They Both Die at the End genre

They Both Die At The End is a fascinating speculative-YA about living vs. dying. It also features a gay Puerto-Rican main character and a bisexual Cuban main character, and I am ALL ABOUT this ownvoices representation.

As always, Adam’s writing style is wonderful. His teens always speak like teens – the excessive but totally realistic amount of times Rufus said “mad” really spoke to the New Yorker in me. He excels in striking the correct balance between depth and comedy, and his talent for dark humor REALLY shined in this book. I didn’t know it was possible to laugh so much on the last day of two boy’s lives, but it happened.

Normally, I’m not a big fan of books that have super insignificant characters as an additional perspective, but I think it worked really well for this book. Throughout the novel, there are maybe 10 people additionally to Mateo and Rufus that get at least one chapter in regards to if they are dying or not today. Though I’m usually not pleased with this sort of format, it was executed extremely well. It gave us a lot of insight into how DeathCast has affected others, and it was interesting to see how so many of these seemingly unimportant character were connected to the larger part of the story.

I really loved both of our main characters. Mateo is the SMALLEST LIL BEAN, I wanted to protect him with my life. The way his anxiety manifests is very unique, unlike other fictional characters I’ve read before, and I enjoyed seeing him conquer his fears and gain control over his intrusive thoughts. Rufus, on the exterior, seem very rough around the edges, but he is actually a very compassionate, selfless individual. I think I particularly fell for Rufus hard because of that contrast between a boy hardened by trauma and a man willing to sacrifice everything for the ones he loves. Mateo and Rufus complement each other in the best way. Individually, they’re wonderfully-constructed characters. Together, they’re an unstoppable force.

I have to say, this book really transcended the pages for me. I wasn’t just concerned about the characters or the storyline, but it forced me to address my own fears regarding death. I’ve been facing a lot of severe anxiety related to death as of late, and They Both Die At The End made it impossible for me to shove those feelings down any longer. It was triggering in that respect for me, but it was more comparable to exposure therapy by compelling me to confront my issues rather than solely creating more anxiety, so ultimately, it was a positive outcome. I think it’s for that reason that TBDATE is such a powerful novel; Although Death-Cast doesn’t exist and presently we don’t have an exact expiration date, the feelings, the questions, the fears, and the rawness highlighted in this novel are all very real.

What I loved about Death Cast was how WELL DEVELOPED the world around it is. There are so many minute details about how society would be changed if we all knew we were going to die that I really appreciated seeing. I swear, I need another 7 sequels of stories set in this world because of how many possibilities there are! The only small issue I had with the novel is that I feel I didn’t understand Death-Cast that well. I understood that they can determine the day you will die with a combination of science and medicine and such, but my understanding ends there. I think I would have liked just a few more pages explaining how this totally new sort of technology worked!

All around, They Both Die At The EndAlso come hangout with Adam, Michael BookLion & I at his Lauch Party on September 5th at Barnes & Noble Tribeca @6 pm! You can find the rest of his tour dates at the link above.

I received a free copy of this book from Harper Collins at Book Expo 2017. I had no obligation to review this book and all opinions are my own.

And, well, it's safe to assume that yes, indeed, it was.

But then again, you can’t walk out of a Silvera book and not feel something. His are the kind of books that hold you tightly you can feel it three days later. The kind of books that will make you dissolve from your sitting position and lay your head on a pillow, missing someone you’ve never met, and feeling like your entire self is one terrible scarlet bruise, throbbing mercilessly. I know people will experience this book in vastly different ways, but I've experienced it in an almost unutterably personal way. I’m starting to think that’s just the Silvera effect.

....'you're supposed to be a lifer.'

Now. Imagine getting a call, at midnight, telling you that you have less than 24 hours to live. Twenty four hours to get through everything that you wanted to do. Twenty four hours to be all the people you were supposed to be before you could become yourself. Twenty four hours to grow out of phases and mindsets before you could learn what to stand up for. Twenty four hours to rewrite the diaries that have, until then, been scribbled in invisible ink. Twenty four hours to make the memories of a lifetime. Twenty four hours to say goodbye.

How unspeakably awful is that? I mean, mortal life is as fragile as the shaft of a feather and we're all just a transient fixture in the inexorable enormity of the universe and one day we must all inevitably succumb to oblivion, void, and nothingness. Everyone knows that. We just don’t like to think about it. But imagine knowing beyond that. Imagine knowing exactly what that day is, the terrible equivalent of being trapped in a huge hourglass that threatens, any moment, to suffocate you with sand.

Think of all the many strangers' stories you won’t get the chance to make into, the many versions of yourself that you won’t become, the many places that you've longed to visit but which you won't be able to set foot in, the many people that will impact your life but which you won't get the chance to meet, the many life views that you would've learned and the ones that you would've eventually unlearned. The songs that you won’t dance to alone in your kitchen at 3 am, the second movie ticket that you won’t get to give to a dear friend, and the books that you won’t gush about online for an embarrassingly long stretch of time.

Think also of the happy memories you've deprived yourself of because you lied and said you were busy and the many people you could have had an amazing connection with but you were too afraid to say hello. The many opportunities to reinvent yourself that you've missed out on because you were ambushed by insecurity and paralyzed by fear of failure. Think of the many years that you've wasted on hate and grudges and meaningless conversations and relationships that barely left an indentation on the surface of your life and the many true friendships that you took for granted until it was too late.

Think of the many times you were scared to call other people out or stayed away from controversial topics because your hands shook at the notion of confrontation and your throat closed up at the thought of sticking your neck out for your beliefs, and your heart threatened to burst out of your collarbone at the possibility of losing friends and family and safety for choosing to align yourself with good causes and the many times your head had hit that pillow at night only to be tortured by the nagging thoughts of 'what ifs'.

These are the thoughts that lingered, like lightening, long after I turned the last page. And many others that I cannot possibly bear in comprehensible words. But the one that I keep turning over and over in my head is this: I owe an older version of myself some semblance of a past—not a past to outrun but to turn around and embrace. I owe them memories of some kind of happiness, of deep-bone contentment. Like the characters in this book, I don’t want to find myself at the finish line, realizing that I’ve never run the race.

