They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
Rating: 4/5
Initial Thoughts: Even though you know what will happen you’ll still be heartbroken and shocked.
If you were told that you were going to die today, would you do anything different? This novel explores the die of using your final day to live your fullest life. It takes the “live like there’s no tomorrow” and really puts an interesting twist to it. So if you haven’t read the book, it’s about two boys named Rufus and Mateo and how they spend their Last Day.
I really loved the narration and how the two stories were different but intertwined so well. I loved the way each POV really showed different perspectives on death and life. They each have their own lives that are thrown off balance because of the news of their deaths. I hadn’t planned to read this novel but the cover and title caught my eye. I mean, They Both die at the End? How? Why? How could a spoiler be a title? Maybe they don’t die? All these questions ran through my mind as I picked it up.
I loved that the obvious holes in explanations (like how they even know they’re going to die? What technology/sorcery is this?) were just explained without actually getting into detail. It was just simple and I didn’t feel to disturbed trying to figure out logistics. His world-building was really well done. His descriptions were really well done and storytelling was fantastic!
There was one quote in particular that really twisted my gut: “Entire lives aren’t lessons, but there are lessons in lives.” I mean… wow. This book was strangely deep not only in specific instances like this, but the entire story was just something that really made me think about just living in general.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys sad stories/heartbreak, a little adventure, strange coincidences, and alternating POVs.
Star is All Booked Up 