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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
I LOVED this book! I enjoyed the concept of the entire novel. It was interesting to follow. I think everyone who reads this will love it. The characters are very relatable and believable. I recommend this book to everyone. Please read!!!!!!
The novel had an interesting premise and was enjoyable enough, but nothing much really happened and I felt that a lot more could have been explored with such a creative idea.
Second read: accidentally read this book again as I had completely forgotten I read it 5 years ago. It was so unmemorable the first time that I didn't even realise I had read it before. I still feel that the concept and overall writing style saves the book from a 1 star review but, but overall very average.
Second read: accidentally read this book again as I had completely forgotten I read it 5 years ago. It was so unmemorable the first time that I didn't even realise I had read it before. I still feel that the concept and overall writing style saves the book from a 1 star review but, but overall very average.
I like this book.
Spoiler
I love how they could only see bits and pieces of their futures.
This rates high on appeal, less high on overall content. As a huge fan of both authors, I can say quite honestly that I feel like this isn't their best effort. Still, I was impressed by the smoothness of the collaboration. Collaborative novels have really been the rage in YA fiction for awhile now, with certain authors (David Levithan and Rachel Cohn for starters) practically wearing the form out by revisiting this as often as they have. Yet unfortunately, for as hot as the trend is, practice hasn't always made perfect, leaving us with a lot of uneven narratives with every seam showing. Luckily, this is NOT the case with Asher and Mackler, where the characters' voices flow back and forth so well the reader can authentically feel that they're in the middle of a conversation between two old friends, as Josh and Emma certainly are.
The gimmicky, though entertaining concept: Emma, a teen from 1996, inadvertently gain access to her destiny when an error on an America Online disc magically logs her into her future Facebook account. Along for the ride is her childhood friend Josh, who tries to keep her from tampering with fate even as he becomes just as obsessed in the future developments.
The first chapter drives home the mid-nineties setting a little hard at first, with pop culture and fad references dropping almost every other sentence, but thankfully it picks up from there. At the outset of the story, Josh and Emma are teens who are friends almost more out of habit than by preference, with life (and an awkward confession of feelings) getting in the way. As you might expect, their future is will what allow them to renegotiate their present, to determine whether or not they have anything worth saving, or if they've grown out of each other and just don't want to admit it. If it's gimmicky, it's at least a gimmick with teeth because it's rife with ethical dilemmas (and potential for page-turning drama). If your future jerk-of-a-spouse is someone you meet at what you thought was your dream school, do you change your college plans? Exactly what kind of ripples do your present-day actions make? In fact, there are SO many questions raised that some pretty big quandaries end up left hanging or ignored---making this kind of a great book club selection, really--because there is so much left to discuss. The main characters are compelling, but unfortunately, as is sometimes the case with these back-and-forth books, one character does end up coming across as more sympathetic than the other. Emma
The gimmicky, though entertaining concept: Emma, a teen from 1996, inadvertently gain access to her destiny when an error on an America Online disc magically logs her into her future Facebook account. Along for the ride is her childhood friend Josh, who tries to keep her from tampering with fate even as he becomes just as obsessed in the future developments.
The first chapter drives home the mid-nineties setting a little hard at first, with pop culture and fad references dropping almost every other sentence, but thankfully it picks up from there. At the outset of the story, Josh and Emma are teens who are friends almost more out of habit than by preference, with life (and an awkward confession of feelings) getting in the way. As you might expect, their future is will what allow them to renegotiate their present, to determine whether or not they have anything worth saving, or if they've grown out of each other and just don't want to admit it. If it's gimmicky, it's at least a gimmick with teeth because it's rife with ethical dilemmas (and potential for page-turning drama). If your future jerk-of-a-spouse is someone you meet at what you thought was your dream school, do you change your college plans? Exactly what kind of ripples do your present-day actions make? In fact, there are SO many questions raised that some pretty big quandaries end up left hanging or ignored---making this kind of a great book club selection, really--because there is so much left to discuss. The main characters are compelling, but unfortunately, as is sometimes the case with these back-and-forth books, one character does end up coming across as more sympathetic than the other. Emma
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A decent yarn, but it left me a little undewhelmed.
