Review: ‘They Both Die at the End’ was not worth the hype

The excitement didn’t last long as I realized the novel was the definition of overhyped. The plot of the book looked promising and had extreme potential. But from the mediocre writing, extremely rushed ending, and forced romance, it was at best, just bland.

For being categorized as a “YA” book, it was completely childish. No plot twists, secrets, or plot progression. I understand the ending is in the title, but it felt offered nothing more. I cannot even start with the plot holes and the extremely poor world-building. It was merely underwhelming. The book also gave no proper introduction. It didn’t explain how the world worked or key details, but instead, it left the reader confused rereading every five pages to understand basic details. The author added random “gen-z” pop references to seem relatable when in reality it sounds like a millennial trying to be relatable.

The romance between Mateo and Rufus felt extremely forced and out of nowhere. It just appeared and felt extremely forced as the characters had no previous connection. Adam Silvera is the type of author that would throw in unexpected romances with sad endings to make his works seem “good” or “meaningful.”

If I would describe the book in a word I would say depressing. Not in a beautiful way that has deep poetic meaning and spark, but rather in a forgettable depressing way. If you ever felt like wasting your time and experiencing boredom, I suggest reading this book!