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    The Future of Us
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    The Future of Us
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    The Future of Us
    Audiobook7 hours

    The Future of Us

    Written by Carolyn Mackler and Jay Asher

    Narrated by Steven Kaplan and Mary Ellen Cravens

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateNov 21, 2011
    ISBN9781101538371
    Unavailable
    The Future of Us
    Author

    Carolyn Mackler

    Carolyn Mackler is the author of the award-winning teen novels The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things, a Michael L. Printz Honor Book; The Future of Us, coauthored with Jay Asher; Tangled; Love and Other Four-Letter Words; Vegan Virgin Valentine; and Guyaholic. She lives in New York City with her husband and two sons.

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    Reviews for The Future of Us

    3.5/5

    634 ratings130 reviews

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    • 4/5
      The premise: ganked from publisher: 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.My Rating: It's a GambleThe premise is fantastic, especially for those of us who like to gnaw on the question "What if THIS had happened?" like a dog worries a bone. The idea of my teen self having the ability to learn from my adult self is too wicked an idea, which made me super-excited for this book. That said, I'm not the target audience. While I certainly feel that teen audiences will be able to relate to Josh and Emma as teenagers, I do wonder if the nineties references that were so nostalgic for me might not be annoying for younger generations, people who really don't get what it was like to live in a time where technology basically changed things at the speed of light. So it's hard for me to tell how this book will click with younger readers, but for someone of my generation, I can say there's a lot to like, but the writing style in and of itself, while fast to read, lacks substance and depth, and I found myself wanting more than what I ended up getting out of the book. Still, I'm glad to have read it. Like I said, the premise was too good to pass up.Spoilers, yay or nay?: Nay. It's a cruel thing to spoil a book that's not even been released yet, so you're fine to read forward. The full review is in my blog, which is linked below. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome.REVIEW: Jay Asher's and Carolyn Mackler's THE FUTURE OF USHappy Reading!
    • 2/5
      Narrated by Emma and Josh in alternating chapters, "The Future of Us" is set in the late 1990s before Facebook. Although this is a YA book, I'm not sure if it will appeal to modern teens who probably cannot fathom a life without social networks. While I didn't mind the cultural references to the '90s, I found the voices of the two main characters whiny and irritating. The premise for this books was good but it didn't deliver. For most teenagers this will be a boring read.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed the concept of this book and found it interesting and entertaining. I definitely recommend it as a good quick read with a bit of a SciFi slant on a standard teen romance. The characters are very relatable and Facebook is clearly something we all know about - even if a few people still don't use it personally.
    • 4/5
      This is such an interesting book - it really took me back to when I was just starting high school and this internet thing was all the rage. The descriptions in the book are authentic - the internet was that slow, the music was that great, and Discman’s did need to be strapped to your arm!Aside from the nostalgia that sprang up while reading The Future of Us, I really enjoyed the characters in the book. I thought Emma was a bit too controlling and demanding of her best friend, but she was genuine in all her actions and I found her endearing. Josh was such a nice guy - I really liked him and loved reading from his point of view. Telling the story from dual perspectives lent power to the story - it made it easier to see the consequences of Josh and Emma’s interactions. This is a lovely read, which I recommend to everyone because it explores the nature of friendships and the ways in which small decisions can affect our long-term relationships. The book made me re-think the things I say on my Facebook page! Read more of my reviews here.
    • 2/5
      A heartfelt tale of an idiot teenager and her friends that sit by and watch. More than one while reading thisbook I found myself wondering why Emma was being so stupid. Then I realized that her friends were equally as self absorbed so they didn't do anything about it. I know they're teenagers but at some point you need friends who care about you and not just roaming around through high school trying to get it in.

