My September 2025 Reads
It’s September 30th and time to share what I read this month!
I read six books and one short story. Five of the books were audio, AND I completed my goal to finish The Survivor Wants to Die at the End by Adam Silvera! Two of the books were memoirs.
Here are the books I completed in September. They are listed in the order that I finished them:
Sister Wife: A Memoir of Faith, Family, and Finding Freedom by Christine Brown Wooley- 4 stars
The Hitchhikers by Chevy Stevens- 4 stars
The Survivor Wants to Die at the End by Adam Silvera- 4 stars
Orion’s Story Does Not Die at the End by Adam Silvera- 3.5 stars (short story)
The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope, and Yourself on the Caregiving Path by Emma Heming Willis- 5 stars
The Vile Thing We Created by Robert P. Ottone- 4 stars
Reverence by Raena Rood– 4 stars
My ‘top rated read’ was The Unexpected Journey by Emma Heming Willis. This covers her and her husband’s journey as they go through FTD. I am not currently going through a caregiver life situation, but Heming Willis gives informative information on FTD and also shares her current journeyas a caregiver, and what caregivers need for themselves. If a caregiver can’t help themselves first then they are unable to help care for ‘their person’.
My lowest rated read was the short story from the They Both Die Universe: Orion’s Story Does Not Die at the End. Not that it was not good, it just really did not add the TBD universe.
What did YOU read in September? Let’s bring on October and my favorite holiday: HALLOWEEN!
Even better: I found an advent book calendar for Halloween this year! More info will come tomorrow…
Short Story Sunday: Orion’s Story Does Not Die at the End by Adam Silvera
Orion’s Story Does Not Die at the End
Series: They Both Die At the End short story
Author: Adam Silvera
Published: May 6, 2025
Hardback: Barnes and Noble exclusive edition- 11 pages
Reviewed By: Jessica
Date Read: September 14, 2025
Jessica’s Rating: 3 stars
Jessica’s Review:
This is a short story featuring Orion that takes place after both They Both Die at the End and The First to Die at the End. It’s been nine years and Orion has written his book Golden Heart to keep Valentino alive in print since he can’t be fully present in the flesh. Orion is about to have an appearance at a book signing. We see Orion experience a variety of emotions with things that happen at the signing. Orion also has a new boyfriend, so the reader gets to meet Joel, who of course has a connection in They Both Die at the End.
Unlike the previous short stories that Silvera has written: The Father Does Not Die at the End and Dalma Does Not Die at the End, this short story featuring Orion did not feel like it added much to the universe. The other two enhanced the universe for me, especially The Father Does Not Die at the End. It was nice to see Orion at a book signing, and thus it seems like we get to experience what Silvera feels when he does signings himself. This was also a shorter short story and it just felt a bit rushed and something Silvera was contracted to do for the Barnes and Noble exclusive edition. But this Death-Cast world just intrigues me, so I will read anything that Silvera writes in this world!
Purchase Links:
**Please note that this short story is only available in the Barnes & Noble exclusive edition
Barnes and Noble
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Book Review: The Survivor Wants to Die at the End by Adam Silvera
The Survivor Wants to Die at the End
Series: They Both Die at the End #3
Author: Adam Silvera
Published: May 6, 2025
Hardback: 720 pages
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: July 15- September 13, 2025
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
In this third book of the USA Today and #1 New York Times mega-bestselling They Both Die at the End series, two strangers—each with their own complicated relationship to Death-Cast—help each other learn to live.
Paz Dario stays up every night, waiting for the Death-Cast call that would mean he doesn’t have to keep faking his way through this lonely life. After a devastating day, Paz decides he’s done waiting around for Death-Cast. If they say he’s not dying, he’ll just have to prove them wrong. But right before Paz can die, a boy saves his life.
Alano Rosa is heir to the Death-Cast empire that encourages everyone to live their best lives, but he doesn’t feel in control of his own existence thanks to his father. And with a violent organization called the Death Guard threatening Alano, his End Day might be closer than he thinks. It’s time to live.
Fate brings Paz and Alano together, but it’s now up to the boys to survive the tragic trials ahead so no one dies at the end.
This book contains themes that some readers may find difficult.
Jessica’s Review:
Trigger Warnings: suicide, suicidal thoughts, self-harm
The trigger warnings above are to not be taken lightly. These instances are spread widely throughout this entire 700+ page novel. Also mentioned in the novel is BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder). If you have had issues with these activities in the past then this novel could possibly trigger a reader. Silvera himself had some mental health issues while writing this novel, and a novel dealing with death is not the time to be dealing with those issues. I could see that Silvera is definitely writing from what he knows and has dealt with in his past.
Now away from the heavy trigger warnings: It’s another Death-Cast novel! This time Silvera has written his longest Death-Cast novel to date, and the story still isn’t finished! Alano and Paz’s story will continue next year with No One Know Who Dies at the End. There is just something about this unique world that calls to me and Silvera’s writing pulls me in! I re-read both previous books again before reading Survivor and I am glad I did as these books are so interconnected.
Moving away from the 24-hour time period that the other two Death-Cast books were written in, Survivor takes place over a week and on both US Coasts: New York and Hollywood. Our featured couple is Paz, who as a child killed his father protecting his mother on the first day of Death-Cast over 10 years ago, and Alano who is the Death-Cast heir. Both boys were in The First to Die.
At times the novel did run long for me, but I never lost interest in it. The constant references to the previous two books always bring out feelings from the previous books. (We get Penny and Lidia making a cameo from They Both Die! And Mateo’s father appears too! I had so many feelings with his brief appearance.)
Paz and Alano’s budding relationship is far from being a healthy one, but both of these young men have extremely heavy issues that they are dealing with. If they can somehow help each other by being together, then let them be together.
I had heard that there was a cliff hanger and when I got to the end: Yep…There it is! I would have never expected this. What a way to keep your readers in suspense until the next book is released next year Mr. Silvera! I also saw an interview on Instagram the Silvera is expanding the short story of when Mateo’s father comes out of his coma. Of course I will be getting that one too! It looks like we will have two Death-Cast releases in 2026 and I of course will be buying copies of them.
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK