Reviews

A beautiful book about growing up, discovering who you are, what you want to be, and who you want to be with. The writing was beautiful, and the main character perfectly showed how confusing the world can be. I really liked it. Full review coming soon! :)

natprince's review against another edition

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5.0

I LOVED IT! So amazing, so many feelings. Definitely read this one!

kimbongiorno's review against another edition

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5.0

How do you understand your family? Your friends? Yourself? Do we really want to know all of their secrets? How about all of our own?
This novel about two teenaged boys who meet at a local pool (one can swim, one cannot) and strike up a friendship is the book I didn't know I needed to read. Thankfully, many fellow teen/YA fans encouraged me to add it to my list. I am grateful I got to see the stories of Aristotle and Dante unfold, and think you will be, too.
Beautiful. Rich. Quiet. Buy a copy of this award-winner so your teens can read it, too.

joyceandbooks's review against another edition

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4.0

“I wanted to tell them that I'd never had a friend, not ever, not a real one. Until Dante. I wanted to tell them that I never knew that people like Dante existed in the world, people who looked at the stars, and knew the mysteries of water, and knew enough to know that birds belonged to the heavens and weren't meant to be shot down from their graceful flights by mean and stupid boys. I wanted to tell them that he had changed my life and that I would never be the same, not ever. And that somehow it felt like it was Dante who had saved my life and not the other way around. I wanted to tell them that he was the first human being aside from my mother who had ever made me want to talk about the things that scared me. I wanted to tell them so many things and yet I didn't have the words. So I just stupidly repeated myself. "Dante's my friend.”

Beautiful.

kayla_laplante_'s review against another edition

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emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

re-read

little_ms_readsalotl_sometimes's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

apenguinkeeper's review against another edition

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5.0

It's hard to make coherent thoughts right now, to be honest.

I love them so much. Ari is so me, and I love Dante, they're all amazing, and these boys parents are the best people in the entire history of the world.

When Ari beat up Julian I shouldn't have been smiling but dude that felt good even for me.

Again I LOVE ARI'S PARENTS AHHHHH

AND I LOVE DANTE'S PARENTS AHHHHH

Not Ari's parents having to rescue this little gay boy from himself like please you're in denial just get it together

I need to buy this book for myself now because the amount of times I'm ready to read this over again because of the last scene and Ari rescuing Dante over and over again and his DENIAL OMG IT'LL GET ME EVERY TIME

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