Reviews with content warning for Drug abuse - Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

The moment I began reading this book all I could think of was how Benjamin Alire Saenz’s writing style reminded me of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Of Love and Other Demons is perhaps one of my favorite magical realism novels I have experienced thus far. And as for Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe… It is magical realism at its finest! Perhaps not quite Gabriel Garcia Marquez but I’m not surprised it has won so many rewards.

Obviously, I find the writing absolutely beautiful. The story, although engaging, had no real plot and tended feel a bit forced with some of its dialog but I was never bored. Overall, it was a simple but beautifully written slice of life.

I will admit, though, it was not what I expected this book to be. The light hearted young adult LGBT romance I expected turned out to be the study and exploration of it is to be human; of the loving and strained relationships between a parent and their child; of the existence of one’s self outside of expectations both imposed and internal; a study of the complexity of emotions; and a simple coming of age story. This book was all of these things and more…. And less.

I think (and this is just my opinion) that Benhamin Alire Saenz didn’t write this book to be simply read… but rather to be experienced. While, that sounds simple on the surface it can be a very arduous task for the author and for the reader. Experiences are not universal and thus will not always appeal to some individuals, so I cannot recommend this book to just anyone.

However…

If you are one that loves poetic verse, the simplicity of a slice of life novel, or simply wish to try to discover the secrets of your own universe…. I cannot recommend this novel enough.

Quotes:

“Words were different when they lived inside of you.”

"We all fight our own private wars."

TW: Violence, homophobia, transphobia, foul language, injury, Mentions of Murder, Underage drinking, drug abuse

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navayiota's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious 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

5.0

For me, this was one of those books that I procrastinated reading cause I knew I would love it. And I did. I finished the audiobook in one day. I related to both of the protagonists quite a lot, but especially Dante... At times it hurt, cause we are just so similar. At times I found myself pausing to collect my thoughts, after the story clicked a little too perfectly with something that has happened to me, and it always felt profound. It was nice to read about healthy families for once.

And I was so happy when they ended up together. I was worried that they wouldnt

This is a book I will continue to think about, and I will be reading the sequel asap.

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usmanzuh123's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted 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

5.0

I was very fascinated by this book, because of the writing skill of the author. I am hoping for another excitement for the second part of this book, i am really excited to see the adventure of aristotle and dante

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greek_book_wanderer's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-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

4.5

This novel managed to capture my heart. I read it in less than 24 hours and from the first page, I knew that I would like it.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the book tackles various themes, like family dynamics, ethnicity and identity. I expected to read a novel that would focus more on the romantic aspect of the book, but it was more complicted than that. The relationship between the two protagonists and their parents was an aspect of the book that I liked. While Dante's relationship with his parents is more open, Ari's relationship with his parents is more complicated, especially with his father who is “inscrutable” and he deals with his own demons. Their parents are by no means perfect, but they love them and their support was so heartwarming. It's really important to see parents who accept their children the way they are and they continue to love them no matter what.

I became very attached to Aristotle and Dante and I enjoyed seeing their growth, especially Ari's and their relationship's progress. I liked Ari as a character, he is very complicated and throughout the book, he was feeling self-doupt and was struggling with his feelings. In the end, he managed to explore them and discover himself and I felt really proud for him.

The writing was simple, quotable and sweet. I enjoyed the dialogues and I found it cute that sometimes Ari and Dante repeated the phrase the other said. Due to the writing and the short chapters, the book was very fast paced and I could hardly put it down.

However, even though I loved the book, I didn't feel like giving it 5 stars. As much as I enjoyed the writing, sometimes it was too repetitive and some dialogues were kinda dull. In some conversations between them, the characters seemed like robots when they communcated with each other and that made the dialogues seem unrealistic. In some chapters, the plot seemed messy and all over the place. I got the impression that the author wasn't sure about what he would write about and sometimes the book would get from one topic to another in a very sudden way. But my main issue was the ending. While I was reading the last chapters, I couldn't help but think that the plot was rushed. There was room for more development and the way Ari realised his feelings was very absurd.

I didn't like it that his parents had to point out that he was in love with Dante in order to realise his real feelings for him. That was really undeveloped and I'm not gonna lie, I was disappointed to see that.

I still liked the way the book ended and I teared up during the last page.

In my opinion, this novel can be loved by young and older people. It's touching and I believe that many people will connect with it. It's perfect, but it's still a book that can make many people come in terms with their sexuality or identity.

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kajasversion's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful 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

I absolutely adored this book!!! There is nothing i couldn’t love. The characters are so complex and well developed. I love the writing style. I love the plot and the entire development. I love every. Single. Thing. I love it.

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simon_toast's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

I went to start this book expecting a simple coming of age romance. I was really wanting a book about trauma, sibling loss, and recovery. To my surprise I got just that. It was unexpected and gorgeous. The relationships between children and parents made me cry and the way it addressed memories and dreams warmed my heart. I am a library book person, but this will have to join my shelf.

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