I have enjoyed one or two books by the author, Laura Pearson. However, the last few I have read have disappointed me. The characters in this book are not well developed and I could not find myself actually caring for anyone or anything related to the story. This one did not appeal to me at all. But I imagine there are plenty of people who would find the book interesting so you may want to give it a go.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

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Chick Lit
Fantasy
Fiction
Romance

Maddy Hart is a struggling actor, has a best friend named Priya who wants to be a doctor, and Maddy has never been in any long term romantic relationships. The reason for this is every time she has had sex with a man, she has had a vision of their future together, and it's never one she wants.

Then she meets Oliver, another struggling actor, and the two just click, to the point that Maddy can imagine herself with this man for years. And the visions she receives show her happy, with Oliver, and a beautiful, happy little girl. Maddy must decide whether to stay with Oliver, or break up so that they can reunite some time in the future in this happy life she's envisioned.

The visions Maddy receives are just small moments, and it's tough to imagine making major life changes based on a few seconds or minutes of a possible future. But these visions also begin to include her parents and brother, and this only complicates things for her.

However, author Laura Pearson carefully handles the plot so Maddy can navigate the situation, and has Priya give Maddy much needed support.

I will admit that though I liked how well Pearson deals with this unusual time travel situation, I never really warmed to Maddy herself. Oliver is almost too good to be true, though I did like him a lot.

Priya and Mrs. Aziz were standouts for me, despite being only supporting characters. I did love the way their Asian-ness was not a big deal, and Pearson just showed us two terrific women, who happened to not be of European descent.

I did like the pacing, which moved well (I already expected the pacing to be like that, having read other novels by this author). I also liked how while reading I ended up thinking what would I do if I saw snippets of the future?

I will say I was intrigued by the author's choice to end the novel in a slightly open way, which wasn't quite what I was expecting. It's not a bad choice, but it's still an interesting one, considering this is a romance, which typically ends with all the ends nicely tied off together.

I think I would have given this book a higher rating if I had felt more for Maddy, but, Priya and Mrs. Aziz were my faves. So, I'm giving this:

3.5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Boldwood Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.

The Many Futures Of Maddy Hart by Laura Pearson is a powerful contemporary novel that I read in just one sitting. As with all Laura Pearson’s novels, it totally consumed me from the start.
This was an emotional read on so many levels. The lead character, Maddy Hart, has a dilemma as she glimpses into the future. It begs the question – has she forced the hand of the future? Or was it always going to happen that way?
We see the value of good friends – friends who can quite literally tell each other anything.
There are generous hearts within the novel. Even an elderly neighbour provides a listening ear and wise advice.
We witness that life can be changed in an instant. Old dreams must be shelved – but life is more than just existing, life is for living. – as we see when a character realises the freedom that swimming can bring.
All the characters were delightfully drawn and easy to empathise with.
I absolutely loved The Many Futures Of Maddy Hart. It was a most charming escapist read with some powerful, strong themes about relevant issues. I look forward to much more from Laura Pearson.
I received a free copy. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

It took me ages to get around to reading this, for some reason, but I really should have done it sooner, because I loved it. Laura Pearson's books are always good, but this might just be my favourite of the ones I've read.

The concept here is that Maddy, a struggling actress, gets visions of the future - ten years later to the minute, to be exact - whenever she has sex. An unusual idea, definitely, but if you can suspend your disbelief, it actually works well.

Specifically, she gets glimpses into the ten-years-hence future she would have if she stayed with that particular man. Mostly, these are depressing enough to put her off pursuing the relationship any further - or indeed having sex at all. Until, aged twenty-six, she meets fellow actor Oliver.

What impact does it have on your behaviour today if you know - at least, in snapshots - what's going to happen in the future? Not only to you but to your partner, friends, family.... Is the future Maddy sees real, or just possibilities? Can it be changed? (It's time travel, really, which never fails to tie my brain up in knots - in a good way.)

