I enjoyed this book and I read it in one sitting. It kept me guessing and questioning everything the whole time. I really liked how the end it showed you're never too late to start something new in your life.

I adored this book. Beautifully told with a brilliantly twisty plot. I’ve not read the author before but will definitely be looking out for her next book.

I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley and this was such a fun read, it kept me on my toes!
This was the kind of book where, even when there were no big events happening, there was so much stress because I was so excited for more!!! I just kept wanting more and honestly it delivered.
I know I don’t talk much when I review books, so I can’t express exactly what this book did, but it was very entertaining to read, it was very well written, the characters were very well-made, and there was a huge part of the book that was very relatable, especially if you were older than 20 years old and you start relating or looking back at your younger self, it hit a spot for me!
There was a plot twist, there was tension, there was mystery that I could not predict, and I’m very good at predicting mysteries in books, it was deep and stunning, and it’s my very first ARC five stars!

Really enjoyed this thriller a lot more than I expected! Although the premise of it sounded intriguing enough, the actual content that deals with how we process and keep going through grief and reflecting on the unfulfilled dreams of where we thought our pasts would lead us to lended a layer to this book that I haven’t felt from the genre in a while.
I liked the main character and her drive for answers and desire to help others, although there were a couple times where she made some stupid decisions (although she acknowledged it). Her flaws and the mistakes and shortcomings of the side characters also fleshed them out nicely. I liked reading excerpts from the letters that the students wrote and her process of reconnecting with her classmates was interesting to follow and see where they were all at in contrast to their plans as teenagers. I enjoyed the ending, although the drama and intensity wasn’t strong enough to have me on the edge of my seat, this was a slow burn reveal that drew me in and made me care about the characters and reflect on my own life as well.

The setup? Absolutely gripping. Twenty years ago, a bunch of high school classmates wrote letters to their future selves. Flash forward to the present day, and one of them might’ve died by suicide after reading hers. Now her best friend is on a mission to figure out what the hell happened by tracking down everyone.🕵️‍♀️

This book was a slow burn, but not in the ugh why is nothing happening way—it had just the right amount of tension to keep me flipping pages. YES, there were moments where I was like “Wait, why are we talking about THIS random thing?” but hold up—IT ALL MADE SENSE IN THE END. Every seemingly random detail? It was a piece of the puzzle. And when those pieces snapped together? Chef’s kiss. 🍷🧩

AND THAT FINAL TWIST? SHUT. THE. FRONT. DOOR. 🚪💥 I was genuinely blindsided. Like, take-my-breath-away, jaw-on-the-floor, "EXCUSE ME, WHAT NOW?!" kind of blindsided. I kept trying to play detective—guessing and second-guessing—and the book just laughed in my face.

Now, while the mystery and pacing were spot on, I do want to highlight what made this book really resonate: its emotional core. This wasn’t just about secrets and lies—it was about the pressure to perform, to live up to your younger self’s idea of “success,” and how we measure ourselves by timelines we set decades ago. That deeper theme? Gorgeous. It added so much depth to the characters and made the stakes feel so much more real. Like, this wasn’t just about whodunnit—it was about why people feel the need to hide the ugliest parts of themselves.

And speaking of characters—most of them were fleshed out really well, though. Overall, the dynamics were compelling, the dialogue felt natural, and the journey was a delight

I really enjoyed this book, it was paced really well and kept me invested the entire time. I really enjoyed getting to read every one’s letters and recollection of events, you end up not knowing who you can trust and seeing that every one has a motive. Nothing was what I expected and I was hooked from the very first moment.


I really enjoyed the premise of the book, 20 years ago a group of classmates wrote letters to their future self as part of an assignment, their teacher then mailed them out to them 20 years later. The letters revealed much more than they thought they would though.

The story is told through a series of these letters and slowly the turn of events is pieced together, you don’t get all the information from one students letter though, you really have to keep reading to piece together the facts, it’s a real investigation that not only keeps you reading but keeps you invested until the very end.

Dear Future Me by Deborah O’Connor is a mystery thriller that leads us to find the truth behind two deaths, one in the past and one in the present. High school students were asked to write dear future me letters and when they receive their letters as adults, some have profound reactions to their past revelations. When Miranda reads her letter, she abandons breakfast, drives to a cliff, and ends up at the bottom. Audrey, her best friend, begins her own investigation into what happened to her friend and finds a web of betrayal and secrets in her small town.