It sounded like it should be an extremely powerful read, and yet I found that They Both Die at the End had far less of an emotional impact than More Happy Than Not and History Is All You Left Me. It's my least favourite Silvera book to date.

Though there are some sci-fi elements, I would call this a contemporary. No explanation is given as to how Death-Cast knows when people will die, and this kind of isn't the point. Instead, the book focuses on the End Day of two teens - Puerto Rican Mateo and Cuban-American Rufus - as they eat food, walk around town, ride on bikes, visit Mateo's comatose father in the hospital, and sing karaoke. For me, parts of it really dragged.

Where Silvera's other two books had me gripped with emotion, huge chunks of this book were very slow. I also expected it to be deeper than it was. It was kind of a mediocre take on an exhausted message - the old "carpe diem", "live your life to the full", "make the most of today", etc. Because it is driven by its message, many of the conversations feel unnatural and didactic and, perhaps because of this, I wasn't sold on the development of "love" between Mateo and Rufus. Though, as in Yoon's The Sun Is Also a Star, I'm always skeptical of one-day love stories.

Interestingly, and on a more positive note, one of my absolute favourite parts of the book also reminded me of Yoon's The Sun Is Also a Star. This was the inclusion of random chapters from other characters' perspectives. In between Mateo's and Rufus's story, we get a brief glimpse into the lives of many other characters. There's something about this that I love - the suggestion that no character is throwaway, that even though some characters are not central to the story being told, they all have their own lives and stories going on.

I'm sad that I didn't like this more than I did. The ending still packs a punch, though, even when knowing what will happen. Looking back over the story, I feel like it has a great premise (which is revealed by the blurb) and a great ending (which is revealed by the title), but the middle chunk that we must read the book to discover lets it down. Very little actually happens that we don't know about before starting the book.

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((...continues wailing))

Imagine you are told you have 24-hours to live. What would you want to do with your remaining time?

A lot of people may understandably say, spend that time with loved ones.

But what if they were unavailable to you, then what would you do with your last 24?

You wouldn't want to be alone would you? Curled up with your books...

Okay, maybe YOU would, and maybe I would, but most people would want to go out there, live life, have experiences, but with who?

For Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio these are very real questions. The day is September 5th and they both have received their Death-Cast alerts.

It's official. Both boys will die within the next 24-hours. Due to unfortunate circumstances, neither of them have loved ones to spend their last day with.

Through the use of a cleverly-imagined social app called, Last Friend, they connect with one another and thus begins the last adventure of their lives.

To say this book gutted me would be an understatement.

Once I started down the path of Ruf and Mateo's journey, I could think of nothing else.

I read this, via audio and hardcover, within the course of 24-hours, which seemed fitting considering the subject matter.

Upon completion, I immediately added it to my 'Favorites' shelf, an act I do not take lightly. The emotions that Silvera is able to draw out with this one; it's exceptional.

I would recommend this to anyone who has a heart and wants to read about what it means to LIVE. All the stars!!!

It was a sad story indeed but I expected to be destroyed and... I was not.

I loved Mateo with everything in me. He was, to put it mildly, the epitome of goodness but had a hard time connecting with Rufus. He was inconsistent at best.

I also loved their instant connection and bond but I was not down with the insta-love.
I simply can’t wrap my head around the idea that two people can fall head over heels in love with each other after only a few hours of meeting each other. It’s just too... nope. Just can’t.
If they’d had a bit more time together, at the very least, I would’ve believed it.

I HATED those side character POVs. They just felt nuisance and kept pulling me out of the story. And what’s more, they weren’t even just a few POVs here and there, they were SO FREQUENT! And almost none of them were connected to either of the boys. Just random people they’ve passed by throughout the day. I found it extremely aggravating.

All in all, had I read this before all the frenzy, no doubt I would’ve found it a lot more emotional, alas, I did not.
It was still a good read and loved the message it was trying to relay.

That being said, the diversity and concept were not enough for me to enjoy the book and ignore its flaws. Rufus and Mateo were predictable tropes, and their didactic conversations lacked chemistry. The side characters and other POVs contributed nothing of value to the story, and instead read like filler put in to make the book longer. The writing was cliche to the point where I cringed a lot, and Rufus’s dialect was very unnatural and awkward. The “carpe diem” theme the story tried to convey was trite. The ending and outcome of the characters did not pay off what I think the author was aiming for.

Overall, many things about this story missed the mark for me. I couldn’t care for any of the characters; instead I can only care for the book’s impact on others who may find it more meaningful.

This was really good! I found that it did drag a little bit at times, definitely more of a slow going read but it was such an interesting concept and I think it was very well executed. (It's actually a concept I had thought of for one of my novels, great minds think alike!)

That's pretty much all I have to say lol.

What I will say for now is: ADAM YOU ARE SO CRUEL, MY HEART CANNOT FORGIVE YOU.
The title 'prepares' you for the end, but that doesn't lessen the pain one bit. I sobbed the hardest I ever have while reading a book...

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Death calls just after midnight. Mateo and Rufus will die today. They don’t know each other yet, but their paths will cross on this last day of their lives.

Adam Silvera is one of my favourite YA authors for several reasons. His characters are flawed and relatable. His stories are original and like nothing I’ve read before. And even though they’re depressing and heart-breaking, their message is an empowering one.
There is nothing that I appreciate more than a well written lgbt book by a lgbt author. There are many gay and lesbian, transgender and asexual storytellers out there but we only get to hear a few voices. Which is why I’m even more grateful for Shaun David Hutchinson, Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Alice Oseman, Victoria Schwab and of course Adam Silvera. They speak from experience, which makes it so much easier to connect with them and their stories.

The concept of They Both Die At The End was just as creative as Silvera’s debut novel, More Happy Than Not. You can even find the one or other connection between these two books. What I loved most about this book were the many different POV’s. We get to see a big variety of characters and what’s going on in their heads and hearts. Lidia’s might just be my favourite one.
While these POV’s were brilliant and emotional, I had a hard time connecting with Mateo and Rufus. I was definitely less emotionally involved in this book than in the previous two. The plot took a while to pick up and I believe that Adam Silvera could have made more out of this fantastic concept. The execution was too grey and unexciting for my taste.
Now if you don’t want to see spoilers better skip this paragraph. The romance part was a let-down. I was waiting for Rufus and Mateo to fall in love and when it finally happened, it was seriously underwhelming. There was no build-up of (romantic) feelings, and as I said before, what happened hardly stirred up my emotions. The kiss came out of nowhere and left me cold. It didn’t feel real or believable to me. At this point I rather they would have stayed friends – there are far too few platonic relationships between gay characters out there anyway.

