How would you feel if your death was pre-destined and you received a phone call the day you were going to die? 

Well, this is the main idea of Adam Silvera’s book They Both Die At The End. This book chronicles the tale of shy 18- year old Mateo Torrez, who receives a call from Death-Cast, an agency that calls people on the day that they die. This story also follows Rufus Emeterio, a confident and impulsive 18- year old, who also receives a call from Death-Cast. The two meet on The Last Friend app, which is an app for people who are going to die. 

At first, the pairing is awkward, and the two don’t mesh well, but over the course of the story, they become closer and more comfortable with each other, and the boys help one another to grow and reflect on their pasts and each of their mental health struggles. Mateo lets Rufus be emotionally vulnerable, which is something that he doesn’t get to do with others, and in turn, Rufus encourages Mateo to step out of his comfort zone. 

Their friendship eventually turns into a more intimate connection, and their bond is meaningful because they are completely honest with each other about their future. Both of them see each other for who they really are without pretense. They share moments and make the fullest of those moments with the knowledge that there isn’t much time left for either of them, and that is powerful because it conveys the message that every moment with your loved ones should be cherished. 

I think this piece is very compelling, and it teaches the reader about mortality and love against all odds. It teaches a lot of key lessons in a funny, age-appropriate way, and it taught me a lot about love and loss, and I resonated with the characters. The novel took me through the whole spectrum of emotions, from sadness, anger, and melancholy, and was really an emotional rollercoaster that I immensely enjoyed. This book also has themes of LGBTQ representation, which is good to be taught at a young age, and this book does exactly that in a great way by focusing on the strong relationship between the individuals and the deeper connection that they built throughout the story, rather than focusing on the romantic nature of the relationship.

All in all, this is a great read for any age; it deals with some difficult themes like death, grief, violence (mild), injury, mental health struggles (medium), and the fear of death.