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The Memory Collectors
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Four strangers time travel to the past and find themselves stuck on the day all their lives were changed in this stunning speculative mystery from award-winning film and television producer Dete Meserve, perfect for fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold, Wrong Place Wrong Time and The Paradox Hotel.
What would you do if you could spend an hour in your past? Four strangers in the beach town of Ventura, California are about to find out.
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 missteplanded him in a wheelchair. Brooke is looking for an hour of relief from the guilt of an unforgivable mistake.
Enter Aeon Expeditions, the groundbreaking time travelinvention of Mark Saunders—which allowssome lucky clients the chanceto spend an hour in their past. Even though Aeon’s technology ensures time travel can’t alter the future, all four clients,including Mark’s ex-wife Elizabeth,yearn to revisit the hour that changed their lives forever.
But when their “hour� extends beyond sixty minutes, they find themselves stranded in the past. As their paths intertwine unexpectedly, they unearth shocking secrets hidden in the shadows of their shared All their lives were shattered the same night on a secluded highway by the beach. As they delve into the hidden truths of that pivotal hour, a startling revelation emerges. They were not alone. Someone else was present, harboring deadly intentions.
The Memory Collectors is a heart-wrenching, genre-bending novel brimming with hope, grief and second chances.
What would you do if you could spend an hour in your past? Four strangers in the beach town of Ventura, California are about to find out.
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 missteplanded him in a wheelchair. Brooke is looking for an hour of relief from the guilt of an unforgivable mistake.
Enter Aeon Expeditions, the groundbreaking time travelinvention of Mark Saunders—which allowssome lucky clients the chanceto spend an hour in their past. Even though Aeon’s technology ensures time travel can’t alter the future, all four clients,including Mark’s ex-wife Elizabeth,yearn to revisit the hour that changed their lives forever.
But when their “hour� extends beyond sixty minutes, they find themselves stranded in the past. As their paths intertwine unexpectedly, they unearth shocking secrets hidden in the shadows of their shared All their lives were shattered the same night on a secluded highway by the beach. As they delve into the hidden truths of that pivotal hour, a startling revelation emerges. They were not alone. Someone else was present, harboring deadly intentions.
The Memory Collectors is a heart-wrenching, genre-bending novel brimming with hope, grief and second chances.
336 pages, Paperback
Expected publication May 20, 2025
40.1k people want to read
About the author
Dete Meserve
7books645followersDete Meserve is a best-selling novelist and an award-winning creator and producer of films and television series.
She wrote the screenplay adaptation of her debut novel, Good Sam, and produced it as a feature film for Netflix. (Watch today!)
Inspired by a question posed to readers�"What would you do if you could spend an hour in your past?�" her fifth novel, The Memory Collectors, explores the universal desire to revisit pivotal moments in our lives, whether to reconnect with a loved one, undo a painful mistake, or relive a joyous memory. In this suspenseful and emotional journey, four strangers step back into their pasts only to find themselves trapped in time. A shocking twist forces them to unravel hidden connections between them—uncovering secrets that change everything.
She wrote the screenplay adaptation of her debut novel, Good Sam, and produced it as a feature film for Netflix. (Watch today!)
Inspired by a question posed to readers�"What would you do if you could spend an hour in your past?�" her fifth novel, The Memory Collectors, explores the universal desire to revisit pivotal moments in our lives, whether to reconnect with a loved one, undo a painful mistake, or relive a joyous memory. In this suspenseful and emotional journey, four strangers step back into their pasts only to find themselves trapped in time. A shocking twist forces them to unravel hidden connections between them—uncovering secrets that change everything.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews
March 1, 2025
is popping up in sci-fi recommendations but I'd say it's more of a character-driven mystery. Either way, I really enjoyed it. It was gripping and surprisingly moving.
The science is probably the weakest aspect of the story as it is not very well-explained. It requires a pretty big suspension of disbelief to accept that a person's consciousness travels back in time without their body and, obviously, requires you to accept that consciousness is something that can be separated from the body. But if you don't think too hard about this, the story is very enjoyable.
We follow four perspectives-- Elizabeth, Logan, Andy and Brooke --as they make a time travel jump to their pasts. These four are broken in the present, in different ways, and long for one blissful hour in a time before their lives were irrevocably changed. But their one hour in the past inexplicably turns to two, three... and suddenly they realise they are stranded back in time. Naturally, they begin to wonder what surely all time travellers would wonder: can they change what happened?
Meserve sets it up well by having each one of these characters be in some way sympathetic and/or relatable. Elizabeth's grief for her son is palpable; Logan's thrill-seeking personality feels imprisoned in his body after the accident; Andy's heartbreak over the woman who ghosted him will be familiar to anyone left wondering why? after a relationship has ended; Brooke's estrangement from her beloved family after making a terrible mistake is painful.
It soon becomes clear that these four stories are intertwined in ways none of them could have predicted and I really enjoyed uncovering each layer of this mystery and seeing how it was all interconnected.
One negative is that I was never 100% sold on people spending five figures to go back to a random time in the past, with zero guarantees that they'd even arrive in a time before their lives changed. Super rich people, for sure. But would you really save up all your money to take such a huge chance? I dunno. I wouldn't. But I guess I'm not much of a gambler.
The science is probably the weakest aspect of the story as it is not very well-explained. It requires a pretty big suspension of disbelief to accept that a person's consciousness travels back in time without their body and, obviously, requires you to accept that consciousness is something that can be separated from the body. But if you don't think too hard about this, the story is very enjoyable.
We follow four perspectives-- Elizabeth, Logan, Andy and Brooke --as they make a time travel jump to their pasts. These four are broken in the present, in different ways, and long for one blissful hour in a time before their lives were irrevocably changed. But their one hour in the past inexplicably turns to two, three... and suddenly they realise they are stranded back in time. Naturally, they begin to wonder what surely all time travellers would wonder: can they change what happened?
