Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe has been one of my favorite books for years and I was crazy excited to see a sequel was coming. I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed the entirety of Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World. I felt so connected to Ari and it was an absolute joy to watch him grow into himself. This book perfectly illustrates what it's like to be young and queer and struggling to find a space in the world. With poetic, lyrical writing, this book is a breath of fresh air.

This sequel to the beloved novel, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, moves the characters forward into the next step in finding themselves. Ari becomes a more outspoken advocate for himself and others in a time period where his voice his desperately needed. Sáenz writes with authenticity and a true feeling for the time period and the world that Ari and Dante inhabit. It is a beautiful sequel to a favorite book.

To be perfectly honest, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is one of my favorite books. It may seem a little odd to say that a book that can be so incredibly heart-wrenching gives me a feeling of comfort when remembering it, but the fact is it does. Partially, that’s because it evokes memories of curling up in a hotel bed after a long day of hiking and riding the train from the countryside into the city because those were the moments when I read this book. Benjamin Alire Saenz writes this beautiful, elegant, and insightful prose, which makes the ordinary moments in Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe feel magical. (And in connection, made my vacation seem that much more magical too.) Despite not being on vacation while reading the ARC of Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World (btw, thanks NetGalley!), it evoked that same mixture of emotions in me — comfort, sadness, hope, and the all-encompassing sense of magic. Did I want to sometimes punch Ari and Dante while reading? Oh, absolutely. They’re teenage boys, and fictional or not, they do a lot of stupid things. Did I also want to smother them in blankets, wrap them up in plastic wrap, and protect them from the world? For sure.

Here’s the thing about this book. I probably could not tell you most of what happened in it, because this isn’t a pull-me-along plot, where the plot is the drive of the book. Aristotle and Dante (both the first book and its sequel) is made up of a series of ordinary moments; despite the fact that I am not a gay Latino boy in the 1980s, some of the moments are so ordinary that I have lived them myself. But I could tell you down to the page number how I felt while reading this book, and that’s because Ari and Dante are the drive of the book. They are the reason to read the first book, and they are the reason to read this sequel. They are so full of life and feeling and years of growth that it’s hard to believe they exist only in these books. If you are a reader who reads books because they love the characters, then I highly suggest you read these books. And if you’ve already read AaDDtSotU and you enjoyed it at all, you are going to want to read the sequel so you can see who these incredible boys turn into.

I absolutely loved Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe and was beyond thrilled that a sequel was being made. Unfortunately, this one fell a bit flat for me.

This book continues immediately after the first one. Since it's set in the late 1980s, the AIDS epidemic is ravaging the nation, and very little information is known about the disease. This context is incredibly important to understand some of the struggles facing Ari and Dante. Due to the setting, Ari expresses many concerns about if he will ever find happiness; he also expresses self-hatred at being gay. I worry if today's teen readers will be able to view his perspective through the appropriate lens. Otherwise, Ari's thoughts might reinforce negative stereotypes about one's sexuality.

I also struggled with the length of the story. Many parts felt like they could have been shortened to help the pacing. For example, Ari's constant longing for Dante near the start of the story felt interminable. I do recognize that this may have been intentional to show Ari's feelings, but I found it exhausting. Another major concern is the discussion surrounding the trans woman that Ari's brother murdered.

Despite the flaws with this one, I did enjoy catching up with Ari and Dante and seeing what the next chapter holds for them. If you pick up this sequel, be sure to have tissues nearby as well.

Perfect sequel to a lovely first novel! I loved it and I am so glad Mr. Saenz decided to put another one out

"Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" was one of the books that helped me get back into reading after losing that passion in grad school. The prose, the characters, the plot -- everything was wonderful and just what I needed to bring me back to what I loved.

"Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World" promised a similar reading experience, and in many ways it delivered. There were moments of prose that I found myself wanting to highlight or write down, or just hold onto for a few more seconds to savor in my head. There were beautiful moments in Aristotle and Dante's new relationship that were great additions to the YA LGBTQIA+ canon. And of course, I was just as emotionally connected to Ari and his world as I was in book one.

But this book was definitely not as enjoyable for me as the first. It felt like Saenz wanted to take on everything in this one -- teen romance, death, grief, immigration, LGBTQIA+ relationships, racism, bullying, AIDS, etc. While there are all issues and experiences one teenager may have to grapple with, in this book, some aspects of these topics didn't feel authentic. One of Ari's parents would have a long monologue about an issue, and then in the next chapter it would be illustrated with a scene. Some of these issues and the ensuing grief felt just like emotional plot points to make the reader feel for Ari and people like him more (if you've read it, you know especially what part I'm likely referring to close to the end).

