Valentino has just moved to New York City and can’t wait to move forward into the future. Orion has a bad heart and keeps expecting to not have another day. They meet in Times Square on the night before Death-Cast goes live. They both joined Death-Cast for different reasons, but when Valentino receives the very first phone call … their lives become intertwined forever. Neither boy knows how the day will end, but they do know they want to spend Valentino’s last minutes or hours together.

The First to Die at the End is the prequel novel to They Both Die at the End. The original book was released five years ago, but I actually just read it this summer for book club. Because of reading these two books so close, I was able to fully appreciate the cameo appearances of many characters from the original story. I will admit I didn’t like the language and sexual thoughts/descriptions, but it wasn’t enough for me to stop reading the book. A thoroughly enjoyable this prequel and I am glad I got to read about how it all started.

Thanks Netgalley and HarperCollins Childrens Books for this eARC, these opinions are my own. I had all the feels with this one! The story starts the night/morning that Death Cast is going live for the first time. No one knows if it is even real. Valentino has just arrived in New York to live, patiently waiting for his twin sister to join him later that day, she talks him into going to Death Casts opening party. Orion has had a lot of loss in his life and has been battling Death for a while. When the two meet at the Death Cast opening sparks fly, but when call comes in for One of them what will they do? Their story is so wonderfully beautiful! I have been hesitant to read They Both Die At The end because I knew it would be a tearjerker, plus it’s Adam Silvera and he always knows how to pull at the heartstrings! But when The First To Die At The End came out I wanted to read it! I’m so glad I did and I wasn’t wrong about this series totally heartbreaking! But there’s so much beauty in the way this to connect to each other and the way they view things is so tender! I also love the larger quandary that these books pose of if you knew you were going to die within 24 hours what would you do with the time you had left? There is a subplot to this story that connects to the larger story that was intriguing as well! I couldn’t put it down and now I’m finally starting to read They Both Die At The End! I have my guesses for who will be the mcs for Book 3 as well! I think this book is a must read! Can’t wait to read it again!

I knew I had to read this prequel after reading They Both Die at the End. I was curious as to how it would work, but Adam did a beautiful job of weaving many characters from the first book into this one and giving the reader more background on how DeathCast began. The new characters are also just as lovable as the ones from the first book.
Plenty of queer love and sweetness- young adults and above will enjoy this prequel!

I loved They Both Die at the End soo much and was crazy excited when I heard there was a prequel. I was very happy with it! Although I didn’t like it as much as the first, it was still one of the best books I’ve read so far this year and it definitely had the Adam Silvera magic. The callbacks to the first were so fun, bu I don’t think you need to read the first to understand what is happening in this one. It’s such a great book for discussion and is a great source of what ifs

iI immediately fell in love with the characters as I followed their stories. It was just as good as They Both Die at the End and I would recommend that someone read it if they enjoyed that book. The author did an amazing job with having you quickly fall in love with the main characters and watching them fall in love. This book takes you through all of the emotions and had me sobbing by the end of it.

This was fine! I liked it well enough, but ultimately I think I've kind of moved away from this kind of YA writing style a little bit. That's not to say it was bad at all, just that it's not entirely to my tastes at the moment. I've enjoyed Silvera's titles otherwise, and I enjoyed this one too. I just didn't enjoy it the way I enjoyed the first one when I read it 5ish years ago. My true rating would probably be a 3.5, but I didn't like it enough to consider it 4 stars, so I rounded down.

I honestly didn't have many issues with this book, but I had one that I couldn't get out of my head and honestly it's kind of a dumb one. This book takes place in 2010. I was 18 years old in 2010, which is the same age as Valentino and Orion in this story. I can confidently say that any teenager in the year 2010 would have no problem finding the right angle to take a picture of themselves without a front facing camera. We ALL had that skill and I do not buy that teenagers using a digital camera wouldn't know their angles without a mirror. Unrealistic.

Otherwise, this was fine. It was easy to read and moved quickly thanks to the short chapters. I do think that the narrative was lost a little because of how many side character POV chapters we got, and some of the dialogue felt really clunky. I had hoped to get more insight into Death-Cast in general, but it was still a little too vague for my liking. I also didn't enjoy Joaquin Rosa's chapters so maybe I don't want a full story about that after all.