Meserve sets it up well by having each one of these characters be in some way sympathetic and/or relatable. Elizabeth's grief for her son is palpable; Logan's thrill-seeking personality feels imprisoned in his body after the accident; Andy's heartbreak over the woman who ghosted him will be familiar to anyone left wondering why? after a relationship has ended; Brooke's estrangement from her beloved family after making a terrible mistake is painful.
It soon becomes clear that these four stories are intertwined in ways none of them could have predicted and I really enjoyed uncovering each layer of this mystery and seeing how it was all interconnected.
One negative is that I was never 100% sold on people spending five figures to go back to a random time in the past, with zero guarantees that they'd even arrive in a time before their lives changed. Super rich people, for sure. But would you really save up all your money to take such a huge chance? I dunno. I wouldn't. But I guess I'm not much of a gambler.
April 13, 2025
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 without 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 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 without 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!
December 22, 2024
If given the chance, would you go back in time? Think hard�
Aeon Expeditions have developed the technology to send selected people back into their past. No guarantee what day you’ll land on, but for 60 minutes you’re back in time before being extracted back to the present. And anything you do in the past stays in the past. Interesting proposition…yes?
Four individuals are chosen for their journey. Frightened of the unknown but excited to relive a moment in their past. A time that existed before tragedy consumed them.
So what happens if, after 60 minutes, they aren’t brought back to the present?
Can they continue to live in the past? Would they want to? Would you?
Absolutely unputdownable!
I loved the sci-fi element. Easy to follow along and though I’m somewhat a novice at reading these mind-benders I had no issue here. The character development was strong and I had no problem following each of their past lives.
There were a multitude of emotions playing out as well. Forgiveness, grief and lost loves to name a few.
One of my favorite reads of the year! Hope it will be yours too!
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books
Aeon Expeditions have developed the technology to send selected people back into their past. No guarantee what day you’ll land on, but for 60 minutes you’re back in time before being extracted back to the present. And anything you do in the past stays in the past. Interesting proposition…yes?
Four individuals are chosen for their journey. Frightened of the unknown but excited to relive a moment in their past. A time that existed before tragedy consumed them.
So what happens if, after 60 minutes, they aren’t brought back to the present?
Can they continue to live in the past? Would they want to? Would you?
Absolutely unputdownable!
I loved the sci-fi element. Easy to follow along and though I’m somewhat a novice at reading these mind-benders I had no issue here. The character development was strong and I had no problem following each of their past lives.
There were a multitude of emotions playing out as well. Forgiveness, grief and lost loves to name a few.
One of my favorite reads of the year! Hope it will be yours too!
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books
March 20, 2025
Memory Collectors is not only one of the most anticipated sci-fi reads of the year, but it may also be one of the most thought-provoking, tackling a compelling and controversial question: What if you had the chance to go back to the past, face one of the most pivotal days that changed your life, and make different choices in the hope of altering the outcome?
In this remarkable story, an innovative company called Aeon Expeditions offers a groundbreaking opportunity to its clients: 60 minutes in the past. While participants have no control over the exact moment or timeline they will be transported to, the promise of seeing loved ones again or reliving one of life’s happiest moments makes it an irresistible offer. But everything changes when a glitch in the system strands four individuals in the past—four people who are unknowingly connected by a tragic event that occurred on August 25th. As they navigate this strange and dangerous situation, they may affect each other’s life paths in ways they never imagined, all while a sinister figure lurks in the shadows, threatening to change everything.
Enter Elizabeth, the ex-wife of Aeon Expeditions� creator, Mark Saunders. Three years ago, she lost her son, Sam, in a suspicious hit-and-run accident. This tragedy not only left her grief-stricken but also ended her marriage. Desperate to spend even a moment with the son she can never see again, Elizabeth will do anything to rewrite the past.
Then there’s Logan, whose life was forever altered by the same accident. Now confined to a wheelchair, Logan longs to feel the thrill of his old life—climbing mountains, swimming in treacherous waters, and embracing adrenaline-fueled adventures. Elizabeth, however, suspects Logan may have been a drug dealer involved in her son’s death, but Logan is just as much a victim of that fateful night.
Brooke, once a celebrated chef, lived a picture-perfect life with her husband and daughter—until she became the driver in the hit-and-run accident that killed Sam and paralyzed Logan. After serving 900 days in prison, Brooke’s life is in ruins. Haunted by her actions, she desperately seeks redemption and a chance to confront her mistake.
Finally, there’s Andy, who is desperate for closure. Ghosted by Kate—the woman he fell for in just one week—Andy hopes his journey to the past will provide answers about her mysterious disappearance. But as he discovers his connection to Elizabeth, Logan, and Brooke, he realizes there may be more to his presence in the past than he anticipated. Now stranded with no idea why he hasn’t returned after 60 minutes, Andy faces questions that may change everything.
How long will they remain in the past? Can their actions alter the future, even though they were assured they wouldn’t? What really happened on that ominous night that killed one person, paralyzed another, and shattered the lives of so many? What secrets does Kate hold, and what is Andy’s true connection to the others? Most importantly, what happens if they are stuck in the past forever—or if they do manage to return?
Memory Collectors is an intensely gripping, unputdownable page-turner—equal parts sentimental, thought-provoking, and mysterious. Readers will easily resonate with each character, reflecting on what they would do in similar circumstances.
The story builds to a satisfying and insightful conclusion, wrapping up this adventurous and emotionally rich narrative in a remarkable way. I highly recommend this book.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for sharing this immersive and engaging sci-fi digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
In this remarkable story, an innovative company called Aeon Expeditions offers a groundbreaking opportunity to its clients: 60 minutes in the past. While participants have no control over the exact moment or timeline they will be transported to, the promise of seeing loved ones again or reliving one of life’s happiest moments makes it an irresistible offer. But everything changes when a glitch in the system strands four individuals in the past—four people who are unknowingly connected by a tragic event that occurred on August 25th. As they navigate this strange and dangerous situation, they may affect each other’s life paths in ways they never imagined, all while a sinister figure lurks in the shadows, threatening to change everything.
