I was like “How did you find a cassette tape nowadays?!” and then I remembered it was 1996 and not current day. Emma was in her car and said it didn't have a CD player but she had found a cassette tape of a Green Day album to play. I will say there was a funny part for me when I was reading and I forgot it took place in 1996. The authors make it so that even if you weren't very aware of the late 90s, you can still understand the references in a way based on the context. Going back to the 90s nostalgia, I just loved it- the Macarena, watching Friends and Seinfeld when they were new, not knowing Ellen DeGeneres was gay (by the way, her 90s sitcom was hilarious- you should all check it out), and so many other things. Both characters go through a fantastic journey and are clearly changed for the better by the end of it. The dual narrative really helps and it was interesting to see both sides, especially when the friendship was strained and awkward because it really gave the reader a good sense of what's going on in both of their heads. Reading Emma and Josh's story was such a quick, compelling read it was so hard to put down. The 90s nostalgia alone is just amazing, but factor in the whole Facebook aspect, an awkward friendship, and a dual narrative and you have made me one happy blogger. You have no idea how much I loved this book. 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.'- summary from Amazon And they're looking at themselves fifteen years in the future.īy refreshing their pages, they learn that making different decisions now will affect the outcome of their lives later.

When they sign on, they're automatically logged onto their Facebook pages. 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. They've been best friends almost as long - at least, up until last November, when Josh did something that changed everything. 'It's 1996, and Josh and Emma have been neighbors their whole lives.

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler