Thank you Poisoned Pen Press for the review copy!
Deborah O’Connor’s latest novel takes a deceptively simple premise—letters written to one’s future self—and builds a layered, slow-burning thriller around it. The story unfolds across dual timelines, gradually revealing long-buried truths with a measured pace that rewards patience. While the shifting points of view occasionally interrupt the momentum, the emotional depth of the characters, especially Audrey, keeps the narrative grounded. O’Connor does an excellent job exploring how people evolve (or don’t) over time, and how secrets, even well-intentioned ones, can haunt us. The final act delivers a satisfying blend of resolution and emotional weight, making the journey well worth it.

This was a slow burn, but definitely worth sticking with. I loved the premise of letters written in high school that resurface twenty years later, revealing secrets tied to a classmate’s tragic death. It immediately pulled me in!

The pacing was steady and built tension gradually, but it all came together really well in the end. The story explores grief, guilt, and how the past can quietly haunt you. It had emotional depth and just enough twists to keep me engaged. A solid, thoughtful read.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I can't imagine getting a letter from my 17-year old self, but that's exactly what happens in Dear Future Me, and they bring out long-buried secrets, which are honestly my favorite kind. Deborah O'Connor's latest book uses the concept of a mostly-forgotten senior project to bring them to light, and I was there for all of it. The way it all tied together at the en...perfection,

I loved the main concept in this book of graduates writing their future selves a letter. Having the teacher keep and return the letters many years later was such a good starting point for a good mystery. The characters are so relatable in how they tried to accomplish all the dreams in those letters before life got in the way. I really enjoyed this book! Thx to #NetGalley for the ARC of #DearFutureMe.

Dear Future Me is the perfect pick if you're looking for a truly compelling story you won’t be able to put down. I started it one evening and finished it the next day—it completely pulled me in. The setting and concept are immersive, and the characters are so well written that they carry the story effortlessly from beginning to end.

This was my first time reading anything by Deborah O’Connor, and I was genuinely impressed by her writing. She has a real talent for crafting a gripping thriller with twists that actually feel fresh—not the kind you’ve seen a hundred times before.

If you’re in the mood for something fast-paced, suspenseful, and easy to get lost in, this is the book for you. Absolutely loved it!

A fantastic read which covers two points in time coming together unexpectedly. The story is great and made me want to crack open all those time capsules that have been buried over time to see what secrets they might reveal. I enjoyed how the author created the growth of the characters between their high school days and the time in which the story is set. It’s a really well written book - the structure and pacing is excellent and the characters are all well developed and engaging,

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisen Pen Press for an eARC copy of Dear Future Me by Deborah O'Connor.

Dear Future Me is a clever, chilling thriller that blends nostalgia, buried secrets, and the haunting permanence of the past into a twist-laden mystery that's hard to put down.

In 2003, a high school assignment has students write letters to their future selves. Two decades later, those letters arrive-but instead of heartfelt dreams or youthful naivety, they undearth chilling secrets connected to a long-forgotten tragedy: the death of a classmate. When Miranda, now a wealthy and admired woman, receives hers and leaps to her death, her suicide shatters the illusion of success and forces her best friend Audrey to start asking dangerous questions.

The premise of the novel is my favorite part. Didn't we all, at one point, wonder what would happen if we ever read the letters we wrong in school that were then placed in a capsule and left for years at a time? Hopefully no one actually wrote a bunch of dangerous secrets, like in the novel. Deborah O'Connor uses that naivety and youthful dream thoughts to build a steadily rising sense of dread as Audrey reconnects with her classmates-which begins to unravel the truth about Miranda, but another hidden reality.

It is a wonderful book that explores the ripple effects of guilt, peer pressure, and silence. O'Connor plays with memory-how it changes, how we protect it-and how people reinvent themselves to forget who they once were. With the twists being rather satsifying and Audry as a lead character is a breath of fresh air. The emotion felt throughout the journey of learning the truth, that you can never outrun reality.

Thank you @poisonedpenpress for the gifted advance reader copy!