Enter Elizabeth, the ex-wife of Aeon Expeditions� creator, Mark Saunders. Three years ago, she lost her son, Sam, in a suspicious hit-and-run accident. This tragedy not only left her grief-stricken but also ended her marriage. Desperate to spend even a moment with the son she can never see again, Elizabeth will do anything to rewrite the past.
Then there’s Logan, whose life was forever altered by the same accident. Now confined to a wheelchair, Logan longs to feel the thrill of his old life—climbing mountains, swimming in treacherous waters, and embracing adrenaline-fueled adventures. Elizabeth, however, suspects Logan may have been a drug dealer involved in her son’s death, but Logan is just as much a victim of that fateful night.
Brooke, once a celebrated chef, lived a picture-perfect life with her husband and daughter—until she became the driver in the hit-and-run accident that killed Sam and paralyzed Logan. After serving 900 days in prison, Brooke’s life is in ruins. Haunted by her actions, she desperately seeks redemption and a chance to confront her mistake.
Finally, there’s Andy, who is desperate for closure. Ghosted by Kate—the woman he fell for in just one week—Andy hopes his journey to the past will provide answers about her mysterious disappearance. But as he discovers his connection to Elizabeth, Logan, and Brooke, he realizes there may be more to his presence in the past than he anticipated. Now stranded with no idea why he hasn’t returned after 60 minutes, Andy faces questions that may change everything.
How long will they remain in the past? Can their actions alter the future, even though they were assured they wouldn’t? What really happened on that ominous night that killed one person, paralyzed another, and shattered the lives of so many? What secrets does Kate hold, and what is Andy’s true connection to the others? Most importantly, what happens if they are stuck in the past forever—or if they do manage to return?
Memory Collectors is an intensely gripping, unputdownable page-turner—equal parts sentimental, thought-provoking, and mysterious. Readers will easily resonate with each character, reflecting on what they would do in similar circumstances.
The story builds to a satisfying and insightful conclusion, wrapping up this adventurous and emotionally rich narrative in a remarkable way. I highly recommend this book.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for sharing this immersive and engaging sci-fi digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
March 26, 2025
“Everything good begins with a maybe.�
What if we could revisit our past? How would we be changed by our experience? The Memory Collectors is a speculative science fiction mystery that attempts to answer these questions.
Aeon Expeditions allows four people the privilege of jumping to the past. Although the jumps are supposed to only last an hour on a random date, all four individuals jump to the same date and are stranded for five days in the past. They take advantage of their time to relive memories and to solve an interconnected mystery.
If you enjoyed Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister or are a fan of Blake Crouch, this book will hit the spot!
I immediately found myself engrossed in this character driven mystery. Told through multiple points of view, this captivating plot is very thought provoking and I didn’t want to put it down! Meserve explores themes of grief, loss, and forgiveness. This would have been a 5 star read, but I was left with a few lingering questions at the end.
Highly recommend!
4.5/5 stars rounded down
Expected publication date: 5/20/25
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC of The Memory Collectors in exchange for an honest review.
What if we could revisit our past? How would we be changed by our experience? The Memory Collectors is a speculative science fiction mystery that attempts to answer these questions.
Aeon Expeditions allows four people the privilege of jumping to the past. Although the jumps are supposed to only last an hour on a random date, all four individuals jump to the same date and are stranded for five days in the past. They take advantage of their time to relive memories and to solve an interconnected mystery.
If you enjoyed Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister or are a fan of Blake Crouch, this book will hit the spot!
I immediately found myself engrossed in this character driven mystery. Told through multiple points of view, this captivating plot is very thought provoking and I didn’t want to put it down! Meserve explores themes of grief, loss, and forgiveness. This would have been a 5 star read, but I was left with a few lingering questions at the end.
Highly recommend!
4.5/5 stars rounded down
Expected publication date: 5/20/25
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC of The Memory Collectors in exchange for an honest review.
February 26, 2025
Wow wow wow!!! What a touching story this was! I finished this in two days and loved it!!! I think you will too!
Four strangers are selected to travel an hour back to the past. They have no idea when that hour will be. However, they all have hopes to go back in time before something tragic happened in their lives.
These characters are humanly broken and I could feel their grief. Haven’t you thought about a time where you made a decision that changed your life forever? Wished you could go back and do it differently? Or lost someone you wished you could have back?
Sometimes life throws us curve balls. It’s what we do with them that counts! A compelling story that shouldn’t be missed!
Thank you to Dete Meserve, Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the opportunity!
Publication date May 20, 2025
Four strangers are selected to travel an hour back to the past. They have no idea when that hour will be. However, they all have hopes to go back in time before something tragic happened in their lives.
These characters are humanly broken and I could feel their grief. Haven’t you thought about a time where you made a decision that changed your life forever? Wished you could go back and do it differently? Or lost someone you wished you could have back?
Sometimes life throws us curve balls. It’s what we do with them that counts! A compelling story that shouldn’t be missed!
Thank you to Dete Meserve, Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the opportunity!
Publication date May 20, 2025
Want to read
March 12, 2025me when i'm going nostalgia mode
December 9, 2024
This was an exceptionally written story that was full of suspense, introspection, what-ifs, and heart. When four strangers are brought together to revisit a night that haunts them all, they must work together to figure out why, putting aside resentments and learning to forgive.
December 24, 2024
It is a relatable story in a way that the majority of us have fantasized of a plot in our own life where we go back at time in our past to that one event that changed us or affected our life irrevocably. While this might be a story about time travel, it is more so a story about grief, guilt, survival, fate, and overall love. We follow the lives of interconnected people while they are finding themselves in the past thing to change the future.
*thanks to the netgalley for the copy of the book, all opinions are my own
*thanks to the netgalley for the copy of the book, all opinions are my own
October 17, 2024
The Memory Collectors is a gripping speculative mystery where four strangers are given the chance to time-travel and revisit a pivotal hour from their past. Elizabeth wants one last moment with her lost son, Andy is chasing a vanished love, Logan misses his life before an accident, and Brooke is haunted by guilt. Full of hope, mystery, and emotion, this story explores how one moment can change everything.
