A review by nannerl
They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
3.25
I am going to be a lone voice and admit that I didn't fall in love with this book.
Without any doubt, it explores an interesting concept: what would you do if you knew that you were going to die in the next 24 hours? How would you spend your last day on earth, with whom, and how would your perception of the world change? This is what happens to two teenage boys, Mateo and Rufus, who meet each other on what is their last day and get to live their last hours together.
Now, as much as the premise is captivating, it clearly requires a good deal of suspension of disbelief to enjoy it, and honestly I could only get so far. The story explores the more "human" side of the world in which it's set, but I kept getting distracted by the more practical aspects of it. Themes like destiny and self-determination are never touched upon, but my brain kept getting there. On top of that, the story requires quite a few narrative tools to proceed which felt very forced.
That said, the characters are what saved the story for me. It's difficult to develop characters and their relationships when the whole story takes place in the span of less than 24 hours without making it seem excessive or forced (looking at you, Da Vinci Code). And yet, everything was extremely coherent and enjoyable. Which is most likely the reason why this book is so popular.
Without any doubt, it explores an interesting concept: what would you do if you knew that you were going to die in the next 24 hours? How would you spend your last day on earth, with whom, and how would your perception of the world change? This is what happens to two teenage boys, Mateo and Rufus, who meet each other on what is their last day and get to live their last hours together.
Now, as much as the premise is captivating, it clearly requires a good deal of suspension of disbelief to enjoy it, and honestly I could only get so far. The story explores the more "human" side of the world in which it's set, but I kept getting distracted by the more practical aspects of it. Themes like destiny and self-determination are never touched upon, but my brain kept getting there. On top of that, the story requires quite a few narrative tools to proceed which felt very forced.
That said, the characters are what saved the story for me. It's difficult to develop characters and their relationships when the whole story takes place in the span of less than 24 hours without making it seem excessive or forced (looking at you, Da Vinci Code). And yet, everything was extremely coherent and enjoyable. Which is most likely the reason why this book is so popular.