They Both Die at the End: TikTok made me buy it! (Death-cast, 1)

Honestly, this has to be one of the best books I have read in the last 3 years! The concept is so unique and it made me feel so many different emotions at once, I loved the representation of the LGBTQIA+ characters and how their appeal in this book didn't feel forced, this book depicted the most exciting and thrilling yet gut wrenching story, and I felt connected to the story and those within it. The only thing I'd have to say is that I think some of the characters were unnecessary and didn't need to be there, but I found their existence easy to ignore whilst immersed in this world. I am so excited to be able to read the prequel and hopefully feel the same way as I did with this book!

Truly, this is one of the most beautiful novels I have ever read. It is heart-wrenching, and although the reader is aware that they "both die at the end", it is impossible not to fall totally in love with Mateo and Rufus. The complexity of the plot, the world that Silvera has crafted, and the depths into the human psyche that he explores turn this book into a portal into the Last Day. Hope, pain, tragedy, love, karaoke, this story has it all and more besides. I began this book at 7pm, and finished it by 10pm. I sobbed from approximately 50 pages in until the end and now my partner is worried about me. I immediately bought Silvera's other book, and have been waiting for a few free hours stretch as I'm sure I will need to read it in one sitting. I recommend this book wholeheartedly to anyone who needs a good cry, though not to anyone who is dealing with grief at the death of a loved one. The language isn't hard to parse, but this book is not easy to read.

The story is all set in a day, so it's quite simple to grasp, it's a quick read, but doesn't mean it's not good. It's just not much of an adventure compared to some other books. I have to hold back my opinion on the realism (even in fiction) of the concept in this book. Basically even in a fake reality, the concept does not make sense, I will put a spoiler below so don't read the last paragraph if you don't want to know. There is a company called death cast who will call you when you're going to die. You will die the day they call you, but if you are fated to die one day, the way you die surely must be fated too. Though the actions of x peoples days who were called by death cast, are brought by the phone call. They will end up dying, essentially, because of the phone call... If you can put that in a box and lock it away for the period of reading this book, then it is a good read.

really good book to read!

I’ve heard great things about this YA novel, but it’s been on my shelf for ages untouched and begging to be read. I managed to read it on a recent holiday, and wow, it was worth the wait! This title should come with a warning to invest in boxes of Kleenex. It’s well written with beautifully crafted characters. You already know the ending, but you hope with all your heart that it’s a lie. Mateo and Rufus know they will be dead by the end of the day, but they don’t know how they’ll die. They both log on to the Last Friend app, designed to help deckers find someone to spend their final hours with. Some app users are also dying, and others donate their time to help support those who received the call from Death-Cast. Mateo and Rufus are as different as two people can be. Both teenagers, Rufus is streetwise and confident while Mateo barely leaves his bedroom. The relationship that develops between the two is beautiful and honest. I adored Mateo. He was innocent, naïve, empathic, and funny. His story unfolds, and you fall more in love with him with each page. Rufus is fabulous. Although more confident, he has his own heartache and passions. As the two become friends and share their last hours, you can’t help but hope the book’s title is a big fib! Intermingled with Mateo and Rufus’s final adventures are secondary characters who are either employees of Death-Cast who aren’t dying today or fellow deckers trying to come to terms with their own mortality. The storylines are brutal, honest, affectionate, and varied. I loved how all the characters crossed paths sometimes without being a part of each other’s final moments. Told from the various characters viewpoints, you jump from one story to the next with each chapter. It’s been a long time since I sobbed this hard at a book. I was totally broken by it and exhausted after turning the last page. The characters and story stayed with me for a long time after. They Both Die at the End is a beautiful book with outstanding characters and will make you think hard about your own life and how you may or may not waste the days, weeks, months, and years you’ve got left in this world. You don’t need to be a young adult to enjoy this book. If you’re looking for a heart-warming (and heart-breaking) story, then give this a go. You won’t be disappointed – just remember the Kleenex!