I recommend this book for mystery and thriller readers. This book hooked me from the first chapter, there were many twists that I was compelled to find answers. Nothing was what I expected, it was full of suspense and action right up until the end.

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

This book had such an interesting premise. 20 years ago a group of classmates wrote letters to themselves. Now after reading them one might have killed herself by suicide. Now her best friend wants to figure out why. She wants to track down her classmates and see what was in their letters. This sets of a series of events and secrets come out. Truths come out and more than one death is revealed. There were a lot of characters and I wish we got more depth into some of them. Besides that I thought this was a creative idea of a mystery book and I would recommend.

Dear Future Me is an interesting novel about a group of adults confronted with letters they wrote to themselves years earlier as part of a school assignment. It was entertaining enough with a good ending to wrap things up, but I can’t say it really stands out. I do like the premise, though, and would try this author again.

Thanks for the opportunity to read!

Wow wow wow. This plot was amazing. I loved how all the characters came together to solve the death of Melissa. It was kind of heart warming and also depressing. I can’t recommend this enough.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley, Deborah O'Connor, and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Years ago, a group of students completed an assignment for the English/creative writing class. It consisted in composing a letter to themselves in the future. And after all of these years, the letters arrive and the former students are confronted with what may have been. Audrey's dreams were shattered along the way. And her best friend, Miranda – seemingly so successful, with a loving husband, two children, a great job – after reading her letter decides to go to the cliff and jump to her death. But why? Audrey wants to find out and starts her own investigation.
It was an OK read, no fireworks though. I would appreciate more psychological insight, a bit more of reflection, especially that the letters are a wonderful reason to do so. Sadly, these letters serve first and foremost to advance the plot and introduce the various players, adding some layers to the mystery and puzzle pieces – I would prefer them to become protagonists in their own right, so to speak. Overall, in my opinion, there was a great, but in the end not fully explored potential for a deep, meanigful story.

#DearFutureMe #NetGalley

Dear Future Me by Deborah O’Connor, when the books starts everyone is receiving their letters and it is Miranda who is so upset by hers she rushes out the house only to be found at the bottom of the cliff later that day. Her best friend Audrey is devastated through everything Audrey went through Miranda had been there when she didn’t go to college to raise her little brother Miranda supported her and so her death leaves her reeling. when local police call it a suicide Audrey refuses to believe it and just like when her parents died she soon is taking care of Adrian and Edward Miranda‘s children while her husband also comes to terms with her untimely death. Audrey has sacrificed a lot for the ones Sue loves so when she decides to investigate Miranda‘s depth having Miranda as her only friend she doesn’t know where to turn. When she finally starts looking into it however she will find out things about those she thought she knew that would be shocking and then one case it will be life-changing and deadly. OK let me stay upfront there were a lot of things that irritated me about this book especially the letter to the perpetrator at the end but I digress despite any negative thing I can say the one thing I can absolutely say with certainty as I absolutely recommend this book. I did not see the ending coming and I must say Miss O’Connor set me up and knocked me down it truly was a twist out of left-field that was expertly done so I definitely recommend this book even though some of it had my eyes rolling in my perturbed antenna up.#NetGalley, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview, #DeborahO’Connor, #DearFutureMe,

Thank you netgalley, Poisoned Pen Press and Deborah O’Connor for an advanced reading copy of Dear Future Me!

This book follows a group of classmates who receive a letter they had written to themselves 20 years prior. In a tragic turn of events one of the classmates is presumed dead by suicide. Her best friend is determined to figure out the cause and secrets her friend held, as well as everyone else in the class.

I enjoyed this thriller! I thought the writing was beautiful, well paced, and kept me interested. I couldn’t figure out who was responsible and my guesses kept changing- the plot twist and the ending were not predictable!

This book is a very slow burn but had enough oomph to keep me going. It was an alright read but I didn't like how Audrey didn't have much character development. Some things in the end were predictable but overall satisfactory.

Dear Future Me is a thrilling mystery exploring the naïve mistakes of the past and their sometimes disastrous consequences in the future. Deborah O'Connor had me guessing whodunnit up until the bittersweet end.

The setting and atmosphere of this story were spot on for a small-town mystery involving a group of former classmates and framed by the letters they wrote to their future selves 20 years earlier. O'Connor does a wonderful job of capturing the dynamics between people in a town where everyone seems to know everyone. I grew up in a place much like Saltburn is described and the main protagonist Audrey's former classmates are all similar to people I remember going to school with. The often gloomy seaside setting of this story made it feel claustrophobic and eerie.