I was mostly annoyed at how uncurious the protagonists were. Throw in the fact that the ending is super predictable, and the very uneven levels of writing between the protagonists, and I would rate this book mediocre at best.
The snippets of Facebook talk feel like they could have been copied and pasted from real Facebook walls though, so there's that.
I was mostly annoyed at how uncurious the protagonists were. Throw in the fact that the ending is super predictable, and the very uneven levels of writing between the protagonists, and I would rate this book mediocre at best.
The snippets of Facebook talk feel like they could have been copied and pasted from real Facebook walls though, so there's that.
http://librarianaut.com/2012/03/25/book-review-the-future-of-us/
Having read Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, I was expecting something a bit darker. I wasn't disappointed though, but was glad it still had the same kind of edge that book had.
The concept was something that really intrigued me, considering my long history with internet. And the whole time ripples idea makes for an absolutely engrossing subject!
If there was a downside, I would probably be that at some points in the story, little mundane things were brought up like they were an integral part of the story, and ended up just being little unnecessary things that were mentioned, it was a bit odd and misleading.
It was for the most part a good read, and I would recommend it to anyone who doesn't usually read fantasy or scifi, but would like to try.
If you like The Evereafter, The Mark, or Switch, this might be a book you should try.
The concept was something that really intrigued me, considering my long history with internet. And the whole time ripples idea makes for an absolutely engrossing subject!
If there was a downside, I would probably be that at some points in the story, little mundane things were brought up like they were an integral part of the story, and ended up just being little unnecessary things that were mentioned, it was a bit odd and misleading.
It was for the most part a good read, and I would recommend it to anyone who doesn't usually read fantasy or scifi, but would like to try.
If you like The Evereafter, The Mark, or Switch, this might be a book you should try.
Main characters: 2/5
Emma got on my nerves. Don't get me wrong, I liked her transformation by the end, when she came to her senses. But she was sooo frustrating. It's that line that I've discussed between having a realistic character and having a likable character. That's a thin line and Emma crossed too far into unlikable. She was a little shallow and a little self-centered, and that just ended up hurting a lot of people and creating a lot of problems for herself. I will admit, however, that for most of us, this is more realistic than we might think. We should all be able to relate to Emma on some level, even if we still hate her for her flaws. Asher and Mackler just needed to tread the line more carefully so that we could still relate to Emma, even while recognizing her flaws within us.
Josh was sweet but sometimes a little bland. He was so content to sit back and let life guide him instead of choosing his own future (the complete opposite of Emma). At the end of the day, he was just a little too unremarkable for me, and not a very memorable character.
Secondary characters: 3/5
Kellan was vivacious and funny. Her relationship with Tyson was hot and cold, but I liked how she knew what she wanted and was open to everything. She was a good foil to Emma, which accentuated a lot of the character traits and conflicts in the novel.
Tyson seemed like your typical jock and, unfortunately, we didn't get to know him very well. His quips and jokes made me laugh but I wish he had been more developed.
The few other secondary characters were relatively unmemorable. Sydney, Josh's parents, and Emma's mom were brought up but I didn't feel like we ever got to know them in any meaningful way. Emma's mom had an interesting interaction with Emma that was probably the most relevant to the plot, but it wasn't used to the full extent that it could have been.
Writing style: 2/5
I didn't have any huge problems with the writing style of Asher and Mackler, but similarly, I felt like the writing style was nothing special. My biggest concern was the pacing. I was listening on audiobook, which normally keeps me engaged more, but I found myself zoning out and not paying attention because it felt like the same thing was happening over and over again.
Plot: 2/5
I liked the idea of where the plot was headed overall, but I'll be honest, I thought that the delivery of the plot was pretty heavy-handed. The lessons that Emma and Josh learned were thrown in my face and it was incredibly obvious. Some subtlety would have been appreciated here.
