Starting with its spoiling title, the book They Both Die at the End left a lot of readers impacted by its beautiful yet angering development between the main characters’ relationship.

They both die at the end is the story of Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio who at midnight on September 5^th receive a call from Death-Cast, an organization that informs people when they will die. They do not know when or why. All they know is that it could happen anytime in the next 24 hours.

Upon receiving the call Mateo, who is very shy and isolated, panics. During this panic, he decides that he will live his life to the fullest on his end day. However, he cannot bring himself to leave his apartment. Instead, he downloads the Last Friend’s app. This app was made to connect people who received the call, also known as Deckers, with other people, and it allows them to meet during their end day. This is when he meets his last friend, Rufus, an orphan who has also received the call announcing his death. Rufus is on the run from the police for getting into a conflict with another guy. After talking and confirming they are who their profiles say they are, Rufus and Mateo decide to spend their day together.

They Both Die at the End is a remarkably interesting book. When you begin reading, the content manages to distract us from the fact that the title tells us exactly what will happen at the end of the book. This makes the book more angering and heartbreaking. The book manages to capture us in their adventures and in the character’s relationship until eventually we completely disregard what we know and begin to hope they make it through the day.

The book is beautifully written and regardless of the content, it does not have a depressing tone. However, it is not happy either. It has a lot of melancholy and sweetness. There is a mention, depiction, or reminder of death constantly, but there is also a very public romance and an extraordinarily strong image of friendship. There is a constant feeling of suspense, as we never know when the time has come or what will happen next.

Adam Silvera did not make this romance a quick instant love, instead, he shows the way their situation affects what these characters think and how they think it. He represents both perspectives and how they see the world through each other’s eyes. They comprehend each other and decide to trust, love, befriend, support, and accompany one another until the end. They ignore fate and write their own story, even if they cannot avoid the devastating ending.