Despite the title giving away the ending of They Both Die At The End, I could not help but get emotional reading the books’ events slowly play out in front of me. This book is definitely a favorite of mine: it is LGBTQ+ friendly, and you get super attached to the characters (at least I did). The book does contain romance, but it also has elements of science-fiction, since the characters live in a world where they receive a call the day they are going to die. 

Those who have received their calls and will be dying are known as Deckers. They do not get the exact time of their demise, nor do they know how they are going to die. Simply put, they receive a call–a call from Death-Cast informing them they are going to die soon. This was the case for the two main characters, who had no similarities other than the fact they were going to die on the same day, known as their End Day. 

The two main characters come across each other on an app, Last Friend, an app dedicated for those who have received their death call. After receiving his call, Mateo Torrez, who previously lived his days in paranoia, decided to make the best of his last day, but he could not do it alone. That is why he downloaded Last Friend. Rufus Emeterio, who was already out of his element, decided to download Last Friend, even though apps were not really “his thing.”  Mateo comes across Rufus’ profile and initiates a conversation with a fellow Decker. After having a pleasing conversation, Rufus and Mateo decide to spend their last day together, and help complete Mateo’s bucket list. 

Mateo’s bucket list roughly consisted of saying goodbye to his best friend and his dad, who was in coma. Throughout their first and last day together, Mateo and Rufus face each other, their past, and the people who currently surround them, since, as Mateo said, “No matter how we choose to live, we both die at the end.” 

Overall, I recommend this book, especially if you are looking for an emotional story to wreck your heart like it did mine. I would definitely consider They Both Die At The End a must read. The author did an amazing job portraying the characters and what it felt like for them to have a limited amount of time.