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toxicarlos's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.75
henry_michael03's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
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
3.75
ponglesbonglez's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.5
varnaya's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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? No
3.5
deny005's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
micaelamariem's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
This was such a beautiful book 🥹 I will always be an Ari and Dante Stan. I loved to see how much Ari grew as a character, from being a loner to accepting love and friendship into his life. The writing was beautiful, each word carefully crafted to reflect deeper life meanings and holding strong sentiments. And above all, the theme of love, not just of the romantic type but loving your fellow humans, was strong and shown throughout in many different ways.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Violence, Racism, Alcohol, Cursing, and Child death
obanlord's review against another edition
4.0
¿Era necesario un segundo después del final del primero? Y No, no creo, me gustó? Si me gustó, de lo mejor? La relación padre es hijo. Cosas que pasan tan rápido como la vida misma a veces. Cómo crítica siento que el final es muy apresurado.
akisumo's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
megan_doyle's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? No
4.5
jolovesbookstbh's review against another edition
5.0
Saénz illustrates the sweet reality of young love intertwined with fear of condemnation and tragic loss. He offers a beautiful look at growing up as a gay immigrant in 1980s USA being ravaged by the horrors of the AIDS crisis.
The book takes twists and turns and deals with death as well as new beginnings. It is an emotional rollercoaster throughout. Saénz succeeds in building not only a beautiful (yet tragic) world, but also in illustrating love in all its forms. Not only romantic, but also love between friends and most notably love between parents and their children. The characters on the whole make the story feel human and relatable. Strong female characters and especially Ari’s admiration of them bring a special layer to the story that is being told. The history of solidarity between women and gay men is thereby beautifully illustrated.
Ari’s character development in this book in particular is genuinely admirable. He shows how opening oneself up despite fear of rejection and loss makes one brave rather than weak.
Truly the quintessential coming of age queer love story.
The book takes twists and turns and deals with death as well as new beginnings. It is an emotional rollercoaster throughout. Saénz succeeds in building not only a beautiful (yet tragic) world, but also in illustrating love in all its forms. Not only romantic, but also love between friends and most notably love between parents and their children. The characters on the whole make the story feel human and relatable. Strong female characters and especially Ari’s admiration of them bring a special layer to the story that is being told. The history of solidarity between women and gay men is thereby beautifully illustrated.
Ari’s character development in this book in particular is genuinely admirable. He shows how opening oneself up despite fear of rejection and loss makes one brave rather than weak.
Truly the quintessential coming of age queer love story.