The First to Die at the End - Adam Silvera

Title: The First to Die at the End
Author: Adam Silvera
Genre: YA
Rating: 4/5
# pages: Audiobook ~10hrs
Date read: September 2023

It’s the night before Death-Cast goes live, and there’s one question on everyone’s mind: Can Death-Cast actually predict when someone will die, or is it just an elaborate hoax?

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.


Better than the first one (or the second one, I guess... since this is a prequel). I just liked Orion and Valentino a lot more than I did Mateo and Rufus, and enjoyed the plot more too. Loved how it took us through a lot of New York and reminded me of places I'd been myself. And the relationship between Orion and Valentino really worked for me - it seemed believable and natural.

I still wish we'd gotten to hear more about how Death Cast works - including what was in that secret vault, and how the kinks got worked out. I do understand why Adam Silvera decided to gloss over that though - it would have made for a completely different story! - but a story I would love to read, eventually.