They Both Die at the End by Adam SIlvera absolutely obliterated me emotionally… that’s how you know a book is good, right? After flying through this book in one day, I would do anything to go back and experience it again or the first time. I know this one will become a staple when I need a good cry or some wholesome romance. It has earned a spot in my reading hall-of-fame for sure!! (TW: death, loss, gun violence, drowning, gang violence, blood.)
“Two dudes met. They fell in love. They lived. That's our story.”
They Both Die at the End is a young adult fiction novel. It is set in a sort-of dystopian New York City, though it’s hardly different from our own. In this NYC, you get a call around midnight on the day you are going to die. You get no warning of how or when it will happen, just a heads-up that you will be passing away sometime later that day. There is no getting out of being a “Decker”, so it is best for one to just accept their fate and tie up any loose ends they may have before it’s quote literally too late.
When Mateo Torrez’s phone rings a little past midnight, he recognizes the DeathCast ringtone immediately. The worst part is he doesn’t even have someone to tell the news to. He never met his mother, who passed away when he was born, and his father is currently hospitalized in a coma. His best friend, Lidia, is all he has left, and he can’t bring himself to tell her. At 18, Mateo has spent much of his life tucked away in his room where he feels most comfortable. Frankly he thought he would have more time to live, and only after receiving the call does it dawn on him just how little he’s experienced in his little life.
Rufus Emeterio is a bit, uh, occupied when his phone rings at one in the morning. In fact, he’s busy beating someone up. That anger only grows when Rufus recognizes the ringtone as DeathCast. They didn’t even have the courtesy to call earlier- now he only has 23 more hours left to live. Just four months ago, his parents and sister all received their call on the same day and died in a tragic car accident, leaving him a 19-year-old orphan. Since then, he found a new family in the other kids at his foster home. He rushes home for a final goodbye, which is ruined by the police showing up. That’s how Rufus ended up alone on his last day on Earth.
"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."
Both boys have no one to turn to, so they make the obvious choice and download an app made specially for Deckers, the Last Friend. It’s kind of like a dating app, but for people who need a companion to spend their last hours with.
Rufus and Mateo meet up in the middle of the night, ready to make their goodbye tour. Can they fit an entire lifetime into one day?
My heart broke a million times over while reading this book. Mateo and Rufus were the most lovable protagonists. I almost didn’t want to read the ending as I hoped and hoped that the title of the book wouldn’t come true. All I wanted was for them to stay safe in their little oasis forever. I don’t know if I will ever fully recover from this story, but I do know that I will never hear the song American Pie the same way again. My, my.
“Maybe it's better to have gotten it right and been happy for one day instead of living a lifetime of wrongs.”
I am BEGGING you to read this book. And have tissues at the ready!
Rating: 5/5 risks worth taking
xx, Lauren
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