The title is the biggest spoiler for They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera. And because it's Adam Silvera, of course the spoiler is true, but also because it's Adam Silvera, knowing the deaths will happen is not the same experience as reading them and feeling that pain. Mateo and Rufus spend their whole Last Day together, and when you spend 24 hours with mostly two characters, you really get inside their heads, so it made their deaths all the more miserable for me. I can tell you about how I felt, I can describe it with as many synonyms as my dictionary will allow, but no one can possibly understand all the emotions represented in this book unless they read it.
They Both Die at the End is based upon the premise that a company, Death-Cast, calls everyone on their Last Day notifying them that they will die in the next 24 hours. This gives people the chance to decide exactly what they want to do in the last piece of time they have in the world. There's an app, called Last Friend, where "Deckers" can meet other people, either other Deckers or healthy people, to spend their day with, so they don’t have to be alone. A major emphasis in this story was that it’s always better to go through life with a friend, or at least another person, and I think that can resonate with a lot of readers depending on how it’s executed. What I think made this point clear is that not all of the chapters focused on Rufus and Mateo, and some of them chose minor characters that they’d interacted with, showing a slice of their life. Everyone’s story was different, but their lives were all undeniably changed by other people in their chapter. Something significant happened to every single character, and to me, that is super powerful. Often authors make the choice to just forget about the small things, but there is so much detail in this book, and it’s obvious that Silvera spent time getting inside the head of the whole cast. Back to the main characters: I was already a bit heartbroken for both Mateo and Rufus before they even met, since they had each gotten to share part of their unfortunate family stories in narration. However, Silvera plays the whole tragic-backstory thing to the perfect degree. We get to see Mateo and Rufus feeling, we get their raw emotions as they contemplate their lives and their friends' and families', all without needless moping. It was a bit cheesy that the big message of the story was along the lines of “carpe diem” or “live each day to the fullest,” or some other motivational advice, but it worked. Mateo and Rufus were the sort of characters who were in need of that advice even before they found out they would die, and I liked how they got the chance to learn from each other over the course of the day. Mateo starts out anxious: he won’t leave his bedroom after he gets the call, he’s paranoid when crossing empty streets, and won’t get on the back of Rufus’ bike, even with a helmet. He learns not to be so afraid, that it’s okay to take chances and let everyone see who he truly is. I think his bravest moment is when he gets onstage at a club to perform a song, which is the one time he will get to fulfill his dream of being a singer. When we meet Rufus, he suppresses what he feels about his ex-girlfriend Aimee, he pushes away thoughts of his family, what happened to them, and all associated emotions. I love how Mateo was able to get him to open up, how by their becoming doomed friends Rufus finally had someone to confide in without having to worry about keeping a mask. What I liked about the minor character focus was the details, but I admire how Silvera got his readers to see the big picture of Mateo’s and Rufus’ personalities and experiences, especially how these reflected in how they dealt with their imminent deaths. One of my favorite parts of the story was where they went to the World Travel Arena with Mateo's best friend Lidia, and went "Around the World in 80 Minutes." They go on this tour, and do one of the activities, rainforest jumping, which is basically diving into a lake in this virtual rainforest. This is where Rufus really begins to face his reality, I think, and not just think about it from a distance. I’m sorry, my words got away from me with this one. It deserves five stars, because to say that They Both Die at the End is anything short of heart-wrenchingly beautiful would be to sell it short. I definitely recommend it as a truly touching story about life and the importance of appreciation for everything.
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The BaronessHey, I'm Shreya! I love to read, write, travel, and drink tea. Disclosure: I am an affiliate of bookshop.org and I will earn a small commission if you click the above link and make a purchase.
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