The Future Saints

Thanks to Atria Books for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions below are my own.I got approved for this book mid-last year and then got gun shy about reading it. I like Winstead and so many people were talking about it being the new Daisy Jones, that I held off a little nervous. Then the book came out and reviews were pretty positive but there wasn't an insane buzz, which made me feel a little more confident about going for it. I'm glad I did, I really enjoyed it.It's definitely different from Daisy Jones in the best ways. The story follows Hannah and her bandmates as they are recovering from the loss of their manager, who was also Hannah's sister. The bloom is off the rose for their band and Hannah is spiraling out of control with each new live event. Theo is assigned by the record label to whip them into shape and make sure they finish their contracted album. But he immediately falls for broken Hannah. As they get to know one another better, the realities of Hannah's loss, their past as a band and the realities of the pressure of the recording industry are all revealed.

The Future Saints by Ashley Winstead is a story about heartbreak, grief, music, second chances and loss. Theo has been tasked with determining what is next for the band,Future Saints. When he is sent in, it is usually the beginning of the end. But then he sees them perform and the lead singer, Hannah, sings her heart out with an unexpected song. But the band is grieving the loss of their manager, who was so much more. They are spiraling and have lost their way, but Theo is not ready to give up on them, or her.Their journey is so emotional. We see the band members struggle as individuals, as band mates and weather the storms of the music industry all while grieving. The story was compelling and full of the feels.Happy reading!

The story grips you from start to finish, with flawed characters that you fall in love with and root for. It makes you stop and think about family and friendships and love , and how that is what really gets us through this thing called life.

4.5 stars!The Future Saints by Ashley Winstead is my first book by the author, and hopefully not my last. I enjoyed this emotion-filled, layered story about a band (The Future Saints-a great band name, btw), their tortured singer/songwriter (Hannah), and the music executive sent to deal with them (Theo). At its heart, it's about grief, abandonment, sisterhood, friendship, and who deserves our loyalty. The characters are terribly flawed but beautifully authentic. I wanted to stay with them when the story was over.We meet Hannah at nearly the bottom of the low point in her life. It's been a year since she lost someone very important to her personally and professionally. She's mad at the world, taking it out on herself and her bandmates, Kenny and Ripper. They're still performing and she's still writing, putting all her pain into their music, creating very different music from what they're known for. Enter Theo, the music executive known as "the reaper", sent in to release bands from the label. He shows up for their show unprepared for Hannah's new agonizing song, and how deeply it speaks to him, as well. When the performance goes viral, he realizes this band still has more to offer.We get to know the band along with Theo, their tragedies and triumphs, via alternating chapters from Hannah and Theo, with interview transcripts, media posts, and the like sprinkled in between. It's a format that reminded me a bit of Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, and I enjoyed the interludes giving me more time to sit with the emotions of the story.Winstead does a wonderful job of fleshing out each one of her characters, from Theo and Hannah to even the smaller side characters. I left each character feeling like I truly saw them and wanted to see more. I feel like Winstead hit the plot notes of this story perfectly, the story unfolding just as it should. I do wish we would have gotten more song lyrics. The few she gave us were actually very good, and I would love to see this story adapted with music inspired by the book.Books and music are two of my most favorite things in life, and I'm very happy when they collide successfully. If you're a fan of well-written emotional stories, and especially ones centered around music, be sure and add The Future Saints to your shelf!

I will read anything by Ashley Winstead, and I loved The Future Saints. The writing is phenomenal, and the way Ashley can write across genres so well is truly a gift. This is more about grief and friendship than anything, making it more contemporary than romance. The audio is narrated by a full cast, which enhances the experience for the reader, and I highly recommend reading it this way if you can. Regardless of how you read it, just make sure you read it, as it needs to be on your list.