I did not cry. It was sad, sure, but I didn't feel as invested in the story as I expected to. However I do think that if you enjoyed THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END and Silvera's other work, you'll find this enjoyable as well.

Wow. Okay.

Overall rating is probably closer to a 3.5 but I’ll round up.

Let me start by saying I think the author does a beautiful job at creating a love story between two boys in 24 hours. It beautiful but more important believable. Even though I knew it was going to happen, you still hope that Death Cast is wrong and the death prediction won’t come true.

I think the author really enjoys writing sequels but this series didn’t really need one. I still enjoyed it. I did, however, feel like we had way too many stories in one book and that really took away from Valentino and Orion. It was just too many and half of them didn’t seem relevant to me.

I also hoped we got more info into the how of Death Cast but we really don’t. And that was extremely frustrating.

This is exactly what I would have asked for as a prequel, if someone would have asked. I adored They Both Die at the End and I loved this one as well. It does follow some similar plot lines--pretty quick instalove, living it up on one's last day, etc. But in this story, we learn about the first person called by Death Cast. I really enjoyed Valentino and Orion's relationship, as well as the occasionally perspectives of side characters. There are some sweet cameos as well. I will definitely add this to my classroom library and I know students will be fighting over it!

A book that will fill you with hope for humanity and make you want to live every day as if it's your last. A fabulous prequel to They Both Die at the End. You don't need to read the other book first, but you'll appreciate this book even more if you do! Follow Valentino Prince, who is the very first person to receive a Death-Cast call, as he navigates New York City on the very first day he arrives. He knows today will be his last day on Earth and he is determined to make it incredible. He meets Orion who quickly becomes a close friend. Valentino and Orion aren't quite sure what the day will bring, but they're sure they want to spend it together, making memories together. I guarantee you'll have a very hard time putting this book down!

Adam Silvera’s The First to Die at the End is a good installment in this series. While I found the book slow and the writing not too engaging, fans of the first book will enjoy entering this world again.

I was nervous to read The First to Die at the End because I loved They Both Die at the End so much and was worried this would fall flat. That worrying was all for naught. This book not only exceeded my expectations, but blew me away. I DEVOURED this book in a matter of hours, not even realizing that it is over 500 pages long.

I immediately fell in love with Valentino and Orion, which is worrisome when the title tells you at least one will die by the end. This book is both character and plot driven, so it had me at the edge of my seat, worried about Valentino and Orion’s fates.

The brief appearances from They Both Die at the End protagonists, Rufus and Mateo, made this even more enjoyable.

My students have loved They Both Die at the End, so I can’t wait to add this to my classroom library!

I loved being transported back to this world in the prequel of They Both Die at the End. I surprisingly enjoyed this book just as much as the first and thought it was a good choice to write about the beginning of Death Cast and how it came to be, answering several reader questions. I liked being introduced to new characters and sharing in their stories while at the same time paying tribute to the original characters and storyline.

I wanted so badly to like this book but... it was difficult to get through. Silvera's writing is highly colloquial. The dialogue between characters, inner thoughts, or visual descriptions are dominated entirely by 'trending' words online. Many of these words and terms are no longer 'trending' so they read as out of touch and irrelevant. I imagine this will be even more true at the point of publication. The plot is also not as moving as They Both Die at the End with characters we feel less sympathetic for. Fans of the other book might be disappointed with this sequel.

My middle school students and I loved They Both Die at the End, so I was thrilled to receive the ARC of the prequel. As with any book that you love, it's always nerve wracking to start a prequel or sequel, hoping that it lives up to the first. The First to Die at the End definitely lives up to They Both Die at the End! I was immediately invested in the new characters' stories - Adam Silvera is a master at writing characters to whom teenagers can relate, and I know that my students will love the new cast in this book. Not only was the story incredible, but the nods to NYC throughout the novel were enjoyable, as well. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins, Quill Tree Books for the advance copy. I look forward to recommending this to my students when it is released in the fall!

I love Adam Silvera and this did not disappoint. I could not put it down and am currently crying as I just finished the end. My heart was breaking with every moment knowing life would be ending but full from the joy and love of Valentino and Orion’s relationship.

