They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera is a young adult novel surrounding two main characters, Mateo and Rufus. These two boys follow them on their last day on Earth, their end day. There’s a thing called death casts, and death cast is a company that calls you, alerting you around midnight that you will die in the next twenty-four hours.
So it’s about them on their last day, and they’re seeking a friend. They go to an app called Last Friend, where they meet and spend their previous end day together. This whole journey is a great story about friendship and living your life to the fullest. Another great thing about this book is that it is told in multiple pervs and their side characters. But Adam finds a way to interweave these side characters to connect to the main characters and see how it all connects.
Books like They Both Die At The End explore the depths of human emotions. They provide a chance to connect with characters who experience love, loss, and self-discovery, evoking a wide range of feelings and fostering empathy. The stories present existential questions, offering opportunities for introspection and self-reflection. They prompt readers to contemplate the meaning of life, the nature of relationships, the fragility of existence, and a deeper understanding of oneself.
10 Books Like They Both Die At The End (Fiction LGBT)
They Both Die at the End explores mortality and themes of identity, love, family, and our impact on others. This contemporary fiction significantly impacts LGBT relationships and psychological aspects. It is all about life, feelings, and two different points of view.
Do you want to read more? I will discuss ten books similar to They Both Die At The End. Whether you seek emotional resonance, thought-provoking narratives, or a captivating story, they can entertain, enlighten, and impact those who engage with their pages. Let’s go!
1. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is a masterful blend of poignant storytelling, memorable characters, and resonant themes. It explores the universal struggles of adolescence and the search for self-discovery with compassion and depth. We followed two characters, but the main character Aristotle Mendoza (Ari), is a 15-year-old boy.
So it’s written from his point of view. He lives in El Paso, Texas, in the Eighties. It has a fun feel because it’s in the eighties. When the book starts, he is trying to figure himself out. It’s a very much coming-of-age story. He’s struggling with being a teenager, growing up, and becoming who he will be.
Generally, he has trouble making friends, and he meets a boy, Dante, and their friendship develops. This is not a platonic relationship. It is a love story, but even more than a love story.
Aristotle’s father struggles with PTSD because he was a marine in the war, which affects Ari and his relationship with his parents, and he also has an older brother who’s in prison. Although they don’t tell you what he is in prison for. For a while, his parents never talk about his older brother. There are no pictures in their house. So he doesn’t understand all of these feelings and where they’re coming from, and he struggles with it a lot.
Dante’s relationship with his parents was how the area’s relationship with his parents was like these characters. Dante is so magical. As They Both Die At The End, It’s a book that genuinely makes me aspire to be kinder. The author treats his characters with gentleness, reminding me that I must treat others that way.
Author: Adam Silvera
Average Rating: 4.5/5
Category: LGBTQ+ Fiction, Teen & Young Adult Friendship Fiction
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle | Audio CD
2. The Song of Achilles
Song of Achilles has gotten a lot of praise, and this is the story of Achilles. You know that famous hero with the Achilles heel on one neck, and it all goes down. It is the story of the Trojan War, but that’s what the story is on the outside because this book is not told from Achilles’s perspective. It is told from our perspective of a boy named Patroclus, who grows up alongside Achilles. He was born as a disappointment to his father. He wasn’t this great hero or a good fighter or anything like that, and he does get sent away to be trained, and hopefully, something will come of him.
When he meets Achilles, they quickly become excellent friends, and that friendship soon blooms into a lot deeper. It is the love that these two men share and how passionate their relationship is. That drives this story forward, which is unique when retelling a Greek myth.
Also, it is said explicitly in the book that heroes can never have it both ways. They can’t be heroes and be happy. But Achilles swears that he is going to be the first. He will be the hero how destined to be, but he will still be happy and live out his days with Patroclus. The romantic theme and the character’s situation are similar to They Both Die At The End.
Author: Madeline Miller
Average Rating: 4.7/5
Category: Classic Literature & Fiction
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover
3. Red, White & Royal Blue
Red, White & Royal Blue is set in a fantastic alternate universe in which a divorced woman won the twenty sixteen elections. Her ex-husband is Mexican-American and a congressman, so their two children are biracial. Our main character is Alex, the younger of the two siblings and the first son of the United States, and essentially he starts out hating but later falls in love with the Prince of Wales.
Henry is gay. Alex thought his whole life that he was straight. The book takes place soon when we’re coming up on the Twenty Twenty election. So Alex’s mother is up for re-election, and Alex has a secret international romance with Prince Henry. The public assumes that they’re both straight men.
