhelming guilt. Their desires are deeply human, their reasons achingly relatable.

But when their excursions bleed beyond the agreed-upon sixty minutes, these four find themselves stranded, their paths colliding in unexpected and dangerous ways. Meserve masterfully weaves together their individual stories, revealing a shared connection to a single, fateful night on a secluded beach highway. As they delve deeper into the mysteries of that night, a sinister truth emerges: they weren't alone, and someone harbored deadly intentions.

The Memory Collector is a thrilling blend of speculative fiction and suspense, a page-turner that explores the power of memory, the weight of regret, and the dark secrets that bind us. Meserve's writing is sharp, the pacing relentless, and the characters so vividly drawn that you'll feel every twist and turn in your gut. This is a highly original, thought-provoking, and utterly captivating novel that will leave you breathless.

The synopsis for the book really drew me in. Aeon Expeditions has figured out time travel and selects applicants to go back in time to a particular day, but only for an hour. The four main characters in the book, Brooke, Logan, Elizabeth, and Andy, all choose to go back to the same day that was important to all of them. Little did they know how entwined their paths were. If you could travel to the past, what would you do?

Despite being drawn to the summary, this one was just ok for me. There was little character development, and the story felt flat rather than adventurous and exciting.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books, Netgalley, and Dete Meserve for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of The Memory Collectors.

Rating edit: 4.5 stars

Book: The Memory Collectors
Author: Dete Meserve
Genre: Sci-fi/time travel/mystery
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Source: ARC from Netgalley.

The joy of reading an unputdownable book!
There's something so intriguing and fascinating and kind of uplifting about time travel stories.

‘When you know how easily things can be taken away from you, you appreciate them more.’

‘The Memory Collectors’ follows four strangers who are chosen for a rare opportunity — a time travel trip to the past for one hour.

Elizabeth yearns for some precious hour with her son, who died in an accident. She never knew why he, a newly appointed astronomy teacher, was at that place, at that time, with a drug dealer. Andy, a bestselling author is desperate to find his first love, Kate, a beautiful pianist who suddenly vanished after a whirlwind romance — the day after he professed his love for her. Logan craves the experience of walking, mountain climbing, or surfing once again, after a mishap landed him in a wheelchair. Brooke, after serving 900 days in jail, seeks an hour of relief from a haunting guilt of an unforgivable mistake by going back to a time when she wasn't tagged a criminal.

Strangely enough, their one hour time extends, as time travel scientists are seemingly unable to extract them from the past. As they spend more time in the same city, in the same timeline, their paths cross. And as they search for answers, they discover that their lives are interconnected.

‘We all think we know what other people should do. But I see now that each of us is going on roads only we can see.’

This unique story of love, grief, hope, and second chances is beautifully written and intelligently executed.

‘The details take my breath away. We’re at a wooden table in a courtyard. Mounds of red and purple bougainvillea spill over its stone walls. Rose-fingered sunlight drifts through the leaves of a guava tree which fashions a canopy over our table. I draw in a slow, soothing breath of salty air. The ocean is nearby. It feels so damn real.’

The book is full of surprises, secrets, twists, and turns that keep you hooked until the end (well, almost — we’ll talk about that later). The chapters are short and end with cliffhangers, making it difficult to put down.

The characters are well-defined; their emotions, regrets, doubts, and dilemmas are skillfully expressed. My favorite was Elizabeth. Her moments with Sam are so beautiful — full of love, hope, and emotion. Even a brief scene in the past with her husband Mark is lovely. Andy’s past with Kate is intriguing and mysterious. Brooke’s part felt okay but was essential, as she plays a significant role.

Now about keeping me hooked till the end —it did manage to do that, however in the final chapters, when they all come back to the present, the story starts to lose steam a bit and meanders.
Logan — I felt his character and backstory were not as compelling. In fact, I personally think the story could have been tighter without him.

I understand this is an advance review copy, but there were editing errors, which I hope will be fixed by the time of publication.

Overall, a very intriguing, mysterious, and engrossing story. A must-read if you particularly enjoy time travel tales.

Four strangers travel to the past and find themselves stuck on the day their life changed and try to unravel the course of events that altered their lives.

CAN REVISITING THE PAST BE THE CATALYST FOR MOVING FORWARD?

The year is 2028:

In Southern California’s arid terrain, lies an unassuming building which looks a lot like an aircraft hangar. It may not look like much from the outside, but inside, extraordinary things are happening. Aeon Expeditions has found a way to send lucky applicants back in time, and if you are one of the .001% selected, you will get to revisit the past for 60 minutes.

The first question on the application asks, “If you could spend an hour in the past, what would you do?”

The majority of applicants don’t choose a joyful moment-they choose to spend one more hour with someone or something that they have lost. And, even though Aeon cannot guarantee to send you back to a certain day, or that your time in the past will be meaningful, millions of people are willing to spend an exorbitant amount of money to try.

