The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler {Review}

Publisher: Razorbill

Publish Date: November 21, 2011

Source: Library

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.

The thing I most appreciated about The Future of Us was probably that Emma and Josh didn’t just accept that Facebook was real. I’m sure I’d be freaking out if I discovered something as strange as that my first time out on the internet! It definitely helped a storyline that was super crazy feel a little more realistic.

I appreciated that Josh and Emma already had a history. A lot of times the whole best-friends-in-love thing is the entirety of the story, but that wasn’t the case this time. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a sucker for a best friend relationship, but it’s cool that Asher and Mackler came at it from a different angle.

Now, speaking of those two characters. I really like Josh. He was the perfect boy-next-door/best friend. Of course, he was also a teenager and a human so he had his selfish moments (and teenage boy moments), but it made him really realistic. Emma, on the other hand, I was not such a fan of. Her character really worked for the story, but that doesn’t mean I had to like her. She was selfish and couldn’t see that her outlook on life was actually the thing making it so bad. She did grow eventually, and I appreciate that, but she’ll never be one of my favorite characters or anything.

The Nutshell: The Future of Us is a fun, quick read which will likely be best enjoyed by those who were kids of the 90s, but can still be appreciated by all. Though Emma got on my nerves the other characters were done well and I liked the story overall. If you’re looking for a flash to the past or simply a cute romance, this one’s for you.

Pages: 356

Series: No

Rating: 3.5 stars