      As far as the premise goes, you can either side with Josh or Emma on what to do if you got to see 15 years into the future. However, I believe they both make actions for the wrong reasons. As far as YA novels go I do not recommend this one because there's no lesson to be learned. the characters do not grow (unless you count the very last scene, which I'm not because it was too short and not impactful). But if you must read, as a teen, regardless of gender, Josh is the one doing it more right.
    • 2/5
      A heartfelt tale of an idiot teenager and her friends that sit by and watch. More than one while reading thisbook I found myself wondering why Emma was being so stupid. Then I realized that her friends were equally as self absorbed so they didn't do anything about it. I know they're teenagers but at some point you need friends who care about you and not just roaming around through high school trying to get it in.

      As far as the premise goes, you can either side with Josh or Emma on what to do if you got to see 15 years into the future. However, I believe they both make actions for the wrong reasons. As far as YA novels go I do not recommend this one because there's no lesson to be learned. the characters do not grow (unless you count the very last scene, which I'm not because it was too short and not impactful). But if you must read, as a teen, regardless of gender, Josh is the one doing it more right.
    • 3/5
      This book had been difficult for me to read not because of the two points of views but the horrible dialogue. Jay Ahser & Carolyn messed up a good book.I really wanted to just give up on this book bujt I don't give up on books just to see if they are good. Do Not Read Unless Really Desperate
    • 2/5
      I found the concept of this to be incredibly cool--teens in 1996 install AOL and suddenly have access to their future Facebooks! It's a fast read, too, which was a good thing. If this had happened to geeks in 1996, it would have been a much deeper story--how did this peek of the future happen? Why? How can we use this information? Instead, it happened to two popular kids who own/have access to cars, have actively dated numerous people, go to parties, etc, so the novel focuses on teenage angst and doesn't go beyond their selfish viewpoints. When they do cause major future ramifications including BLOTTING OUT THE EXISTENCE OF FUTURE CHILDREN, it's barely dwelt on at all. I found the whole book frustrating... probably because these are kids I wouldn't have related to at all in 1996, when I was 16, and at 37 I still am exasperated by their limited viewpoints.
    • 2/5
      I really wanted to love this book. I found the concept fabulous -- kid gets one of those free AOL CDs in the mail, installs and uses ridiculously slow dial-up to create an email account, then suddenly stumbles onto her future self's Facebook page. As someone who was a teenager during the height of AOL's popularity, who would wait three minutes for the modem to connect only to have that connection dropped five minutes later when a parent would pick the phone up off the receiver, this was my youth.That's the problem -- this is my youth. Yet I'm thirty-three, and this is YA fiction. Do today's teenagers have any interest in what technology was like nearly twenty years ago? Does a modem noise give them a warm fuzzy feeling?To be fair, the book is fairly well-written. The alternating of the narration between the two main characters every chapter mixes the story up, and it has a nice, natural flow to it. But I don't think it's particularly adapted to its target audience.
    • 2/5
      I could have given 4 stars for the idea alone, but, concept aside, this was also a good read. Would love to see what an "adult" version of this concept would read like, if the adults were able to contact their teen selves.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed the story and the growth of both Josh and Emma.

