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Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'
Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
40 reviews
navayiota's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was a great sequel! In some ways, mainly the romance, it was not as great as the first. But it made up for it with everything else. I agree with other reviewers about it being incredibly cheesy, it was at times annoying, but I like how it seems not to take itself too seriously. It wasn't crafted to accurately portray being gay in the 80s, it's a story. It accomplished what it set out to do. And I really appreciate that. However I also feel like it was trying a bit too hard to be quotable. That might be my only real complaint.
I love how they further explored Ari and Dante's relationships with their families, the plotlines about Ari's brother and his father's death tugged at my heart. As someone who had to go through the circus of getting over their first serious relationship and then dealing with a family death, it hit hard. I was pleasantly surprised to find out how many things Greek culture shared with Mexican culture, especially about funerals/deaths. I really connected with that part of the book. Having gone through it, it felt incredibly validating to read about it. I relate a lot to Dante, and I kinda wish Ari hadn't followed him to Paris. I wish they just stayed friends. I wish there wasn't such a focus in our society on the couple ending up together in the end. I don't like how sugary sweet the ending felt, I think a bittersweet one would have been better, though heartbreaking.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Alcohol, Homophobia, Death, Death of parent, Hate crime, Child death, Bullying, Racism, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Pregnancy
abby_reads_books's review against another edition
emotional
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
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Death, Grief, Homophobia, and Death of parent
esme_28's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Racial slurs, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
quinn_k's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Alcohol and Drug use
journey2's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World picks up immediately where the first book left off. On the same magical night. Our heroes are happy and in love and have found their voices in the world but knowing what comes next is the hard part.
These books are beautiful, the characters are intellectual, the relationships with parents and family are based on love and honesty and seeing each other as people and they are honestly so refreshing.
The questions they ask, the things they struggle wih are real and tangible. Falling in love with another boy at the height of the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and having to hide yourself for fear of persecution, I thought about these things a lot as I read them. (Arguably I read the first book in one sitting cover to cover!)
These are gorgeous books and if you haven't read them yet I suggest you do!
These books are beautiful, the characters are intellectual, the relationships with parents and family are based on love and honesty and seeing each other as people and they are honestly so refreshing.
The questions they ask, the things they struggle wih are real and tangible. Falling in love with another boy at the height of the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and having to hide yourself for fear of persecution, I thought about these things a lot as I read them. (Arguably I read the first book in one sitting cover to cover!)
These are gorgeous books and if you haven't read them yet I suggest you do!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Animal death, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Bullying, Grief, Alcohol, and Transphobia
Tw: homophobia, transphobia (use of an out dated t word that would have still been in use in the 80s, although this does seem to be rectified by the second book and handled with more care), violence, car accident, death, incarceration, AIDS.xlaurareads's review against another edition
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
4.5
what an incredibly beautiful, heartwarming, thoughtful sequel to the first book. it had me laughing, it had me crying, it had everything i needed of a book. an amazingly crafted story about love and everything that comes with it. the only issue i had and the reason why this isn't a 5-star read is that, sometimes, it felt a bit too dragged and long-winded. but i loved it nonetheless and would recommend it to anyone without hesitation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Outing, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Grief, and Homophobia
Moderate: Hate crime, Transphobia, Alcohol, and Racism
chris_reads's review against another edition
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death of parent, Grief, and Homophobia
Moderate: Alcohol, Bullying, and Racism
Minor: Terminal illness, Deadnaming, and Religious bigotry
applebutter_and_pickles's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Violence, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Homophobia
Minor: Alcohol, Bullying, Deadnaming, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Suicide, and Religious bigotry
shayna_hadassah's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Alcohol
erinlilym's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Transphobia
Minor: Homophobia and Alcohol