Book Review: The Future Saints by Ashley Winstead

Last month I was spoiled with so many great books read that I had such a hard time deciding on a favourite. As you know, I picked Project Hail Mary and wrote my favourite book of the month review at the beginning of April, but there were a lot of runner ups, including The Future Saints. This book is a mix between Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Time of Your Life by Jessa Hastings and also reminded me of The Favourites by Layne Fargo, so if you liked any of these books, Winstead’s book will probably also please you. And if you are not yet convinced, let my review further influence you.

Plot

Theo is a record executive, also known as ‘the fixer’ by his colleagues, and is tasked with reviving rock band The Future Saints after the tragic death of their previous manager. The band, consisting of lead singer Hannah, bassist Ripper and percussionist Kenny has been descending into chaos and debauchery since Ginny was not only their manager, but also Hannah’s sister and a person they all loved dearly. Theo’s task is simple: get them to write one new album to fulfil their contract, and then let them go. However, as their new songs garner even more success than ever imagined, the plan changes and Theo becomes more enraptured with the Future Saints, by more than just their music alone.

Characters

The characters focussed on mostly were Hannah and Theo, and Theo was by far my favourite. He defied the stereotype of the manager from a big record company coming in to tell the band what to do and his moral compass was so strong. He let the band ‘band’ together against him so that they would grow closer to each other once more, he immediately apologised for not realising Ginny was Hannah’s sister and he defied his boss whom he looked up to so much to protect the members’ best interests. He was really a breath of fresh air, blowing life into the Future Saints again and getting them to the top of their game. More than that, I really loved that the members came to realise this as well and celebrated him for it. They didn’t stick in their own prejudice against him but saw his value and listened to him, truly let them in.

None of them more so than Hannah, who is going through a mountain of grief and tackling it in an objectively bad way. Through her struggles, she uses typical rock ‘n roll tactics to cope, i.e. drugs, alcohol and bad decisions, but from the beginning she keeps Theo in the back of her mind. It doesn’t mean she suddenly behaves perfectly, but she wants to please him. To me, nothing showed her vulnerability more than what she did at the afterparty to please Theo’s boss and later confessed her reasons to him.

Ripper and Kenny were wonderful in their own unique ways, and while the band didn’t always see eye to eye and they were each stubborn and selfish in their own ways, they truly felt like a family that would take a bullet for each other. Kenny was one of my favourite characters, since he is a peaceful gentle soul and essential to keeping some sense of harmony between them all.

Ginny was also a prevalent character and her presence is woven throughout the book beautifully. It showed how grief is ever-present and how people who are gone never really leave us, which brings me to a theme of this book I want to highlight.

Grief

This was the second book I read in a month that centers around grief, and although they both tackle it completely different, I enjoyed both views. There is no right or wrong way to grieve, and what both of these books have shown me is that everyone does it differently, but both times there is a light at the end of the tunnel. It doesn’t mean the grief goes away, or that you never stop missing the person who left, but that you learn to adjust and be happy again. What was extra painful in Winstead’s book was how Hannah had to grieve in the spotlight and endure other people’s opinions on what she was going through. I was appalled at some of the reactions she received saying she was acting as if she invented grief, but I am mostly saddened to realise that although this is a fiction novel, there probably are people out there who really think like this. So, if there is one takeaway it should be this: Always practise kindness, because you never know what someone is going through. It benefits us all to put out positivity, so be a contributing factor to someone’s happiness.

All in all, this book really surprised me by its depth and execution. It is the second book by Winstead I have ever read, but I can guaranty it won’t be the last.