      I would have liked an epilogue, but that's entirely a personally preference.
    • 4/5
      I finished this book a few weeks ago but forgot to upload it A cute and heartwarming coming of age story that reminds us of the good ol' days when kids actually went outside to play, and how technology and social media have affected our lives. This is a collaboration between Jay Asher, the author of one of my favorite books - Thirteen Reasons Why, and Carolyn Mackler, author of Love and Other Four Letter Words
    • 5/5
      This is so far one of the best books I read. I could not put it down until I was done reading it. !!! love it !
    • 1/5
      Resounding.... meh.
    • 2/5
      Predictable
    • 4/5
      I read this book in less than a day, mostly because the writing style of both authors kept me wanting to read more of the story. Although I felt the plot was somewhat predictable in parts, I still enjoyed the way it played out because of the characters.
    • 3/5
      I love the idea of the story.The big questions are, If you could know your future would you want to? And also, If you didn't like what you saw would you try and change it?I think it is really interesting to see our 2 main characters deal with their discovery of Facebook completely differently. I like how the authors use the narration switches to show off how they react. **spoiler**I like how we get to see Emma really struggle with her future. Yet Josh is way more accepting. It makes you wonder if the only reason he was more accepting is because he was happy. ***spoiler***The one thing I didn't like was Emma's personality. She acted too immature to handle the power she was given. I feel like she was realistic but just so whiny about all of her relationships.*****spoiler*****Also what about Kellan's pregnancy? Or what about Josh's brother being gay?****spoiler****The book leaves you wondering which character you would act more like
    • 3/5
      Emma got her first computer in 1996. Upon logging onto the internet for the first time, she finds herself on something called Facebook, which seems to show her and her friends 15 years from now. What she does now seems to affect what she sees in the future.
    • 4/5
      Ever since I heard about this book a few months ago, I was anxious to read it. I was excited to get a copy from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. The book takes place in 1996 when two teens, Emma and Josh, log on to AOL for the first time . . . and glimpse their own Facebook pages -- fifteen years in the future. They are able to glean their futures, regarding where they go to college, what their jobs will be like, and whom they marry. Emma and Josh also learn that any little detail that happens in their present, could have a huge ripple effect in the future. This was a fast-paced read, told in alternating first-person perspectives between Emma and Josh, that I could not put down. I loved this book because as an older fan of this new wave of Young Adult books, reading about MY generation of teenagers in the 90s was very enjoyable for me. I loved all the 90s references, but I think most of them would fly over the heads of the target audience of this book. Not that it matters a bit, the book is enjoyable as is. Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler do an excellent job of working this very bizarre concept. Not only do we see how it doesn’t matter what year it is that we can develop a Facebook addiction, but the authors also manage to show us that even our smallest decisions can affect us -- and others -- in a big way in the future (I was reminded of another book that also demonstrated this: LEAP DAY by Wendy Mass.)
    • 5/5
      "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." -ARC SynopsisThe premise of this story is really interesting. As I was reading the book, I found myself wanting to look at my own facebook profile and try to see it through the eyes of my sixteen year old self. Would I like the way I looked? Would I like my job? Would I be happy with my husband (of course, he's adorable)? If you were a teenager and had a brief glance at what your future would be like in fifteen years, how much would you want to change? Obviously, a facebook profile can't give all the details of a future life. Even people who put the most personal details online don't put everything on, so can you really judge your future on only what you find on a social networking site?I like stories about time travel, any kind of time travel really. I like it if the character manages to physically travel through time, gets secret messages from their future self, or, as it turns out, finds a future website. The story raised some great points about changing the future. Emma starts out right away thinking about how she can make her future life different than it is, better. Josh on the other hand, is worried about what his new knowledge might mean for the present and how it could screw up his future. For example, "This is making me nervous. The future seems so fragile. For instance, I already saw that I'm going to the University of Washington like my brother. And I definitely want that to happen, but what if knowing I'll get in makes me slack on the application and then I get rejected?" (ARC 134-135). Yup, mind blown! What if just knowing the future changes your actions in the present and, therefore, changes the future!? I think I need a cup of tea.Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler are a little bit of an author dream team. Together they created a compulsively readable book that I could not put down. Literally. I read the entire thing in just over 2 hours. Emma and Josh are sweet, fun, interesting characters who I would definitely want to be friends with. Their story is a perfect mix of obsessing over their future and trying to figure out their present. Each of them faces different dilemmas from their new knowledge - do they keep secrets or help friends? Their story will suck you in and you won't be able to stop until the very end, so I recommend starting this book in a very comfy chair. Then ask yourself, how much would you want to know about your future?
    • 5/5
      Good story I loved the audio the voice acting is great
    • 5/5
      Wonderful nostalgia trip for 80's children who grew up with AOL, with a bit of future looking, and romance.
    • 2/5
      Flat characters with little spark or verve, who are as inane as the third major character in the book - Facebook. The book is sprinkled with lots of references to 90s music and movies, which feels forced and unnatural instead of setting a scene.

