Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World
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- Create Date：2021-09-13 07:19:27
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Benjamin Alire Sáenz
- ISBN：153449619X
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Summary
The highly anticipated sequel to the critically acclaimed， multiple award-winning novel Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is an achingly romantic， tender tale sure to captivate fans of Adam Silvera and Mary H。K。 Choi。
In Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe， two boys in a border town fell in love。 Now， they must discover what it means to stay in love and build a relationship in a world that seems to challenge their very existence。
Ari has spent all of high school burying who he really is， staying silent and invisible。 He expected his senior year to be the same。 But something in him cracked open when he fell in love with Dante， and he can’t go back。 Suddenly he finds himself reaching out to new friends， standing up to bullies of all kinds， and making his voice heard。 And， always， there is Dante， dreamy， witty Dante， who can get on Ari’s nerves and fill him with desire all at once。
The boys are determined to forge a path for themselves in a world that doesn’t understand them。 But when Ari is faced with a shocking loss， he’ll have to fight like never before to create a life that is truthfully， joyfully his own。
In Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe， two boys in a border town fell in love。 Now， they must discover what it means to stay in love and build a relationship in a world that seems to challenge their very existence。
Ari has spent all of high school burying who he really is， staying silent and invisible。 He expected his senior year to be the same。 But something in him cracked open when he fell in love with Dante， and he can’t go back。 Suddenly he finds himself reaching out to new friends， standing up to bullies of all kinds， and making his voice heard。 And， always， there is Dante， dreamy， witty Dante， who can get on Ari’s nerves and fill him with desire all at once。
The boys are determined to forge a path for themselves in a world that doesn’t understand them。 But when Ari is faced with a shocking loss， he’ll have to fight like never before to create a life that is truthfully， joyfully his own。
Reviews
Charlene
，
There are not many YA contempories that have sequels， so I was interested to see what would happen in this sequel。 Sadly， for me， this was just not a necessary sequel。 This book is problematic in ways because it utilizes trans violence to further the plot， and even more misgenders the transwoman even when trying to defend them。 Not only this， but the main character， Ari， seems to have some strongly misogynist statements， not changing when called on the behaviour。 These two things are not the onl There are not many YA contempories that have sequels， so I was interested to see what would happen in this sequel。 Sadly， for me， this was just not a necessary sequel。 This book is problematic in ways because it utilizes trans violence to further the plot， and even more misgenders the transwoman even when trying to defend them。 Not only this， but the main character， Ari， seems to have some strongly misogynist statements， not changing when called on the behaviour。 These two things are not the only problematic concepts in the book， but I worry that this models behaviour that can be seen by the YA audience as "okay"。 This book did have an interesting exploration of the AIDS epidemic in the 80's and showed a lot of the worry gay men and their loved ones had about AIDS and the lack of care by the wider population about a disease that was killing people at an alarming rate。 For me the problems in this book were just to many for me to overcome。 There are many other LGBTQIA+ own voices books out there that offer more for YA readers。 I received a copy of this from NetGalley and the publisher for an open and honest review。 All opinions are 100% mine。 。。。more
Alora
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These two boys have my heart！ I am so glad that I was able to read an advance copy of this book because it meant that I could continue right on from where the first left off。 In the first book， Aristotle and Dante meet one summer and become fast friends， we find out that Dante likes Ari as more than a friend， and 。。。 In this book， soon after Dante confesses how much he likes Ari， they become boyfriends。 The duology takes place during the AIDS pandemic and so we get to see how that impacts their These two boys have my heart！ I am so glad that I was able to read an advance copy of this book because it meant that I could continue right on from where the first left off。 In the first book， Aristotle and Dante meet one summer and become fast friends， we find out that Dante likes Ari as more than a friend， and 。。。 In this book， soon after Dante confesses how much he likes Ari， they become boyfriends。 The duology takes place during the AIDS pandemic and so we get to see how that impacts their relationship and how they， their parents， and their friends react and deal with the realities of life。 I have heard some people call this book sad and while I agree， a better description might be "emotional rollercoaster"。 I was clapping and all excited one moment and the next I had tears streaming down my face so all in all， it was an amazing book！ 。。。more
