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.

This book is obviously highly anticipated, and it fully lived up to all the expectations. As Ari is going into his senior year of high school and settling into his relationship with Dante, he is beginning to reckon with what it means to be a gay man in the '90s, coming into himself during a time when the AIDS epidemic was constantly in the news. There's so much change happening in his life, and it perfectly captures that strange time in life that is finishing high school and expecting to just be an adult. Ari is one of my most favorite characters ever and seeing him work through his emotions, do things that he's uncomfortable with, and grow into a man was so, so beautiful and lovely.

Super excited to read this but isn't in a format I can open. I love the first book! It is one of my favorites and I am certain this won't disappoint!

Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh. my. god.

Sometimes a book is so eloquent the review cannot be. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe was such a book. When I heard there was a sequel in the works, I was worried. Can you really catch lightening in a bottle twice? Then the sequel was delayed, not ready, the author wasn't happy with it. Then I was really worried.

To those out there who loved the first Ari and Dante, the answer is yes. Benjamin Alire-Saenz really can catch lightening in a bottle twice. Oh, I could nitpick. There are a few disjointed moments in the narrative, maybe some ham-handed ones as well. But you know what's also there? Ari is still Ari, Dante is still Dante, and the author is still wondrously gifted at expressing hard truths with simple, beautiful lyricism. The narrative picks up pretty much right where the first book left off, and it continues to weave parallels with the first book. While the book's target audience is young/new adult, it resonates with older readers as well. Ari and Dante are convincingly drawn as young men trying to navigate the right path to adulthood, and older readers will remember what that was like. But older readers also remember that time period of the late 80s-early 90s and just how scary things really were. Saenz makes sure his young readers learn the obstacles like the AIDS epidemic and corresponding fallout that the Aris and Dantes faced to pave the way for now- when an LGBTQ love story can be told mainstream, where Pride month is celebrated like a national holiday, where Ari and Dante can marry legally- and when older readers like me can marvel at the progress, even though there is still work to be done.

Thank you, Net Galley and Simon and Schuster for allowing me to review this book early. I've never wanted an advanced copy of anything more. I was just going to read the first page, and then it was a few hours later. Thank you, Benjamin Alire- Saenz, for taking the care to make sure you got Ari and Dante's story just right again.
*review will be posted to Goodreads & Twitter in Sept. as per email