Thursday, September 29, 2011

Book Review: The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

Pages: 309
Genre: YA Realistic Fiction/Sci-Fi
Pub. Date: November 21, 2011
Source: ARC from LibraryThing Early Reviewers
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars


Goodreads says, "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."


Emma and Josh are next door neighbors and have been good friends since they were little.  Josh gives Emma an AOL CD-ROM for her to try out since her got a new computer.  It's 1996 and the internet is still a new concept and Emma is excited to sign-on.  Once she does, she sees a page that says "Facebook" and it somehow connects her to her Facebook page 15 years down the road. At first she thinks it is some kind of prank, but as Emma and Josh further investigate, they realize that it's pretty much the exact opposite.  What if they don't like what they see?  Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler's The Future of Us is brilliant.  Readers that can remember that first AOL CD and dial up internet will love to revisit this with Emma and Josh.  Also, fans of time-travel will be on the edge of their seats as Emma and Josh discover more and more about their futures.

Emma and Josh are like Pacey and Joey from Dawson's Creek. I adored them.  Their relationship was relatable and realistic for high school.  I loved that each chapter switched from Emma's point of view and Josh's point of view. It was done really well.

The '90s references in The Future of Us were amazing.  I went to high school in the '90s and it was so much fun to remember back to AOL, the problems surrounding dial-up internet, and life before all this technology.  I loved the incorporation of '90s music, especially Dave Matthews (I was obsessed!) and could relate to each and every '90s reference.  I felt like I was back in high school and living the experience right along side of Emma and Josh.

So, if you read my reviews before you know how much I love the idea of time-travel. Ever since I saw Marty McFly visit 1955 I was sold.  In The Future of Us, the fact that Emma and Josh somehow tapped into their Facebook pages in the future is such a unique idea. It truly had me thinking, because every time Emma or Josh did something relatively big in their life, it would drastically change their Facebook pages in the future, such as their relationship status, where they lived, the jobs they had, and even their status updates. And sometimes even the smallest things changed it as well. It gave me something to think about....like what if I actually took that path? Where would I be now? I can't imagine how this would have impacted me if I read this as a teenager. It's truly thought provoking.

If you like trips down memory lane to the '90s, a sweet romance, and realistic fiction with some sci-fi elements, namely time travel, you must check out The Future of Us. It is going down as one of my favorites of 2011. Plus, I just heard that the movie rights were snatched up by Warner Bros. Can't wait!


*Pre-order The Future of Us

9 comments:

  1. Oh wow. This sounds just as amazing as I thought it would be.

    I went to high school in the 90s and can't wait for this walk down memory lane.

    LOVE Dave Matthews! *singing Satellite now*

    Thanks for the awesome review. I can't wait to read this one.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wonderful review! I really want to pick this book up and read it - it sounds so intriguing, and definitely a book I would enjoy.

    I can't say that the 90s references would be nostalgic for me, as I am a 90s baby and was a little young to remember what it was like... but still, I am sure I would be no stranger to some of it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Gah! This is sitting on my shelf and I can't wait to read it. Great review.....makes me want to get to it sooner.

    Jen

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ahh! I can't wait to read this Christina! I absolutely adore anything time travel, so this is super high on my must read list. Love that you could relate so well to it too, I look forward to all the fun 90's references!

    ReplyDelete
  5. i MUST read this book!! Thanks for the awesome review! so glad it lives up!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh I love your review. I just read this and thought it was so awesome. What a cool idea for a story, huh?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Fantastic review! I can't wait to read this. I graduated from high school in '96 so I am sure it will be a trip down memory lane. I wonder how today's teens will relate to it since some of them wouldn't have been born yet...

    ReplyDelete
  8. You just made me so much more excited for this one :D

    Wonderful review, Christina!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Man, I cannot wait to read this one! Amazing how far we've come in just 10 years in terms of technology, especially the internet. I can only imagine what I would have thought of tumblr, twitter, and Facebook when I was just starting out and holding that AOL CD in my hands for the first time.

    Thanks for the awesome review!


    Smiles!
    Lori

    ReplyDelete

I really appreciate your comments. Thank you!

 
Design by: Designer Blogs