School Library Journal
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Gr 9 Up-In a not-so-distant future, every person knows from tests performed on hair and blood at birth what day he or she will die. As the book begins, Denton knows that tomorrow is his deathdate and he is as ready as a person can be in this rather weird situation. His family has planned the funeral and the "sitting," the wait for death to come. Denton attends the funeral, but as far as the sitting, he has other plans-time with his friends and girlfriends, some alcohol, smoking pot, sex-much better ways of spending his last day of Earth than just waiting. Then there is this strange purple rash with red dots that is spreading over his body, as well as the bodies of the people he has exchanged "spit" with-and the numerous near misses of his death when he's almost hit by a car (twice) and is nearly shot. Denton's deathdate gets stranger and stranger. This humorous story of mortality, friendship, family, and secrets is a strange, fun, and unusual read that keeps readers laughing, gasping, and quickly turning pages. Denton, a likable and well-rounded character, just can't keep from getting in trouble-his hookup with his best friend's sister has made his girlfriend mad, his girlfriend's ex keeps trying to kill him-as does the neighborhood drug dealer-and everything he does seems to cause a problem. The plot is quirky and highly original. Denton Little just can't win-but readers certainly do. While this seems to be a stand-alone novel, and a satisfying one at that, there is plenty of fodder for a sequel. Rubin's is a new voice on the YA literature scene and is well-worth reading.-Janet Hilbun, University of North Texas (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In seventeen-year-old Denton's world, AstroThanatoGenetics makes it possible to find out the date of a person's death at birth, though not the exact moment and cause. Denton spends his deathdate, which happens to be the day of his senior prom, wondering how he'll go. There's dark humor in spades here, along with fully developed relationships and a mystery that will keep pages turning. (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Denton Little lives in a world just like ours, except that most people know the exact day they will die, thanks to advances in the field of "AstroThanatoGenetics." Denton is a so-called "Early," because he's slated to die at age 17. On the day of his funeral, Denton wakes up with a wicked hangover and few memories of the night before, other than that he thinks he broke up with his girlfriend and made out with his best friend's sister. As Denton's death date creeps closer, he develops a strange purple rash, begins to have questions about his late mother, and wonders if he's wasted his short life by trying to live it "normally." Rubin's debut doesn't take itself too seriously-Denton gives a horrible rambling eulogy at his own funeral, and there's even a coordinated dance number at prom-and the open-ended conclusion necessitates a sequel. But the tweaked contemporary setting, irreverent end-of-life humor, and big, existential questions make this a good pick for fans of John Corey Whaley's Noggin. Ages 14-up. Agent: Mollie Glick, Foundry Literary + Media. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

School Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr 10 Up-In Denton Little's world, most people know their deathdates, which for Denton will be in his 17th year, the day of prom. Denton tries to live a normal life, even knowing that it will not be a long one. For his final days he decides to truly experience life. He accidentally cheats on his girlfriend while drunk, gets threatened at gunpoint by his girlfriend's ex, develops a purple and red rash all over his body, gets high, is almost run over twice by the same car, and finds out his best friend's mom has been stalking him all of his life. As the end looms closer what else can he do but go to prom and possibly survive his deathdate? Rubin narrates his own book and is an excellent choice, since he created the mind of Denton and he ably captures all of Denton's sarcasm and frankness. It truly feels like listeners are actually traveling along with Denton through all kinds of hilarious and heartbreaking moments. Older teen readers will be drawn into Denton's story, which is filled with dark humor, witty remarks, and crazy situations, and will be rooting for him to survive. After a surprise ending, listeners will be looking forward to the next installment. VERDICT Fans of Barry Lyga's dark humor and John Green's smart characters will enjoy Denton's story.-Sarah Flood, Breckinridge County Public Library, Hardinsburg, KY © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Ever since he was a kid, Denton Little knew he would die when he was 17 not the precise moment of the day or how, but enough to know he had a deadline by which to accomplish certain goals. That's not that big a deal, though; almost everyone in this near-future tale knows the precise day of his or her death. For the most part, Denton has tried to keep his life fairly normal, but his last day is anything but. The morning of his deathdate, Denton notices a purple splotch on his thigh that slowly grows to cover his whole body, and all day long he experiences near misses with death. As he get closer to midnight on his deathdate, he learns beguiling secrets about his past, particularly regarding his mother, whose deathdate was the same day he was born. Though some readers might be rankled by the one-dimensional women characters and the uneven pacing of this debut novel, they will likely still be intrigued by Denton's charmingly glib first-person narrative and sarcastic, irreverent gallows humor.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2015 Booklist

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A young man lives out his last hours in this comedic novel set at a time in the near future in which people grow up knowing when they will die.When 17-year-old Denton wakes up with a hangover in the bed of his best friend's sister with only some groggy memories of what happened the night before, he's horrified that it seems he may have cheated on his girlfriend. Adding urgency to the whole situation is that, due to information gleaned from an improbable quasi-scientific formula, he knows he is just a day away from the date that will be his last. The details surrounding what seems to be a covert tug of war between entities involved in Denton's projected death are vague, remaining so even as the 300-plus-page story concludes, which is sure to frustrate some readers. Yet the novel features warmly real characters. Denton's funny, self-effacing genuineness will keep readers rooting for him. Vivid secondary characters include his goofy, pot-smoking best friend, Paolo, who helpfully urges Denton to "own that shit" in regard to following his heart as well as his quirky, loving family; even the brief snapshots provided of Denton's schoolmates are believable and engaging. The planned companion novel might provide some of the answers missing here, and those who have been charmed by the winsome characters will look forward to it. (Fiction. 14-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.