Four strangers will be making “The Jump” next-and all will be returned to the same date, despite two applicants initially being rejected because of something on their application that SHOULD have made them ineligible.

Elizabeth -who would give anything to have more time with her son who died in a senseless accident that day, after she spoke words she wish she could take back.

Andy-who is desperate to find a woman who vanished a trace, or without an explanation after a whirlwind romance.

Logan-an adventurer, who yearns to have the use of his legs for one more day, before returning to life in a wheelchair.

And, Brooke who is looking for answers that might allow her to forgive herself and bring relief from the guilt of an unforgivable decision that she made.

The date they will revisit is August 25, 2025:

Was there a SWISH OF MOVEMENT on that dark night along the Pacific Coast Highway that changed all of their lives?
And, if so, what was it?

They may not be able to change the past-but going back will end up ultimately changing each of them.

The Memory Collectors is thought provoking, speculative fiction that explores grief, forgiveness and second chances.

Although the ending DIDN’T have the “punch” that I expected, this IS a story that will linger with me and most likely make my favorites list for 2025 because of some beautiful passages and its original storyline.

4.5 stars ⭐️ rounded up!

Available May 20, 2025

Thank You to Crooked Lane Books for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!

The Memory Collectors by Dete Meserve
Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
4 stars

This was my introduction to author Dete Meserve and I believe it is marketed as science-fiction. I don’t necessarily agree with the sci-fi label however it was a thought provoking read and I enjoyed it. The author is definitely on my radar to start reading her backlist.

As I noted above this is a “sci-fi” novel based three years in the future (2028.). Aeon Expeditions has technology that can send a participant back in time safely for 60 minutes ( at the cost of tens of thousands of dollars and a grueling application process.) They also claim that they cannot control what point in time you go back to so they cannot guarantee that you will see or re-experience the exact moment you’re wishing for. And you cannot change what happened in the past and nothing you do there will change how the future unfolds. There is not a lot of background or explanation on the science of how the consciousness leaves the body for this trip back in time.

We follow four main characters that all take their trip on the same day and are all sent back to August 25, 2025. Each person returns to the time around the singular event that irrevocably changed their lives. Eventually it becomes clear why they all returned to the same time. The character writing is done so well, it is easy to empathize, sympathize, somewhat relate to and even rage at them. (For me, I raged at Brooke!) The story from their pasts weaves pretty seamlessly into present day and there are many themes explored such as passion, grief, loss, forgiveness and redemption. There are many heartfelt passages in this novel and I really enjoyed the ending.

It really presents some space for self reflection.

“I may think I’m a good person, but when it comes down to it…”

And makes you question if it were possible, would you go back in time for an hour? What period of time would you wish to return to? Who would you hope to see? Would you spend your entire life savings for this one hour that cannot change any of the events that occurred or the future you return to?

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the digital advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Memory Collectors by Dete Meserve is an exceptional blend of speculative mystery, time travel, and emotional introspection. The novel follows four people who are sent back in time to relive moments in their past. The company that offers one-hour time travel experiences and their actions will not the future. As the characters unexpectedly find themselves stranded in the past, their intertwined stories reveal profound struggles, interconnections, and the redemptive possibilities of forgiveness and self-reflection. The story unfolds through their multiple perspectives and explores themes of grief, loss, regret, heartbreak, and hope, crafting characters with remarkable depth. I was drawn in to their lives and exploring both their pain and strength

The time travel element is seamlessly integrated into the narrative. As the characters navigate their extended time in the past, they confront their regrets, uncover hidden truth. The writing is thought-provoking and poignant. The novel raises fascinating "what if" questions about choices and second chances.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I loved this book. It was so creative and I had no idea where it was going.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Memory Collectors releases May 20, 2025

Aeon Expeditions is a time travel company that allows successful applicants to travel back to one of their past lived experiences for a duration of sixty minutes.
If given the opportunity to do so, what event in your life would you hope to be sent back to?
Unsurprisingly, most are motivated by grief and are drawn to the possibility of seeing something or someone they’ve lost.

The Memory Collectors is comprised of four main pov’s: Brooke, Elizabeth, Andy, and Logan.
All of their time jumps have landed them three years in the past, to August 20, 2025.
In just a few days, Brooke will be incarcerated for 900 days from a hit and run that results in involuntary manslaughter, Elizabeth will divorce her husband (the CEO of Aeon) and lose her son, Andy will be ghosted by the girl he just made a soulmate connection with, and Logan will become paralyzed.

Meserve’s writing had me glued to the pages. Seeing how the characters were so intricately connected was extremely satisfying, and although history could not be changed, I think it was well worth it for them to gain the necessary context and closure, and to see things from a more fine-tuned and critical perspective.