Deborah O’Connor’s Dear Future Me is a compelling dual-timeline thriller that blends adolescent secrets, betrayal, and simmering tension into a slow-burn narrative that ultimately pays off in spades. While the pacing might feel gradual at first, the strength of the character development pulls you in, keeping you emotionally invested and intrigued by the unfolding layers of deceit.

Set between the past and present, the novel expertly contrasts the recklessness and vulnerability of youth with the quiet desperation of adulthood. O’Connor’s talent shines through in her portrayal of how a single moment—or a single lie—can echo for decades. As the story shifts timelines, the puzzle pieces begin to snap into place, and the tension rises with each revelation.

Themes of identity, loyalty, and the revolutionary ideals we abandon or embrace as we age are threaded throughout, giving the thriller depth beyond its twists. O’Connor’s characters are flawed, relatable, and real, making their choices all the more impactful.

Though the story takes its time to gather momentum, the payoff is worth it. For readers who enjoy psychological thrillers with emotional resonance and strong, layered protagonists, Dear Future Me delivers. I’ll definitely be picking up whatever Deborah O’Connor writes next.

We've all heard of time capsules. Well this book takes a fresh new approach to that idea. Highly school students writing letters to themselves in the future with their hopes and dreams. They're told these will be sent out at a later date and most of them forget all about it.

20 years later, the letters arrive. Some being joy, others secrets and lies. They uncover the mystery of a classmates death on the school residential trip. They even lead to murder! I absolutely loved it.

Miranda recieves her letter and races out the house in her pyjamas only to jump from the cliffs. But did she really jump? Best friend and classmate Audrey tries to find out tbe truth and uncovers a lot more from the past.

This book grabbed me and I was racing ahead to find out what happened next. Several times I thought I knew how it would go but obviously I was wrong. The revelations were fantastic! If your looking for a fast paced thriller then add this to your tbrs.

I chose to read a free eARC of Dear Future Me but that has in no way influenced my review.

Twenty years ago a group of teens wrote a letter to their future selves as a class project. In the present day the letters, long forgotten, suddenly start dropping through letterboxes. The letters receive a mixed reception. Some recipients enjoy the nostalgia. Some are reminded of a time they would much rather forget. Miranda, Audrey's best friend, is found later that same day at the bottom of the cliff. Audrey is devastated. She remembers the time twenty years ago well, when the class were asked to write these letters. How they started writing them the day before the class trip to the Lake District. How dreadful and upsetting that weekend trip became. But it doesn't help explain what has happened to Miranda. Audrey decides to take matters into her own hands and starts to investigate why Miranda's letter had the effect on her it did.

Dear Future Me is a slow-burn mystery, full to the brim with emotion and intrigue. I really liked Audrey. She had so much promise at school. Everyone knew she was destined for great things and had her hopes set on a place at Cambridge. When that didn't quite materialise as she expected, she decided to steer her life in a very different direction, as the sole carer for her much younger brother. There are so many 'could have beens' and 'what ifs' that I couldn't help but warm to her. Audrey sets out to talk to her former classmates still living in the area to see if she can fathom why Miranda was so upset with her letter and stormed out of the house that fateful morning.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Dear Future Me is another gripping, character-driven, suspense-packed thriller from Deborah O'Connor. I love the concept of this book. How different are we now from our seventeen-year-old selves? Very different, in my case! I loved the nostalgia, the looking back to the past, and seeing the characters then and now. The North Yorkshire setting was vivid and dramatic. O'Connor really invokes a sense of place in the novel. I enjoyed the small-town vibe; the fact that so many of Audrey's classmates had stayed in the same area for so long really helped that feeling of community. There is a fairly large cast of characters, but I was able to keep track of who everyone was and the relationships they had. The reader gets to experience a number of the 'dear future me' letters, allowing us to see what made these people tick. What their hopes and dreams were. Where they were in their young lives at that particular point in time. Some were uplifting and inspirational. Others were heartbreaking. All in all, I very much enjoyed Dear Future Me. It's a beautifully written tale of grief, secrets and regret. Full of heart and with plenty of intrigue. An intelligent, suspense-laden read. Recommended.

A high school class write letters to their future selves for an assignment and twenty years later they receive them in the mail. Soon after one of them woman who received a letter commits suicide and shocks the community. Her best friend Audrey thinks somethings a miss and sets about finding out. Are there secrets hidden in their letters?

