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The Futures
Julia and Evan fall in love as undergraduates at Yale. For Evan, a scholarship student from a rural Canadian town, Yale is a whole new world, and Julia fits perfectly into the future he's envisioned for himself. After graduation, and on the eve of the great financial meltdown of 2008, they move together to New York City, where Evan lands a job at a hedge fund. But Julia, whose privileged upbringing grants her an easy but wholly unsatisfying job with a nonprofit, feels increasingly shut out of Evan's secretive world.
With the market crashing and banks failing, Evan becomes involved in a high-stakes deal at work—a deal that, despite the assurances of his Machiavellian boss, begins to seem more than slightly suspicious. Meanwhile, Julia reconnects with someone from her past who offers a glimpse of a different life. As the economy craters and Evan and Julia spin into their separate orbits, they each find they are capable of much more— good and bad—than they'd imagined.
With the market crashing and banks failing, Evan becomes involved in a high-stakes deal at work—a deal that, despite the assurances of his Machiavellian boss, begins to seem more than slightly suspicious. Meanwhile, Julia reconnects with someone from her past who offers a glimpse of a different life. As the economy craters and Evan and Julia spin into their separate orbits, they each find they are capable of much more— good and bad—than they'd imagined.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 17, 2017
321 people are currently reading
11405 people want to read
About the author
Anna Pitoniak
7 books635 followersAnna Pitoniak is the author of The Futures, Necessary People, Our American Friend, and the forthcoming The Helsinki Affair (November 2023). She graduated from Yale, where she majored in English and was an editor at the Yale Daily News. She worked for many years in book publishing, most recently as a Senior Editor at Random House. Anna grew up in Whistler, British Columbia, and now lives in New York City and East Hampton, NY.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 644 reviews
February 10, 2017
Only then did I see it clearly: everyone was figuring it out. Everyone except me. I had no passion, no plan, nothing that made me stand out from the crowd. I had absolutely no idea what kind of job I was supposed to get.
2 1/2 stars. I can't decide if I'm being harsh or generous by giving The Futures 2 1/2 stars. It's probably best not to put too much weight on the rating. For some time, I really liked what it was doing. Pitoniak perfectly captures that feeling of helplessness and uncertainty that many young adults face after college. Those desperate, scary questions: What do I do now? Who am I? What do I become?
The story follows the two perspectives of young couple, Julia and Evan, as they try to navigate the real world after completing their degree courses. Deeply in love during their college years, they find themselves drifting apart as reality sets in and their career paths diverge.
It begins as an emotional read and, for many people, a relatable one. I felt absolutely terrified when my school years came to an end and I found that I now actually had to make some real world plans. Jobs, apartments and - oh my god - taxes! And beneath that, the worries that people don't talk about so much: the fear that everyone else is getting ahead of you, the fear that you'll never get on the job ladder, or be stuck somewhere you are miserable.
This period of uncertainty is one so many young people are facing. The premise of Julia and Evan's story resonates deeply. And, in the beginning, there's a subtle undercurrent of sadness giving a lot of life and emotion to the simple idea.
Notice I said "the premise of Julia and Evan's story". Problem is, though the basic idea is one that did speak to me directly, the actual story was quite different. A few chapters into the book and I was really struggling to sympathise with the two extremely selfish protagonists. Two white Ivy League alumni living in New York City, both with decent jobs, loving families, and a certain amount of financial security. Excuse me if I don't reach for the Kleenex just yet.
It's a very privileged sob story. Why not write about all the people who finish college and end up unemployed for years? Or stuck back at home with their parents? Instead of having two reasonably wealthy, reasonably successful, beautiful young people who feel disillusioned because their college romance isn't surviving adulthood. Boo hoo.
It was really hard to understand some of the decisions being made and a lot of the problems were dragged out when it seemed they had simple resolutions. I could have found some sympathy for Julia when Evan became obsessed with work and neglected their relationship, but then she had to go and cheat on him because breaking up with him was just too much hard work. Meh.
Plus, despite being set in New York City - one of the most diverse cities in the world - almost everyone seems to be white. The only mentions I recall of non-white people in the novel are an “Asian” girl with a "tiny body" who Evan "fucks" in a club, and some Chinese businessmen making shady deals to get visas. Yikes.
A story that could have been hard-hitting for a lot of people, but I doubt many young college graduates will see themselves in the fortunate (and oblivious to it) shoes of Julia and Evan.
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December 17, 2016
I'd rate this 3.5 stars.
I don't think of myself as particularly old, but there are times when I hear people talk about situations or see them behave in a certain way, and I think to myself, "Was I ever that young?" But then, when I reflect on their particular situation, the memories come flooding back, and I realize that at some point I really was that young. Egads.
Reading Anna Pitoniak's debut novel The Futures , I felt nostalgic. It's not so much that I necessarily want to go back to the time just after college, trying to make it in "the real world," but it reminded me of those days when crises and relationships and roadblocks always seemed so much more intense.
When Evan and Julia meet as undergraduates at Yale, they're very different. Julia, a daughter of privilege, who was raised in New England, sees Yale as just another step in her upbringing, even if she sees herself as more independent than many of her classmates, not quite of the same ilk. Evan, who came to Yale on a hockey scholarship from a small town in British Columbia, is drawn to Julia, first as friends, then as lovers. And while their differences cause some rough patches in their relationship, the two date throughout college, and when Evan gets a job at a leading hedge fund after graduation, he asks Julia to move to New York with him.
In 2008, when they move to New York, the world is in an interesting place. Evan finds himself hand-picked for a secret, high-stakes, risky deal by one of his bosses, and it promises to provide a substantial payoff, despite the all-consuming financial crisis. But as Evan works harder and harder to stay in his boss' good graces, and be seen as a valuable member of the team, he starts to wonder if everything they're doing, everything they're asking him to do, is on the up-and-up. The job consumes him, which takes its toll on his and Julia's relationship.
Julia, meanwhile, feels rudderless. She doesn't know what she wants to do career-wise, and more and more, she starts to wonder whether Evan is even what she wants, as she feels them drifting apart and she resents him for having a sense of his place in the world. When she lands an entry-level job at a nonprofit foundation, it doesn't really provide her the satisfaction that she's seeking; instead, it sharpens the differences between her path and Evan's, and it sticks her in the midst of other scandals and drama.
When Julia runs into an old Yale classmate, she is drawn to him because of all of the ways he is unlike Evan, who is utterly oblivious to her anyway. But when we make the decision to run away from something rather than toward something, it never quite runs as smoothly as we hope. And as Evan feels he is losing control of his future, he doesn't realize exactly where he is most vulnerable.
In The Futures , Pitoniak skillfully captures the fears, the emotions, the hopes, and the disappointments of recent college graduates, and really catches the anxieties which pervaded our world in 2008. Her characters feel authentic—you can feel the indecision, the unhappiness, the uncertainty that the first major relationship we have can bring about. There is one drawback though: these characters are so accurately depicted that they're not always sympathetic, so sometimes you want to slap them and tell them to act like adults, or just talk to each other.
I thought Pitoniak did a good job with this book, although I felt some of the plot was a bit predictable for me. But she has an ear for dialogue and capturing emotions, and I liked that she didn't rely on too much melodrama to move things forward. I'm definitely looking forward to what's next in her career.
NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
I don't think of myself as particularly old, but there are times when I hear people talk about situations or see them behave in a certain way, and I think to myself, "Was I ever that young?" But then, when I reflect on their particular situation, the memories come flooding back, and I realize that at some point I really was that young. Egads.
Reading Anna Pitoniak's debut novel The Futures , I felt nostalgic. It's not so much that I necessarily want to go back to the time just after college, trying to make it in "the real world," but it reminded me of those days when crises and relationships and roadblocks always seemed so much more intense.
When Evan and Julia meet as undergraduates at Yale, they're very different. Julia, a daughter of privilege, who was raised in New England, sees Yale as just another step in her upbringing, even if she sees herself as more independent than many of her classmates, not quite of the same ilk. Evan, who came to Yale on a hockey scholarship from a small town in British Columbia, is drawn to Julia, first as friends, then as lovers. And while their differences cause some rough patches in their relationship, the two date throughout college, and when Evan gets a job at a leading hedge fund after graduation, he asks Julia to move to New York with him.
In 2008, when they move to New York, the world is in an interesting place. Evan finds himself hand-picked for a secret, high-stakes, risky deal by one of his bosses, and it promises to provide a substantial payoff, despite the all-consuming financial crisis. But as Evan works harder and harder to stay in his boss' good graces, and be seen as a valuable member of the team, he starts to wonder if everything they're doing, everything they're asking him to do, is on the up-and-up. The job consumes him, which takes its toll on his and Julia's relationship.
Julia, meanwhile, feels rudderless. She doesn't know what she wants to do career-wise, and more and more, she starts to wonder whether Evan is even what she wants, as she feels them drifting apart and she resents him for having a sense of his place in the world. When she lands an entry-level job at a nonprofit foundation, it doesn't really provide her the satisfaction that she's seeking; instead, it sharpens the differences between her path and Evan's, and it sticks her in the midst of other scandals and drama.
When Julia runs into an old Yale classmate, she is drawn to him because of all of the ways he is unlike Evan, who is utterly oblivious to her anyway. But when we make the decision to run away from something rather than toward something, it never quite runs as smoothly as we hope. And as Evan feels he is losing control of his future, he doesn't realize exactly where he is most vulnerable.
In The Futures , Pitoniak skillfully captures the fears, the emotions, the hopes, and the disappointments of recent college graduates, and really catches the anxieties which pervaded our world in 2008. Her characters feel authentic—you can feel the indecision, the unhappiness, the uncertainty that the first major relationship we have can bring about. There is one drawback though: these characters are so accurately depicted that they're not always sympathetic, so sometimes you want to slap them and tell them to act like adults, or just talk to each other.
I thought Pitoniak did a good job with this book, although I felt some of the plot was a bit predictable for me. But she has an ear for dialogue and capturing emotions, and I liked that she didn't rely on too much melodrama to move things forward. I'm definitely looking forward to what's next in her career.
NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
December 9, 2016
Told in alternating viewpoints, this novel follows Julia and Evan as they navigate early adulthood after graduating from Yale. Evan has taken a job at a hedge fund,while Julia flounders, trying to decide who she wants to be. “I think everyone was wondering, through the haze of weed and beer pong and tequila shots, whether this - right here, right now - was in fact what they were supposed to be doing”. She ends up as an assistant at a foundation, a job she gets through her family connections.
