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 back in 2009 as I wanted a place to discuss books and writing - two loves of my life. As someone who has anxiety, these two things give me, and I am sure countless others, a much needed escape.
There is a monthly book club, writing exercises, prompts, reviews, author interviews, competitions and guest posts. I cover many genres and I hope there is something for everyone.
I grew up by the sea in Dorset and currently live in Poole with my husband, Chris and three cats. I love writing and have a BA (Hons) in Creative Writing from Falmouth University. I am writing my first book. If only I could stop pressing delete. Chris has threatened to stop it from working. Haha.
I have always loved creative writing since I was in first school and would very much like to meet my teacher, Miss Sayers, to say thank you for all the encouragement she gave me then.
When not writing, I love reading, cats, Disney, singing (I can't sing but this doesn't stop me,) and falling into a good TV show or film. If I could step into any fictional world, it would be amongst the characters in ABC's Once Upon a Time.
I love reading many genres and discovering new authors.