Every way that I found the first book underwhelming, this one was overwhelming in the best of ways. It’s hard to imagine the story truly being complete without both books, and I was amazed at the level of growth the characters experience when we first meet them. I enjoyed how the author expanded the world around Aristotle to include more friends, more family, and more love. I highly recommend the book to explore love, being Mexican-American, or understand the struggles of being a boy in the late 80s in Texas.

Benjamin Alire Saenz brings the reader back to the world of Ari and Dante with Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World. The story picks up where Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe left off. The story takes Ari and Dante through their senior year of high school where they experience grief, joy, and everything emotion in between. Saenz does a wonderful job capturing the boys’ journey through discovery, personal acceptance, and adulthood. The additional ensemble of characters— the friends, the parents, and the teachers — are a wonderful representation of love and acceptance. The teenage banter made me laugh, the self doubt and shame made me cry, and the realization that as a race we still need to do and be better humans made me glad that I am seeing more realistic and honest representation in YA literature.

10 years later and finally I am reconnecting with Ari and Dante. We use the first book in our 9th grade classroom and I am very excited that next year I’ll be able to share their continued story about love and pain with the world. I love this idea of writing our names on the map of the world.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is one of the most special books to me; it was one of the first to make me feel truly seen, and I will always hold it close to my heart. Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World is the perfect sequel to such a beautiful story. Visiting Ari and Dante again felt like the warmest, most comforting hug. I adored this book more than I could ever describe.

Ever since I read the first book following Ari and Dante, I wanted more, more, more. And thanks to Netgally, I got the ARC for this sequel. Saenz's writing style is as captivating as his characters.

This is a beautiful sequel, so heartwarming and enchanting., It´s set in 1988, but the story feels timeless, it's an emotional coming-of-age story.

I love the written style, is raw, evocative, emotional, and poetic. Sáenz creates realistic characters, you can relate with Ari & Dante.

The story begins just after the first book ended. The summer started, the last one before graduation. Aristotle and Dante still are defining their relationship, they love each other but fear that society will not accept them, they live in a small town and the news is full of information about the AIDS epidemic.

Both have doubts and struggles, but they are more strong together, their relationship is sweet, both are in their senior year, they are experimenting, trying new things, and gain confidence.

This book is about love, but not only about Ari & Dante and their romantic relationship, it's also about family, friendship, and self-acceptance. how to belong and feel that you fit and are enough.

Wow. This book was worth the wait. The author speaks so simply and so plainly, but his words never fail to cut deep. Aristotle's journey in finding himself and growing from a boy to a man was absolutely astounding. It was heartbreaking and beautiful. I will never stop talking about these books.

My original plan was to reread the first book leading up to the release of the second since I haven't read it since release, but to my surprise I received an ARC from netgalley and S&S! Thank you to both for the free copy in exchange for an honest review. This is a condensed review and I will put a more detailed one up on my blog (lelliereads on wordpress) when I have time to process exactly what I think. Review will contain spoilers.

The first 25% of this book was really promising. The book picks up a bit after the first. Dante and Ari are slightly older and it's the summer before their final year of high school. Over the summer they spend a lot of time together, lost in thoughts, boys becoming men, learning about what it will mean for them to be gay adults in the 80s soon, and learning to see their parents in a new light. The summer leading up to the school year was really nice and I was flying through the pages.

What works about Aristotle and Dante is , well, Aristotle and Dante, so when the book diverges from that in the middle, the book starts to fall really flat. Ari and Dante don't go to the same school, so after the school year starts , Dante is barely mentioned at all for over 50% of the book and instead there are a PLETHORA of new characters thrown in (especially Cassandra, Gina, and Susie who don't offer nearly as much to the story as Dante does). So after over 100 pages of Dante and Ari being soft and having important conversations and pining over one another, suddenly Dante is barely mentioned and there are so many random things happening at school that he doesn't even think much about him (like fist fights, an OD, a racist teacher, etc).

There are a lot of sudden happenings that seem like the author is trying to make social commentary but the characters come out of nowhere and the situations are just bizarre. For example, even though a certain teacher at the school has never been mentioned before, there's a scene where this teacher is super racist and the kids accuse her from being from Alabama and supporting of the KKK. There's not a problem with having a teacher being racist and having the kids tell her that her views are wrong (because it is), but it was out of NOWHERE. There's also a scene where a random "alternative girl" who Ari doesn't even know comes to school with IUD earrings and a teacher goes off about teens and sexuality and she gets in trouble. Which in theory is okay, but again it came out of nowhere, no one even knows who the girl is, and nothing ever comes out of the scene. There were several instances of this and felt really out of place. The middle 50% with Ari at school was really boring and uninspired and I found myself wishing that the whole book took place the summer after their final year of school instead of before, because the beginning 25% and ending 25% after school is over is really nice.

What Works:
-Dante and Ari together as they navigate what it means to be gay teens in love
-Two boys coming of age
-What it means to be a Mexican American/not feeling Mexican enough or American enough
-The relationship both boys have with their families
-Ari's sense of anguish over his brother and Dante's new role as an older brother
-Living in the moment vs worrying about what the future holds for them as a couple

What doesn't work:
-Long periods of time without Dante and Ari together
-The random social commentary attempts during the school year that didn't go anywhere or feel genuine to the story
-Several times it's brought up that Ari wishes he could be a girl to marry Dante but he likes his penis too much to be one--and that feels like a weird jab at trans people (especially since it's brought up a few times)
-A weird comment Ari makes to Cassandra saying that even though he wolf-whistled at her as a joke, he can't objectify women because he's gay (of course gay men can objectify people what are you even talking about?)
-Another weird comment where Cassandra is talking about male privilege and Ari tells her to stop because the conversation is "making his balls shrink" (another random off-hand comment that goes nowhere and serves no purpose)
-People crying and being emotional is 100% great, but there is an awful lot of crying in this book. Every single character cries the second something somewhat sad or happy happens (Dante, Ari, all 4 parents, Cassandra, Gina, Susie, Rico, and both of Ari's sisters have cried before the 50% mark at least once)
-There are three funerals in this book before the 70% mark but only one of them is emotionally important. It's okay when there is death, especially when a looming topic is the AIDS pandemic. But that's a lot of funerals to actually attend as a reader. And I feel like the first two could have been scrapped to work on the build up to the third funeral, which is the important one.

Just as wonderful as the first. Aristotle and Dante, a little older and wiser and we are witnesses to their growing relationship. One of Saenz' many strengths is the depth of his characters and we see this - parents, friends, siblings as well as Ari and Dante all of them leap of the page not only in their joys and sorrows but in their everyday interactions.
I highly recommend this book to everyone - young teens through adults. Although you will gain a deeper perspective of Ari and Dante's relationship by knowing how they first met and became friends this book stands on its own. Read it.

I read "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" as a teen, and was immediately excited to get a chance to read the sequel early. While I did not remember much about the first book, I do remember that I stayed up late on a school night to read as much as possible of it and that I found Aristotle to be particularly relatable. I did myself a disservice not re-reading the first book before giving the sequel a shot, and that, combined with the fact that I did not finish the sequel means that all of my opinions of it should be taken with a grain of salt. I think the combination of my nostalgia for the first book and the fact that my tastes have changed considerably since I read it left me feeling a disproportionate amount of disappointment. The only true criticism I have is the sparse use of dialogue tags made it very easy to get lost (a problem that may not have been so bad, had I clearly remembered the characters and their speech patterns from the first book) and that the emotional beats of the story felt off. I read just past the first 150 pages, and I remember feeling like a character cried at least once every three chapters-- so much that seeing a character cry made me tempted to count just how many times that had happened in the past ten pages, rather than feeling empathy toward them. All that being said, I do still think the book is worthwhile for those who enjoyed the first one and those who enjoy realistic fiction and dialogue-heavy writing styles. While this book wasn't right for me, I'm sure it's going to make lots of fans of the first book very happy.

Thank you so much, NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing and Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, for the chance to read and review one of my most anticipated reads in 2021!

TW: homophobia, bullying, racism, death of a loved one

Ari expected his senior year to be like his other years, him being silent and invisible, but since he fell in love with Dante, everything changed. He finds himself realizing Susie and Gina really want to be his friends, to reach out to other people, to stand up for himself and defending others from bullies, to speak up. While growing up and changing, Dante is always there for him, filling with desire, getting on his nerves, making him asking questions about themselves, the universe, the world around them. When he has to face with a terrible loss, Ari is forced to fight to create a life for himself and the people he loves.

