Fantastic point of view of a pair of gay teens growing up in a world where the HIV/AIDS crisis was making a start. Beautiful writing,

When I finished the first book, I was craving to know what happened next. After what seemed like forever, I was able to learn more and see how some things turned out! Dante and Aristotle will be two characters that will stay with you for a lifetime. Do yourself a favor and take the time to read both books and savor their journey in life!

One of the most beautifully written books (first book is in my top 5 favorites) I have read. I recommend often to patrons and many come back to tell me how much they LOVE Aristotle and Dante.

The first Ari and Dante was one of my favorite books ever when I first read it, and maybe I should have reread it before diving into the sequel and that could have brought back some of the original connection and magic for me. Regardless, this sequel ended up falling flat no matter how much I wanted to love it. I’m sad. Didn’t hate it but doesn’t compare to the first.

Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World captures all the magic of the first book in this duology. This is a coming-of-age story of two gay boys growing together and with the world around them as the world of the 70s faces the AIDS epidemic.

The writing was absolutely gorgeous. The structure and flow is fantastic, and I've never seen any author quite replicate what Saenz has done.

There were strong messages about grieving, growing, friendship, love, and family in this book. The characters struggle together, and you can't help but feel how they feel. Ari's voice is so unique and sweet and mature, and it is always a beautiful experience to see his thoughts. I will miss this duology immensely.

Enchantingly lyrical, as expected.

Not recommended reading if you’ve just broken up with your boyfriend. Although, when [redacted] happens, I did have a bit of an epiphany regarding my own life, post-break-up.

I absolutely adore this book. I am so happy Saenz finally wrote this sequel. If you read the first, you must read this heart warming sequel. If you haven’t read the first do it!

This book didn’t feel as intimate or introspective as the first, and I was very disappointed to read more transphobic passages in this book. At this point, they feel more like an insertion of the author’s views than the characters’ on the page.

This was perfection. Sáenz's writing always ruins me. It was such an honest and real depiction of love with all the ups and downs it entails. Simply beautiful writing and characters that I just can't get enough of. While the story and the dialogue was unrealistic at parts I just couldn't bring myself to care because Ari and Dante are just too precious for reality. Each and every character is so well-developed and necessary that I was left wanting more from this world. I would also love to get a book from the perspective of Dante in the future. I am super nervous about the upcoming movie adaptation because there is a lot to live up too.

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I fell in love with Dante and Aristotle in the first book and was so excited to read this book! Honestly, Dante isn’t in a whole lot of the first half of the book because his family moved to another state. A good chunk of it is Ari trying to figure out how to navigate his life without Dante and figuring out who he is. Since he’s such a big part of the duo I wish we saw more of him overall as he as a lot to Ari’s character.

I did love watching Ari figure out who he was and become more confident in his sexuality. However, there are a few things I didn’t love.

I feel like the brothers story line was a little unnecessary and didn’t add a whole lot to the story. It came off as a bit transphobic to throw in a murder of a trans person for a seemingly unnecessary story. There were also some conversations where Ari makes a female uncomfortable and he uses the “I’m gay” excuse as it being acceptable. Which is really off putting.

Overall I loved the story but those negatives were really off putting.

I read the original Aristotle and Dante in January 2018 as an assignment for a young adult literature class and flew through it. I strongly believe that students should be able to see themselves within the pages of a book, so it is no surprise that these thoughtfully developed characters are so well received. Dive into the Waters seems to pick up about where Secrets of the Universe leaves off - the boys are about to start their senior year of high school, and the book takes us through the end of the year. Some of the scenes are so emotional, so beautifully written, that I needed to stop to savor the words. I can't wait to share the next part of their story with my students! Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to preview #AristotleandDanteDiveintotheWatersoftheWorld by Benjamin Alire Saenz.

I loved the first book and so I was so excited to see there was a second one coming. However this book never fully captured the magic of the first. We were missing Dante for a large portion of it and something just fell off. The writing is still beautiful but I feel the magic of these books was seeing Dante and Aristotle together, how they interact and grow and learn. By separating them it just feels wrong. I'm not saying they have to get along or be perfect, but the title is Aristotle and Dante and the book didn't reflect that.

It's a good one, but it's not my type of book. I was expecting to like because I liked the synopsis but it didn't affect me.

Oh no! Sometimes authors have to think more before decides to realases a sequel for a book wich is good alone. That's a sequel I didn't need to read. I was expecting this one to be as good as the first but I was wrong.

What a beautiful follow up to the first book. Can be read as a stand alone, you don't have to read the first one. Just lovely.

Aristotle and Dante #1 was transformative for so many people, it was hyped up by everyone and now that #2 is here, it had to be just as good, right? No. Not so much. Still good, but not that life alternating way that Aristotle and Dante have before.

Huge thanks to Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, NetGalley, and LibroFM's Educator ALC program for advanced ebook and audiobook versions of this book.

Earlier in the year, I read Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe and I absolutely loved it. Naturally, I grabbed this sequel immediately when I saw it on both NetGalley and LibroFM's Educator ALC Program. This book continues Ari & Dante's love story right where it left off in book #1. This time around, Ari learns to share his true self with others and wonderful new friendships abound. Something tragic happens to Ari in this book and yes, I cried. I just love Ari, Dante, and their families! Now I need a third installment set 10-20 years after this one so I can see where Ari & Dante's lives take them.

This is such a beautiful, poetic, and heartbreaking story. Benjamin Alire Sáenz poured his entire being into Aristotle and Dante. If I annotated books, 95% of this story would be highlighted and the margins would be covered in my notes. So much time and care has gone into this story and I am so grateful this story exists.

Another beautiful, lyrical installment in the Dante series. I will avidly read any and all of these. #representationmatters

Beautiful, heartbreaking, and totally worth the long wait, but would you expect anything less from Sáenz? Get it, read it, LOVE IT!