Reviews with content warning for Transphobia - Aristóteles e Dante Mergulham nas Águas do Mundo

Reviews tagging 'Transphobia'

Aristóteles e Dante Mergulham nas Águas do Mundo by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

254 reviews

del_moon's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

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

1.0

This book was okay, nothing more. There were some parts that were flat out sexist. There was the transphobic brother. I don’t know why that storyline was added other than to make Ari look like a saint. I hate how it was mostly just Ari, hardly any Dante. Ari was made to be too perfect. There were a couple moments I liked. Like the last thirty pages. I loved the first book a lot and this really disappointed me.

Content Warnings

navayiota's review against another edition

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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.

Content Warnings