The #1 NYT Bestseller Is Gay YA Novel The First to Die at the End

Adam Silvera's YA novel They Both Die At The End first took BookTok by storm, then the world.

While it was originally released in 2017, the YA novel gained traction in 2020 during the pandemic on TikTok, perhaps serving as a beautifully dark reminder of the future awaiting us all.

"A little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: They’re going to die today," the official description reads. "Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they’re both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: There’s an app for that. It’s called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure—to live a lifetime in a single day."

The novel topped the New York Times bestsellers list for several years, cementing it as a smash hit. And on October 4, 2022, Silvera released the long-awaited prequel, The First To Die At The End, which is living up to the hype.

The prequel novel focuses on Orion and Valentino, two boys who meet in Times Square on the day of Death-Cast's chaotic launch. "Orion Pagan has waited years for someone to tell him that he’s going to die. He has a serious heart condition, and he signed up for Death-Cast so he could know what’s coming. Valentino Prince is restarting his life in New York. He has a long and promising future ahead and he only registered for Death-Cast after his twin sister nearly died in a car accident. Orion and Valentino cross paths in Times Square and immediately feel a deep connection. But when the first round of End Day calls goes out, their lives are changed forever—one of them receives a call, and the other doesn’t. Though neither boy is certain how the day will end, they know they want to spend it together… even if that means their goodbye will be heartbreaking."

This is a touching tale of love and loss with a lot of heart. This reader highly recommends it to anyone who wants a good romance and a good cry. The novel even intertwines the two teens' day with the lives of Mateo and Rufus, the leads of the first book, as children. We also get a glimpse of the leads of a sequel – yes, a third book is on the way!

Silvera confirmed the upcoming sequel to Time Magazine. "There’s a third Death-Cast novel, and the narrators are the two young boys we are introduced to in The First to Die at the End, Paz Dario and Alano Rosa. It’s going to be out in 2024, and it’s set 10 years after the prequel, in 2020, with no COVID. I’m going to be talking about how Death-Cast helped prevent COVID from becoming what it became in our world, because it’s an alternate reality."

He continued, "We’re going to learn even more intimate details about Death-Cast, but also the highs and lows of being the son of the Death-Cast creator. Alano has not had an easy life because Death-Cast is a secret, and people want to know how it works. That presents a lot of challenges for him and a lot of blame befalls him unfairly because Death-Cast can be viewed by some as the reason people are dying."

And that might not be the only new entry into the Death-Cast universe. Last year, it was reported by Deadline that They Both Die At The End would be turned into a TV series, but Silvera now says that effort has stalled out. "I was originally attached and involved as the creator and executive producer, but as of very recently, I have stepped away from the show," Silvera reveals. "I’m processing. I love the universe so much. We will see what happens, but at this stage, it’s just in development. There are no scripts. There is no cast. There’s nothing in production. There’s no streaming home for it. There are some really brilliant producers who are still attached to the project, so there is always hope."

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