A group of former classmates open letters they wrote to themselves twenty years earlier. After her best friend Miranda jumps from the seaside cliff, Audrey is determined to find out the truth of what happened twenty years ago.

I was very impressed by this slow-burn mystery! The concept itself was so intriguing, and the mystery was so intricate and layered. I was guessing until the end, when all the lingering questions are answered. There were a lot of characters to keep track of at first, but each of their stories is unique and plays a role. Overall, I would highly recommend this for an atmospheric, clever mystery!

Rating 4.5⭐️

Very entertaining premise....too many characters to keep track of. I found myself confused throughout the story because I could not keep characters straight. I would read from the author again

I received an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review on my Goodreads page. The book is set to be released in June 2025, and I highly recommend it for fans of mysteries, thrillers, and dark academia!

The story revolves around a group of high school students who, in 2023, receive letters they wrote to themselves back in 2003 but are just now being delivered to them by their teacher. The letters force them to confront the tragic death of a classmate from their past, sparking a series of emotional and psychological ripples for all involved, including one of the classmates taking their own life in the present day.

What follows is a masterfully crafted, two-fold "whodunit," where the past and present intertwine seamlessly. The author uses the letters and several narrative devices to unravel the mystery, offering multiple unexpected twists that keep the reader on edge.

At first, I was concerned that the large cast of characters would be difficult to manage, but the author pulls it off with precision, making each character’s arc compelling and integral to the plot. The intricate narrative threads culminate in a satisfying conclusion that ties everything together.

Overall, this book is an intricately plotted read. It’s perfect for those who enjoy a well-executed mystery with an atmospheric, psychological edge.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press via Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It was well written, I really liked the timeline jumps it wasn’t confusing like some books can make them. Character development was well done. I did find it on the slower paced end, but I was still very into the book and wanted to know the end. It was in my opinion not a traditional thriller, but it had thriller elements to it. It is definitely well worth the read. I will recommend it to those wanting to get into thrillers or those not overly interested in thrillers, but wanting to try a milder one.

4.5 stars! This had everything I love in a mystery. So many moving parts and secrets to be dug up, and you never know how it'll all come together until the end. But more than the mystery of it all, it had so much heart. So layered and reflective and honestly, a little inspiring.

The characters were all so complex, and Audrey was such an amazing main narrator. There was such deep emotion there and she really made you feel it. Her dynamics with everyone were so well done, not just Miranda and Miranda's children, or with her brother, but even the more antagonistic characters. I also want to talk endlessly about Kitty Veigh but in fear of spoiling anything, I will not.

I also think that this book did an amazing job with the back and forth between past and present. It could have easily lingered in the past a lot more but I think the little snippets we got, leading up to the reveals, were perfect.

The last third of this book was impossible to put down. I only got myself to pause once because sleep was necessary, but I could have read it in one sitting. Once things started being revealed, it didn't slow down and I was locked in so hard. I was also very, very wrong about what I thought had happened. I thought I had it figured out until about seventy percent in and then I suddenly had no idea anymore, which I can't be mad at.

I can't believe I've never read anything from Deborah O'Connor before and am on my way to add all of her previous novels to my TBR as we speak.

Dear Future Me is an engaging novel about regret, dark secrets, lack of remorse, and shady characters who are only looking out for themselves. It was an enjoyable read from beginning to end. 💫💫💫💫💫

Wow!! What??? That is exactly how I feel after reading this murder masterpiece.
Audrey and Miranda are bffs and are living their adult lives as best as they can. But when letters arrive that they wrote 20 years ago, things turn for the worst. Audrey will have to talk to all of her former classmates in order to find out what really happened to Miranda. Each holds a secret that may help uncover who killed her best friend.

Audrey is a great character, and I enjoyed her so much. Her empathy, kindness, and overall good nature made this book an emotional read.

Thank you, Netgalley, and Poisoned Pen Press for this amazing ARC. All opinions are entirely my own.

