They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera: Book Review

^{This is a spoiler-free review.}

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

^{Published September 5, 2017 by Quill Tree Books.}

My rating:

Adam Silvera reminds us that there’s no life without death and no love without loss in this devastating yet uplifting story about two people whose lives change over the course of one unforgettable day.

On September 5, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: They’re going to die today.

Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they’re both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: There’s an app for that. It’s called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure—to live a lifetime in a single day.

When I heard about Silvera’s upcoming prequel to They Both Die at the End, The First to Die at the End, I thought it was the perfect time to finally share my thoughts on this incredible novel – and talk about how excited I am to read its successor!

It’s not every day that you come across a story with as much heart and soul infused in it as They Both Die at the End. I think the reason this novel resonates so strongly with so many people is that, despite the fact it takes place in a futuristic world where everyone knows exactly when they’re going to die, the story of Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio is a deeply human one.

Everything about this novel is great, but I especially loved the characters of Mateo and Rufus. Both shaped by very different backgrounds, Mateo and Rufus are unlikely comrades. But they both find themselves in the same predicament on September 5th – they’re both going to die sometime during the day. And maybe it’s that, their differences, that they are in most need of on the day of their death. Because as much as They Both Die at the End is about death, it’s even more so a story about life.

As Mateo and Rufus grapple with the insurmountable quest of determining how best to live their last day on Earth, I was reminded of the importance of making the most of my mortality, and the legacy I will be leaving behind. And as this book shows, your legacy doesn’t have to be big and encompassing to be valued. Your existence touching just one other person is meaningful.

This novel is such a powerful lesson on living in the moment and living for today. This book is such a great look at queer love, and queer existence, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. Just make sure you’ve got a fresh box of tissues beside you when you pick it up; because you will certainly need them!

Have you read They Both Die at the End?

What did you think of it?

Let me know!