Artemis ✨
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I read a preview of this。。。。I need the next one now。 The first three chapters were aodneiebdbdoeow。 And the other ones are probably going to be eppdjsmalowklwlkskjI really can't wait I read a preview of this。。。。I need the next one now。 The first three chapters were aodneiebdbdoeow。 And the other ones are probably going to be eppdjsmalowklwlkskjI really can't wait 。。。more
Nicolas
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Really great story， and a beautiful way to tie Ari and Dante into their time in the world。 I don’t think I needed a sequel， but I’m happy I read it。
Amy Navarre
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Thank you Simon & Schuster for this free ARC。 The following review contains my honest opinions。This novel does not read well as a standalone book。 As with the first book of this series， I like the cover art。 I don’t like the title as well as the first book， but still find it intriguing。 However， as with the first book， I feel the content doesn’t match the impressions of the title or cover art。 I am glad that there is some consistency in these elements throughout this series。The teenaged angst ha Thank you Simon & Schuster for this free ARC。 The following review contains my honest opinions。This novel does not read well as a standalone book。 As with the first book of this series， I like the cover art。 I don’t like the title as well as the first book， but still find it intriguing。 However， as with the first book， I feel the content doesn’t match the impressions of the title or cover art。 I am glad that there is some consistency in these elements throughout this series。The teenaged angst has lessened slightly， but only slightly。 The angst is replaced by insecurity manifesting itself physically。 I find that this being largely left unaddressed is troubling。Within the first book， I found the parents far more interesting characters; within this novel the parents have lost their appeal。 The scene in which Ari’s mom has “outed” him to his sisters and then insists that he go to dinner with them creates several dilemmas: first， I personally felt it inappropriate for his mother to share such a personal piece of information without Ari’s consent beforehand; second， Ari’s tame reaction is incongruous with the personality that the author has previously presented of an angry teenage boy who is fiercely protective of his relationship with Dante。 Then both sets of parents send the boys out on a camping trip without adult supervision。 （Had this been a boy and his girlfriend， I doubt the parents would have sent them camping。） It is alluded to that the parents have safety concerns both in regards to the camping trip and in general， but these concerns are not addressed and to me this is a missed opportunity。 The scene in which Ari has decided to “come out” to his friends but wants his mom to hang out with them doesn’t feel authentic to me。The first book， I listened to an audiobook read by Lin-Manuel Miranda and I certainly hope that he is able to read an audiobook for this as well。 It was much easier to listen to the audiobook that to read this paperback！ The chapters are short and choppy- there were entire chapters that I felt could’ve been completely cut。 The flow throughout was excruciating: I only read about half of this novel。Again， for a WIDE array of reasons， I do not feel this is an appropriate read for children， even teenagers。 。。。more
Sarah A
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I had incredibly high expectations going into this book and Sáenz delivered on all of them。
sophia
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I loved this book。 I got the ARC from NetGalley！ This was an amazing sequel to the first one！ I loved the character and relationship development。 Such an amazing coming of age！
harsh
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It's as if the author traveled to stars and galaxies， earth and air and took a piece of all life and put it in these books。 From the moment you read it you're wrapped in this warm， comfortable， somber yet painful at times blanket and you can't help but feel it all。 This story has it all， Love， pain， heartbreak， family， philosophy and relationships all while exploring the political circumstances of the 80s。 It's balanced through and through and I can't describe how touching it is。 I think I found It's as if the author traveled to stars and galaxies， earth and air and took a piece of all life and put it in these books。 From the moment you read it you're wrapped in this warm， comfortable， somber yet painful at times blanket and you can't help but feel it all。 This story has it all， Love， pain， heartbreak， family， philosophy and relationships all while exploring the political circumstances of the 80s。 It's balanced through and through and I can't describe how touching it is。 I think I found a profound part of me in Ari and how the colors of life blended for him。 It's so easy to connect with him and all the characters， quite frankly。 This book was like a warm hug during a sad goodbye。 This is one of the greatest writings I've witnessed in my life so far。 。。。more
