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clovetra's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
now i will start this off by saying out of the two currently published books in the death-cast series, this one is the best. ill be real tho and say its not by much.
ill say that i find silvera's writing style a bit... repetitive? not saying its shit because it very much is not shit!! its just not something i prefer
like every so often an inspirational phrase like "im going to live my life, even if i die" or some shit is said and i want to put the book down from annoyance.
help this sounds so mean I DONT MEAN IT TO ðŸ˜
i will say orion & valentino are cute, and the added suspense surrounding the validity of death-cast is a nice added feature! i found with the other book in this series, i did not find myself experiencing any tension because you knew the main characters were going to die. i liked the added concern regarding if death-cast is legit or not! i mean it kind of was in vain and i knew that deep down but its fine i was delulu.
what else? most characters felt shallow to me, but i will say i did love love love gloria's story. valentino & orion i was a bit meh on.... but i liked seeing joaquin as well.
i don't know i think im not the target audience for this book. and that's ok! not every book is made for every reader! i held out hope that me not liking [book:They Both Die at the End|33385229] was isolated to that story and my feelings didn't extend to silvera's other stories, but sadly it did :(
i could see myself reading the third instalment of this series, but other than that sadly i don't think i'd enjoy his other works. to me, they read quite surface level, are repetitive & i find the tone and pacing quite uncomfortable. for me.
i hate writing negative reviews
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, Death, Murder, Medical content, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Homophobia, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Blood
purplee_rain89's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Just like the first book, this story was so heartbreaking, yer incredibly beautiful. I really loved the way it was written; I felt like I was in the situations the characters were in myself and was really able to feel with them. Orion and Valentino's love story might be tragic but in contrast to the first book, it was so beautiful to see one of them live on with the help of the other. I also love how Adam Silvera portrayed the concept of "change the things you can and accept the things you can't change" perfectly, e.g. with Scarlett not being able to see Valentino for one last time and his parents never truly accepting him and loving him as they should. But he still got all the closure he could from their last phone call and the fact that both Scarlett and Valentino found a family with Team Young had something really hopeful about it and I'd like to think that they ho on to heal from his death together.
Another great thing was all the connections you had to the first book! Like Valentino and Orion meeting the younger versions of Rufus and Mateo and even Rufus family, especially his mom who obviously played a big role. Plus, Dalma being the creator of the Last Friends app was beautiful as well.
Just like with the the first book, I found this story to be really inspiring and somewhat motivating to think of life differently and not take it for as granted as we're used to. It really is a whole different perspective to see life through the eyes of someone who knows their death is basically around the corner and it gets you to think about your own views and how maybe you shouldn't wait to do the things you want to do. You need to actually LIVE and to be alive for as long as you can. I could go on and on about how beautiful I think these books are but I'd never finish, so just a huge thank you to Adam Silvera for writing these amazing stories (and also for all the queer and Latino representation in it) <3
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Grief, Chronic illness, Physical abuse, Murder, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Outing, Terminal illness, Violence, Religious bigotry, Cursing, Car accident, Child abuse, Death, Homophobia, and Medical content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Misogyny, and Gun violence
Minor: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Panic attacks/disorders, and Alcoholism
kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Car accident, Cursing, Infidelity, Mass/school shootings, Blood, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Gun violence, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Violence, Child abuse, and Death
auggie_reads's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Gun violence, Death, Death of parent, Child abuse, Medical content, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Homophobia and Sexual content
navayiota's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual content, Car accident, Cursing, and Homophobia
4riareads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Grief, Violence, Death, Chronic illness, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Mass/school shootings, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Physical abuse
bookishmillennial's review
- 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
As everyone knows, this is the prequel to TBDATE & it covers the first day that Death Cast launches, which is so intriguing because it rang true to how I thought our current society would treat the service too. There would absolutely be naysayers & doomsdayers galore! I felt Adam did an excellent job in illustrating the many emotions and wonders of the characters when it came to Death Cast's new service and what it meant for their lives.
Was I as wrecked as TBDATE? No, but that's because I fully knew what was coming. My dumbass really thought the title was clever and that the author was trying to trick readers and not actually a spoiler of how that book would end hahaha. However, I did get attached to and root for Orion and Valentino, two boys who deserved to be happy and healthy.
I listened to the audiobook, and thoroughly enjoyed the narration. These books call into question how we shouldn't take our days for granted, and I love those reminders.
ALSO !!! Rufus + Mateo cameos?! Like are you kidding?! BE STILL MY HEART <3
"While Death-Cast can only tell someone when they will die, they can't predict how someone's life will change on their End Day. The Decker must make those discoveries themselves by living with the fullest of hearts, down to the last beat."
"I don't want to mistake another day as ordinary again."
"I understand that the person who gets the Death-Cast call isn’t the only one dying. If you really hold someone in your heart, you die too."
"Life shouldn't be about to end before someone begins living."
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Homophobia, Gun violence, Abandonment, and Child abuse
Moderate: Grief, Cursing, and Medical content
Minor: Car accident and Sexual content
baileyraebooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
every time the 9/11 stuff came up it caught me way off guard. longer than i personally thought it needed to be.
Graphic: Gun violence and Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Child abuse
bug_lightyear's review against another edition
4.5
Second read in 27 hours at 70% speed
I really enjoyed this book on the first read as I read it over a couple of days and it felt like I was visiting New York with the boys, and it's a super sweet love story despite the fact that it all happens in around 24 hours.
On second read I was more bothered by the violence (guns, domestic abuse, fights) and the visiting New York was shorter than I remembered, but I went to watch some videos about the Highline, Brooklyn Bridge and 9/11 memorial for my virtual trip to New York and it was nice to follow along on their adventures and have some inspiration on what to see next.
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Domestic abuse, and Death
Moderate: Child abuse
greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Chronic illness, Gun violence, Death, Death of parent, Mass/school shootings, Medical content, Murder, and Violence