Hi! February has gone by insanely quickly, and I’m ashamed to say this is the only new book I read this month. I have another post coming soon, hopefully before the end of February, so look forward to that! Here’s a hint: it’s filled with really beautiful things. And without further ado, let’s get to the book review! 

They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera

~ 5/5 stars

~ ages 13 to adult

~ contains medium-sized spoilers for the book

This book was so beautiful. It’s the first book I’ve read that’s had such a clear and eye opening message. It made me want to leap into the world and do all the things I want to do. It made me want to cast away my fears and take life like it’s going to end in the next few hours. The book reminded me of my mortality.

The title of the novel is what attracted me to the book. After reading the book, I’ve decided that I love the title. It is clear and true and heartbreakingly sad. The premise of this book is as follows:

Mateo and Rufus, two teenagers, are told that September 5, 2017 will be their last day alive. They have 24 hours to live. They meet through an app, created specifically for “Deckers”, or people who are going to die in that day. The book spans their (more or less) 24 hours together, and is emotional, devastating, and so so impactful.

I loved every single character. Each person seems real, especially Mateo and Rufus. The emergence of their friendship is a beautiful thing, and one of my favorite parts of the book.

I loved the way each storyline was interconnected with the main plot. The kid who Mateo gives his shoes is one of the gang members associated with Peck, and hesitates to kill Mateo because he recognizes him as the stranger who helped him. Howie, the famous actor, is the one who wrote the name Lena on the pay phone that Mateo and Rufus see. The woman who admits them into the “Make a Moment” virtual reality place is the one who doesn’t commit suicide because she sees Mateo and Rufus, and how alive they are together. The two Last Friends who get on the train brush past Mateo and Rufus as they leave, and end up reading their diary. And finally, a theory of my own, Delilah is the one who waits in the park for her fiancé, who I believe hits Rufus with his car as he crosses the street in the last sentence.

SPOILER ALERT! I loved the ending most of all. It was simple and just felt so right. It ended without explicitly saying how Rufus died, but as I said above, I have my own theory. I think it’s wonderful how Silvera let us extrapolate our own ending. I was frustrated for a few minutes, until I realized that the ending fit the book perfectly. END OF SPOILER! It was lovely in every single way, especially in the way that it left things out that we didn’t need. I would be interested to know how the organization knows when people are going to die, but it didn’t matter to the storyline. Mateo and Rufus were going to die, and the book focused solely on this, rather than unnecessary details they wouldn’t care about on their last day alive.

The book was hauntingly sad and I couldn’t help but cry at a few moments during the book. One of the things that hit me the hardest was the line “It sucks that that was the last time I’ll ever dream.” -Mateo
I was smiling a few seconds before, and wanted to cry at this line. Death just hits you really hard, especially when you think of the something being the last thing you ever do.

In sum, I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend this to everyone. I finished it about half and hour ago, and I’m sitting here typing this with my heart still hurting. It was honest and so enlightening. It was a story of love of all kinds, of eminent death, and the stories of strangers that you’ll never know. I look forward to reading the rest of Adam Silvera’s books.

Let me know what you thought about “They Both Die At The End” or the rest of Adam Silvera’s books in the comments! Thanks for reading!!