And because of this, I felt close to Ari, but not as much to Dante. I felt like Dante's voice drifted away from this story in parts. This may have been because there was more of a focus on minor characters, but even some of those felt blurry. I found it impossible to see any differences between Gina and Susie, and there were other students at Ari's school that seemed to blur into others as well.

If you loved the characters in the first book, you're sure to love this book. And Saenz's prose was definitely enjoyable! My students will still love this book, and many of them will feel this is a mirror of their lives, so it still definitely has merit on my bookshelf.

Aristotle and Dante changed my life back when I met them in 2013 and here we are in 2021, and they're still changing my life. The sequel picks up right where the first book left off, with Ari and Dante learning what it means to be a couple and best friends. There's romance, flirting, deep conversations, and a magical camping trip. There's Ari entering senior year and learning how to open up to his family and his classmates, expanding his circle of trust and making new friends and allies. Reading Ari's transformation from being closed-off, angry, and self-hating, to someone who is willing to be vulnerable and cry and ask for help was incredibly moving. So many times when reading this book I had to set it down and breathe and feel. There are many intense parts full of the heartbreaks of life as well as the painful reality of the AIDS pandemic and homophobia. There's suffering and tears (yes, I cried) but there's profound joy, beautiful relationships, and so much love. While I adore Ari and Dante as a couple, I deeply appreciated the friendships and family bonds that are developed and enriched in this story. Each new relationship felt like a new candle being lit in Ari's heart and it made me feel just as light, made me think of the people in my life who are lights. When I reached the end I felt the same way I did when I finished Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe -- that I had just read something true and important and indelible. This book will make you smile, laugh, cry, rage, and want. It's a story you'll want to return to again and again.

This is the moment we have been waiting for people! It's here!

I love Ari and Dante. I love their families. I love their friends. I love their love.

This sequel shattered my heart and was full of so much hope, all at the same time. It picks up where the first left off with Ari and Dante enjoying the last few weeks of summer before their senior year and goes from there.

Ari is our narrator, and we get to see him grow so much in this book. He is learning to love himself for who he is. He is also realizing that adults are people too, with their own stories, ideas, thoughts. He really did a lot of growing up in this one.

I laughed, I cried, I told friends to read it. I can't wait to get my own physical copy.

Thank you to Benjamin Alire Saenz, Simon Schuster, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

5 shining stars

I absolutely loved this book, and as long as it was, I savored every minute and pretty much listened to it and read along with it in one giant session. My heart was shattered multiple times throughout and then healed as I went through each conversation and read Ari's diary entries. This story takes place after the events in the first book when Aristotle and Dante realize that they are gay and that they love each other. But the first book was about so much more than that, and this book pretty much took it to another level. Ari has discovered that not only is he capable of letting go of some of his anger, but he is also capable of loving someone else. This is the book where he discovers that it's okay for him to open himself up to others (other than Dante) and that good friendships and relationships are possible when he allows the possibility. There were so many passages that I read where I just had to pause for a bit so I could let it all soak in. If I had had the physical book, the book would have been underlined throughout. There were so many places where I would think, "Oh Ari, yes, that's what you have to learn," and I would then follow it up with, "Yes, that's a lesson I should learn too." This book made me fall in love with Aristotle and Dante all over again, but I also loved their families and their friends. My heart broke for them because of the time period they were growing up in (during the AIDS pandemic--yes, let's just call it what it really was), but because times just haven't changed that much for LGBTQ+ youth (and adults). But it made me love their parents and friends even more.

This book made me feel again and again and again, and I loved it for that. If you haven't discovered this series yet, please do yourself a favor and read them both. Your heart will thank you.

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book is a perfect follow-up to Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. The boys grow in their relationship, but as in life, things are not easy. Family and friends help the two main characters through the challenges life hands them, within and outside their relationship. The plot reveals how the two main characters deal with their own lives, and how those issues can affect a relationship also. Benjamin Alire Sáenz has given us a beautiful continuation of Aristotle and Dante's story.

I was incredibly excited to read this book given how much I loved Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, which captivated me with its poetry and emotional resonance. As a young person falling in love, Aristotle was pitch perfect: unsure, angsty, reflective, and brave. Unfortunately, as a person IN love, Aristotle reads less like a young person and more like an adult trying to inhabit a teenager's brain. His self-absorption, which contributed to the emotional intensity and suspense of the first book, is almost suffocating in this sequel, and since everything we read is filtered through his consciousness even the conflict of the novel feels somewhat muted. I really struggled with the pacing, especially at the beginning of the novel.