I’m super critical, I know. That’s because I’m comparing Adam Silvera to Adam Silvera, and the standard he set with his previous novels is extremely high. Which is why I am a little disappointed in this book. For me it lacked in emotional depth. However, I still hope that this will finally get Adam on the NYT bestseller list. He totally earned it.

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“Maybe it's better to have gotten it right and been happy for one day instead of living a lifetime of wrongs.”

The strength of this book is that somehow, everything here feels so natural and personal. The amount of side point of views here is perhaps the best part of this book - it's hard to ignore how personal this story is when you feel as if you could be dropped into the book at any time.

I can't go on being the kid who keeps his head low because all that did was rob and being out there with you- maybe I could have met some of you sooner.

Let’s talk characters, because hey, this is a character-driven book primarily.
➽ Mateo Torrez: My nerdy, character-development-full son. Mateo is a homebody and a bit of a nervous wreck trying to have one final day.
➽ Rufus Emeterio: The fact that he put down “Professional Time Waster” as his job in his deathday profile is all you need to know, honestly. In contrast to Mateo, Rufus has accepted his fate. Oh, and he's also hilarious.

What's odd about this is the romance plotline is this book comes sort of out of nowhere, but I loved it anyway? Mateo and Rufus do not have a meet-cute. They do not have sexual tension for the first eight hours before they kiss. And you know what? I think the lack of slow burn is perfect. It works very well as a desperate, last-ditch relationship, between two characters who aren't in love yet. But they could be.

Basically, this book was worth the hype and Adam Silvera can go fuck himself for writing it. This buddyread with my oncoming depression was an absolute success.

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Imagine a stranger calls you in the middle of the night and tells you those exact words. Did you end up in a horror movie? Nope. You’re in the future and by now technology is so advanced that people are informed when they are going to die. But of course there’s a catch. They inform you 24 hours before you die and they neither know how it’s going to happen nor when. A car crash, an elevator, an explosion, choking on food? In three hours, right now when you receive the call, 23 hours and 59 minutes from the moment you’ve been called? Everything is possible.

”I was raised to be honest, but the truth can be complicated. It doesn’t matter if the truth won’t make a mess, sometimes the words don’t come out until you’re alone. Even that’s not guaranteed. Sometimes the truth is a secret you’re keeping from yourself because living a lie is easier.”

So what are you supposed to do? Try to fight it? Stay at home and hope you’re safe there? Go out and live your last day to the fullest? Deny it or rather use the chance to say goodbye to your loved ones? It’s up to you but whatever you do, “Death-Cast” is never wrong and sooner or later death will find and claim you. It doesn’t matter if you’re 90 or 5. A mother, father, child, husband, aunt, best friend or a celebrity, death doesn’t care about those things, it makes no difference.

”I look ahead at the empty streets, and I start walking towards Rufus and his bike, walking towards death with every minute we lose, walking against a world that’s against us.”

Mateo and Rufus both received the call and neither of them is able to say goodbye to their loved ones. Rufus made a mistake that caused his friends to be “unavailable” and Mateo’s father is in a coma and won’t even notice when his son dies. Thankfully there’s an app for situations like that (I just loved this! I mean nowadays there’s an app for everything, right? *lol*) and our two boys meet over “Last Friend”. They are both going to die and they decide to spend their last day together…

”You shouldn’t donate to charity, help the elderly cross the street, or rescue puppies in the hopes you’ll be repaid later. I may not be able to cure cancer or end world hunger, but small kindnesses go a long way.”

And here is the moment when I’m finally going to talk about those two young and sweet boys that only have one day left to do whatever they feel like doing. This book really made me think and it certainly caused me to feel. I could relate to their struggle so much and a little part of me broke when Mateo threw his books across the room knowing full well that it wouldn’t matter if they got ripped or destroyed because in a few hours he wouldn’t be there to care about it. There were so many little moments that ripped my heart out. T_T Mateo singing for his dad who couldn’t hear him, Rufus hoping the Plutos would show up, Mateo taking care of his best friend’s kid so she could have a few moments to herself, Rufus thinking that Mateo is pure… IT. BROKE. MY. FREAKING. HEART!!!

”Entire lives aren’t lessons, but there are lessons in lives.
You may be born into a family, but you walk into friendships. Some you’ll discover you should put behind you. Others are worth every risk.”

What Mateo and Rufus have at the end of their lives is so special! They get to know each other in a way not many people are able to. They speak about the important things, they don’t shy away from difficult topics and they get involved with each other. Without prejudices, without a second thought! But would they have been so open if it wouldn’t have been their last day? I doubt it. There are things you’re too scared to say, things you don’t even dare to think about, but what if the only person that’s holding you back is actually yourself?

I lean in to his ear. “I want to go to Jones Beach and race you to the waves and play in the rain with our friends. But I want quiet nights, too, where we talk about nonsense while watching bad movies.” I want us to have history, something longer than the small window of time we’re actually sharing, with an even longer future, but the dying elephant in the room crushes me.”

I loved that Rufus helped Mateo to find himself and I adored the way Mateo was able to get under Rufus’s skin. What if they would have been given more time together? How much they could have achieved and done; how good they could have lived! It’s just so unfair! Or at least it seems to be like that because if there is one thing you can say about death, then it’s that it’s actually fair. It makes no difference between young or old, married or single, famous or not, good or bad, sick or healthy, queer or straight, happy or unhappy. It’s just death and it … well, it happens. Sooner or later we all have to go. We’re born and we die, whatever happens in the middle is up to us.

”Why can’t we knock on Death’s door and be or barter or arm-wrestle or have a staring contest for the chance to keep living? I’d even want to fight for the chance to decide how I die. I’d go in my sleep.”

