While on my search for my next read at a local bookshop, I pulled this novel from the shelf. I remember hearing that it was a great novel, and after reading some reviews, it seemed people online agreed. I have to say that this book takes the reader on an unforgettable adventure.  

“Words could be like food—they felt like something in your mouth. They tasted like something. “My brother is in prison.” Those words tasted bitter.”

Premise of the book:

Aristotle, who goes by Ari, is an isolated teenager who is angry at the world. Dante is a know-it-all who has a unique perspective on the world. When these two meet at a swimming pool over the summer, they couldn’t have been more different, yet they find themselves growing closer. As the bond between them deepens, they have to learn to navigate through life’s hurdles together. 

“The problem with my life was that it was someone else’s idea.” 

Pros/positives:

*Quick read*

This book was a nice change from the last one I read. It’s not that I didn’t love the last book I read; it’s just that this novel didn’t take a lot of time to read. It allowed me to finish a lovely story in a couple of days, compared to a couple of months. 

The short chapters were also a blessing and helped the story feel faster. There was never a chapter that was too long, with some of the chapters being shorter than half a page. Some would say that the chapters seem too short, but I thought it worked well with the book. 

I feel like this would be a nice book to get someone out of a reading slump, as the chapters are short and it is easy to just devour this book.

*Plot*

The plot of this novel was more character-driven than anything else, but I actually appreciated it. It made the plot less predictable. I think it made the book feel more life-like. You never know what will happen next in your own life; why should that be any different for this book?

The story itself was very heartfelt. Getting to see Ari and Dante grow up over a few years was a great feeling. The author really nailed what teenage life can feel like. 

I had no personal issue with the pacing. Some parts could have been considered as slower than others, with some sections being more focused on what seems like random moments of Ari’s life than anything ‘important’. However, I think the random moments grew my connection to Ari’s character a lot. 

*Themes/issues that the book faces*

Although I can’t personally resonate with some of the events that happened in this novel, the issues that this book covers are relatable. This novel talks about challenging topics such as homophobia, identity crises, and secrets within a family. The timeless struggles that Ari and Dante face make this book highly accessible to people of all ages.

The response that Ari has to these issues is also realistic. Many times throughout this book, Ari didn’t know how to handle the feelings that were evoked. He’d make a decision, regret it, and then have to learn how to try a different approach. It is part of life. Sometimes, Ari would let his emotions get the better of him, and he would allow them to swallow him whole. We see in this novel that Ari tries to fight this bad habit. I think that almost everyone can relate to this. There has to have been at least one moment in everyone’s lives where they let their emotions take control, and they do something they regret. Ari is no different than that. 

*Characters*

The characters in this story were raw and real. Being able to follow a teenage boy as he grows up is a unique experience. The author did an amazing job capturing it. I enjoyed how Ari wasn’t perfect, not even close—he doesn’t know how to talk about his feelings, he doesn’t know how to handle his emotional outbursts, he is a loner ‘by choice’ (at least that is what he tells others). He even faces challenges when it comes to his family, both with not knowing how to interact with his father and not knowing what happened with his brother, who is now in jail. Ari was such a great character because he made the reader split on their feelings about him. In some scenes, I just wanted to slap Ari, but in other scenes, I just wanted to hug him. Ari was mean, snappy, and cold, but he was also funny, lighthearted, and full of grief. He had many sides to him. 

I loved Dante as well, and how he deepened as a character as the story went on. He went from seeming like he had a perfect life in Ari’s eyes to showing that he has insecurities of his own, especially when it comes to his identity as a Mexican American and his sexuality. I adored Dante because of his lovable personality. 

The parents of both Ari and Dante were interesting, as well, since we saw them through a teenager’s eyes (Ari). The reader could feel the love they had for their children, but the reader could also see how some of the choices the parents made would tick off Ari and Dante. We could understand both perspectives.

*Character development and relationships*

The character development and relationships were well done. Ari grew a lot in this novel. He got to “discover the secret of the universe” (aka learn more about him and his family). I appreciated how you could feel the moment that Ari stepped out of his shell and decided that he wanted to be more open with others. However, I must admit that I also like how Ari still kept his teenage attitude throughout the novel. 

But, outside of Ari, everyone got a chance to grow—Dante got to be more in tune with himself, Ari’s parents got to both get closer to Ari, and Dante’s parents learned to embrace a new family member (Ari). Each character at the end of the novel was, at least slightly, different from the one we met at the beginning of the story.

You could also see the relationships that Ari had with others changing throughout the story. I especially loved his friendship with Dante. You can see their care for each other through their actions. Even when Ari first met Dante, Ari wasn’t as mean as he was to other characters. Ari even thought to himself that he “kind of liked [Dante’s] voice.” (17). And, even though Ari started by being hesitant to get to know Dante, the reader begins to understand just how much Ari wanted a friend as they keep reading. 

Ari’s complex relationship with his dad was also interesting to read. We could see that they loved each other, but they struggled to actually show that love. The book did a great job of developing an openness between them. Ari and his mother had a nice relationship as well, with Ari’s mother being the average, overprotective mom and Ari trying to teach her that it is sometimes overwhelming for him. They found a nice middle ground to meet in.

“I got to thinking that poems were like people. Some people you got right off the bat. Some people you just didn’t get–and never would get.” 

In between/neutral:

*Ending*

I can’t say I love the ending of this novel. It was cute and heartwarming, but I wish that there was just a little something more, just a few more pages before the novel ended. The ending felt slightly rushed to me. To leave this as vague as possible so that I don’t spoil anyone: I wish Ari had discovered it himself, rather than it being told to him. If the author had added a few more pages, there could have been a moment of realization, but instead, he needed it spelled out for him, which I think ruined some of the realism for me.

*Writing style*

The writing style as a whole was very simple and easy to comprehend. There was a lot of dialogue, short sentences, large fonts, etc. It is one of the reasons this book is such a quick read. My main issue is that I don’t know where I stand with this. In some moments, I really appreciated how the author broke down these complex issues that the book covers to make it more comprehensive for the reader. YET, it was sometimes annoying to read a YA book that felt like it was at an elementary school reading level. The dialogue was occasionally hard to understand due to the fact that I couldn’t tell who was talking since there were so many short sentences on one page, and it was overwhelming.

“I don’t always have to understand the people I love.“

Cons/negatives: 

*Stylistic choices*

I wish we had gotten to see some of the book through Dante’s eyes, as there was a heavy focus on Ari. Since Dante’s name is also in the title, I thought he would get a little…more. Just a few more moments where we can see him, a few more scenes where he gets to open up about all his feelings completely. I wanted to see his thoughts for, at least, a while. 

This was already sort of mentioned in a separate point I made, but I also feel like there were quite a few moments the parents had to spell out Ari and Dante’s feelings for them. I wish, for at least a couple of those moments, that Ari and Dante figured it out on their own and had that moment of realization, as opposed to having someone else tell them. Not everything is handed to you on a golden platter. Sometimes, you need to figure things out yourself.

“Sometimes, you do things and you do them not because you’re thinking but because you’re feeling. Because you’re feeling too much. And you can’t always control the things you do when you’re feeling too much.”

Conclusion: 

Pros – Quick read, plot, themes/issues that the book faces, characters, character development and relationships. 

In between – Ending, writing style

Cons – Stylistic choices

Overall – 4 out of 5

“Scars. A sign that you had been hurt. A sign that you had healed.”