Aristotle and Dante dive into the waters of the world begins when the first book ended and the reader finds Ari and Dante in love, admitting their feelings, discovering each other and, at the same time, fearing for themselves in a world that doesn't accept and understand them. While they navigate a dangerous world, a world with the AIDS pandemic and people hatred towards LGBTQIA+, Ari and Dante face their senior year, new siblings and new friends.
It's incredible and moving how much Ari grew up in this book. While in the first one he would have done anything to remain invisible and silent, refusing to let people in, to be loved, in the sequel Ari is more mature, realizing he's surrounded by people. new and old, who love him and accept him. There's a wonderful community surrounding Ari and Dante. Like in the first book, their parents are amazing, supporting and witty and with their friends, Susie, Gina and Cassandra, Ari and Dante discover and understand they are not alone, they are loved and supported and it's brilliant and moving.
I loved the communication and bond between Ari and Dante and their parents, how Ari was finally able to find peace with his older brother's situation, to accept his sisters' and friends' love.

Ari and Dante are an amazing couple, very different from one other, Ari with words, Dante with art, Ari with his mind and head filled with thoughts and Dante with his feelings and questions. They complete each other, discovering desire and want, love and fear, supporting, helping and being there for one other, facing the world, the loss and the beauty of everything. Their bond, their love is truly magical and beautiful.
The reader is able to feel Ari's fear and frustration, because he can't be in love like everyone else and, at the same time, he battles against his shame (because he lived and lives in a world that says he and Dante are a sin and that doesn't accept and understand them) and desire for Dante, his willingness to find and map a world for them, where they can be themselves and love one other without any fear.
Beautiful and moving is the cartographer's metaphor, his desire to find a place for all of them, away from the hate and violence, a world where they can be themselves and love one other.

" [...] We would throw out the old maps that took us to violent places filled with hate, and the new roads we mapped would take all of us to places and cities we'd never dreamed of. We were the cartographers of the new America. We would mak out a new nation." (from the earc, so it can be subject to changes)

Like always, Sáenz's writing style is peculiar, evocative and lush and I loved diving into this book and finding again Ari and Dante and their wonderful and brilliant love and bond.
It's a book about love, friendships and community. It's also a book about grief and loss, the strength in moving on, pain and grieving. It's about be true to oneself, to let people in, to let be loved and supported.
It's a book about Ari and Dante growing up, loving one other, facing the world and wanting to change it for the best.

I love Ari and Dante! I was so excited to read this sequel and see where they ended up. Even though the book was long, I enjoyed lingering in the characters’ world. I love that both MCs have loving relationships with their parents, and any instances of homophobia are handled with care. Some conversations felt a bit more modern than what probably would have taken place in the ‘80s, especially regarding trans rights, but I understand including that dialogue for today’s youth, who are much more likely to be openly trans, non-binary, genderqueer, etc. Overall, this was a winning sequel, and this series definitely belongs in middle and high school classroom libraries! Excellent!

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

Perfect sequel! I loved the first but this one is Wonderful too. Great pride month read.

As per the publishers request, I can't publish a full review until we are closer to the release date. I also just need more time to fully process this book, and write a review that could give this book just an ounce of justice. However I will say this: Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World surpassed any expectation I could've built for it. Smashed them like a car driving through a brick wall. Threw them through the window of a skyscraper into an ocean. Like seriously. I couldn't have, in my wildest imagination, expected the book to be THIS GOOD.

The author worked on this book for 5 years, and it shows. I know how impatient we have been for the last... 7 years? Of being teased for this sequel, but I promise every single minute is worth it. This book, in my opinion, is even better than the first one, and it's the most beautiful thing I've ever read. It's about 500 pages, and I have 187 quotes highlighted in the ebook. Thats practically a quote from every 1 in 3 pages.

Five million thousand hundred stars. Seriously.

Ari’s and Dante’s relationship picks up where it left off in “Discover the Universe.” It’s 1988, and the boys are navigating their senior year of high school. Ari has come to terms with his sexuality, but thinks deeply about the AIDS pandemic and the hatred targeted at the gay community by much of the world. He slowly opens his friendship circle beyond just Dante, and comes to love and rely on Susie and Gina and Cassandra and Danny in what will be a year of challenges and loss. Ari’s parents provide opportunities for Ari to explore some of his views of the world more deeply… their constant wisdom is inspiring, if a little off-putting.

I was torn between three and four stars. Saenz’s prose is beautiful as always, but can dip into overly sentimental. Where “Discover the Universe” is about 360 pages, this one comes in at 528, and sections of the book drag. And some of the contemplations— about racism, about pandemics versus epidemics— seem to be filtered through the lens of our current times.