      The characters are so featureless that I couldn't tell who was speaking without checking the name at the beginning of each chapter. How that's possible when they were actually written by two different authors, I don't know.
    • 4/5
      I think this was a cute book. I feel it could’ve been done much better in a lot of different ways but given that it is a youth book, I think it was done well. I could see quite a few writers taking this book’s idea and turning it into some amazing work as the subject is quite fascinating, in my opinion.
    • 5/5
      Loved! Loved! Loved this book! I started reading it yesterday and couldn't put it down. I love the character Josh. I just wanted him to be happy throughout the whole book. Emma got on my nervous now and again, but I think her character really does grow up throughout the book. This is a great read and as an adult I loved reading the flashback to me about 1996. Great book.
    • 4/5
      Warning: May contain spoilers So like the summary states, this books is centered around two people, Josh and Emma. They have been neighbors, and best friends, for as long as they can remember. Until they weren't.It has been 6 months since Josh and Emma stopped talking after a misunderstanding on his part, but after receiving a new computer from her dad, Emma is shocked to see Josh at her door holding an AOL CD.After a very awkward conversation , Emma thanks Josh and later that night signs on to her new computer, but is confused when a website called Facebook pops up, upon closer exception finds a photo of someone who looks just like her. Only older.Emma is left scratching her head and trying to figure out why someone would be playing a prank on her, because that's all it could be. Her first thought is Josh, he gave her the CD so obviously it was him, but after inviting him over and seeing the look of shock on his face she later comes to the conclusion that its not. And that she could some how be looking at the future. Josh takes some convincing though and it isn't until he see's his very own facebook page.Both of them start obsessing over it, Emma over the fact that she's not happy in the future and Josh over trying to get Emma to stop looking for ways to change it as the little things not only cause ripples in her future, but also his. As they spend time focusing on the future they start losing track on what's going on in the now, because everything is changing.My thoughts? I loved it. Its the first book by Jay Asher I have read but think I might start Thirteen Reasons Why soon. I loved how original it was and how people were mocking facebook. (the characters were confused why in the future people would spend all their time saying what they've had for dinner on the internet). I loved the characters and the authenticity of it all. The friendships, the love, everything else just felt really real. I definitely enjoyed it. It was just a really fun read :)
    • 3/5
      Great premise. Jay knows how to write books that make great book discussions!
    • 3/5
      The Future of Us is a fun and entertaining read. There are many students who can relate to the relationships in the book and the way the characters try to control every aspect of their lives.This would be a good book for high school students that enjoy YA literature. There are some questionable sexual moments that some parents would object to.
    • 4/5
      It's 1996, you're sitting in front of your brand new computer and have just received 100 free hours online from AOL. You log on to find yourself on your Facebook page 15 years in the future and realize that every little action you do during the day changes your Facebook update feed and how you are in the future. What do you do? That's what Emma and Josh are about to find out, being faced with this very problem.A quick and enjoyable read that brings back memories of what it was like growing up in the 90's (AOL, Green Day, etc...). Also quite interesting insight on how we would have reacted back then to people being so open on the web, as they are today. The story is written from both Emma and Josh's points of view which is interesting as you get to see both sides of the story. I definitely recommend this book.
    • 3/5
      I saw Jay Asher's name on this book & figured I had to have it, having enjoyed Thirteen Reasons Why so much. And the description sounded kind of intriguing: teenagers Josh & Emma obtain an AOL disc for the first time, dial up to the internet (this being set in the early 90's), and by some freak of nature, happen upon Facebook 15 years in their future. So basically they get a peek into their futures, and based on that, whether it be good or bad, they start looking at their present selves trying to either change things or force along something that's destined to happen. Upon starting this book, there were lots of 90's references thrown at the reader. It was nice to revisit history, but the references seemed very forced -- almost like name-dropping, and it was annoying. This eased up a bit as the story progressed, but the writing itself didn't improve all that much. I know this is a young adult novel, but truly, I expected better. Overall, the story was interesting & the novel grew on me as I kept going, but the sub-par writing turned me off & prevented me from giving this a higher rating.