They have to keep it under wraps because Prince Henry has royal obligations in which it’s not acceptable to be a gay person. And Alex doesn’t want this scandal to break because he doesn’t want anything affecting his mother’s chances of being re-elected. It is a debut novel because it is practically flawless. There are so many iconic lines and iconic scenes. So if you haven’t read it, you must try it after They Both Die At The End.
Author: Casey McQuiston
Average Rating: 4.6/5
Category: LGBTQ+ Romance, Adult Friendship Fiction
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Library Binding
4. What If It’s Us
Like They Both Die At The End, this is a story about fate and the universe giving us second chances. This story follows two main characters, Arthur and Ben. Arthur is a senior in high school. He’s Jewish, he has ADHD, and he’s spending his summer in New York. He’s also interning at his mom’s farm for the summer, which he would instead not do since it’s boring.
One day Arthur meets Ben at the post office, holding a box of his ex’s stuff. When these two meet, there is a spark, but they are separated before exchanging numbers or names. They try and figure out if the universe is pushing them together or pulling them apart. The back of this book says, What if they can’t quite nail a first date even after three do-overs? What if Arthur tries too hard to make it work and Ben doesn’t try hard enough?
So you can see the timeline of everything that’s happening. What If It’s Us takes place over a few weeks in the summer. Our two main characters are super nerdy, making this book full of pop culture references.
Author: Becky Albertalli
Average Rating: 4.6/5
Category: Young Adult LGBTQ+ Romance
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle | MP3 CD
5. Call Me By Your Name
Call Me By Your Name won an Oscar for Best Book to Screenplay Adaptation. It follows a 17-year-old boy called Elio, who lives with his parents in a little village in Italy. His dad is a high professor, and each year they get doctorate students who can work on their doctorate in their books. They want to work while helping out Elio’s dad.
So one summer, the doctor at S2 Studio, the doctor student Oliver, gets the job. He moves to that tiny city for six weeks, and Elio does not get along. They don’t like each other. Elio thinks Oliver is snobbish because he always says later. Then an unlikely friendship is formed, and true feelings are revealed and deep. Dark feelings come out. The movie’s ending differs from the book’s, as They Both Die At The End.
Author: André Aciman
Average Rating: 4.7/5
Category: LGBTQ+ Literary Fiction
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle | Audio CD
6. History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera
History is All You Left Me is an emotionally charged novel that explores love, loss, and grief. It offers an exploration of loss and the journey toward healing and acceptance. The story follows Griffin, who is dealing with the death of his ex-boyfriend and struggling with complicated relationships. With raw emotions and beautifully flawed characters, Silvera once again delivers a heart-wrenching narrative.
7. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
The Fault in Our Stars tells the story of two teenagers who meet at a cancer support group. Like “They Both Die at the End,” it explores mortality, friendship, and finding meaning in the face of inevitable loss. John Green’s signature writing style brings out the depth of emotions and captures the bittersweet nature of life.
8. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
A Monster Calls is a hauntingly beautiful novel about a young boy whose mother is battling cancer. He encounters a monster who guides him through emotional and brutal truths. The book deals with grief, acceptance, and the complexities of human emotions in a profoundly moving way.
9. All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
All the Bright Places revolves around two teenagers meeting on the bell tower ledge, contemplating suicide. Through their shared experiences and blossoming relationship, they explore mental health, self-discovery, and the transformative power of love. Niven’s sensitive portrayal of complex emotions will resonate with fans of “They Both Die at the End.”
10. More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera
Happier Than Not presents a captivating story set in a near-future world. It follows Aaron, who is grappling with his identity and the pain of his father’s suicide. With its exploration of memory, identity, and the nature of happiness, this book showcases Silvera’s talent for blending emotional depth with compelling storytelling.
These books resonate with the spirit of “They Both Die at the End” by delving into mortality, love, loss, and the human experience. Each one offers its unique narrative, struggling characters, and emotional depth. This provides readers with thought-provoking stories that capture the complexities of life and the significance of living every moment to the fullest.
Netflix has confirmed a YA queer series adaption of “They Both Die at the End” in 2024. If you are a movie lover, then here are some movies similar to They Both Die At The End: “The Fault in Our Stars” (2014), “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” (2015), “A Monster Calls” (2016), “Before I Fall” (2017), “The Bucket List” (2007).
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