Review: ‘The Future Saints’ Broke Our Book Clubs’ Hearts, And We Still Loved Every Page
There are some books that simply demand to be discussed with a group. The kind that suck you in from the very first page, have you gasping out loud as the plot develops, and bring literal tears to your eyes as you near the end, leaving you desperate to debrief everything you just went through with a friend. Books that elicit this strong of an emotional reaction are few and far between, but the second I picked up The Future Saints, I knew I had found one of those rare gems. That’s exactly why we knew it would be the perfect pick for The Everygirl Book Club, and after last night, I can confidently say our prediction was correct. After chatting with our book besties (and getting inside scoop about the real ending of The Future Saints, future books, and potential adaptations from the author, Ashley Winstead, herself!!), here is The Everygirl Book Club’s official review of The Future Saints.
What is The Future Saints about?
The book begins with the California pop band The Future Saints on the brink of destruction after the death of their manager. Record executive and their new manager, Theo, is sent in by the label to get one last album out of them, or they will be dropped for good. But when the lead singer, Hannah, impulsively plays a completely new sound at a show, a viral video thrusts them into the spotlight as fans identify with the gut-wrenching rock sound.
For fans of Daisy Jones and the Six and In Five Years—a powerful and transportive new novel about a music executive desperately trying to bring a rock band back from the brink, from bestselling author Ashley Winstead.
Theo’s career is on the line as he gives the Saints one last shot at success with a new tour, new record, and a fresh start. But even with the big break they’ve been dreaming of finally here, Hannah’s grief threatens to destroy the band, her growing relationship with Theo, and the person who matters most to her in the world: her sister.
The Everygirl Book Club’s review of The Future Saints
It’s no surprise that The Future Saints has been compared to Daisy Jones & The Six. Both books explore the interpersonal drama of fictional rock bands, and Daisy Jones is a modern classic at this point, so comparisons are only natural. But make no mistake—The Future Saints is far from a reformulation of a bestselling story. Sure, the comp makes sense, and if you loved Daisy Jones, it’s safe to say you’ll enjoy this read too, but this book absolutely stands on its own. It was unanimous at our book club meeting that The Future Saints is entirely its own work, regardless of the comparisons.
Part of what makes this book so special is the way it balances heavy themes like grief, addiction, loss, and sisterhood with moments of levity (eldest daughters, prepare your tissues). The more intense topics are handled so delicately, and the authenticity in those moments truly shines. Ashley Winstead wrote the book during her own grief journey after the passing of her father, and you can feel how much care and passion went into every page. While the story is undeniably heartbreaking at times, the hilarious antics of the band and the tender sisterhood moments lighten the mood in a way that keeps you completely enthralled. You grow to care deeply about these characters and vacillate between joy and sadness along with them.
“Whether it’s right up your alley genre-wise or a little outside your comfort zone, readers across the board were hurling 5-star ratings at The Future Saints.”
Speaking of characters, with a cast as large as The Future Saints, it can be easy for characters to get lost. Rather than feeling fully formed, side characters in big ensemble stories sometimes exist only to push the plot forward. This is quite literally the opposite of what happens in The Future Saints. While Hannah and Theo are definitely the stars, the ensemble cast is full of lovable characters who feel intentionally written and fully developed. I know I’m not the only book club member hoping there’s a future where some of these side characters get novels of their own.
One character in particular that our book club members loved the depiction of was Ginny. Who haunts Hannah—not just metaphorically as she processes her grief, but in the very literal there’s-a-ghost-in-this-book sense. It was such a compelling personification of grief, and none of us had read anything quite like it before. Writing a ghost into a story without it feeling gimmicky or veering too far into fantasy territory isn’t easy, but Ashley pulled it off beautifully. In the name of avoiding spoilers, I won’t say more, but we all loved how this plotline unfolded.
Now, The Future Saints isn’t a romance in the traditional sense, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t incredible moments between Hannah and Theo. A common sentiment among readers was that their romance felt truly earned. It wasn’t love at first sight, and things weren’t always butterflies and rainbows, but watching them weather storms and grow together resulted in a deeply satisfying love story.
