# They Both Die at the End

> BookTok revived a novel whose paperback sold 684,982 US copies in a year.

- Owner: Adam Silvera; HarperTeen / Quill Tree Books (US); Simon & Schuster (UK)
- Kind: Book
- Sector: Entertainment
- Seed date: 2017-09-05
- Milestone date: Apr 2021
- Date basis: Documented milestone; not a measured attention peak. Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.
- Spread Score: 36 (Niche), v1.2
- Mechanics: Response chain, Visible in use, Platform jump, Press loop, Revival

## Summary

Published in 2017, the novel returned to bestseller lists through BookTok recommendations and reactions. A Rocket creator partnership joined the spread. Its paperback sold 684,982 US copies in 2021 and attracted new TV development.

## Timeline

- 2017-09-05 — Adam Silvera / HarperTeen (Retail) — HarperTeen published Silvera's novel about Mateo and Rufus receiving notice of their deaths.
- Week of Jan 5, 2019 — US print buyers (Retail) — The paperback sold 2,294 tracked copies in the week ending January 5.
- 2021-03-04 — Abby (@abbysbooks), with Rocket (TikTok) — Rocket partnered with Abby on a video documenting her reading the novel in a day.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/they-both-die-at-the-end

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “They Both Die at the End.” Case HIS-01307. Spread Score v1.2: 36/100. Updated 2026-10-22. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-01307