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Reviews tagging 'Grief'
Arystoteles i Dante przepadają w toni życia by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
163 reviews
notthatlibrarian's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
4.5
Like a love letter from a queer elder to queer youth. It's not perfect, but it is beautiful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Homophobia, Transphobia, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Racism and Religious bigotry
moonchildshine's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? N/A
3.5
I love the prequel so much it made me drive myself to the bookstore at night just after I finished the prequel so that I can immediately buy and read this book. That's how much I anticipate it.
It was more than a week ago. And sadly, this sequel isn't like the first book of this series--which I pretty much devoured in two sitting.
I read this slowly, because there were times when I felt it dragged too much.
Ari and Dante are still two precious boys who deal with things and try to learn about life together. The writing is still as beautiful as the first book. But there's just something lack? (Besides the lack of description, of course). It's just... It's not as magical as the first one, that's all.
However, I still enjoyed this read and I still find myself loving the characters. The friendship Ari and Dante's found, the love they discovered in each other's family, the grief they had to bear and the way they handle it... It's all important and just as heartwarming as the first book.
It's just my expectations, I guess. I expect too much and I didn't quite find my expectations were met after reading this.
3.5 stars, for me.
It was more than a week ago. And sadly, this sequel isn't like the first book of this series--which I pretty much devoured in two sitting.
I read this slowly, because there were times when I felt it dragged too much.
Ari and Dante are still two precious boys who deal with things and try to learn about life together. The writing is still as beautiful as the first book. But there's just something lack? (Besides the lack of description, of course). It's just... It's not as magical as the first one, that's all.
However, I still enjoyed this read and I still find myself loving the characters. The friendship Ari and Dante's found, the love they discovered in each other's family, the grief they had to bear and the way they handle it... It's all important and just as heartwarming as the first book.
It's just my expectations, I guess. I expect too much and I didn't quite find my expectations were met after reading this.
3.5 stars, for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Transphobia, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Deadnaming, Transphobia, and Pregnancy
Minor: Racism and War
pirateenthusiast's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This book made me feel so much. I kept crying because I looked at the pages I just kept thinking "that's me, that's me."
Both of these books have been very meaningful to me, because as Ari discovered himself, so did I.
A matter that was highly confusing to me, however, was Rico's death. One minute he was fine, and the next, they were at his funeral. This was not explained beyond what happened at the funeral. I'm not sure what the point was.
Although this book was very moving to me personally, I do not know that I would recommend it. The writing style is...very simplistic. It has it's beautiful moments, but mostly it is written like it is for children, which, it kind of is, but at the same time, some of the topics like sex in this book I would not be wanting a 5th grader to read. Also, the way the characters speak is so. Not how anyone speaks.
Both of these books have been very meaningful to me, because as Ari discovered himself, so did I.
A matter that was highly confusing to me, however, was
Although this book was very moving to me personally, I do not know that I would recommend it. The writing style is...very simplistic. It has it's beautiful moments, but mostly it is written like it is for children, which, it kind of is, but at the same time, some of the topics like sex in this book I would not be wanting a 5th grader to read. Also, the way the characters speak is so. Not how anyone speaks.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Racism and Xenophobia
Minor: Murder
bennispizza's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Transphobia, Violence, Alcohol, and War
tatianars's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol
thelostbookmark22's review against another edition
emotional
funny
relaxing
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? It's complicated
4.0
There are no words to describe how happy i was to read about these characters and world again. I loved the character development of both Ari and Dante and i cant begin to talk about how much i loved the parents and their dynamic with the two main boys. I had a small scare towards the ending but i was so happy with it. One of my favorite book universes.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Grief, and Death of parent
tj_thenerd's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
This book isn't perfect. But nothing is. Perfection is a lie we strive towards because we have nothing else to try to reach. Instead, this book is exactly what it is meant to be. It is happy and thoughtful and heartbreaking.
Yeah, it is sad. Hell, I struggled to get through the first half because it kept making me too emotional. And the second half made me ache inside. This book is an emotional rollercoaster. But I wouldn't have it any other way.