It's a very human experience to ask yourself if people are truly capable of great change and to look back on what you thought your life would be versus how it ended up. At the heart of this novel are the mistakes we make when we're young, pressure to be exceptional, and our capacity for forgiveness. The "Dear Future Me" letters frame each individual narrative, gradually revealing each character's younger selves and unraveling small truths throughout the story. I'm not sure all of the letters functioned to add depth to the overall narrative in a successful way and also question if the POV shifts to the past were the best way to reveal certain information. It threw a bit of a wrench in the pacing as did the repetitive nature of Audrey's revelations leading to her frantically confronting several people.

I enjoyed the utilization of the past and present versions of the main cast of characters because it made it difficult to determine if they had truly learned and changed over the years or if Audrey was on the right track with her investigation. There are several mysteries wrapped into one story that I think successfully worked together in creating something engaging and thought-provoking. Audrey is a character I believe everyone can connect with as she tries to discover the connection between the tragic loss of one of her classmates years ago and the sudden loss of her close friend in the present.

This was an entertaining and original read I had trouble putting down despite the moments when the pacing was off. O'Connor crafts a story that will leave you on the edge of your seat until the end and manages to sneak in a little encouragement that it's never too late to change your life.

A group of students wrote letters to their future selves, and now they are receiving them in the mail. Except there’s a little something extra in some of their letters, and it will change their current lives in dramatic ways.

Audrey can’t believe that her best friend Miranda committed suicide after receiving her letter. She decides to track down as many of her former classmates as she can to talk about the letters and a tragic event that occurred all those years ago. She hopes to hear something that will give her some kind of explanation for Miranda’s actions. The more she digs, the more questions she has, and she soon fears her search is putting her in danger. She has to decide if it’s worth it to keep pursuing the truth or to quit while she’s ahead. And safe.

I thought this was a cool premise – receiving letters you wrote to yourself while in school, with your whole life ahead of you. Many characters react predictably – quitting unfulfilling jobs and relationships. It’s like a mid-life crisis hitting you right in the face. It seemed a bit odd that no one expected to receive them, either now or then. Wouldn’t that be the whole point of writing them? To know you’ll get them back?

One of the things that grated on me was Miranda’s husband - Audrey pretty much moved in to take care of their kids and, in turn, him. That’s not her responsibility, and he just kept taking advantage of her willingness to help. And every time someone criticized her, she just took it and immediately doubted herself. She just came across as spineless for most of the story.

But the different twists to the mysteries from the past and present were good, not just one revealed easy answer. A nice contemplative read if you’re in the nostalgic mood.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4
Expected publication date - June 3, 2025

Thank you, NetGalley, and Poisoned Pen Press for this eARC for review. All opinions are my own.

A class of students write letters to their future selves for an assignment. During the assignment, they go on a class trip, where one student dies. At the time, his death was assumed to be an accident. But, 20 years later, the letters arrive in the mail, and this sets off a chain of secrets and accidents, and maybe murder? One woman is determined to find out what exactly happened on that trip 20 years ago and what happened to her best friend moments after receiving her letter.

This was an interesting and original story. I enjoyed reading the letters written, then seeing what became of the students. It made me cringe to think what I would have written in a letter to myself at 17 😳

This book has a very interesting premise. Unfortunately, the execution fell a bit short. It was a perfectly average book with nothing to make it stand out. In fact, I’m already feeling my memories of it floating away.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

This book was great! Loved the concept of letters written as a teen and mailed later in life! This book had so many twists and turns. Lots of characters but the main character Audrey, was very likable and I found myself interested in her character.

The setup for this one is solid: a class assignment to write letters to your future self, only for those letters to show up twenty years later—alongside some seriously buried secrets. When one of the classmates dies by suicide shortly after receiving hers, it kicks off a small-town mystery full of grief, guilt, and twisted connections. The premise instantly drew me in, and I appreciated the way the story examined how past trauma can linger, reshape, and resurface when you least expect it.

That said, while the mystery kept me engaged, the pacing felt uneven, and the large cast of characters sometimes blurred together. I liked the themes it touched on—regret, identity, the lies we tell ourselves and others—but wished it had gone deeper into some of the emotional stakes. Still, it’s a thoughtful and slightly eerie take on the “high school reunion gone wrong” trope, with just enough suspense to keep the pages turning.