debi_g's review against another edition
4.0
Four and a half stars. I bought this as soon as I saw Jay Asher wrote it. His realistic style is easy to appreciate--so natural that the writing appears to have been effortless.
I'm a sucker for he said-she said books, so this one hooked me right away, even though I scoffed at the concept of a Facebook time portal described in the summary.
In fact, the book is likely to interest adults as much as teens. A story that hinges on the idea that every choice, however insignificant it may seem at the time, shapes our lives, is easy to get hung up on. This book is fodder for late-night conversations about what-ifs, what-might-have-beens, and the power of living in the present.
Cancel your plans and read it today. I'm so glad I did.
I'm a sucker for he said-she said books, so this one hooked me right away, even though I scoffed at the concept of a Facebook time portal described in the summary.
In fact, the book is likely to interest adults as much as teens. A story that hinges on the idea that every choice, however insignificant it may seem at the time, shapes our lives, is easy to get hung up on. This book is fodder for late-night conversations about what-ifs, what-might-have-beens, and the power of living in the present.
Cancel your plans and read it today. I'm so glad I did.
kslaboch's review against another edition
4.0
Set in 1996 (when I was in high school myself, so I could relate to the characters!) - when our protagonists find a secret link to Facebook in the future and look up themselves! They make changes to their future with every tiny action... shades of "Back to the Future" (another of my favorite stories).
lizzie_knappett's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
melodious1776's review against another edition
5.0
A story that I expected to be si-fi became the full romance that I never knew I needed. The bickering between the two main characters became a bit much at times but the end of the book COMPLETELY made up for it. All in all, a solid 5 star read that I would recommend to anyone and everyone.
brendaclay's review against another edition
4.0
I loved the premise of this novel: in 1996, two (former) best friends sign up for AOL only to see their Facebook profiles - fifteen years in the future. Things get more and more complicated as the profiles change based on decisions they make in the present. It wasn't quite as awesome as I hoped, but I really enjoyed it. I'm a fan of plots involving time travel/telling the future via current technology (see also one of my 80s faves, Rewind to Yesterday by Susan Beth Pfeffer).
The characters are exactly my age (I was also a junior in the spring of 1996), so I felt a fond connection to them. :)
The characters are exactly my age (I was also a junior in the spring of 1996), so I felt a fond connection to them. :)
suzeroonie's review against another edition
2.0
immensely disappointed in Jay Asher. Thirteen Reasons why was so poignant, and his second novel did not follow through, and I don't think it's because I outgrew Young Adult fiction.
kdandthepiggys's review against another edition
3.0
Honestly the story was lacking for me it felt forced
goodbetterbetsy's review against another edition
3.0
The year is 1996. Emma has just gotten a computer and so her friend Josh gives her an AOL CD-ROM to install. Once installed, Emma and Josh find a strange website called Facebook. It seems to tell them about their lives in 15 years. While Josh ends up marrying the hottest girl in their grade, Emma seems to be in an unhappy marriage with someone who is cheating on her. She becomes determined to change her future and end up happy (and hopefully with Cody, the hottest guy on the track team.)
This story had so much going for it. First of all, it's written by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler. The premise is also cool - it's 1996, the internet is kind of new (I guess) and these kids stumble on Facebook and are completely confused by it.
I loved the seamless writing. The narration flip flops between Josh and Emma (and I assume Jay wrote Josh and Carolyn wrote Emma - I could be wrong. Maybe they both wrote everything together.) but it flowed so well I really never thought about the fact that two people were writing it.
But I kind of only liked the story. When Emma and Josh first discovered Facebook, everything seemed a little heavy handed and like "Oh my, why on earth would I write something so personal like my husband is cheating on me? This is insanity." I don't know. I was 15 in 1996 and if someone said something like that, I can guarantee it would have been my mother and not one of my friends. Once all that business was over the story went along nicely, but it just seemed like something was missing and then it all kind of just ended. It just seemed like a really strange way to a) warn teens about the kind of stuff they put on Facebook (and adults too because, seriously? I don't need to know if you can't afford cable and need to sell a table to buy groceries) and 2) to be happy with the present and be happy with yourself.
I'd recommend it to teens who thing 1996 was the Stone Age, to adults in their late 20s and early 30s who want to remember AOL, and to those who like romance.
This story had so much going for it. First of all, it's written by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler. The premise is also cool - it's 1996, the internet is kind of new (I guess) and these kids stumble on Facebook and are completely confused by it.
I loved the seamless writing. The narration flip flops between Josh and Emma (and I assume Jay wrote Josh and Carolyn wrote Emma - I could be wrong. Maybe they both wrote everything together.) but it flowed so well I really never thought about the fact that two people were writing it.
But I kind of only liked the story. When Emma and Josh first discovered Facebook, everything seemed a little heavy handed and like "Oh my, why on earth would I write something so personal like my husband is cheating on me? This is insanity." I don't know. I was 15 in 1996 and if someone said something like that, I can guarantee it would have been my mother and not one of my friends. Once all that business was over the story went along nicely, but it just seemed like something was missing and then it all kind of just ended. It just seemed like a really strange way to a) warn teens about the kind of stuff they put on Facebook (and adults too because, seriously? I don't need to know if you can't afford cable and need to sell a table to buy groceries) and 2) to be happy with the present and be happy with yourself.
I'd recommend it to teens who thing 1996 was the Stone Age, to adults in their late 20s and early 30s who want to remember AOL, and to those who like romance.
cesttemps's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
justcrystalxo's review against another edition
5.0
i really loved this book. very nice fast read. i loved the ending.