They Both Die at the End

“We never act. Only react once we realize the clock is ticking.” We follow two teenagers. Mateo, an anxious, overthinker who wants to change that, and Rufus, the more extroverted and fearless of the two who has accepted death. Without the other, they would not have grown and enjoyed their last day. While I felt the characters were stilted, it was still an enjoyable read. Having more than two main points of view was helpful in understanding how varied people are. However, because some of them were quick and lacking in detail, much of it felt packed in without a clear purpose. A minor nitpick was the relationship between Mateo and Rufus; it felt unreal, and the growth into romance was unnecessary. It would have made no difference to the story because of how sudden it felt and the lack of action. It was a great friendship, but not a romance in my opinion. Despite knowing the ending, I was still unprepared. The simplicity of their deaths, I believe, was the most shocking aspect. Mateo and Rufus go through all of this waiting and wondering, calculating everything to ensure their safety, only to die in the most simplistic way possible. I believe that is a good analogy to real life; they were simple people, and we never know when we may die. Everyone has lost someone very unexpectedly in their life, and it portrays the unexpected shock.