They Both Die at The End

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== Overview ==
They Both Die at the End is a young-adult science fiction novel published in 2017. Set in a dystopian alternate version of New York City in September 2017, the book follows two teenagers, Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emetrio, who have both been notified by death-cast that they will die by the end of the day.
In April 2020, due to #BookTok, a popular hashtag for readers on social media platform TikTok, the book's popularity saw a resurgence, once again placing it on The New York Times Best Seller list.
== Plot ==
Shortly after midnight on September 5, 2017, Mateo receives a phone call from Death-Cast, a company that is able to predict the deaths of individuals, informing him that he is a Decker, someone with only twenty-four hours (or less) left to live. The introverted Mateo decides to try to push himself to truly live, reluctantly downloading Last Friend, an app developed to help lonely Deckers find someone to spend their End Day with.
Rufus is in the middle of beating up Peck, his ex-girlfriend Aimee's new boyfriend, when he receives a call from Death-Cast. He allows Peck to leave so that he can return to his foster home to say his goodbyes. Rufus, Aimee, Malcolm and Tagoe, collectively known as The Plutos, hold a funeral for Rufus at his foster home but it is interrupted by Peck, who calls the police to have Rufus arrested for assault. Rufus flees and goes on the run, downloading Last Friend so that he won't live out his final day alone.
Mateo and Rufus meet through Last Friend and decide to spend the day accompanying each other. Rufus agrees to go with Mateo to the hospital so Mateo can visit his father, who has been in a coma for two weeks. Mateo says goodbye to his father and leaves him a note for him to read when he wakes up. Mateo and Rufus then go to see Lidia, Mateo's best friend, and her baby daughter. Not wanting to make Lidia upset, Mateo pretends everything is normal, but leaves her an envelope of cash before leaving and blocks her phone number.
Rufus receives a call from Aimee telling him that Malcolm and Tagoe were arrested when they attempted to hold off the police to give him more time to escape. Rufus and Mateo discuss the plans they had for their life. As their friendship deepens, Mateo becomes bolder and Rufus begins to take color photos for his Instagram page, as opposed to his usual monochrome posts, to signify his End Day. Rufus and Mateo barely manage to escape an explosion at a nearby gym. They then head to the cemetery so that Mateo can visit his mother's grave, only to find a groundskeeper is in the process of digging Mateo's grave beside hers. Mateo discusses the afterlife with Rufus, debating what will happen to them in the near future.
Rufus and Mateo go to Make-A-Moment, a center for Deckers where they can experience dangerous activities without fear. Mateo asks Lidia to meet them there, and the three do some of the Decker activities at the center. Rufus receives a call from Malcolm and Tagoe, who were released from custody, and tells them to bring Aimee and meet him at the a club for Deckers.
At the club, Mateo finally works up the courage to kiss Rufus. Rufus says goodbye to the Plutos and Mateo says goodbye to Lidia. Peck and his gang arrive at the club, having tracked Rufus using his Instagram posts, with a loaded gun. Aimee tries to talk him down, giving Mateo enough time to cause a commotion, making Peck drop the gun. Mateo and Rufus return to Mateo's apartment. They lie in bed and confess their love for one another, falling asleep together.
Mateo wakes up first and goes into the kitchen to make tea, hoping to cheer Rufus up. He absentmindedly turns on the burner which he had told his neighbor not to fix earlier that day since he knew he would be dying. The burner explodes, and Rufus wakes up flees and the building. Mateo is declared dead at the scene and a devastated Rufus calls Lidia to inform her. Rufus visits Mateo's father in the hospital and tells the unconscious man all about their day. He leaves a note telling Mateo's father who Rufus was and to look at the photos of Rufus and Mateo on the Instagram account.
On his way to the park to spend his final hours, Rufus puts on his headphones to listen to the video he took of Mateo singing at the club and steps out into the road without looking.
=== Subplots ===
Subplots focus on minor characters that are intertwined with the main plot line.
Delilah's story: she receives a call from Death-Cast, but believes it to be a prank. She conducts an interview with Howie Maldonado but he is killed by Peck and his gang when they run in front of his car. The last chapter focusing on her is her at Althea's Diner. She calls Victor, her ex-boyfriend, who says that he didn't prank her with the Death-Cast call. Delilah breaks out in sobs, saying she wasted her last day because she thought he pranked her to get back at her for breaking up with him. Victor tells her to stay put and rushes to the diner. This diner is across the street from where Rufus went to spend his final hour. It is implied Victor is the one that hits Rufus with his car. Her fate remains unknown.
Zoe's story: she is a Decker who only has one chapter, where she spends the day with Gabriella.
Deirdre's story: like Zoe, she only has one chapter, where she contemplates suicide but is dissuaded by the appearance of Mateo and Rufus.
Dalma's story: she only has one chapter as well, where she discusses the uses and benefits of her app, Last Friend.
Vin's story: his only chapter is his decision to murder-suicide with the bomb that nearly killed Rufus and Mateo.
Officer Andrade's story: his only chapter talks about his release of Malcolm and Tagoe from custody, his partner Graham's death, and his efforts to shut down the website that caused it.
== Characters ==
* Mateo Torrez – a shy, skinny, and socially anxious boy who has spent the majority of his life staying inside. He is from Puerto Rico.
* Rufus Emeterio – a Cuban-origin street-smart foster child with a troubled past. He is afrolatino.
* Lidia Vargas – Mateo's best friend and the mother of his goddaughter Penny. Lidia lost her boyfriend Christian a year prior to the events of the novel after he received a Death-Cast call. Penny is their daughter. She is Columbian
* Mateo Torrez Sr. – Mateo's father who has been in a coma for two weeks. He comes from Puerto Rico, in Central America
* The Plutos – the collective name for the group that is from the same foster home. The Plutos consist of Rufus, his two closest friends, Malcolm Anthony and Tagoe Hayes and his ex-girlfriend Aimee DuBois.
* Patrick "Peck" Gavin – Aimee's new boyfriend who has a vendetta against Rufus.
* Delilah Grey – a reporter who receives a call from Death-Cast but is convinced it is a prank set up by her ex-fiancé Victor who works at the company.
* Andrea Donahue – the Death-Cast herald responsible for informing Mateo of his death.
* Kendrick O'Connell and Damien Rivas – members of Peck's gang.
* Howie Maldonado – a famous actor who receives a call from Death-Cast and meets with Delilah for a final interview.
* Vin Pearce – a Decker and former boxer who was prevented from competing due to a genetic muscle disease.
* Deirdre Clayton – an employee at Make-A-Moment who has tried to take her own life multiple times before, even when she hadn't gotten the alert, however, she decides against it when she sees Mateo and Rufus.
* Zoe Landon – a Decker who spends her End Day with Gabriella, a girl she met on the Last Friend app.
* Dalma Young – the creator of the Last Friend app.