by
3.85 of 5 stars
A 15-year-old has only 24 hours to make the most of his life, in this darkly funny debut novel. read full description

reviews

Aug 01, 2010
Morgan rated it: 3 of 5 stars
This book is about 15-yr-old Ollie on the day he gets his Deathday Letter. A Deathday Letter is basically a notice sent to you 24 hours before you are scheduled to die. So that sucks. Ollie, however, is your typical teenage boy. All he thinks about are sex, girls, food, and sex. So on his last day, what is there to do? Well, Ollie, his best friend, and his longtime crush are going to find out.

I did not like Ollie nor did I find his humor funny. As he constantly pointed out and More...
9 comments like (6 people liked it)
Aug 05, 2011
Courtney rated it: 3 of 5 stars
What would you do if an omnious letter telling you only have 24 hours to live arrived on your doorstep? Write a will? Spend time with your loved ones? Jump off a bridge and confess to your best friend they are the love of your life? To each his own. Who knew death could be so lively? The Death Day Letter makes "the final farewell" memorable and sentimental. Written in the first person POV, the male protagonist doesn't hold back in claiming what he wants before he says his last words. I More...
0 comments like (1 person liked it)
Mar 21, 2011
Braiden rated it: 4 of 5 stars
After having The Deathday Letter by Shaun David Hutchinson on my shelf since last year, I had finally gotten around to reading it. I am happy that I did read it, because it had told me a lot about myself and the so many things I need, desire or want to do before I escape this world. However, there were parts which kind of didn't interest me, as although some of what they did is what many boys/girls desire to try out before they grow too old or die, they weren't necessarily activities that I want More...
0 comments like (1 person liked it)
Dec 24, 2010
Sherrie rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Where do I even begin?

Ollie has 24 hours to live, only he isn't sure how to spend his last day on earth. He just knows he wants to be with his friends and family, as long as they don't get all mushy on him. This book had me laughing from the beginning. I mean, if you don't like penis jokes or 15-year-old boys who masturbate, then this probably isn't the book for you because seriously, that's just the first page.

Somehow, Shaun David Hutchinson has managed to create a poignant More...
0 comments like (1 person liked it)
Jun 10, 2011
Medeia rated it: 4 of 5 stars
This YA novel has a realistic setting, but the only fantastical thing about it is that people get something called a Deathday Letter a day before they die. When Ollie sees that one has been delivered to his house, he assumes it’s for someone older, say a grandparent. But no, it’s for him.

This sends him on a trail of what-ifs and adventures on his last day of existence. With the help of his friends he awkwardly parties, doing things he’s never done before, even illegal things. Ski More...
0 comments like (2 people liked it)
Jan 08, 2012
Shane rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Ollie Travers is a typical teenage boy that only thinks about sex, food, girls, and sex. He receives the infamous deathday letter in the mail that says he will die in 24 hours so he decides to go out with a bang. He goes on crazy adventures with his best friend but all he truly wants to do is make things right with the girl of his dreams. I was thrilled with the humor thrown into the book and I was relatively disappointed at how tedious it got at times but it was pretty easy to overlook due t More...
0 comments like (1 person liked it)
Mar 27, 2011
Amy rated it: 5 of 5 stars
The Deathday Letter is about a 15 year old boy named Ollie whos' only interest are girls and sex. But one day, he recieves a letter in the mail telling him that he only has 24 hours to live. Ollie and his best friend undergoes all of these ludicrous adventures including smoking pot, facing his fears and best of all, setting things right for with his ex-girlfriend. Ollie tries to convince the love of his life to take him back after the break-up. Thats all he wants before he dies, one last love.
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0 comments like (1 person liked it)
Oct 28, 2010
Melanie added it
I think it’s entirely possible that I was meant to be a boy, because I find snarky, hormonal teenage male narrators to be absolutely hilarious. It might be wrong for a book about death to be this funny, so it’s a good thing Shaun David Hutchinson’s The Deathday Letter is actually a book about life–Ollie’s last day of life. When Ollie receives a Deathday letter telling him he has only 24 hours to live, he takes the news pretty stoically. He plans to spend his last day doing normal things and bid More...
0 comments like (2 people liked it)
Aug 31, 2010
Myhotstylist rated it: 5 of 5 stars
THIS - BOOK - WAS - AWESOME!!!!

