The Inexplicable Logic of My Life follows Sal, a white boy raised in a Mexican American family and the changes in his life during his senior year of high school.

A lot of people would have picked this book up out of love for Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe which whilst it was beloved, wasn't my favourite book. This was more of a second chance for me but I'm glad that I picked it up. It does follow the same beats as Ari and Dante and you can tell that it was written by the same author, but I think I enjoyed that this didn't really involve much romance as it was a welcome change from a lot of YA fiction.

This was very much a character driven novel which is not usually my thing, however I liked the characters and the familial relationships that were portrayed so ultimately it didn't really negatively impact my reading experience. I also loved that this had a friendship which again didn't have romantic vibes. I'm so glad that it was platonic as in most fiction it would be a love story between the two of them but staying just friends actually endeared me to the story more.

I think because it pleasantly surprised me I did rate it slightly higher than I usually would, but I'd definitely read another book by Benjamin Alire Saenz after this.

I’m sorry but I loved Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe more. This one was definitely dragging. The writing style was impeccable still but I’m just really not vibing with it.

I realized this wasn't a book that would work for me before I downloaded it. Clearing out my backlog of Archived, Not Downloaded.

The Inexplicable Logic of My Life was a miss for me. I found it difficult to get in to and connect to the characters.

I appreciate novels that explore intersectionality. In this case, watching Sal struggle with issues according to race, sexuality, gender roles, and the way that those intertwine gave me a window into an existence I would not otherwise have been privy to.

This book gutted me. I don't know that I have ever cried so much reading a book before. The was so much tragedy and so much hope in this book. I loved it. Unfortunately I can't really go further into this without including spoilers, so I will just say this book is very emotional, and full of a lot of growth.

On to the characters...

Salvador, the lead character and narrator. We have the most insight into his character both through his own thoughts and the reactions of Samantha, Fito, Vicente and Mima. His character is strong, but flawed. He is a teen and full of self-doubt. He makes mistakes, tries to be "good," is incredibly loyal, and truly believable. I fully identified with his struggles even though I am a 40-something woman.

Samantha, Sal's best friend. I think Sam has the most growth of all the characters in this book. She is impulsive, strong, self-assured and confident. But she is also insecure in some issues, makes choices that are not always the best for her, and at times, closes herself off to her emotions. I loved Sam!

Vicente, Sal's dad. We have the least insight into the true thoughts and motivations of Vicente, mainly because Sal doesn't have full insight into his dad's mind and feelings. But he is the best fictional dad I have read in a really long while. His relationship with Sal and Sam, and later Fito, is truly remarkable.

Fito, another of Sal's friends. I think I felt myself most in Fito. He doesn't feel like he deserves love, but is probably one of the most deserving characters I've read in a while. But he is a survivor and does what needs to be done to get through his life.

Mima, Sal's grandmother. I wish I had a grandmother like Mima. She is super sweet and loving, full of memories, anecdotes, and wisdom.

There is so much more that I want to say about this book, but I really can't say more without spoiling things that I feel are important to the plot.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book through Net Galley and the publisher {Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group & Clarion Books} in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Who am I? The year he turned 17, Salvador’s mind was full of unanswered questions. He had always been able to tell his best friend Samantha anything, as she was like a sister to him, but he felt he couldn’t tell her he didn’t want his wonderful and supportive gay father, who adopted him and who he dearly loved, to know he was thinking of his real father. He’d been getting into lots of fights; leaving him wondering if the anger he felt came from his real dad. Was he an offshoot of his dad? Did he inherit his dad’s anger issues? Who is he really? Sal doesn’t know.

Sal knows he doesn’t want to go to college, doesn’t want to write his admission essay, and doesn’t want his beloved grandmother Mima to leave him. He loves his family but has lots of questions about his place in the world. While Sal tries to figure out some answers to the craziness going on in his head, stuff keeps happening. Death, sadness, grief, anger and sorrow keep entering his life; along with the love that comes from a close knit family and good friends. Why does his life feel so messed up? Who is he really?

Many of Sal’s questions will ring true with teen readers, along with his emotional ups and downs. I was moved to tears by Mima and Sal’s friend Fito’s problems, and loved the strong friendship between Sal and Sammy. The strong and powerful love given to Sal by his dad is an example for all dads to follow. Once again Sáenz pens a winner.

Highly recommended for readers age 14 and older.

Another beautifully written book by Saenz! Great story, amazing characters, and just a wonderful reading experience.

Benjamin Alire Sáenz never disappoints. After reading "Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe" I was really excited for this book. Once again he has a beautiful way of writing about family and relationships. It is wonderful and heartbreaking at the same time.

I enjoyed this coming of age story about Salvador. His life is complicated, his friends lives are complicated, but in the end, they have each other. There are a lot of issues addressed in this story between the three young characters including death, drugs, neglect, sexual orientation, dating, and where you come from and how it shapes who you are.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this. Saenz's books just aren't my cup of tea. The writing is too dry and the story is drawn out. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a chance to read this last year!

It’s been a while since I picked up a book by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, the last one being Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe - which I adored and reviewed in my early blogging days. I loved this book too, maybe not quite as much (A&D was truly exceptional), but it was wonderful nonetheless. 

Something that strikes me in Sáenz’s writing is the positive emphasis on family. Yes, there are problematic families in this book too, which are discussed and developed, but Sal’s family is incredibly close and caring and I genuinely love this portrayal. His father is gay, and to avoid spoilers I don’t want to talk too much about his relationship, but it is sensitively and genuinely shown. The extended family, too, is covered, and I love the connection that the members have to one another, and happily extend to those who need some love from a family too. 

