The First to Die at the End Book Review

Because I'm not done being the first to cry at the end.

Song Vibe Check:

1. "Impossible" By: Shontelle

2. "If I die young" By: The Band Perry

3. "Secrets" By: OneRepublic

So, I should have had enough of Adam Silvera after entering the whole They Both Die at The End where I really should have listened to the title, and my friend's warning when she told me that the way one of them died was so stupid it pissed her off. I really should have had enough. But, I share a birthday with Adam Silvera and the one thing we have in common is writing bittersweet tales. So, I have delayed the inevitable trip of reading his new book since it's release date and it is only now that I finally have it in my hands.

Orion has my heart, everyone. I JUST-- he got me in the first couple of pages where I was just like-- he's a fat mood sometimes. And we're flashing back to 2010 when I was still a little kid when the events of this book happened. But, taking a trip down memory lane, by the end of this book, once again tears clouded my eyes and I was reminded about the brevity of life and the entire point of these books: To just live life at its fullest because you never ACTUALLY know when your last day is.

So, all morbid jokes aside, let's begin.

Short Summary: Two boys in New York end up at the innauguration event of this app called the Death-Cast with one of them receiving the first call and knowing that they have one day to live, laugh and love before the inevitable end.

Long summary: Orion has a weak heart and Death Cast would be PERFECT so he can be prepared to say his goodbyes and to live his last day knowing what awaits him. So, attending the inauguration of Death Cast is supposed to be a slight comfort as he anxiously waits for the countdown to midnight to see if he will get called by the app.

Valentino isn't registered to Death Cast as he JUST arrived to New York and seeks to settle into a new life away from his parents who didn't accept him coming out as gay. Along with his sister, Scarlett, he plans for both of them to fulfill their artistic dreams and to prove to their parents that dreams can come true.

But curiosity drags him to the Death Cast event, and eventually, to Orion who sparks not just his curiosity, but perhaps the lighting of a new flame.

And like all good things, an end must come. The first call gets made and it will forever change the lives of these two young boys.

I have always been an emotional reader, so I hadn't even gotten through the first ten pages as tears came to my eyes and naturally, I gravitated towards Orion who was my favorite while reading the story. Valentino was good too since his perspective on life and death was VERY different to Orion's outlook, but seeing their ideals clash as they deal with the life-changing Death Cast event-- and its aftermath, it was honestly, such a devastating but beautiful prequel that even gave us some chapters from the perspective of the founder.

Who, respectfully, but not respectfully, I would love to slap in the face.

Many tears were shed in this book. It reminded me of the value of family, of the precious nature of friends, of the beauty in the big and small things and in the inevitable fact that we will die one day and that what matters most is not all the things we overthink and hold back from ourselves, but what we choose to do in life.

Do we stay quiet and let life wash over us? Do we speak up and live very loud and chaotic lives? Do we do both? Neither? None? What is the right way of living if there is even one? All questions I thought about while reading this, but honestly, if you need to cry out everything you've bottled up in your heart, this one will trigger the waterworks.

Overall: 5/5 stars