Thank you Ari and Dante. For teaching me something about desire and love and friendship and how to exist.
I am forever glad for one of the kindest people I know, how wouldn't stop talking about his favourite book and leant it to me. And for him buying this one for me for candlenights.
He introduced me to characters that have changed how I view my world. And I will never be able to repay him for that.
Yeah, it is sad. Hell, I struggled to get through the first half because it kept making me too emotional. And the second half made me ache inside. This book is an emotional rollercoaster. But I wouldn't have it any other way.
Thank you Ari and Dante. For teaching me something about desire and love and friendship and how to exist.
I am forever glad for one of the kindest people I know, how wouldn't stop talking about his favourite book and leant it to me. And for him buying this one for me for candlenights.
He introduced me to characters that have changed how I view my world. And I will never be able to repay him for that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Transphobia, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Pregnancy and Alcohol
Minor: Deadnaming
This one hit me hard for good reasons too. Accepting parents and friends in this book made me cry for hours about my family and their lack of acceptance.avadear's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
3.5
I truly love the characters of this book and have for years but part of me was disappointed with this book. especially at the very end i wish there were some things that would’ve been more “resolved”? overall i love how this book makes you think about life and hope and love and it’s an enjoyable read. i adore every single character and they are all pretty well developed although i truly wish i could’ve seen more of dante’s development. ari is completely developed basically by the end of the first book and the second book really starts to get into dante’s flaws and insecurities but i feel they are left completely undealt with at the end. but i definitely highly recommend this series if you need a hopeful, inspiring love story and also a very reflective and insightful series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Transphobia, Grief, Death of parent, and War
grboph's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.5
I LOVED this book. I had read Secrets of the Universe three or four times before I found out this book existed, and the day I found out it did I drove half an hour to buy it. I am very glad I did. I think this book did a really good job of tying up some of the loose ends that were left at the end of the first book. I found the character development to be stronger and more significant in this book than it was in the first one, particularly in how Ari makes new friends and deals with the death of his father . I also really liked that the plot of this book was contextualized a bit more and dealt with important social issues, particularly the AIDS epidemic, homophobia, transphobia, and racism (which are as prevalent now as they were in the late 1980s when this book takes place). The only reasons I removed half a star were because I found the writing to be trying too hard to be "deep" in some places and because I don't quite know how I felt about Dante's choices towards the end of the book (they were sort of immature, and for a book where maturity and the concept of "becoming a man" is so central, I'm not sure his actions were correct or made sense). All in all, however, I really enjoyed reading this book and I am so glad I went to the lengths I did to get it. It made me laugh, it made me cry, and it made me think very deeply about life. It was everything I could have hoped for in a sequel to Secrets of the Universe. I would recommend this book to anyone who read the first book, even if they did not enjoy it very much, and I would recommend this series to anyone in the world looking for an emotional book to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying, Hate crime, Transphobia, Pregnancy, and Outing
Minor: Deadnaming, Sexual content, and Violence
The father of one of the main characters passes away, which the main character is present for and grapples with emotionally for a while afterward. The main characters of this book are two gay teenagers, and the book occasionally describes some of the homophobia they face in the world. Additionally, a major plot point is that the brother of the main character is in prison for murdering a transgender woman, and this is talked about at certain points of the book as well.novel_nicola's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
The stunning sequel to one of my favourite books brought back all the emotions I’d felt during the first book and more. Ari and Dante discover life’s joys and challenges as they navigate their budding relationship and figure out their place in a world that doesn’t seem ready for people like them. Sáenz succeeds wonderfully at bringing his characters to life and inviting readers to empathise with their struggles and triumphs.
Though the pace may be too slow for some, and a good 100 pages could’ve easily been cut, this is a book to savour, not rush through. There wasn’t a single page I did not enjoy reading.
Sáenz has crafted a wonderful coming-of-age duology and this book is a worthy successor to its award-winning predecessor. Aristotle and Dante will certainly go down as one of my most loved fictional couples.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Homophobia and Grief
Minor: Violence