The story takes place against the backdrop of the Great Recession. You can start to see where things are heading pretty early on. This isn't some mystery where the plot is purposely twisted and convoluted.
Both Julia and Evan are sympathetic, likeable characters, even though both have their faults and do stupid stuff when dealing with each other. Pitoniak totally gets both the college and the first job scenes. Her insights took me right back to that time in my life, and I'm Julia’s mother’s age. Unfortunately, I remember that naivety all too well. She does a great job with both of their mindsets. “Paranoia was a disease whose symptoms I didn't recognize right away. Or maybe that's the essence of it: nothing is at it seems.”
The book veers to the cliches when it comes to the supporting characters; Michael in particular.
Overall, an enjoyable book. My thanks to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this novel.
May 26, 2017
4☆ A portrayal of Growing up, life and Relationships.
The Futures is a book about Growing up and discovering the ups and downs of work, life and making relationships work.
It is written in Julia and Evans point of views, which some readers find tedious.
I didn't find this too much of a problem ad it was fairly easy to follow the story.
Julia and Evan fall in love whilst studying at Yale. Julia and Evan decide to take the next step and move to New York all be it at the start of a Financial Crisis of 2008!
However life doesn't always go according to plan. So when Evan gets a very good job at a Hedge Fund, Julia is left still pondering what she wants to do with her life, Increasingly feeling shut out and lonely.
Julia is from a privileged upbringing so she finds it easier. She starts work at a non profit charity through her family connections.
But Evan on the other hand is working so hard to help nail a very risky deal and trying to impress he's boss and with the financial crisis looming over he's head he unknowingly shuts Julia out.
Working longer and longer hours. This is not without big risks and potential fall out!
At Yale their lives were simple.
Now in the real world things are tough and they quickly start to drift apart, doing things separately.
So when Julia runs into a friend from Uni she is drawn towards him and the attention she so desperately craves from Evan.
You can see very quickly this is only going to end in disaster!
The reason this book is so good is because the characters are so believable!
Nearly every young adult has asked themselves what they want to do with their lives and got no answer!
Anna cleverly portrays the struggles of the real world and how difficult growing up and standing on your own two feet actually is. Also maintaining healthy loving relationships. The key being communication and taking time for each other.
I really enjoyed reading Futures.
It was believable but a little predictable at times. Anna created believable characters and real life situations and for this I applaud her. Especially as this is her debut novel.
I would recommend this book to others.
Especially readers who enjoy coming of age books, relationships, general fiction and an interest in financial general fiction.
I received this book from the Publisher in exchange for a honest and fair review via Netgalley.
The Futures is a book about Growing up and discovering the ups and downs of work, life and making relationships work.
It is written in Julia and Evans point of views, which some readers find tedious.
I didn't find this too much of a problem ad it was fairly easy to follow the story.
Julia and Evan fall in love whilst studying at Yale. Julia and Evan decide to take the next step and move to New York all be it at the start of a Financial Crisis of 2008!
However life doesn't always go according to plan. So when Evan gets a very good job at a Hedge Fund, Julia is left still pondering what she wants to do with her life, Increasingly feeling shut out and lonely.
Julia is from a privileged upbringing so she finds it easier. She starts work at a non profit charity through her family connections.
But Evan on the other hand is working so hard to help nail a very risky deal and trying to impress he's boss and with the financial crisis looming over he's head he unknowingly shuts Julia out.
Working longer and longer hours. This is not without big risks and potential fall out!
At Yale their lives were simple.
Now in the real world things are tough and they quickly start to drift apart, doing things separately.
So when Julia runs into a friend from Uni she is drawn towards him and the attention she so desperately craves from Evan.
You can see very quickly this is only going to end in disaster!
The reason this book is so good is because the characters are so believable!
Nearly every young adult has asked themselves what they want to do with their lives and got no answer!
Anna cleverly portrays the struggles of the real world and how difficult growing up and standing on your own two feet actually is. Also maintaining healthy loving relationships. The key being communication and taking time for each other.
I really enjoyed reading Futures.
It was believable but a little predictable at times. Anna created believable characters and real life situations and for this I applaud her. Especially as this is her debut novel.
I would recommend this book to others.
Especially readers who enjoy coming of age books, relationships, general fiction and an interest in financial general fiction.
I received this book from the Publisher in exchange for a honest and fair review via Netgalley.
April 14, 2018
Julia and Evan met during their freshman year at Yale. Evan grew up in Canada and attended college on a hockey scholarship while Julia grew up in Boston and attended boarding school. Their relationship continues past graduation and together they move to New York City.
Evan starts a job at a prestigious hedge fund while Julia gets employed at a non-profit organization. The financial crisis of 2008 puts enormous stress on their relationship. Evan get increasingly nervous as rumors of layoffs consume his workplace. He is sleeping less and barely has time to take care of himself. Julia is also finding that her first job out of college is not meeting her expectations. The life they both believed that they would share is deteriorating and both are forced to make important life decisions.
This book shows the progression people make as they grow through adulthood. The author does a wonderful job of depicting varying emotions of stress invading our daily lives. The book reminded me that mistakes made in your twenties are easy to rectify when your whole “future” is ahead of you. This is a debut novel by Anna Pitoniak.
Evan starts a job at a prestigious hedge fund while Julia gets employed at a non-profit organization. The financial crisis of 2008 puts enormous stress on their relationship. Evan get increasingly nervous as rumors of layoffs consume his workplace. He is sleeping less and barely has time to take care of himself. Julia is also finding that her first job out of college is not meeting her expectations. The life they both believed that they would share is deteriorating and both are forced to make important life decisions.
This book shows the progression people make as they grow through adulthood. The author does a wonderful job of depicting varying emotions of stress invading our daily lives. The book reminded me that mistakes made in your twenties are easy to rectify when your whole “future” is ahead of you. This is a debut novel by Anna Pitoniak.
April 23, 2017
Julia and Evan fell in love when they were undergraduates at Yale. After graduation and on the eve of the great financial meltdown of 2008, Julia and Evan moved to New York City. Evan got a job at a hedge fund. Julia has only known a life of privilege and is increasingly feeling left out of Evans secretive life. With banks failing, Evan becomes involved in high stake deals at work.
The chapters alternate between Evan and Julia's viewpoint. A tale of love and betrayal. The characters are believable but Julia is not always likeable. Although some of the plot is predictable, it's still a decent debut novel.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Penguin UK - Michael Joseph and the author Anna Pitoniak for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The chapters alternate between Evan and Julia's viewpoint. A tale of love and betrayal. The characters are believable but Julia is not always likeable. Although some of the plot is predictable, it's still a decent debut novel.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Penguin UK - Michael Joseph and the author Anna Pitoniak for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
May 15, 2017
(3.75) Evan and Julia are college sweethearts whose relationship faces serious obstacles when they move to New York City together at the start of the 2008 financial crisis. This debut novel takes a look at the forces that whittle away at love and the way that decisions shape our path. It’s about growing up, and the mistakes we make along the way. And it’s about the way that, even after major failures, we can build a sense of the future once again. Ultimately, although it feels melancholy for much of its length, this is a hopeful book. Pitoniak (a Random House editor who, like Evan, is from British Columbia and attended Yale) writes realistic situations and convincing characters, and I’ll be interested to see what she comes out with next.
See my full review at The Bookbag.
See my full review at The Bookbag.
February 7, 2017
The Futures by Anna Pitoniak starts as a campus novel and then moves to New York. It had my name written all over it…
Julia’s dating guy #1. She cheats on him with guy #2. Meanwhile, she meets guy #3, and they start a relationship. Julia and #3 move to New York, where #3 starts working long hours and becomes involved in some dubious hedge fund deals. Julia, annoyed, hooks up with #2 again (but doesn’t break it off with #3). Julia heads home for Thanksgiving, disgruntled with both #2 and #3. Guess who she meets in her hometown? #1!
God. I could go on but honestly, this story promised so much yet delivered a plot that was trite and obvious, and characters that were basic. In fact, the story was so one-dimensional that it was just one big rich-white-people-cliche. And it was clunky. And irritating.
I almost abandoned The Futures – aside from the fact that it’s a first-world-problems story, Pitoniak spells out every single thing for her reader (perhaps assuming we’re as dumb as Julia?) –
“I could never marry Evan. Never, ever. Evan wasn’t someone I could have a life with. We were too different, and he didn’t care about me. That’s why it felt so natural, sliding into this new thing with Adam. Evan and I were clearly headed for a breakup. It was only a question of time. So why didn’t I rip the bandage off? Why keep living with someone for whom I felt nothing? Ending things would have kept me from cheating on Evan. It would have prevented so much of the collateral damage. But that decision would have taken conviction. Planning and execution. And frankly, it wold have required that I find my own place to live, which was annoying and prohibitively expensive.”
FFS. Go on living with someone, and cheating on them, because you can’t be bothered looking in the classifieds? Yeah, that’s mature.
It was the occasional glimpses of New York and a few insights into that weird time between finishing university and starting a job (when you’re in a panicked limbo), that kept me reading until the bitter end –
“In New York, we settled into a routine along with our friends, accruing habit fast. We all endured the same things: shoe-box apartments, crowded subways, overpriced groceries, indifferent bosses. What kept everyone going was the dream: store windows on Madison Avenue, brownstones lit golden in the night, town cars gliding across the park.”
2/5 Boring and obvious.
I received my copy of The Futures from the publisher, Little, Brown & Company, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review
Julia’s dating guy #1. She cheats on him with guy #2. Meanwhile, she meets guy #3, and they start a relationship. Julia and #3 move to New York, where #3 starts working long hours and becomes involved in some dubious hedge fund deals. Julia, annoyed, hooks up with #2 again (but doesn’t break it off with #3). Julia heads home for Thanksgiving, disgruntled with both #2 and #3. Guess who she meets in her hometown? #1!
God. I could go on but honestly, this story promised so much yet delivered a plot that was trite and obvious, and characters that were basic. In fact, the story was so one-dimensional that it was just one big rich-white-people-cliche. And it was clunky. And irritating.
I almost abandoned The Futures – aside from the fact that it’s a first-world-problems story, Pitoniak spells out every single thing for her reader (perhaps assuming we’re as dumb as Julia?) –
“I could never marry Evan. Never, ever. Evan wasn’t someone I could have a life with. We were too different, and he didn’t care about me. That’s why it felt so natural, sliding into this new thing with Adam. Evan and I were clearly headed for a breakup. It was only a question of time. So why didn’t I rip the bandage off? Why keep living with someone for whom I felt nothing? Ending things would have kept me from cheating on Evan. It would have prevented so much of the collateral damage. But that decision would have taken conviction. Planning and execution. And frankly, it wold have required that I find my own place to live, which was annoying and prohibitively expensive.”
