While I was a fan of They Both Die at the End, I was not sure what to expect going into this novel. I'm happy to say I was pleasantly surprised. Valentino and Orion were a sweet pairing on a journey to live while Valentino still can. The romance was a little too "insta-love" for my liking, but I did really like the way it developed and the ways the characters grew and developed over the course of the novel.

They Both Die has been a big novel for my 9th graders, and I'm sure they'll be thrilled to see this show up in my classroom library.

Still not sure how I feel about the idea of Deathcast, especially for myself…
But I loved spending the first day of deathcast with Valentino and Orion. They were just characters you loved! I wanted them to make it through everything together and get their happy ending, but as the title predicts, that’s not what’s in their plan!

I’m so grateful that I was able to read and review the arc of this book. Adam Silvera has been my favorite author since middle school and I was so excited to read this book. It did not disappoint. I loved Valentino and Orion as characters and grew very attached to them as I read the book. This one hurt so much more than “They Both Die at The End.” I made the mistake of reading it at work and was trying to hold back my tears when I got to the end. I loved this book and I can’t wait to start recommending it to customers in October!

It's the first night of Death Cast. Valentino Prince has just arrived in New York to start his modeling career and heads to Times Square to watch the countdown to the launch of Death Cast. Orion Pagan is also in Times Square with his best friend, Dalma, and when the two boys meet, there's an instant connection. Until, at least, the first Death Cast phone calls go out and the world as they know it is forever changed.

Full of tension, romance, longing, and heartbreak, this journey back to the Death Cast universe does not disappoint.

For school librarians seeking to purchase for their collections, some mature scenes will put this at high school.

Adam Silvera is a master of YA novels. I have read nearly all of them and I find each of the new one's I read better than the last. I found this book to be a rollercoaster of emotions: sad, humourous, nerve-wracking, etc. Great novel and prequel to the original.

This book pulled at all my heartstrings 💔💔💔💔 This book does not release until later this year, but you will definitely want to add it to your TBR list!!!!

Death cast is about to go live for the first time. The whole world wonders if it is a hoax or legit? The countdown clock to the first calls is ticking and at midnight the parties start around the world.
Orion has a serious heart condition and doesn't expect to live that long, so death cast predicting deaths will help with his anxiety over his upcoming death or he will be in for the party of his life at the very end. Valentino just moved to New York, but the near death of his sister scares him into signing up for Death Cast himself one minute before midnight. So when Orion and Valentino meet in Times Square at the start of Death Cast, they have an instant attraction. Then the creator of Death Cast makes the first call of the night to one of them.
A thank you to the publisher and netgalley.com for my advance copy of this book. It wont come out until October 2022. But, I love a good prequel and this did not disappoint. It made me smile when kid versions of the main characters from They Both Die at the End appear. But I have to say I fell in love with Orion and Valentino the way I did with Rufus and Matteo. The book is sad and full of surprises, but it also answers some of the questions us readers were left with by the end of They Both Die at the End. But it also made me want to re-read They Both Die at the End to see if certain people and things were mentioned that I overlooked when I first read it. I love a book that will get me re-reading something. So this one is really one to have my heart (pun intended).

This prequel is highly anticipated and in my opinion it does not disappoint. We see the origins and the first launch of Death Cast and there are a few special appearances that w fans will recognize for sure. Orion and Valentine are excellent characters and like in so much of Silvera’s writing the reader is drawn in and feels a deep connection to these characters, even when we know it might not end well. I was so excited to see the first book get a push of popularity via tik-tok and I know fans will be happy with this prequel!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this novel. I am rating this book based the stars due to lack of time to leave a full review. #NetGalley #TheFirsttoDieattheEnd

This book is going to wreck you.

