I loved the concept and writing format of this book. The letters were my favorite and the character building was great. Things were slow moving at times, but overall a book I’d recommend to anyone who loves mysteries and secrets!

A solid concept with intriguing potential, Dear Future Me kicks off with an eerie and nostalgic hook: letters from a high school class sent twenty years later, sparking a tragic chain of events. The mystery surrounding Miranda’s death and the past tragedy is compelling enough to keep you reading, but the pacing falters at times, and some twists feel more convenient than earned. While it explores themes of guilt and grief effectively, the emotional depth doesn’t always match the suspense. Enjoyable, but not unforgettable.

I found this book to be an enjoyable read. The story kept me engaged from start to finish and had some moments that really stood out. Overall, it offered an entertaining reading experience.

It took me a little while to get into this one,mainly because there are a lot of characters, and my brain was at “wait, who’s that again?” every few pages, I needed a flow chart to keep up. But keep going, they will all make sense.

The premise is brilliant: a group of former schoolmates take a trip down memory lane and it ain't in 1st class! After receiving letters they wrote to themselves in school, Sounds lovely right? wrong… there are so many secrets to spill and someone turns up dead obvs. Classic reunion vibes, really.

This is no ordinary whodunnit. Deborah O’Connor does a masterful job of making everyone look shady. I suspected basically every character at some point, including people who weren’t even in the room. Just when I thought I had a grip on it, another twist would knock me sideways. And the final reveal? Absolutely did not see it coming. Hats off.

Smart, layered, and a little dark, with a nostalgic edge and plenty of tension. If you enjoy thrillers that keep you guessing and make you side-eye your old classmates, this one’s for you.

thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned pen for the ARC

This book was an emotional rollercoaster in the best way. I completely fell for Audrey - her heart, her vulnerability, her resilience. She made the story so easy to love. I enjoyed getting glimpses into the lives of all the different characters, each with their own secrets and heartaches. The letters woven throughout added such a unique, intimate layer to the story. It all came together beautifully by the end, and honestly, I have a feeling this one will stay with me for a long time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This started with a really interesting premise, and there was a really good kick off into the drama of this thriller. The concept of a letter to your future self that manages to kick off murders, issues, and gossip in a small town is a really cool one, and I found it to be really successful.

The one thing that did bother me was the fact that there were so many characters to keep up with. It just got totally overwhelming after a certain point, and it meant that there was a lot of the story that got lost. I feel like there’s a really successful version of this that’s slightly pared down, which would have been fantastic.

I did still quite enjoy this book, and it had a hearty level of intrigue attached to the story as a whole. I feel like there could have been a bit more of an editing focus, but it was still a solid book as a whole.

What fun!
Twenty years ago, Audrey and her classmates completed a class assignment to write letters to their future selves. The assignment went mostly forgotten until the letters started showing up in the mail slots of the now thirty-somethings. A single vague note tucked into Audrey's letter kicks off questions about a young man's death in 2003, a woman's death in 2023, and the way the trajectories of people's lives can be upended or cut short in unexpected ways. How much did we really know about what was going on with our friends when we were seventeen?
Dear Future Me is a tightly plotted, fast-paced thriller about secrets, memories, and the evolution of relationships. I'm around the same age as the characters in the book, so the acknowledged reality that we can never talk to our younger selves, that that kind of communication can only ever go in one direction, added a layer to this one that I felt on a personal level. You're not going to find like a jaw-dropping, genre-changing experience here, which is absolutely fine. This is a SOLID thriller. Exactly what I was looking for.
The book mostly follows Audrey, but later we also get perspectives from other characters in the present day, and we also get to read their letters from 2003. I've grown to love multi-POV thrillers, and the technique is used really well in Dear Future Me.
I'm looking forward to checking out O'Connor's backlist titles.

3.5 stars rounded up

Unfortunately I have missed the window to read this book as it has now been archived.
I might get it from a book shop and give a proper review at a later point as I was intrigued by the description.

A twisty, emotional mystery with a haunting premise

The setup for this book is so compelling—twenty years after a high school assignment, a group of classmates receives letters from their teenage selves… and suddenly, long-buried secrets come crashing back. When one of them dies under shocking circumstances, the story takes off in a gripping and emotional way.

I really enjoyed unraveling the mystery alongside Audrey as she revisits the past and tracks down her former classmates. The writing captures that small-town tension and lingering guilt beautifully. Themes of grief, memory, and accountability are woven in with just the right amount of suspense.

The only reason it’s not five stars for me is that I guessed the big twist earlier than I hoped. But even knowing, I was invested all the way through—the emotional payoff was worth it.

A solid, engaging thriller that delivers both chills and heart.