FFS. Go on living with someone, and cheating on them, because you can’t be bothered looking in the classifieds? Yeah, that’s mature.
It was the occasional glimpses of New York and a few insights into that weird time between finishing university and starting a job (when you’re in a panicked limbo), that kept me reading until the bitter end –
“In New York, we settled into a routine along with our friends, accruing habit fast. We all endured the same things: shoe-box apartments, crowded subways, overpriced groceries, indifferent bosses. What kept everyone going was the dream: store windows on Madison Avenue, brownstones lit golden in the night, town cars gliding across the park.”
2/5 Boring and obvious.
I received my copy of The Futures from the publisher, Little, Brown & Company, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review
June 2, 2017
All of my reviews can be found on www.novelgossip.com
Told from both Julia and Evan’s point of view, The Futures is a tale of that awkward period in ones life immediately after college where the transition from the carefree days of school to work begins. Both Julia and Evan struggle to adapt to adulthood in different ways and there is an underlying sense of uneasiness and dread throughout as you know something is going to happen to throw them off course.
I liked the setting of NYC in 2008 during the Great Recession as I remember those days clearly. Evan seems to have found his spot in the city when he lands a highly sought after job at a hedge fund. Julia however struggles to find her place and a wedge is quickly driven between the couple. Resentment and hostilities surface and betrayals are committed against each other. Both of them make the typical mistakes that the young and naive so often do and both are also pretty self absorbed and privileged but they’re still oddly likable and endearing.
Pitoniak has a strong writing style with a very polished feel that was brought to life by the fantastic narrators. Both did an excellent job at portraying their characters and conveyed the emotional and evocative feel beautifully. The ending was open ended which isn’t my favorite thing, but it did work well here.
Told from both Julia and Evan’s point of view, The Futures is a tale of that awkward period in ones life immediately after college where the transition from the carefree days of school to work begins. Both Julia and Evan struggle to adapt to adulthood in different ways and there is an underlying sense of uneasiness and dread throughout as you know something is going to happen to throw them off course.
I liked the setting of NYC in 2008 during the Great Recession as I remember those days clearly. Evan seems to have found his spot in the city when he lands a highly sought after job at a hedge fund. Julia however struggles to find her place and a wedge is quickly driven between the couple. Resentment and hostilities surface and betrayals are committed against each other. Both of them make the typical mistakes that the young and naive so often do and both are also pretty self absorbed and privileged but they’re still oddly likable and endearing.
Pitoniak has a strong writing style with a very polished feel that was brought to life by the fantastic narrators. Both did an excellent job at portraying their characters and conveyed the emotional and evocative feel beautifully. The ending was open ended which isn’t my favorite thing, but it did work well here.
April 7, 2017
Checked this out of the library and I still want my money back.
May 23, 2016
THE FUTURES rings with truth. This aching novel of finding your identity and place in an increasingly upside down world has a wise, beating heart. I expect I might run into Julia and Evan at the corner bodega. But this novel moves too. Not content to be a longing look at a relationship in peril, it nimbly slips through time and circumstance, brining us from the low-fi banality of domesticity in peril, to the high pressure boiler room of global finance behaving badly during the 2008 financial crisis. And all with can't-look-away prose that never shows off but flexes just enough, and in the right moments, to remind that this is prose of the highest caliber.
October 19, 2016
I’m sure this book will resonate with lots of people - it’s an accurate exploration of that weird liminal period between leaving university and actually becoming a functioning adult. The characters are complex, if not particularly sympathetic, and there are some insightful moments. Unfortunately though, I struggled a bit with the constant flashbacks and chronological tomfoolery.
The story follows young couple Julia and Evan in the year after they leave Yale and move into an apartment together on the Upper East Side of New York. Evan gets a disgustingly well paid job at a hedge fund and Julia gets a job at a charity through her family’s wealthy connections (see what I mean about them not being sympathetic?). While they think they have it all planned out, both soon realise that their dream life - and their relationship - isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and things begin to unravel.
For me, this would have been much more compelling if the author had stuck to just one timeline. The chapters alternate between Evan’s and Julia’s POV so there’s already a bit of jumping around, but the narrative also moves forward and backward in time from paragraph to paragraph and sometimes I found this genuinely confusing. I like books with flashbacks and timey-wimey bits as much as the next woman, but here it was just badly done.
Also, it’s set in 2008 around the time of the economic crisis and yet it might as well not be. The characters are so privileged that the downturn barely affects them, and any observations about the crisis felt shallow and cursory. As someone who graduated during the depth of that recession (in 2009), and felt the brunt of it, I was looking forward to more analysis of how it affected people. I was disappointed.
In all, this was a compelling read and very assured for a debut novel.
(With thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an honest review)
The story follows young couple Julia and Evan in the year after they leave Yale and move into an apartment together on the Upper East Side of New York. Evan gets a disgustingly well paid job at a hedge fund and Julia gets a job at a charity through her family’s wealthy connections (see what I mean about them not being sympathetic?). While they think they have it all planned out, both soon realise that their dream life - and their relationship - isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and things begin to unravel.
For me, this would have been much more compelling if the author had stuck to just one timeline. The chapters alternate between Evan’s and Julia’s POV so there’s already a bit of jumping around, but the narrative also moves forward and backward in time from paragraph to paragraph and sometimes I found this genuinely confusing. I like books with flashbacks and timey-wimey bits as much as the next woman, but here it was just badly done.
Also, it’s set in 2008 around the time of the economic crisis and yet it might as well not be. The characters are so privileged that the downturn barely affects them, and any observations about the crisis felt shallow and cursory. As someone who graduated during the depth of that recession (in 2009), and felt the brunt of it, I was looking forward to more analysis of how it affected people. I was disappointed.
In all, this was a compelling read and very assured for a debut novel.
(With thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an honest review)
November 30, 2017
This book was an infuriating mess. At first I thought what I didn't like was that the two main characters had voices that were in no way distinct from one another, which seems essential if you're trying to do a two-POV situation.
Then it became incredibly boring and difficult to sympathize with a 2008 Wall Street banker and a serial cheater. To be clear, I love reading about serial cheaters and 2008 Wall Street bankers! But these particular people had no personalities beyond their main "things." Reading about selfish people is great; reading about selfish people who have nothing else going for them, good or bad, AND the writing is mediocre, is tedious.
But what really tipped me over the edge was the hastily-thrown-in scene at the end where Adam tries to force Julia to have sex with him. Obviously non-kosher behavior, as far as consensual sex goes, but it was used as a plot device to explain her behavior and her relationship to him and it didn't work and I'm really over nonconsent used as a convenient plot device.
I had been trying to push myself through until that point but I didn't read the last thirty pages after that because the book was so irredeemable by then.
Then it became incredibly boring and difficult to sympathize with a 2008 Wall Street banker and a serial cheater. To be clear, I love reading about serial cheaters and 2008 Wall Street bankers! But these particular people had no personalities beyond their main "things." Reading about selfish people is great; reading about selfish people who have nothing else going for them, good or bad, AND the writing is mediocre, is tedious.
But what really tipped me over the edge was the hastily-thrown-in scene at the end where Adam tries to force Julia to have sex with him. Obviously non-kosher behavior, as far as consensual sex goes, but it was used as a plot device to explain her behavior and her relationship to him and it didn't work and I'm really over nonconsent used as a convenient plot device.
I had been trying to push myself through until that point but I didn't read the last thirty pages after that because the book was so irredeemable by then.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 27, 2023
THE FUTURES has all the hallmarks that make for a compelling, well-written novel. It has a palpable sense of time and place that is readily relatable to any reader. And characters - both major and minor - who spring immediately to life within the first few pages or chapters. What's more: for anyone who has gone through and/or graduated from college or university and then found him/herself at a loss what to do with their life for 2 or 5 years afterward, this is a novel that will give some added perspective to that earlier time of being.
"THE FUTURES" largely revolves around the lives of Evan Peck and Julia Edwards. (The reader is presented with the experiences - separate and shared - of Evan and then Julia across different chapters. Kudos to the author for being able to so deftly place herself in a man's mind.) Evan hailed from a small town in the interior of Western Canada, where his parents had a small grocery business. It was the kind of town that maintained its own slow, measured rhythms. Its inhabitants tended to have modest ambitions and most never left town after graduating from high school. Evan, on the other hand, was one of the few who dared to believe that he could become a part of the wider world, and thrive therein. Hockey was his passion and through it, he secured a scholarship to Yale University in 2004. There, he made the acquaintance of Julia, who came from a well-to-do family in Boston with connections. (Her father was a high-powered lawyer.) They - both freshmen - began as friends and, gradually, that seemingly easy and comfortable friendship blossomed into a romantic relationship.
What I loved most about "THE FUTURES" is how skillfully Anna Pitoniak was able to make plain and REAL the lives of both Evan and Julia, and how their relationship developed, flourished, and later fell apart. From Yale to post-graduate life together in a modest, walk-up apartment in Brooklyn in the summer of 2008. I'm not going to say much more than that - except that the immediate impact of the 2008 financial crisis is as much a major factor in influencing the heart of the novel as the characters themselves who strut themselves upon the stage in a city that never sleeps.
Here are a few quotes to give you a flavor of what makes "THE FUTURES" compelling and self-revelatory:
Julia: "I could close my eyes, and the sounds of the party weren't so different from those in college, but I wasn't tricking myself. The feeling in the air had changed. There was a whole world out there, beyond wherever we were gathered. It didn't matter whether it was a cramped walk-up or a tar rooftop or a weedy backyard strung with lights. How you spent your time was suddenly up to you."
Julia: "I suppose, at the time [September 2008], I didn’t understand how rapidly my feelings toward Evan were evolving. ...We’d fought in college, but those fights always felt specific; fireworks that faded into smoke as fast as they arrived. But in New York, in the real world, every annoyance and disagreement felt like a referendum on our relationship. The bitterness started to linger. I was seeing growing evidence of why this was never going to work.”
Hands down, "THE FUTURES" is THE BEST NOVEL I've had the pleasure of reading so far in 2018.
