lydiahephzibah's review against another edition
3.0
I was slightly wary based on several negative reviews I came across but I found that The Future of Us was an enjoyable teen fiction. I loved the premise: in 1996 Emma receives an AOL disk and is logged into her future Facebook account, and she and her friend Josh can see their futures - and how every little action affects what appears on their accounts.
I was excited to see how they might utilise this power of being able to see how the future folds out and be able to change that. However, the entire focus was on their future spouses, which seemed a bit shallow given the potential, and it did seem a little ridiculous that not only did the smallest things affect the future (such as Emma pouring a glass of water on the carpet having an instant effect when she checked Facebook again) but also that Emma went out of her way to screw with the present in an attempt to change where she ended up.
However, I can't expect much more from a light-hearted, easy read, and it was a fun idea to explore!
I was excited to see how they might utilise this power of being able to see how the future folds out and be able to change that. However, the entire focus was on their future spouses, which seemed a bit shallow given the potential, and it did seem a little ridiculous that not only did the smallest things affect the future (such as Emma pouring a glass of water on the carpet having an instant effect when she checked Facebook again) but also that Emma went out of her way to screw with the present in an attempt to change where she ended up.
However, I can't expect much more from a light-hearted, easy read, and it was a fun idea to explore!
alexandra_0410's review against another edition
2.0
Este libro fue una completa decepción, comenzó con una premisa interesante pero hasta ahí llego. Toma lo que pudo ser una buena historia, escribe los personajes más superficiales y aburridos, mezclalo con una falta de historia y ahí tiene The Future of Us.
Después de leer Before We Were Strangers esperaba una historia que hablara del amor, la amistad y de las consecuencias que tus acciones tienen en el futuro.
En cambio...
Emma es un personaje cliché y aburrido, es la típica chica que solo piensa en chicos 24/7 y que por alguna razón tiene una fila de posibles novios esperando por ella. No hace falta saber como es fisicamente porque aparentemente es irresistible( y bastante insensible también) Por alguna razón ha sido novia de todos los chicos del colegio y ni siquiera los trata bien (según Josh) porque siempre anda en la búsqueda de un chico más guapo.
Josh es el típico golden boy, es bueno, considerado y está enamorado de su mejor amiga insoportable y sin importar lo mal que ella lo trate sigue siendo fiel a ella (como un perrito maltratado) Está ligeramente mejor escrito que Emma pero tampoco es un avance considerable.
Tienes el poder de ver 15 años en el futuro y solo ves tus futuros novios/maridos, yo hubiese revisado mi carrera, como se encontraban mis familiares y quien seguirán siendo mis amigos despues de tanto tiempo (claro que hubiese revisado mi esposo pero si no lo conoces aún ¿qué ibas a hacer?)
En conclusión no me gusto, me pareció aburrido, el final fue fatal y bla...
Después de leer Before We Were Strangers esperaba una historia que hablara del amor, la amistad y de las consecuencias que tus acciones tienen en el futuro.
En cambio...
Emma es un personaje cliché y aburrido, es la típica chica que solo piensa en chicos 24/7 y que por alguna razón tiene una fila de posibles novios esperando por ella. No hace falta saber como es fisicamente porque aparentemente es irresistible( y bastante insensible también) Por alguna razón ha sido novia de todos los chicos del colegio y ni siquiera los trata bien (según Josh) porque siempre anda en la búsqueda de un chico más guapo.
Josh es el típico golden boy, es bueno, considerado y está enamorado de su mejor amiga insoportable y sin importar lo mal que ella lo trate sigue siendo fiel a ella (como un perrito maltratado) Está ligeramente mejor escrito que Emma pero tampoco es un avance considerable.
Tienes el poder de ver 15 años en el futuro y solo ves tus futuros novios/maridos, yo hubiese revisado mi carrera, como se encontraban mis familiares y quien seguirán siendo mis amigos despues de tanto tiempo (claro que hubiese revisado mi esposo pero si no lo conoces aún ¿qué ibas a hacer?)