I really liked the concept of this one as it sounded like it would be interesting and a bit different. This ended up being a compelling, well written read, however I found that it was a bit too slow for me and at times confusing with the amount of characters and rambling. I found that due to these issues it felt overly long. Saying that, this has a great premise and potential. I would be interested to see what else this author writes. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

This book had me hooked as I unravelled the secrets and mystery of the past. A suspenseful and intense read that kept me on edge throughout.

An unassuming morning and a range of letters are delivered. Each of them letters were written for a school assignment 20 years ago by the recipients: 'Dear Future Me'...

Early on it transpires that one of the women who received her letter commits suicide. Audrey, her childhood friend is now on a mission of finding out why, and how the letter is related to this.

I found the concept incredibly appealing and really wanted to be engrossed by the book. However, the writing seemed a bit clunky in places, and I'm very sorry to say that I found the main character a little annoying, unfortunately.

I thought the start of this book was impactful and grabbed your attention, definitely made you want to know what was going to happen for the remainder.

I loved the idea behind these “Dear future me” letters and I don’t know if the author would have meant for this but it certainly had me wondering what I would have written in my letter. Did anyone else who read this book have these thoughts?

The MC Audrey came across as such a kind and caring person who deserved better from life.
I loved her heart at trying to solve what had happened.

The book definitely takes you on some twists and turns. I had a lot of theories about different things that could have happened, especially the past events but ultimately I didn’t guess who the villain of the story was. Looking back at it now there’s definitely some good clues and once the reveal has happened you will remember parts of the book you’ve read and those parts will make you go aaaaah I get it now.

There are quite a lot of characters in this book even if some are minor, they all have their role to play. If you’re someone who struggles with a lot of names and keeping track it might take a little time to get through.

I did find the pace of this book to be slower than I normally like but still an enjoyable read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I loved the premise of this novel. It was such an original concept for a thriller!
Twenty years after a class of high school students have left they receive the letters they wrote to themselves about their future hopes 'Dear Future Me'
These letters have long been forgotten and come unexpectedly. As they start to arrive it they begin to unearth some hidden secrets and betrayl between the classmates.

What caused Miranda (married and mother of two young children) to jump off a cliff shortly after reading the letter from her young self? Her best friend, Audrey, of 20+ years is desperate to uncover the truth.
I found this quite a slow burn read but I enjoyed gradually discovering the different classmates that Audrey re-connected with to try and unearth the truth.

There were some interesting characters and I enjoyed discovering more about their past lives through the letters. I was second guessing the true intentions of all of the main characters! The tension really builds in the last part of the novel and I was quickly turning the pages to discover who was culpable for the two main incidents (both past and present!)
An enjoyable mystery thriller!

The idea was brilliant re letters written years ago etc but it just wasn’t gripping enough for me to say it was as expected
It was really different and parts well written but just needed a bit more ooomph now and again
Saying that I did finish it and was glad did

An enjoyable mystery that starts with a group of adults receiving letters they wrote to their future selves as adukts. The premise was unusual and the theme of the road not taken was interesting.

this was a bit like what you do when you think of those old timeline posts that sometimes pop up to say hello on social media. ugh. total cringe, was i ever that age that wrote stuff like that? except this was so much worse for the characters in this book. the letters this group once wrote to each other lead to more that embarrassment. and now could they lead to death? one friend makes it her job to find out what happened back then, and more importantly what goes on to happen as a ripple effect of re-opening old letters and older wounds. because some things definitely have not healed over.

I really liked the idea of the letters, however I found the writing style not engaging enough. I skipped some parts to get to the end. I think it would’ve been more gripping if it was written in 1st pov. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

In Saltburn, North Yorkshire, 2023, a group of former students receive letters they wrote to their future selves 20 years ago. What was meant to be a nostalgic look back soon turns dark when Miranda Brevart reads her letter, abruptly leaves her home, and is later found dead on the beach. Her best friend Audrey can’t accept the suicide verdict—especially after finding a mysterious note in her own letter from Benjamin Spellman, a classmate who died during a school trip.

As Audrey begins reconnecting with old classmates, she uncovers secrets that have been buried for two decades. Determined to find out what really happened to Miranda, she starts to reclaim the strength and ambition she once had, before life derailed her dreams.

This novel starts slowly but quickly becomes gripping. The past letters gradually reveal personal truths, regrets, and hidden connections. Audrey’s transformation is inspiring, and the twists will keep you guessing to the end. A well-crafted, emotional mystery about the power of the past and the choices that define us.

Thank you to #netgalley and @bonnierbooks @ZaffreBooks for an eARC of this book all thoughts and opinions are my own and have not been influenced in any way.

I loved the sound of this book. However when I started reading it, I struggled to connect with the characters, and the pace of the book was too slow for me .Unfortunately ,it wasn't a good read for me.

