Reviews with content warning for Hate crime - Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World

Reviews tagging 'Hate crime'

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

77 reviews

navayiota's review against another edition

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.

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pulcotinette's review

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emotional funny 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? No

4.0

As much as I adored the first book, I had a hard time getting into this one. I felt that the tone was off, too mechanical, an adult trying to speak like a child. And in between, I found some poetic moments so beautiful that I thought "This I'll remember for a long time" (the camping, the painting).
However uneven in style, I loved the fact that we get to know about Ari and Dante's everyday life in school. It brings some new characters (or brings them to the front: Gina, Susie) and a touch of fresh air.

I was THOROUGHLY not prepared for this book to be this sad.

I wanted to pick a lighthearted and cozy book because I was burnt out, and I had to put it down for three weeks when I got to the point where Ari's father dies. I spoiled myself by turning the page, and it was the end of my reading session, so I didn't want to believe it, and sat on it for a bit. When I went back to it, I read 5 pages and put it down immediately because I felt betrayed by the story. It doesn't make any sense in the story to kill him/have him die, and I hate that this series, which made me want to mend my relationship with my parents, features the loss of a parent. Not happening, babe.

Terrible name-picking from the Quintana as always, but we kind of love them for it. I feel like the ending was pointless, but I am often disappointed by endings these days, so don't mind me. It's just unnecessary drama, really.

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and_the_ocean_burned's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing 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

5.0

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dreamer01's review

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-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? It's complicated

3.75

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megan_montgomery's review

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emotional inspiring 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

4.5

i didn’t feel like the first one needed a sequel but i really liked this addition!!!

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elliizzzabeth's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A lovely continuation of Ari and Dante's story. Written in that same beautiful, thought provoking way - this time we explore themes of love, sex, AIDS, death, grief, teachers and friendship.
This book is the epitome of "No plot, just vibes". At least the first book had some sort of arc from meeting Dante to realising he was in love with him. This one reads more like a diary or a collection of poetic essays, it doesn't really go anywhere except trudging forward day by day. It's more about exploring opinions and the world than having a story. If that's not your cup of tea then it may feel a little slow and boring. But if you like poetic writing and deep explorations of topics then you will enjoy this. Every other line was a beautiful, poignantly crafted thought. If you like to highlight good quotes then your copy will be glowing neon by the end.
The lack of plot did mean it dragged in some places. The start felt like I was just ari going on and on about how much he loves Dante and the end dragged out longer than it needed to. The part in Paris felt almost completely unnecessary and tacked on.
Overall a very beautiful and thoughtful book, but not quite as perfect as the first

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a_sleepy_berry's review

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adventurous challenging emotional funny mysterious 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

The writing style still annoyed me but it felt a lot smoother than the previous book. Also Ari and Dante are so adorable together.

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l1lyfrancis's review

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emotional hopeful sad 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

4.0

i LOVEDDD this book!! i was so sucked in from the beginning and i couldn’t put it down. i really liked ari’s character development and how he made so many new friends

and how his dad’s death impacted how he viewed the world.

one thing i wasn’t the biggest fan of is how quickly some of the plot points were brushed off, at times i felt like there was a bit too much going on. but i honestly really enjoyed it and would 100% reread both books again 🫶

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xlaurareads'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

4.5

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.

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rosie_rb13's review

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challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

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