Reviews with content warning for Cancer - The First to Die at the End

I am so happy with this. I knew this storyline was good and this book allowed for it to be executed properly in a way it didn't in They Both Die at the End (TBDATE) . While in TBDATE the ending felt very abrupt and the relationship between the characters unrealistic. In this story we get more details and more experiences between the two people to paint a more realistic picture of how strong of a connection you can make in a day when you are living the day because it is your last. And the deaths in this book were explained so I wasn't left with vague descriptions or questions. I am happy that is really was a beautiful, tragic love story and a very thought provokin theme: living in a world with Death-Cast

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thebookpaiges's review

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emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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james1star's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Bittersweet. So heartwarming and heartbreaking and just ughhh!! ❤️💔❤️💔 I feel like I need to take a break from reading queer romances that I know will inevitably end but even though I know what’s coming, my heart still breaks when it comes to reading it. Why do bad things have to happen to lovely people?!? Why?!? Excuse me while I go and have a little cry 😭😭

This is the prequel to a book I did really enjoy and took a lot of takeaways from: They Both Die at the End and I feel like it was a slightly better instalment. Because I enjoyed They Both I decided to preorder this (my first ever time getting a book on publication day - I was so excited!!) and thankfully I did because it was so good. I don’t want to explain the plot that much because you need to experience it first hand to have the intended impact but we follow two main characters (in first person interchanging chapters): Orion who has a heart illness, lost his parents in 9/11 and lives with his best friend Dalma and her family AND Valentino (that name… oof) who has just moved to NYC ‘with’ his twin sister Scarlett (she’s still in Arizona but planning on coming) to peruse their dreams and distance themselves from their homophobic catholic parents. They meet in Times Sq on Death-Cast Eve at a celebration and one gets the call that they will die that day. So instead of accepting death, both young men decide to live. Like They Both there are also third person chapters from peripheral.

The writing was very good, it’s addictively readable where you just want to read on and on, the plot flows well and things all fit together well. Like They Both I did find some of the side character’s stories were a bit unnecessary and not fully realised but was done better in The First. These chapters did take me out of the central storyline in some parts but everything does come together… a bit too well with some things leading me to think ‘ummm okay, kinda put that in to complete the jigsaw’ where maybe some more messiness would have been appreciated but overall I did enjoy it. We also meet little Mateo and Rufus which was nice. A main storyline in these side characters deals with a domestic abuse issue which was handled quite well and I was very much invested in it - less can be said for the side narratives in They Both.

Writing = good. Characters = perfection. I loved them so much. And from the start aswell, they were such lovable, kind, sweet, relatable and real people. ValentinOrion you have my whole heart (this relates to the book btw) and just their relationship was so beautiful. The events in their lives were so hard and really affected them both so much so they didn’t need what happened but like also they wouldn’t have had what they did have so Yhh… bittersweet. There’s no other word for it and even that don’t cut it. Also many of the other characters were really nice all except Frankie I’d say. I just wanted good things to come their way.

Like They Both, there is definitely a lot of focus on death and grief but once again Silvera threads this beautifully told notion of life throughout the book. How we only have one life and it’s there to be lived. There were lots of takeaways from this book (less so quotes but I feel like most YA books I’ve read aren’t the best at meaningful and amazingly penned quotes) which gripped me and I think were protracted very well.

Overall, I did really enjoy this book and totally recommend it. There sore some triggers but I think they were handed rather well and there’s important ideas and notions to take away. And come on, the love story is just everything. So damn cute but sad but lovely but shattering but ughh just everything. No more from me now, I’m such a rambler.

I did film a reading vlog if anyone wanted to see: https://youtu.be/Qnsnwt5yPmk

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