Admittedly, I felt a bit overwhelmed at first, jumping between four narratives in the first few chapters—all starting their journeys with Aeon Expeditions and reflecting on how quickly 60 minutes would fly by. But by the second round of narrations, I started to feel more comfortable. While the narrative style doesn’t change between characters, each of their stories stands out in its own way.
The story really took off about a third of the way in. The first part flew by—I found myself breezing through 100 pages in no time—but I hadn’t fully sunk into the plot yet. Then came the second third... Suddenly, my surroundings faded away, and I was half-listening to my boyfriend talk, only humming in response as my eyes raced through the pages.
“We don’t change time. But time changes us.�
This book hit me with a whirlwind of emotions. It covered so much in what felt like so few pages, yet nothing felt underdeveloped. Would I have liked to linger a bit longer before everything unraveled? Absolutely! But that’s probably because I was enjoying uncovering the connections so much. It’s rare to find such a gripping story packed into a short 300-page read.
I can’t wait for this book to be published so more readers can experience it!
Thanks to the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, for providing an ARC copy through Netgalley! All opinions are my own.
Admittedly, I felt a bit overwhelmed at first, jumping between four narratives in the first few chapters—all starting their journeys with Aeon Expeditions and reflecting on how quickly 60 minutes would fly by. But by the second round of narrations, I started to feel more comfortable. While the narrative style doesn’t change between characters, each of their stories stands out in its own way.
The story really took off about a third of the way in. The first part flew by—I found myself breezing through 100 pages in no time—but I hadn’t fully sunk into the plot yet. Then came the second third... Suddenly, my surroundings faded away, and I was half-listening to my boyfriend talk, only humming in response as my eyes raced through the pages.
“We don’t change time. But time changes us.�
This book hit me with a whirlwind of emotions. It covered so much in what felt like so few pages, yet nothing felt underdeveloped. Would I have liked to linger a bit longer before everything unraveled? Absolutely! But that’s probably because I was enjoying uncovering the connections so much. It’s rare to find such a gripping story packed into a short 300-page read.
I can’t wait for this book to be published so more readers can experience it!
Thanks to the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, for providing an ARC copy through Netgalley! All opinions are my own.
January 21, 2025
A fun twist on the classic time travel novel! Instead of traveling back to a specific time in history, the traveler is instead taken back to a random time in their own personal history for just a one-hour visit, courtesy of tech developer Aeon Expeditions. Four people with an overlapping past soon discover that the time they were taken to feels anything but random, though, and their one hour stretches into days.
The novel circles around the events of a tragic day three years prior, when one man was killed and another was left paralyzed. While Aeon Expeditions assures the time travelers that nothing they can do in the past can change the future, they begin to wonder if the glitch in the system that has kept them locked in the past for far too long might also allow them to circumvent tragedy.
This is a great multiple-POV narrative, providing a lot of room for the reader to deeply understand each character and witness their growth. I found this not only one of my favorite reads of the year so far, but also one that seems to be keeping space in my head rent-free —no small feat given my proclivity for forgetting plots the minute I move on. It's fast paced and immersive, and light enough on the scifi that it still manages to feel mostly grounded in our world. 4.5 stars rounded up.
The novel circles around the events of a tragic day three years prior, when one man was killed and another was left paralyzed. While Aeon Expeditions assures the time travelers that nothing they can do in the past can change the future, they begin to wonder if the glitch in the system that has kept them locked in the past for far too long might also allow them to circumvent tragedy.
This is a great multiple-POV narrative, providing a lot of room for the reader to deeply understand each character and witness their growth. I found this not only one of my favorite reads of the year so far, but also one that seems to be keeping space in my head rent-free —no small feat given my proclivity for forgetting plots the minute I move on. It's fast paced and immersive, and light enough on the scifi that it still manages to feel mostly grounded in our world. 4.5 stars rounded up.
March 24, 2025
This was such a great read. A time travel thriller where four characters time travel back in time, and they get stuck on the same day that all of their lives connected and changed to lives forever. They were only supposed to be able to spend 1 hour in the past, but are now stranded there because of some sort of malfunction with the time travel machine.
You can truly connect to each character's story. The tragedy that they are all tied to. They learn that this tragedy was caused by something or someone that they just didn't know about at that time. They wonder if they can possibly change this tragedy in some way…and they definitely will try.
This mystery really gripped me, and I know if you pick this up, it will grip you too. It was intense and fast paced. And although it has the time travel sci-fi element, it's very easy to follow. I had all kinds of emotions while reading this one. I had no idea how it was all going to turn out and the way it did was satisfying. Such a fantastic book.
Thank you to the publisher, author and Suzy approved book tours for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
You can truly connect to each character's story. The tragedy that they are all tied to. They learn that this tragedy was caused by something or someone that they just didn't know about at that time. They wonder if they can possibly change this tragedy in some way…and they definitely will try.
This mystery really gripped me, and I know if you pick this up, it will grip you too. It was intense and fast paced. And although it has the time travel sci-fi element, it's very easy to follow. I had all kinds of emotions while reading this one. I had no idea how it was all going to turn out and the way it did was satisfying. Such a fantastic book.
Thank you to the publisher, author and Suzy approved book tours for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
March 15, 2025
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Wow. This book was so good! It really makes you think about the things that have happened in your own life and regrets that you may have. It makes you realize that things from the past are no longer important, to put the past behind you, that it makes you into the person you are today, things can change for the better, and to always look to the future.
The book is about a group of people who are selected for an experiment called the Aeon Expedition where they can travel to the past for 1 hour, but they can't try to alter what has already happened. When these individuals jump into the past, they are there for an hour usually, but this time, they are left in there for days. The individuals are aware of what is going on and slowly find out how they are all connected to each other to resolve issues from the past.
I feel like the pacing was good. Most of the time, when there are multiple POVs, it can get a little chaotic and hard to keep track of, but this story flowed very well, and you are able to keep up with the story well. I am definitely interested in reading more by this author and recommend this book for a good, thought-provoking read!
