3. Denton Little's Deathdate by Lance Rubin

Plot Summary: Denton Little's Deathdate tells the Story of Denton a high school senior who is hours away from his last day on Earth. In his world, everyone knows when they are going to die, thanks to some scientists. Denton is one of the unlucky one's who is set to die as a teenager, along with his best friend Paolo who is set to die one month after Denton. With only a few hours left before his death date, Denton begins to wonder if he wasted his short life by flying under the radar. While he is meant to spend his last day with the people who love him Denton is approached by a stranger who warns him to watch out for anything strange and not to trust anyone. Left with more questions than answers, Denton decides to take Paolo's advice and tries to life his last day to the fullest as he tries to uncover secrets about his family's past that are effecting his future.

My Opinion: Rubin did not disappoint when writing Denton Little's Deathdate. While I'm not exactly sure who the target audience was when writing this, I assume it was intended for preteens/teens. Clearly being in my mid-twenties has not altered my perspective on Y.A. novels. Reading Denton Little's Deathdate was an absolute breeze. While the plot does progress at a steady pace, the writing allows for readers to move through the story rather quickly. I'm someone who reads best while following along with an audio book; however, I was able to get through the novel with ease. 

Unlike the first two books I've talked about so far, this is a first time read for me. I found this story completely by accident, but like literally. I was at the dollar store and thought I'd just search through the books and came across this baby. Okay, not really - technically I found the sequel, thought it looked interesting so I bought it. It wasn't until hours later that I realized that my new addition to the library was a sequel so I went on a hunt for this book. Thanks to a Barnes and Noble gift card, I had Denton Little's Deathdate about a week later. Now I'm not going to lie, my enthusiasm for reading these books faded while waiting for my package to arrive so this was about a year and half ago... maybe, honestly I don't remember. Now we're here and I only began reading this because there is only so much to do in quarantine. 

I would 100% recommend this story to teens, probably those 15-17 because the topics touched upon, such as sex, substance use, and relationships with friends and family, are done so with humor and grace. Rubin uses the banter between Denton and Paolo to depict the real life conversations have when it comes to the sensitive topics most are too afraid to talk about. He also shows the consequences of some of these choices without feeling like you're being lectured by a parent about the dangers of alcohol. While I say 15-17 is the best age range to read Denton Little's Deathdate, I do believe anyone who chooses to read it will find it enjoyable, relatable, and overall a good time. 

Drop a comment down below: Would you want to know your deathdate?