They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera {ARC Review}

I was sent a physical Advanced Reader’s Copy through Kristina Boling through Twitter. This in no way influences my opinion.

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.

I think I may have said this in every review I’ve done, but They Both Die At The End may be one of my favorite books of 2017. If you have yet to read an Adam Silvera novel, it’s better late than never. He’s an author that you need to have on your ‘auto-buy authors’ list immediately. One thing about Adam Silvera novels is that they are inexplicably sad; They Both Die At The End was no different.

When you pick up They Both Die At The End (notice I say When and not If), prepare a special box of tissues. You’ll be doing quite a lot of crying. You probably already assumed that from the title of it, though. In my opinion, this book was probably the most heart-shattering out of all Silvera novels.

This book really hit close to home for me. Silvera opens the book with a small message about how his books are very personal to him. He wrote that They Both Die At The End was more about the opportunities he’s missed versus an actual experience. I really needed to read this. I may have talked about this briefly, but I will be at a new high school this year. I’m really anxious around new people. TBDATE really made me realize this: I have one life. I have one life to live, and I can’t sit around and let it pass by me.

Emotions aside, let’s talk about the book. I really didn’t expect to fall in love with these characters as much as I did. Mateo and Rufus (my sons)  are now some of my favorite characters in YA. Both of them were very flawed and felt very real. The character development is quite phenomenal in this book even though it takes place in a 24 hour window.

I really enjoy Adam Silvera’s writing style, and it was no different in TBDATE. Throughout the course of the book, there are a few different points of view. They mainly talk about others’ last day. They’re all important to the story, though, so please don’t skip them!

The one caution I’d like to address is this: if the talk of death or mortality makes you uncomfortable/gives you anxiety/etc., I would proceed with caution when reading They Both Die At The End.

Overall, this book was perfection, and I was not disappointed at all. I urge you to pick up They Both Die At The End on September 5! Also, the book’s setting is Sept. 5, so it gives you even more reason to binge read it the day it’s released. 🙂

So, what do I rate They Both Die At The End?

★★★★★/5 Stars

Were you able to score an ARC of They Both Die At The End? Did you enjoy it? If not, have you preordered it yet?