I gave the first book in this series 5 stars, but this is getting 1 star from me unfortunately. I am so disappointed in this sequel, as it lacked the charm and ease and effortlessness of the first book. These characters don’t talk like 17 year olds, their dialogue is stunted and forced, trying so hard to be deep and philosophical. There is also blatant biphobia and transphobia for no hood reason in this story. If you loved the first book, do not read this, it ruined it for me.

This was every bit as beautiful and special as the first. If you liked the slow burn writing, complex characters, musings on teenage masculinity and of course, super sweet romance, from the first book than you'll love this. I loved that just like the first, the plot's not in a hurry to get anywhere and the events are much more slice-of-life than they are "big story." I also loved that unlike the first novel, Ari has grown into himself and speaks his mind and lets people into his life. Some of the best character development and writing I've read in YA.

Love love love! Aristotle and Dante are stellar characters and the story was such a good sequel to the original. Already have students asking for this one!

Ari and Dante know they are in love, but as of now, only their families know about it. Ari is used to staying invisible, even when others try and be his friend. He thought his senior year would be the same, but now that he has experienced love, he can’t go back to being the quiet guy. Not only is he making friends, he is standing up for what he believes in. What will Aristotle and Dante learn about themselves and the world? Will they be able to keep their relationship strong with all the turmoil around them?

Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World is the second book in the Aristotle and Dante series. Although there are nine years between the books, there is only a minimum of time that passed in the storyline. We’ve all heard that hindsight is 20/20 and this book takes that phrase to a new level. The events that happened in the LGBTQ+ community and AIDS understanding during the late 1980s are still surrounding us today, although differently. I don’t feel the first book is needed to enjoy the second book, but if you read them out of order you spoil many secrets.

It meant so much to me to be able to go back into the world of Ari and Dante. This book picks up right after the last one, complicating their happy ending in the way real life does- you don't stop growing after falling in love, and that can be painful, especially as a teenager. Ari's relationships to the people in his life and to his concept of manhood develop and inform each other in complicated and human ways, and in the end, getting to know the world is inextricable from getting to know the self.

At times, I wished there was more Dante in the book. But those times are balanced with sections like the camping trip, which is the foundation of Ari's journey of belonging and questioning that he takes throughout the story. I'm also glad that the book didn't completely revolve around romance, and I loved watching Ari learn to be a friend, a brother, a son. The way he embraces his admiration of women was so incredibly heartwarming.

My main criticism would be that ruminations on certain themes began to feel repetitive around halfway through the book. I believe the author intentionally wanted to sit in these ideas, to show how the big questions Ari was asking took time and reflection and reiteration to process. But for me the progress was sometimes too slow for me to hold my interest by the same things being said. It didn't always need to be said so explicitly, because as a reader I became very attuned to what was going on in Ari's head, and was already aware of how it was touching on existing ruminations. I love the thoughtfulness, but not so much the occasional stagnancy (when stagnancy wasn't the point).

In the first book, it was often easy to forget that it was set in the past. Here, as Ari comes to terms with what it means to him to be gay in the 80s, the AIDS crisis is a significant backdrop which occasionally takes the foreground. This story is beautifully told. I wish every queer kid had the family and friends that Ari has to love him and help him combat the self-hatred the world wants him to have.

Spoiler
I don't feel up to saying much about this, but the death of Ari's father and the way grief is explored was painful, and yet it doesn't demand any specific reaction from Ari or the reader. There is space for Ari's honest experience, without the story making any judgements, and I loved that. It spoke to me.

It's been so long since I've felt the way about a book that this book made me feel. This author has a way with words that breathes life and causes you to experience all of the emotions. There isn't another author out there who writes the way he does and I'm the type of reader that usually prefers to fall head first into books that build huge worlds while Benjamin Alire Sáenz very much flourishes in the land of books that have dialogue that know where to hit you. I'm legit sitting here having finished the book a few minutes ago still crying because the whole last half of the book had me either crying from heartbreak or happiness. Having read Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe 7 years ago I can say with 100% certainty that this sequel was well worth the wait. I'm also really hoping that we could get a third book maybe in the future? I'd be here for a third book because I don't think I'll ever be able to say goodbye to Ari and Dante. I'd even be happy with a short epilogue novella.