Wow. This book was so good! It really makes you think about the things that have happened in your own life and regrets that you may have. It makes you realize that things from the past are no longer important, to put the past behind you, that it makes you into the person you are today, things can change for the better, and to always look to the future.
The book is about a group of people who are selected for an experiment called the Aeon Expedition where they can travel to the past for 1 hour, but they can't try to alter what has already happened. When these individuals jump into the past, they are there for an hour usually, but this time, they are left in there for days. The individuals are aware of what is going on and slowly find out how they are all connected to each other to resolve issues from the past.
I feel like the pacing was good. Most of the time, when there are multiple POVs, it can get a little chaotic and hard to keep track of, but this story flowed very well, and you are able to keep up with the story well. I am definitely interested in reading more by this author and recommend this book for a good, thought-provoking read!
January 15, 2025
I think everyone in life has a moment in time they've wondered "what if...".
I know I've spent countless hours in the middle of the night, unable to sleep, staring at my ceiling replaying many moments that have happened in my life. Thinking. What I would have done differently. What would my life have looked like if I made a different decision. What would I do if I could spend more time with someone who is no longer here or I lost touch with. To be honest and vulnerable with all of you, some of those questions have haunted me for years (and probably will for the rest of my life).
Which brings us to The Memory Collectors.
In the future Aeon Expeditions has made a groundbreaking discovery and invention involving time travel. Very few lucky people receive the opportunity to spend one hour in their past even though Aeon has made it very clear that time travel will not alter their future. When you come back, everything will be how it was before you left. I dont want to say too much because this is a book that you should just jump into. Just read it.
This story was unbelievably emotional, thought provoking and beautifully written. Out of all of the characters you will meet in this story, you will probably find a piece of yourself in there as well. Buckle up when that happens because ALL of the feelings will come out. It will make you think of love, grief, hope and second chances.
This is one of those rare books that comes along and changes part of you. It will make you think and evaluate things in your life. It is truly something special. I wouldnt be surprised if this wins an award and is one of the top releases of 2025.
"Now that I see the extraordinary in all of it. The random things in life that I once took for granted take on new meaning. The first time I'd lived this life, I'd rushed through it, ignoring the details around me. I'd looked at the things in my life without really seeing them at all. Today, it's the little things I latch on to."
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for allowing me the opportunity to read a copy of this book in anticipation of its upcoming release. This review is my honest opinion/thoughts.
I know I've spent countless hours in the middle of the night, unable to sleep, staring at my ceiling replaying many moments that have happened in my life. Thinking. What I would have done differently. What would my life have looked like if I made a different decision. What would I do if I could spend more time with someone who is no longer here or I lost touch with. To be honest and vulnerable with all of you, some of those questions have haunted me for years (and probably will for the rest of my life).
Which brings us to The Memory Collectors.
In the future Aeon Expeditions has made a groundbreaking discovery and invention involving time travel. Very few lucky people receive the opportunity to spend one hour in their past even though Aeon has made it very clear that time travel will not alter their future. When you come back, everything will be how it was before you left. I dont want to say too much because this is a book that you should just jump into. Just read it.
This story was unbelievably emotional, thought provoking and beautifully written. Out of all of the characters you will meet in this story, you will probably find a piece of yourself in there as well. Buckle up when that happens because ALL of the feelings will come out. It will make you think of love, grief, hope and second chances.
This is one of those rare books that comes along and changes part of you. It will make you think and evaluate things in your life. It is truly something special. I wouldnt be surprised if this wins an award and is one of the top releases of 2025.
"Now that I see the extraordinary in all of it. The random things in life that I once took for granted take on new meaning. The first time I'd lived this life, I'd rushed through it, ignoring the details around me. I'd looked at the things in my life without really seeing them at all. Today, it's the little things I latch on to."
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for allowing me the opportunity to read a copy of this book in anticipation of its upcoming release. This review is my honest opinion/thoughts.
March 14, 2025
4.5⭐️ I Loved this story of time travel, grief and love. Fast paced page turner, I did not want to put down.
Four people selected for a new time travel experience to go back to an event in the past for 1 hour. The characters chosen randomly, end up with more than they expected.
Brooke, broken, lost, alone, after a devastating accident. Elizabeth, grieving mother searching for clarity after her son’s death. Logan, crippled after an accident, wanting to live a full life once more. Andy, successful author, looking for answers about a lost love. I felt so much for these characters and the interesting way it all came together for them all in their travel back in time.
Well written, great plot, interesting premise, thought provoking.
Thank you to Dete Meserve for this wonderful book and NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Four people selected for a new time travel experience to go back to an event in the past for 1 hour. The characters chosen randomly, end up with more than they expected.
Brooke, broken, lost, alone, after a devastating accident. Elizabeth, grieving mother searching for clarity after her son’s death. Logan, crippled after an accident, wanting to live a full life once more. Andy, successful author, looking for answers about a lost love. I felt so much for these characters and the interesting way it all came together for them all in their travel back in time.
Well written, great plot, interesting premise, thought provoking.
Thank you to Dete Meserve for this wonderful book and NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
January 20, 2025
Thanks to @crookedlanebooks #partner for my advance copy
This book felt like watching an episode of Lost, where the characters� lives intertwine in small or significant ways, creating a spiderweb of connections that lure you in and then spins you in its web.
August 25, 2025, was the day everything changed for them. It’s a date they can’t escape - frozen in time, looming over their lives like a shadow. Though the world continues to move forward, they remain trapped, unable to let go or move on.
By 2028, Aeon Expeditions has developed a groundbreaking machine that allows people to jump - or time travel - back to moments in their past. But there are rules:
� You can’t change the future. No matter
what you do during a jump, life resets to
the way it was the moment you return.
� You can only stay in the past for an hour,
no more.
� You can’t tell anyone about the future.
� And you don’t get to pick the moment
you’ll revisit - it’s entirely random.
The story unfolds through the perspectives of four characters, each shaped by the tragedy of August 25:
� Elizabeth, a grieving mother who lost her
son that day.
