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 shouldn't have set out to finish this at work on my lunch break. It made it kind of hard to get through the rest of my day like a normal person.
I was excited, but a little nervous, to pick up They Both Die At The End. We know how it ends--and isn't that enough? I couldn't help but think that it would be too hard to get through.
But, in the end, that's the point. And it is and isn't too hard to get through.
I was sucked in by Mateo's almost cloying goodness, his sweetness, and Rufus' passion for trouble and taking charge. I was pleasantly surprised by the other voices who pop in and out of this story as the day unfolds.
It's a story you can't help but blaze through, even as you're terrified of where it's going to go. What a heartrending, gorgeous, life-affirming story with beautiful, heartbreaking characters. God, that last line.
Should you read it? This book wrecked me, in the best way. I can't stop thinking about it, or telling all my friends about. Everyone should read it.
5 Stars
*I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.*
Published September 5, 2017 by HarperTeen