Book Review: The Many Futures of Maddy Hart by Laura Pearson

I’m so excited to be welcoming Laura Pearson back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, The Many Futures of Maddy Hart.

Suddenly Maddy is right there… in her very own future. And it’s all wrong, yet again.

It happens to her every time. When the kisses lead to the bedroom, just when she thinks she might have found the one… Just for a split second, Maddy disappears, and she finds that she’s living her own life. But ten years into the future.

She’s only there for a little while. But each time, it’s long enough to know that she doesn’t want to be any of those future versions of Maddy. Because every man she falls for seems to lead her to a future that is just… wrong.

Until she meets Oliver. And the vision of their future is happy. Beautiful even. A little girl runs around, her braids flying behind her, giggling about how she wants sausages for dinner. She has eyes just like Oliver’s.

There’s just one catch. If Maddy wants the family she’s seeing in her future with Oliver, she realizes she has to break his heart now…

Would you destroy your present if there’s a chance that it could give you the perfect future?

Perfect for fans of David Nicholls, Matt Haig, and The Husbands by Holly Gramazio. The most unmissable ‘what if?’ love story of the year!

*****

Every time Maddy Hart is intimate with a man, she sees a glimpse of her life exactly ten years into the future. None of them are happy, not until she meets Oliver. He’s about to change her life. Can Maddy make the hard choices now to give her the future she wants?

I’ve read and enjoyed a few novels by Laura Pearson and so was excited to be invited into the blog tour for her latest book, The Many Futures of Maddy Hart. The blurb alone appealed to me. I love these kinds of novels and so couldn’t wait to get started.

Told from Maddy’s point of view, the plot is woven and developed well. The story goes between the present and the future. This shows the reader the high stakes involved when it comes to the ability Maddy has. There’s decisions she needs to make and whatever she decides has the ability to change the happy life she has glimpsed. It made me really think about how I would react if this sort of thing were possible.

Maddy is a great protagonist. She goes through a lot and everything she does is believable. She cares for those around her and she is easy to like.

Same with Oliver. Despite certain things, he is, at his heart, a wonderful character. There are flaws and raw emotion shown with all of the characters. The supporting cast are varied and add a lot to the story. Priya, Maddy’s family – all are given ample space and development in the story. Oh, and I want to adopt Marjorie the cat.

Some hard themes, such as baby loss and disabilities are tackled but all are done with grace and care. That’s as far as I am going to go in terms of spoilers.

The Many Futures of Maddy Hart is as heart warming as it is sad. It takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions. It’s compelling and I didn’t want to stop reading. There’s a love story at its heart. It reminds you that some hard decisions could lead you to the life you want. It’s a novel that will draw you in and have you thinking about it long after you’ve finished reading. It reminded me how much I love this author’s novels. I smiled, I cried and overall, despite the sad moments, I loved it.

About Laura Pearson –

Laura Pearson is the author of issues-based women’s fiction. She founded The Bookload on Facebook and has had several pieces published in the Guardian and the Telegraph.

Say hello to Laura on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Bookbub. Click here to sign up to her newsletter. 

The Many Futures of Maddy Hart was released by Boldwood Books on 4th February 2025. Click here to buy on Amazon and Waterstones. 

by

Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.