His characters are all so unique and fantastically developed, you feel as though they are real people and become fully invested in their lives. The friendship between Sal and Samantha is one of the most perfect friendships I’ve seen portrayed in a book - not perfect in that everything is wonderful, but perfect because it is flawed, they fall out, make up, but it’s realistic. Also, the lack of romance made me extremely happy, there was no need for them to fall in love, in fact, I think it would have spoiled it a bit, and I definitely appreciated seeing the male-female friendship staying at just that.

Sáenz’s writing style is absolutely incredible. I remember, even now, how much I loved it in is Aristotle and Dante. It does not disappoint here either, it’s poetic and beautiful and flowing and just wonderful. If I try and talk about it much more I’ll end up reusing adjectives because all I can do is gush about it.

There is not much of a plot, though there are several events that occur and take Sal on his ‘journey’. It didn’t need some ‘big scheme’ happening. Natural, realistic events are what make this book so good. Sal’s experience could be someone else’s, and that’s what makes a book so great. 

It is such a diverse book, with LGBT+ characters, Mexican-American families, poverty, and variety of family situations. I don’t think I need to say I’d recommend this - it should be obvious from my review... I love Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s books, I’ve come to that conclusion, and I can’t wait to get to the rest of them (I have another that I received recently as a gift so that’ll be read soon). His characters are phenomenal and it’s also impossible not to fall in love with his writing.

Rating: 4.5 /5

So glad that I loved this because there is so much representation

Beautiful writing and a book I could not put down. I hope to read more from this author.

What a good Young Adult novel! I love a good coming of age story and I can completely relate to a lot of the YA trials and tribulations (I was once a YA myself and I have 3 girls). I love a good story and especially one that I feel is timely and meaningful for young adults today and can open their minds and maybe help them feel they are not so alone in what it is to be young in today's world.

I'm sure this book is very lovely, it's just not for me. I feel like I'm maybe not the right audience for this. It's also very long. While I normally love a long book, this is was just too much. It was difficult to get invested in to begin with. Perhaps part of it was honestly, due to the format in which the ARC was given. But also because it felt overly descriptive at times. I was mostly bored and wanted things to move on. I wanted there to be more plot. I wanted a different writing style.

I also took issue with some language I felt was insensitive and offensive.

This book was just not for me. I'm sure a lot of people will find it wonderful. I'm just not one of those people.

Wonderfully written and I enjoyed this reading this book. If you every find yourself confused or unsure of yourself this is a book that won't make you feel alone.

Senior year and things will start to change. Sal is in a place in his life when he is trying to figure out who he is and dealing with all these life changing events in his life. A great story about growing up, self- discovery, grief, family and dealing with the injustices of life. Sal’s is concerned if those that he cares about will like the person he thinks he is becoming. Will he be able to figure out who he is?

This book was about love, loss, and everything in between. Benjamin Aire Sáenz has this way of telling the most beautiful stories. I was so invested in this story and it’s characters that I cried too many times too count while reading this book.
The character development was unbelievable. I loved each and every one of the relationships talked about throughout the books. I love how each character needs help, but eventually finds themselves. The father/son relationship and grandmother/grandson relationships were wonderful to read about, the good and the bad. The friendships throughout the book were so real and raw, it made me wish to have more people like this in my life. All of the relationships made my heart smile.
Overall this book was outstanding. It was emotional for sure, but in all the right ways. I was not disappointed in the least with this book. Benjamin continues to be on my lists of amazing authors.

I adored this book. The Inexplicable Logic of My LIfe is the first book I've read by Benjamin Alire Saenz, but it won't be my last. His story telling ablitiy blew me away. This is one of those books that made me laugh, made me cry, and made me FEEL! I love feeling when I read. Nothing will have me give a book a 5 star review faster than when it gives me all the feels!

This is a very character driven story that focuses on family, friendship, and self-discovery. It's a story that will move you. I loved it. A full 5 stars!

Title: The Inexplicable Logic of My Life
Author: Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Source: Library
Links: Indiebound |Goodreads
Rating: four-stars
Summary: I really enjoyed this book, but it didn’t quite live up to the emotional punch of Ari and Dante.

“Everything is about to change. Until this moment, Sal has always been certain of his place with his adoptive gay father and their loving Mexican-American family. But now his own history unexpectedly haunts him, and life-altering events force him and his best friend, Samantha, to confront issues of faith, loss, and grief. Suddenly Sal is throwing punches, questioning everything, and discovering that he no longer knows who he really is—but if Sal’s not who he thought he was, who is he?” (source)

This book had a lot to live up to, because I fell so completely in love with Sáenz’s first book, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. I did my best to temper my expectations, but it was hard! Although I did really enjoy this book, it didn’t quite live up to Ari and Dante for me. It was moving and felt very real, two things I loved about Ari and Dante. However, it lacked the emotional crescendo of Ari and Dante. It was constantly pretty moving, which I didn’t enjoy as much as the way the emotion in Ari and Dante slowly built up to a climactic ending.

Since I couldn’t attribute my preference for Ari and Dante to anything more specific than how it made me feel, I was curious if Inexplicable Logic was actually just at a disadvantage because I read it second. I know that I often love books where I feel as though the author has done something novel. This is obviously less likely to be the case if I’m reading a second, very similar book by a given author. Surprisingly, the data actually show the opposite – 85% of the 75 times I’ve read a second book by an author, I’ve rated the second book as high or higher than the first. The only caveat I’d add to that conclusion is that there the star rating I give a book doesn’t always mean the same thing. A five star book that is one of my favorite books ever is very different from a five star book that isn’t. I just don’t have a higher rating for these all time favorites. Anyway, going back to Inexplicable Logic, I think my previous ratings suggest that I do give second books a fair chance. I’m guessing that means that Ari and Dante would have been my favorite of the two regardless of the order in which I read them.