Scan barcode
audreychamaine's review
3.0
Ollie has received his Deathday Letter. It's the letter that everybody gets on the day they are going to die, giving 24 hours of warning. In response, Ollie and his best friends, Shane and Ronnie, go for a last hurrah. They do a variety of fun, crazy things, like jump off a bridge, get high, and buying out three stores worth of pudding in the name of love. None of it changes the fact that Ollie will die, but it does give him the opportunity to make things right with the girl that got away.
I liked the idea of this book. How different would the world be if we all got notice of when we were going to die? I had a really tough time relating to Ollie, though. The relentless boy humor and talking about girls' anatomy really started to grate on my nerves after the first few times. I don't understand why so many male writers think talking about boobs and masturbation equals a good book for boys. Granted, women writers seem to fall into their own traps, but this makes it tough for me to stick with a book. I did like the other two main characters, Shane and Ronnie. I also wish more of the philosophy and mystery of the Deathday Letter had been explained. It got covered by the stoners, but I hoped Ollie would keep questioning throughout the rest of the book.
I liked the idea of this book. How different would the world be if we all got notice of when we were going to die? I had a really tough time relating to Ollie, though. The relentless boy humor and talking about girls' anatomy really started to grate on my nerves after the first few times. I don't understand why so many male writers think talking about boobs and masturbation equals a good book for boys. Granted, women writers seem to fall into their own traps, but this makes it tough for me to stick with a book. I did like the other two main characters, Shane and Ronnie. I also wish more of the philosophy and mystery of the Deathday Letter had been explained. It got covered by the stoners, but I hoped Ollie would keep questioning throughout the rest of the book.
patke's review
4.0
Likes
-The concept was what drew me in. In Hutchinson's world, everyone gets a letter 24 hours before their death. The book follows Ollie, a teenage boy who receives his deathday letter. Who wouldn't want to know what happens?
-The characters were all well developed. Each had their own personality. On top of that, we get to learn about events in their past that shaped who they are. The character development was impressive considering that it's a stand alone book
-Ollie was honest and funny. He was blunt at times but it was fun to get into the mind of a teenage boy.
-This book taught me a life lesson: treat everyday like your last. Well, I've obviously heard that before since it's like the biggest cliché ever! But I enjoyed reading it in the form of a novel.
-he adventures Ollie went on during his last living day were just WOW. His friends help him live his last day to the fullest and I found myself wanting to be in the book with them, pulling their crazy shenanigans!
Dislikes
-We don't get to learn about how the deathday letter came about. How do the writers of the letters find out that someone is about to die? I think if Hutchinson put more focus on the deathday letter itself, the concept could've flowered into a dystopian series.
To Sum It Up
-Fun, thought-provoking read!
-Lovable characters, adventurous plot.
-The concept was what drew me in. In Hutchinson's world, everyone gets a letter 24 hours before their death. The book follows Ollie, a teenage boy who receives his deathday letter. Who wouldn't want to know what happens?
-The characters were all well developed. Each had their own personality. On top of that, we get to learn about events in their past that shaped who they are. The character development was impressive considering that it's a stand alone book
-Ollie was honest and funny. He was blunt at times but it was fun to get into the mind of a teenage boy.
-This book taught me a life lesson: treat everyday like your last. Well, I've obviously heard that before since it's like the biggest cliché ever! But I enjoyed reading it in the form of a novel.
-he adventures Ollie went on during his last living day were just WOW. His friends help him live his last day to the fullest and I found myself wanting to be in the book with them, pulling their crazy shenanigans!
Dislikes
-We don't get to learn about how the deathday letter came about. How do the writers of the letters find out that someone is about to die? I think if Hutchinson put more focus on the deathday letter itself, the concept could've flowered into a dystopian series.
To Sum It Up
-Fun, thought-provoking read!
-Lovable characters, adventurous plot.
hpitcher15's review
4.0
really good. it really made you think of how you would spend your last day if you'd gotten a deathday letter too. im not so sure that the way oliver spent his day would be the way id spend mine but it worked out for him in the end.
mckinlay's review
4.0
So, this book contains a lot of penis jokes. and at times, the MC says problematic things. but all of it feels incredibly real. this is how a lot 15 year old boys talk, and think, and act! luckily for me, i'm basically an immature 12 year old boy trapped in a 33 year old woman's body. so this book made me laugh a lot. it also made me cry. and honestly, i finished it this morning and i'm still thinking about it, because the idea of deathday letters is seriously fascinating to me. this book probably isn't for everybody, and it's definitely not my favorite from Hutchinson, read [b:We Are the Ants|23677341|We Are the Ants|Shaun David Hutchinson|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1425574151s/23677341.jpg|43285034]. read it now. but i really really liked it.
