They Both Die at the End
They Both Die at the End, by Adam Silvera 
Blurb:When Mateo receives the dreaded call from Death-Cast, informing him that today will be his last, he doesn't know where to begin. Quiet and shy, Mateo is devastated at the thought of leaving behind his hospitalised father, and his best friend and her baby girl. But he knows that he has to make the most of this day, it's his last chance to get out there and make an impression. Rufus is busy beating up his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend when he gets the call. Having lost his entire family, Rufus is no stranger to Death-Cast. Not that it makes it any easier. With bridges to mend, the police searching for him and the angry new boyfriend on his tail, it's time to run. Isolated and scared, the boys reach out to each other, and what follows is a day of living life to the full. Though neither of them had expected that this would involve falling in love...My ReviewAt first, I wasn't sure if I was going to like this book; I just didn't mesh with the writing style, however, once Mateo and Rufus met I was so absorbed by the characters that everything else just fell away and I ended up loving it! This is a hugely character driven book and I enjoyed the slower pace and the focus on feelings and development.I also enjoyed how there are multiple perspectives in this book, not just Rufus and Mateo, and I liked how all their stories interest, even if it's only passing each other in the street. I really thought this was a great touch and added something to the story, however, I couldn't help feeling that I wanted more information sometimes... Despite the fact that this book focuses on death and the fact that everyone is going to die and there is no way to stop it, it's also about living in the moment and seizing the opportunity to live, and love, whilst you can. It also (impossibly) manages to end on a vaguely hopeful note, talking about reincarnation, despite that last line which is intentional soft and vague, compared to Mateo's death, but also very obvious as to what happens. All in all, I loved the concept of this book (predicting death) and although the writing style sometimes tripped me up (quite often I had to go back and reread something), I really fell in love with the characters and, despite the title, I was really hoping for some kind of miracle, but still, I'm almost glad there wasn't one, because that would have detracted from the message of the book and made it less pungent and real.
My favourite quotes from 'They Both Die at the End': '... goodbyes are "the most possible impossible" 'cause you never wanna say them, but you'd be stupid not to when given the shot.' 'No matter how we choose to live, we both die at the end.' 'the biggest crime of tonight was not being able to hug his best friend goodbye.' ' "I don't need an apology. If you're fine with your decision, that's on you." ' '... stories can make someone immortal as long as someone else is willing to listen to them.' 'This is a world of violence and fear and children dying without having lived and she wants no part of it.' ' "There has to be an afterlife, Roof, because it's the only thing that makes dying this young fair." '
Blurb:When Mateo receives the dreaded call from Death-Cast, informing him that today will be his last, he doesn't know where to begin. Quiet and shy, Mateo is devastated at the thought of leaving behind his hospitalised father, and his best friend and her baby girl. But he knows that he has to make the most of this day, it's his last chance to get out there and make an impression. Rufus is busy beating up his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend when he gets the call. Having lost his entire family, Rufus is no stranger to Death-Cast. Not that it makes it any easier. With bridges to mend, the police searching for him and the angry new boyfriend on his tail, it's time to run. Isolated and scared, the boys reach out to each other, and what follows is a day of living life to the full. Though neither of them had expected that this would involve falling in love...My ReviewAt first, I wasn't sure if I was going to like this book; I just didn't mesh with the writing style, however, once Mateo and Rufus met I was so absorbed by the characters that everything else just fell away and I ended up loving it! This is a hugely character driven book and I enjoyed the slower pace and the focus on feelings and development.I also enjoyed how there are multiple perspectives in this book, not just Rufus and Mateo, and I liked how all their stories interest, even if it's only passing each other in the street. I really thought this was a great touch and added something to the story, however, I couldn't help feeling that I wanted more information sometimes... Despite the fact that this book focuses on death and the fact that everyone is going to die and there is no way to stop it, it's also about living in the moment and seizing the opportunity to live, and love, whilst you can. It also (impossibly) manages to end on a vaguely hopeful note, talking about reincarnation, despite that last line which is intentional soft and vague, compared to Mateo's death, but also very obvious as to what happens. All in all, I loved the concept of this book (predicting death) and although the writing style sometimes tripped me up (quite often I had to go back and reread something), I really fell in love with the characters and, despite the title, I was really hoping for some kind of miracle, but still, I'm almost glad there wasn't one, because that would have detracted from the message of the book and made it less pungent and real.My favourite quotes from 'They Both Die at the End': '... goodbyes are "the most possible impossible" 'cause you never wanna say them, but you'd be stupid not to when given the shot.' 'No matter how we choose to live, we both die at the end.' 'the biggest crime of tonight was not being able to hug his best friend goodbye.' ' "I don't need an apology. If you're fine with your decision, that's on you." ' '... stories can make someone immortal as long as someone else is willing to listen to them.' 'This is a world of violence and fear and children dying without having lived and she wants no part of it.' ' "There has to be an afterlife, Roof, because it's the only thing that makes dying this young fair." '
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