They Both Die at the End

The premise of Adam Silvera’s book, They Both Die at the End is a truly genius way to get your readers to connect with the characters.

In the world of this book, basically everything is the same as our world, except they have a technology called DeathCast that calls someone the day they are going to die to give them one last chance to live life to the fullest and say goodbye to their loved ones.

In this book, Rufus and Mateo both get the call. These two strangers get connected on an app that helps those dying to find… show more.

I love a soft sci-fi and Adam Silvera knows how to deliver.

What makes his world different from ours is a technology that can let people know the day they are going to die, on that day, so they have a chance to say goodbye. It provides such potential for deep introspection (for his readers as much as his characters) and heartbreak. 

This story induced a powerful bond between me and the characters, as if they are best friends, but unaware of each other’s existence.

The message of living every moment like it’s your last is potent and powerful and demonstrates that love of all kinds can be represented in the last moments of life. As I tend to have trouble living in the moment, I was hanging on to every word, hoping that I could somehow pick up the tendencies of those people and apply them to my life.

Even when I feel like I can’t enjoy anything, this book… show more.

Silvera’s novel is very candidly named, but the title just acts as fuel for the story.

After finding out they’re both dying the same day, Mateo and Rufus set out to make their last day an amazing one. With plenty of fun to be had, the story takes its time to explore what it would be like to know you won’t see the next morning, the things you’ll never do, and what you can do with the time you have left.

It’s a very human story that always reminds one to treat every day as if it could be their… show more.

It’s no spoiler to reveal that Mateo and Rufus, the heroes of Adam Silvera’s heart-rending queer young adult romance, well, die at the end of the book; the real mystery lies in how they spend their last day together. Before their young lives end, will the two boys end up… together? This book thrilled me, moved me, and taught me—as a writer, a reader, and a human being—that the certainty of the destination takes nothing away from the wonder, the joy, and the gorgeous unpredictability of the journey.

They Both Die at the End does exactly what the title promises. They both die. At the very end. Despite that, it’s a really beautiful novel. Rufus and Mateo both have a lot to teach the reader on their last day on earth, and plenty of time to fall in love before it’s over. It’s heartbreaking that they don’t get longer. You can read my other recommendations to mend your soul.

They Both Die At The End deceives you at first because…the title! We know what is going to happen—or so it seems. But the themes of living life to the fullest and learning to trust yourself and others are really what is at the core of this book. 

The main characters grab your heart and drag it through the streets of New York one fearful stop at a time. You stop wondering when or how they’re going to die (although that fear is neatly tucked in the back of your mind) and absorb the lessons they have to teach you.… show more.

I cried when I finished this swoony love story about the short romance of two Latinx boys. I mean, the author warns you what’s coming, but he’s made their love story so sweet, you can’t help but root for an “ever after” that can’t come. Along the way, Silvera has made up a world like ours but with its own rules and logic, an almost-us society that is completely believable.

Okay, this book warns you that you’re going to cry in the title. It’s speculative fiction, with fantastic/supernatural elements that make the story work. The two main characters, teen boys in NYC who are strangers to each other, are informed by phone that they will die that day. And they know they have to make the time count. A meditation on friendship, romance, and the meaning of life and death, this one definitely hits in the gut. Silvera’s own background brings his characters, who are Cuban and Puerto Rican, and who identify as LGBT+, vividly to life. Even though they… show more.

I can’t say enough good things about this book. Not only is the concept absolutely something I wish I could’ve come up with on my own (but I’m not cool enough to), it confronts a hard subject in such a fun way. Plus you cannot help but root for the two main characters and hope that they somehow evade death.