Still, Ari’s and Dante’s continuing story will have wide appeal, and I’m grateful to Simon & Schuster and to NetGalley for the electronic arc.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe was, I thought, the most beautiful book I'd ever read. But then this one came along. It's much longer, but I didn't mind at all because I needed every page in it. Benjamin Alire Saenz has a gift of making the simplest-appearing phrases lyrical and poetic. I hope this book finds its way into the hands of people who will genuinely savor it in its beauty and sadness (I did cry for about the last 200 pages of this book, and I do not cry at books). Breathtaking.

This book is absolutely amazing. I loved Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe so much and I was so excited when I learned that there would be a second. I think I loved it even more than the first, although both were wonderful. Not many books have moved me to tears, but each of these has. Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World is such a profound book set amongst high schoolers coming of age. Every chapter has meaningful lessons. I wish that everyone would read this, because with the current state of our country (and its past and future..), there is so much that could be learned from this beautiful, loving group of characters.

Thank you to the publisher, Benjamin Alire Sáenz, and Netgalley for allowing me to read this early!!

I was so excited to get chosen to receive a copy of this book from NetGalley. I had always meant to read the first book in the series, so once I saw this one on my shelf, I started right away. I finished both books in a little over 24 hours. There are so many books out there right now about teen love, but it was eye-opening to read this series about two flawed young men falling in love in the late 1980s in the middle of the AIDS pandemic. The pain and raw emotion all of the characters experience felt honest and painful and awkward all at the same time (just like teen love).

WOW. This book is absolutely beautiful. I have been anticipating this book since it was announced and it did not disappoint.

"Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World" picks up right where "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" left off. Summer is ending and Ari and Dante are both getting ready for their senior year of high school. With that comes growing up, plans for the future, friendships, love, and loss.

In a lot of ways, this is a story about the transition from boy to man, child to adult, an ecotone, as Ari’s mom describes it. While the book is from Ari’s perspective like the first, this sequel is about community in a way the first book was not. Ari is expanding his universe and making stronger connections with the people in his life and the world around him. With that comes the worries of not fitting in or being accepted that are all too true to the queer youth experience. "Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World" feels timeless in this way. Ari’s feelings and worries are ones that I have felt and that I imagine most queer people have felt at some point.

"Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World" is a gorgeous continuation of Ari and Dante’s story that fans old and new will appreciate. I cannot wait until this book is released so I can share it with my friends and return to it again and again.

This book tore me up, broke me into pieces and glued me back together again. It was stunning. It met and exceeded all my expectations. I give it ALL THE STARS.

Ari & Dante are as heart-meltingly wonderful as ever. The writing is as elegant and profound and poignant as ever. Like the first book, there’s so much beauty here: in the characters, the experiences they go through, the things they learn. This book, again like the first, rather meanders through the story. Even so, I never felt bored or wanted to put it down. The pace isn’t hurried at all but the writing is still compelling. I think that’s one of the wonders of Benjamin Alire Saenz’s writing.

Aristotle and Dante are beginning to explore their relationship and sexuality in new and deeper ways. They are stretching their legs as they are about to enter a new world on the cusp of adulthood. Saenz uses the idea of cartography to convey Ari & Dante’s discovery of not just themselves but of the world they’re about to step into as adults and how to find a place for themselves in it.

Saenz employs all kinds of literary techniques like extended metaphors, heavy use of nature imagery, foreshadowing and recurring motifs throughout the book but I really liked the simple dichotomies he came up with. Ari is the desert and Dante is the water. Ari is thoughts, Dante is feelings. Ari is a bicycle, Dante is a dictionary. Opposites maybe, but also two sides of the same coin? I feel like these dichotomies symbolize them learning to navigate their relationship as a couple at the same time they’re figuring out how to develop as individual people.

Ari struggles with the internalized shame of being gay. I like how this book confronts prejudicial attitudes towards homosexuality and the real life impact that has on those on the receiving end of it. There’s no glossing over the constant threat of violence the LGBTQ community has always faced for merely existing.

This was the most exquisite story and I couldn’t have hoped for a better sequel to the first book I loved so much. Ari and Dante really are diving into the waters of the world for the first time here and it’s a beautiful thing.

[Only complaints: Not enough Dante, and several instances of what felt like anachronistic phrasing.]

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster  for providing the ARC.