Beyond the genius that is Benjamin Alire Sáenz's writing... This installment picks up right where the first book ended which was really refreshing since I half expected a time jump. And the journey and growth that Aristotle goes through was incredible, heartbreaking, and then healing. Which brings me to why this wasn't quite 5 stars and that is because the title feels a bit misleading because even though Dante plays a role it isn't as big as it was in the first book and it almost felt like he was pushed to the background. I kept waiting for there to be more of him and was disappointed when there wasn't. I didn't feel like I got to experience his growth in the way I wanted to experience it. But don't get me wrong - Ari's journey kept me unable to put this book down and I loved seeing how much he grew by the end of the book and loved getting to know all the people he let into his life but would have loved to have seen Dante more as well. However, the moments of the two of them together were some of my favorites and I'll never be over them.

I also couldn't get over the parallels to today that I felt in this book which is set in the late 1980's during the AIDS pandemic and a time of great social change much like our own today. Some of the realizations the characters where having about themselves and the world around them and about topics like racism and homophobia felt very relevant. Once again a tribute to Benjamin Alire Sáenz as an author that he could make me really feel that connection and not just notice it on a surface level.

This sequel in general had everything I love about a good YA contemporary coming of age novel which is family bonds, learning to navigate grief, learning about yourself and the world around you, acceptance, and just life. Honestly, no one does these kind of books as good as this author does.

Oof. This was disappointing.

Granted, I read an advanced copy that hadn't yet undergone final edits, so there could be some hefty changes between what I read and the final version. So I won't count the numerous little typos and inconsistencies (like the moment when Ari's last name is suddenly Quintana LMAO) scattered throughout the book against my rating. Even aside from that, though... I did not like this at all. If it hadn't been a sequel with characters I already care about, I would have DNF'ed around the 50% mark. I was able to read it quickly, but only because I was pushing myself through so I could find out what happened and be done with it.

Here's what I think the themes were supposed to be in this book:
1. Silence=Death. Linking the AIDS anthem (as this is set in 1988-89) with the carried-over theme from the first book of silence leading to violence. Ari's family bottling up feelings and refusing to talk about the past hurt all of them. Now they're talking and healing, and Ari is struggling with keeping such a huge part of his identity--his sexuality--hidden away from the world. Ari refuses to be invisible anymore, and as a result becomes more involved in the world around him that he has previously ignored.
2. In a world that is hostile to those who are different, exiles must be cartographers. Ari and Dante don't see a path for them to have future; they need to carve their own but don't know where to start. This is the main crux for conflict in their relationship throughout the story.
These are good themes! But imo they are executed very poorly.

To sum up my biggest gripe about this book: only a couple important things happen, several important things DON'T happen, and a sea of unimportant things take up most of the book. Even the important moments, which should have packed an emotional punch, fell flat because they didn't have the necessary buildup to have the weight they should have had. The pagetime that should have been spent foreshadowing and supporting those crucial scenes was instead wasted on random scenes with new characters that served no real purpose. This book is SO CROWDED with new characters that pop in for a scene or two but have no real significance in the narrative. For example, Rico Rubio. He's described as effeminate and obviously queer, Ari steps into take down a gang of boys who are bullying him, never actually speaks to Rico at all, and later we find out that Rico purposefully overdosed on heroin and died. Which could have meant something, if Ari had had any sort of conversation with the guy ever. Instead, Ari talks with some other random guy named Danny who helped Ari beat up the bullies, then Danny disappears until he breaks the news of Rico's death to Ari 100 pages later, before promptly disappearing again and never being mentioned for the rest of the book. Why did these characters exist? Yes, there's a larger theme going on about how the world is inhospitable to queer people, but this could have been included more cohesively instead of through random scenes and characters. This is just one example; multiple scenes like this are scattered throughout the book. Also, there's this big emotional bait-and-switch that actually made me really mad because it was so unnecessary.