This was an engaging mystery that will have readers turning the pages. I loved the "Dear Future Me" letters--what a unique twist! There was a lot of layers to this story, which is filled with complex and well-crafted characters. The story moves seamlessly from the past to present, though I would've liked a bit more from the past. The pace was perfect, particularly as the story unfolded. I had a hard time setting this book aside. Lots of twists and turns to keep readers guessing. I look forward to reading future books from O'Connor.

The New Jersey heatwave is merciless, but I've found the perfect escape—or rather, a thrilling trap—in Deborah O'Connor's Dear Future Me. This book is a masterclass in suspense, a truly thought-provoking and wickedly dark journey that will leave you breathless.

The premise alone is a shiver down your spine: a high school assignment where students penned letters to their future selves.

Two decades later, those innocent envelopes arrive, but what they contain is far from innocent. Hidden secrets, long-buried truths, and the chilling reality that one of these letters leads to the successful Miranda's sudden, horrific plunge off a cliff. The community is shattered, but her best friend Audrey refuses to let it rest. With a single, tantalizing clue, she embarks on a dangerous quest, confronting her past classmates to unearth what truly happened. But in digging for answers, Audrey risks uncovering a truth far more sinister than she ever imagined—a truth that connects not just one, but two untimely deaths.

Prepare yourself for a relentless, mind-bending thriller.

I haven't been able to stop thinking about this book both while I was reading it and after I finished it. I don't want to give anything away so I will just say parts of this book took my breath away. Please read it

Audrey is a maid who has lived in the small town of Saltburn her entire life. Once she had dreams of going off to school, majoring in history, and becoming a better version of herself, but after her parents both pass away and she doesn’t get into her dream school she stays in her hometown to take care of her brother and their family home. Several of Audrey’s classmates, including her best friend Miranda, still live in town and one day their lives are turned upside down by letters they receive in the mail.

As high schoolers, they wrote “Dear Future Me” letters filled with dreams, aspirations, confessions, and more. Twenty years later, their old English teacher sends these letters out into the world, rekindling feelings forgotten. Audrey’s friend, Miranda, reads her letter and the next thing we know she is dead at the bottom of a cliff side. Has she jumped and committed suicide, or is there a possibility this could be murder?

The rest of the book follows Audrey as she meets with her former classmates and tries to figure out what has happened to her friend. Filled with excerpts of everyone’s letters, this book connects the past with the present in a very clever way. There are a lot of characters and moving pieces that cause intrigue and at times, confusion to what happened to Miranda.

Overall, I thought this book was interesting and well written. The characters were multifaceted and thought out well. I would read more from this author in the future.

Dear Future Me is a twisty mystery filled with lies, deceit, and murder. I had such a fun time with this one. I couldn’t help but feel for Audrey. I can’t imagine loosing your best friend and then realizing your entire life was built around a lie. It’s crazy how one lie can shapes someone entire future. The end of this book kept me on my toes. I can’t wait to read more from this author in the future.
3.5/5 Stars

Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me an arc copy in exchange for my honest review.

Loved this dark thriller between the past and present!

It was fun getting thought the pages to know who kill Ben and analysing why her bestfriend committed suicide! A real page turner.

This book was GREAT. Here are my thoughts.

Normally, I would separate my comments into pros and cons. This time, I have so few cons that it’s not even necessary to do so. I really, really enjoyed this book.

For starters, the entire concept is pretty creative. It’s not something I’ve seen in any other story before. Secondly, the story moved at a good pace. Also, the characters were well developed so that the reader gets a good grasp on who they are and where they’re all coming from.

You do start to piece some things together eventually, But the strength of this story is the whole idea of it, the unique concept.

I respect the fact that the author made mention in the beginning that there would be some grammatical errors and such, as it’s not fully edited yet. Although I did notice a few, I’m confident that will be rectified before the final copy (there honestly weren’t that many errors, and I have a pretty keen eye about those things).

I don’t know if this author has written anything else. But if they have, I want to read it. They have a great future ahead if them in this genre. I very much look forward to reading whatever they have to offer and would absolutely recommend this book to others. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Compelling with a twisting--and twisted!--this novel is the perfect one to pick up when you need an escape.

I received a complimentary copy of this book "Dear Future Me" and all opinions expressed are my own. This book was so slow I found myself skipping a bit. I like the idea of the story so I wanted to find out what happened. It picked up towards the end but it took forever for me to get interested.

The book was a slow burn at the beginning but I loved the premise so I kept reading. the last 25 percent sucked me right in. it made me wonder what I would I have written to myself if I did that was I was about to graduate high school.

An engaging and insightful read - this is a compelling and accomplished novel that allows the reader complete immersion into the Saltburn based narrative. Characters are complex and convincing and the development of the plot via the letters written as teens allows for reflection and insight. I really enjoyed this novel and believe it would make for an enduring book-group read. The redemption arc is fulfilling and the character of Audrey a strong and credible narrator. I look forward to reading more from this writer !