Ari and Dante are very different, while Ari is angry at the world and keeps his feelings locked inside Dante is smart and thoughtful. When the two meet, at first it seems like they have nothing in common. But when they start spending time together they discover more than just a special friendship between them, they find the secrets of the universe.
I give this book three stars (out of five). It’s very well written, emotionally engaging and just good overall. It’s a typical coming of age story except with a slight twist; the main character Aristotle or Ari for short has a brother in prison that no one ever talks about, a dad who came back from the war different and doesn’t talk about it and he’s fighting major inner wars. Dante is almost the exact opposite of Ari apart from them both being Mexican, he’s smart and good with words. He never hides what he’s feeling, he’s uncensored. While Ari hides everything and keeps it inside.
[Spoiler warning, skip the next paragraph to avoid them]
When they meet at the swimming pool one summer day, they almost instantly become friends and over the course of the next year they become more than friends. With Ari overcoming his worst fear, something he never even realized he was afraid of. He hid his feelings from everyone, even himself. But eventually they are able to overcome all the challenges and difficulties and happily come together.
I really liked this book. I think it really captured growing up, feeling new things and figuring out who you are. This book does have some swearing and kind of mature scenes, so you might not want to read if that’s an issue for you. Overall I think this book is amazing and I’m really happy to see LGBTQ+ main characters.