Things from the first book that should have been part of this book's narrative were noticeably absent. Namely, any fallout at all from Dante's violent assault. Ari and Dante just... don't talk very much? Or even spend that much time together? Their deep, philosophical conversations that were so lovely in the first book are nowhere to be found. On another note, I was surprised that Ari didn't really seem to have a sexuality crisis; like there was almost total unaknowledgement that he's liked girls in the past (that one girl from the first book, I forgot her name. Illiana?). There's one moment where Dante suggests that Ari could be bisexual, but Ari just refutes it and it's never brought up again. (Which is also a problem because Dante's accusation was borne out of jealousy, and that's just never dealt with in the narrative.) Ari's lesbian aunt Ophelia is hardly mentioned at all, even though she'd be a clear example of living an openly queer life for Ari and Dante. And she left Ari her house, so that money should be a big factor in Ari's considerations about his future, but it's only brought up once at the very end of the book. Some of the characterization felt very inconsistent with the first book, especially Ari's dad who I guess once he decided to start talking he just couldn't stop. Although that was probably just an example of this entire book's problem with verbal diarrhea. SO. MANY. MONOLOGUES. There were also styles of writing that I loved in the first book that I really missed in this one; for example, the dry wit and repetitious dialogue between Ari and Dante. I probably wouldn't have noticed if I didn't re-read Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe before reading this sequel, but the writing voice feels very different.

The next biggest problem is that the writing is... dare I say it... so cringey. Overly saccharine in many places and it seems like some character has to cry in every scene. Seriously, so much crying. No one cries this much. The dialogue was also so inauthentic-- it was that way in the first book as well, but in a poetic way. In this book, it's inauthentic in a bad way; in a, "this is the author's soapbox, not the character's," kind of way. There are so many moments of blatant and random social commentary that had nothing to do with the story and weren't well written enough to make up for it. There's a scene where Ari and a couple classmates tear into their racist teacher, but it didn't feel triumphant it felt like one of those, "And then everyone clapped," Tumblr posts. Especially since we were only introduced to this teacher for the purpose of this scene; she wasn't a consistent conflict throughout the book, she was just plopped into the middle on the story for the purpose of including some dialogue about racism. It wasn't subtle or well crafted, it just felt amateur-ish and a little embarrassing, frankly.

Finally: yeah, there was some general weirdness about gender in this book. It was present in the first book, too, but not to this degree. In the first book it felt like a characterization choice (they're teenage boys in the 1980s, after all, they're not going to be experts on gender theory); but here it felt like the author's views poking through the characters. Lots of pseudo-feminist nonsense about girls being essentially different and also better than boys; the supposed impossibility for gay boys to be misogynistic because after all they're gay...; linking gender to genitalia and using a trans woman as a prop for Ari's character development. It was pretty uncomfy, not gonna lie. I didn't personally find Ari's misgendering of the trans woman to be problematic (though I'm cis so don't take my word for it); he corrected himself both times and it felt like a realistic character choice, not like a statement about the trans character's gender. But I did have a problem with how insignificant her presence was in the narrative. It seemed more like the author trying to cover his bases, rather than a considerate inclusion.

Overall, Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World felt overlong, directionless, and disorganized. It seems like the author just forgot that this book was supposed to be about Ari and Dante, and instead tried to cram in a bunch of scenes where Ari could be his self-insert hero. Dante was hardly present for most of the book, in fact, or at least not in any meaningful way. In the last 10% the author finally seemed to remember the conflict that should have been the center of the book: Ari and Dante's insecurities about a future together. There's a quick rushed little conflict that has no emotional impact because it feels dropped in to the end of the story, and concludes so abruptly I was actually left blinking at the page in astonishment. A decent ending could have redeemed this from a one-star to a two-star rating, but it was so unsatisfying I'm actually kinda mad about it.

Yeah, I wouldn't recommend this book. It's not the sequel it should have been, and is actually a little insulting. Instead of being a thoughtful continuation of beloved characters, it just seems self-indulgent and opportunistic. Like the author didn't have more story to tell, he just had things he wanted to say. I'm going to go on pretending Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is a standalone. Sequel, what sequel?

TW: homophobia, biphobia, f****t slur, racism, family member death, AIDS pandemic-related death, reference to a deadly transmisogynistic assault, reference to suicide by intentional overdose

20 million stars for this one. As someone who loved the first Ari and Dante, this was such a great follow-up. We pick up right when the first book ends, and in this one there's even more heartbreak, discovery, and love than the first. I stand by this series and they way it approaches race and sexuality in the 1980s. I think this book gets a bad rep because people don't understand that it is set in the 1980s... and while that doesn't excuse the way it approaches trans women, if you read it through the lens of the time period, it makes sense.

