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

The Future of Us
Authors: Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler
Reading Level: YA
Genre: Fantasy/Contemporary Romance
Released: October 16th 2012 (Reprint edition)
Review Source: Borrowed
Available: Amazon

Summary: (from goodreads) What if you could see how your life would unfold--just by clicking a button?

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.

The moment I saw Jay Asher's name I became giddy. I still can't put my finger on it, but his writing style always seems to catch my attention. The Future About Us did not disappoint! It is a very, very interesting concept that hasn't been done before. It takes time travel to a different level.

It's set in the 90's and Emma's dad just gifted her a new computer, (with windows 95!). Her next door neighbor, ex-best friend Josh, comes over to give her an America Online (yes, AOL!) CD-Rom that he has no use for. She sets it up and something strange happens... It takes her straight to Facebook! Which is totally weird considering Facebook hasn't even been invented yet. Even weirder is the fact that she's logged in to her profile. It's future Emma; Emma in fifteen years. And what she sees she does not like. She tells Josh about it and they try to find a flaw so they could write if off as a prank but they find none. They soon realize that refreshing the page makes it change. Every decision they make in the present time affects their future, which makes sense if you think about it. Emma keeps toying with it and Josh doesn't want her to. He knows how dangerous it could be and, unlike Emma, he is happy with his future life.

I was intrigued with this story from the very start. I wanted to know what her next status update might be, I wanted to know how their future changed. But most of all I needed to know if Emma and Josh restored the friendship they once had. I was very invested with their relationship. It's not your usual love story, it felt very realistic and I loved that.

The only flaw for me was how obviously hard they were trying to set the "90s" scene. I felt like they were throwing in 90s items in every sentence. As the book progressed it slowed down and it wasn't as noticeable though.

Overall I enjoyed The Future Of Us and I would recommend it to everyone! The concept is cool and interesting and will keep you turning the pages with anticipation and excitement.