Evan and Julia meet at university and their romance blossoms - until they leave uni. Julia finds it hard searching for her path in life, Evan gets his dream job but has no time for anything else . Their love falters,and they both back track in their lives to find their true selves again. I did not expect the ending, the theme is realistic with a good twist at the end .

This is an easy to read story about the development of a couples relationship and its highs and lows. It was a bit long in the middle and I expected a better story. I liked the fact that you saw the story from both sides.

'The Futures' started well, but sadly my dislike for both of the main characters made this book very difficult to enjoy. It's very well written and I would definitely read more by this author in the future, but the story didn't quite work for me. I would give this book 2.5 stars for the story, but the quality of the writing just about nudged it up to a 3 star read. An okay read by a writer with a lot of potential.

The Futures had the premise of a realistic plot, simple enough to be easily relatable. At least that’s the idea I had after I’ve read the synopsis. It’s supposed to be about growing up, leaving university, finding your first job, figuring out what you want to be in life.
The main problem I found with this book – and I’ll add a warning that I’ve read the uncorrected advanced reader copy – was the chronological mess. You think dedicating a whole chapter to each character (alternating point of views) would give the author enough room to explore the timeline in a more organized way. Instead, we keep jumping from present to past events. I’m not saying a book needs to follow a chronological order, no, and that would probably ruin some of the surprises. But there are better ways to tell the story than overwhelming the reader with the constant flashbacks.
Another thing I wanted to be interested in was the 2008 financial crisis and Evan’s parallel story at his workplace, but there are too many pages with irrelevant details for something that seemed to be no more than a backdrop for Julia’s betrayal.



The Characters:
The main issue with the characters is that it’s not easy at all to sympathize with them. Considering the book is supposed to be an accurate portrayal of growing up – something we all have done, are doing, or will do eventually, the characters should have been more relatable. It’s true that nobody wants perfect characters who never make mistakes, but it was very difficult for me to relate to these privileged characters with dubious morals – rich people problems! I also felt that despite the fact that the book is a lot about growing up so we’d expect the characters to be young and somehow mature, both Julia and Evan act much younger than their age. The way Julia behaves is childish to say the least, and Evan’s character is confusing and difficult to understand. From a romance’s perspective it was interesting to see how both characters saw things so differently in the relationship, and I think the main lesson intended here was to show how we can often overlook our own mistakes and quickly blame the significant other. It was such a shame that the character’s development was not compelling enough to support the main idea.


The Writing Style:
The story is a first person narrative told from two alternating point of views – Julia and Evan. Many of the events are narrated by both characters and I think that’s what I liked most about this book – the fact I could see how both reacted and interpreted situations differently. Apart from the chronological issues, I liked the writing style – simple, straight to the point, exactly what it needed to be to match the book’s content and tone.


Overall, The Futures is easy to read and the story narrative’s style was a smart choice. It has some plot twists that aren’t completely unpredictable but entertaining enough to keep you going. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough to get 3 stars for me, but doesn’t mean others won’t enjoy it more.

I struggled to connect with the characters so didn't actually finish the book

'The Futures' follows the story of Evan and Julia, a couple in their early twenties who met in college and just graduated. The story starts in 2008 as they begin their new adult lives fresh out of university, embarking on their first jobs in New York City.

It's a really relatable moment that will resonate with many people who've been through that strange no-man's-land period of time straight out of college: Evan and Julia emerge into adulthood as a couple who've only known life as students together. Will real life make or break their relationship? Will they grow up together or grow out of each other and apart?

Crucially, New York during the 2008 financial crash was a city on a knife edge, and Julia and Evan's relationship soon follows suit. Both of them get embroiled in situations that take them out of their depth: Evan in the financial world, and Julia in her emotional world. Very soon, everything unravels, they both learn more about each other and themselves, and the world around them.

'The Futures' is effortless to read and gripping from beginning to end, combining the financial drama of the 'The Big Short' with the emotional engagement of a romantic drama..

I just finished reading this thoughtful book and felt an urgency to write about it. Solidly written and steady the author drew me into a world that I remember well. High school and getting to grips with socialising, meeting new friends, developing relationships and meeting girls, seriously, for the first time. Moving from high school to university. Achieving and graduating but not knowing where to go or what next. In amongst this the challenge of settling with a longer term partner. Fumbling with adult responsibility and the challenge of work with all different character types. Learning who to trust and how to survive.
Anna Pitoniak has managed to capture the essence of the struggle from youth through top adulthood in a quiet, unassuming way. The book is still a page turner. Will the main characters survive? Who with? Crossing the line from bending the rules to get an advantage to criminal intent. The way young graduates get drawn in and then spat out when their purpose is served. Not far from the truth from my experience.
Life's tough.
I am just glad it ended the way it did.
Great book. Thanks Anna

More than a coming of age novel, this is a coming of self, a book that can be read as a love letter to New York and the death of naivete that comes with those early steps into selfhood and independence. Goes surprisingly well as a companion novel to the entirely unrelated 'Sweetbitter'.

This book really resonated with me, the details may be a little different but it's a situation I think a lot of people find themselves in after leaving school/college/university; that's what made it so compelling. It's one of those books you want to stay up all night reading but don't want it to end. Highly recommended.