Anyone who read They Both Die at the End will understand what I mean when I say that it doesn't matter that the book is going to wreck you; you are actively going to want it to. The story takes us back to the beginning - the launch of Death-Cast, Orion and Valentino meet cute, and, as the title suggests, one of them will die in the next 24 hours. Although it becomes clear pretty early on who it is, I won't spoil it here. Honestly, I recommend going into this book with as little information as possible. You may guess the ending, but how we get there will be a wonderful, wild ride. Expect to see some TBDATE characters, expect to laugh, and expect to cry (a lot). A beautiful and heartbreaking look at what we can do with a last day if we know it's coming, and a reminder to live every day to the fullest. 4.5/5 stars

Thank you, HarperCollins Children’s Books, for allowing me to read The First to Die at the End early.

I am a huge Adam Silvera fan, but I must admit that I liked They Both Die at the End a little less than History is all You Left Me and More Happy than Not. So I was a bit skeptical about what this prequel would bring. I shouldn’t have to be worried because I loved The First to Die at the End way more than They Both Die at the End. It’s a beautiful story, and I will recommend it as much as possible!

This is one of my favorite books I've read this year.

This prequel to They Both Die At the End is poignant, heartbreaking, and another great look at relationships and how we live our lives. In this book, we meet Valentino, who is the first person to ever receive a death cast call. That same night he meets Orion, who is determined to help him have the best end day.

I absolutely loved both of these characters, as well the chapters in between the other characters. This was just as atmospheric and meditative as the first book. I think fans of Silvera's and this book will not be disappointed. I cannot wait for release day so that I can recommend this to everyone.

#netgalleyarc #nospoilers No spoilers here but god damn, yes, and yes again. The first book from this series took me a bit to get into but this one had me hooked from the beginning. The story is told from a lot of different viewpoints but it’s not hard to keep track of who is who. There’s lots of ups and downs and it was a great story. A must buy for my high school library.

A perfect sequel that explains life in a beautiful way. I loved this book and it broke my heart in a beautiful way that will stick with me. Our hearts don’t belong to just us, we share them with those closest to us. Forever.

I read The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera in about a day. I could not put it down. Adam's writing and characters keep you wanting to know what happens. I know what the title is but I always hold out hope, just like when I read They Both Die at the End. The originality of this world really grabs me and makes me want to read multiple stories that take place in it because everyone would have a different story to tell of their last day. What is great about this story in particular is the uncertainty. since this is the launch of Deathcast people do not know to trust it so making decisions, especially about organ donations is completely up in the air. I would read anything in this world and will recommend it to my teens and everyone else. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

Okay, I read it. Andni didn't need a whole box of tissues like I did with the previous book (which is still one of my fa orite books). So when i heard that we would have this prequel, #TheFirstToDieAtTheEnd of course I was going to read it.

This is the origin story for Death Cast, the death-predicting service rhst gives you that special call the day before you're going to die in some form or fashion (they don't tell you when or how--just that it will happen in the next 24 hours). We follow the stories of a few characters, but mainly Orion and Valentino. One who lost his parents in the 9/11 attacks and the other who has just moved to New York City.

While I loved They Both Die At The End, this one is not better than the original, but it does provide some great scenes and introduction of characters who will very important later. Definitely worth the read.

4 stars

I enjoyed the first novel quite a bit, so I was very excited to see a prequel. This series (?) is such an interesting take on the dystopian genre, but a good one. Prequels are hard, they dont always hit the spot, but this one did, and I’ll go as far as to say I actually enjoyed this one more than the original.

Prequels are tricky things: why do they need to exist? What is the author trying to do? Can it live up to the original/s? When it comes to #TheFirstToDieAtTheEnd by Adam Silvera, I have to say this prequel is even better than They Both Die at the End, which is a high bar as I enjoyed the original. The book follows Valentino--a young man who has moved to NYC to work his first modeling gig and to get away from his homophobic parents--and Orion, a young man who lives every day not knowing if it will be his last due to a heart condition. They meet in Times Square when Death-Cast goes live and their fates cross. This day between them is as heartfelt and adorable as the original books' characters (who we meet in cameos), but what makes First to Die at the End stand out is how deeply it delves into topics such as homophobia and violence as well as the ethical layers of Death-Cast and how it would affect so many layers of society--all seen through the eyes of several characters even though the focus is on the main two. Silvera balances a personal touch with critical insight of heavy topics. Many thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for this ARC. We will be buying several copies for our library!