Conclusion:

I guess you can already tell that this book made me think really hard. To be honest I never stopped thinking about it and I’m pretty sure this is one of those books that will stay with me for quite a while. Adam Silvera painted a vivid picture of a world in which we all know when it’s time to go. Whether this is good or bad is up for discussion and we readers are encouraged to give it some serious thought. The different POVs only add to that thought process and the way all those lives are connected and interwoven gives the reader a profound sense of life and its scope as well as its associated mechanisms. Or in other words: It’s like with the figuratively pebble that’s thrown in the pond. An infinitesimal action has huge consequences.

I won’t tell you how this ends because you know, “They Both Die at the End”

”There are questions I can’t answer. I cannot tell you how you will survive without me. I cannot tell you how to mourn me. I cannot convince you to not feel guilty if you forget the anniversary of my death, or if you realize days or weeks or months have gone by without thinking about me.
I just want you to live.”

____________________________

This book was already on “My Book List 2018” and I think it’s about time to read it! Better late than never, right? ;-)

Also I’m still holding out hope that the title doesn’t give away the entire plot. I mean they can’t both die at the end, this would be so sad! T_T
But then again this is a Silvera book and he loves nothing more than to make us suffer so there’s at least an 85% chance that the book delivers what the title promises.

Guess the only way to find out is to read it.
So here I go!
I hope my heart won’t be broken into thousand little pieces in the end! XD

This was my first ever Adam Silvera book, and I'd been warned by so many people to prepare myself for ALL OF THE FEELS, but nobody could have really made me understand just how fast and hard I would fall in love with Adam's writing voice. This book made him an auto-buy author literally by the 25% mark, and I don't think any author has ever made my auto-buy list so fast in my life.

PLOT ➳➳
Imagine a world where someone has perfected the ability to predict when someone is going to die. Now, imagine that same world involving a call center whose staff's entire purpose is to call each unlucky soul between midnight and 3am and to inform them that this is their End Day. Now, imagine that some kind soul has created an app, much like a dating service, that allows people to find someone to spend their End Day with so they don't have to face it alone.

Mateo has spent his entire life living inside a bubble; meanwhile, Rufus' bubble was burst when his entire family died right before his eyes. The two teens are vastly different, but when they find that they share an End Day, they decide to spend their final hours together, and show one another what living is all about.

THE BOYS ➳➳
Mateo is this adorable, precious little thing who is just terrified of the entire world around him and I just spent so much of the book feeling sorry for him because he is filled with such an immense amount of regret when he gets his phone call. He's spent his short life too afraid to get out and live, and now that he's got less than 24 hours until the end, it's all he wants to do. He just broke my heart so many times.

Rufus, on the other hand, has gotten out and lived, but he's got his skeletons, too. Despite his own fears and regrets, though, he's solidly determined to make this last day of Mateo's life meaningful, even though they only met today. He's got a heart of absolute gold and I adored the chapters from his perspective. He's got such a fun narrating voice, and the way he viewed Mateo as this pure, innocent soul gave me all the fuzzies!

THE FEELS ➳➳
I expected this book to wreck me, and it did, but not in the ways that I expected. I can't say much, because the title spoils enough of the book, and this is one of those stories that you're better off going into with as little information as possible. Let me just tell you to have a box of tissues on standby, and probably also some chocolate or ice cream or something, and maybe a puppy to hold if you can spare one?

FINAL VERDICT ➳➳
I had literally not a single complaint about this book. It is so rare that a story is a pure, unadulterated 5-star read for me, but this one achieved that. I would recommend anyone and everyone to pick up a copy of They Both Die at the End. Even if you don't like YA contemporary, or don't like sad stories... get this one. It's absolutely worth your time.

Thank you so much to HarperTeen and Edelweiss for the ARC of this incredible book! All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

It's honestly the best decision I've made in a long time?? Lmao.

I was promised tears, heartbreak and all the emotional feels and it's safe to say that, yes, I did get all those things. And I can't be any more happy. It's no surprise I love sad, heartbreaking books and reading this one really really destroyed me in the best way possible.

When a book makes you cry 3 chapters in, write down my words son, it's going to wreck you in the best way possible. I just loved this so much, I want to buy a copy for each and every person then throw the book in their face and scream at them to read this!!

Imagine sitting down, reading your favorite book while sipping your coffee or trying to be that perfect grade A student doing nothing but studying all day and not having any fun in your life when suddenly!!!!! you get a call saying you'll die in the next 24 hours and that's all the time you have to do whatever you want (except bad illegal things). Then, you'll just die.

That's what happened to Mateo and Rufus. They got called by Death Cast and were told that they only had 24 hours to live that day and they should enjoy their last day on Earth.

It's just so cruel and torturous knowing you'll die and not being able to do anything about it except spend the time you have left with the people you love and doing things you would have denied yourself if it were any other ordinary day. It's especially cruel, knowing you have an exact, certain amount of time left and you have to do this and this and this before you go.

It's especially cruel having to tell those you love that you're dying and watching them break down in front of you knowing the loneliness, sadness, but memories of happiness you'll leave with them.

This is what happened to Mateo and Rufus.

But they found a friend, something more in each other. They didn't mope around about their deaths, cry about it, sit silently about it. They found each other and wanted to spend their last day together finding friendships, love and trying new things. They spent their last day with all their loved ones doing things that made them happy. Doing things they never had the balls to do.

They truly lived life the day they were going to die.

It's impossible not to cry when reading something like this.

Like I can't stress how much this book made me realize that I'm pretty much just in this world living, no not living, just existing when I could be doing so much more.

oh no the tEARS ARE BACK.

Mateo is gay and Rufus is bisexual coming from Cuban and Puerto Rican backgrounds. Learning about their families, lives and situations made me want to wrap these two in warm blankets, feeding them chocolate chip cookies and never let them go. They are the sweetest cinnamon rolls to ever exist omg!!

The side characters are literally the most loving and sweetest people to bless this book. Except for that guy whose name starts with a P. He, he can choke. Rufus' two friends aka The Pluto's are so loving, loyal, caring and sweet!!!! They're more like family and always got each other's backs and I loved reading about how they're always there to love and support each other!!

