They Both Die at the End

Because I'm offended at how bad this book was, yet how many glowing reviews it gets, I shall be extra blunt.

You know it's not ding well when at about 8% in, this became a hate listen/read.

The plot for this book would have been better suited to a short story, but in a different author's much more capable hands. Instead, we have a bloated mess, and it's not that long of a book.

This is yet another book that insists on switching the point of view of each chapter from one character to another. I'm chalking it up to creative writing exercises that belong in class, not jammed into a published work. Switching from Mateo to Rufus and back again-sure. Endless side characters who do absolutely nothing to propel the story? Nooooo. Annoying.

The characters are really blah. Mateo is suuuccchhh a jerk. Is the reader supposed to like him? What kind of person finds out it is their last day to live and decides to sit in the house for hours playing video games and spending a whole bunch of time chatting with random people on a “Last Friend” site? Instead of spending time with their one friend or talking to their comatose Dad? Sure, those last two things happen eventually, but are short and stupid moments in the book, as opposed to memorable.

The world building was atrocious.

The karaoke scene and quotes from other songs were supposed to connect us to this DeathCast world, but it just seemed forced and lead to eye-rolling.

The fricking ending. I was HOWLING with laughter at how ridiculous the book wrapped up. Mateo stops Rufus from shooting that dude who took his girlfriend. Mateo and Rufus (who have no chemistry the entire course of the book) run off and decide to BONE at Mateo's because suddenly they're in love. Then Matteo dies in a fire because Matteo got up to make them tea. HAHAHA. Then Rufus finds himself in intensive care from smoke inhalation damage and calls Matteo a hero. WHAT?!

The audiobook was also annoying. Taking a long pause every time the word “and” is uttered does not improve the experience.