That said, Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World engages with the political reality of queer identity in the 1980s in a way that the first novel did not (indeed, I don't remember realizing that the first book was not set in the present!). My favorite parts of the novel were the ones that showed the acts of rebellion, small and large, that allowed Aristotle and Dante some measure of freedom to pursue their relationship. Their parents, in particular, were well-developed and sympathetic, and I loved the way that Aristotle's friends rallied around him. When the novel moves out of Aristotle's head and into the world, it is engaging and thought-provoking.

Despite my ambivalence, I will still recommend this book to students, who will undoubtedly benefit from a reminder of how far we've come in the last decades (and how far we still have to go!).

Fans of Aristotle and Dante, the day is finally here!

Nearly a decade after the publication of its prequel, Ari and Dante’s story continues in Benjamin Alire Saenz’s novel Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World.

Picking up where Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe left off, Ari and Dante are now together, having officially declared their love for one another at the end of the prequel. Loving Dante seems easy, and it has opened Ari up to relationships and bonds that he had previously shut himself off from. He grows closer to his parents, strengthening their relationship in a way that formerly felt unobtainable. He reaches out to friends and finds himself with a larger family than he had ever known before. It all seems wonderful and serene.

But the reality of Ari and Dante’s world sinks in quickly. The AIDS epidemic is a tangible danger to homosexuals’ lives, and society as a whole scorns the very existence of Ari and Dante’s love. In a world that refuses to accept them, Ari and Dante must learn what it means to stay together and protect the love they share.
Sequels can be difficult to get right

Sequels are hard to write, especially after the wide success of a story’s first book. There are a lot of expectations surrounding the publication, and a lot of pressure on the author to ensure that it is just as good - if not better - as its predecessor. In fact, Benjamin Alire Saenz himself shares how anxious he was in the days leading up to its publication.

Yet, Saenz truly delivered with this continuation of Ari and Dante’s story. It’s a beautiful continuation of Ari, Dante, and all of the friends and family that we have come to love in Saenz’s story.

The tone of this novel certainly differs from the prequel. The first book was about Ari coming to terms with who he is and accepting his love toward his friend, but the sequel touched on more sobering topics as it progressed, despite the fact that it has a happy beginning.

The AIDS epidemic and its ensuing devastation on homosexuals is elaborated on more extensively in this installment. Ari and Dante are confronted with the ramifications that homosexuals can face in their society, from being ostracized to being physically attacked because of who they love. And Ari is forced to face a shattering loss that threatens the foundation of everything he built throughout the series.

Yet, Saenz does a masterful job at weaving these realistic, somber topics with beautiful, delightful themes of found family and love. Ari opens himself up to several friends at school that he had brushed aside, and he soon finds himself at the center of a tight-knit found family. He repairs his relationship with his parents and his sisters, and even makes an effort to connect with his estranged brother. We as readers not only get to experience Ari and Dante’s relationship, but we also get to experience the bonds between Ari and the other people in his life in such a profoundly genuine way. It was delightful to be able to get to know the secondary characters in this series and truly feel for them as individuals in Ari and Dante’s story.

It can be safely said that this book was more than worth the wait. Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World is a beautiful addition to Ari and Dante’s story, and I was ecstatic at the opportunity of revisiting such beloved characters.

Readers need to begin with the first book; they need to understand where the protagonists have been in order to fully appreciate the journey they undertake over the course of this sequel.

Ari and Dante fell in love over the course of the first book, and they spend this one exploring their relationship: both the intense feelings of attractions and the emotional aspect of loving someone else so much.

The prose is gorgeous. It’s so lyrical—the words just flow across the page, and when combined with an intriguing storyline, it makes it difficult to put down. The narrative unfolds solely from Ari’s perspective, and being with Dante helps him gather a new outlook on aspects of his life he took for granted, such as his friendship with Susie and Gina from the first book. It also helps him draw perspective on other aspects of his life that he’s been avoiding for years. In both cases, it appears that acknowledging his true self serves as the source of these changes.

With a setting in the late 1980s, the AIDS pandemic is an unavoidable topic for our two protagonists. While neither is directly affected by it in terms of a diagnosis, the public’s reaction to the crisis—ranging from disinterest to outright disgust—does have an impact on the boys. Despite this negativity, Ari and Dante have each other, as well as the support of both sets of parents and their friend group. And that’s all they need.