En conclusión no me gusto, me pareció aburrido, el final fue fatal y bla...
catladyreba's review against another edition
4.0
3-4 Stars....What the heck, I'll give it 4. If for nothing else, the nostalgia of 1996. Yikes. Can't believe I just typed the words 1996 & Nostalgia in the same sentence. Ouch. Oh well. I loved Josh, Emma annoyed me, Kellan and Tyson were fun. Overall, it was a good read, but ironically, I think adults (who remember 1996 all to well) will appreciate this more than the target audience of today's teenagers.
k_lee_reads_it's review against another edition
3.0
In 1996 high school juniors, Josh and Emma, stumble into the future. Putting an AOL cd into Emma's new computer, they discover a box that some how links them 15 years into the future on Facebook.
Emma determines that she is unhappy and starts changing little things like her top pick for colleges and suddenly she marries a different person. Josh thinks that changing things is a bad idea. Of course he would since he is apparently married to the hottest girl in school in the future.
I like the book and love the theme, but it didn't change my life. It is just another teen novel for me.
There is sexual content and some swearing.
Emma determines that she is unhappy and starts changing little things like her top pick for colleges and suddenly she marries a different person. Josh thinks that changing things is a bad idea. Of course he would since he is apparently married to the hottest girl in school in the future.
I like the book and love the theme, but it didn't change my life. It is just another teen novel for me.
There is sexual content and some swearing.
rachelini's review against another edition
4.0
Entertaining concept - a girl in the eighties installs AOL and finds her future Facebook page (ie. now), which keeps changing depending on her actions in her present. I find a lot of YA books are over-explainy (at least for me as an adult), but I liked that this one let some things be.
freybrarian's review against another edition
2.0
(My reviews are intended for my own info as a language arts teacher: they serve as notes and reflections for teaching and recommending to students. Therefore, spoilers may be present, but will be hidden.)
SUMMARY: This book is a prime example of where an excellent idea does not equal an excellent book. The Future of Us has an intriguing premise: It is 1996, and two teens unexpectedly tap into their 2011 Facebook accounts via an AOL start-up CD-ROM. With each subsequent log-in, the two notice that their current decisions and actions affect their future lives, as proven through changes in their Facebook info. The main female character, Emma, sets out to purposely change what she continues to see as a disappointing adulthood: unhappy and in conflicted relationships. Josh, the male protagonist, is secretly thrilled to find that he will eventually marry the school hottie and live in a posh lakeside mansion, so he decides to take action to try to attain some of these future perks faster. With such a promising plot, what could possibly go wrong with this story?
Turns out, a lot. The characters weaken the story, big-time. The book is told in alternating first-person point of view, and neither Josh or Emma is very interesting or likable. Emma seems snotty and superficial, always snapping at her friends and family and judging guys solely on their looks. And Josh pretty much lacks any personality to speak of, with his short sections still revolving around Emma, his crush (awkwardness around her, irritation with her rash decision-making, jealousy when she acts skanky around other guys, etc.). Even the secondary characters are lame. Sidekicks Tyson and Kellan actually play a pretty big part in the book but are disappointingly one-dimensional. Even Josh's future wife and Emma's upperclass crush, who could've added some spice to such a bland story, failed to be anything other than flat stereotypes. This left me with the tough job of mustering up enough energy to follow the characters through to the end. I did, but the ending was not very satisfying (although, admittedly, I could've cared less what happened to either protagonist at that point).
I also think authors Asher and Mackler made some strange decisions related to conflict and failed to develop some storylines. Some minor spoilers will follow, but I will hide them here:
Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler are both established, successful authors, but that isn't evident here. The "telling, not showing" style of writing ultimately made reading this book feel like...well, like reading a long string of Facebook statuses. Dislike.
In this book about affecting one's own future, I desperately wanted to go back in time to tell my past self to buy a different book and save myself a few wasted hours!
READABILITY: The changing perspectives are easy to follow, and the writing is pretty simplistic.
APPROPRIATENESS: A few cuss words are thrown around, but my bigger concern is with the characters' frequent focus on sex. Except for a few PG-13 makeout scenes, no "adult situations" are actually described, though, so I think this would be okay for an upper middle school library.
