The Future of Us by Jay Asher, Carolyn Mackler

The Future of Us

by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

“A literary super-duo.”—Los Angeles Times

“A clever, timely story that will attract any teen with a Facebook account.”—Booklist, starred review

Josh and Emma are about to discover themselves—fifteen years in the future.

It's 1996, and Josh and Emma have been neighbors their whole lives. They've been best friends almost as long—at least, up until last November, when everything changed. Things have been awkward ever since, but when Josh's family gets a free AOL CD-ROM in the mail, his mom makes him bring it over so that Emma can install it on her new computer. When they sign on, they're automatically logged onto Facebook . . . but Facebook hasn't been invented yet. Josh and Emma are looking at themselves fifteen years in the future.

Their spouses, careers, homes, and status updates—it's all there. And every time they refresh their pages, their futures change. As they grapple with the ups and downs of what their lives hold, they're forced to confront what they're doing right—and wrong—in the present.

Reviewed by Angie on

5 of 5 stars

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Oh, the 90s, how I miss thee! This book was such a fun trip into the past. It made me remember when we got our first computer and AOL in 1998; the beginning of my internet addiction. Back then I couldn't even begin to imagine Facebook and how much the internet changes our lives. But Emma and Josh get a peek at their lives 15 years into the future when Facebook magically appears after Emma sets up her e-mail account.

This was trippy! Emma and Josh not only see what they're doing and who they're with in the future, but they're directly altering what happens. Any decisions they make during the day are then reflected when they checked out their Facebook pages that night. Of course, what they see on their pages changes how they behave the next day, which in turn changes their futures again. It's a spiral that never ends. This poses the question: are our lives run by fate and destiny, or do we have the power to control our lives?

"One little ripple today could create a typhoon fifteen years from now."

The Future of Us was another book that I just could not put down. The 90s nostalgia made me smile until my cheeks hurt, but aside from that, the story was great. The sci-fi time travel aspect was mind boggling and awesome, and I even loved watching Emma and Josh's relationship change as they explored their possible futures together. Sure Emma seemed to only care about boys boys boys, and what college she should go to in order to meet the right boy, but she's not too different than many teenage girls. Josh is that best friend who wants more, and I adored him! I really wanted him to have his perfect future.

I'm just wonder what people will think 15 years from now while reading this? Probably the same thing Emma and Josh did: What's Facebook?! :P

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 11 January, 2012: Finished reading
  • 11 January, 2012: Reviewed