I would absolutely recommend Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World. On the surface, we have the story of two Mexican-American boys coming of age in the late 1980s, but this is a story with such profound depth. There are so many beautiful quotes about our place in the universe, and solitude, and letting other people in—that are going to stay with me for a long time. My 14 year old read the first book while at summer camp, and was thrilled to pieces to learn that I had an ARC. She devoured it in less than a day, declared it wonderful, and couldn’t wait to tell the friend who loaned her the book about how cool I am. So, long story short, this book has the seal of approval from a member of the target demographic.




I received an ARC of this book from Simon & Schuster/NetGalley.

Unlike most people, I did not have the pleasure of being introduced to Ari and Dante in 2012 when the first book in this series came out so I did not have to wait almost 10 years to meet these wonderful characters again. However, in some ways I wish I had. Ari and Dante are young and so much of their experience is told through young eyes. Despite the fact that I read many YA novels and find that the best ones tend to transcend the limits of a YA audience, I don't believe that this book managed to do that. As a woman in her 20's I found that I could not relate to this book or these characters.

With that said, I still believe this was a very well-written book. The last book introduced us to Ari and Dante. Ari was a 15 year old boy trying to navigate his way through life and learning how to understand his cultural identity, his sexual orientation and his relationship with his family. This book picks up where the last one left off and follows Ari as he continues to navigate large and complicated emotion; this time, grief. I enjoyed this book but I wish I had read it earlier in life so that I might have appreciated it more.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for giving me this arc!

The second Aristotle and Dante book was just as beautiful and lyrical as the first and it filled me to the absolute brim with warmth and happiness while simultaneously breaking my heart into a million little pieces. I can not explain the magical brilliance this book series has over me but these characters go through so much growth since the first book and the character development is written so beautifully and remarkably well, I kind of feel it’s the main focus to the book—other than Ari’s journey to rediscover the world around him and make connections to people in his life. It’s about Ari and Dante discovering what it truly means to live. Benjamin Alire Sáenz is one of my new favorite writers and I am absolutely in awe of this book. **ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for honest review**

I am sad to report that I DNFed this one. I was looking forward to it, but about 20% of the way through I just couldn’t bring myself to read anymore. Something about this sequel was just off.

This book tackled a lot of important topics, especially the Aids pandemic in the 80s. Watching Aristotle learn about himself, while dealing with the challenges that come with being gay, was equally heartbreaking and heart warming. Throughout the story, Aristotle and Dante learn to rely on one another and still be individuals. I love the focus on family in this book, especially when Ari's dad passed away. Overall, I found this book to be magical and beautiful. The narration of the audiobook was spot on and I hope we get more books in this series.

This is so nostalgic. I remember reading the first book of these two in 2014 and it was just so goood. This was highly worth the wait, I’m excited for everyone to read this one!

Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World follows Aristotle and Dante as they discover their place in the universe. Aristotle is faced with the struggles of bullies, making friends, and figuring out what he wants his future to look like. The upside is that he is finally with clever and beautiful Dante who shows him feelings he has never felt before. Suddenly, Aristotle is faced with a tragic loss, and he is forced to fight even harder to create the life that he wants.

Just like so many other fans, I was beyond excited to read the sequel to Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. Sadly, I was let down by Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World. In the first novel, the writing was lyrical and intriguing; Aristotle was emotional, unsure of himself, and slightly angsty—just as most teenagers are. Though he was complex and at times a little unrealistic, he was a lovable and emotionally complex character trying to discover himself. As I plunged into the new novel, I quickly realized that it was not comparable to the first book. Aristotle is overly theatrical, misogynistic, and he no longer sounds at all like a seventeen-year-old. The sequel loses the first book’s unique style of conversation and witty banter; everyone is suddenly a melodramatic philosopher, delivering extremely opinionated lectures that end in tears. The plot itself is uninspired; it lacks the symbolism and depth from the first novel. I think Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe would have been better as a standalone. If you are able to pick through the prolonged monologues, unimaginative plot, and unrealistic conversation, this book is mediocre and disappointing.

​​(Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing us with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)

3.5 stars. I have been super excited for this one since I loved the first book in the series (probably in no small part to the audio narration by Lin Manuel Miranda). I enjoyed this sequel, but it in no way compared to the first book in the series. My favorite part of this book is the relationships that Ari develops throughout the story (Susie, Gina, Cassandra, his mom and dad), but overall the character development was weaker and I just was not as invested in what was happening to everyone. The plot was meh in many places, and places where it could really have taken off (visiting Bernando), it just fell short (and there were some things that happened that straight up ticked me off). In addition, the thing that bothered me the most was the way the teens talked.....it felt too adult and too enlightened to really feel true to the characters and that age group. If you read the first book, I definitely think you need to read this one, but do not set the bar as high or you will be disappointed.