Monday, May 21, 2012

The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler

The Future of Us
Authors- Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler
Published- November 21st, 2011
Razorbill
356 pages
Obtained from a PBS Game

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.-- Goodreads


First off, I am sorry for being so MIA for the past week. School got out on Friday, and I was hit with insane allergies. The good thing is I am almost all better AND I will have all summer to be more active on the blog- YAY!

Oh my goodness y'all! I loved this book. It tackled one of my Internet obsessions- FACEBOOK!

Wow, the cover is super creative. I loved the usage of the facebook "f" in future. Also, I really liked the subtle 0's and 1's across the cover. Very simple, yet sooo eye catching. And, of course, Josh and Emma are somewhat blurred in the background.

What a neat concept. I can only imagine the feeling Emma has when she can see herself in the future. Who wouldn't become somewhat obsessed with how you turn out? I loved how the book was written in a dual perspective. It was neat to see how different genders view the world.

Both characters were relate able, but I preferred Josh. Emma just seemed so whiny and juvenile to me. She was so materialistic and shallow, especially with her choices of boyfriends. Josh, on the other hand, was just an all around great guy. He was sweet, shy, caring, and above all he was genuine. He never really became obsessed with changing his future like Emma did. Instead he adopted more of a go-with-the-flow attitude. I liked that.

I think this book would have been even more enjoyable if I had experienced all of the stuff the 90's kids did. By the time I was able to understand what a scrunchie was, they were already going out of style. I never really owned a Walkman or had dial-up.

Overall, this was a great read. I was rarely bored with the story, but I can understand why adults may find this book funnier than teens purely due to the 90's references. I for sure need to read 13 Reasons Why now!

I will be giving this book 3 stars!







-McKenna :)
 
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