"THE FUTURES" largely revolves around the lives of Evan Peck and Julia Edwards. (The reader is presented with the experiences - separate and shared - of Evan and then Julia across different chapters. Kudos to the author for being able to so deftly place herself in a man's mind.) Evan hailed from a small town in the interior of Western Canada, where his parents had a small grocery business. It was the kind of town that maintained its own slow, measured rhythms. Its inhabitants tended to have modest ambitions and most never left town after graduating from high school. Evan, on the other hand, was one of the few who dared to believe that he could become a part of the wider world, and thrive therein. Hockey was his passion and through it, he secured a scholarship to Yale University in 2004. There, he made the acquaintance of Julia, who came from a well-to-do family in Boston with connections. (Her father was a high-powered lawyer.) They - both freshmen - began as friends and, gradually, that seemingly easy and comfortable friendship blossomed into a romantic relationship.
What I loved most about "THE FUTURES" is how skillfully Anna Pitoniak was able to make plain and REAL the lives of both Evan and Julia, and how their relationship developed, flourished, and later fell apart. From Yale to post-graduate life together in a modest, walk-up apartment in Brooklyn in the summer of 2008. I'm not going to say much more than that - except that the immediate impact of the 2008 financial crisis is as much a major factor in influencing the heart of the novel as the characters themselves who strut themselves upon the stage in a city that never sleeps.
Here are a few quotes to give you a flavor of what makes "THE FUTURES" compelling and self-revelatory:
Julia: "I could close my eyes, and the sounds of the party weren't so different from those in college, but I wasn't tricking myself. The feeling in the air had changed. There was a whole world out there, beyond wherever we were gathered. It didn't matter whether it was a cramped walk-up or a tar rooftop or a weedy backyard strung with lights. How you spent your time was suddenly up to you."
Julia: "I suppose, at the time [September 2008], I didn’t understand how rapidly my feelings toward Evan were evolving. ...We’d fought in college, but those fights always felt specific; fireworks that faded into smoke as fast as they arrived. But in New York, in the real world, every annoyance and disagreement felt like a referendum on our relationship. The bitterness started to linger. I was seeing growing evidence of why this was never going to work.”
Hands down, "THE FUTURES" is THE BEST NOVEL I've had the pleasure of reading so far in 2018.
January 25, 2024
2024 is my year of Anna Pitoniak
October 4, 2016
"The Futures" is a solid debut on how a young relationship grows and crumbles through college and adulthood. Because we all know adulting is hard, more so if it's in a highly-charged setting like New York City where the American Dream can build you up as quickly as it wears you down.
There is something about this novel that leaves you in an Empire State of Mind, and places you in a safe atmospheric bubble until it pops and all goes to hell. It mirrors the experiences of our two characters, Julia and Evan, where they meander their way through a city of millions trying to find their own identities and voices, and how they fit in - as individuals, and as a pair - as the 2008 financial crisis looms. It all still feels very timeless and relatable.
A millennial-lit page turner in its own right, Anna Pitoniak has written an absorbing tale about young love, disillusioned dreams, and many a possible of futures.
There is something about this novel that leaves you in an Empire State of Mind, and places you in a safe atmospheric bubble until it pops and all goes to hell. It mirrors the experiences of our two characters, Julia and Evan, where they meander their way through a city of millions trying to find their own identities and voices, and how they fit in - as individuals, and as a pair - as the 2008 financial crisis looms. It all still feels very timeless and relatable.
A millennial-lit page turner in its own right, Anna Pitoniak has written an absorbing tale about young love, disillusioned dreams, and many a possible of futures.
February 7, 2017
The Futures
By
Anna Pitoniak
What it's all about...
This book is about Evan and Julia...how they met, their relationship in college,
their problems, their working lives in NYC, and what happens to each of them once they decide to live together.
Why I wanted to read it...
I wanted to read this book because Evan and Julia were such unique and interesting characters. I really can't tell you much more. This book has a way of pulling the reader in and leading the reader through all of Evan and Julia's issues. They are young and involved with their very first adult jobs. They make mistakes...they get scared and they get frustrated. But ultimately they learn.
What made me truly enjoy this book...
This book is told in alternating voices...Ethan's and Julia's. I loved this.
Why you should read it, too...
Readers who love relationship books should really enjoy this book, these characters, and its depictions of living in NYC.
By
Anna Pitoniak
What it's all about...
This book is about Evan and Julia...how they met, their relationship in college,
their problems, their working lives in NYC, and what happens to each of them once they decide to live together.
Why I wanted to read it...
I wanted to read this book because Evan and Julia were such unique and interesting characters. I really can't tell you much more. This book has a way of pulling the reader in and leading the reader through all of Evan and Julia's issues. They are young and involved with their very first adult jobs. They make mistakes...they get scared and they get frustrated. But ultimately they learn.
What made me truly enjoy this book...
This book is told in alternating voices...Ethan's and Julia's. I loved this.
Why you should read it, too...
Readers who love relationship books should really enjoy this book, these characters, and its depictions of living in NYC.
January 26, 2022
If I had to describe The Futures in one sentence it would be this one:
This is a book about adulthood that I believe a good portion of young people have to read.
What I love about Anna Pitoniak is that the plot is the least important aspect of her work but it can still stand and keep the novel entertaining while the real issues are dealt in the characterization and the social commentary that comes with the building of characters.
This is primarily a story about navigating life after college, the readers follow one couple: Evan and Julia . Evan is overly ambitious, focused on the future almost like having tunnel vision; he is sacrificing everything to get to his final destination, which is success, respect, and recognition.
Julia, on the other hand, is confused. She is overwhelmed by the possibilities and insecure about making the wrong choice, she is an outsider in her friend circle, the only one who still hasn’t figured life out – as if life is an equation easily solvable if you follow certain steps that society governs: a steady job with a lot of income, dressing a certain way, acting a certain way (aka follow the social codex), having dinners at certain restaurants, marrying, having kids, retiring in the suburbs, etc.
In a way, Pitoniak’s story is about people who successfully meet social expectations(Evan) and about people who don’t (Julia) – common ground: both are unhappy living on someone else’s terms.
Relationships fall apart, new ones are formed, career choices are re-examined, and the characters are finally satisfied and happy when they focus on their own vision of the future.
As much as Evan thought he could escape his inner dissatisfaction by excessive movement and Julia by stagnation the results are in both cases insufficient.
Both of them haven’t quite figured out how to adjust in order to get what they strive for and what makes them elated with their adult life. I think that is normal, it’s something many of us are struggling with, especially in your 20s (me included and a lot of my friends) and Pitoniak presents this as an unspoken norm; what isn’t normal is repressing these feelings and thoughts because it always has a way of doing damage – either to yourself or others.
Ultimately, the novel offers a comforting view on adulthood – it is something scary, something you have to work through alone; nobody can help you with that (no boss, no co-worker, no parent, no friend) – but they can offer advice, compassion and exchange their experiences: Arthur and Sara are the two confidantes out of whom Evan and Julia get the advice they need to move in the direction that will benefit them in the future.
Pitoniak’s novel offers a gentle pat on the back to all young people while at the same time punching them in the face with the destruction of one’s pre-built social expectations of life.
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I should have never doubted Anna Pitoniak, this book was very good! Review to come.
This is a book about adulthood that I believe a good portion of young people have to read.
What I love about Anna Pitoniak is that the plot is the least important aspect of her work but it can still stand and keep the novel entertaining while the real issues are dealt in the characterization and the social commentary that comes with the building of characters.
This is primarily a story about navigating life after college, the readers follow one couple: Evan and Julia . Evan is overly ambitious, focused on the future almost like having tunnel vision; he is sacrificing everything to get to his final destination, which is success, respect, and recognition.
Julia, on the other hand, is confused. She is overwhelmed by the possibilities and insecure about making the wrong choice, she is an outsider in her friend circle, the only one who still hasn’t figured life out – as if life is an equation easily solvable if you follow certain steps that society governs: a steady job with a lot of income, dressing a certain way, acting a certain way (aka follow the social codex), having dinners at certain restaurants, marrying, having kids, retiring in the suburbs, etc.
“I had made absolutely no plans for the future, and that seemed okay, as long as I wasn’t alone. But as I looked around the party, I realized that I was the only person left. The only one without a job. Abby was going to be a teacher. Evan’s roommate Arthur was working for the Obama campaign. And Evan had secured one of the most competitive jobs in finance. Only then did I see it clearly: everyone was figuring it out. Everyone except me. I had no passion, no plan, nothing that made me stand out from the crowd. I had absolutely no idea what kind of job I was supposed to get.”
In a way, Pitoniak’s story is about people who successfully meet social expectations(Evan) and about people who don’t (Julia) – common ground: both are unhappy living on someone else’s terms.
Relationships fall apart, new ones are formed, career choices are re-examined, and the characters are finally satisfied and happy when they focus on their own vision of the future.
“What if I was wrong? What if I hadn’t needed someone to tell me what to do next? Last year, after graduation, I’d had no idea what I was supposed to do with my life, and I wanted an answer. But what if the point was the question, not the answer?
It’s so tempting. Being told: this is who you are. This is how your life will go. This is what will make you happy. You will go to the right school, find the right job, marry the right man. You’ll do those things, and even if they feel wrong, you’ll keep doing them. Even if it breaks your heart, this is the way it’s done.”
As much as Evan thought he could escape his inner dissatisfaction by excessive movement and Julia by stagnation the results are in both cases insufficient.
Both of them haven’t quite figured out how to adjust in order to get what they strive for and what makes them elated with their adult life. I think that is normal, it’s something many of us are struggling with, especially in your 20s (me included and a lot of my friends) and Pitoniak presents this as an unspoken norm; what isn’t normal is repressing these feelings and thoughts because it always has a way of doing damage – either to yourself or others.
“I always wished someone had warned me about what it was like after college. How weird things are. And I had it really easy. My parents are connected. I got a job right after I graduated. I had nothing to complain about. But I still felt like shit. No one told me how hard it was going to be. It sounds like you went through this last year, too. You can relate.”
“What I mean is there’s nothing wrong with you. You had a shitty job, a shitty guy who messed things up for you. But that happens. You can’t really avoid that stuff. It’s not easy, figuring out what you want. It’s really hard. And I mean what you want, not what your friends want, not what someone else wants.”
I was quiet. She paused. “Is this making sense?”
“Yeah,” I said. “I guess I just—I know what you’re saying, but I don’t know…how do you actually do it? I mean, how do you figure that out?”
“Well,” she said, sitting up straight. Then she laughed. “This is kind of silly. I’m, like, two years older than you. Tell me if I’m being obnoxious.”
“No, not at all.”
