Reviews with content warning for Cursing - Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe: Tenth Anniversary Edition

It's really difficult to write my thoughts about a book that I found to be very confusing at times. It's also quite difficult to explain why - most of it probably is the writing style's fault. It is very minimalistic and I have to admit that this isn't necessarily my favorite thing. When authors try to express everything in a few words it can easily seem a little pathetic - at least to my mind. And yes, that's what I thought here too - sometimes. At other times these one-to-three-word sentences, these half-a-page chapters really hit the spot.
Thus, Aristotle and Dante definitely made me think and feel quite a lot. Here too, I somehow feel pathetic because I guess that's exactly what the author wanted to achieve. But I have to admit: it worked. I certainly experienced a wide range of emotions, from feeling seen to being angry to being shocked to feeling touched to being annoyed to smiling at the pages in front of me. And at all times there was a certain dullness, a thing lingering in the air.
I'm not sure if it is that thing that was resolved on the last, very last page(s), I don't know if I want it to be. Because I feel like it would make everything that is so deep and entangled and there in this book unauthentically simple. But also ... it wouldn't. And even if it kind of seems like this in the end, I think it might be exactly what the story needed. These last to pages, this last sentence - I was just happy. Okay, maybe not just. But quite a lot.

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marzapane's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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emohell's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

damn y’all weren’t kidding when you were hyping this book up

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meeklovestoread's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful 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

4.25

Honestly, the one reason why this book wasn't five stars is because I've kind of gotten outgrown the whole "ya-coming-of-age" storylines. I've just seen them done many times so I recognize many of the themes the author was trying to portray, however, that doesn't mean the book's message and storyline didn't land. On the contrary, I teared up multiple times, and the last hundred pages completely destroyed me. I was sobbing beyond belief. Like I could feel the pain inside me (it left both a good and bad feeling in me, to be honest). I really identify with the main character, Ari (Aristotle). His struggles of finding himself, the pain he faces, the questions he has no answers to, the conflicts he faces with loneliness and anger really resonated with me. And I absolutely adored Dante through and through. And I loved their parents and the friendship that sprouted between them too. I didn't really expect this book to hit as hard as it did, but it definitely delivered on my expectations and I'm so happy to read the second book. However, I wasn't really sold on the romance part of this book. I feel like their friendship reigned true for me more.

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mical45's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

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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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danajoy's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

Aristotle Mendoza is 15 and has no idea who he is.

This book feels so intimate. You're in Ari's head. He's complicated and sensitive.

I love the adult cast in this too.

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thesecretsapphic's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny inspiring reflective 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

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