The Future Of Us

By Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

Over the summer I read The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler. The story is set in 1996, before the popular social media website, Facebook, was invented. The story follows two former best friends, Josh and Emma, as they discover Facebook and view what their lives will be like in the future through their online profiles and relationship statuses. The twist is that whenever they refresh the website their futures change. One minute they'll be single, the next they'll have twins. Also because they can see into their futures, Josh and Emma revise their actions in the present to ensure happiness fifteen years ahead of them. 

In my opinion, the plot was very engaging. The conflicts between the characters were thought-provoking, and the constant change in the characters lives made the book unique. Unfortunately I wasn't very impressed with the writing. There wasn't a lot of figurative language and sensory details. The authors were very blunt and didn't give the readers the chance to figure things out. I think this book is very relatable to kids my age and older because it is about Facebook and social media. Also the characters have conflicts such and jealousy and relationship issues that myself and many others can associate or link with conflicts in our lives. I think that because teens can relate to the characters in this book is what makes this book so appealing to the young adult genre.