Spoiler warning ahead! If you were left jaw-on-the-floor on the last page, frantically flipping back to see if you missed the part where Theo and Hannah ran into each other’s arms and lived happily ever after, we got the real tea from Ashley about how she envisioned the ending. And good news for us lover girls. We have an official author co-sign that she also believes it’s Hannah walking up to Theo on that beach, and that they do ultimately end up together! Love is real!
So, should you read The Future Saints?
I think every single member of The Everygirl Book Club would agree: Yes, you should absolutely read The Future Saints. Whether it’s right up your alley genre-wise or a little outside your comfort zone, readers across the board were hurling 5-star ratings at this story. So if you’re scrolling Goodreads looking for your next read, let the search end here. If you’re planning to start the book, join our BFF group—there are plenty of readers who are dying to debrief it even more.
The Future Saints Book Club discussion questions
If you missed our meeting but still want to read The Future Saints with your own book club, use our discussion questions below!
- When did the book hook you? And if you didn’t like it, when did it lose you?
- The book explores many kinds of love: familial, platonic, and romantic. In what ways did these relationships feel real? Were there moments that felt especially relatable?
- Grief in the novel isn’t romanticized; it’s messy and all-consuming. As Hannah clings to her pain, Theo tries to “fix” her the way he would any artist at the label—only to realize that not everyone wants to be fixed. How does her grief challenge his identity as the fixer?
- Theo and Hannah have different ways of processing loss. Theo turns Roger into a father figure after his dad leaves, and Hannah turns Ginny into a version of her sister she can still access. How do these projections shape their choices throughout the novel?
- How do you interpret the ending? Do you think Hannah and Theo reconnect, or did they have to let each other go for her to fully heal?
- Did the story remind you of any real-life bands or musicians?
- What were your favorite parts of the book? Was there anything you would have changed?
- Fancast Hannah, Theo, Ripper, Kenny, Ginny, Roger, and Bowie.
Everything else you missed at The Everygirl Book Club meeting
Of course, we discussed The Future Saints in depth with our fellow bookworms, but we also got to do something incredibly exciting at the start of the meeting: a Q&A with the author, Ashley Winstead! I tried my best to keep my fangirling contained, but it may have slipped out a little.
The question we were most eager to ask was whether we could expect a film or TV adaptation of The Future Saints one day, and thankfully, it sounds like the answer might be yes. Ashley shared that nothing is confirmed yet, but conversations about an adaptation are happening. She also mentioned that it could potentially lean more heavily into the romance (the book actually started as a rom-com), which I would absolutely love to see on screen.
We also got a behind-the-scenes look at the real-life inspiration for the band: Slothrust. While you may not have heard of them before, after reading this book, they might just end up in your Spotify Wrapped by December. Ashley doesn’t currently have plans to return to Hannah and Theo’s world, but her next thriller follows an actress-singer, so if you loved the entertainment setting and want an even darker twist, you’ll get more Ashley Winstead greatness to devour this July. As for her next romance, Ashley revealed she’s working on a story about a writer who falls in love with a man, ruins the relationship, and then writes a book to rewrite their love story and get it right the second time. I’m hooked already.
Between all of our nonstop questions and book club debriefs, we also managed to gab about important topics, like Ashley’s stunning lip combo (the Violette_FR Bisou Balm in Bêtise and the Makeup Forever lip pencil in Wherever Walnut, BTW). As one member so perfectly put it: “Books and beauty—the duality of woman.” It was an hour and a half of yapping about books with people who want to talk about them just as much as you do. So grab your Kindle and a glass of wine, and join us for our March pick next month.
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Lauren Blue, Assistant Editor
As an Assistant Editor for The Everygirl, Lauren ideates and writes content for every facet of our readers’ lives. Her articles span the topics of must-read books, movies, home tours, travel itineraries—and everything in between. When she isn’t testing the latest TikTok trend, she can be found scouring Goodreads for new releases to feature on the site.
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