Dear Future Me has at its centre a fascinating idea, that at about seventeen you write a letter to yourself twenty years in the future. What do you write? Your hopes and dreams so your future self can see if they have achieved them, your insecurities, your fears for the future or maybe a confession to something you regret doing. When these letters are delivered there are many different reactions, a feeling of failure, a feeling of success and in one case a suicide. An intriguing starting point for a gripping thriller with plenty of twists.
The plot is mainly narrated through the eyes of Audrey. Audrey is one of those who received the letter from her seventeen year old self. She had a promising future, a chance of attending Cambridge University until her mother died and she left her hopes and dreams behind to take care of her two year old brother. I liked Audrey as a character, she was honest, kind, and will go to end of the earth for her family and friends. It was interesting to watch her grow during the book, having the confidence to come out of the shadows and into the light. When her best friend Miranda jumps off a cliff after receiving her letter it is Audrey who takes control, looking after Miranda’s children and helping her husband whilst also looking for answers as to why Miranda would kill herself.
I loved that Deborah O’Connor included the letters that the characters sent themselves. Some were fun to read, giving an insight into their younger minds, what they wanted and how they felt about life and where it may take them. There were also those who had a touch of sadness to them, Miranda believing she had done something wrong and another character Kitty who was being pressured by her parents to do well and not let them down.
As well as the plot line of Miranda’s suicide there is also the story of their old classmate Ben who died whilst on a school trip to the Lake District. As we learn more about Audrey and her classmates details of Ben’s life are slowly revealed and his relationships with his friends that make Audrey question the events of the night he died.
The tension was kept throughout, and the plot went down some surprising avenues and explored some interesting themes, including infidelity, family expectations, self worth, and the secrets we keep for ourselves and for others. These different threads worked really well together, giving light and shade to the story and as they weaved together I became more invested in the characters and their lives.
Dear Future Me is the book that keeps on giving, the more I read the more immersed and addicted I became to the story. There was the suicide and its resulting investigation by the Police and Audrey, then a touch of romance, the secrets kept within a marriage and those kept to protect a friend and how you are never to old to follow your dreams. A brilliant and captivating read.
I would like to thank Tracy Fenton and Zaffre Books for inviting me to be part of the blog tour for this book in return for my honest review.