“Well, I don’t know. It takes a while. It’s trial and error. But you just have to start doing it. And you have to trust yourself, to know what matters to you. You’re a smart girl. You’re going to be fine. Don’t let other people think they know better.”
Ultimately, the novel offers a comforting view on adulthood – it is something scary, something you have to work through alone; nobody can help you with that (no boss, no co-worker, no parent, no friend) – but they can offer advice, compassion and exchange their experiences: Arthur and Sara are the two confidantes out of whom Evan and Julia get the advice they need to move in the direction that will benefit them in the future.
Pitoniak’s novel offers a gentle pat on the back to all young people while at the same time punching them in the face with the destruction of one’s pre-built social expectations of life.
“Sara was right. It was a messy, difficult, shitty process—growing up, figuring out what you wanted. Some were lucky enough to figure it out on their own. I could see Elizabeth doing it already. Others were lucky enough to find a partner in the process, someone to expand their narrow views of the world. Abby and Jake, as unlikely as it seemed, were doing just that. But maybe there would always be people like me. Those for whom figuring it out came with a steep cost. I could feel it happening, slowly, in the smallest of steps. The future getting brighter. Where I was that day was in fact better than where I had been a year earlier. But the painful part was admitting what had happened to get me there. The implosion of two lives so that I might one day rebuild mine.”
**
“I wasn’t crying for Evan or for what I had done to him. I was crying for the person I had been before. That night, the music on the speakers, the night air through the window, the prickle of the carpet against the back of my legs: what washed over me was the realization that I was finally letting go of that girl. The girl who clung desperately to a hope that it would all work out, that everything would make sense if she just waited a little longer, if she just tried a little harder. I let myself cry for a long time. Until, gradually, the spotlight faded to black. The curtain lowered slowly, a silent pooling of fabric against the floor. The hush that followed. The stillness that felt as long as a eulogy.
And then the house lights coming up. The room blinking back to life. And me, alone, surrounded by a sea of empty seats. I stood up and opened the door.”
---------------------------------------------------------------------
I should have never doubted Anna Pitoniak, this book was very good! Review to come.
November 6, 2018
Yet another author I’ve read in reverse chronological order, starting with her superb sophomore novel Necessary People and after that, of course, immensely interested in her debut, The Futures. Actually, this book has been on my radar for some time, but there was some reluctance on my behalf to read a book about millennials. Millennials are mostly a tedious self involved breed. But leave it to Pitoniak to make this into a stunning read, irrespective of its characters’ generational ennui. Which is actually a somewhat different sort of ennui, because the novel is set in a not so distant past, specifically the financial crisis of 2008. A tough time to come conquer New York, but Evan and Jules are young, brave and bold, driven by ambition (former) and life of privilege that lets a person assume good things are on their way (latter) they settle in the Upper East Side walk up, start their new jobs and join the grown up world. And then their smooth sailing loveboat of a college romance Titanics itself on the unforgiving realities of adulthood. Suddenly overwhelmed with impossible choices, demands and temptations of real world, Evan and Jules lose themselves in the grand indifference of New York and end up having to reevaluate what they thought was important and what they really want out of life. And all those themes, although predominantly associated with struggles of youth, are timeless in a way. The question of priorities and balance come up consistently as years go by, until you are finally more or less sure you know what it takes to make you happy. If ever. So it’s definitely a dramatic work, but first and foremost this is a love story. It’s about two people from very different upbringings who find each other, have that genuine connection, and then forget to nurture it. And the author does such a terrific job of depicting how easy it is to get so immersed in your own individual experience that it takes over your life as a couple. With Evan, it’s through his insanely demanding prestigious job in finance, with Jules it’s through having too much alone time to dedicate to pursuit of other fancies. All so realistic, so tragic, so relatable. Even if you don’t particularly care for the characters (or not evenly so, Evan came across as a much more likeable person), they are immensely compelling. And the writing, that writing, it envelops you, it’s just so good, Pitoniak has all the grace and ease of a natural storyteller. I can get absolutely immersed in her books, it shuts off the brain in the best possible way. So yes, a lovely story well told. Considerably less dark than her second book, but a terrific read in its own right. In fact it's positively optimistic in a way that it allows for possibility of second chances and different versions of self, the grand chance not just one mapped out future, but many possible ones, hence the title. New York, for all its ugliness and obnoxiousness and rampant commercialism, does make for such a great setting and this is a quintessential New York story. A place where dreamers come to dream and, eventually and rudely, to wake up. Awesome book. Recommended.
February 26, 2017
Gambling on the future involves risk. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose. Mostly, we make mistakes, restart, and move on. There are no guarantees in life. If we can learn from our errors, we improve our chance of success in the future.
The Futures is the story of young people growing up in a specific time in America, but the lessons are universal.
Julia and Evan meet at college. Their relationship is not perfect but they love each other. When Evan is offered a job too good to be true, working for a financial company in New York City, he imagines a glorious future with wealth, status, and success. Julia tags along, with no idea of what she wants to do with her life.
As Evan's work consumes his energy and soul, Julia feels neglected. At twenty-two, she thinks, she should have more than lonely evenings, a boyfriend too distracted and tired to even consider her needs, and a job she hates.
Communication, intimacy and mutual support compromised, each is drawn to other lovers. In anger, Julia betray's Evan's involvement in a bribery scandal in a futures trade for his boss.
I admit I passed on this book for quite a while because I thought I was too old. I have 60+ years of experience in relationships. I've made plenty of mistakes along the way. And I share some things with Julia and Evan: I moved as a young twenties to a big city, looked for work during the 1970s economic downturn, and ended up in a job I hated: customer service for an insurance company. Meantime, my husband's new career left him full of self-doubt and anxiety.
It turned out that I understood Julia and Evan much better than I thought I would.
Knowing who you are, choosing a career that maintains your integrity, and learning how to love is what being in one's twenties is all about. We must discard childish selfishness in relationships, and learn not to depend on the approval and affirmation from others. Emotional maturity involves forgiving ourselves, and those we love, for being merely human.
Anna Pitoniak has captured this aspect of the human experience.
I received a free ebook from the publisher through Net Galley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
The Futures is the story of young people growing up in a specific time in America, but the lessons are universal.
Julia and Evan meet at college. Their relationship is not perfect but they love each other. When Evan is offered a job too good to be true, working for a financial company in New York City, he imagines a glorious future with wealth, status, and success. Julia tags along, with no idea of what she wants to do with her life.
As Evan's work consumes his energy and soul, Julia feels neglected. At twenty-two, she thinks, she should have more than lonely evenings, a boyfriend too distracted and tired to even consider her needs, and a job she hates.
Communication, intimacy and mutual support compromised, each is drawn to other lovers. In anger, Julia betray's Evan's involvement in a bribery scandal in a futures trade for his boss.
I admit I passed on this book for quite a while because I thought I was too old. I have 60+ years of experience in relationships. I've made plenty of mistakes along the way. And I share some things with Julia and Evan: I moved as a young twenties to a big city, looked for work during the 1970s economic downturn, and ended up in a job I hated: customer service for an insurance company. Meantime, my husband's new career left him full of self-doubt and anxiety.
It turned out that I understood Julia and Evan much better than I thought I would.
Knowing who you are, choosing a career that maintains your integrity, and learning how to love is what being in one's twenties is all about. We must discard childish selfishness in relationships, and learn not to depend on the approval and affirmation from others. Emotional maturity involves forgiving ourselves, and those we love, for being merely human.
Anna Pitoniak has captured this aspect of the human experience.
I received a free ebook from the publisher through Net Galley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
February 7, 2017
Not only do Julia and Evan have the usual after college experiences, frustrations and challenges that most people have, they also have their social rankings to deal with. And then it is also 2008. And, Evan decides to become a hedge fund trader. On the cusp of the evil empire, Enron, having cooked all their books. Now, we find out that the banking industry is fixing to tank. And Evan's boss, not learning enough from the evil empire, has decided to do a little cooking of his own and include Evan. Maybe not so much cooking as bribing. However, Evan has no idea. He's in over his head.
This poor couple doesn't stand a chance. Julia has a 9 to 5 job and sits home and waits. She's wondering if Evan is the one for her, did she do the right thing, etc. etc. Evan is at work all the time and even when he isn't at work, he is. He's worried about what's going on, what could happen, did he do the figures right etc., etc.
My review makes it sound tedious, but the author makes it sound a lot better, believe me. This was definitely a great read. It was about relationships, life, even a little thriller momentum going through it, and just growing up. Loved it!
Huge thanks to Little, Brown and Company for approving my request and to Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.
This poor couple doesn't stand a chance. Julia has a 9 to 5 job and sits home and waits. She's wondering if Evan is the one for her, did she do the right thing, etc. etc. Evan is at work all the time and even when he isn't at work, he is. He's worried about what's going on, what could happen, did he do the figures right etc., etc.
My review makes it sound tedious, but the author makes it sound a lot better, believe me. This was definitely a great read. It was about relationships, life, even a little thriller momentum going through it, and just growing up. Loved it!
Huge thanks to Little, Brown and Company for approving my request and to Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.
March 15, 2018
I rode the struggle bus to finish this. I appreciate coming of age stories, particularly when older characters finish college and embark on full fledged adulthood in their careers/family of choice. This couple just couldn't hold my attention. I was vaguely curious about the trajectory of their lives, so I slowly finished it....but only because I'd invested over 100 pages. I almost skimmed to the last page, but didn't want to DNF a book when I'm already behind on my 2018 reading goal (silly, I know!). Perhaps I'm getting a bit burned out on contemporary reads? Can't say I'd strongly recommend this unfortunately, left me feeling a bit dull.
December 25, 2017
There is so much self reflection in this book...it was extremely tedious. The characters were not like able and were extremely self absorbed and selfish. I truly hope this title does not represent our recent college graduates-if so we are in trouble.
August 6, 2017
Hey Readers,
Yesterday, I finished a contemporary book called The Futures by Anna Pitoniak and it was great! This would have been what I read for Read A Hyped Book for the booktubathon, as I've heard a few Booktubers hype it up.
It's now available to buy/download too. I read the arc from NetGalley so thanks to them for giving me access.
It's told in duel POV format, where we see how the main events of the book affect both our main characters, Evan and Julia. The perspectives were quite easy to tell apart as each chapter is titled with the name of the character it's coming from. Also it switched every chapter as well as the personalities differing throughout. I normally don't like it when a female author writes a male POV or vice versa because I don't think they know what men feel, just as I don't think men know what women feel. I, however thought that Pitoniak did a good job in this case as the story deals more with emotion than sex, I guess. The Futures tells the story of Evan and Julia and their lives and how they choose to build their futures. We see them have successes as well as failures, just as everybody does in real life. That's what made this contemporary so realistic for me.