Living Like Lindsey ~Librarian in Training~
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4。75/5Thi book was so beautifully written。 For fans of the first， you are in for a treat。 For those of you who have not read the first， make sure to read it， and then come back and read this because I think it's better than the the first。 This book is emotional all throughout， deals with challenges of identity， and captures deep friendships in a way the first book did not。 It also highlights the romance and struggles of the identity of the two main characters， but in a much different way than th 4。75/5Thi book was so beautifully written。 For fans of the first， you are in for a treat。 For those of you who have not read the first， make sure to read it， and then come back and read this because I think it's better than the the first。 This book is emotional all throughout， deals with challenges of identity， and captures deep friendships in a way the first book did not。 It also highlights the romance and struggles of the identity of the two main characters， but in a much different way than the first。 You can definitely watch Ari as he matures throughout the novel。 It's so beautiful and it comes highly recommended as one of my favorite books I have read this year。 。。。more
Meg Terzza
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Thank you to Louisa at Simon and Schuster for sending me an early digital copy。 I kid you not， I started crying on the very first page and I didn't really stop until well over an hour after finishing it。 I was super hesitant because the first book was a perfect circle and I didn't want the sequel to disappoint， like so many do， but if anything it just made the first feel even better。 Aristotle and Dante Dive into The Waters of the World expands on all the difficult topics of the first， and more。 Thank you to Louisa at Simon and Schuster for sending me an early digital copy。 I kid you not， I started crying on the very first page and I didn't really stop until well over an hour after finishing it。 I was super hesitant because the first book was a perfect circle and I didn't want the sequel to disappoint， like so many do， but if anything it just made the first feel even better。 Aristotle and Dante Dive into The Waters of the World expands on all the difficult topics of the first， and more。 Benjamin Alire Sáenz stays true to these characters that mean so much to so many， the spirit is still there， but as the characters have grown up， so has the discussions， the narrative feel more mature and nuanced。 This hit me hard with all the emotions。 。。。more
Yoana Pencheva
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HOW IN THE WORLD DID I JUST FIND OUT ABOUT THAT？？？？？？？？ Expected publication: October 12th 2021Just before my 18th birthday， so I guess I know how I'm going to spend it if I haven't finished the book already。Now excuse me， I have to go re*cry* the first book。 HOW IN THE WORLD DID I JUST FIND OUT ABOUT THAT？？？？？？？？ Expected publication: October 12th 2021Just before my 18th birthday， so I guess I know how I'm going to spend it if I haven't finished the book already。Now excuse me， I have to go re*cry* the first book。 。。。more
Mallory Wassberg
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One of the most gorgeously written books I’ve read in awhile。 It captures the essence of a first love， the struggle of LGBTQ youth， the pain of racism and the loss of a family member in a raw and unflinching way。 One of my top 2021 reads。
Angel
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A beautifully written novel about a boy discovering love， finding his way， learning to trust others， and becoming a man。 This is a deep and passionate story that follows Aristotle and Dante through their relationship journey as they attempt to map-out their place in the world。 And their tale will fill your heart with moments of joy and then break your heart through their hardships。 Aristotle struggles with seeing a future with Dante， in a time when two men couldn’t have a public relationship wit A beautifully written novel about a boy discovering love， finding his way， learning to trust others， and becoming a man。 This is a deep and passionate story that follows Aristotle and Dante through their relationship journey as they attempt to map-out their place in the world。 And their tale will fill your heart with moments of joy and then break your heart through their hardships。 Aristotle struggles with seeing a future with Dante， in a time when two men couldn’t have a public relationship without fear of persecution。 He agonizes over the “complication” of their love， having to hide their relationship from everyone。 Through his private journal entries – letters to Dante - he opens-up and expresses himself so much more than what he actually says in person。 As Aristotle begins to trust those around him， he finds he has a much larger support group than he ever expected。 Saenz does a spectacular job of pulling you into the characters’ lives， making you feel a strong connection with each of them。 Although this is the second in a series， it reads easily like a stand-alone story that’s filled with many profound and thought-provoking quotes。 I recommend this book to every romantic out there。 Thanks to Book Club Favorites at Simon & Schuster for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Dusti Falgoust
