Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

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

11 reviews

sammymilfort's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional hopeful 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

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

a_sleepy_berry's review

Go to review page

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.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

bookwormbi's review

Go to review page

emotional hopeful inspiring 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

4.5

I'm so amazed by the fact that Lin-Manuel Miranda is probably the worst audiobook reader I've ever experienced, and yet the beauty and passion of this work still shined through. I cried reading this so many times. I loved all of the characters so much. Ari's character development from the beginning of Secrets of the Universe to this is truly such a marvel to behold. Saenz is a gift to this world. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

headachesince03's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

lunep's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful 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


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

tatianars's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

menomica's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional informative reflective medium-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? It's complicated
I think this book was a chronology of the life a gay teen boy growing up in the 80’s.  It was really sweet to see Ari’s life develop how watch him connect more with people. It was pretty clear that a lot of the thoughts and reflections in the book were thoughts of Sáenz. Idk. Very much enjoyed this book. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

nextkt's review

Go to review page

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? Yes

5.0

Benjamin Alire Sáenz isn't a perfect writer. His prose is achingly beautiful and often funny in a way that makes you want to cry, but the plots of his books often err on the side of melodramatic and to enjoy them you must have a soft spot for bible-esque affirmations reflecting on life and how to live it right. Despite this: his writing is kind. Kind and honest. And both of these qualities are so prevalent in this book it almost made it difficult to read. It's an earnestness that makes you want to avert your eyes. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

toofondofbooks_'s review

Go to review page

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

4.5

First of all, thank you Mr. Ben - I know that this book was a labor of love for you and how much it means to you that you finally have put it out into the world.

This is a sequel that I never thought was going to come, and when it finally arrived on my doorstep, I was so happy that I think I cried a little. This is a continuation of Ari & Dante's story, but it's a lot more than that. It's the story of Ari's journey to self acceptance, a story of love, loss, and growing up. It's about letting people love you even when you would rather be invisible. It's about closure, it's about romantic love, familial love, and the love of friends. It's all there. I annotated and highlighted the HELL out of this. I think I had a highlighted line on nearly every page. I just feel like getting to have read this is what I needed during this period of my life.

slight spoilers right here -

Having said all that though, I do share some criticisms and concerns that other people have about the story in general, specifically with the way transphobia presents itself and the way some characters are pushed to come out before they are ready. These were both things that occurred in the first book that I only realized were a problem years later, and I was slightly disappointed to not see them rectified.

Overall, however, I love this book. I love these characters and how they love and take care of one another. I love Dante Quintana more than I love any other boy in literature and I know that I will return to this again, just as I've returned to the original book.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

otbval's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging emotional 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


Expand filter menu Content Warnings