In a world where death isn't unexpected, Mateo and Rufus receive the calls that tell them they are destined to die today. They're young and have so much life left to live, but they will have to do all of that living before time gives up on them.
Mateo had always been a little paranoid, scared of the world around him, scared of bad people, and scared that he might be too much for some. His father is in a coma, and his only close relationships beyond that are his best friend and her one-year-old child. He’s neglected to live out of fear, but now he knows he must die he wants to make up for lost time. How better to do that than make friends with another decker - those destined to die – through the popular, though sometimes seedy, app known as Last Friends.
Rufus is making the biggest mistake of his life when he receives the call, becoming a man he’d never imagined himself being. After receiving his call, he runs to be in the arms of those he loves, the Pluto’s, friends from the foster home he lives in. But when his mistake comes back to bite him on the rear end, he’s forced to go on the run. He doesn’t want to die alone, good thing there’s an app for that.
They Both Die at The End is both heart-wrenching and wholesome in its narrative. As we read about Rufus and Mateo becoming each other’s last friends, and learn about their tragic backstories in the process, we see a friendship blossom from devastation. We see genuine human emotions, and the beauty that can flourish like a flower when it’s shared. Maybe there is more than friendship between the two?
Adam Silvera, as always, does an amazing, authentic job of convincing us that these characters share a deep and true connection; an amazing effort considering the novel is based over such a short period. It’s a story that lingers with you for a long while even after you’ve closed the book, a story which has all the elements to make you shed a tear; I did.
This book is a 5/5, and I would recommend this story to anybody.
Writings Of A Queer Mind 