Such a well paced and suspenseful book! The twists were believable and not predictable.
It had excellent writing and a fascinating plot.
The Memory Collectors by Dete Meserve is a book which kept me thoroughly engaged from beginning to end.

No engaño a nadie si digo que lo primero que pensé cuando vi información sobre The Memory Collectors fue que si Dete Meserve era del mismo pueblo que Yennefer de Vengerberg, porque mi mente es así de simple. Si nos fijamos en la sinopsis, pues la verdad es que parecía escrita para mí, con viajes en el tiempo y vidas entrelazadas.


Lo cierto es que aunque la parte de ciencia ficción es inextricable a la novela, se trata más de un misterio que resolver y una serie de lecciones de vida que una novela especulativa. Esto puede decepcionar a los fans más hardcore del género, pero la lectura merece la pena, está escrita con oficio y puede llegar a emocionar, aunque a veces abuse del sentimentalismo. La ciencia en esta novela de ciencia ficción brilla por su ausencia.

Leeremos cuatro puntos de vista distintos de viajeros en el tiempo, inicialmente desconocidos entre ellos, pero destinados irremediablemente a mezclarse. Algo no va del todo bien cuando todos los viajeros sobrepasan el estricto límite de tiempo que pueden permanecer en el pasado, pero este es una necesidad imprescindible para el desarrollo de la historia que ha planeado Dete Meserve. La autora habla de redención, de superación de los propios límites y de aceptación de los hechos que no podemos cambiar, pero sin pontificar, dejando al lector la interpretación de unos hechos profundamente humanos.

Los cuatro personajes (Elizabeth, Logan, Andy y Brooke) están rotos en el presente por los hechos que acontecieron en el mismo día de 2025. Se supone que no se puede elegir a qué momento del pasado vuelves, pero casualmente todos ellos van al mismo día y a la misma región geográfica, volviéndose a enfrentar a aquello que fracturó sus vidas. Todos han sido informados de que cuando sean extraídos del bucle temporal todo se reseteará y volverán a sus vidas actuales, pero ninguno pierde la esperanza de que esto no sea así.

Meserve guarda muy bien sus cartas mientras va poniendo las piezas sobre el tablero de juego y aunque alguna de las relaciones podamos intuirlas más o menos desde el principio de la novela, el misterio de qué sucedió aquella noche no se desvelará tan fácilmente.

Mención especial merecen los narradores del audiolibro (Andrew Eiden, Erin Bennett, Hillary Huber, Michael Crouch), uno por cada personaje. Me gustan los audiolibros que tienen una representación variada en sus actores, hace que el libro se disfrute de una forma coral.

Es una novela que no me extrañaría que se viera publicada en español, de la mano de una editorial generalista como Anagrama.

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Speculative Fiction, Sci-Fi, Time Travel
Format: Multi-POV

THE MEMORY COLLECTORS is a whirlwind of the past and moving forward.

I thought this had an interesting premise. It reminds me of older sci-fi that explored ideas.

Each of the four characters are sent back in time, fully knowing they won't be there longer than 24 hours and can't change the past, but then things go awry. When each person confronts their past, their attitudes change. I thought this was one of the most intriguing parts of this. That and moving forward into the unknown.

This book is perfect for sci-fi readers.

Happy reading!

What would you do if you could spend an hour in your past?

The Memory Collectors is a time-travel novel about grief, guilt, and most importantly, love. It’s a little slow to get into, but after a while, I found myself glued to the words, holding my breath to find out what happens next. Unfortunately, around the 80% mark, the suspense fades, and the story starts to feel more like an after-credits scene that just keeps going. My only gripe with this book is that all the mysteries wrap up a little too perfectly in the end, with a neat bow on top.

The Memory Collectors isn’t your typical time travel story. What the novel by Dete Meserve does best is to avoid getting caught up in the sci-fi specifics of how time travel works and instead focus on the deeply emotional journeys of four strangers who are desperate to revisit the past.