SUMMARY: This book is a prime example of where an excellent idea does not equal an excellent book. The Future of Us has an intriguing premise: It is 1996, and two teens unexpectedly tap into their 2011 Facebook accounts via an AOL start-up CD-ROM. With each subsequent log-in, the two notice that their current decisions and actions affect their future lives, as proven through changes in their Facebook info. The main female character, Emma, sets out to purposely change what she continues to see as a disappointing adulthood: unhappy and in conflicted relationships. Josh, the male protagonist, is secretly thrilled to find that he will eventually marry the school hottie and live in a posh lakeside mansion, so he decides to take action to try to attain some of these future perks faster. With such a promising plot, what could possibly go wrong with this story?
Turns out, a lot. The characters weaken the story, big-time. The book is told in alternating first-person point of view, and neither Josh or Emma is very interesting or likable. Emma seems snotty and superficial, always snapping at her friends and family and judging guys solely on their looks. And Josh pretty much lacks any personality to speak of, with his short sections still revolving around Emma, his crush (awkwardness around her, irritation with her rash decision-making, jealousy when she acts skanky around other guys, etc.). Even the secondary characters are lame. Sidekicks Tyson and Kellan actually play a pretty big part in the book but are disappointingly one-dimensional. Even Josh's future wife and Emma's upperclass crush, who could've added some spice to such a bland story, failed to be anything other than flat stereotypes. This left me with the tough job of mustering up enough energy to follow the characters through to the end. I did, but the ending was not very satisfying (although, admittedly, I could've cared less what happened to either protagonist at that point).
I also think authors Asher and Mackler made some strange decisions related to conflict and failed to develop some storylines. Some minor spoilers will follow, but I will hide them here:
Spoiler
Emma discovers, in one potential Facebook future, that her best friend Kellan gets pregnant sometime within their current school year. I kept waiting and waiting for Emma to say something, anything, to Kellan to try to prevent this (because she sure didn't shy away from influencing her own future in any way possible) but she never did. Seriously?! And Josh sees that his older brother's future relationship status reads, "In a relationship with Phillip Connor". He temporarily freaks out, but then says or does nothing about it. Mind you, I was not hoping for this to become another dreaded "issues" book. But why plug in these major situations to then do absolutely nothing with them?Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler are both established, successful authors, but that isn't evident here. The "telling, not showing" style of writing ultimately made reading this book feel like...well, like reading a long string of Facebook statuses. Dislike.
In this book about affecting one's own future, I desperately wanted to go back in time to tell my past self to buy a different book and save myself a few wasted hours!
READABILITY: The changing perspectives are easy to follow, and the writing is pretty simplistic.
APPROPRIATENESS: A few cuss words are thrown around, but my bigger concern is with the characters' frequent focus on sex. Except for a few PG-13 makeout scenes, no "adult situations" are actually described, though, so I think this would be okay for an upper middle school library.
chrissymcbooknerd's review against another edition
5.0
Adorable! I don't know a better word to describe this book than CUTE, CUTE, CUTE!
Basically, this is the story of two teenagers in the late 90's who have their first encounter with the internet. Josh and Emma have been best friends forever, but they never expected how much the world wide web would change everything.
One day, Josh's mom gives him an AOL cd-rom, which he passes along to Emma, who just got a computer from her dad. When Emma first logs into the internet, she discovers a strange page called Facebook where people post random pictures and updates about their lives. As she explores the site, she finds a girl with her name and birthday -- except, this girl is fifteen years older.
Soon, Emma realizes that she has somehow managed to catch a glimpse of her future self -- but, she's not happy with what she discovers. Why is future Emma so unhappy in her relationships? Yet, Emma learns that she can drastically alter her destiny by making small changes in her present life. Soon, Emma and Josh become obsessed with logging onto Facebook, manipulating their futures one step at a time.
But, do these teens really want to see what the future holds? Some things might be better left unknown...
I really did love THE FUTURE OF US and I think it was a fun, innovative twist to "time travel" to the future through Facebook. Granted, I think a lot of the 90's references are pretty time sensitive --- I can't see folks in a hundred years or so getting the same enjoyment out of this novel, but for those of us who lived this life, Josh and Emma's journey felt like a trip down memory lane!
I'll admit that the author could have taken things in a different direction -- focusing more on the philosophical implications of the situation rather than the teenage-love aspect of everything, but I think that if I were in Emma's shoes at that particular age and time, I probably would have been just as obsessed with using my glimpse into the future for finding a cute boy, rather than seeking something else like, say, world peace. So, while some of this hormonal teen lovey-dovey stuff feels cliche, it's not unrealistic in the least.
