Okay everyone, I have a lot of feelings about They Both Die At The End. For the most part, those feelings involve an existential crisis about living in the moment, how everyone I know (and me, obviously) will die soon, what happens after we die, and if I am happy with my life as it is.
Yeah, it’s a lot.
They Both Die At The End
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 is: 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—an unforgettable day that will change both their lives forever.
Summary courtesy of www.adamsilvera.com
Do They Both Actually Die?
Yes, of course they both actually die. It tells you that right in the title!
And no, it doesn’t prepare you for it.
The entire book is based on this idea of ‘by knowing the day you die, you can live out your final hours exactly as you want to.’ So, the entire book, you know the characters will die. But you don’t know when. It could happen literally during any point of the book that one of the main characters will die.
Will I Have An Existential Crisis?
I don’t know. I did, my wife did, and everyone I know who read it did, so my guess is that you will. The main things I’m freaking out about are:
Everyone I know will die, some of them before me. How do I deal with that?
I’m going to die and it could happen at any moment.
Am I happy with my life? Should I be making changes?
What is the point of doing anything if we’re just going to die anyway?
What happens after we die?
What about the people we leave behind after we die?
I just don’t want to die!
These aren’t groundbreaking thoughts or anything, but these have been the thoughts swirling around in my head for days since reading the book.
Isn’t The Point Of The Book To Make You “Live”?
Yes, I imagine it is. The book isn’t cruel. It’s sad. It’s tragic. It’s kind of hard to read, especially for someone who has OCD that is often focused on the subject of death.
And certainly it has made me think about how I need to live my best life while I can. But if I was living the exact life I wanted, I wouldn’t work. I’d just travel, hang out with friends, and spend all my money. Obviously I shouldn’t do this.
But I can look at ways to incorporate more things into my life that are important to me. If it will happen or not I can’t say, since right now I’m busy still having a crisis.
But Was The Book Good?
I mean...sort of?
I had some problems with the novel. I hated the character voices, especially Rufus. They just felt so contrived and I had a hard time relating to the characters because of the tone.
The book is written in very simplistic language. This isn’t uncommon in YA and my writing isn’t flowery by any stretch of the imagination, but I would have liked a bit more.
Plus, this story felt like it should have been set in the future. The fact that it takes place in 2017 and social media sites like Instagram are mentioned alongside new apps like the Last Friend app pulled me out of the story at times.
All that being said, the world building was fantastic, the characters were interesting, and the plot came together in a way that I am envious of.
So I would say yes, the book is good. Not stellar, but definitely good and not a waste of time to read.
Would You Want To Know It Was Your Last Day?
For me, the answer is absolutely not. I know myself. I’d never be able to deal with it. Instead I’d spend the whole time panicked about when the end would come.
Plus then every single day I’d have the panic of waiting to see if I get a phone call telling me that it is my last day alive.
Remember how I have OCD? This would be very, very bad.
But what about the rest of you? Would you want to know when it was your last day? And why? I’m really curious to see how many people actually think it’s a good idea.