That’s not to say there isn’t any explanation for how it works. In fact, the characters who go back in time only do so in their minds. This concept makes the story feel just a little more realistic, and avoiding getting caught up so much in the “how” allows the story to focus more fully on its characters.

Full review available at Eulalie Magazine: https://eulaliemagazine.com/2025/05/the-memory-collectors-offers-a-unique-take-on-time-travel-with-emotional-results-book-review/

I had an enjoyable time reading this story, but felt a bit unsatisfied by the ending. I liked following 4 different characters, each with their own motivations for revisiting the past, and uncovering the connections between them.

The story reads fast-paced; I didn't want to put it down. It was a propulsive read & each character felt distinct while reading and I was rooting for them while waiting to see how they would collide and if they'd be able to change their pasts.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions remain my own.

I can’t believe I hesitated to read this book! For some inexplicable reason, I thought it might not be my cup of tea, but boy, was I mistaken! Not only was this book tailor-made for me, but I’d wager it’s perfect for anyone I know. I can’t stop thinking about it!

In "The Memory Collectors," four strangers find themselves time-traveling to a pivotal moment in their pasts in a beach town in Ventura, California. Each is seeking closure: Elizabeth wants to reconnect with her deceased son, Andy hopes to find his lost first love, Logan longs to reclaim his adventurous spirit after an accident, and Brooke seeks relief from guilt over a mistake. They use a time travel invention called Aeon Expeditions, which promises to let them relive an hour from their past without altering the future. However, when their scheduled hour extends unexpectedly, they become trapped and uncover dark secrets from that fateful night, revealing that someone else with harmful intentions was also present.

Imagine if you could turn back time and alter the course of your life. Sounds tempting, right? But let’s be real, doing so would unleash a chaotic chain reaction of unforeseen consequences. Instead, what if you could view your challenging situations through a fresh lens and grant yourself a second chance? Would you take it?

This book will tug at your heartstrings! I’ll admit, the cover didn’t initially grab me, but the content. Absolutely captivating! Do yourself a favor and dive into this mind-blowing journey—it’s like stepping into an entirely new dream world! I was fortunate enough to experience the audiobook, and the narrators were phenomenal. I was hooked, eagerly anticipating how everything would unfold!

This heartfelt fantasy is sprinkled with just the right amount of mystery and suspense. There’s so much to love about it! The characters are relatable, the writing is exquisite, and the resolution is satisfying. I genuinely believe we all need this book in our lives to help us see things from a different perspective. Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, the outcome is simply beyond our control. So, be kind to yourself and others. Life can be tough enough without piling on extra emotional baggage!

This might just be one of the best books I’ve read this year! I won’t spoil any details, but I want to convey how deeply it resonated with me. I hope that when you find yourself at a crossroads, someone hands you this book to help shift your perspective. WOW! Absolutely amazing!

Thank you, Spotify Audiobooks and Crooked Lane Books, for the digital ARC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a book that I had to sit on a while before I wrote my review. It is very heavy and emotional and I needed to digest it first.

Elizabeth aches for one more precious hour with her son who died in a senseless accident. Andy is desperate to find his first love who vanished after a whirlwind romance. Logan craves the rush of surfing and mountain climbing, yearning to reclaim the freedom he lost after a misstep landed him in a wheelchair. Brooke is looking for an hour of relief from the guilt of an unforgivable mistake…enter Enter Aeon Expeditions, the groundbreaking time travel invention.

At first, I was not sure I was going to like this tale. I mean, time travel??? But the author made it work and created some fabulous characters with huge feelings. They were not to be ignored!

This tale will take you on an emotional ride that you will not soon forget. And you absolutely root for every character to get their wish. Because if they get their wish, then the tragedies did not happen.

Need a unique tale which will make you look at the past just a little differently…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel for a honest review.