� Andy, a man whose love disappeared
without a trace.
� Logan, who became paralyzed in a
single, life-altering moment.
� And Brooke, whose actions that day left
one man dead and another paralyzed.
Now, on August 20, 2025, all four find themselves unexpectedly stuck in the same jump, three years in the past. They know they can’t change the future - but for as long as they’re here, maybe they can create a different path forward. With five days until their shared tragedy, they’ll try to stop what’s coming, even if it’s impossible to alter the outcome.
This book hooks you from the very first page. The mystery of what happened on August 25 keeps you turning pages, desperate for answers. While it’s a sci-fi thriller at its core, it’s also deeply emotional, exploring grief, guilt, love, loss, and redemption. The characters are flawed, human, and beautifully crafted, making it impossible not to connect with them.
I couldn’t put this book down. A truly fantastic read!
This book felt like watching an episode of Lost, where the characters� lives intertwine in small or significant ways, creating a spiderweb of connections that lure you in and then spins you in its web.
August 25, 2025, was the day everything changed for them. It’s a date they can’t escape - frozen in time, looming over their lives like a shadow. Though the world continues to move forward, they remain trapped, unable to let go or move on.
By 2028, Aeon Expeditions has developed a groundbreaking machine that allows people to jump - or time travel - back to moments in their past. But there are rules:
� You can’t change the future. No matter
what you do during a jump, life resets to
the way it was the moment you return.
� You can only stay in the past for an hour,
no more.
� You can’t tell anyone about the future.
� And you don’t get to pick the moment
you’ll revisit - it’s entirely random.
The story unfolds through the perspectives of four characters, each shaped by the tragedy of August 25:
� Elizabeth, a grieving mother who lost her
son that day.
� Andy, a man whose love disappeared
without a trace.
� Logan, who became paralyzed in a
single, life-altering moment.
� And Brooke, whose actions that day left
one man dead and another paralyzed.
Now, on August 20, 2025, all four find themselves unexpectedly stuck in the same jump, three years in the past. They know they can’t change the future - but for as long as they’re here, maybe they can create a different path forward. With five days until their shared tragedy, they’ll try to stop what’s coming, even if it’s impossible to alter the outcome.
This book hooks you from the very first page. The mystery of what happened on August 25 keeps you turning pages, desperate for answers. While it’s a sci-fi thriller at its core, it’s also deeply emotional, exploring grief, guilt, love, loss, and redemption. The characters are flawed, human, and beautifully crafted, making it impossible not to connect with them.
I couldn’t put this book down. A truly fantastic read!
January 21, 2025
First time author and I went in sans-synopsis for this ARC. Definitely a good read for me but I was expecting a bit more wow factor. Getting to know the characters then following them through the plot kept it a decent pager turner. I did have to remember who was who a bit and some of the chapters were a little long. The ending was good but not great. I could definitely see this made into a streaming show. Love the Ventura setting.
Thank you to both Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to both Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity in exchange for an honest review.
November 7, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⏳Mystery/suspense readers I have a great book for your TBR pile. This is a moving story that explores the question, “Would you go back in time and experience a random hour of your life? Even if you knew the timeline would reset and nothing you said or did would change anything?� In The Memory Collectors, we meet 4 people whose lives were changed by August 25, 2025 forever.
Elizabeth; who lost her adult son in a senseless accident
Andy; a bestselling author who lost (and never found) his true love
Logan; who lost the use of his legs and is paralyzed despite having climbed mountains
Brooke; a felon released from prison from a night she made a grave mistake
These 4 people go to the past, thanks to Aeon Technologies, the corporation who facilitates time travel. But in this case, they get stuck. A multi-POV story, we wonder how their lives may intersect, how they will experience life differently, and how they are forever changed afterwards.
This is a book that will have you turning the pages at a faster and faster pace, the anticipation of the timeline of events is immensely powerful. I highly recommend this book for those who enjoy a psychological thriller, themes of “what if� and time travel.
Thanks to @netgalley and @crookenlanepublishers for the ARC. Book to be published 5/20/25.
#booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #booklover #arcreview #booktok #netgalley #bookrecommendations #TheMemoryCollectors
Elizabeth; who lost her adult son in a senseless accident
Andy; a bestselling author who lost (and never found) his true love
Logan; who lost the use of his legs and is paralyzed despite having climbed mountains
Brooke; a felon released from prison from a night she made a grave mistake
These 4 people go to the past, thanks to Aeon Technologies, the corporation who facilitates time travel. But in this case, they get stuck. A multi-POV story, we wonder how their lives may intersect, how they will experience life differently, and how they are forever changed afterwards.
This is a book that will have you turning the pages at a faster and faster pace, the anticipation of the timeline of events is immensely powerful. I highly recommend this book for those who enjoy a psychological thriller, themes of “what if� and time travel.
Thanks to @netgalley and @crookenlanepublishers for the ARC. Book to be published 5/20/25.
#booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #booklover #arcreview #booktok #netgalley #bookrecommendations #TheMemoryCollectors
November 3, 2024
An extraordinary yet entirely believable premise: What if you could visit any moment in the past for just one hour?
Through the innovative Aeon company, time travel has become a reality, but it comes with strict limitations. You can’t choose the exact time you visit, you have to be selected through a rigorous application process, and most importantly, nothing you do can alter the present—at least, that’s the rule everyone has always believed to be unbreakable.
In The Memory Collectors, four strangers are unexpectedly brought together, each haunted by a life-altering incident from their past. When they discover that they’re still trapped in the past long after their hour should have ended, the group must unravel the mystery of what went wrong. As they work together to uncover the truth, they grapple with their past actions and their current desires to make changes.
Part thriller, part mystery, part romance, and fully immersive speculative fiction, The Memory Collectors will pull you in and make you reflect on the impact of your own past actions!
thank you netgalley!
