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

They Both Die at the End 
by Adam Silvera
Publication Date: September 5, 2017
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
Genres: Young Adult - LGBTQIA - SciFi
Find it On: GoodReads - Amazon - B&N
My Rating: ★★★★☆

Synopsis:

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 and to live a lifetime in a single day.

My Review:

You'd think with a book called "They Both Die at the End," I wouldn't be letting myself love the characters. But nope, I played myself. I cried like a baby at the end.

In an alternate 2017, there is a service that calls you at midnight on the day you're going to die. They don't know how or when, but sometime before the next midnight is your time. Of course because this is 2017 and America, there are plenty of companies profiting on this system, including an elaborate social media website that connects "Deckers" together and catalogues their last day.

Mateo and Rufus, the main characters, are drawn to this site because they really have no one in their life to mourn them. They eventually say "screw it" and try the site, and what they find in their "Last Friend" is each other.

This isn't a coming-of-age story necessarily, because it only takes place in 24 hours, but you start with Mateo, a socially awkward boy who barely leaves his apartment, and Rufus, a foster kid who's filled with rage, and the two of them spend their literal worst day ever together and somehow bring out the best in each other.

It isn't quite insta-love either. They're dying. They know they're dying. But their connection to each other is so genuine and addicting to read. I never thought I'd support an "I love you" dropped within a day of meeting, but damn do these boys love each other and you can't tell me otherwise.

There's a great cast of supporting characters in their friends and their misadventures throughout the day are fun to read. I could have done without the side-stories, but, to be fair, this book would have been about 200 pages without them.I've never read Adam Silvera before, but you can bet I just ordered the rest of his books! 

Diversity Score: Own Voices (+5), MC of color (+2), Gay MC (+2), Supporting character of color (+1) = 10