I enjoyed being reunited the Ari and Dante. The very best part about this book was the characters. I loved getting to spend time with the two main characters, their lovely families, and their friends. So lovely to see how their relationship develops and grows. This is a meditative, reflective, soulful book filled with love. I would say it fell short in terms of plot (not much really happens for quite a while), but still, if you loved the first book, you will enjoy following along with the characters for this journey as well. 3.5 stars.

Wow okay. So I thought I loved the first book. But it almost doesn’t hold a candle to this one. This story was much different than the first but no less important. I was originally hesitant about the first book getting a sequel but I’m honestly so glad it did.

I loved seeing Ari and Dante grow as people, particularly Ari. In the first book, they're coming to terms with who they are and what they are to each other. But in this book we see them grow into themselves and, essentially, grow up. And I really loved that journey.

I loved watching Ari finally start to let people in and stop internalizing everything. His character arc has been my favorite in this series and I'm so glad this book showed so much growth. I didn't quite know how much I needed this story until I was in the midst of it.

However, the last 1/3 of this book absolutely destroyed me. I spent a great deal of it just sobbing and in shock. But all of it was incredibly well handed and well written.

This whole book is just beautifully written and so poetic. I saved so many quotes. Both of these books have such lovely writing that speaks to my soul.

I can't wait to have this one on my shelves and to reread it again and again. I'm also hoping that this series will end up being a trilogy because while the ending did tie up loose ends, it definitely feels like there's still more ground to cover. And, let's be real, I would read an entire library of books about Ari and Dante. I will never get enough.

If you loved the first book in this series, please read this one. It is so amazing. And if you haven't read either of the books in this series, please get on that. The representation in these books is fantastic and I'm so glad this series exists.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review!

Picking up right where book 1 left off, Aristotle and Dante have discovered that they are gay and are quite in love with each other. The book begins as Ari struggles to understand desire and grapples with how society in the 80s perceives gay men. This isn't all he has to contend with, for it is now his senior year of high school, and everything from racist teachers, emerging friendships, bullying and loss contrive to distract him from his constant worry: what will he do when he and Dante graduate and go to separate colleges?

I typically prefer audiobooks, and indeed read Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe in audio format, but I'm glad I chose the print version of this book. It really worked well to accentuate Benjamin Alire Sáenz's thoughtful and sometimes poetic style. As an asexual person, I found the first two segments of the book needlessly full of sexual desire, but it set the stage well for the chapters that followed. The theme of manhood came up many times, asking whether a gay man is really a man according to society and how old Ari must be in order to obtain manhood. Both Ari and Dante's parents are such beautiful souls; I wish I could meet them. It was a lot to think about. The pacing is generally well thought out to keep the story interesting despite Ari's penchant for overthinking for long periods of time, and while the ending was certainly cheesy, it was the perfect way to wrap up this wild and beautiful year. Overall, beautifully written and thought-provoking.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this ARC.

I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that there was going to be a sequel to Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. I had fallen in love with the first book after reading it a couple of years ago and never suspected that it would be continued. I was so happy to receive the pre-release digital copy of Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World from Netgalley. The only bad thing that I have to say about this book is that it was a little slow in the beginning and it took some time to really take off. However, when it took off, it really took off! Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Saenz did such a terrific job explaining how difficult life was for an LGBTQ person during the 1980s. Especially since the AIDS epidemic had really taken off by that point. It also did a good job explaining an teaching how to deal with racism. I loved all of the characters in the book and was once again sad when the book ended. I am now hoping that Saenz will make this series into a trilogy and write one last book to wrap everything up. All in all, I would give this book a four out of five stars. It was such an excellent book!

This book, like its predecessor is slow-moving and long. Yet, those are not criticisms when the character development is as earnest, the writing as thoughtful, and the world as fully realized as in the Aristotle and Dante books. In Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World, Ari realizes that being in love with another boy, dating another boy, does not solve his crisis of identity, or his depression. In some ways, it only adds more complications. Saenz builds wonderfully complex characters, both teens and adults, especially Ari and Dante's parents. The book treads in deep waters, including the AIDS pandemic and the woeful response by the government, something which speaks in deep and terrible ways to our current world events. My only criticism is in the book's ending, which ties up too neatly the beautiful nuance that Saenz has so carefully crafted throughout the novel. But don't sleep on this one - it's a worthy successor to the first book and masterpiece in its own right.