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I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。We finally are welcomed back to the world of Aristotle and Dante in this sequel to the much beloved Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe。 While the first book told the story of how they fell in love， this book follow the two boys as they figure out how to be in a relationship and how to be in love。 We also get an even closer look at Ari and his relationship with his family。This has been a b I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。We finally are welcomed back to the world of Aristotle and Dante in this sequel to the much beloved Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe。 While the first book told the story of how they fell in love， this book follow the two boys as they figure out how to be in a relationship and how to be in love。 We also get an even closer look at Ari and his relationship with his family。This has been a book I've been so very hyped for， as a huge fan of the first book。 My reaction is a bit mixed。 The writing is， of course， gorgeous and quite lyrical。 Saenz has such talent when it comes to invoking emotion and a certain energy with his words。 That being said， the book felt a bit slow and like it dragged on。 By the end， I was happy to be finished。 It took a pretty long time for me to finish this book， considering how hyped I was for it。 It just was a lot of Ari thinking to himself and capturing precious moments with Dante， which on one hand I love， but I also think it could've used a little condensing。What I loved so much about the book is that we got to see past that initial falling in love and the beginnings of a relationship。 A lot of romance focuses on that and it's great but it's also nice to get to see what happens next。 And this relationship was portrayed in such a realistic way。 We get to see doubt and fear and longing and all of the ups and downs that come with being in love。 I just truly loved how this was portrayed in this book。 There were also two specifically heartbreaking scenes that just devastated me， in the best way possible。I'd also like to note that this book really makes you feel that it takes place in the 80s without overdoing references。 There's a fine line when it comes to "historical" books， but Aristotle and Dante does it very well。Overall， a good read for fans of the first book。 Even though I am a bit disappointed， I still enjoyed the story and was happy to revisit my old friends。 <3 4/5 stars 。。。more
Ashleigh
，
A wonderful and long-awaited sequel！ This book was extremely dynamic and elaborate。 It continues the story of Aristotle and Dante， letting them soar to new heights and giving their characters an even fuller arc than they previously had。 The story is equal parts heartwarming and heart wrenching; it touches on queer coming of age， feminism， racism， homophobia， and everything in-between， and yet still manages to work in the YA romance we all know and love。 It was a true delight！
Carol
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Thank you to Book Club Favorites at Simon and Schuster for the free copy for review。What Judy Blume books did for adolescent girls， the Aristotle and Dante books are doing for adolescent boys （and girls）， especially those coming to terms with their sexuality。 Aristotle and Dante are a gay teenage couple growing up in El Paso， Texas during the 1980s。 In this sequel to Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe， Ari and Dante are learning to juggle their relationship， high school， re Thank you to Book Club Favorites at Simon and Schuster for the free copy for review。What Judy Blume books did for adolescent girls， the Aristotle and Dante books are doing for adolescent boys （and girls）， especially those coming to terms with their sexuality。 Aristotle and Dante are a gay teenage couple growing up in El Paso， Texas during the 1980s。 In this sequel to Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe， Ari and Dante are learning to juggle their relationship， high school， relationships with their family and friends， love， loss， and their place in society， while the AIDS crisis is growing。 This book was needed then， and it’s important now。 I hope high schools will add it to their English curriculum。 。。。more
Matthew
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“Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe” is one of my favourite books of all-time， so I was absolutely ecstatic to receive an e-ARC copy of the sequel， “Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World” from Simon & Schuster Canada， through NetGalley， in exchange for an honest review。 Our story picks up after the events of the first novel and sees Ari and Dante attempting to navigate their relationship in a time where being open about their love is a distant dream。 I’m thr “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe” is one of my favourite books of all-time， so I was absolutely ecstatic to receive an e-ARC copy of the sequel， “Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World” from Simon & Schuster Canada， through NetGalley， in exchange for an honest review。 Our story picks up after the events of the first novel and sees Ari and Dante attempting to navigate their relationship in a time where being open about their love is a distant dream。 I’m thrilled to see Benjamin Alire Saenz return to this story， and it’s continuation was just as good as the original book。 The lyrical， poetic writing style is so beautiful and compulsively readable and Ari’s voice is as distinctive and compelling as I remember。 His struggles will resonate with many LGBTQ+ youth as surely as his relationship with Dante will continue to warm hearts。 The two of them are completely three-dimensional characters， and so completely opposite of each other but they work so well as a couple and it’s beautiful to read。 I truly missed Ari’s stoic pragmatism and Dante’s infectious enthusiasm and optimism。 And the book had such a perfect ending。 Like， you are not ready for how perfect the ending is， I promise。 I cried。 I’m so grateful that this story got a sequel， and if at all possible， I fell more in love with Ari and Dante than I already had in the first book （which I didn’t think was even possible。 This truly was the perfect way to start my reading month， and I’m grateful and absolutely honoured to have been able to read it early。 My thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for making it happen！ “Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World” is scheduled for publication on October 12， 2021 from Simon & Schuster and if you were a fan of the first book， you’ll definitely want to add this to your TBR’s ASAP！ 。。。more
Teo
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Thank you to Netgalley for giving me an ARC of this book。*I read the first book of the series a few years ago and I found it quite good。 However， I had to DNF this one at the 50% mark because I just could not get back into the story and do not enjoy forcing myself to read/like a book。 I feel bad because I had high expectations for this and the book did not meet them。 I will most likely give this another try later but not at the moment。
pluto ☆
，
aaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Melissa （BookishMomo）
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Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for an arc in exchange for an honest review。More 4。5/5 stars and I'll get to why in my review。。。It's been so long since I've felt the way about a book that this book made me feel。 This author has a way with words that breathes life and causes you to experience all of the emotions。 There isn't another author out there who writes the way he does and I'm the type of reader that usually prefers to fall head first into books that build huge worlds while Benjam Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for an arc in exchange for an honest review。More 4。5/5 stars and I'll get to why in my review。。。It's been so long since I've felt the way about a book that this book made me feel。 This author has a way with words that breathes life and causes you to experience all of the emotions。 There isn't another author out there who writes the way he does and I'm the type of reader that usually prefers to fall head first into books that build huge worlds while Benjamin Alire Sáenz very much flourishes in the land of books that have dialogue that know where to hit you。 I'm legit sitting here having finished the book a few minutes ago still crying because the whole last half of the book had me either crying from heartbreak or happiness。 Having read Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe 7 years ago I can say with 100% certainty that this sequel was well worth the wait。 I'm also really hoping that we could get a third book maybe in the future？ I'd be here for a third book because I don't think I'll ever be able to say goodbye to Ari and Dante。 I'd even be happy with a short epilogue novella。Beyond the genius that is Benjamin Alire Sáenz's writing。。。 This installment picks up right where the first book ended which was really refreshing since I half expected a time jump。 And the journey and growth that Aristotle goes through was incredible， heartbreaking， and then healing。 Which brings me to why this wasn't quite 5 stars and that is because the title feels a bit misleading because even though Dante plays a role it isn't as big as it was in the first book and it almost felt like he was pushed to the background。 I kept waiting for there to be more of him and was disappointed when there wasn't。 I didn't feel like I got to experience his growth in the way I wanted to experience it。 But don't get me wrong - Ari's journey kept me unable to put this book down and I loved seeing how much he grew by the end of the book and loved getting to know all the people he let into his life but would have loved to have seen Dante more as well。 However， the moments of the two of them together were some of my favorites and I'll never be over them。 I also couldn't get over the parallels to today that I felt in this book which is set in the late 1980's during the AIDS pandemic and a time of great social change much like our own today。 Some of the realizations the characters where having about themselves and the world around them and about topics like racism and homophobia felt very relevant。 Once again a tribute to Benjamin Alire Sáenz as an author that he could make me really feel that connection and not just notice it on a surface level。 This sequel in general had everything I love about a good YA contemporary coming of age novel which is family bonds， learning to navigate grief， learning about yourself and the world around you， acceptance， and just life。 Honestly， no one does these kind of books as good as this author does。 。。。more
hi
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wow theres a second book
Tara Russell
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I think it's really 4。5 but since it hits all the emotional buttons I'm rounding up。 I think it's really 4。5 but since it hits all the emotional buttons I'm rounding up。 。。。more
Jan
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"I wished I could somehow reach into my chest and rip out my own heart and show Dante everything that it held。"major the only thing by sufjan stevens aka the best song ever vibes。i don't really know what rating would be appropriate here， so 4 stars is the way to go。 i adored the nuanced discussion of grief， love and relationships in this book and some passages were simply stunningly written。 what surprised me a bit was that the writing at times didn't feel as effortless as in the first part， alm "I wished I could somehow reach into my chest and rip out my own heart and show Dante everything that it held。"major the only thing by sufjan stevens aka the best song ever vibes。i don't really know what rating would be appropriate here， so 4 stars is the way to go。 i adored the nuanced discussion of grief， love and relationships in this book and some passages were simply stunningly written。 what surprised me a bit was that the writing at times didn't feel as effortless as in the first part， almost as if the author wanted to force beauty into his writing。 also， there were a few sentences and paragraphs where I kinda cringed because the word choice was just odd or what was being said/described felt somehow quite unrealistic。 but again， by and large I really really enjoyed it。 。。。more
seren rix
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i wish was famous and influential solely so i could get an arc of this book。 instead i have to wait like a LOSER
Miss Kindregan
，
This follow up to Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is a perfect companion to the first novel。 It is just as emotion-filled and beautifully written as the first whilst tackling new topics such as AIDS， grief， and growing up。 Aristotle and Dante are in their last year of high school in this book， grappling with being in a fantastic， loving relationship in a time and place where being gay is not accepted， and worrying whether their relationship will survive past high school。 This follow up to Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is a perfect companion to the first novel。 It is just as emotion-filled and beautifully written as the first whilst tackling new topics such as AIDS， grief， and growing up。 Aristotle and Dante are in their last year of high school in this book， grappling with being in a fantastic， loving relationship in a time and place where being gay is not accepted， and worrying whether their relationship will survive past high school。 Just like the last book， I will be regularly recommending this to my students and friends because these books are so beautiful and touching。 。。。more
Elizabeth
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This book is obviously highly anticipated， and it fully lived up to all the expectations。 As Ari is going into his senior year of high school and settling into his relationship with Dante， he is beginning to reckon with what it means to be a gay man in the '80s， coming into himself during a time when the AIDS epidemic was constantly in the news。 There's so much change happening in his life， and it perfectly captures that strange time in life that is finishing high school and expecting to just be This book is obviously highly anticipated， and it fully lived up to all the expectations。 As Ari is going into his senior year of high school and settling into his relationship with Dante， he is beginning to reckon with what it means to be a gay man in the '80s， coming into himself during a time when the AIDS epidemic was constantly in the news。 There's so much change happening in his life， and it perfectly captures that strange time in life that is finishing high school and expecting to just be an adult。 Ari is one of my most favorite characters ever and seeing him work through his emotions， do things that he's uncomfortable with， and grow into a man was so， so beautiful and lovely。Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Carla Enright
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What was that sound？ Oh just me yelling from excitement after finding out there is a sequel on it’s way。
Shaunakbooks
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