I read it for part of The Summer Of Abundance Reading Challenge on Facebook - Summer is a time for friends. Read a book with a strong friendship. There's a strong female friendship in The Futures between Julia, one of our main characters and Abby.
"Abby, my best friend, who only saw the good in me, who believed I was innocent"
shows that Julia, who is struggling with life at this point in the book has her best friend's support through anything. That's why I read The Futures for this challenge.
As well as that female friendship, our main male character of Evan has a male friendship with Arthur, a guy the same age as him that he met at college. "I especially missed Arthur" is what Evan thinks when he's at one of his lowest points when he's struggling in New York in The Futures.
Anyway, onto the main plot of the book. Julia and Evan have known each other since they were in high school, together. They dated during that period and move in with each other, after. They move to New York, where Evan, who's Canadian has a job, after he realises he loves Julia more than hockey and that he probably won't be able to become a famous American hockey player, like he always dreamed. What goes on from this point is drama in relationships and drama in the business world, much like a soap opera/Apprentice actually. I would say that this shouldn't be read by anyone younger than 17 as they probably wouldn't understand what's going on as well as the backstabbing that takes place.
Spoilers below: There are A LOT of quotes below. I didn't want to include so many but they all have a meaning to the novel so they're there...
"It didn't matter anymore, because that wasn't what I wanted. I was done with hockey. What I wanted was a life with Julia."
Evan takes the role of a hedge fund worker at Spire, a business and gets into some issues there.
"I accepted the spot. I'd be the only person from Yale working at Spire that year. I was certain the old, small town Evan Peck was gone, once and for all."
This shows Evan getting all high and mighty, thinking he's the best and that no one is as good as he is. He's overconfident in his abilities before he's even started. I think some people are like that before they start work so the author did a good job at capturing that.
"Finance was a well-trod path for other guys from the hockey team. I could do that, I thought."
Just because "other guys" have made a successful carreer out of finance, doesn't necessarily mean it's for everyone, the author gets across in this novel, too.
Later in the book we see Evan walking down a coridor and spotting Michael, his boss. "Truthfully, I wasn't even sure he recognised me". This shows that Michael doesn't care about his employees. He's only out for what he can get himself.
"What was I going to do? Tell Michael his confidence was misplaced? That I wasn't as capable as he thought I was? And risk getting kicked off the deal entirely"
This is maybe the most pivotal point in the novel. It's the most important decision Evan has to make. Whether to tell Michael he couldn't do the underhanded job or to carry on and do it, no matter the trouble it would lead to afterwards. You'll have to read The Futures to find out just what the situation is and whether or not Evan stays a part of it or not.
As well as Evan's trying to succeed in business storyline, we follow Julia's as well. Julia wants an easy life, basically. She doesn't want to become tied down to anyone or anything. She wants to live freely, in New York. Evan's job is very busy. He hardly gets time to spend with others, Julia included. She doesn't want this. Evan is very career orientated. Julia is not. Julia does get a job but it's not what she truly wants to do.
"I had no passion, no plan, nothing that made me stand out from the crowd. I had absolutely no idea what sort of job I was supposed to get" demonstrates that Julia is the opposite of Evan. She's not driven by career prospects. "He had big plans for the future" further demonstrates just how different our main characters are, here.
"I was dizzy with relief. Someone was willing to pay me for my time. No matter how paltry the money, no matter how humble the work might be—this was what I needed. Balance had been restored between me and everyone I knew"
shows all that Julia is concerned with is acquiring a job. It doesn't matter what the pay is, or if she likes it. She just wants to be like her friends and her acquaintances. "But I liked walking into the office and feeling like I belonged". Julia also likes the feeling of belonging. She's not as willing to put herself out there as Evan is. She's not a risk taker.
As well as the work aspect, The Futures follows Evan and Julia's relationship through their highs and their lows together. There are some dodgy characters, only out for themselves and what they can get. Julia is blindsided by Adam, who only wants to further his career as a reporter. "Adam could always make me feel like I belonged" is what Julia thinks when they see each other in New York. This is where the difference between Evan and Adam really starts, along with the rivalry between them, for Julia, amongst other things. Belonging is brought up again there. The Futures is really a story of belonging, I think.
"It thrilled me, the knowledge that Adam—Adam McCard, the most dazzling man I'd ever met—was thing about me all the time" is what Julia thinks Adam is thinking about. She thinks he's obsessed with her, but she later learns this is not the case.
"Julia had been mentioning Adam's name a lot in the previous weeks. I'd decided, a while earlier, that I hated him" shows that Evan can see Adam for what he truly is, someone who doesn't care about who he hurts as long as he gets what he wants. This theme continues throughout the novel with Julia and Adam.
"I'd been unfairly terse with Evan all night. We both knew what he was signing up for when he took the job at Spire" is what Julia feels quite early on in The Futures, when Evan first gets his position at Spire. She realises that she's being unfair on him but doesn't know how to let herself just be around him.
"I was the only one who struggled to adjust to this new side of him" further demonstrates this.
"It annoyed me a little that she couldn't bother to stay awake. Her job ended many hours before mine did. This was the first time we'd really seen each other since the weekend before"
This shows how Evan has changed from being a kind, caring person into a person who cares more about getting what he wants. He wants Julia to stay up for him, even though he works long hours and she's got to be up early for her job. That doesn't matter to him. This annoyed me slightly, although I think it's meant to.
"But in New York, in the real world, every annoyance and disagreement felt like a referendum of our relationship. The bitterness started to linger. I was seeing growing evidence of why this was never going to work. A sickening suspicion that, Evan and I were, in fact all wrong for each other"
Julia has started to see that her and Evan just aren't working, anymore. I personally think that Julia is acting a little spoiled here, to be honest. I think she thinks that she's too good for anyone else.
"Our relationship didn't feel so fated or satisfying anymore. It felt restless, in search of something new"
shows that Julia is feeling insecure about her relationship with Evan. She doesn't know what's wrong with it at this moment in time, just that it feels different. Would she be better off with Adam? You'll have to read The Futures to find out.
"I liked Adam. I liked spending time with Adam, but I wasn't ready for him to see an unedited version of my thoughts".
This is what Julia thinks about Adam. Is she right to have her reservations about telling him what she thinks? You'll have to read this book to find out.
"There was no question about it. Adam would succeed at whatever he chose to do" is what Julia thinks. It's Evan, she's hesitant about. She knows he makes mistakes because she's grown up with him. She's seen him everyday in New York. She knows that Adam will succeed because he has the willpower to do whatever it takes to succeed, even if it means hurting someone, even herself, to get there.
Evan even goes so far as to be jealous of Adam.
"Julia had been mentioning Adam's name a lot in the previous weeks. I'd decided, a while earlier, that I hated him"
Proves that Evan didn't like hearing Adam's name mentioned all of the time.
"I found myself daydreaming about Maria" While Julia has been feeling things about Adam though, so too has Evan been having feelings for a coworker Maria. Both Evan and Maria flirt at a bar.
"Even then, even with everything Evan gave me what I hadn't yet learned to provide for myself"
This shows that Evan has been giving everything to Julia. She doesn't feel she's learnt to provide for herself yet. This might be a part of the reason why they break up so Julia can be by herself for a little bit and learn to take care of herself, instead of relying on anyone else, Adam included.
"Evan don't worry, you're asking why I invited you, aren't you? Just watch an listen and you'll see. You could learn a lot over the next few days"
This is Michael, Evan's boss' way to screw with his head a little. Michael is the real villain of The Futures, I think as he's the one is control of Evan's employment and that's what ultimately lets him down. If his job had been fine, I don't believe that he and Julia would have had all of issues that they did.
"It skipped across my mind that he had probably brought other women here before, but I didn't care. It was my turn"
is how Julia feels about Adam. It's almost as if she's treating him as a one night stand type of guy, and that she wants to be the dominant one in their relationship. Does it turn out that way though? You'll have to read The Futures to find out.
"It stung too, realizing that Adam could have said the same thing about me. The job I had, at a foundation ran by family friends—nothing I had got on my own."
Julia is doubting herself in the above quote. She's just been told that Adam had treated someone badly because of how they got their job. Julia didn't get hers because of her abilities, she got because of her parents' positions. This makes her doubt herself and doubt whether she should be in a relationship with Adam at all.
"I could never marry Evan. Never, ever. Evan wasn't someone I could have a life with. We were too different, and he didn't care about me. That's why it felt so natural, sliding into this new thing with Adam. Evan and I were clearly headed for a breakup. It was a question of time."
This is when Julia and Adam are through with arguing about everything wrong in their lives and blaming each other for it. Julia knows they're going to break up. The only question is when. This happens in most contemporary reads at one point, I find. As this is a standalone it would have to happen somewhere in this novel. It happens towards the end of The Futures. We see an awful lot of arguing, maybe too much, even.
"Evan wasn't any happier in this relationship than I was. If I waited, he might just do it himself."
Because Julia doesn't want to seem like the bad girl, she doesn't want to end the relationship herself. She wants to wait for Evan to do it. This is a little underhanded, I think. If I was Julia, I would have just ended the relationship, myself. I think it's because she wants a way to get back with Evan if everything goes badly in her next relationship. If she'd have broken it off herself, Evan might not have had her back.
"But even in this crowd I could accept that Adam was exceptional. People were drawn to where he stood like filings to a magnet. He was as charming and commanding as he'd been in college. In this apartment, in this room full of people Adam was the brightest star in the universe."
Yet, another description telling us how Adam is the best looking guy, ever that Julia has come across. It's obvious, I think that the author is painting Adam as the perfect guy in the way he looks. But the way he acts lets him down. He reports what's happened to Evan to the papers and gets on Julia's nerves for it.
"From the moment Adam came back into my life, I grew restless and unhappy. I yearned for something new. I thought he was the answer. I never stopped to think that Adam was the source of my unhappiness. I thought my life was the illness and Adam was the cure. But the more time we spent together, the deeper my dissatisfaction grew."
This is where we truly learn that Adam and Julia aren't working, that they have problems just like Julia and Adam did. No relationship is perfect, I think the author is trying to get across here. Everyone experiences issues. It's how we get over these issues that matters.
"Together, they looked like a version of home. Elizabeth had found the tiny nook that was shaped just for her. She possessed a sense of belonging that seemed so rare to me in this city. But I'd encountered it before; a path I'd been too foolish to pursue."