#crookedlanebooks #thememorycollectors #detemeserve
Through the innovative Aeon company, time travel has become a reality, but it comes with strict limitations. You can’t choose the exact time you visit, you have to be selected through a rigorous application process, and most importantly, nothing you do can alter the present—at least, that’s the rule everyone has always believed to be unbreakable.
In The Memory Collectors, four strangers are unexpectedly brought together, each haunted by a life-altering incident from their past. When they discover that they’re still trapped in the past long after their hour should have ended, the group must unravel the mystery of what went wrong. As they work together to uncover the truth, they grapple with their past actions and their current desires to make changes.
Part thriller, part mystery, part romance, and fully immersive speculative fiction, The Memory Collectors will pull you in and make you reflect on the impact of your own past actions!
thank you netgalley!
#crookedlanebooks #thememorycollectors #detemeserve
April 12, 2025
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.
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.
February 8, 2025
This was a very interesting premise and a read that kept you on the edge of your seat - up until the last third. I feel like it ended too bland and basic, and I definitely expected more from the setup.
Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing me the ARC.
Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing me the ARC.
October 24, 2024
Would you say yes if allowed an hour of time in the past, to relive a memory? Many people would likely puff up their chests with pride and say no, that the past implies having regrets and we should all focus on the present and future. If you can't change what's done, why does it matter? This story addresses these questions and so much more, with an insight I found extremely refreshing and a narrative that was often jerking between heartbreak and hope.
"Everything we do, everything that happens to us -good or bad- relies on a million little moments in the past. We fool ourselves if we believe that we control every moment."
Reading this, you will bounce between several points of view, immersed in lives that are deeply rooted in love and so full of life that you can't help wishing the best for each character. Meserve weaves these lives together in a way that leans much more toward fate than coincidence. I absolutely would recommend this book to others, even if it is to take a pause and reflect on which moments in your life that would be a mind-blowing memory to experience all over again, for better or worse.
I am extremely thankful to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the ARC and the opportunity to share my honest opinion on The Memory Collectors.
"Everything we do, everything that happens to us -good or bad- relies on a million little moments in the past. We fool ourselves if we believe that we control every moment."
Reading this, you will bounce between several points of view, immersed in lives that are deeply rooted in love and so full of life that you can't help wishing the best for each character. Meserve weaves these lives together in a way that leans much more toward fate than coincidence. I absolutely would recommend this book to others, even if it is to take a pause and reflect on which moments in your life that would be a mind-blowing memory to experience all over again, for better or worse.
I am extremely thankful to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the ARC and the opportunity to share my honest opinion on The Memory Collectors.
March 9, 2025
Have you ever wanted to relive a moment in your past? Aeon will let you do just that, for a large sum of money. The caveat? You can’t pick the exact date, and who wants to be extracted after one measly hour!?
4 people are chosen to embark on this experience one day and find themselves crossing paths on the same date. They realize their connection is deeper than just being from the future and race to change and event that will affect their lives forever. Unfortunately, what you do during your jump back into the past does not change any series of events permanently. But these four people are determined to try, and discover why events played out the way they did.
This was a heavily character based plot told from four different perspectives. I found myself rooting for them and hoping if they changed the past they could change the outcome in the future, although they’ve made it clear that’s not how the technology works. My main critique is during the resolution I found myself wanting things to wrap up quicker. Overall I loved it and would absolutely recommend this book to sci if readers who enjoy multiple POVs.
Thank you NetGalley for a copy in return for an honest review!
4 people are chosen to embark on this experience one day and find themselves crossing paths on the same date. They realize their connection is deeper than just being from the future and race to change and event that will affect their lives forever. Unfortunately, what you do during your jump back into the past does not change any series of events permanently. But these four people are determined to try, and discover why events played out the way they did.
This was a heavily character based plot told from four different perspectives. I found myself rooting for them and hoping if they changed the past they could change the outcome in the future, although they’ve made it clear that’s not how the technology works. My main critique is during the resolution I found myself wanting things to wrap up quicker. Overall I loved it and would absolutely recommend this book to sci if readers who enjoy multiple POVs.
Thank you NetGalley for a copy in return for an honest review!
March 24, 2025
“Many of us are stumbling through life. The first time around, we don’t always know what to do with a moment. We’re distracted or we waste it, not seeing its full value. Thinking there’ll be more. The second time around, we’ve gained perspective, we understand the significance of a moment, a gesture, or a word said. We know what’s at stake. What’s ahead that we may lose. We notice things we didn’t see before.�
Time travel sci-fi that’s character driven is my jam, and this book ticked so many boxes for me.
✔️ Unique time travel situations gone awry
✔️ A mish mash of messed up people shoved together and forced to reckon with their pasts
✔️ A multi-perspective mystery that is exciting but also contains a lot of character depth and development
✔️ Quotable lines about memories and the past and the present
✔️ Conversations and reflections about heavy topics like grief, regret, domestic abuse, life-changing physical trauma, and forgiveness
Did I have to suspend my belief more than once during this novel? Yeah. And was the ending kind of cheesy? For sure. But did I enjoy the heck out of the book? Absolutely!
Thanks so much to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the advanced copy!
Time travel sci-fi that’s character driven is my jam, and this book ticked so many boxes for me.
✔️ Unique time travel situations gone awry
✔️ A mish mash of messed up people shoved together and forced to reckon with their pasts
✔️ A multi-perspective mystery that is exciting but also contains a lot of character depth and development
✔️ Quotable lines about memories and the past and the present
✔️ Conversations and reflections about heavy topics like grief, regret, domestic abuse, life-changing physical trauma, and forgiveness
Did I have to suspend my belief more than once during this novel? Yeah. And was the ending kind of cheesy? For sure. But did I enjoy the heck out of the book? Absolutely!
Thanks so much to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the advanced copy!
March 2, 2025
This story really had me super intrigued. I was not disappointed - and it was well written.. following multiple povs.
The idea of getting the opportunity to go back in time is a unique premise and it was fun to read & journey through it with the characters!
Definitely worth the read and recommendation!
The idea of getting the opportunity to go back in time is a unique premise and it was fun to read & journey through it with the characters!