Hardly classify this as YA considering the amount of sex references, penis jokes, drug and alcohol use, but we start out knowing our main character Oliver A. Travers is going to die. So we get to go with Ollie on his last 24 hours on earth. Think Ferris Buelers Day off, but with a death sentance. This was an emotional roller-coaster ride with Ollie and his 2 best friends, Shane and Veronica (Ronnie). This book will teach you alot, about living in the mo More...
May 29, 2010
Nadia rated it: 5 of 5 stars
This book is about a boy named Oliver Aaron Travers, who prefers being called just Ollie. Ollie is a typical 15 year-old boy who mostly thinks about is girls. That is until one morning he receives a Deathday letter. After someone receives a Deathday letter they only have 24 hours to live. When Ollie gets his letter he wishes his family would stop being all mushy about it and let him have a pleasant Deathday. On Ollie's Deathday he manages to jump off a bridge, steal clothes from Walmart, getting More...
0 comments like (2 people liked it)
Aug 19, 2010
Once Upon added it
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Aug 09, 2010
I really didn't know what to expect with The Deathday Letter except for what happens on the first page which I already knew about, but if I hadn't I would've probably been quite shocked. I shouldn't have been since the book is written by a guy after all, and it's about a 15 year old crazy hormonal boy so it should be expected that there will be lots of talk about sex and girls.
This story is about a boy named Ollie that wakes up one day to find a Deathday Letter which means that he has onl More...
0 comments like (2 people liked it)
Aug 06, 2010
Imagine if we lived in a world where 24 hours before you die you get a letter informing you of your demise. Blessing or curse it doesn't matter what your opinion is you will recieve your letter when the time comes. This is the world of 15 year old Oliver Travers, and this his deathday story.
I wasn't sure what to expect with this book becuase it's not what I normally read but I have to say I really enjoyed it. It didn't drag me down with depression or make me all teary eyed. Actually it mad More...
May 31, 2010
Julie rated it: 4 of 5 stars
I won this book in the First Reads Giveaway.

The Deathday Letter is a story of a teenager named Oliver Travers. Oliver woke up one morning to his family huddled together in shock as they stared at his Deathday Letter. Deathday Letters are the standard in Ollie's world and it informs him that he has 24 hours to live. This book covers his last day and the adventures that he encounters.

I received this book on 05-23-10 and the moment my husband brought it in, I ripped it ope More...
Jul 15, 2010
Lyly rated it: 2 of 5 stars
I found this book quite interesting. This book is about a boy, Oliver. He received a letter saying that he was going to die in the next 24 hours. in the time limit that he has, he did things he never did before like skipping schools and burning all the textbooks. He spends his last day with his best friend,Shane, and his ex-girlfriend,Ronnie. They were spending Oliver's last day by doing things from a list that they created when they were little. There were also crazy stuff that they were doing More...
Jul 15, 2010
Reading Angel rated it: 5 of 5 stars
As the readers note on the very first page will tell you. There will be no miracle, no deus ex machina, that will come in and save our lovable main character. He will die at the end of the book, but the point is not his death, it's his life.

That statement is very true for this book. I fell so totally in love with Ollie that I kept wishing for that miracle, even though I knew it wasn't coming. Ollie was a fantastic person to be able to get inside the head of. He's funny and inter More...
0 comments like (1 person liked it)
Aug 04, 2011
Shimin rated it: 5 of 5 stars
This book is about the main character got his death day letter telling him that he will die after 24 hours and so he wanted to have some special memories. The most important, to rescue his love.
People are brave when they know they are gonna die soon. They have no worries, and do fun things they've been always wanted to do but didn't have enough courage. Courage is very important, in everything, everyone. Without it, your life would be as boring as a corpse.
If the day before More...
Jul 02, 2010
Kylene (KyandMatt) rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Oliver lives in a world where you get a Deathday letter 24 hours before you're going to die. It gives you time to say goodbye to everyone and possibly do things you wanted to do but haven't had the chance. The problem is, Oliver is only 15.

This story takes us on a journey through Oliver's last day. From skipping school to trying to lose his virginity. Its a sad plot line but written in a very enjoyable way. I think Hutchinson did a great job of making me laugh out loud through most More...
0 comments like (1 person liked it)
Jun 08, 2010
Maria added it
The Deathday Letter asks the question: What would you do if you knew that you only had 24 hours to live? This is the question fifteen-year- old Oliver (Ollie) Travers must answer when he receives his Deathday Letter, the letter that informs him that he will die early the next morning.

