“I wasted all those yesterdays and am completely out of tomorrows.”
How often do you answer calls from random phone numbers? Rufus and Mateo did, and they received the news that they would die in approximately 1 day, or 24 hours, or 1,440 minutes, or 86,400 seconds. That’s only 86,400 seconds to decide what to do with your life before it ends. Rufus and Mateo didn’t know each other before the call, they both lived in New York City, and through an app they were able to meet, knowing they would both die in a day. They were not able to spend their time with loved ones due to complications, so they both figured out how to spend it together. Mateo wishes to spend his last hours doing whatever he was never able to, not playing it safe, while Rufus just wants some company from Mateo. A friendship from two characters that never knew each other turns into something beautiful, within the span of a couple hours. Not knowing how they will die doesn’t seem to bother them the slightest bit once they are together, nor does any actions that they make! Throw books around, jump, run, break things, steal, do it all because it won’t matter tomorrow (or lack of).
This book has amazing story telling, offering multiple different viewpoints of characters other than our main two. It shows more background to the phone calls, and shows the lives of others in our story. The book does have LGBTQ+ themes, both of our characters identifying with it, and it only pulls in more people and shows a great story. Rufus and Mateo are really opposites, showing a great dynamic between them, trying to connect and often bringing the reader very hilarious moments in a dark book. This book makes a strong connection between our main characters and the reader, it feels as if you can feel their pain. This is a great read for youth who identify with the LGBTQ+, and any youth who wants a compelling read about how we should spend our time on this limited earth!
By Teen Reviewer, Randy