Elizabeth, Julia's sister is the person, along with her best friend, Abby that makes Julia realise what a mistake it was leaving Evan. Seeing her do something she loves makes Julia see that she'd be stupid not to give things another go with Evan.
This thread is continued in Abby's Skype call to Julia, near the end of The Futures, when she says
"Jules, listen. You should call him. Let him know you're back in town. Don't you think that's only fair?"
Both Elizabeth and Abby see that Julia has to give it another go with Evan. She won't find potential happiness until she does. This is continued in
"And you have to trust yourself, to know what matters to you. You're a smart girl. You're going to be fine. Don't let other people think they know better",
when Julia meets her new friend Sara, whom she met at a party with Adam. Sara tells her to only trust herself and her thoughts. She's let Adam push her around, as well as Evan to an extent and Laurie, her ex boss. She needs to stand up for herself, now.
What did I like about The Futures?
* I liked the switched POV format this book gave us. I felt I connected more to Julia's story, because I'm a girl but Evan's story still had a point to it.
* I found it very realistic, as I put above. We all go through dramas. I don't believe that every author brings all of life's struggles into their work. I felt that Pitoniak did a good job at this.
What didn't I like about The Futures?
* I didn't like how the book seemed to solely focus on the lives of Julia and Evan. In other first perspective books that I've read there have always been elements outside of the main characters story to focus on. Here, I didn't feel as if there were.
*I thought the setting could have been described a lot better. I get that this isn't a fantasy, so it's hard to go overboard with it but we didn't really get much setting apart from the office, various coffee shops/restaurants and Julia and Evan's home described and even these were lacking in description, I thought.
* I didn't like the amount of business talk that went into The Futures. I get that it's an important part of the story but I didn't understand all of it. Maybe if done of the terms had been described better this wouldn't have been the case.
*I felt as though the side characters weren't focused on enough. They honestly felt like a bit of a plot device, just to further the story on.
I'm therefore giving The Futures 3 Stars. I enjoyed it but I thought the author missed the opportunity to give us some vital things to this story. I would have liked less focus on the business side of things and more on perhaps, the settings and side characters, as I feel these weren't really touched on at all.
Does The Futures sound like your sort of read? Will you be picking it up?
Yesterday, I finished a contemporary book called The Futures by Anna Pitoniak and it was great! This would have been what I read for Read A Hyped Book for the booktubathon, as I've heard a few Booktubers hype it up.
It's now available to buy/download too. I read the arc from NetGalley so thanks to them for giving me access.
It's told in duel POV format, where we see how the main events of the book affect both our main characters, Evan and Julia. The perspectives were quite easy to tell apart as each chapter is titled with the name of the character it's coming from. Also it switched every chapter as well as the personalities differing throughout. I normally don't like it when a female author writes a male POV or vice versa because I don't think they know what men feel, just as I don't think men know what women feel. I, however thought that Pitoniak did a good job in this case as the story deals more with emotion than sex, I guess. The Futures tells the story of Evan and Julia and their lives and how they choose to build their futures. We see them have successes as well as failures, just as everybody does in real life. That's what made this contemporary so realistic for me.
I read it for part of The Summer Of Abundance Reading Challenge on Facebook - Summer is a time for friends. Read a book with a strong friendship. There's a strong female friendship in The Futures between Julia, one of our main characters and Abby.
"Abby, my best friend, who only saw the good in me, who believed I was innocent"
shows that Julia, who is struggling with life at this point in the book has her best friend's support through anything. That's why I read The Futures for this challenge.
As well as that female friendship, our main male character of Evan has a male friendship with Arthur, a guy the same age as him that he met at college. "I especially missed Arthur" is what Evan thinks when he's at one of his lowest points when he's struggling in New York in The Futures.
Anyway, onto the main plot of the book. Julia and Evan have known each other since they were in high school, together. They dated during that period and move in with each other, after. They move to New York, where Evan, who's Canadian has a job, after he realises he loves Julia more than hockey and that he probably won't be able to become a famous American hockey player, like he always dreamed. What goes on from this point is drama in relationships and drama in the business world, much like a soap opera/Apprentice actually. I would say that this shouldn't be read by anyone younger than 17 as they probably wouldn't understand what's going on as well as the backstabbing that takes place.
Spoilers below: There are A LOT of quotes below. I didn't want to include so many but they all have a meaning to the novel so they're there...
"It didn't matter anymore, because that wasn't what I wanted. I was done with hockey. What I wanted was a life with Julia."
Evan takes the role of a hedge fund worker at Spire, a business and gets into some issues there.
"I accepted the spot. I'd be the only person from Yale working at Spire that year. I was certain the old, small town Evan Peck was gone, once and for all."
This shows Evan getting all high and mighty, thinking he's the best and that no one is as good as he is. He's overconfident in his abilities before he's even started. I think some people are like that before they start work so the author did a good job at capturing that.
"Finance was a well-trod path for other guys from the hockey team. I could do that, I thought."
Just because "other guys" have made a successful carreer out of finance, doesn't necessarily mean it's for everyone, the author gets across in this novel, too.
Later in the book we see Evan walking down a coridor and spotting Michael, his boss. "Truthfully, I wasn't even sure he recognised me". This shows that Michael doesn't care about his employees. He's only out for what he can get himself.
"What was I going to do? Tell Michael his confidence was misplaced? That I wasn't as capable as he thought I was? And risk getting kicked off the deal entirely"
This is maybe the most pivotal point in the novel. It's the most important decision Evan has to make. Whether to tell Michael he couldn't do the underhanded job or to carry on and do it, no matter the trouble it would lead to afterwards. You'll have to read The Futures to find out just what the situation is and whether or not Evan stays a part of it or not.
As well as Evan's trying to succeed in business storyline, we follow Julia's as well. Julia wants an easy life, basically. She doesn't want to become tied down to anyone or anything. She wants to live freely, in New York. Evan's job is very busy. He hardly gets time to spend with others, Julia included. She doesn't want this. Evan is very career orientated. Julia is not. Julia does get a job but it's not what she truly wants to do.
"I had no passion, no plan, nothing that made me stand out from the crowd. I had absolutely no idea what sort of job I was supposed to get" demonstrates that Julia is the opposite of Evan. She's not driven by career prospects. "He had big plans for the future" further demonstrates just how different our main characters are, here.
"I was dizzy with relief. Someone was willing to pay me for my time. No matter how paltry the money, no matter how humble the work might be—this was what I needed. Balance had been restored between me and everyone I knew"
shows all that Julia is concerned with is acquiring a job. It doesn't matter what the pay is, or if she likes it. She just wants to be like her friends and her acquaintances. "But I liked walking into the office and feeling like I belonged". Julia also likes the feeling of belonging. She's not as willing to put herself out there as Evan is. She's not a risk taker.
As well as the work aspect, The Futures follows Evan and Julia's relationship through their highs and their lows together. There are some dodgy characters, only out for themselves and what they can get. Julia is blindsided by Adam, who only wants to further his career as a reporter. "Adam could always make me feel like I belonged" is what Julia thinks when they see each other in New York. This is where the difference between Evan and Adam really starts, along with the rivalry between them, for Julia, amongst other things. Belonging is brought up again there. The Futures is really a story of belonging, I think.
"It thrilled me, the knowledge that Adam—Adam McCard, the most dazzling man I'd ever met—was thing about me all the time" is what Julia thinks Adam is thinking about. She thinks he's obsessed with her, but she later learns this is not the case.
"Julia had been mentioning Adam's name a lot in the previous weeks. I'd decided, a while earlier, that I hated him" shows that Evan can see Adam for what he truly is, someone who doesn't care about who he hurts as long as he gets what he wants. This theme continues throughout the novel with Julia and Adam.
"I'd been unfairly terse with Evan all night. We both knew what he was signing up for when he took the job at Spire" is what Julia feels quite early on in The Futures, when Evan first gets his position at Spire. She realises that she's being unfair on him but doesn't know how to let herself just be around him.
"I was the only one who struggled to adjust to this new side of him" further demonstrates this.
"It annoyed me a little that she couldn't bother to stay awake. Her job ended many hours before mine did. This was the first time we'd really seen each other since the weekend before"
This shows how Evan has changed from being a kind, caring person into a person who cares more about getting what he wants. He wants Julia to stay up for him, even though he works long hours and she's got to be up early for her job. That doesn't matter to him. This annoyed me slightly, although I think it's meant to.
"But in New York, in the real world, every annoyance and disagreement felt like a referendum of our relationship. The bitterness started to linger. I was seeing growing evidence of why this was never going to work. A sickening suspicion that, Evan and I were, in fact all wrong for each other"
Julia has started to see that her and Evan just aren't working, anymore. I personally think that Julia is acting a little spoiled here, to be honest. I think she thinks that she's too good for anyone else.
"Our relationship didn't feel so fated or satisfying anymore. It felt restless, in search of something new"
shows that Julia is feeling insecure about her relationship with Evan. She doesn't know what's wrong with it at this moment in time, just that it feels different. Would she be better off with Adam? You'll have to read The Futures to find out.
"I liked Adam. I liked spending time with Adam, but I wasn't ready for him to see an unedited version of my thoughts".
This is what Julia thinks about Adam. Is she right to have her reservations about telling him what she thinks? You'll have to read this book to find out.
"There was no question about it. Adam would succeed at whatever he chose to do" is what Julia thinks. It's Evan, she's hesitant about. She knows he makes mistakes because she's grown up with him. She's seen him everyday in New York. She knows that Adam will succeed because he has the willpower to do whatever it takes to succeed, even if it means hurting someone, even herself, to get there.
Evan even goes so far as to be jealous of Adam.
"Julia had been mentioning Adam's name a lot in the previous weeks. I'd decided, a while earlier, that I hated him"
Proves that Evan didn't like hearing Adam's name mentioned all of the time.
"I found myself daydreaming about Maria" While Julia has been feeling things about Adam though, so too has Evan been having feelings for a coworker Maria. Both Evan and Maria flirt at a bar.
"Even then, even with everything Evan gave me what I hadn't yet learned to provide for myself"
This shows that Evan has been giving everything to Julia. She doesn't feel she's learnt to provide for herself yet. This might be a part of the reason why they break up so Julia can be by herself for a little bit and learn to take care of herself, instead of relying on anyone else, Adam included.
