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

slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0

 
What I liked: 
  • Almost nothing lmao
  • Ari had some good growing done, it was nice seeing him realize and accept that he is loved and begging to reciprocate said loved
  • I liked that at least Ari was allowed to be like an actual teenager in the fact that he was a horny bastard 

What I didn’t like:
  • Oh boy here we go
  • So. Damm. Preachy. Every social problem in the book is presented this way: 1.-Bigoted person is bigoted 2.-Ari and friends call them out 3.-Bigoted person continues to be a one dimensional bigot to be preached at 4.-Ari and friends give a speech(bonus point if they say something sassy) and own the bigoted person 5.-Everyone claps
  • For something so preachy this book was so sexist. We get it girls are better than boys, they’re smarter, etc. etc. Feels like cheap 90’s feminism. All of the female characters are written the same way: smarter than the guys and snarky. All of the female characters are written like the moms(looking back this issue was a little present in the first book, but nowhere near this level)
  • So many things happen but nothing feels important. A gay kid’s getting bullied. Save him. Don’t talk to him. He dies. Whatever, nothing matters also your dad is dead btw
  • So melodramatic, so much crying
  • No 17yo talks like that, no 17yo hears about his conception and thinks life is beautiful or whatever
  • Somehow  everyone is super supportive of gay people in the middle of the AIDS crisis
  • Trans woman used just for shock value
  • Ari’s brother is also just another one dimensional bigot and has 0 depth.A brother you once admired is not what you thought he was but you still love him or something.  Like you could have done something with that dynamic, something interesting but god forbid anything in this book is deeper than a puddle
  • Ari and Dante lost the charm that made them such an endearing couple. They dont even interact that much in this book like its called Aristotle and DANTE not just fucking Aristotle
  • Did not care for Ari’s friends whatsoever
  • Drags for so long
  • Why did the dad fucking die at the end of it? it felt so so cheap like you just ran out of ideas and choose a random character to die. Ari’s eulogy wasn’t even good why did people clap why why whyyy
  • This book was one for the hardest reads I’ve had the displeasure of reading like dread filled me I just finished out of obligation and love of the first book
  • It has tainted my love for the first book