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ARISTOTLE & DANTE DIVE INTO THE WATERS OF THE WORLD
Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Series: Ari & Dante #2
Genre: Young Adult, LGBTQI+
Publisher: Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers
Pages: 516
Publication date: October 12, 2021
Ari has spent all of high school burying who he really is, staying silent and invisible. He expected his senior year to be the same. But something in him cracked open when he fell in love with Dante, and he can’t go back. Suddenly he finds himself reaching out to new friends, standing up to bullies of all kinds, and making his voice heard. And, always, there is Dante, dreamy, witty Dante, who can get on Ari’s nerves and fill him with desire all at once.
The boys are determined to forge a path for themselves in a world that doesn’t understand them. But when Ari is faced with a shocking loss, he’ll have to fight like never before to create a life that is truthfully, joyfully his own.
I started this book and it occurred to me that I remembered little from the first one, so?? This was an experience.
The feeling I got while reading Ari & Dante Dive into the Waters of the World was that it was a bit too sappy? Ari seemed like such a different character and I felt like there was quite the tone shift here towards something that was trying a little Too Hard. I guess that was mostly due to Ari’s character development throughout the course of both books, but there was just something about it here that didn’t quite click for me.
In general, I did like Ari’s development, though! He was obviously getting to know himself as a person, with and apart from Dante, and I think that was an important thing to be addressed. He’s grown a lot and I, personally, thought he was becoming a great human.
I did expect a bit more Ari/Dante than what we got. During the middle parts when they go back to school, the focus shifted to rest almost entirely on Ari and his life and friendships–and that’s totally ok! But it felt a bit abrupt considering the beginning of the novel and how much of Dante there was.
The chapters regarding the loss of a loved one were incredibly difficult for me to read. It hit a bit too close to home and I had to skim some parts because I kept getting upset.
The ending was super sweet, though, and I’m glad Ari and Dante got the (I’d like to believe) happy ending they deserved.
owls reads 
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