I thought the premise of this book was really intriguing. A class of students write themselves a letter, containing a message to their older selves, their hopes and dreams. Their teacher collects the letters and promises to send them out to the students at some time in the future. Now, some twenty years later, the letters begin to arrive through the students’ letterboxes. The recipients of the letters start to examine their lives and what has become of them in the interim years.
The write up of this book made it sound very interesting, but unfortunately, I found it a little lacking. For me, there were too many characters introduced to the plot to keep track of them and their particular stories. I felt the plot was ok, but too drawn out with not much happening in places and not especially gripping.

I chose to take part in this blog tour as I found the premise of Dear Future Me really intriguing. I thought about what I might have written as a teenager in a letter to my future self, and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want to read it now, in my thirties. I wasn't surprised that reading the letters stirred a lot of difficult memories, but the secrets and lies made the novel really interesting and I was compelled to see what had happened, both in the past and the present.

Dear Future Me is set in Saltburn and I loved Deborah O'Connor's detailed descriptions of the location. I have family members who live in the area so I'm slightly familiar with it and the writing took me right to the action. Saltburn is the perfect setting for this novel, as the strong community feel of the town means that many of the characters have stayed in the area into adulthood or returned after being away for work or university. In many cases, they are still on contact with their former classmates and this creates extra jeopardy as the secrets start to unravel.

Through the letters, Deborah O'Connor gives the reader valuable insight into the characters she has developed so well and I loved getting to know them. The characters are not always likeable, but they each had their own demons that shaped the way they behaved, so I did feel sympathy for some of them, even if they had acted badly.

The ending of the novel is full of tension and a sense of danger and I was holding my breath as everything unravelled.

I've loved the author's previous work and Dear Future Me was no different. I'm excited to see what she does next!

This book gripped me from the first chapter and absolutely refused to let me go until I was completely wrung out by the time I read the last word.

I think most of us have looked back on what we were doing 20 odd years ago and wonder what our past selves would make of the people we’ve become - Deborah O’Connor has nailed every possible feeling that someone could have had.

Characters that felt real and honest make the book both a delight and a stress to read (in a good way) - you want everyone to succeed but know that life doesn’t work out that way.

I loved the sound of this book. Teenagers writing themselves dear future me letters to receive 20 years later. Now as adults receiving the letters turns deadly. Overall I thought the book was OK, I think it sounded better than it actually was. Thank you to Netgalley and Bonnier Books for ARC.

A really enjoyable premise, when you're 17 and about to finish your exams, the students in English all write a letter to their future selves. 20years later, the letters begin to arrive to the inhabitants of Saltburn by the Sea, North Yorkshire and have a profound effect on their present lives.

Miranda is cooking pancakes for breakfast whilst her two children are outside playing with the dog. Upon reading her letter she promptly jumps into her car, still in her PJs, drives to the cliffs and jumps off.

Audrey was Miranda's best friend at school and had dreams of going to Cambridge University. Unfortunately she wasn't accepted and when her mum died was left to care for her young brother and began cleaning to earn their keep.

We follow Audrey as she meets up with her old school colleagues to discuss the letters, and find out why Miranda jumped off the cliff.

She discovers a mystery that's ties to the death of Miranda's old boyfriend 20 years earlier whilst they were on a school trip.

This is a real slow burner but a worthwhile read. We get flashbacks to 20years earlier when they were writing the letters, as well as flashbacks to the letters being opened on that fateful morning for Miranda.

The plot is really interesting and makes you realise how we change so much after leaving school but our true character largely remains the same. Talking of characters, there are quite a few to keep track of and many fall by the wayside.

An enjoyable story that probably dragged on a little too long.

I would like to convey my thanks to Netgalley and Bonnier Books UK, Zaffre Publishers for providing the opportunity to review this novel. All opinions are my own.

Dear Future Me is due to be released on 12th June 2025.

I love the idea of this. Kids coming to the end of secondary school, writing letters to their future selves and not receiving them until years later. It made me think about what I would've wrote myself. More than that, I wish I could write back to my 16yr old self...
Sadly other than the idea of this book, I didn't enjoy it too much. The characters, adults and kids were pretty much all awful people, which makes a tough read. One of my biggest issues would be the shear volume of characters we are introduced to, it got quite confusing and I believe that at least 2 didn't even have a relevant part in the plot.
I did enjoy the idea and felt for Audrey as life never does turn out like what we hoped, or maybe it does exactly that and it doesn't live up to past expectations.
For Audrey and the idea, I will give 3 stars, many thanks to #NetGalley for the advanced copy