I liked everything about this book until the end, which seemed to come a bit abruptly - maybe just because there was still 5% left on Kindle and I was expecting it to last longer! There was one particular huge cliffhanger which I'm devastated not to have resolved.

Five stars anyway, I loved it.

"The Many Futures of Maddy Hart" had a very odd premise. Whenever Maddy was intimate with a man, rather than staying in the moment and enjoying herself, she jumped ten years into the future and could see what life would be like if she remained on the current path.

Obviously, it was a bit disconcerting, and she never was with a guy more than once, until she moved in with Oliver. As her roommate, he was supposed to be off limits. But it didn't take long for either of them to want more, and while she was concerned about messing up a good thing, the vision she saw of their lives together ten years in the future was a life she wanted. But the more often she visited that time, the more she realized things weren't always what she seemed. And some tough choices were going to have to be made if she was ever going to have the life she wanted.

Despite the odd premise, I really enjoyed this story and the serious look it too at why we choose the people we do and what it is that we need to truly make a life worth living.

Thank you to Laura Pearson, Boldwood Books, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

I found the main character made is so easy to emerge myself in the story. Although a bit of a complex storyline, it pulled me in and kept me captivated.

The concept… Wow… Amazing, catching and a nice twist to time travelling books…

This was such a nice magical contemporary book. It had such a unique plot, nice characters, and it was quite fast paced. I read it in one sitting.

The story follows Maddy an aspiring actress, who, since her first time, sees her future self (she actually becomes her) every time she sleeps with someone (for a short period of time). Normally, those future snippets are bad bad. However, here comes the exception: Oliver. What she sees leaves her yearning for more and for a future that could become reality. She sees herself happy with him and with a little girl. However, there’s one problem: to achieve that happy future, she has to break her own heart in the present. What would you do?

I really really enjoyed reading this book. The plot had me hooked and the characters were vibrant. The only thing I would complain about is how Maddy puts all her energy in her future self she sees in the visions and, in the end, it looks like she doesn’t learn and evolve. That’s the main reason I can’t give a higher score.

All in all, I give this book 3 stars out of 5.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Can Laura Pearson ever write a below-par book?
The more I read of her books (she is an auto buy author for me, I don't even read the blurb!), the more I'm convinced that her novels are all wonderful.
The Many Futures of Maddy Hart is a fascinating and thought provoking read, where the lead character sees glimpses of her futures 10 years from that moment. I loved seeing both timelines develop and progress through the book, and how it affected Maddy and her family and friends in their current situation.
This was such a good read, I think you can easily read in one sitting. Maddy was a fabulous character and I wanted to see how her story played out... so I lost some sleep! Sleep is overrated when you're a bookworm.

This book had an interesting premise - any time Maddy has sex with someone she slips out of her present life and into her life 10 years in the future. It allows her to see what a future would be like with that person, and generally she learns that it's not a future she wants for herself, until she meets Oliver.
I enjoyed the exploration of the question "do you want to know what your future holds". I also liked the side characters in the book and felt that they added the overall storyline. I am generally a fan of time travel/time hop books and this one worked well with the exception of the scenario that brings about the time hop. It was all closed door, I just thought it was a weird choice by the author.

During a recent weekend city break, I had the perfect opportunity to dive into this book, and I couldn’t put it down!

The premise of the story is fascinating, with each new intimate relationship, Maddy experiences vivid visions of her possible futures. Unfortunately, most of these visions show futures she hates, and she immediately ends the relationship. When Maddy meets Oliver, she finally sees a future that excites her. However, a shocking vision forces her to make a decision that that breaks both their hearts.
This is a compelling story with relatable main characters and a strong supporting cast. I especially enjoyed Maddy’s completely honest friend Priya, their neighbour and Mrs Aziz, and Maddy's wonderfully ordinary family. Together, they created an engaging read.
Overall, this is a delightful story that blends romance with a twist and I'll definitely read more by @laurapauthor!
Thank you to netgalley andtheboldbookclub for this enjoyable ARC!

