Author: Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Genre: Contemporary; Young Adult
Rating: 8/10
Getting together was the easy part. Now, Ari and Dante must discover what it means to build and maintain that relationship in a world that threatens to tear them apart.
Before I begin the review, I highly recommend the audiobook. Lin Manuel Miranda is an amazing narrator and once I started listening to his voice, there was no going back to physically reading the book.
It is easy to end a book with a happy ending. In the first book, we watched two boys struggle to comprehend their thoughts and feelings about the world and each other, before ultimately coming together in the last chapter.
This book follows the aftermath of that happy conclusion, noting how our characters still have much soul searching left to do, especially in the society they live in. I believe this book allows some to relate and others to empathise with the very real issue of LGBTQ+ rights.
My favourite part of this book is definitely the character development of Ari. I’m sure we have all gone through a lot of changes and have looked back on who we were and hated that person. Even now, we look at who we are and want to change certain things - our relationship with others, our attitude, how we are viewed by others etc.
Hence, I found this part of the story to be very relatable. It was very inspiring to see Ari take those steps to become the person he wanted to be. I enjoyed the realistic portrayal of the setbacks and the discomfort that comes with trying to reinvent oneself.
As for the writing style, I think there are those who will find it deep and beautiful and others who find it simple and cheesy. Personally, I veer towards the cheesy side. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed the interactions and banter but I find myself thinking “Is there a teenager alive who talks like that?” Then again, the eccentric cast of characters is what makes this book stand out.
Just like in the first book, I absolutely adored the family dynamic. It was cute and heartwarming but also portrayed the complexity of familial relationships, especially evolving ones.
After finishing both the first book and its sequel, to me the series is about the myriad of unavoidable things in life and the process of growing up, and in a way they are the secrets of the universe, because only after you have encountered these events (grief, love etc.), will you truly understand what everyone else has been talking about. But in the meantime, they are just words and experiences you know exist.
“Mom, why didn't anybody tell me that love hurt so much?"
"If I had told you, would it have changed anything?”
Reviewed by: N.G. Rainwater (1st reading)
댓글