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katykelly's review against another edition
5.0
What a unique idea... The world is like ours, but with one difference: every person has a blood test at birth that tells them the exact date of their eventual death. Now, to accept this idea and this book, you have to ignore the fact that the 'test' can apparently predict through blood if you're going to die in a car crash, an overdose, in a fire - not just cancers and old age. Hmmm. Just let it go.
The story picks up with 17-year-old Denton. His deathdate is tomorrow. And while this book is hilarious at times with one of the funniest narrators I can recall in YA fiction, it's also a scary and thought-provoking concept. He's known the date his whole life, he has long ago accepted it and lived a careful and rather dull life knowing he would never make it to his own prom, let alone college or the world of work.
But last night... it appears he's woken up in the bed of his best friend's sister... But he has a girlfriend... And his funeral is today. In Denton's world, the soon-to-die attend their own funerals, speak, and are able to hear everyone's thoughts on their lives. Denton's family, his older absent brother, Dad and stepmother are all there to support him in his final hours. Which are going to be anything but peaceful.
A very funny book, in spite of the subject matter - teenage death. Nobody knows just WHAT they will die from, which had me thinking of Final Destination in some scenes as possible deaths turned into near misses and 'Fate' seemed to be thwarted.
Denton makes a wonderfully appealing teenager - he's such a funny guy, with morals and a typical horny-adolescent streak that makes him more real. His best friend gets a better sidekick role than most, though the girlfriend and Dad are barely there. Stepmother Raquel gets a meaty role, and a lot of heart, as her feelings for the son she has raised are tested time and time again during two days that include alcohol, sex, guns, police, spreading rashes, funerals, and a Prom. Really liked her.
Such an unusual idea, but one that works. It's one to consider - if you could fund out the date of your own death, would you? Denton has no choice in the matter, and issues raised by an early death (would you go mad? Would you go on a rampage? Would you still go to school?) aren't really covered in any depth. Some people aren't able to have their own deathdates determined, and Denton's grandfather "remembers a time" when it wasn't possible to find out, reminding us of how bizarre the concept of the dead person attending their own funeral is.
It's madcap, it's a mystery, a comedy, a romance (though with at least two too many possible partners), and a teenage tale of finding your place and making a difference. A lot to cram into one book.
A lot to recommend this one, and one I raced through eagerly. Looking forward to the next in the series.
The story picks up with 17-year-old Denton. His deathdate is tomorrow. And while this book is hilarious at times with one of the funniest narrators I can recall in YA fiction, it's also a scary and thought-provoking concept. He's known the date his whole life, he has long ago accepted it and lived a careful and rather dull life knowing he would never make it to his own prom, let alone college or the world of work.
But last night... it appears he's woken up in the bed of his best friend's sister... But he has a girlfriend... And his funeral is today. In Denton's world, the soon-to-die attend their own funerals, speak, and are able to hear everyone's thoughts on their lives. Denton's family, his older absent brother, Dad and stepmother are all there to support him in his final hours. Which are going to be anything but peaceful.
A very funny book, in spite of the subject matter - teenage death. Nobody knows just WHAT they will die from, which had me thinking of Final Destination in some scenes as possible deaths turned into near misses and 'Fate' seemed to be thwarted.
Denton makes a wonderfully appealing teenager - he's such a funny guy, with morals and a typical horny-adolescent streak that makes him more real. His best friend gets a better sidekick role than most, though the girlfriend and Dad are barely there. Stepmother Raquel gets a meaty role, and a lot of heart, as her feelings for the son she has raised are tested time and time again during two days that include alcohol, sex, guns, police, spreading rashes, funerals, and a Prom. Really liked her.
Such an unusual idea, but one that works. It's one to consider - if you could fund out the date of your own death, would you? Denton has no choice in the matter, and issues raised by an early death (would you go mad? Would you go on a rampage? Would you still go to school?) aren't really covered in any depth. Some people aren't able to have their own deathdates determined, and Denton's grandfather "remembers a time" when it wasn't possible to find out, reminding us of how bizarre the concept of the dead person attending their own funeral is.
It's madcap, it's a mystery, a comedy, a romance (though with at least two too many possible partners), and a teenage tale of finding your place and making a difference. A lot to cram into one book.
A lot to recommend this one, and one I raced through eagerly. Looking forward to the next in the series.
pyromaniacblue's review
4.0
So all in all the book is pretty good average.That is till the plot twist happens then everything goes to hell. All matters is but Felix who knew.
nyeran's review against another edition
2.0
"I parenti riescono a romperti le scatole anche quando hai gia un piede nella fossa."
♠ Questa citazione rappresenta la mia vita.
Comunque, non ho odiato questo libro ma non l'ho nemmeno amato. Diciamo che mi è rimasto piuttosto indifferente. Quasi noioso. La scrittura in prima persona avrebbe dovuto perlomeno provare a coinvolgermi invece niente. La storia racconta avvenimenti che si dipanano nell'arco di due giorno, peccato che in nessun momento si avverta la sensazione di urgenza che avrebbe dovuto esserci. Non c'è un passare del tempo tangibile, sarebbe andato bene anche solo l'orario scritto all'inizio dei capitoli, invece niente, ma poi perchè dividere in due o più capitoli una cosa che si stà svolgendo nella stessa identica scena? Non si percepisce minimamente il tempo che passa e si perde tutto il pathos..