Deborah O'Connor's "Dear Future Me" is an interesting story, but unfortunately is filled with more bloat than it is with lean, interesting material. The base story is intriguing, but because of multiple storylines, all which run throughout the entirety of the novel, it feels like it takes forever to actually get to genuinely interesting details of the story. It's far from a boring read, but it was much more work to get through than I was anticipating.

Dear Future Me,

Turn Christina Aguilera off, dry your tears, pick your head up, and find your voice within. That’s what I keep telling myself at least. It’s not working. Something is growing inside of you and if you don’t start acknowledging it soon, you’re going to burst—not physically obviously but you get the point. It’s time to tell the truth about...

Record scratch—could you imagine being ripped from the present and slammed back into you 17 year-old self without warning? Forced to reckon your hopes and dreams and SECRETS twenty years later? Well that's exactly what Deborah O’Connor does with her latest novel. "Dear Future Me" is a cold-hearted blast from the past aimed to rip the rug out from underneath you.

When a high school time capsule project resurfaces twenty years later, the returned letters don’t just stir nostalgia—they unearth unexpected truths that reignite the pain of a classmate’s tragic death. What begins as a simple reunion with the past spirals into a chilling investigation when one of the former students takes her own life after reading her letter, prompting her best friend to dig deep into secrets long buried. Told through a mix of the letters, flashbacks to 2003, and a new story playing out in real time, everything converges like a stunning puzzle masterfully connected. But it’s not just about solving a mystery—it’s about facing the version of yourself you thought you’d left behind.

Through the intimacy of the letters, you care about the characters' dreams and fears. You're invested in their journeys—what motivates them, what they fear, what they're insecure about, and what they envision for their future. And then you get to peek behind their carefully constructed adult façades into the baggage they've carried from adolescence. The dichotomy implores the reader to revisit their own adolescence and wonder, "Am I where I thought I would be?" And spoiler alert...you probably aren't. What O'Connor highlights is life is messy and it rarely turns out exactly as planned. But it's never too late to change course and there is no expiration on hopes and dreams.

"Dear Future Me" hits the sweet spot of nostalgia, mystery, and redemption. This isn’t just a whodunnit—it’s a who-am-I-now.

Thank you to Deborah O'Connor, Poisoned Pen Press, & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my authentic review.

Twenty year old letters written by teens upend everything for Audrey after her friend Miranda is so shocked by hers that she ends up at the bottom of a cliff. This is about Audrey's quest for answers a quest that she takes on not only for herself but also for Miranda's children who she's taken in while their father grieves. What happened to Ben all those years ago is relevant to Miranda's death but how and why? No spoilers from me. This takes a familiar plot of actions by teens reverberating and twists it a bit. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

There was a lot that I really enjoyed about this novel. I found the plot of this novel to be really intriguing and I loved the concept of a bunch of people having to confront their teenage selves as adults. I thought the main character Audrey was a really compelling main character and I did think she was well-developed. On the other hand, I thought there were far too many secondary characters that really weren't needed, and I didn't think they were as complex or dynamic as Audrey.

While the plot moved at a fast pace and made me want to keep reading, I thought there were a few silly choices made. I did like how the ending came together, but the last chapter was a bit too quick to resolve all the loose ends.

Overall, I found this to be a solid mystery and I would enjoy reading future novels by Deborah O'Connor.

This mystery blew me away! I didn't see any of the twists and turns coming and I loved how character driven it was. The idea of getting a letter with this information that changes everything is just chilling. Can't wait to read more from the author.

Find yourself immersed in this cleverly crafted story with a unique storyline & satisfying conclusion.

There are damaged characters, dark secrets, multiple POVs & timelines that are easy to follow with twists that will keep you guessing. I found the ending satisfying, although emotional & perhaps my favorite part of the story.

This is a great escape read, traveling companion or weekend on the couch read.

If you like flawed & deceitful characters, dark secrets & a foreboding storyline, then this book is for you.

Favorite Lines:
“You are the artist of your own life; don’t hand the paint brush to anyone else.”
“Grief is love not wanting to let go.”

Thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press & the author for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book! The plot gripped me from the beginning and the twist was unexpected. This is my first book from this author and I would read more from her.