"Evan don't worry, you're asking why I invited you, aren't you? Just watch an listen and you'll see. You could learn a lot over the next few days"
This is Michael, Evan's boss' way to screw with his head a little. Michael is the real villain of The Futures, I think as he's the one is control of Evan's employment and that's what ultimately lets him down. If his job had been fine, I don't believe that he and Julia would have had all of issues that they did.
"It skipped across my mind that he had probably brought other women here before, but I didn't care. It was my turn"
is how Julia feels about Adam. It's almost as if she's treating him as a one night stand type of guy, and that she wants to be the dominant one in their relationship. Does it turn out that way though? You'll have to read The Futures to find out.
"It stung too, realizing that Adam could have said the same thing about me. The job I had, at a foundation ran by family friends—nothing I had got on my own."
Julia is doubting herself in the above quote. She's just been told that Adam had treated someone badly because of how they got their job. Julia didn't get hers because of her abilities, she got because of her parents' positions. This makes her doubt herself and doubt whether she should be in a relationship with Adam at all.
"I could never marry Evan. Never, ever. Evan wasn't someone I could have a life with. We were too different, and he didn't care about me. That's why it felt so natural, sliding into this new thing with Adam. Evan and I were clearly headed for a breakup. It was a question of time."
This is when Julia and Adam are through with arguing about everything wrong in their lives and blaming each other for it. Julia knows they're going to break up. The only question is when. This happens in most contemporary reads at one point, I find. As this is a standalone it would have to happen somewhere in this novel. It happens towards the end of The Futures. We see an awful lot of arguing, maybe too much, even.
"Evan wasn't any happier in this relationship than I was. If I waited, he might just do it himself."
Because Julia doesn't want to seem like the bad girl, she doesn't want to end the relationship herself. She wants to wait for Evan to do it. This is a little underhanded, I think. If I was Julia, I would have just ended the relationship, myself. I think it's because she wants a way to get back with Evan if everything goes badly in her next relationship. If she'd have broken it off herself, Evan might not have had her back.
"But even in this crowd I could accept that Adam was exceptional. People were drawn to where he stood like filings to a magnet. He was as charming and commanding as he'd been in college. In this apartment, in this room full of people Adam was the brightest star in the universe."
Yet, another description telling us how Adam is the best looking guy, ever that Julia has come across. It's obvious, I think that the author is painting Adam as the perfect guy in the way he looks. But the way he acts lets him down. He reports what's happened to Evan to the papers and gets on Julia's nerves for it.
"From the moment Adam came back into my life, I grew restless and unhappy. I yearned for something new. I thought he was the answer. I never stopped to think that Adam was the source of my unhappiness. I thought my life was the illness and Adam was the cure. But the more time we spent together, the deeper my dissatisfaction grew."
This is where we truly learn that Adam and Julia aren't working, that they have problems just like Julia and Adam did. No relationship is perfect, I think the author is trying to get across here. Everyone experiences issues. It's how we get over these issues that matters.
"Together, they looked like a version of home. Elizabeth had found the tiny nook that was shaped just for her. She possessed a sense of belonging that seemed so rare to me in this city. But I'd encountered it before; a path I'd been too foolish to pursue."
Elizabeth, Julia's sister is the person, along with her best friend, Abby that makes Julia realise what a mistake it was leaving Evan. Seeing her do something she loves makes Julia see that she'd be stupid not to give things another go with Evan.
This thread is continued in Abby's Skype call to Julia, near the end of The Futures, when she says
"Jules, listen. You should call him. Let him know you're back in town. Don't you think that's only fair?"
Both Elizabeth and Abby see that Julia has to give it another go with Evan. She won't find potential happiness until she does. This is continued in
"And you have to trust yourself, to know what matters to you. You're a smart girl. You're going to be fine. Don't let other people think they know better",
when Julia meets her new friend Sara, whom she met at a party with Adam. Sara tells her to only trust herself and her thoughts. She's let Adam push her around, as well as Evan to an extent and Laurie, her ex boss. She needs to stand up for herself, now.
What did I like about The Futures?
* I liked the switched POV format this book gave us. I felt I connected more to Julia's story, because I'm a girl but Evan's story still had a point to it.
* I found it very realistic, as I put above. We all go through dramas. I don't believe that every author brings all of life's struggles into their work. I felt that Pitoniak did a good job at this.
What didn't I like about The Futures?
* I didn't like how the book seemed to solely focus on the lives of Julia and Evan. In other first perspective books that I've read there have always been elements outside of the main characters story to focus on. Here, I didn't feel as if there were.
*I thought the setting could have been described a lot better. I get that this isn't a fantasy, so it's hard to go overboard with it but we didn't really get much setting apart from the office, various coffee shops/restaurants and Julia and Evan's home described and even these were lacking in description, I thought.
* I didn't like the amount of business talk that went into The Futures. I get that it's an important part of the story but I didn't understand all of it. Maybe if done of the terms had been described better this wouldn't have been the case.
*I felt as though the side characters weren't focused on enough. They honestly felt like a bit of a plot device, just to further the story on.
I'm therefore giving The Futures 3 Stars. I enjoyed it but I thought the author missed the opportunity to give us some vital things to this story. I would have liked less focus on the business side of things and more on perhaps, the settings and side characters, as I feel these weren't really touched on at all.
Does The Futures sound like your sort of read? Will you be picking it up?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2017
[2.5 stars]
Thanks to Netgalley and Lee Boudreaux Books for providing me with an advance copy of this book.
I quite honestly don’t have a lot to say about The Futures. It’s the story of a quarter life crisis…something I certainly went through and could identify with. The “coming of age in your twenties in the big city” storyline always seems to suck me in, yet has proved disappointing the past few rounds (also Why We Came to the City).
Julia and Evan’s college and immediate post-college experience resembled my own to a certain extent (minus the Ivy League tag). Despite or (possibly because of?) this relatability, the plot was predictable and not particularly memorable. I was disappointed with the lack of “yes, that’s exactly how it is” writing, which could have upped the memorability factor for me. On the plus side, it was a nice, easy Brain Candy book that I never had to force myself to pick up.
For more reviews, visit my blog (https://www.sarahsbookshelves.com/).
Thanks to Netgalley and Lee Boudreaux Books for providing me with an advance copy of this book.
I quite honestly don’t have a lot to say about The Futures. It’s the story of a quarter life crisis…something I certainly went through and could identify with. The “coming of age in your twenties in the big city” storyline always seems to suck me in, yet has proved disappointing the past few rounds (also Why We Came to the City).
Julia and Evan’s college and immediate post-college experience resembled my own to a certain extent (minus the Ivy League tag). Despite or (possibly because of?) this relatability, the plot was predictable and not particularly memorable. I was disappointed with the lack of “yes, that’s exactly how it is” writing, which could have upped the memorability factor for me. On the plus side, it was a nice, easy Brain Candy book that I never had to force myself to pick up.
For more reviews, visit my blog (https://www.sarahsbookshelves.com/).
August 22, 2017
I think this might have been closer to 1 star, the more I think on it.
I realize I never wrote a review of this (NOT GOOD) book. I can sum up my Strong Feelings for this book with this: the privileged main girl who so royally and dumbly screws up without a smidgen of repercussion goes home to hide in her parents' mansion at the end, and do you know what she does? To come to terms with her mistakes? Let me tell you. She decides to read all the classics she skipped in English class. It says in the book "I have a vague plan to work my way up to the present." You're going to read all of them? All of classic literature? SURE, THAT SOUNDS LIKE A REALISTIC AND RELATABLE TASK.
It reminded me of The Interestings, in that I don't think I can take seriously books about rich, privileged people and their problems of their own making.
(AND THEN THEY GOT BACK TOGETHER, I CANNOT.)
I realize I never wrote a review of this (NOT GOOD) book. I can sum up my Strong Feelings for this book with this: the privileged main girl who so royally and dumbly screws up without a smidgen of repercussion goes home to hide in her parents' mansion at the end, and do you know what she does? To come to terms with her mistakes? Let me tell you. She decides to read all the classics she skipped in English class. It says in the book "I have a vague plan to work my way up to the present." You're going to read all of them? All of classic literature? SURE, THAT SOUNDS LIKE A REALISTIC AND RELATABLE TASK.
It reminded me of The Interestings, in that I don't think I can take seriously books about rich, privileged people and their problems of their own making.
(AND THEN THEY GOT BACK TOGETHER, I CANNOT.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 21, 2018
This was not a bad book, and in fact, probably benefited by my reading it after a bunch of literary tomes for the Tournament of Books. I chose it because it was about to expire, but I have been meaning anyway to break up some of the heavier reading I've been doing lately.
I also read it right after I read Anna Quindlen's latest, which is also based in NYC, and to be honest, The Futures is probably the book I enjoyed the most of the two, even though I would have expected to enjoy Quindlen's book more, given that I'm more in the target demographic for Quindlen compared to this book.
So, quite good for a debut model about the post-college era for rich white kids. Borrowed some cliches, and yes, the ending was a little Hollywood predictable, but I liked it and look forward to reading more from this author.
I also read it right after I read Anna Quindlen's latest, which is also based in NYC, and to be honest, The Futures is probably the book I enjoyed the most of the two, even though I would have expected to enjoy Quindlen's book more, given that I'm more in the target demographic for Quindlen compared to this book.
So, quite good for a debut model about the post-college era for rich white kids. Borrowed some cliches, and yes, the ending was a little Hollywood predictable, but I liked it and look forward to reading more from this author.
June 16, 2017
While I appreciate the New York City setting, the recent college graduate protagonists, and the search for career passion in this book, it was hard for me to get past how outrageously selfish both of the main characters are. At each turn of events, after each poor decision, I thought, 'Really?' Obviously Julia and Evan spend most of the book unhappy, if they're willing to treat each other the way they consistently do. The backdrop of the financial crisis doesn't help the cheeriness, of course. The story dragged a bit for me.
April 20, 2017
I really enjoyed The Futures. It's definitely my favorite so far for 2017. The book is written exceptionally well and tells the story of a young couple's life after college. The chapters alternate between Evan and Julia, which makes it more interesting. Highly recommend.
September 25, 2021
So as it was a debut novel I guess it wasn't bad. But honestly I really didn't like it.
Am I being too hard? I'm not sure.
I found the two leads annoying and somewhat privileged. It just made me mad. Felt like I was reading a sob story.
Sorry. Give it a go make up your own mind.
Am I being too hard? I'm not sure.
I found the two leads annoying and somewhat privileged. It just made me mad. Felt like I was reading a sob story.
Sorry. Give it a go make up your own mind.
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