A review by hello_lovely13
Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.5

This book was somehow hopeful and melancholy at the same time, and the result is just beautiful. While reading this, I really wanted to reread the first book. To say that this was a love story (in the sense that this is a romance book) would severely diminish the impact and honesty this book has. It has a simple, yet poetic writing style that makes every topic addressed in this book (self-love, grief, belonging, hate, etc.) so accessible and resonate within the reader.  There were a couple of times that I thought the writing style was too simplistic for the situation it was discussing, but for a majority of the time I thought it was perfect.  There are many everyday, meaningful conversations, and that is right up my alley.  This is a beautiful exploration of what it is like to love in a world so filled with hate, both in general and specifically for your identity.  Ari struggled a lot with self-hatred in the first book (so the first one is much more melancholy than this one), and he really deals with that in this book.  The character progression is heart-warming to see as he grows and learns.  Even if things can't last forever, it's impact will linger and become a part of who you are; it is just up to you to determine how it will change and influence you.  It is just wonderful.
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