I thought it would be difficult for Benjamin Alire Sáenz to write a book as beautiful and moving as Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, but I needn't have worried. The characters are even more developed and the prose even more poetic and thoughtful than the first book.

Sáenz writes my favorite types of books: subtle plot, witty dialogue, character-driven. He writes in such a way that I, the reader, feel like I'm actually immersed and experiencing life as Ari for a while, with the language washing over me in a way that feels much more like breathing than reading.

It was wonderful reading about Ari's relationship with Dante in addition to his relationships with his friends and family. This book was about Ari's personal growth and his developing awareness of what his and Dante's lives would entail as gay men in a largely hostile world. It's also about love, hope, and bravery. As a modern reader reflecting on the normalized homophobia, racism, and the AIDS pandemic during the late 1980s described in the book, it is both hopeful to know how far we've come, but also a stark reminder of what still remains and how far we have yet to go.

These two books combined are the perfect coming-of-age story, timeless despite being historical fiction and one that will resonate with readers for years to come.

Okay, so I finished this book about a week ago and am reviewing it now because that's how long it took me to get over how much I love this book.

I only recently read the first Ari and Dante book, after many prior attempts and it just not being the right time. I went straight from sobbing though the end of the first one to this one and the tears just kept flowing. This book picks up pretty much right where the first leaves off and follows Ari and Dante through their senior year of high school. The two have to navigate their newfound relationship, changes in their families, and a world that is dealing with the AIDS pandemic. Alire Sáenz's voice is just as strong in this one as the first and I felt myself constantly drawn in by the poetic nature of the novel.

I will definitely be buying this book when it comes out and recommending it to everyone who loves the first Ari and Dante. You will laugh, cry, and feel so connected to these two amazing characters.

Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World was a beautiful and moving ending to Benjamin Alire Sáenz's duology.

I am a 2021 High School graduate, and this book genuinely spoke to my heart and the many emotions of growing up and seeing everything in your life change before your eyes. There were so many life lessons in this book that will stick with me forever.

This book is truly exceptional.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe was a great book. So I was quick to request the sequel when I saw it. The thing I forgot though is that I didn't actually enjoy *reading* the first one. I enjoyed listening to it. The writing felt disjointed and slow, and I slogged through it and then forgot what the whole story was about. When I was that Lin-Manuel Miranda read the audiobook, I gave it another shot and fell in love. I don't know how I forgot that part.

This book wasn't bad. It wasn't. But I stopped reading at 43%. I know there are a lot of readers who will love it, but I was having to force myself to pick it up. It's absolutely nothing against the author, I just don't think is writing style is for me. But that's ok because SO many people love it. I just struggle to connect with it, unless someone is reading it to me. I will absolutely get the audiobook whenever it's released because I want to know what happens to our sweet, sweet boys, but I just don't want to force myself to read anymore.

Nice continuation of a much-beloved young adult story. The sometimes-clunky writing serves as an obstacle to get to the heart of the tale. The last 100 pages fly by in a tears-in-your-eyes, heart-in-your-throat blur, culminating in a fitting, sweet end.

4.75/5

Thi book was so beautifully written. For fans of the first, you are in for a treat. For those of you who have not read the first, make sure to read it, and then come back and read this because I think it's better than the the first.

This book is emotional all throughout, deals with challenges of identity, and captures deep friendships in a way the first book did not. It also highlights the romance and struggles of the identity of the two main characters, but in a much different way than the first. You can definitely watch Ari as he matures throughout the novel. It's so beautiful and it comes highly recommended as one of my favorite books I have read this year.

A wonderful and long-awaited sequel! This book was extremely dynamic and elaborate. It continues the story of Aristotle and Dante, letting them soar to new heights and giving their characters an even fuller arc than they previously had. The story is equal parts heartwarming and heart wrenching; it touches on queer coming of age, feminism, racism, homophobia, and everything in-between, and yet still manages to work in the YA romance we all know and love. It was a true delight!