They Both Die at the End - Adam Silvera

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"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—to live a lifetime in a single day."

Mateo and Rufus are going to die today. They both received a call from Death-Cast, and Death-Cast is never wrong. 

Mateo, plagued by anxiety and paranoia, wants to spend his last hours on earth saying goodbye to his best friend and her baby, visiting the hospital where his father is in a coma, and leaving some kind of mark on the world. He wants to...but instead he finds himself still locked away in his apartment three hours after receiving the call, afraid to venture into the outside world.

Rufus, who received the call in the middle of pummeling his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend, narrowly avoids being arrested for the assault during an impromptu funeral with his foster parents and best friends. Now, alone in the world with less than 24 hours left to live and unable to go home, he isn't sure what to do.

Enter the Last Friend app. After several depressing, sketchy, and disappointing interactions, both Mateo and Rufus are ready to give up on the app. Mateo gives it one last shot, though, contacting Rufus who, with understandable reluctance, agrees to pick Mateo up at his apartment so the pair can begin living their last day to its fullest. But what begins as a partnership of convenience between two dying teenagers quickly blossoms into something more. Mateo inspires Rufus with his kindness and gentle spirit, and Rufus pushes Mateo to take risks, put himself out there, and do the things that he has always been too afraid to try. 

This book is both heartbreaking and beautiful. The relationship that blossoms between Mateo and Rufus warmed my heart, and the way their lives intertwined with the many side characters introduced throughout the story was both fascinating and inspiring. Given less than 24 hours to live, most of us would think, understandably, that this is far from enough time to leave our marks on the world. What this book shows us, however, is that what we see as tiny actions can have a huge ripple effect. They Both Die at the End reminds us that simple acts can have a vast impact. 

A series of brief reviews

Life has been coming at me fast recently, with trying to complete a certificate in early childhood education while also going in for a series of interviews that have now resulted in me starting a new job for the first time in (gulp) more than five years. Consequently, I haven't had the mental bandwidth to post as many book reviews as I would like to. It's heartbreaking, I know. To prove that I'm still reading and tide us over, I thought I would post some of the books on my currently reading list and give an overview of how I'm liking them. Buckle up! I'm not a monogamous reader.

The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee

"It occurs to me suddenly why the pair of them may be lounging in the middle of the day, and I freeze, blushing before I have confirmation of my suspicions. 'Oh no. Am I interrupting something marital and romantic?'

'Felicity, please, it's six in the evening,' Monty says with great indignance, then adds, 'We've been fornicating all day.'"

Uh, yeah. I'm like two chapters in and already love this every bit as much as I enjoyed The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue. Mackenzi Lee, you're a wonder. Please never stop writing books.

Wildcard by Marie Lu

Much like the first book in this duology, Warcross, I want to love this but I don't. Everything about the premise is appealing, and after finishing Warcross I was dying to know what the deal with Zero was, but I just can't get into it. I don't know if it's the pace or what, but meh...I feel like I'm slogging through this one.

Pride by Ibi Zoboi

I wasn't exactly head-over-heels for Ibi Zoboi's American Street, but I have high hopes for this one! I'm a sucker for retellings of Pride and Prejudice, and I'm looking forward to seeing how this one goes.

The Fates Divide by Veronica Roth

Awwww, yes! I didn't review Carve the Mark, but it was a solid 4 stars for me on Goodreads, and I was dying to get my hands on this one. I'm a little over 2/3 of the way through, and ohhh boy, it is all the adventure, action, and intrigue that I had hoped it would be.

Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

This one is a re-read for me (or a re-listen, I suppose, since I'm listening to the audiobook), and I will never tire of revisiting this series. Every time I do I love it more. If you're a fan of badass chicks, vibrant characters, and adventures in space, pick these up.

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

Another reread and another series I will never tire of revisiting. I just want Jace to be happy!