My only complaint with this book was that it really dragged in the middle leaving me bored, which is why 4.5 stars.

But like, overall, you guys don't know how much you need this book in your life. For me, this book is literally the world and I really hope it's the same for you.

This was wonderful! My first Silvera novel, but it definitely won't be my last. Mateo and Rufus both get a call from Deathcast that today is their last day on earth - in twelve hours, they will both be dead.
Last Friend is an app created for Deckers (people who have received the Deathcast call) to meet up and spend their final hours on Earth with a stranger. Mateo and Rufus meet via this app and decide to have the best last day together that they can.
From here we watch as their relationship grows from awkward strangers, to closer acquaintances and eventually best friends. They learn to face their fears, challenge each other and support one another through their final day. From cheesy memory making, to overcoming anxieties and self consciousness to actually running for their lives and surviving numerous dangers. But ultimately, their time is running out, and they can't run forever.
Beautiful, heart-breaking and honest. I loved meeting Rufus and Mateo and seeing them grow as people. This book raises some powerful questions on fate, and whether our lives (and death) are set in stone, or do we have the power to change it, and what it means to truly live. I loved this book and it brought tears to my eyes.

"Twelve hours ago I received the phone call telling me I'm going to die today, and I'm more alive now than I was then."

4.5 ⭐️

I knew it was going to be sad but I really didn’t expect to be sobbing at 1 in the morning

listen... I have so many thoughts and most of them somewhat resemble “I hate Adam Silvera I hate Adam Silvera I hate Adam Silvera” but there’s another part of me that says that this is Silvera’s best (read: most destructive) book

// buddy read with banshee and gmos hater

(***Note to self: try using less exclamation marks and smilies)

I don't want to be reasonable when I write about what I think of this book. This book? No, my damn precious little piece of heaven.

I feel so 'drugged' at the moment after having absorbed each and every word this book had to offer me. (Ok, as for the time being just calling it as a book is easier and short instead of 'my damn precious little piece of heaven' 😪)

Of course, this book is not perfect but yes, it has put me under its spell this whole time. (I still cannot believe it made me not to watch Xmen 😳)

I love how human this book turned out to be!
One of the young adult fiction done right. No, this book ain't perfect. There are seemingly character development flaws, weak parts in the writing and some unwelcomed characters. Let's call this one a perfect read for someone who finds the main characters a little too relatable.

I just love the writing style and I am sure I will read the other books by this author (except the latest book of a series, of course). The writing is straightforward and reach you the moment you set your eyes on it

More than the slow burn romance, I was rooting for the found family dynamics, as well as the best friendships you will ever read about. Character representation is well etched out.

Sometimes the story seems a little too convenient. But it's okay. (I felt so hungry now and then while reading this book while the two main characters just kept on having adventure after adventure without eating and sleeping much.)
Ok, I can tell they were having the best times of their lives and they were not caring about everything else as much as we muggles do. And as much as I was invested in the book, I did fall asleep twice while reading it because I am a muggle and a sleepy mundie which I cannot help becoming. I was so worried about them that it got exhausting in between. Damn, all the uncertainties and the unpredictability in fiction.

I woke up. I continued reading it, I kept crying here and there, I kept blushing (actually shouted 'FINALLY!' and Rufus did the same! I wasn't expecting a fictional character to shout out the exact same word as I did!) and yes, I was more calm and happier towards the end of the book.

Did I say the characters lacked development?
No, not the main characters. They are so wholesome.

In fact, the whole story is wholesome. It spoke in volumes about life and unavoidable situations. It seems so real. The story started with a plot built on something like a dystopian sci-fi (yes, I actually felt this way when I started reading the book). Eventually the good parts took over and I felt so connected with everything that's happening there.

Some may feel the lines come out a bit cheesy when it comes to Rufus and Mateo (I ship them so much!) but they talked about things that matter and they were as exactly who they were meant to be. Young adult done right, I repeat.

*One misconception about this book:

You must have heard everyone talking about how sad this book is and it will break your heart. Yes, it's sad I am not denying it. But this book will not break you. I have read books dealing with sensitive, heavy themes which totally broke me aka A Little Life, The Kiterunner to take a few example.
But this read is more like wholesome and hopeful like some books dealing with similar sensitive issues aka Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets of Universe, I Wish You All The Best.

But of course, you will cry 💔
.
.
.
.

Until the last chapter happened.

Forget everything I said!
I cried buckets and buckets!

The ending....is.... devastating. Save me. Please.

~Rating- 3 stars~

(Content/ Trigger Warnings)

-No mention of these in the review-

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera was supposed to be a heart-breaking read, but for me it was not. Unfortunately I didn’t like it as much as I was hoping to. I’m keeping this review brief, as I don’t have much to say that hasn’t already been said, but I still wanted to get my thoughts out.

“He didn't say that 'love is within' or 'love is all around you.' (...) love is a superpower we all have. But it's not always a superpower I'd be able to control, especially as I get older. Sometimes it'll go crazy and I shouldn't be scared if my power hits someone I'm not expecting it to.”

On September 5th, Death-Cast calles Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them the news that they are going to die that day. This leaves Mateo and Rufus panicked and anxious and they both start looking to make a last friend to spend their last day with, using The Last Friends App.

“Maybe it's better to have gotten it right and been happy for one day instead of living a lifetime of wrongs.”

The plot of the book was alright. It dragged in the middle and the pacing was off for a lot of portions of the book. I loved the concept of the story, but I didn't like the execution so much.

“No one goes on, but what we leave behind keeps us alive for someone else.”

There are a lot of obvious plot holes. The entire concept of Death Cast and how it works is not explored at all. There's just a sentence of explanation saying no one knows how death cast works, yet nobody in the book really questions as to how Death Cast is always right in its analysis. In fact, quite a lot of deaths in this book would have been avoided had Death Cast never given the call. I wished this element was explored more in detail.

“My Last Message would be to find your people. And to treat each day like a lifetime.”

The writing of the book was good. I liked both of the characters' POVs. However, I did not like the third person random POVs we got. They didn't serve any additional insight or purpose and nothing would have changed even if they were not included.

“You may be born into a family, but you walk into friendships. Some you’ll discover you should put behind you. Others are worth every risk.”