Definitely worth the read and recommendation!
February 5, 2025
I absolutely adored this book. It was a whirlwind of emotions, each person’s memory taking me on a different journey. The writing style was beautiful, and the topic was intriguing. This had similar vibes to Dark Matter. Great read!
December 10, 2024
What would you do if you were able to visit a moment from your past for just one hour? This is the question at the heart of The Memory Collectors by Dete Meserve, and at the core of the fictional time-traveling company Aeon Expeditions. At first glance, the book is a series of microfiction chapters, delivering maximally intense episode with each protagonist as they approach this question. Characters revisit lost loves, deceased family members, and victorious moments from their early adulthood. In these trips to the past, each savors small details in their memories, the way the light comes through the window, the way their spouse looked at them, the feeling of fresh outdoor air hitting their lungs. But -- as the trip progresses for each character, something strange happens. When their limited hour is up, the extraction process does not boomerang them back to the present. As each of their memories progress, timelines and details begin to blur. How do all of these characters' stories overlap? Why, and for how long, will they be collectively trapped in their past?
As I began to notice the overlapping details I got increasingly invested in the book to the point where I could not put The Memory Collectors down and read it in a single straight marathon session. From early on I started drawing a character map to keep track of all the little ways that the characters overlapped with each other and that helped me in the early quarter of the book where there were a lot of characters and a lot of different story lines. I don't read a lot of speculative fiction but this felt like it took place just a teensy bit in the future and most of the details were realistic enough that it read real! I was invested in the outcome through and through. There was a lot of reflection on savoring small details, living in the moment, and also the way our lives intersect and connect with others in our community (often unknowingly and in only fleeting moments). As I am reading this at the end of the calendar year, these reflections really resonated with me.
In a few places, there were some narrative inconsistencies that made this tricky to follow and at other times I felt the narrative could be repetitive as characters re-lived their memories and reflected on the differences in their past and present. They did disrupt the flow while I was reading, though did not take away from my overall enjoyment of the story. I would recommend this book to other readers and fans of The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by Victoria E Schwab, and The Butterfly Effect (the film).
Thank you to Crooked Lane Books, NetGalley, and Dete Meserve for an advanced e-copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
As I began to notice the overlapping details I got increasingly invested in the book to the point where I could not put The Memory Collectors down and read it in a single straight marathon session. From early on I started drawing a character map to keep track of all the little ways that the characters overlapped with each other and that helped me in the early quarter of the book where there were a lot of characters and a lot of different story lines. I don't read a lot of speculative fiction but this felt like it took place just a teensy bit in the future and most of the details were realistic enough that it read real! I was invested in the outcome through and through. There was a lot of reflection on savoring small details, living in the moment, and also the way our lives intersect and connect with others in our community (often unknowingly and in only fleeting moments). As I am reading this at the end of the calendar year, these reflections really resonated with me.
In a few places, there were some narrative inconsistencies that made this tricky to follow and at other times I felt the narrative could be repetitive as characters re-lived their memories and reflected on the differences in their past and present. They did disrupt the flow while I was reading, though did not take away from my overall enjoyment of the story. I would recommend this book to other readers and fans of The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by Victoria E Schwab, and The Butterfly Effect (the film).
Thank you to Crooked Lane Books, NetGalley, and Dete Meserve for an advanced e-copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
October 23, 2024
I love this book! The way each chapter is written with the distinctive first hand voice of each different character. Each person in this story is relatable, flawed, likeable... I really enjoyed this one!
I especially liked the parts told from the point of view of someone who was paralysed and couldn't walk in real life, but they could walk in the simulation.
5/5 fantastic.
Thank you to Dete Meserve and Netgalley for the ARC.
I especially liked the parts told from the point of view of someone who was paralysed and couldn't walk in real life, but they could walk in the simulation.
5/5 fantastic.
Thank you to Dete Meserve and Netgalley for the ARC.
April 30, 2025
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.
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.
November 1, 2024
This was such an unexpectedly fun read! It was a mix between sci-fi/mystery/lit fic. It had so many elements of a story that I really enjoy and this is one that I will think about for awhile.
In the future, there is a company who allows people to time jump to go back to the past for 60 minutes to relive a certain memory. 4 people did a time jump and all sent to the same exact day in the past but a glitch happened and they were essentially stuck there for longer and they had to figure out what to do while they waited to be returned back to the present. They didn't know each other, but their lives were connected in crazy ways. I love how this mystery all unfolded through the first 2/3 of the book. I couldn't put it down! I'm usually good at figuring out the mystery before everything is revealed but this one kept me guessing!
I would have rated it 5 stars, but it just felt a bit rushed and unsatisfactory in the end. When it actually ended, I thought "is this the last page? That can't be right." It just felt very rushed for the last 20% of the novel. Maybe I was just sad it ended so soon haha. But I do love how everyone learned lessons and how while they couldn't change the past, reliving the past had changed them for the future they came back to. It was very beautiful. A lot of quotable lines in the book that made you think.
Definitely recommend this if you loved "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow" since it gave me the same vibes.
In the future, there is a company who allows people to time jump to go back to the past for 60 minutes to relive a certain memory. 4 people did a time jump and all sent to the same exact day in the past but a glitch happened and they were essentially stuck there for longer and they had to figure out what to do while they waited to be returned back to the present. They didn't know each other, but their lives were connected in crazy ways. I love how this mystery all unfolded through the first 2/3 of the book. I couldn't put it down! I'm usually good at figuring out the mystery before everything is revealed but this one kept me guessing!
I would have rated it 5 stars, but it just felt a bit rushed and unsatisfactory in the end. When it actually ended, I thought "is this the last page? That can't be right." It just felt very rushed for the last 20% of the novel. Maybe I was just sad it ended so soon haha. But I do love how everyone learned lessons and how while they couldn't change the past, reliving the past had changed them for the future they came back to. It was very beautiful. A lot of quotable lines in the book that made you think.
Definitely recommend this if you loved "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow" since it gave me the same vibes.
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