Reviews with content warning for Fire/Fire injury - They Both Die at the End

This was a very sweet and heartfelt book about an unlikely pair who find friendship and love after learning that they will be dead within the next 24 hours. There is also commentary sprinkled in about the value of Life, treasuring the little things and what Matters most, and the implications of living in a technologically advanced society where Death can be predicted —or in grim cases, manifested.

It took me way longer than I’d like to admit to finish this book - 6 months on and off? - and I can’t say if it was the first person pov switching or the pacing of the book that waned my interest. Every chapter switched the narrator pov just as I was starting to like them and get into who they were. The first 1/3 of the book is a lot of prolonged goodbyes , that let’s be honest , could have been whittled down so we could dig into the characters? After the 50% mark I think things got faster paced and things weren’t just a slog of “they visited x, they went to z”. There didn’t seem to be any real direction in the plot in the first half but in retrospect I think it makes sense that two teens who’ve learned they only have 24 hours to live would be pretty aimless in their direction of “End Day” activities.

There’s a beautiful butterfly effect that unfolds in this book when you realize how each character connects to each other and directly or indirectly influences the trajectory of the story. I am still in shock at the ending , even though I knew it was coming. Dang. Rufus and Mateo created a beautiful friendship and what’s great is they both overcame their fears and did the things that they’d wished they could do because they now had each other. I think this book had a lot of potential in fully weaving together the casts’ stories because although there was an attempt, it came in bits and pieces. This really is a story that only works well written once so I’m wondering what the other book(s) in the Deathcast universe hold. But I recommend reading this one for sure.

Content Warnings

rosesandstuff's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

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? Yes

3.75

The first section was really slow, but the characters grew on me quickly once they were together. The last two sections felt much faster and I actually had to pause my reading because I couldn’t see through my tears. It was a very intense cry that felt really good but it emotionally wrecked me for days (lovingly). I also read the short story about Mateo’s dad that was included in my copy, pushing through even more tears. You can kind of zone out the beginning, but I would definitely recommend if you want a good cry and some hope in humanity. Love is always inspiring, especially in cases like these.

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baghaii's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

Content Warnings

keepingitread's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Although you know what happens in the end, it does not make it any easier. You go in trying to distance yourself from the characters because you know but at some point, that wall comes down and you become attached to them. This book really make you think, how would I react? Would I want to know? What would I do on my end day?

Content Warnings