I liked the main characters in this book. Mateo's definitely my favorite as I could relate to him more. I didn't connect with Rufas so much, but I didn't hate his perspective. I felt Rufas lacked quite a lot of character depth. I didn't care for any of the side characters, but I liked their role in the story.

“Two dudes met. They fell in love. They lived. That's our story.”

I wasn’t a fan of the romance. It was mostly insta-love and I would have preferred it if it wasn’t there.

“I just don’t think I should be the judge of who actually needs my help or not, like they should do a dance or sing me a song to prove they’re worthy. Asking for help when you need it should be enough.”

Spoiler Thoughts: (view spoiler)[ I hated the ending. I didn't mind the characters dying, but the ending was so abrupt. I felt it was intended to be an open ending, but it just made me upset. I thought it would be much more emotional. And no, I did not cry. (hide spoiler)]

Audibook Comments
I loved the audiobook narration! Both the perspectives were well narrated. Would recommend the audiobook. (Audiobook Rating- 4/5)

“My pops once said goodbyes are ‘the most possible impossible’ ’cause you never wanna say them, but you’d be stupid not to when given the shot.”

In short, I enjoyed They Both Die at the End a lot, but did not love it as much as I wanted to. Regardless, it was still an entertaining read!

“But no matter what choices we make - solo or together - our finish line remains the same … No matter how we choose to live, we both die at the end.”

Buddy Read with my team The Avid Readers at The Never Ending TBR.

DISCLAIMER- All opinions on books I’ve read and reviewed are my own, and are with no intention to offend anyone. If you feel offended by my reviews, let me know how I can fix it.

………………………………………

I finished. It was ok, but I expected something more bec of all the hype. Still wasn’t an all bad read. Probably 3 stars. Review to come.

“You may be born into a family, but you walk into friendships. Some you’ll discover you should put behind you. Others are worth every risk.”

They Both Die at the End is a story about two boys, who live in a world where technology will let you know when you will die within twenty-four hours. And sadly, two boys just received the call that informed them. And throughout the book we get to see how their lives intertwine and come together for their last day.

Trigger and content warnings for loss of a parent, loss of a sibling, loss of a friend, depictions of grief and trauma, violence, abuse, talk of animal death, a terrorist attack/murder suicide, suicide attempt, talk of suicide, and a whole lot of talk about death.

“Death is inevitable for everyone and it’s absolute for me today.”

➽ I don’t like “magic systems” that aren’t explained. I never have, and I never will. This reads exactly like a contemporary with one unknown fantasy element. Also, I think it’s kind of cruel that they don’t give people the option of not knowing. Even if medical staff always knew, I think that a person should be able to pick if they want to know when they are going to die. But yeah, I needed to know how or why they were able to predict these deaths. Even if the answer was “oh my gosh, an alien came down and gave us this machine” because even that would have been enough for me.

➽ I honestly hated the ending with Mateo. And, again, I just can’t suspend my disbelief enough that a boy that has been living his life in a paranoid state would do that. I just, I just can’t believe it. I know it is a beautiful message about how we all don’t know how we are going to die, and it could be something easy or something we would never expect. But, like, it just felt really unpleasant to read.

➽ I really didn’t like reading about how people use Death-Cast to try to hook up with people they know are dying, probably because then they don’t have to come out. I get that itthat would totally happen in our world, but it still made my stomach sick to think about. Especially towards super young adults like Mateo and Rufus.

➽ I do not read a lot of contemporary. But right before this book I read Radio Silence and Autoboyography, both of which I gave five glowing stars to. That would hurt any book that I had to read after them, and I feel so bad that TBDATE had to be that book.

➽ A booktuber did a vlog of them upset after reading because the title was real. Which, like, I’m probably being all kinds of petty, but the title was always most likely going to be real. But because of the way this book is told kind of questioning Death-Cast and seeing all the people it is impacting, I think I might have been hopeful and enjoyed this more, if I didn’t have it *spoiled* for me.

➽ The writing. Adam’s writing is lyrical, but also very fast paced. Even though I didn’t love this book, it never felt like a chore to read. And there were so many quotable lines throughout this novel.

➽ I also really liked the cute romance that started to brew between these boys. And I’m always here for LGBTQIAP romances! I loved that Mateo was gay and that Rufus was bisexual. I also loved that both boys were people of color; Rufus being Cuban-American and Mateo being Puerto Rican.

➽ I loved every scene with Mateo’s dad. Call me a masochist, what can I say? Those scenes were one of two that made me cry. (The other being with Rufus talked about what happened to his family.) And I am actually hard pressed to think of anything sadder than waking up and finding out your child is no longer with you. But these scenes were so beautiful and gave me all the feels in the world.

➽ I liked seeing the random people that were just living their day along side Mateo and Rufus. When I look back, I feel like it might have been a tiny bit pointless, but I still really enjoyed the glimpses and thought they were so unique. And it really helps enforce that everyone has so much going on inside them, and that you’ll never know what crosses a person is bearing merely by sitting next to them in a subway.

➽ The message about how we really should be living our lives to the fullest and try to not live it being scared to die. I feel really impacted by both of these themes. Probably TMI (like always), but my father had a really bad heart attack (STEMI) a few years ago where they didn’t think he was going to make it. I immediately flew home, and I still feel a little bad at how much of an uncontrollable, weeping, hot mess I was all through LAS, but he was awake by the time I landed in Flint. And I ended up taking off work and staying an entire month to help take care of him, just spend time with my dad and not take it for granted. And I will never forget how thankful I was, or that feeling, for the rest of my life. But I also developed really bad panic attacks and anxiety where I feel like I’m having a heart attack at least once a week, still, a few years later. I don’t even know what I’m trying to stay, other than I connected with both of these boys, the one thankful for even twenty-four more hours, and the one that is scared to leave his bedroom.

➽ And since I just told you all the worst moment of my life, I will tell you another story about why this book did resonate with me. I’ve played World of Warcraft for over a decade, and a friend that I raided with for many, many years knew that he was dying because of cancer. We all had a little guild celebration for him before he quit, and after he (in game) mailed us so many of his prized wow possessions and wrote very kind letters attached. His wife let us know via Facebook when he passed away, and it broke me so very hard. But I will cherish that letter for the rest of my life, and my Darkmoon Rabbit that I named Davien (after him)!