This is such a well-written book. It is a heartbreaking story in many ways, but it feels very real. In some ways Evan is the more likeable character, he is honest, works hard and is loyal to a fault; but is so caught up in his career that he disregards Julia. He falls into that awful bearpit of life in a high finance organisation, early mornings into the office, very late nights working then out with the team for dinner, home only to sleep, ready to get back on the hamster wheel next day. He doesn't notice that Julia is adrift and hurting. He cannot talk about his job because he is working on a secret project; and the gulf between him and .Julia gets wider, and wider.

Julia has the opposite problem, she cannot find a decent job and is forced into a poorly paid position that her parents find for her through their contacts. She hates the job and with Evan slipping away from her because he is so caught up in his work she is clearly going to implode in some way. Her self-pity is well described, nothing is her fault.

Life in New York is well described in all its gritty realism of normal life, these people use the subway, don't confine themselves to the glamour of Manhattan. They make mistakes, trust the wrong people. Although their lives seem so diverse Evan and Julia actually make similar mistakes, they ignore the needs of each other, they trust the wrong people, find themselves in situations they cannot easily get out of and then their lives implode, and at that point they cannot even have each other as support.

This is a sad story, shocking in places, but ends on a sweet, and hopefully uplifting point, which hadn't seemed a possibility just a few pages earlier. I will look out for this author in the future.

Despite the main plot line being predictable this was quite an enjoyable read.

Julia and Evan are making the transition from University to the big wide world of work - a story that's incredibly relatable.

I always enjoy books written from different perspectives, it always interesting to read different perspectives on the same situation.

I really felt for Evan and his turmoil but I found Julia to be incredibly selfish and whiny.

I don't know if I was necessarily satisfied with the ending and feel that it could have benefited from an epilogue. Whilst it was a good easy read I felt that there was something missing.

Thanks NetGalley, Penguin UK and Anna Pitoniak for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is set in the financial world of 2008. It follows the lives of Evan a Canadian Hockey player from a small town, he works hard and gets into Yale. Then there is Julia from a very privileged background a totally different life from Evan. They fall in love, and after graduation they move in together in New York. You get to see them start to grow up and see how their lives and relationships change as the years pass. What I like about this book is you get to read it from both sides as you watch them both experience changes to their lives.

I enjoyed the book. Having to two different points of views gave you the chance to understand the different characters. It was unlike any book I've read before.

The story did not enthral me as I was reading it but I did keep reading. For me the story demonstrated how blind ambition can become powerful to the exclusion of all else and destroy what you care about and who you care about. The story is set in New York against the background of the financial crisis of 2008. Evan , who grew up in the Canadian backwoods, secures a job wth the prestigious finance house and his girlfriend Julia , from a more privileged background moves with him. He becomes the "blue-eyed boy" of his wheeler dealer bossMichael and becomes embroiled unbeknownst to him in a plot that will be their downfall. Julia is neglected and lonely and meets a former friend Andy who is another unscrupulous character who plays his part in the ultimate downfall by betraying Julia's trust.
A book about finding out who we are and in whom to place trust.

This story is set in the financial meltdown 2008. Evan and Julia move in together on the eve of the meltdown, Julia hasn't a clue what she wants to do after college and Evan has secured himself a very good job in the financial world. The story is told in alternating chapters from the first person which was a good idea so you got to know what each of them were feeling at different events.
The story follows Julia's mundane job, hardly seeing Evan and how she fills in her time! Evan commits himself totally to his job often not getting home till 2am and going at 6am as that is what is expected in this job, especially when he is hand picked for a different special kind of job.
The book follows them trying to cope with working life and how they drift apart. This book was an ok read it didn't make me want to read it, the financial side fir Evan went on far to long and I found myself skim reading at times and I don't feel like I missed anything important out by doing this. Evan was likeable and seemed realistic but Julia to be fair got on my nerves but I did start to like her by the end.
I would like to thank netgalley and penguin books for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

A story told by two people who meet in college, start a life together and grow apart.
Julia and Evan, from very different backgrounds, move to New York after college. Evan, from a small town and used to working for what he wants, becomes deeply involved in his new job, determined to make a success of it. His partner Julia, from a much more privileged background, does not have the same pressures to find a successful career.
As the months pass the couple grow apart and how they deal with this forms the basis of the novel.

Whilst an accurate description of life after college it lacks some impetus or excitement to drive the plot forward and make it a page-turner

The Futures is set in New York, this being my favourite city in the world I just had to read it!! This is mainly about 2 people Julia and Evan who move to New York to start their life together but things don't always run as they should do.
A great book and I shall be looking for more by this author.

A story of two people giving their version of events during their relationship. A really enjoyable read. Left me wishing the book hadn't ended where it did and wanting their story to continue.

Although this is a love story based in New York, around the time of the financial crisis, it is almost the universal love story. Boy and girl fall in love at university and then set up home together. And then the cracks appear. Evan is ambitious and caught up in the financial whirlwind; Julia is less driven and unsure of her direction in life.
Although I wanted to know what happened next, I also found myself increasingly irritated by Julia. But perhaps we are meant to take sides. It shows how involved in their life I had become!