Woven throughout the over-arching storyline, we also get vignettes of side characters that Valentino and Orion encounter along the way.

It's like all the tiny connections that we may never realize or understand, but we are all connected in one way or another. I think Silvera showed that beautifully. As I said, it all felt too similar, too much the same as TBDATE, I mean why do we want to watch her try to figure out what app to develop when we already know what the app is?They decide, no matter how it is going to turn out, they are going to spend the next 24-hours together. Death Cast is untried. Will their prediction be correct, or will it all end up being nothing more than an elaborate hoax? Also, I would define this book for myself as a New York novel. But that doesn't mean the book is written just for New Yorkers. Readers who know New York will find an extra "dimension" in this book. And not only because the action takes place in New York and the descriptions of the various parts of this city are incredibly "live", voluminous, and filled with accurate, vivid, memorable details. It's like a high-definition picture of NYC. That said, it's totally worth reading but NOTE: Even though this is a prequel, you still want to read it second. It's the night before Death-Cast goes live, and there's one question on everyone's mind: Can Death-Cast actually predict death, or is it an elaborate hoax? Orion Pagan has waited years for someone to tell him that he's going to die, given his serious heart condition. Valentino Prince has a long and promising future ahead of him and only registered for Death-Cast after his twin sister nearly died in a car accident.

Adam Silvera is a master at capturing the infinite small heartbreaks of love and loss and grief.' Nicola Yoon, author of Everything, Everything Adam Silvera is one of those authors I put in the “I loved this book, but I’ll never be able to read it again,” category. This is usually due to how emotionally raw and painful his stories can be, and The First to Die at the End is no different. The story goes through several twists and turns and remains clever and surprising despite the title literally saying exactly what’s going to happen. One small issue is that I think there may have been too many pov’s in this book. In addition to Orion and Valentino, you get the friend, a guy who works at Death-Cast, his coworkers, the sister, the… landlord, and way more for some reason. It’s all a bit much. Otherwise, I appreciated this book’s melancholic tone. It takes what we would expect from this universe and expands on it in a way that’s unique, while still keeping the core beauty of the first book’s message intact. And though there were some pretty dark elements and hard-to-get-through-moments, this is still ultimately a love story with a lot of heart. I think it’s safe to say that this book will stay with me for a long while. And that’s what Adam so perfectly shows us. To live our life to the fullest. To do everything we want to do and to love wholeheartedly. Even when people around us are dying or have died. Even when we might die ourselves. The story reminded me in many ways of One Republic’s I Lived.Their paths collide on death cast eve and the calls are made. One of them will die in 24 hours. They spend the next 24 hours together, and it changes their lives. Through a twist of fate, these two boys meet in Times Square and feel an instant connection. As Death Cast goes live, one of them gets a call and the other does not. The references, easter eggs, and cameos from characters in They Both Die at the End made this book more than just the first in the Death-Cast timeline … it actually made the book a true prequel by setting us up for the plot in the future with characters we knew we would encounter again. It was great to read from the POV’s of other characters as well. Especially tiny Rufus and tiny Mateo! There are several POVs but the main two are Orion, a New Yorker living with a severe heart condition, wondering everyday if it will be his last. The second is Valentino - who has recently moved to New York to start his new life as a model.