Reviews tagging 'Outing'

Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

27 reviews

nextkt's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Benjamin Alire Sáenz isn't a perfect writer. His prose is achingly beautiful and often funny in a way that makes you want to cry, but the plots of his books often err on the side of melodramatic and to enjoy them you must have a soft spot for bible-esque affirmations reflecting on life and how to live it right. Despite this: his writing is kind. Kind and honest. And both of these qualities are so prevalent in this book it almost made it difficult to read. It's an earnestness that makes you want to avert your eyes. 
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alissq301's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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anntea's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

The first book is one of my favorite books ever so I was extremely terrified of reading this sequel. I've loved Ari & Dante for years. They are apart of me in ways I will never be able to fully explain. The potential of this sequel being bad left me slightly afraid.

But I'm pleased to announce that I liked it! Loved it! Nowhere near as much as the first, I will admit. And I personally feel certain moments and things felt a bit off. There were definitely parts I didn't love. But overall I'm happy with this. And I am, of course, also grateful I was able to read about two of my favorite boys again!! I missed them so much! 
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toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

First of all, thank you Mr. Ben - I know that this book was a labor of love for you and how much it means to you that you finally have put it out into the world.

This is a sequel that I never thought was going to come, and when it finally arrived on my doorstep, I was so happy that I think I cried a little. This is a continuation of Ari & Dante's story, but it's a lot more than that. It's the story of Ari's journey to self acceptance, a story of love, loss, and growing up. It's about letting people love you even when you would rather be invisible. It's about closure, it's about romantic love, familial love, and the love of friends. It's all there. I annotated and highlighted the HELL out of this. I think I had a highlighted line on nearly every page. I just feel like getting to have read this is what I needed during this period of my life.

slight spoilers right here -

Having said all that though, I do share some criticisms and concerns that other people have about the story in general, specifically with the way transphobia presents itself and the way some characters are pushed to come out before they are ready. These were both things that occurred in the first book that I only realized were a problem years later, and I was slightly disappointed to not see them rectified.

Overall, however, I love this book. I love these characters and how they love and take care of one another. I love Dante Quintana more than I love any other boy in literature and I know that I will return to this again, just as I've returned to the original book.
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jasminawithab's review against another edition

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inspiring reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

a lot of it felt like the author had many many things he wanted to mention but none of them went anywhere. there were definitely parts i resonated with but overall, its an unnecessary sequel to an phenomenal book. 
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kayladaila's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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xoodlebooks's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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