If you're looking for a cute, fun, sweet read, definitely give this one a try! 5 stars and 2 thumbs up. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Basically, this is the story of two teenagers in the late 90's who have their first encounter with the internet. Josh and Emma have been best friends forever, but they never expected how much the world wide web would change everything.
One day, Josh's mom gives him an AOL cd-rom, which he passes along to Emma, who just got a computer from her dad. When Emma first logs into the internet, she discovers a strange page called Facebook where people post random pictures and updates about their lives. As she explores the site, she finds a girl with her name and birthday -- except, this girl is fifteen years older.
Soon, Emma realizes that she has somehow managed to catch a glimpse of her future self -- but, she's not happy with what she discovers. Why is future Emma so unhappy in her relationships? Yet, Emma learns that she can drastically alter her destiny by making small changes in her present life. Soon, Emma and Josh become obsessed with logging onto Facebook, manipulating their futures one step at a time.
But, do these teens really want to see what the future holds? Some things might be better left unknown...
I really did love THE FUTURE OF US and I think it was a fun, innovative twist to "time travel" to the future through Facebook. Granted, I think a lot of the 90's references are pretty time sensitive --- I can't see folks in a hundred years or so getting the same enjoyment out of this novel, but for those of us who lived this life, Josh and Emma's journey felt like a trip down memory lane!
I'll admit that the author could have taken things in a different direction -- focusing more on the philosophical implications of the situation rather than the teenage-love aspect of everything, but I think that if I were in Emma's shoes at that particular age and time, I probably would have been just as obsessed with using my glimpse into the future for finding a cute boy, rather than seeking something else like, say, world peace. So, while some of this hormonal teen lovey-dovey stuff feels cliche, it's not unrealistic in the least.
If you're looking for a cute, fun, sweet read, definitely give this one a try! 5 stars and 2 thumbs up. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
vingernagel's review against another edition
3.0
Somewhere between 3 and 3.5. Originally had it at four stars, but after reflecting and thinking it through, I realised that I was a bit more unsatisfied with the characters and their decisions, than I originally was. The concept is pretty solid though.
A quick read though, despite the annoyance created by the somewhat dull characters.
A quick read though, despite the annoyance created by the somewhat dull characters.
sydneyaryn__'s review against another edition
5.0
I started this book and didn't put it down until I was finished! I read the whole thing in two hours! Absolutely amazing
kba76's review against another edition
3.0
A great idea...it's 1996 and hardly any teenagers use the internet. They do things like go out and talk to each other, or ring a landline to try and speak to their friend. A strange concept perhaps for the modern teen, but for readers who are older this will bring back memories.
Anyway, we're set some time ago and Emma is given a cd-rom (bet few readers will know what these are) for AOL. She gets to connect to this new thing called the internet-only something strange is happening. When she goes online she connects to this page called Facebook. It seems to know the future. Emma and her neighbour, Josh, then become intrigued by the idea that their future is known and how their actions in the present might affect their future.
This was a great idea. Sadly, it just didn't work for me as well as I'd hoped.
The initial reaction was more akin to someone in the past thinking they were dabbling in witchcraft, and then they wasted the potential to really go to town with what this could mean for them.
At its heart this was a romance-but Emma and Josh were beyond useless and I confess to being surprised that it looked like any form of relationship was going to happen.
A cute read,but not particularly memorable.
Anyway, we're set some time ago and Emma is given a cd-rom (bet few readers will know what these are) for AOL. She gets to connect to this new thing called the internet-only something strange is happening. When she goes online she connects to this page called Facebook. It seems to know the future. Emma and her neighbour, Josh, then become intrigued by the idea that their future is known and how their actions in the present might affect their future.
This was a great idea. Sadly, it just didn't work for me as well as I'd hoped.
The initial reaction was more akin to someone in the past thinking they were dabbling in witchcraft, and then they wasted the potential to really go to town with what this could mean for them.
At its heart this was a romance-but Emma and Josh were beyond useless and I confess to being surprised that it looked like any form of relationship was going to happen.
A cute read,but not particularly memorable.