Further, the pacing combined with the lack of major plot elements makes a cool premise lose a lot of stream. I had been so intrigued with the idea of Facebook and a sort of "time-travel", but the conflict itself was relatively petty. For a story that could have been pretty intense and action-packed, it seemed very trivial and catty.
Ending: 2/5
The ending was mediocre. I felt like there was a lot that needed to be discussed and the conflict was simply skimmed over. While some parts of it gave me the warm fuzzies and made me smile, I was overall a little disappointed in the execution of the idea and also in the obviousness of the "lesson" that they learned.
Best scene: Probably the final scenes
Reminded Me Of: Thirteen Going on Thirty meets The Social Network
Positives: The premise, Kellan & Tyson, the warm fuzzies at the end
Negatives: The obviousness of the lessons, Emma, the pacing, unmemorable secondary characters, Josh's blandness
Cover: I can't decide. I like the concept, but I don't know if I like the outcome...
Verdict: What a cool premise! Ultimately, it just fell a little short for me.
Rating: 4.4 / 10 (3 stars)
Emma got on my nerves. Don't get me wrong, I liked her transformation by the end, when she came to her senses. But she was sooo frustrating. It's that line that I've discussed between having a realistic character and having a likable character. That's a thin line and Emma crossed too far into unlikable. She was a little shallow and a little self-centered, and that just ended up hurting a lot of people and creating a lot of problems for herself. I will admit, however, that for most of us, this is more realistic than we might think. We should all be able to relate to Emma on some level, even if we still hate her for her flaws. Asher and Mackler just needed to tread the line more carefully so that we could still relate to Emma, even while recognizing her flaws within us.
Josh was sweet but sometimes a little bland. He was so content to sit back and let life guide him instead of choosing his own future (the complete opposite of Emma). At the end of the day, he was just a little too unremarkable for me, and not a very memorable character.
Secondary characters: 3/5
Kellan was vivacious and funny. Her relationship with Tyson was hot and cold, but I liked how she knew what she wanted and was open to everything. She was a good foil to Emma, which accentuated a lot of the character traits and conflicts in the novel.
Tyson seemed like your typical jock and, unfortunately, we didn't get to know him very well. His quips and jokes made me laugh but I wish he had been more developed.
The few other secondary characters were relatively unmemorable. Sydney, Josh's parents, and Emma's mom were brought up but I didn't feel like we ever got to know them in any meaningful way. Emma's mom had an interesting interaction with Emma that was probably the most relevant to the plot, but it wasn't used to the full extent that it could have been.
Writing style: 2/5
I didn't have any huge problems with the writing style of Asher and Mackler, but similarly, I felt like the writing style was nothing special. My biggest concern was the pacing. I was listening on audiobook, which normally keeps me engaged more, but I found myself zoning out and not paying attention because it felt like the same thing was happening over and over again.
Plot: 2/5
I liked the idea of where the plot was headed overall, but I'll be honest, I thought that the delivery of the plot was pretty heavy-handed. The lessons that Emma and Josh learned were thrown in my face and it was incredibly obvious. Some subtlety would have been appreciated here.
Further, the pacing combined with the lack of major plot elements makes a cool premise lose a lot of stream. I had been so intrigued with the idea of Facebook and a sort of "time-travel", but the conflict itself was relatively petty. For a story that could have been pretty intense and action-packed, it seemed very trivial and catty.
Ending: 2/5
The ending was mediocre. I felt like there was a lot that needed to be discussed and the conflict was simply skimmed over. While some parts of it gave me the warm fuzzies and made me smile, I was overall a little disappointed in the execution of the idea and also in the obviousness of the "lesson" that they learned.
Best scene: Probably the final scenes
Reminded Me Of: Thirteen Going on Thirty meets The Social Network
Positives: The premise, Kellan & Tyson, the warm fuzzies at the end
Negatives: The obviousness of the lessons, Emma, the pacing, unmemorable secondary characters, Josh's blandness
Cover: I can't decide. I like the concept, but I don't know if I like the outcome...
Verdict: What a cool premise! Ultimately, it just fell a little short for me.
Rating: 4.4 / 10 (3 stars)