They both die at the end, by Adam Silvera

Title: They both die at the end
Author: Adam Silvera
Genre/ issues: YA. Queer fiction. Friendship. Death.

Shop local where you can: For Australian readers, you can find this book on Booktopia, or support your local independent bookstore. US readers, check out Bookshop.org.

They Both Die at the End, by Adam Silvera. Sigh. They really did, huh? I mean, it’s right there on the cover. I’ve seen countless reviews where people talked about hoping against hope that they’d get to the end and discover that Rufus and Mateo made it past the end alive and intact. I guess, once I met them, I was just holding out hope that this had all been some elaborate ruse that everyone was in on, and I’d finish the book to discover they made it ok too. Sigh.
So, the premise is fairly simple. Roughly current day, but there’s a corporation that has the ability to know who is going to die, so from midnight people who are scheduled to die at some point in the next 24 hours get the call. They know it’s their last day, and they get to decide how to live it, and who to live it with. Rufus and Mateo live very different lives, but have their own reasons for seeking out a stranger, a fellow Decker, to share their last day with. What follows is an epic 24 hours – well, slightly less than 24 I guess – in which these two amazing souls criss-cross New York and get to know each other, and themselves, much better. I love the interplay of other characters’ lives, some weaving in very briefly with our main characters, others recurring, but all impacting in some way on the course of this heartbreaking and beautiful final day. How would you spend tomorrow if you knew it was your last? Would you be happy with how you spent today? I’m leaving this book reflecting on what’s important to me, and what’s really not in the grand scheme of things. It’s a beautiful read.

#TamaraReads #2020readingchallenge 75/100

Happy reading,