♠ Ho apprezzao molto l'incredibile comicità del libro e mi sono ritrovata più volte a ridere di gusto, una stella è tutta per Paolo e Denton. Ho apprezzato poco Veronica perchè non ho ben capito il suo ruolo nella storia. Si, dice a Denton che sua madre lo spia ma se avesse evitato di dirglielo ubriaca forse lui le avrebbe creduto un po' prima. Oltre a questo non fà altro. Fà più di quanto faccia Millie in realtà, la seconda però è riuscita ad intrigarmi molto di più, forse perchè nel suo caso Denton riesce a sprecare due frasi in croce e alcuni ricordi che la rendono un filino più profonda di una pozzanghera.
La fangirl in me comunque pensa che se Denton deve propria finire con qualcuna che almeno sia Millie.
♠ Questa citazione rappresenta la mia vita.
Comunque, non ho odiato questo libro ma non l'ho nemmeno amato. Diciamo che mi è rimasto piuttosto indifferente. Quasi noioso. La scrittura in prima persona avrebbe dovuto perlomeno provare a coinvolgermi invece niente. La storia racconta avvenimenti che si dipanano nell'arco di due giorno, peccato che in nessun momento si avverta la sensazione di urgenza che avrebbe dovuto esserci. Non c'è un passare del tempo tangibile, sarebbe andato bene anche solo l'orario scritto all'inizio dei capitoli, invece niente, ma poi perchè dividere in due o più capitoli una cosa che si stà svolgendo nella stessa identica scena? Non si percepisce minimamente il tempo che passa e si perde tutto il pathos..
♠ Ho apprezzao molto l'incredibile comicità del libro e mi sono ritrovata più volte a ridere di gusto, una stella è tutta per Paolo e Denton. Ho apprezzato poco Veronica perchè non ho ben capito il suo ruolo nella storia. Si, dice a Denton che sua madre lo spia ma se avesse evitato di dirglielo ubriaca forse lui le avrebbe creduto un po' prima. Oltre a questo non fà altro. Fà più di quanto faccia Millie in realtà, la seconda però è riuscita ad intrigarmi molto di più, forse perchè nel suo caso Denton riesce a sprecare due frasi in croce e alcuni ricordi che la rendono un filino più profonda di una pozzanghera.
La fangirl in me comunque pensa che se Denton deve propria finire con qualcuna che almeno sia Millie.
sjruskin's review against another edition
4.0
So much more entertaining than I expected. Can't wait for the next one. It was sci-fi, mystery and ya drama all rolled into one.
sarahanne8382's review
4.0
What if everyone knew they day they would die? That is the reality in Denton Little's world, and his Death Date is tomorrow. How does an otherwise healthy seventeen-year-old deal with their impending death? In Denton's case, dark humor plays a large part. This was fun.
draculaura21's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
aelong1399's review
3.0
It's kind of weird. But very interesting. You might describe it as a "non-stop thrill ride."
katiemichellereads's review against another edition
I received a free review copy of this book through Netgalley.
My reviews can also be found on my blog, Kittens and Books.
Denton lives in a world where everybody knows what day they will die. His own is only one day away. But the day before his funeral, Denton's life seems to speed up - he's suddenly involved in a love triangle, recieves a death threat, has a purple rash on his leg that might be the disease that will kill him, and meets a strange man at his funeral who claims to have known his dead mother. He has many questions that he fears will go unanswered, because tomorrow he will be gone.
While the premise seemed interesting, this one just wasn't for me. A big piece of Denton Little's Deathdate relies on the humor, and I did not find it especially funny.
The story started off well, and I thought it would be a quick, light read. I laughed a few times, and definitely saw where people were coming from when they called it funny. The story began to fall short for me around Denton's funeral, which was a little more than 10 percent through. There was a chapter told in second-person that felt awkward to me, and I did not enjoy the love triangle that was developing - to me, it seemed like both girls would be far better off without Denton.
The more the story progressed, the less I found myself caring about how Denton would die or what would happen next. After making it about a third of the way through the book, I decided to put it down and find something different to read.
I think you really have to connect with the humor in order to enjoy this one, and probably like Denton himself a little more than I did. Based on what I read, I would probably give the book about three stars - it was well-written, and there were aspects of the story that I enjoyed. I just didn't like it as much as I had hoped to.
My reviews can also be found on my blog, Kittens and Books.
Denton lives in a world where everybody knows what day they will die. His own is only one day away. But the day before his funeral, Denton's life seems to speed up - he's suddenly involved in a love triangle, recieves a death threat, has a purple rash on his leg that might be the disease that will kill him, and meets a strange man at his funeral who claims to have known his dead mother. He has many questions that he fears will go unanswered, because tomorrow he will be gone.
While the premise seemed interesting, this one just wasn't for me. A big piece of Denton Little's Deathdate relies on the humor, and I did not find it especially funny.
The story started off well, and I thought it would be a quick, light read. I laughed a few times, and definitely saw where people were coming from when they called it funny. The story began to fall short for me around Denton's funeral, which was a little more than 10 percent through. There was a chapter told in second-person that felt awkward to me, and I did not enjoy the love triangle that was developing - to me, it seemed like both girls would be far better off without Denton.
The more the story progressed, the less I found myself caring about how Denton would die or what would happen next. After making it about a third of the way through the book, I decided to put it down and find something different to read.
I think you really have to connect with the humor in order to enjoy this one, and probably like Denton himself a little more than I did. Based on what I read, I would probably give the book about three stars - it was well-written, and there were aspects of the story that I enjoyed. I just didn't like it as much as I had hoped to.