Initial Impressions 3/3/16: 3 - 3.5 stars 
 I actually had kind of a hard time with this book in the beginning and unfortunately, that really kind of set the tone. I liked and disliked that the book really didn't waste time hopping to the time travel aspects. It was great that there wasn't an overly detailed amount of set-up and the time travel did happen relatively early in the book to get straight to the action. I really would have liked some more intro to how this concept was possible, why they wanted to do it (or why they wanted the kids to think they were doing it), and a little bit of the science behind it. Instead, it was sort of like, "Okay, you're here. Okay, into the future! BYE" It felt very quick and I just wanted a bit more intro. 
 I also had a hard time with some of the advances that were expected to be thirty years into the future. Being that we just hit the actual date that was in Back to the Future Part II and we made fun of things like flying cars, hoverboards, and silly technology, I couldn't shake that feeling like there were a few TOO many big changes for 30 years later. BttF was just an easy parallel to make because of the same time leap. 
 Once the book started progressing, it really got into the plot which was the exciting part! There were some nice twists and some cool surprises. I still did have a little trouble with the writing -- not that it was "bad" but I just wasn't clicking with it for some reason and I was having a hard time staying engaged with the characters. I really didn't want to stop reading but I did a thing that I NEVER do... and I skipped ahead. GASP. I wanted to see what was happening and if I did want to keep reading to get there. I only spoiled a little bit for myself and thought it was a cool twist so I kept on reading and mostly liked how the book wrapped up. 
 This was such a weird read for me and I don't know why. For some reason I just didn't fully click with it and I just couldn't shake the feeling like I was looking for something MORE. It was a quick read and had some interesting ideas but I just wished I had gotten more hooked. 
 Silly but real mash-ups I felt: Back to the Future meets Hot Tub Time Machine 2 meets The Breakfast Club 
 Review as originally posted HERE on The Book Addict's Guide 3/28/16: I'm always so impressed with the different ways authors explain how time travel is possible in their stories and I'm constantly floored by the way science and fiction blend. FUTURE SHOCK ended up not really working for me on that level so it was a hard adjustment to make while reading. 
 As a whole, this book was... okay for me. The very first chapter started out great and the book really didn't waste any time getting into the meat of the story. That's usually something I appreciate because it's hard when I get halfway through a book to feel a chance in pacing or action, but with FUTURE SHOCK, I really felt like things moved a little too fast. There didn't seem to be much explanation at all about how the time travel worked and yes, the teens involved in this project were in great need of the money that they were offered in exchange for participating but I feel like someone should have asked a few more questions before BAM, kids in the future. It was a little hard to make such a quick leap from not even knowing time travel was possible to fully accepting and not even needing answers before agreeing to be shot ahead in time. 
 Aside from the characters getting to know more about the process, I personally also wanted to know so much more. How was it possible? Who designed the technology? What's the science behind it? I felt like the book glossed over the explanation and it was mentioned briefly instead of really being a solid part of groundwork that made up the book. 
 FUTURE SHOCK just felt a little inside the box for me. The time travel aspect felt like something I've read so many times before and there wasn't too much that made this book really stand apart from the rest. There were a few twists that kept me reading and there were a couple dynamic characters (although two of the secondary characters felt exactly the same to me) but it just felt like it fit into too many different molds and didn't really stand out as something unique and noteworthy. I waffled back and forth for a while, wondering if I really wanted to continue and I did something I NEVER do -- I skipped to the end to see if it was worth reading. I actually did like the little twist that I discovered (YES, I spoiled the book for myself. Let's all gasp!) so I kept on reading but I still didn't find myself as engaged as I had hoped. Once the book wrapped up, I was still happy with the twist but I still found myself feeling less than impressed. 
 Don't get me wrong -- FUTURE SHOCK wasn't a bad book. I just didn't feel like it stood out at all for me. It was a solid, middle-of-the-road read but not one I'd really lean towards recommending. There are just so many more impressive and creative time travel or alternate universe stories that I would recommend first. It was nice to read a stand alone though because so often time travel books turn into series so it was great to read it and have the full story.