Advertised as time travel but that is really a very small aspect of the story. We are introduced to four people who are trying to deal with huge emotional issues from their past who plan to go back for just one hour to see if a better understanding of what occurred will help them.

It is fun but suspend belief. I had the most trouble with believing that anyone would pay a fortune to go back for one random hour from the whole of their past and expect it to help them in any way. Fortunately for our four main characters they find themselves stuck for a long time and they do attempt to change things for the better. Of course this will change history and we know that cannot happen. Or can it?

It is an interesting take on the possibilities of travelling back in time. An enjoyable read worth four stars.

Happy publication day to The Memory Collectors!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! 🫶🏼

This book was such a pleasant surprise. It’s a story about four strangers, each haunted by the worst day of their lives and completely unaware that they’re all connected (we don’t even know that until later)

There’s a new technology allows people to “jump” back in time: not physically, but mentally, sending your present-day consciousness into your past body to relive one hour. One hour to remember, to understand, maybe to make peace.

I was in. I love this kind of quiet mystery where you peel back the layers little by little and go “wait… WHAT” out loud.

It’s clever, emotional, and weirdly comforting? Like being sad in a warm bath.

I also found myself casting the TV adaptation in my head, which is fitting because the author works in film/TV. Someone please give her a budget and a camera.

If you like character-driven mysteries with emotional depth, this one’s for you.

The Memory Collectors is a grat exploration of grief. It strives to answer the question that we all face after loss: what might've happened if I did something differently?

Each character and their reason for traveling to the past was very well fleshed-out and the way each choice intersected was so satsifying to uncover. It was much more like a mystery than a science fiction novel; this is not a complaint but a notice for anyone expecting a deep-dive into time travel theory. You won't get one.

There was something very poetic about the way making different choices still led them to the same place. And seeing them heal through the new perspective they gained was lovely to read.

Oh my gosh! The Memory Collectors blew me away! Time travel, mystery, and relationships all wrapped up together equal a story that I devoured.

I have been a huge fan of Mete's stories from her very first book. And..... I am fascinated by the thought of time travel. So I was super excited when I found out that time travel was the focus of her new book. Win, win for me!

The idea of spending an hour in the past with anyone you want. Hmmm, who would I pick? The choice was easy for each of the characters in the story. But when they travel back in time, they find that their lives are all intertwined and they are connected in ways that they never would have imagined.

I have to admit that at times I was confused (seems pretty typical with time travel stories) but as the story unravels, it all started to make sense. The fun was trying to figure out the connections and tie it all together. I want to go back and read it again to pick up the clues that I missed the first time through.

As always with Mete's stories, I totally fell in love with everything and everyone in the book. I would say that this one is my favorite but I think I feel that way about each one of her books when they come out. This one is great and I highly recommend The Memory Collectors!

If you could go back in time to relive one hour of your life, what would you pick?
In The Memory Collectors, the lives of 4 strangers were irrevocably changed three years ago, all connected to the same accident on the Pacific Coast Highway. When they are offered a chance to go back to and relive 1 hour in their lives a few days before the accident, through time travel, they all jump at the opportunity even though they are told that nothing they say or do will change the past. But when they are unexpectedly stuck for more than an hour, the past changes them: the opportunity to go back and experience their lives and relationships through a different lens changes what they see and perceive, especially after their paths cross and they realize they are all visiting from the future. I found this book riveting, an emotional investigation of perspective, relationships, forgiveness, loss and love. I quickly found myself invested in the characters, their stories and their outcomes. Highly recommend!