From the beginning, The Deathday Letter wasn’t quite what I was expecting. In fact, I wasn’t sure what was in store after reading the summary. But once the story got started, Ollie’s voice and interacti More...
Oct 21, 2011
Aimee rated it: 3 of 5 stars
I had high hopes for this book, I just thought the synopsis sounded AMAZING, but this book just did not live up to my expectations. I did enjoy this book, but I really thought the focus of the book would be completely different. I was hoping the book would focus a bit more on the Deathday Letters, but I was disappointed. I really liked the idea of knowing when a person would die; this ensured you did everything you could to bring closure to yourself and your friends. Overall, I did think Oll More...
Apr 20, 2011
Terri rated it: 4 of 5 stars
so i decided to read this book because i really enjoyed deadline by chris crutcher and they share an idea of knowing you are going to die and trying to do everything to make your mark on the world before it happens

when i first started reading deathday i wasn't sure i was going to enjoy it...the nature of the humor in the book was unexpected and i wasn't really liking it...then i took a step back and approached the book from a different angle mentally and i found that i really enjoyed More...
0 comments like (1 person liked it)
Sep 23, 2011
Bev rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Okay, I'm just going to start right off and say that Young Adult fiction isn't my usual cup of tea. I read this one because I needed a book by a debut author for my Fall Into Reading Challenge and when I did a search for that sort of thing The Deathday Letter by Shaun David Hutchinson came up several times. And my library actually had it. And the premise sounded interesting. But, just to be absolutely honest, if I'd known before I brought it home that it was YA....I don't know that I'd have orde More...
Jan 09, 2011
Kyleigh rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Let's get one thing very clear from the beginning. Ollie is going to die. Period. There is no way around a Deathday Letter, it wasn't a mistake, he dies. Did I just crush all your hope for a happy ending? Good. Now hopefully you won't cry, like I did. It clearly states that he is GOING TO DIE in the intro, but still... I cried. Maybe I'm a sap, well yes I am, but still. Thanks so much to The Traveling ARC Tour! I'm very happy I signed up for this tour. It was well worth it.

T More...
Mar 27, 2011
Honey rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Likes

-The concept was what drew me in. In Hutchinson's world, everyone gets a letter 24 hours before their death. The book follows Ollie, a teenage boy who receives his deathday letter. Who wouldn't want to know what happens?
-The characters were all well developed. Each had their own personality. On top of that, we get to learn about events in their past that shaped who they are. The character development was impressive considering that it's a stand alone book
-Ollie was h More...
Jul 24, 2011
Kayt rated it: 1 of 5 stars
Ollie is your typical 15-year-old guy: he doesn't car about anything but girls, and maybe hanging out with his best friend. The day he receives his Deathday Letter, though, they decide to have the time of their lives.

I was expecting more, but after reading it I understand why I found it in the $1 bin only a year after its release. The Deathday Letter was little more than an excuse for Ollie and his friend Shane to go on an illegal spree of stupidity. We don't find out why there are Dea More...
Jul 24, 2010
Laurie rated it: 4 of 5 stars
If you knew you had one day to live, what would you do with it? That is Ollie's dilemma. One morning he enters the kitchen to see his sad-faced family staring at him, a dreaded Deathday Letter on the table. After the bad news sinks in Ollie goes to.... School. I wasn't sure if I would like this book and I really did. This story was hilarious.

Ollie, 15, is a typical guy, always thinking about food and sex (he admits it too) until he receives his Letter. Even then he's still thinking More...
Jul 15, 2010
Alex rated it: 5 of 5 stars
I can honestly say I never expected this book to be as good as it was. I feel so stupid for not thinking I would like it as much as I did because, believe me, it was incredible. For a plot that seems so simple at first glance, The Deathday Letter is anything but simple. It is such a great book that will stick with me for a while, for sure.

Ollie was such a real character, as were the rest of the characters in this astonishing debut. Hutchinson pretty much got the teen boy persona down More...
2 comments like (1 person liked it)
Sep 26, 2010
Audrey rated it: 3 of 5 stars
Ollie has received his Deathday Letter. It's the letter that everybody gets on the day they are going to die, giving 24 hours of warning. In response, Ollie and his best friends, Shane and Ronnie, go for a last hurrah. They do a variety of fun, crazy things, like jump off a bridge, get high, and buying out three stores worth of pudding in the name of love. None of it changes the fact that Ollie will die, but it does give him the opportunity to make things right with the girl that got away.
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Apr 03, 2011
BL834 rated it: 5 of 5 stars
The only reason I read this book is because it was recommended on Unshelved (http://www.unshelved.com/bookclub/2011-1...). Like the reviewer, I was intrigued by the "what would you do if you had 24 hours left" idea, but didn't really expect to be pulled into a 15-year-old boy's head while considering the question.

I laughed a lot, even as I cried. (I cried through most of the second half of the book, to be honest. Not necessarily because it was sad, but because it was exa
0 comments like (1 person liked it)
Feb 02, 2011
Christine rated it: 5 of 5 stars
What would you do if you knew you would die the next day? Although this book begins by telling you that Oliver is going to die at the end, it's really funny all the way through.
Set in a world where a "Deathday Letter" arrives 24 hours before your demise, Oliver knows his end is coming, and yet he still plans to go to school and have a normal day. But after he shows the letter to his best friend Shaun, he's convinced to spend his past day living through his abbreviated Bucket Lis More...