grahamlibrarian's review
4.0
What would you do if 24 hours(ish) before you died, you got a letter letting you know it was your last day on Earth? How would you sieze the day? That's pretty much what Oliver (Ollie) is trying to figure out when his letter comes, how will he spend his last day. It's a pretty interesting concept and very well played out my the author. Ollie is a very realistic portrayel of a 15 year old boy (down to the MANY sexual references and euphemisms) definitly solid YA book not intended for middle grades at all. Great read.
angelina_cecilia's review
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
abookdork's review against another edition
3.0
I had high hopes for this book, I just thought the synopsis sounded AMAZING, but this book just did not live up to my expectations. I did enjoy this book, but I really thought the focus of the book would be completely different. I was hoping the book would focus a bit more on the Deathday Letters, but I was disappointed. I really liked the idea of knowing when a person would die; this ensured you did everything you could to bring closure to yourself and your friends. Overall, I did think Ollie took advantage of his last day, but there were parts of his experience that were just a major let down. I don't want to say what they were because that may be a bit of a spoiler, but you would be able to figure this out if you read the book. I guess the story flowed more realistically without exploring the Deathday Letters, but it just left the book feeling a bit flat for me.
Part of my problem with this book is that Ollie came off as kind of a jerk to me. I did not hate him, but there were times where he was really hard to like. He is probably a realistic portrayal of a teenage boy, but as a female I kind of wanted to slap him a lot of the time. At the same time, Ronnie was kind of a pain in the butt. The only character I really liked was Ollie's best friend, Shane. He is a great balance for Ollie and without him the book may have completely flopped.
I will say that I absolutely loved the ending, which still seems weird, but it just was perfect. I understood Ollie and Ronnie's relationship better so their fighting made a lot more sense. I just wish this had been addressed sooner because I was getting very annoyed with the pair. So in short, this book was good, but not great. I think this is a book that might resonate more when guys, they might appreciate Ollie's humor more than I did. The biggest problem for me was that I expected this book to be different. I thought it was going to be more serious with less one-liners, but some people may enjoy the tone of "The Deathday Letter".
Part of my problem with this book is that Ollie came off as kind of a jerk to me. I did not hate him, but there were times where he was really hard to like. He is probably a realistic portrayal of a teenage boy, but as a female I kind of wanted to slap him a lot of the time. At the same time, Ronnie was kind of a pain in the butt. The only character I really liked was Ollie's best friend, Shane. He is a great balance for Ollie and without him the book may have completely flopped.
I will say that I absolutely loved the ending, which still seems weird, but it just was perfect. I understood Ollie and Ronnie's relationship better so their fighting made a lot more sense. I just wish this had been addressed sooner because I was getting very annoyed with the pair. So in short, this book was good, but not great. I think this is a book that might resonate more when guys, they might appreciate Ollie's humor more than I did. The biggest problem for me was that I expected this book to be different. I thought it was going to be more serious with less one-liners, but some people may enjoy the tone of "The Deathday Letter".
court1386's review
3.0
This was not one of my top reads from this author, and if it hadn’t been as short as it was I might have DNFd it. I’m glad I didn’t though, because the midway point is where it picked up for me and I wanted to find out how Ollie dies and how he says goodbye to his family and friends. My mind is blown a bit with the ending though! He dies getting struck by a car while leaving the beach with Ronnie to head home and wait out his last moments. If he never received his Deathday letter, he never would have been out there and wouldn’t have died! What!!! The letter to me was the cause of his death. Just so many what ifs floating in my head after this.
jinjer's review
3.0
It was meh.[b:The Deathday Letter|7023081|The Deathday Letter|Shaun Hutchinson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1276457011s/7023081.jpg|7269872]
stormreader's review
4.0
Everyone that gets a Deathday Letter dies exactly 24 hours later. On the dot. Whether its because they get the letter or whether the letter is to give you warning to say goodbye, nobody knows. Nobody really even cares where they come from, except the CUDDLE. You will read about them. :)
Oliver receives his one morning and sets out to have a day that will fulfill his deathday experience and give his friends a day to remember. Excitement, weed, mistakes, arguments, laughs, and tears; this story is one of a kind.
Oliver receives his one morning and sets out to have a day that will fulfill his deathday experience and give his friends a day to remember. Excitement, weed, mistakes, arguments, laughs, and tears; this story is one of a kind.