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A review by alisazhup
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
emotional
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
4.0
"Do you think it will always be this way?"
"What?"
"I mean, when do we start feeling like the world belongs to us?"
I wanted to tell him that the world would never belong to us. "I don't know," I said. "Tomorrow."
Love was always something heavy for me. Something I had to carry."
A beautiful and poetic slow-burn queer romance. It was slow paced and character-driven, almost like a slice of life story.
What I disliked:
(Mild spoiler): On page 255 (of the U.S. paperback), Dante asks if he can kiss Ari. Ari explicitly says no three times, but Dante keeps pleading and begging. Eventually, Dante makes Ari stand up, close his eyes, and kiss him anyway. This event was brushed over and then brought up later in the book as a sort of romantic occurrence. I haven't seen any other reviewers bring it up but I had issues with it. I hated it because it was a non-consensual kiss. I didn't feel it was romantic or endearing at all.
"What?"
"I mean, when do we start feeling like the world belongs to us?"
I wanted to tell him that the world would never belong to us. "I don't know," I said. "Tomorrow."
Love was always something heavy for me. Something I had to carry."
A beautiful and poetic slow-burn queer romance. It was slow paced and character-driven, almost like a slice of life story.
What I disliked:
(Mild spoiler): On page 255 (of the U.S. paperback), Dante asks if he can kiss Ari. Ari explicitly says no three times, but Dante keeps pleading and begging. Eventually, Dante makes Ari stand up, close his eyes, and kiss him anyway. This event was brushed over and then brought up later in the book as a sort of romantic occurrence. I haven't seen any other reviewers bring it up but I had issues with it. I hated it because it was a non-consensual kiss. I didn't feel it was romantic or endearing at all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia and Violence