The Future of Us

The Future of Us
By Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler
Published by Razorbill
Published on November 21, 2011
From Around the World ARC Tours





Summary taken from Goodreads:

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 Josh did something that changed everything. Things have been weird between them ever since, but when Josh's family gets a free AOL CD 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 their Facebook pages. But Facebook hasn't been invented yet. And they're looking at themselves fifteen years in the future.
By refreshing their pages, they learn that making different decisions now will affect the outcome of their lives later. And as they grapple with the ups and downs of what their futures hold, they're forced to confront what they're doing right - and wrong - in the present.




Wow did I love this book!  I am probably a little biased because I was in middle school and high school when this story was set.  It was a 300 page nostalgia trip for me and I loved every second of it!

The references that the authors put in ( Is Ellen gay? YM magazine personality quizzes, AOL cd-roms, and so many more!) were such a fun treat to read. It was very authentic and I found myself reading parts of the story out loud to my husband and saying "Do you remember this? I DID THAT TOO!"  I also found myself calling friends and suggesting this book to them too.

I loved the entire idea of being able to "see" your future through Facebook.  It was interesting to see how a teenager would react to seeing their own Facebook from the future.  It really made me think about the way I viewed life as a teen and now how I view life nearing 30.  (To be honest it also made me look up random people that I graduated high school with!)

Beyond the novelty of Facebook and nostalgic memories, this book really does hold up.  The story between Emma and Joshua feels realistic and doesn't take a backseat to all of the pop culture in the book.  I usually dislike books from more than one point of view, but I found that it was handled very well in this book.  Each chapter gives you a heading of "Emma" or "Joshua" so you know who will be narrating- as the reader, I appreciated this.  I get frustrated in multiple point of view books that change without warning- it is incredibly confusing.

If you are a child of the 80's or 90's (or even of the Facebook age) and want a fun twist on a contemporary novel- you really will enjoy this book!


My question for my younger readers:  What did you think of all the pop culture references?  Were they relatable?  Did they go over your head?

I would love to hear your comments below!

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