ARC Book Review | Denton Little's Deathdate by Lance Rubin

Format: e-ARC
Source: Publisher via Netgalley
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: April 14, 2015
My Rating: 3 Stars

Fans of John Green and Matthew Quick: Get ready to die laughing.

Denton Little's Deathdate takes place in a world exactly like our own except that everyone knows the day they will die. For 17-year-old Denton Little, that's tomorrow, the day of his senior prom.

Despite his early deathdate, Denton has always wanted to live a normal life, but his final days are filled with dramatic firsts. First hangover. First sex. First love triangle (as the first sex seems to have happened not with his adoring girlfriend, but with his best friend's hostile sister. Though he's not totally sure. See: first hangover.) His anxiety builds when he discovers a strange purple rash making its way up his body. Is this what will kill him? And then a strange man shows up at his funeral, claiming to have known Denton's long-deceased mother, and warning him to beware of suspicious government characters…. Suddenly Denton's life is filled with mysterious questions and precious little time to find the answers.

Debut author Lance Rubin takes us on a fast, furious, and outrageously funny ride through the last hours of a teenager's life as he searches for love, meaning, answers, and (just maybe) a way to live on.

My Review

Something to Note: I received an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Why Did I Want To Read Denton Little's Deathdate: When I first saw this book, it seemed like it would be a really fun read.  You know, despite the whole death stuff.

The Characters: The characters were actually my favorite part of this book.  They all had such a fun sense of humor (except for Phil), and I was constantly laughing. 

 

I liked Denton, he seemed like a really good guy, but I didn't understand some of the things he did, especially regarding the purple rash that it mentions in the summary.  You would think that if you had a strange purple rash covering your lower half, you would be a little more careful regarding some things, but no one seemed to pay it much mind, and of course, there are always consequences. 

 

And Paolo, oh my gosh, I LOVED him.  Whenever he was around, he really stole the limelight, at least for me.  He was quirky and hilarious, and I just adored him. 

 

I also really liked Denton's family, I loved laughing at his stepmom's texts, as this is exactly how my mom texts me, and his father and brother, although seemingly distant at the beginning of the book, really grew on me.

Willis Ellis deserves a paragraph all to himself.  I don't even know what to say about him.  He was always there at the wrong time, but he made me laugh.  Not necessarily because he was trying or funny, but...oh hell, I can't even explain him.  I'll just say...he's something else.

 

 

My Overall Thoughts: In all honesty, I was expecting to be blown away by this book.  However, that wasn't the case.  Now, don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed it.  It was hilarious and with the plot line, it had the potential to be amazing, but ultimately it fell short. 
 

In the end I was left with so many questions, and not enough answers.  With that ending, I'm assuming that there will be a second book, actually I'm hoping for a second book so that all of my lingering questions will hopefully be answered.
 

However, I really did love trying to figure out what Denton and his friends would get into next, and I loved the fact that this book made me laugh out loud several times.  Overall, this was an extremely funny book, but instead of being completely invested in the story line, I fell more for the characters. 

 

One Line Wrap Up: A hilariously funny book that will have you laughing out loud and wondering what crazy scenarios Denton will find himself in next.


I Would Recommend For Fans Of: Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock