Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World
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- Create Date：2021-10-06 01:51:00
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Benjamin Alire Sáenz
- ISBN：1665905565
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Summary
Sequel to Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe， a gorgeously introspective and thoughtful coming of age story about two Mexican-American boys who are best friends and gradually realize that they're in love with each other。
Reviews
Teri
，
With the highest recommendations from book club friends， I listened to the first book in this series over the summer， and then was ecstatic when I received an ARC of this highly anticipated sequel。These boys grabbed my heart in the first book and didn’t let go – Ari， who would rather spend time with his dog than anyone else while pondering the meaning of life， and Dante， a born romantic who wears his heart on his sleeve。 They squeezed my heart even tighter this time around and even shattered it With the highest recommendations from book club friends， I listened to the first book in this series over the summer， and then was ecstatic when I received an ARC of this highly anticipated sequel。These boys grabbed my heart in the first book and didn’t let go – Ari， who would rather spend time with his dog than anyone else while pondering the meaning of life， and Dante， a born romantic who wears his heart on his sleeve。 They squeezed my heart even tighter this time around and even shattered it at times。 This novel is set in the eighties when the AIDS epidemic made headlines every day – when two teenage boys tragically had to hide their sexuality because it wasn’t safe for them to admit they were gay。“My love for him is silent。 There are a thousand things living in that silence。”Fortunately， these two have a strong support system in their parents and a few select friends。 That doesn’t mean they don’t have doubts about who they are。 When Ari asks his mother if he’s a sin， it nearly brought tears to my eyes。 Plenty of these heartfelt conversations may require tissues， so be prepared。Ari finally steps out of his comfort zone and allows people in who’ve had their hands extended in friendship for years。 He also discovers maybe he and one of his enemies have more in common that he believed。 You can never be sure what people are dealing with in their lives。“When you are standing all alone， the people who notice – those are the people who stand by your side。 Those are the people who love you。”Something I found amusing was how Ari comes to the realization his parents are actual people。 After mending the relationship with his father， the two of them spend time together that will profoundly affect Ari for the rest of his life。 He also sees the influence his mother has had on her students and the sacrifices she’s made along the way。 How his parents met and fell in love。This is a coming of age story that deals with love， loss， grief， homophobia， and racism， but also offers hope for a better future。 As you can see from the above quotes， the writing is beautiful and inspirational， and the characters undergo tremendous growth。 It’s a series I’ll continue to recommend。I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley。 Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。 。。。more
T
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I wrote this rant review in five minutes and I’m not bothering to edit it。I received this book from work， and was ecstatic。 I had no idea the author was terrible beforehand so I was excited to read this。 Aristotle and Dante was an important book to me in high school， being one of the only queer books out there that dared to venture beyond the white cis gay narrative。 It is also， however， a story that relies on transphobia。 This obviously warranted the backlash it got。 As a queer trans person mys I wrote this rant review in five minutes and I’m not bothering to edit it。I received this book from work， and was ecstatic。 I had no idea the author was terrible beforehand so I was excited to read this。 Aristotle and Dante was an important book to me in high school， being one of the only queer books out there that dared to venture beyond the white cis gay narrative。 It is also， however， a story that relies on transphobia。 This obviously warranted the backlash it got。 As a queer trans person myself， I’m glad。 And I hoped the second book would reflect the author’s growth as a person。 Considering that the first book follows Ari coming to terms with himself， it’s no surprise that the second is about him discovering himself and the world。 So when I first read the infamous transphobic scene that was released earlier this year I thought， okay that’s bad。 But if this book focuses so much on Ari and Dante unlearning their faults， it’s a necessary conversation。 Every cis person has to reconcile with their transphobia。 And given the storyline with Ari’s brother， it makes sense。 It serves a purpose， one that ultimately addresses the transphobia of the last book and also the way cis ppl don’t view us as real people。 Unfortunately， that did not happen。 It only got worse。I am not allowed to share quotes from the book but I don’t think I would anyways。 This book is full of harmful transphobia that is never reconciled。 The book also goes on to be deeply biphobic and misogynistic。 None of these things served the story。 To say I’m disappointed is a severe understatement。 How can Saenz write a book about the trials and tribulations of youth， the way we all realize we have work to do in order to be “good people”， and then casually toss in his own bigotry？ What this tells me as a trans and bi person is that I only exist as a burden for cis gay men。 And guess what？ I already know many of them view me that way。 I don’t need to read it in a story。 I truly believe books like this will further harm queer kids， specifically those who are women/femme-aligned， bi， and/or trans。 I grew up with works that were deeply offensive with the notion that “oh they didn’t know any better”。 And to an extent， that was fair。 The reach of the Internet （in terms of feminist outreach） is a very new phenomenon。 I understand that previous generations didn’t have the privilege of unlearning their bigotry and biases at the speed that many of us do。 And with publishing being the mess that it is， I don’t expect anyone in that institution to call out a person’s mistakes。 It’s 2021 though。 And these authors know better。 I recently learned that Saenz harassed trans readers who wanted nothing more than to talk。 This shit is inexcusable。Anyways， what I’m trying to say is—this book is dangerous。 But the good news is that we live in a time where so many others queer books exist。 The world isn’t the same as when I was a kid。 There’s plenty of trans and queer authors whose books don’t push offensive ideas onto their readers。 So spare yourself the pain and pick up one of those instead。 They’re actually worth your time。 。。。more
Keathe Steigert
，
Aristotle and Dante are back in this sequel， picking up from where they left off。 This year the boys are seniors in high school， and are privately dating。 It's hard to narrow down exactly what I liked about this book。 The writing style of Benjamin Alire Saenz， is as always， very different to what we are used to。 His narration through Ari is almost a stream of conciousness style of writing。 As such it is sometimes stilted， and is very dialogue heavy。 In general， I don't particularly enjoy that st Aristotle and Dante are back in this sequel， picking up from where they left off。 This year the boys are seniors in high school， and are privately dating。 It's hard to narrow down exactly what I liked about this book。 The writing style of Benjamin Alire Saenz， is as always， very different to what we are used to。 His narration through Ari is almost a stream of conciousness style of writing。 As such it is sometimes stilted， and is very dialogue heavy。 In general， I don't particularly enjoy that style of writing， but it is done so masterfully in Saenz's books， that it seems to add to the enjoyment of the book， rather than detract from it。 Ari grows emotionally a great deal in this book。 He starts to open up to people who have been trying to be his freinds （most notably， Gina and Susie）， and has more meaningful and in depth conversations with both of his parents。 He learns a lot about himself， and the reasons that he has hidden himself away from others。 The AIDS epidemic is still in the forefront of the news cycle， and it is a poignant reminder of just how terribly the disease ravaged the world。 In a time when most of us don't need to recall just how horribly the world acted toward gay men during this time of crisis for them， it brings back the enormity and hopelessness of the time。 It also， sadly， brought to the forefront of my mind just how far we still have to go in the acceptance of all lifestyles。 It is devestating to be reminded of just how little progress we have made in nearly 35 years。 Reading about Dante and Ari again is like returning home to see two old friends。 I very much enjoyed this sequel， and the many issues tackled， and being with Ari as he navgates a new world as a gay man。 It is a book I will encourage my teenagers to read， and one I will be thinking about for a long time to come。Thank you so much to Simon and Shuster for providing me an eARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review！ 。。。more
Payal
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Disappointing。 As a sequel to such an important and iconic book， I had expected a lot more。 In Ari's voice， it sounded repetitive and affected， a concerted effort to tell the reader about his angst rather than making them feel it。 The conversations between the boys， in Ari's head， between the parents—it was the same thing over and over again， about how the boys were loved and supported and how difficult it was going to be。 I could not finish it。（Review copy from NetGalley） Disappointing。 As a sequel to such an important and iconic book， I had expected a lot more。 In Ari's voice， it sounded repetitive and affected， a concerted effort to tell the reader about his angst rather than making them feel it。 The conversations between the boys， in Ari's head， between the parents—it was the same thing over and over again， about how the boys were loved and supported and how difficult it was going to be。 I could not finish it。（Review copy from NetGalley） 。。。more
Alexia Fernandez
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I received an ARC of this book for an early review。 My life has been blown to bits and reshaped， again。 An astounding sequel to “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe。” My heart has been broken just as it has been reinforced。 I couldn’t put it down and yet I wanted to take my time with every word。 Benjamin Alire Saenz maps out every human emotion with a gentle and loving hand as Aristotle and Dante figure out their places in the Universe。 Grab a copy as soon as you can。
Lizanne Johnson
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Have you ever been so upset by a book that you heave it at the wall？ That is not usually me。 But this book！ My only regret is that I didn’t reread Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe before starting this one。 In the 1980s Dante and Aristotle are seniors in high school as their relationship continues。 Their families play a big role as the boys’ relationship develops。 The AIDS pandemic is a huge issue。 As the story progresses， they not only confront homophobia， but racism。 The Have you ever been so upset by a book that you heave it at the wall？ That is not usually me。 But this book！ My only regret is that I didn’t reread Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe before starting this one。 In the 1980s Dante and Aristotle are seniors in high school as their relationship continues。 Their families play a big role as the boys’ relationship develops。 The AIDS pandemic is a huge issue。 As the story progresses， they not only confront homophobia， but racism。 They form new friendships and come of age。 At about two-thirds into the book， my ugly cry and the book throwing began。 Ari and Dante’s story seeps into your heart。 It shows us how far we have come and reminds us that we still have far to go with so many parallels to life today。 Right now I’m going to listen to the first book and eagerly anticipate listening to this one。 （I did listen。 It made me love the second book even more。） This is a must buy for my high school library。 Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Cassie | The_BookSandwich
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Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz was， sadly， a disappointing followup to the first book。 I enjoyed that one but was on guard about the transphobia。 I was hoping that this book would clarify and redeem the first。This book didn't feel as deep and meaningful， or have as much growth as I would have hoped for in a sequel。 The style was distracting and the dialogue felt choppy and awkward。 It just felt like there was too much effort to be deep and philosoph Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz was， sadly， a disappointing followup to the first book。 I enjoyed that one but was on guard about the transphobia。 I was hoping that this book would clarify and redeem the first。This book didn't feel as deep and meaningful， or have as much growth as I would have hoped for in a sequel。 The style was distracting and the dialogue felt choppy and awkward。 It just felt like there was too much effort to be deep and philosophical。 There is also biphobia， transphobia， and misogyny that needs to be addressed。 I had hoped that Sáenz would grow in his compassion and use this book to support the full lgbtq+ community， but this was just a let down。Thank you to Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for the advanced read in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Kara
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（3。75）
ElphaReads
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Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this novel！A sweet and contemplative follow up to a lovely contemporary YA novel， ARISTOTLE AND DANTE DIVE INTO THE WATERS OF THE WORLD reacquaints us with teenage loves Aristotle and Dante。 Now that they are together， they have to try and navigate a 1980s Texas world where being gay is hard， as is being Mexican-American。 Though it feels a little repetitive at times and meanders a little bit， overall this is a gentle and introspective novel Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this novel！A sweet and contemplative follow up to a lovely contemporary YA novel， ARISTOTLE AND DANTE DIVE INTO THE WATERS OF THE WORLD reacquaints us with teenage loves Aristotle and Dante。 Now that they are together， they have to try and navigate a 1980s Texas world where being gay is hard， as is being Mexican-American。 Though it feels a little repetitive at times and meanders a little bit， overall this is a gentle and introspective novel about young love and finding those who will support you， especially in times of great crisis， be it on a personal level or a global one。 Aristotle and Dante remain complex and relatable main characters， and their love is very easy to root for。 The emotional beats hit hard， the salient points come through， and love， not just romantic but also platonic and familial， is the center force。 And the style is， once again， so beautifully done and written。 。。。more
Danielle Redman
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I was so excited to read this book when I saw it on the list at NetGalley， but it was unfortunately a DNF for me。 I got about 20% of the way through， and I found it was bogged down by the style。 It may be that I am in a different place with different tastes in books from when I read the first book in this now series， but to me， it just wasn't a recipe for success。 I was so excited to read this book when I saw it on the list at NetGalley， but it was unfortunately a DNF for me。 I got about 20% of the way through， and I found it was bogged down by the style。 It may be that I am in a different place with different tastes in books from when I read the first book in this now series， but to me， it just wasn't a recipe for success。 。。。more
Paige Hettinger
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（4。5）read this review on my blog now！！！！I am fairly staunchly opposed to follow-up novels to critically acclaimed works that come 10 or so years down the line。 Rarely， in my opinion， are they successful—Find Me， the follow-up to Call Me by Your Name， was downright one of the worst books I’ve ever read and demolished the （to me， important） work the original text had done; Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments I refuse to even touch for fear that on the heels of the TV show （also won’t touch that）， she （4。5）read this review on my blog now！！！！I am fairly staunchly opposed to follow-up novels to critically acclaimed works that come 10 or so years down the line。 Rarely， in my opinion， are they successful—Find Me， the follow-up to Call Me by Your Name， was downright one of the worst books I’ve ever read and demolished the （to me， important） work the original text had done; Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments I refuse to even touch for fear that on the heels of the TV show （also won’t touch that）， she clarified critical ambiguities in her original work。 So when it seemed like finally， finally， after all these years， the Aristotle & Dante sequel was actually happening， I began to feel a fair amount of trepidation。 Yes， a novel can take a long time， and this has been in the works for a while。 But Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe was published in 2012。 That now makes this 9 years later that it is seeing a sequel for itself， and it’s long。 I was openly and frankly hesitant。Yet when I pulled open the first pages of this novel， I was startled to find that it picked up exactly where the first book had left off—like， exactly。 It didn’t miss a beat。 I had not read Aristotle & Dante since my first read in 2014—when I was 15—so I had not read it in 7 years， and even I could tell that it did not miss a beat。 And as the pages spooled on， I became even more impressed by the extent to which Benjamin Alire Sáenz was able to access and return to Ari’s voice and the tone he had created in the original novel。 I really do believe it is a rare kind of author who has that ability。 And rather than piggyback off of the success of the first novel and tell an easy story fans probably wanted to hear， he wrote a moving， exploratory text about family and friendship， grief and loss， love and what it means to not just discover an identity， but to settle into one。 And it is， I think， a gift to its original， young， and moved readers more than anything else。While there’s very little I can say without dipping into spoiler territory， I was moved to tears at multiple turns when I don’t think I ever was with the first novel， and there was a heavy presence of family relations （discovering， navigating， letting go of， and （re）establishing） that I found unexpected and incredibly moving。 The only real issue I had was the novel’s central metaphor—you’d assume from the title that it would be one of diving into uncharted waters， and while that was brought up often enough， the metaphor the novel kept returning to was one of cartography， of charting a path across the world， marking yourself and your stories down upon the land。 It just didn’t make much sense to me considering the first novel’s frankly gorgeous use of swimming and pools—I wanted to see a lot more of that “diving into the real waters of the world” concept。 And there was another thing I wasn’t quite a fan of but am still working my thoughts through， but that I’ll definitely have to keep under lock and key for a while。Overall， I was just so moved and impressed。 Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe always felt like a novel about identity to me。 Aristotle & Dante Dive into the Waters of the World established that reading。 As a teenager， I had some awareness of that resonance—as an adult （and it’s curious to me， I have to add， that many of this book’s original readers will be returning to these pages as adults—I think my adulthood came in handy when it came to emotional access， even if it did not when it came to some cheesy lines） it was impossible to look away from how deeply this novel is about settling into one’s own identity， all the beautiful but at times deeply， deeply difficult ways you do or are forced to do that。 And it was never， of course， without a heavy dose of hope。 Well and truly a gift。 。。。more
BooksTea&Me （Sophie）
，
Why does October 12th still seem so far away？
Thérèse
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4。5 stars。I loved Dante。 But I didn't really know what that meant。 Where was love supposed to take you？Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is one of my all-time favorite books。 I was terrified for the sequel， because in my opinion， this book did not warrant a sequel。 Sequels also tend to disappoint。。。 in my opinion， at least。 I should have known that there was no need to worry。 Benjamin Alire Sáenz has crafted a story that， while not as touching （to me） as the first installm 4。5 stars。I loved Dante。 But I didn't really know what that meant。 Where was love supposed to take you？Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is one of my all-time favorite books。 I was terrified for the sequel， because in my opinion， this book did not warrant a sequel。 Sequels also tend to disappoint。。。 in my opinion， at least。 I should have known that there was no need to worry。 Benjamin Alire Sáenz has crafted a story that， while not as touching （to me） as the first installment， is beautiful nonetheless。This is more than a love story。 It's a story about growth。 I love the continued focus on Ari's discovery of the world。 Just because he is with Dante does not mean that he is without problems。 Also: He has friends！ I adore that， as part of his growth， Ari decided to let people in。 One of his friends， Cassandra， became a favorite of mine。 Seeing Ari with the girls warmed my heart every time。 This book was necessary to complete Ari's development as a person。 It was gorgeous and raw and， at times， difficult。 But that's what makes it worth it。 Perhaps you can say the same thing about life， too。 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book！ Everyone， please read it on its release date！ 。。。more
Trisha
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HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS WAS A THING UNTIL NOW？？ HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS WAS A THING UNTIL NOW？？ 。。。more
Danielle
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I was so disappointed in this book。 It's been a really long time since I read the book that this book is a sequel to， so I don't fully remember what I loved about it so much but I rated that book 5 stars and my review of it was glowing。 This book felt mostly pointless to me。 I did not feel like anything really happened in it nor did I feel like I got any better feel for who the characters were。 This is also definitely a book that you need to have read the first one for because there is not reall I was so disappointed in this book。 It's been a really long time since I read the book that this book is a sequel to， so I don't fully remember what I loved about it so much but I rated that book 5 stars and my review of it was glowing。 This book felt mostly pointless to me。 I did not feel like anything really happened in it nor did I feel like I got any better feel for who the characters were。 This is also definitely a book that you need to have read the first one for because there is not really any previous context given。 You're just dropped in where the previous book left off。 It also seemed entirely ridiculous to me that for a book set in the 90s that every single person these characters interacted with from friends to family was not only fully in support of them being gay but was overly encouraging about it in a way that seemed entirely unrealistic。 There were some allusions to you know people out there *gestures broadly* that would make life difficult for them， but the book certainly didn't make that seem to be the case。 In ideal world yes that is how things would be but especially when you set a book in the past in a time when it for sure would have not gone down like that I found it really annoying。 。。。more
Jenny
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And October finally comes， you know whats good this month？ This sequel will be released， yayyyyyyyy have been waiting for this for way tooooo long
Jess
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I don't want to rate this just because I love the first with all my heart， and my rating would not be kind。 Bottom line， maybe some people will find something in this to love， but I just found it boring and unneccesary and I will now pretend it just doesn't exist。。。 I don't want to rate this just because I love the first with all my heart， and my rating would not be kind。 Bottom line， maybe some people will find something in this to love， but I just found it boring and unneccesary and I will now pretend it just doesn't exist。。。 。。。more
Rue
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OOOOOMMMMMFFFFFFFGGGGGG！！A sequel is coming out for Aristotle and Dante！
Dude
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I’m so happy this is coming out :）
Alina
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There is no way I can make Ari and Dante not personal。 It is my all-time favourite book and nothing has beaten it for 6 years…I will try to be as objective as I can for some things， but for most of the book， I simply cannot。Briefly， the reason why the first book resonated with me is because I saw myself reflected in Ari， personality-wise。 He also has a similar world view as mine。 Timing is also important， as I was 15 when i first read the original book。 I am almost 22 and Ari is 17 in the sequel There is no way I can make Ari and Dante not personal。 It is my all-time favourite book and nothing has beaten it for 6 years…I will try to be as objective as I can for some things， but for most of the book， I simply cannot。Briefly， the reason why the first book resonated with me is because I saw myself reflected in Ari， personality-wise。 He also has a similar world view as mine。 Timing is also important， as I was 15 when i first read the original book。 I am almost 22 and Ari is 17 in the sequel。Ari （and Dante） go through many things in this book that I cannot relate to at this point in my life， that is not necessarily bad， but it explains why I couldn’t connect as much as i did with the first book。Some conversations Ari has with himself， like coming to terms with a homophobic society， during the AIDS crisis， probably won’t connect as much with western Gen Z， and thank god we cannot relate。 I wanna jump into the book and tell Ari and Dante things do get better。 It’s historically accurate， so I understand。I’ve had trouble with my awful attention span in recent years， it makes Reading a task… But I am happy to say that Benjamin Alire Saenz’s writing style is very easy to read， and it is so lovely to see everyone again。 I will definitely be thinking about this book for a while。I can say that when I finished the first book i hugged my e-reader because I was filled with emotion and happiness… I did the same this time around， but with relief。There are things that happened in the end that I wish did not happen， as I can’t make sense of them。 But All in all， it was a delightful read， I’ll always love Ari and Dante。 Nothing can make me love them less。Once again， thank you Benjamin， i love your books， from one queer latinx to another！They will always mean the world to me。 The secrets of my universe are in their hands。 。。。more
Arena♡
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why am i just finding about this precious baby？？ in my new October releases mail by goodreads？？ omg omg omg im crying shit i've been dying for more of dante and ari and its finally here aghjfhgsgaj im gonna go cry now why am i just finding about this precious baby？？ in my new October releases mail by goodreads？？ omg omg omg im crying shit i've been dying for more of dante and ari and its finally here aghjfhgsgaj im gonna go cry now 。。。more
Jamie
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This is the continuation of the story of Aristotle and Dante， characters I absolutely fell in love with in the first book。 While I still love Aristotle and Dante after reading this sequel， I think this second book lacked the focus of the first book。 There were many issues covered in this story from dealing with being gay in the midst of the AIDS crisis， discrimination， racism， loss， and normal teenage angst。 The book felt a little all over the place and a bit too long because of that。What I enjo This is the continuation of the story of Aristotle and Dante， characters I absolutely fell in love with in the first book。 While I still love Aristotle and Dante after reading this sequel， I think this second book lacked the focus of the first book。 There were many issues covered in this story from dealing with being gay in the midst of the AIDS crisis， discrimination， racism， loss， and normal teenage angst。 The book felt a little all over the place and a bit too long because of that。What I enjoyed about this sequel was also what I enjoyed about the first book。 Aristotle is a thoughtful young man， and it is a joy to watch him grow and mature over the course of the story。 By the end of the book， he really discovers how to see things from the perspective of the other people in his life and how to put aside his own needs to be there for the people he cares about。 He learns a lot about this from his very sweet group of friends who are always there for him。 Aside from the lack of focus I felt while reading this， I also wish there had been more of a connection to the metaphor in the title。 In the first book， it is really clear how Aristotle and Dante have "discovered the secrets of the universe"。 The reader goes on the journey of discovery with Aristotle and Dante。 This second book doesn't feel like Aristotle and Dante's journey。 It feels like a lot of personal battles Aristotle is fighting， and how he makes his way through them。 When the metaphor of "diving into the waters of the world" comes up， it feels a bit stretched and forced。This is definitely a good read for those who enjoyed the first book and love Aristotle and Dante。 I'm glad I read it and got to see the continuation of their story， but the first book will stick with me longer than this one will。Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of this title！ 。。。more
Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin
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How in the literal hell did I not know this was a thing！！！ People have apparently known about this since 2016！！！ Someone hurry over and buy me the hardback of the first book because my paperback won’t match the new hardback！ Amazon wishlist becomes larger！ Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾 How in the literal hell did I not know this was a thing！！！ People have apparently known about this since 2016！！！ Someone hurry over and buy me the hardback of the first book because my paperback won’t match the new hardback！ Amazon wishlist becomes larger！ Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾 。。。more
emily
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WOAHHH ITS FINALLY HAPPENING？？？？？
Mélanie
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3/5Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review！I'm deeply disappointed by this book。 Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe was amazing， and I thought this book was going to be on the next level。 convinced me that it was going to be in my top 5 books of 2021， but the second third shattered my too high expectations。 Let's start with the first third of the book。 It was SUPERB！ I had goosebumps for every sentence written， and te 3/5Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review！I'm deeply disappointed by this book。 Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe was amazing， and I thought this book was going to be on the next level。 convinced me that it was going to be in my top 5 books of 2021， but the second third shattered my too high expectations。 Let's start with the first third of the book。 It was SUPERB！ I had goosebumps for every sentence written， and tears were welling up in my eyes for a big part it。 The romance was to die for， the characters as loveable as ever。。。 it was a dream come true。But then the second third hit。 It felt like the author was just throwing stuff to reach a certain word count， and the characters kind of lost their personality and became one of the same。 Also， everyone started to talk like they were "philosophical" or "deep" and it wasn't realistic at aaaall。The last third was pretty good， other than the ending。 The ending of Ari and Dante 2 was underwhelming and left me thinking "that's it？" Not the greatest feeling when finishing a book。All in all， this wasn't Benjamin Alire Sáenz's best book， and I wouldn't really recommend it to fans of the first book。 The beauty of the first book isn't worth sacrificing just to know what became of Ari and Dante。 。。。more
France
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SPOILER FREE ARC REVIEW/ A LETTER TO BENJAMIN:I’ve been having a hard time composing myself to write this review， but I don’t think anything I can say about it will ever do it justice。 You must read this book。 I said something to a friend of mine about this book that I thought to include in this review: If Aristotle and Dante 1 is our town， then this book is the rest of the world。 This book is Benjamin’s Melodrama。Truly， this was one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read in my life and I’m SPOILER FREE ARC REVIEW/ A LETTER TO BENJAMIN:I’ve been having a hard time composing myself to write this review， but I don’t think anything I can say about it will ever do it justice。 You must read this book。 I said something to a friend of mine about this book that I thought to include in this review: If Aristotle and Dante 1 is our town， then this book is the rest of the world。 This book is Benjamin’s Melodrama。Truly， this was one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read in my life and I’m so grateful to have had the pleasure of reading it early。 Benjamin’s writing is absolutely exquisite， you can tell just how much time and love he put into this story。 I didn’t worry for a second that he wouldn’t deliver an adequate sequel to the beloved first book， but Waters of the World absolutely lapped any expectations I did have。 You might even say， he blew it out of the water。My god， was this book heavy！ There were a lot of topics and themes explored that have stuck with me long after reading them， and I began to worry for a few days that I’d be stuck in the brain of seventeen year old Aristotle Mendoza for the rest of time。 But having sat with the book， I’ve come to understand that the emotions I’ve been unable to tide over since finishing it have already been with me， and it was this book that allowed me to confront them and step towards healing them。 I think that’s what a good book does， it makes you look at your own life and see things in a way you hadn’t thought of before。 I don’t intend to write a spoiler review， obviously at the time I am writing this the book is not out yet， and also I really believe this is a book you must read for yourself if you liked the first one。 It’s so necessary and everything I could’ve wanted， even the parts that were hard to read found a place in my heart。 I finished the book on the steps of my house， softly weeping， and the first thing I saw was the sky。 It was so blue， and I laughed。 And all I could think about was how much I wanted to live。 That’s how this book made me feel。 It made me want to live。Thank you， Benjamin Alire Saenz。 You’ve changed my life with your words in ways I could never explain out loud。 <3P。S。 I have this mystical feeling that I’m tied to this book， as it was announced on my birthday， I somehow won an Advanced Reader’s Copy of it and my name is mentioned in it at one point。 And I also read it whilst camping and travelling， so something about all of this just lined up for me。 As if the universe sent it to me when it knew I needed it most。 For that， I’m forever grateful。- Francis 。。。more
Jesse Ruth （The best boyfriends are book boyfriends）
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Thank you Netgalley for this amazing Arc of Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World！This was incredible。 The first book begins this story of self discovery particularly with Ari and this sequel really just is seeing and feeling life's lessons really shape his character from that 15 year old young adult into a young man。 I could read this authors words of love and words about love， the meaning of love， defining love in new ways for me personally looking through Ari's eyes， his persp Thank you Netgalley for this amazing Arc of Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World！This was incredible。 The first book begins this story of self discovery particularly with Ari and this sequel really just is seeing and feeling life's lessons really shape his character from that 15 year old young adult into a young man。 I could read this authors words of love and words about love， the meaning of love， defining love in new ways for me personally looking through Ari's eyes， his perspective and life experiences， anytime！！ I really think there are times in my life when I'm just going to have to reread these just to be presented with this author's teaching way of writing about the different topics covered in these stories。。。。 racism， homophobia， loss and grief， bullying。 （Trigger warnings for these topics as well）。 The first book and then finally， this sequel， speak of love， family， friendship and forgiveness （So many things really） I hope people choose to pick these books up at a time in their life when they could really use these words。 This is a story I just can't help but believe we could all learn from。 。。。more
Rachel
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Real rating: 4。5 stars but I decided to round up。 This was beautiful and I cried so much。
Zaidawg
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I received a copy of the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review。 （I actually received this book in July but the publisher requested reviews hold off until a month before it was set to be published。）Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is one of my favorite books， so I was beyond excited to read the sequel。 This one was a bit of a let down to me honestly。 I felt like there wasn't much plot and while Saenz inserted a few major events， the chapters in between just dragged。 I received a copy of the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review。 （I actually received this book in July but the publisher requested reviews hold off until a month before it was set to be published。）Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is one of my favorite books， so I was beyond excited to read the sequel。 This one was a bit of a let down to me honestly。 I felt like there wasn't much plot and while Saenz inserted a few major events， the chapters in between just dragged。 The character development and relationships felt forced unlike the beautifully realistic progression in the first book。Finally， one of my most hated tropes in YA is when the main character is so incredibly beloved by literally everyone they meet and everyone keeps talking about how super-special-awesome they are while said character never exhibits anything deserving of the praise being lavished upon them。 And I hate to say it， but Ari falls into that category this book。 Don't get me wrong， he's not bad guy， but suddenly people are tripping all over themselves to be his friend and talk about how great is his in a way that felt out of sync with his characterization。That being said， Saenz' writing is as lovely as ever and made the whole read worthwhile。 I enjoyed Ari's musings on cartography and his place in everything just as much as I did in the first book。3/5。 Not a bad read but nowhere near the heights of the first one。 。。。more
Kristi Cope
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