I wish I could give it more stars but the reason it’s a 3 is because it’s over hyped in my opinion. I am someone who’s on a journey of healing so wanted a few mindfulness activities to add into my daily routine so I thought why not reading. I typed into google and other social media’s for recommendations and this book came up so I went again to social media and read reviews it was leaving people in tears and saying it’s a must read! So I thought for this price it’s a bargain why not. I am 18 years old and not a good reader mainly why at the moment I picked up this YA book however any age can read any book don’t forget ! It started off great I was hooked from day 1 loved how it constantly switched between characters after a few pages it really helped and was a easy read. After 3 days I was halfway through and again couldn’t put it down. I was eager to finish it and I did gasp at the ended. Although I feel like it could of been more.. more adventures more love maybe the ending was rushed but again I feel like the book was meant to be like that again as it’s a YA book. Somebody did ruin that they fall in love for me in the reviews so it would of been nicer for me to find it out for myself but never the less once it got to that part it was really wholesome for me. It’s true that a lot of gay people are afraid to live life because of the judgment of others but who’s to judge when you’ve got 1 day to live!! If you’re going to read this book make sure you don’t leave long periods inbetween reading a little more it’s defo a book that’s easily good enough for reading in 5 days.. even sooner I suppose if you had the time. I suggest it especially for 10++ but like I said anyone’s welcome I would recommend it to people Enjoy guys !

This book broke me, I just want to make that very clear before I get into the rest of this review. I don't know why I thought reading a book where the main characters die would be easier because their death is promised in title, it definitely isn't. Mateo lives a quiet life, too afraid of stepping out of his comfort zone to have done much living when he gets the call saying he's going to die. With his father in a coma and his best friend being a single mum to his goddaughter, Mateo feels alone and turns to Last Friend in the hope of finding someone to help him live his life in twenty-four hours. Rufus on the other hand lives the opposite of a quiet life, we meet him in the middle of beating up his ex girlfriend's current boyfriend and then he gets the call. It isn't the way Rufus saw things going, he'd already lost his parents and older sister to the Death-Cast, now it was his turn. As events unfold Rufus finds himself on the run from the police and separated from his friends, so Rufus also finds himself on Last Friend. "No matter how we choose to live, we both die at the end." I was really intrigued by the idea of Death-Cast, is life better when you know that you'll get a call on your End Day? Does it eliminate fear and encourage you to make the most of life? For Mateo it didn't, he spent his days indoors playing video games and following the last moments of others who got the call. Rufus says that it doesn't matter and that he and Mateo just need to accept what is happening and live. "...I think you should post your life in colour." Rufus and Mateo share their final hours together through Rufus' Instagram (so Gen Z, so relatable), sharing new experiences, getting to know each other and living as full a life as you possibly can in a day. For such an upsetting book there was some really touching moments that I don't want to ruin for any potential readers, but Mateo and his lego house made me very warm and fuzzy. "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." Throughout the book there are stories from other characters, one of those characters is Deidre Clayton, who goes through a tough time dealing with the whole premise of the Death-Cast and has suicidal thoughts because of it. Honestly one of my first thoughts about the subject when I read about it was how could anyone deal with the knowledge that one day their phone will ring and there's nothing you can do to change things? In life you like to think that death can be avoided, if you get in an accident that you could be helped, you can get treatment for illness and get better. The call is a unavoidable death sentence, and that's scary. "You can't go around telling people you wanna be a tree and expect them to take you seriously." Something I really liked about the book is the different conversations and opinions about the afterlife. For someone who is afraid of death, yes that's me -and I'm reading a book about so much death, it was really comforting for me to think about what could happen after death, some things I've never thought about. Death is so uncertain and there's no way to ever know what really happens, so we can choose to believe whatever we want if it helps us to navigate the world. It does help, or at least it does for me. "I will make it so easy for you to find me. Neon signs. Marching bands." Mateo and Rufus really were the most perfect characters to lead me through this story. Of course it's a curse that they didn't meet sooner but the time they did have together was made so special by their willingness to go all out and just be themselves. The two of them lived out what would have been months of a new friendship, in a single day, and it was beautiful. I could go on and on about this book, there's characters I haven't covered who are amazing but I want to leave something for anyone reading this who is going to pick up the book. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes YA/LGBTQ+ reads, obviously there is some sensitive topics in this book so please read at your own discretion and do so in the comfort of your own home with a partner or pet or stuffed animal nearby for all the cuddles -you're going to need a lot.

One of my favourite books ever