If you could spend an hour in your past without changing the future, who would you see? What would you do.?
This is exactly what happened to Elizabeth, Andy, Logan and brooke when they got the chance to have a hour in the past before tragedy hit them all.
The memory collectors is unputdownable any chance I got to read I did. I loved the character growth in each person, the self reflection and the alternate POV just hit perfectly. Being able to read each persons Story on why they chose this point to go back too. Elizabeth aches for a hour with he son before a accident took him, Andy just wants to find his first love again, Logan cranes the rush of moving after he is left wheel chair bound and Brooke just need a hour of relieve from the guilt she feels. I felt different emotions when reading each pov I was left in awe, speechless or heartbroken. I highly recommended this read

Oh my did I love this book. Four strangers travel back in time to relive one day of their life. And then we find out all four were experiencing the same day. I love how we found out how it was connected. This book was so beautiful. Yes, there was a suspsense element. But it really was a meditation on loss, forgiveness and second chances. Such a beautiful book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

TIME TRAVELERS

Four strangers choose to time travel with the help of Aeon Expeditions in Ventura, CA. They all wish to go back and spend one hour in their pasts. Oddly, these strangers have all chosen the same date to revisit. Even though this time travel offering is ultra expensive, it seems the only answer for these people to make peace with their pasts.

Elizabeth wants one more hour with her son, who died tragically in an accident that wasn't his fault. Andy desperately searches for his first love, who disappeared after a lightning romance. Logan dreams of mountain climbing, surfing, and the adrenaline rush from all the hardcore activities he participated in before being confined in a wheelchair. Brooke seeks one hour of relief from the guilt that has plagued her for an unforgivable mistake.

Author Dete Meserve has woven an intricate plot tying the lives of these four characters together by what happened on August 25, 2025, on the Pacific Coast Highway. When these four find themselves stuck in the past longer than the hour, they begin to work together and to discover things about themselves. They may not be able to change the past, but revisiting it has undoubtedly changed them in ways they would have never believed. The truth finally sets everyone free.

Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley provided me with a complimentary copy of this book. I am writing this review entirely independently.

The Memory Collectors by Dete Meserve is an absolutely unforgettable exploration of fate, choice, and the power of memory. It poses the kind of questions: Is our path in life fated, fixed, carved into stone? Or can a single, seemingly small decision ripple outward and alter everything? And if you had the chance to revisit a pivotal moment, could you rewrite the outcome?

I was completely swept away by this book. The four rotating points of view are handled masterfully, giving each character depth, nuance, and emotional weight. It’s one of my favorite narrative styles, and here it’s done to perfection. Each perspective added something vital to the story, creating a rich, layered tapestry of experiences that felt profoundly human.

The plot is both tightly woven and emotionally resonant, striking the perfect balance between introspection and suspense. I flew through this in a single sitting, totally absorbed, and found myself reflecting on my own memories and choices in the aftermath.

Beautifully written, thought provoking, and emotionally gripping, The Memory Collectors is a standout read, easily one of my top books of the year. If you’re drawn to stories about second chances, the complexity of relationships, and the ripple effects of our decisions, this one is not to be missed.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Dete Meserve, and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

This was a fast read that kept me engaged. I read it in one day. I enjoyed the character development and how their lives all intertwined. There were some moments that were too wordy in a way that didn't add to the story so I found myself skimming at times. Overall, I enjoyed this book.

💭: What a phenomenal book you guys! PREORDER THIS NOW!

4 strangers time travel to the past. With the new technology, no one knows when or where you will be sent, only that you will have 1 hour in the past. There must have been a glitch with these four because they all end up in the past on the same date, a day that tragically impacted their lives. And somehow they remain in that time period well past the hour mark. Why? Will they try to change what happened that day?

I couldn’t stop reading this book. The characters are so tragically broken and full of grief because of what happened to them in the past. You can feel their pain seeing loved ones they haven’t seen for years, and joy being able to walk after being wheelchair bound for years. I loved how the story unfolded when the characters found each other and realized they were all travelers. I loved the ending. I loved it all!

Long story short: read this book!
Seriously, this is exactly my kind of story; gripping, suspenseful, original, thought-provoking, and deeply emotional.
It makes you think, it makes you wonder, and it makes you ask yourself over and over: “What if?”
I loved how these strangers’ lives came together. I loved the message. I loved the writing. Honestly, I loved everything about it.
Five easy stars. Just wow!