I had high hopes for this book, but was left a little unfulfilled. The main characters, Valentino and Orion, are likeable and take the reader across NYC in the best possible way. Their connection, however, felt a little too convenient. And I struggled with so many different chapters on all of the characters. It made me feel like I couldn’t latch on to one because it kept changing POV. In the end, I saw how they all came together, but not sure choice made a significant difference. It’s a good prequel but there is still so much left unanswered about Death-Cast. It’s more about the two main characters than the reason the development of Death-Cast. I’d like a little more world building even though the author clearly knows and loves NYC.

Happy Saturday friends! I meant to post this yesterday, but I had a really bad day at work, and was in no mood to type a review and post something, but I'm doing a lot better now :)

The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Harper Collins for approving me for this ARC. This was definitely one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and I literally screamed when I received the email telling me I was approved. The First to Die at the End is a prequel and follows Valentino Prince and Orion Pagan who first meet during the Death-Cast party the night it goes live. Valentino just moved to New York City from Arizona and is just trying to find his way through life in the new city and Orion has a serious heart condition and signs up for Death Cast to know when his death is coming. Obviously, by the title of this one, one of them dies first, but you're going to have to read the book to find out what happens ;) I absolutely loved the first book that Adam Silvera put out, and I think I loved this one even more. Valentino and Orion meeting was definitely fate, and it made me cry, HARD. They only know each other for a little 24 hours but they definitely have a lasting effect on each other. They lived life to the fullest throughout the first and only day together, Orion being Valentino's tour guide throughout the city and showing him where his parents died, aka where the World Trade Center fell on 9/11. One of the many reasons why I loved his book is all the NYC landmarks I read about. If you didn't know Adam SIlvera was born and raised in the Bronx, and it definitely shows in the book. Especially if you know about the secret City Hall station. Find out for yourself if you ever visit New York! I absolutely love it. Throughout Valentino and Orion's chapters, there are chapters of different characters throughout the book that connect with each other in some way. Many of the chapters make you realize, even with Death Cast on your doorstep, you should be living life to the fullest and not holding anything back, tell the ones you love you love them, and do things that make you happy. Adam's books definitely open your eyes on the important things in life. Adam SIlvera broke my heart once again, and I can't wait until he writes another book and does it all over again.

I have so many thoughts on this book. Of course, I did not love it as much as They Both Die at the End (that's a classic), but this prequel is quite good and I will be recommending it to my students.

It took me a couple of chapters to get into the book. At first, I was concerned that we would be following almost the exact same plot as TBDATE. However, once we got to Times Square and one of the characters gets "the call," I was hooked. Silvera does an exceptional job of making me read faster than I should. I kept turning the page and staying up all night in order to find out what happens next. I knew who was going to die, but it didn't make the stakes or suspense any less.

I really loved a lot of the sweet secondary characters in this book, particularly Dalma. There are also some fun throwbacks to the first book in this universe.

The one issue I struggled with was the endings of the chapters. Many of them ended with overly cheesy lines and that drove me crazy. Silvera's writing is so strong, that I feel like he could land on image or dialogue etc, instead of (rather cheesy) exposition.

All in all, I liked this a lot and I'm grateful for the arc.

I wasn't sure what to expect from a prequel in this world, but was pleasantly surprised by the overall impact this story had on me. No real new answers to how DeathCast works, but more experiences of how it impacts the world immediately. The main story arc might seem somewhat familiar, but these two boys have a completely different approach to life and Deathcast's impact on them--as well as the perils of traditional old death! I enjoyed the cameos--even though I read the first book a longtime ago and am sure I missed some of the connections. Definitely worth the read--Silvera knows how to write characters that are dynamic!

This was the prequel that I never knew I needed and it BROKE.MY. HEART.
Although you don't have to read They Both Die at the End to understand The First to Die at The End, I highly recommend that you do. I feel like you'll get more out of the experience reading them in published order.

If you could be notified of your death the day it was going to happen, would you want to? Would you want the opportunity to get your affairs in order? To cross off that bucket list item? To say I love you?
Or would you spend the day looking over your shoulder, mourning the life your going to lose?

In The First to Die at the End, a new service is just starting- Deathcast. They start making calls at midnight to inform subscribers of their impending death. We get to see all of the ways it can affect society. Will doctors treat people differently (or at all) after they've gotten their death notice? Can it be used to predict/prevent crime? What about security or travel...would you get on a plane with someone who received this notice?

This book was phenomenal. I laughed, I cried, and I'll be thinking about it for a long time.

Huge thanks to #Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for and early copy for review.