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Reviews tagging 'Bullying'
Arystoteles i Dante przepadają w toni życia by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
60 reviews
xlaurareads's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Bullying, Outing, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Grief, and Homophobia
Moderate: Hate crime, Transphobia, Alcohol, and Racism
chris_reads's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Cursing, Death of parent, Grief, and Homophobia
Moderate: Alcohol, Bullying, and Racism
Minor: Terminal illness, Deadnaming, and Religious bigotry
yush's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This book was not an easy read for me. I don’t know if that’s because I could not relate to Ari as a narrator or that the topics covered felt personal and emotional or just the writing style of the novel itself.
Even though the novel took me a while to read, I didn’t want to leave the book unfinished which also says a lot.
Overall, I loved the plot and the growing circle of characters but I don’t think I could re-read this book.
Graphic: Death and Cursing
Moderate: Homophobia and Bullying
jesshorn10's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Transphobia, Homophobia, and Hate crime
Moderate: Bullying and Racism
Minor: Deadnaming and War
I decided to try this one again after my re-read of the first book to see if it changed my opinion about it. Unfortunately, It was still just okay. I feel like the chapters were way too short, and the writing was a bit over the top for me, sometimes. I feel like the author was trying too hard to make everything the characters said deep and meaningful, and it felt like all the characters were trying to teach me a lesson, which got a little old. Overall, I didn't hate this. It was nice to see Ari and Dante's relationship continue and develop, and I also really liked Ari's character development. I just expected a bit more.nomoneyallcowboy's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying, Racism, Grief, and Transphobia
Minor: Drug use
diana_raquel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
"I thought he was only going to teach me how to swim in the waters of this swimming pool. Instead, he taught me how to dive into the waters of life"
I really wanted to like this. When I read Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, I knew I was going to love that book from the first paragraph. This one? Not so much.
Thematically speaking, this book follows the same themes that its predecessor, which makes sense, since this is a sequel. We continue to see the internal struggles of the characters regarding heritage, friendship, their relationship with family, the future, and their sexuality. In a few ways, this book, just like its predecessor, challenges the notions that society has about ethnicity, family, friendship, and love but, most importantly, it challenges the idea of what makes and means to be a man.
So, if this is a continuation of a story that I absolutely adored, why this rating? Well, this is why coming-of-age stories shouldn't have a sequel. At least, in my opinion. Because, how do you follow that? With another coming-of-age story? Haven't the characters come of age, yet? Look, I understand, the first book left enough space for more character development. And, for the most part, there's strong character development in this book. The problem? If the first book was the most perfect movie ever made in Hollywood, this was the cheap Walmart version. It's boring. I only enjoyed the last 30% of the book. And, honestly, I didn't like the ending. I think that Ari and Dante shouldn't have gotten together in Paris. I think it would make more sense, within the setting of a coming-of-age story, when the character is clearly entering a new phase in their life. Yes, it's cute and romantic! And also predictable. And boring.
I absolutely recommend the first book. This one not so much. It's boring. It tries to capture the essence of the first one but it fails. I'm only giving a 2.75-star rating because I do recognize the strong character development.
Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Violence, Grief, Bullying, Cursing, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Hate crime, Outing, Transphobia, War, and Mental illness
heavenssnat's review against another edition
- 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
This sequel is wonderful. Most of the book is Ari coming into himself, learning to accept love and parts of himself and getting to know his parents, really knowing them. He learns to love more openly, to let people in and to grow up. After reading three fourths of it I knew there was something incredibly heartbreaking coming. It was a bit predictable, I guessed what could've happened even just reading the synopsis, even though I hoped for the best. I cried a lot and was so sad, but the way it was handled was so beautiful. The author has a way of describing what it's like to deal with loss, in all it's different ways, and it's beautiful.
The ending was heartbreaking. Not in the way that I cried, but in a way that that was and still is the reality for people of the LGBTQ+ community. The uncertainty of our futures never really goes away.
I kind of hoped for an ending that wasn't left open like that, I kind of wanted it to be a closed and happy ending. But I know that that's just not the way this author writes. None of his books that I've read so far have had a very closed and specific ending. It's more like a "everything will be ok, life is scary, let's see where it takes us and enjoy it while we can".
I know that some of my thoughts on this book will change with time, just like they always do. But even though I was terrified of reading this, scared of it ruining the happiness the first book gave me, I am really happy that I read it.
Benjamin Alire Sáenz writes stories that are just so heartbreakingly beautiful.
Moderate: Homophobia, Death, Grief, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, and Racism
Minor: Transphobia, Deadnaming, and Bullying
Transphobia:applebutter_and_pickles's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Racism, Violence, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Homophobia
Minor: Alcohol, Bullying, Deadnaming, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Suicide, and Religious bigotry
sophie42's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Deadnaming, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, and Homophobia
Moderate: Murder, Racism, and Violence
Minor: Vomit and Outing
luananki's review against another edition
- 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
all in all, i enjoyed their story and how ari felt in their relationship. i’m still glad i picked up the sequel even though it could’ve been kept shorter.
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Homophobia
Moderate: Deadnaming, Pregnancy, Transphobia, Cursing, and Racism
Minor: Biphobia, Bullying, Hate crime, Murder, and War