The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

Genre: Young Adult (Time Travel)
Source: ARC from Publisher
Series: Standalone
Buy It: The Book Depository
Challenge: No

It's 1996, and less than half of all American high school students have ever used the Internet.

Emma just got her first computer and an America Online CD-ROM.

Josh is her best friend. They power up and log on--and discover themselves on Facebook, fifteen years in the future.

Everybody wonders what their Destiny will be. Josh and Emma are about to find out.

     When I first heard about this book, I couldn’t wait to read it.  I tried to trade with other bloggers for an ARC-I failed.  I sent a review request to the publisher and had no response for a few weeks.  Then one day, I decided to resend my request and I received a response within seconds, it was an auto reply.  The person I sent it to was out of the office and I was instructed to call another Penguin employee and direct my review request to her!  I was excited to have another chance!  I eagerly dialed my phone and to my luck, she promptly sent me an ARC!  I actually received it the same day!  I was so excited.  I put the ARC in my review basket and waited till November to start it so I could post my review around the book’s release date, so here it is!

     I thought this book had an amazing concept.  It explored how the smallest changes in the present can effect the future and I really loved how facebook was incorporated.  Although the plot was amazing, for most of the book, the writing was just okay, maybe a little better than okay.  I just wasn’t wowed.  But wait!  There’s More! ;)  When I was reading the last part of the book, maybe the last 50 pages or so, the wow-factor tripled!  I absolutely loved how Jay and Carolyn tied up the book!  All the loose ends came together!  The ending was superb!  

     Although this was a very character driven book, I didn’t fall in love with Josh or Emma.  I really loved their complexity and display of feelings, I just didn’t fall in love with them.  Don’t get me wrong, their characters were written wonderfully, I just didn’t love the characters themselves.  I will say that I did get more attached to them as the book went on.  

      The Future of Us was definitely a fast paced read.  I was always excited and intrigued to find out what would happen next!  I mean, everything in this book altered each character’s entire life!  How could you not be on the edge of your seat?!  It was also really interesting to explore how teens living in 1996 would react to facebook!  It made me rethink all of the terms from facebook (wall, poke, etc.) and made me laugh!

     The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler was definitely an interesting book.  Although I wasn’t wowed by the entire book, the ending was great and very meaningful!  My entire view of the book actually changed within the last 50 pages!  Definitely buy yourself a copy of this book because you wont want to miss this cool take on facebook and our generation! 


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