Damn, friends, I think I got way too personal with those last paragraphs. Why am I like this? But overall, I am sad I didn’t love my first Adam Silvera book! But I’m going to keep reading his work(s) and hopefully fall in love. Again, I truly do connect with his writing style, so I have high hopes. I also just feel bad that I didn’t love this beloved book of so many of my friends. Also, you should check out their reviews, because I love them and this book meant a lot to them: May, Courtney, Lilly, Emma, Em, Sana, & Elise! You all know I hate writing “negative” reviews! So, I hope you all check out their reviews and celebrate them! Happy reading, loves!

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The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

Buddy read with Courtney at Curly Book Owl, May at Forever and Everly, & Lily at Sprinkles of Dreams! ❤

_

It was so freakin' good. I guess this is my favourite book of Adam's and comparing it to the previous ones (this is the third I have read) it touched me the most in so many different ways. I teared up at the very beginning of this story and this feeling of grief didn't leave me throughout the whole book (audiobook actually). I like the main characters and their friends - I adore the plot and the realization of friendships - it is not easy to write a book about just one day in the characters lives and do it decently. Silvera did. Insta love? Maybe a little bit, but not exaggerated, what was astonishingly surprising, a big thumb up for that. I believed in every word, I believed in every moment and in this history. The author was slicing my heart with every minute of listening and I don't regret the time I have spared to listen about dreams, faiths, loves that won't ever be real because death is ruthless and death is real - that's something we should all have in mind. Highly recommend this one!

Well, what else would you expect from a book called They Both Die at the End?

"No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new."

Shortly after midnight on September 5, Mateo and Rufus both get a call they've never wanted to receive. It's from Death-Cast, the company that lets people know they're scheduled to die sometime that day.

Mateo recently turned 18, and while he was too scared to go away to college, he has a lot of plans and dreams—he's going to attend school online, and hopefully become an architect some day. He's really only close to his father, who raised him, and his best friend Lidia, and he spent a lot of his life being too shy to do the things he imagined doing, to be the person he wanted to be, and live the life he knew he should. But that doesn't mean he's ready to die.

"Because I refused to live invincibly on all the days I didn't get an alert, I wasted all those yesterdays and am completely out of tomorrows."

Rufus is three weeks from his 18th birthday, and although his life has been marked by serious loss, he knows who matters—his foster parents, his two foster brothers/best friends, and his ex-girlfriend Aimee, who Rufus still can't believe has left him for another guy. In fact, when Rufus gets the call from Death-Cast, he's in the process of beating the crap out of Aimee's new boyfriend, even though that is totally out of character for him.

Both boys know they don't want to die alone, yet they know that they don't want their deaths to traumatize those they're close to. Using the "Last Friend" app, Mateo and Rufus meet. They're both very different—there's nearly no challenge that Rufus is afraid to tackle head-on, while Mateo spends so much time alone, fearing the unknown and worrying people will deceive or laugh at him. But when they meet, each vows to help the other live the best End Day they can—live it to the fullest, no regrets.

The boys will face some challenges, share secrets with one another that they've never told others, and deal with their fears, together. They'll say goodbyes to those they care about, and do things that they've always dreamed of. And at the same time, they'll both realize how much you can live in just one day.

Between this and The Immortalists (see my original review), my reading taste has skewed a little morbid lately. But while They Both Die at the End certainly is an emotional read, kudos to Adam Silvera for not making it as maudlin as I feared it might be. Did I cry? Well, of course. But I didn't feel like someone punched me hard in the feels repeatedly, which made me enjoy this more.

I'll admit I wanted a little more backstory into the whole Death-Cast thing, especially since this book takes place September 5, 2017 (ironically, the day Silvera's book was released). It saddened me that two young men were scheduled to die at such a young age, and I wish it took a little less time for Mateo to break out of his shell. But those minor quibbles aside, I really loved this book, the relationships the characters had with each other, and the message that life is uncertain, so why not live it to the fullest whenever you can?

With More Happy Than Not, History is All You Left Me, and now this book, Silvera has rapidly joined my list of authors I would follow almost anywhere to read their work. (That never avoids sounding stalkerish, but don't worry.) I love the way his mind works, I love the emotion, heart, and beauty he brings to his books, and I love the way he respects his characters, because it really shows.

You can always count on me to recommend books which will give you a good cry. They Both Die at the End is tremendously affecting and really unforgettable, and yeah, it will give your tear ducts some good exercise, too.

See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....

I THINK MY COPY IS MISSING A FEW PAGES AT THE END
THERE’S NO WAY THAT WAS THE ENDING IT CANT BE REAL IT’S NOT IT'S NOT
(Don't mind me, this entire review will probably be in all-caps.)

*here lies the beginning stages of self-denial*
*withdrawal TBDATE symptoms*

Hail, bitches. I now present: the saddest and most haunting book I have ever read. Unfortunately, this one's going to stay with me for awhile :(

Before you even read the first page, you already know this is not going to be your average read (the two boys' shadow on the cover is literally the Grim Reaper, honestly how worse can it get). And when you actually start the book, you must prepare yourself. You must wrap your little heart in the toughest steel imaginable and you cannot open it up even a sliver for Rufus, or Mateo, or the Plutos, or Aimee, or Lidia, or anyone. You cannot flinch when certain events occur.

Initial thoughts upon finishing this book:
1. What the fuck did I just read?
2. LOOK AROUND, LOOK AROUND AT HOW LUCKY WE ARE TO BE ALIVE RIGHT NOW (If you understand that reference, please friend me. I think we'd be great friends.)
3. I've been alive for the past eighteen years and I'm so ashamed because I haven't been living every day like Rufus and Mateo.
4. Rufus and Mateo will be in my hearts forever.
5. I'm sorry, what is ENglish? I no understand nOthIng

For people who haven't read the book, (first of all, go read it) you might be wondering if Rufus and Mateo really die at the end. (view spoiler)[Read the book and find out yourself. It is worth every teardrop. (hide spoiler)]

Let's talk about the characters first. Rufus and Mateo. Oh my god. Did someone say PRECIOUS? Because I don't think you said it loud enough. Mateo and Rufus are one of the best duos ever. I don't understand the DYNAMIC, the CHEMISTRY, the LOVE, the FRIENDSHIP, the TRUST, the EVERYTHING. I. CANNOT. COMPREHEND.