The Many Futures of Maddy Hart is only the second book I’ve read by Laura Pearson, but it is clear she is an incredibly talented author with the most unique concepts for her stories. In this novel, the main character, Maddy is a struggling actress who has been burdened since her first sexual experience with the ability to see ten years into the future with her partner. As a result she does not get into relationships because she does not see a future she likes.

When Maddy first meets Oliver she instantly likes him, and resolves not to get involved with him because she does not want to ruin everything. Inevitably that resolve weakens, and they become involved. They really were such a chilled and loving couple, I found myself willing their story to have a happy ending.

I adored her friendship with Priya, and her relationship with her family, especially her little brother.There are some sad moments with both Priya and her family, but with the glimpse into the future, ten years ahead, there is always some hope, even if the vision of the future is not detailed or completely clear.

This romance, interlaced with a little magical realism is a gentle story filled with love, loss, difficult decisions, and hope.

What if you could see into the future and see what was going to happen to you?

For Maddy Hart, she can do these things, she avoids it at all costs, until she meets Oliver. What then develops is a wonderful relationship, and as time goes on Maddy sees glimpses of the future, but something doesn't add up.

Does Maddy need to let go of Oliver in the present, to have him back fully in her future?

This book is yet again, a very different one from Laura Pearson, and written well, so it was easy to know the present and the future. It has some great supporting characters in Maddy's friend, who knows her secret as well as her family who have their own difficulties.

Whilst this is an escapist type of read, it does tackle some difficult topics but these are handled sensitively.

Overall a good read, but not my favourite of this authors.

EXCERPT: . . . I give her a quick wave and head out of the door. But just as I'm shutting it behind me, she appears.
"Pub?" she asks. "Later? Seven or so?"
I think about the money I just earned, how I need it for rent and food and bills and probably other important things I haven't thought of yet. "Sure," I say. "Will I see you at home first?"
"Not sure. I might go straight there."
"Okay. See you at seven."
On the bus home, I try to think about the audition I have in three days' time. It's for a daytime medical drama. Patient two. I'll go over my lines again before I meet Priya. When Oliver pops into my head, I'm sort of surprised. I picture the way his hair was flattened against his head when he appeared at the café because of the stupid hat. The way we connected, how easy it was to chat. But what are the chances I'll ever see him again? And besides, I'm not looking for that. Whatever that might be. Friendship. Companionship. An acting buddy. A boyfriend. A lover. I am not looking for any of those things. Because of them hold the possibility of sex, and the bad thing that happens when I have sex.

ABOUT '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?

MY THOUGHTS: The Many Futures of Maddy Hart is different - in a good way. I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy this when I picked it up. I don't enjoy 'time-travel' books in general, and this falls into that category. I'm not a lover of romance novels, and The Many Futures of Maddy Hart is a romance, but a rather unique and wonderful one that's neither soppy nor saccharine. It is a bit 'chic-lit' and I am really too old for chic-lit, but it is realistic rather than overdone. And I simply adored the fantasy/magical realism aspect - so thought provoking!

I found it easy to connect with Maddy's character, probably because I could recognise little bits of myself at that age in her - the bits that jump to ill-conceived conclusions and over-react. It is something I have grown out of, but I remember it well (cringe).

I love the way we can see glimpses of the future - exactly 10 years to the minute into the future - but have no idea if (a) this is real and actually going to happen, and (b) how it's going to come about. It's very tantalising . . .

There are many layers to this plot, not least the ethical aspects of what Maddy is doing (not that she has much choice!). I am still debating the question of, if I could see ten years into my future, would I want to? There's also the age-old debate of the need to make a living vs following one's creative bent. Maddy wants one thing, her family want something else for her.

Yes, Maddy's family - they have faced a life-changing accident and are doing their best for Maddy's younger brother. I liked her family a lot but could see that they were rather smothering her brother, with the very best intentions of course, but still smothering him.

