Just imagine – no matter how old you are, what job you do or don’t do, how many loved ones and friends you have in your life – you can receive an alert. It will be just after midnight, by cellphone, from a company called Death-cast.

No one knows how Death-cast knows in advance. Is it fate? Is it deemed by hidden forces? But one thing is certain. Receiving an alert from Death-cast means you will somehow die THAT DAY. You are to advise what you want for your funeral, and also how your headstone will read. There is no escape.

18 yr old Mateo Torrez is an introvert. His safety zone is his bedroom where he likes playing video games, listening to music and keeping his book collection in a particular order. He’s a clean freak too. When he receives an alert from Death-cast, he has no-one to tell. His mum died when he was born and his dad is in a coma in a local hospital.

He knows he has to go out. He has to make the most of his last day alive. First stop has to be to say goodbye to his dad. Maybe he will hear him, as he lies so still in his hospital bed? Another visit Mateo must make is to his best friend’s house. But he vows to himself, he won’t tell her the truth – she has enough on her plate after losing her partner the same way, and caring for her toddler daughter on her own.

Mateo logs on to a well known app built just for this situation – The Last Friend App

Nearly 18 yr old Rufus Emeterio is punching someone when he receives an alert from Death-cast. The someone is his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend who mouthed off a little too much for Rufus’ liking. He doesn’t want to believe the alert. It’s been only 4 months since his parent’s and sister received theirs and he had to watch them drown.

His new friends have become his new family and they are just as shocked. They gather round him for an impromtu funeral. But his assault victim wreaks his own revenge. Alone, Rufus turns to The Last Friend App, and this is where Mateo and Rufus meet.

These two teens who would never have met in any other circumstance, have to face their inevitable fate. Everything they’ve ever wanted to do has suddenly been compacted into less than 24 hours.

At first Mateo is crazy careful about everything, and Rufus respects that, but as the hours pass, Mateo lets go of his paranoia’s and Rufus does some soul-searching too. Neither of them want to hurt the people they leave behind, and so try to spend their last day without them. But both of them realise each other’s need for the important people in their lives, whilst building their own intense bond during their last day.

They Both Die at the End tells you the end, but along the way we get to know two amazing teenagers who delve deep into their psyche, past and incredibly short future. There of course is an entire city still going about its day around them, their friend’s grief at losing them, and their dreams and future hopes being wiped clean.

We tap into other’s lives that cross paths with Mateo and Rufus during their final hours, no matter how brief or unimportant. However, some of these strangers hold the possibility of shortening their last day.

Like a ticking time-bomb, where you can’t see the actual countdown, They both Die at the End is shocking, sad, beautiful and intense all at the same time.

Quick Review

Mateo and Rufus are contacted by Death-cast – an organisation that advises you have less than 24 hours left to live. In shock and forced isolation they both reach out across an app called Last Friend. Here you can connect with others who are also about to die.

These two teens would never have met in normal circumstances, but in only hours know they never want to be apart. They Both Die at the End is cleverly constructed with others facing their own immortality or challenges criss-crossing the teen’s path during their last day alive. Some are harmless, but some have the ability to make their last day even shorter.

Like a ticking time-bomb, where you can’t see the actual countdown, They both Die at the End is shocking, sad, beautiful and thought-provoking. Make every day count.

Author – Adam Silvera

Age – 14+

If you like stories based over 24 hours you might like:

(Set over 24 hours, Love, Friendship, Loss, Grief, Be thankful, Make every day count, Loved ones. Family, Dreams, Future selves)