WHY
DID
THIS
BOOK
END
THAT
WAY
WHY
AM
I
SO
BROKEN
WHY

I legit feel like shit right now because my entire life I've just taken everything for granted while there are people like Roof and Mateo living, like truly living, and here I am reading sad books and crying over them. Like that is utter bullshit. What have I been doing with my life thus far? omg

And now, let us address the bitches in the room. To all the people saying they hate/dislike this book because it has insta-love, go feed yourself to a crocodile. Let's get one thing straight: I have opposed insta-love from the day I was born (exaggeration), and I will oppose it until the day I die (not an exaggeration). HOWEVER, HOW-FUCKING-EVER, this is the only time I will EVER love a book that has insta-love. EVER. Because this book deserves it. Because the characters deserve it. AND IF YOU FEEL OTHERWISE THEN KEEP YOUR SHITTY OPINION TO YOURSELF. NO ONE CARES WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY.

The side characters are legit some of the best side characters I've ever read about. Lidia? Aimee? The fucking Plutos? The best. Everyone was fleshed out wonderfully, and I wouldn't have wanted them delivered in any other way.

The side characters' perspectives were probably my favorite part about this entire novel. It was a very unique, complex way to not only stir the pot and bring on the conflict, but it also helped me see how life and people and things are connected in so many fucking ways and it's sad because we don't even realize it.

Peck, The Fucking Whore, no matter how much I hate his cowardly guts, works as a wonderful antagonist. His fears and jealousy and issues felt so realistic and true to me that it was easy to understand his motives and why the fuck he tried to fill my beans with bullet holes.

Now I am going to share this quote with you all, because I want everyone to cry with me and share the pain and misery:

We rest our heads on his pillows. I’m hoping we die in our sleep; that seems like the best way to go.
I kiss my Last Friend because the world can’t be against us if it brought us together.

But if we sit here and think to ourselves for a moment, and we ask ourselves who the villain is, can we truly say that it was Peck? Because I don't think it was. Thus we are left with the question: Is the antagonist Life? Because clearly, with this quote, the reader has to take a moment and decide for themselves if the universe has our back or not. Mateo and Rufus contemplate the meaning of Fate and if they could ever believe in such a thing. Clearly Adam Silvera thought it important enough to include, which means that Fate, and the Universe, and Life all have something to do with why Rufus and Mateo met, and why (view spoiler)[they both ended up dying. (hide spoiler)].

I think the saddest part was (view spoiler)[Mateo's death (hide spoiler)], and how Mateo had promised Rufus he wouldn't leave their little island, and he STILL LEFT THEIR LITTLE ISLAND, and how he left to go make tea for them because he is such an angel and he was trying to do something nice, but he forgot (view spoiler)[ABOUT THE FUCKING STOVE AND THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING VERY VERY WRONG WITH IT (hide spoiler)] and he just (view spoiler)[FUCKING DIED. WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT???? (hide spoiler)] *sadness* *listens to own heart breaking*

MATEO YOU ASS
YOU PROMISED YOU WOULDN'T LEAVE THE ISLAND
WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU
i love you so much i'm so sorry for yelling at you
you have the most precious heart ever i swear we will (view spoiler)[remember you (hide spoiler)]

Okay. Now it's time to discuss (view spoiler)[Mateo's death (hide spoiler)]. That's not fucking fair. It's not fair what happened. He didn't deserve it. And I could scream he didn't deserve ten thousand times and it would change nothing. No one, no one, deserves to get (view spoiler)[burned alive. Or as badly burned as Mateo got. (hide spoiler)] After this happened, I couldn't help thinking that the world was a little hideous and it was ugly and it was cruel and it was stupid and unfair. He did not deserve it. He was the last person that deserved that fate. Mateo was sweet and kind and beautiful and selfless, and he always thought about others before he thought about himself, and he always put others before him, and he was a fucking kid for God's sake, he was eighteen years old and he was bright and he would've had a bright future, and he would've done something to keep changing the world, to keep it expanding and evolving. He would've. I'm certain. And it's just not fucking fair. It's not right. The world is cruel to take someone like him in such a cruel circumstance, to take someone so pure and good and kind.

Now it's time to talk about what I've tried avoiding since I began this review: That. Ending. What was that???? Adam Silvera, sir, what. Was. That. Okay, I get it. Like I seriously get what you were trying to do. I know you were trying to create an unforgettable ending (which you did) that made the reader think a lot and have people draw their own conclusions (which I did), BUT STILL. WHY DID YOU HAVE TO DO THAT TO US? WHY COULDN'T YOU JUST GIVE US WHAT WE WANTED. LIKE THAT ENDING WAS BEAUTIFUL AND GORGEOUS AND BREATHTAKING BUT I AM NOT SATISFIED AT ALL.

I think the ending was beautiful, and magical, and wonderful, but it was also really sad and heart-breaking. It was an excellent conclusion to the novel, except that

And now, here are the rest of the quotes that made me ball my fucking eyes out:

"My Last Message would be to find your people. And to treat each day like a lifetime.”

--

The death of their friend, no matter how it ends, will stay with them forever. Entire lives aren’t lessons, but there are lessons in lives.
You may be born into a family, but you walk into friendships. Some you’ll discover you should put behind you. Others are worth every risk.
The three friends hug, a planet missing from their Pluto Solar System—but never forgotten.

--

Malcolm stares out the window, wishing he could glimpse Rufus on his bike turning a corner, and finally he cries, these loud, stuttering sobs, not because he’ll now have a criminal record, not because he’s scared to go to the police station, not even because Rufus is dying, but because the biggest crime of all tonight was not being able to hug his best friend goodbye.

His next book The First to Die at the End releases October 4th, 2022, with the final Infinity Cycle book to follow soon after.

He was born in New York and now lives in Los Angeles where he writes full-time.

He is tall for no reason.