Oliver is almost too good to be true. He is a nice, kind, caring, genuine person. I do believe that there are still a few of this endangered species around, found more commonly in fiction than in reality - but they do exist.

Supporting characters Priya, Maddy's best friend, and Mrs Aziz, a font of wisdom, are both a delight. Priya and Maddy are very unalike, but their characters complement one another.

Other themes explored in this book include blended families and miscarriage.

Some people may not like the ending in which, like in real life, everything is not tied up nicely and neatly in a bow. Questions remain about the future but then, don't they always. Personally, after sitting and thinking about it for a while after finishing reading, I do like it. It was enough.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.3

#TheManyFuturesofMaddyHart #NetGalley

MEET THE AUTHOR: Laura Pearson has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Chichester. She lives in Leicestershire with her husband and their two children.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Boldwood Books via NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of The Many Futures of Maddy Hart by Laura Pearson for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

I have enjoyed others by Laura Pearson but this one just wasn't for me. Couldn't get into it unfortunately although the plot seemed interesting.

Wow. What a stunning novel. I absolutely LOVED it.
The Many Futures of Maddy Hart is a beautifully written, heart-wrenching love story full of intrigue, romance, and emotion.

Maddy is a charismatic, smart, and complex character. She's very likable and relatable, too.
Oliver is also a great main character. They are a couple I'm going to remember for a long time to come.
The supporting characters of Priya, Henry, and Maddy's parents were also very likable.

This is the first book I've read from Laura Pearson, but it definitely won't be the last. I'll be looking up all her past novels after this, and then most likely impatiently waiting for her next one.

If you're after an absolutely stunning love story, then make sure you read The Many Futures of Maddy Hart. Especially for fans of Beth O'Leary, Josie Silver, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Rebecca Serle.

Thanks to Netgalley, Boldwood Books, and Laura Pearson for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Laura Pearson has done it again! Loved this book. And it’s brilliant, original concept. The author always creates believable, complicated characters that you can imagine hanging out with! This is a compulsive and enjoyable read I heartily recommend.

I like the author’s writing style and as I started this book, I felt positive about the story even as the plot takes some getting used to. There’s a point which I did not get, although the way Maddy is written, it’s almost easy to imagine that the behaviour made sense.

Maddy can see the future she would have with any man she allowed herself to get close to. This inexplicable gift/ curse helps her run away from possibly bad futures but when she starts to see a positive one, she decides to stick around and see where it goes. This is where the story gets sticky for me. I will not go into any further details, but suffice to say I expected more from Maddy than I got. Although the fact that I had expectations from a character might indicate something about the writing itself.

I have read a few books by the author and DNF one, so my reactions are all over the place. I found this to be a reasonably quick read and I would recommend the author and this particular book to anyone who finds the blurb interesting.

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

I can't say no to a Laura Pearson book. She has become one of my go-to authors and has the ability to tackle tropes that need talent to pull off - in this case, time travel. Well, are we calling ot that? Maybe not. Perhaps catching a glimpse of a possible future that your choices in the present could impact on. It's in a similar vein to Pearson's 'The Beforelife of Eliza Valentine'.

Laura has created a rich life and backstory for Maddy with a host of flawed characters around her. The narrative is heartbreaking at times with strong themes of family and friendship as well as opportunities. Maddy had me frustrated at times by her choices, but that made for good reading.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, staying up late to read it. It poses many questions and would definitely be a good contender for a book club. There's a good rhythm with tension and pacing and an ending that satisfies whilst leaving you wanting more. If you could see into your future, would you do anything to change it?

Really enjoyed this book - the second of Laura Pearsons that I've read.

The book follows an unusual theme that's both romantic and supernatural. Maddy gets glimpses into the future that she pieces together as she navigates the challenges of her life.

The characters are well written, the plot and pace keep you reading and the ending is satisfying.