I put off reading Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe for such a long time and I was sorry that I did. I absolutely loved it. And yet, I didn’t learn. I put off reading Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World. And sorry to sound like a broken record but I am sorry that I did. If anything, I liked it more than its predecessor.

It is the maturity of Waters of the World that made it so enjoyable. It deals with much more mature issues. Social issues, loss, along with carrying on with the development of Aristotle and Dante’s relationship.

I feel like Aristotle and Dante’s relationship can continue on and that Benjamin Alire Saenz really could go further with these characters. I sincerely hope that he does.

Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Saenz is available now.

Did not finish unfortunately. I just didn't get on with this one, it was very teenagery. I'm sure others will enjoy.

I was intrigued to finally get a sequel to Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe and it was just as beautiful. I didn’t quite love it as much but that could be just because I’m older now. It’s definitely a Duology of books I’ll be recommending a lot to younger readers and I think it’s an important book. The author’s writing is some of my favourite in YA and I’d definitely recommend picking up something by him if you haven’t checked it out already.

I didn't fully appreciate when starting this one that would need to have read the first one as they are very interlinked, but an interesting read - very dialogue heavy, this quippy smart book has a lovely dynamic between Ari and Dante then with their wider support network. It is easy to see how this would translate to screen. The 80's setting really pops and will give younger readers the context for the closeted nature of the relationship, but on whole I thought this was engaging and interesting, even if I am not the target audience.

Thank you to Netgalley & Simon and Schuster Children's Books UK for this ARC.

Full disclosure - I waited so long to read the arc that I read the finished printed version.

I was so so happy when Saenz announced that we had a sequel to the first book.
Whilst I i love the first one, after a re-read it reminded me that we really don't see much of happy Ari or Ari & Dante actually together. And we only experience things through Ari's narrow and unreliable lens.

Despite the books being written 10 years apart, Saenz seems to be able to dive immediately back into Ari's head so it genuinely doesn't feel like any time has passed from book 1 to book 2.
(Pun not intended but I'm keeping it!)

In this book we see a much happier Ari who is finally accepting himself and accepting love from his friends, family and Dante.
Although the two still have to navigate rampant homophobia during the AIDS pandemic, racism and the more 'usual' teenage struggles of college and a possible long distance relationship.

This book also seems to delve into different types of relationships, different types of love, and how they're all important in their own ways.

I love the way Saenz write: it just flows so well whilst also being so poignant and beautiful.

This book also confirmed my theory of Ari being demisexual. It doesn't say it anywhere explicitly but istg he is the most demisexual coded character ever.

If you loved the first book then you 100% should read this one. It'll give you the more fleshed out HFN whilst also getting to know the characters more, especially now that Ari's perspectives have been opened up so his perceptions of people are more 3D.

CW: death of a parent, homophobia, grief, deadnaming, transphobia, death, racism, violence

Aristotle and DanteDive into the Waters of the World is the sequel to Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, a first novel of which I have such strong memories of loving so much and devouring in less than a day. When I saw the the sequel was being released, I was desperate to continue Ari and Dante’s story, however Dive into the Waters of the World just fell a little too short for me to enjoy. Its length was overwhelming, and I believe that there was too much going on for me to truly absorb myself into the story - a statement which feels contradictory even as I write it due to Saenz’s flows narrative.

This was such a heartfelt and moving book! It had me engaged throughout because of the beautiful prose which really made me feel a connection with Ari and Dante. A lot of the deep themes resonated with me making this an amazing read.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc!

This was such a curious way to dive back into the waters of Ari and Dante. Seeing them grow, I almost felt like I'd grown with them. The line from the first book, "And I kissed him. And I kissed him. And I kissed him.", lives rent free in my head, and while there weren't any from this second one that grabbed me in the same way, it was still such a thrilling time. How often do we get to revisit our favourite characters? A treat, truly.

Not a sequel that felt necessary, but it’s still easy to be drawn in by the gorgeous writing style! After the slow burn of the first book, it was great to see the tender romance between A and D emerge. There is a strong world of supporting characters and friendships built around these central characters which makes it easy to dive in and get lost in their story.

An absolutely adorable sequel, which gave me all the warm and cutesy vibes the first one did. I enjoyed seeing more of this story, and it made me want to reread the first one.

This book was a brilliant sequel!

I loved how we got to see Aristotle and Dante move on from the events of the first book, in coming to terms with their love and how it affects them. Especially because this book is set in the context of the start of the AIDS epidemic. And we also got to meet some wonderful characters that the two of them interact with and expand the circle that they surround themselves with. Characters who are equally well written and complex, with their own interests and backgrounds.

The story was not so much a story, but rather the exploration of the two characters and how they live their lives. Nevertheless, it was heartbreaking all the same and I absolutely loved how it all went down. And the ending was so happy and sweet, I truly hope that whatever happens to the two of them that they manage to live their lives happily.

The writing however is what really makes this book because it is stunningly written. The love that they have for each other is just so strong that it shines through the page.

It was such a long wait for this sequel. Was it worth it? Absolutely.

I loved that this picked up right after the first book, diving straight back into Ari’s life as he navigates his coming of age. This sequel was every bit as charming, emotional, and joyful as the Secrets of the Universe.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching the dynamic between Ari & Dante as they continued to figure out going from friends to lovers and what that meant for their places in the world. Things are not always easy for them, and I appreciated the wider context to their predicament that the author added with the rising AIDs crisis as a historical backdrop.

Even amidst the chaos, the grief, and the angst of teenage years beset by unexpected tragedy, the book is still full of hope and joy.

The ending was a perfect send off for these characters and I am so grateful we got this second chapter in their love story.

My heart broke for this book but the author’s gift in writing such a compelling story put it all back in one piece. I loved the writing c characters and interaction between all of them, and some many quotes are now part of my all time favourite ones.

Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy

This book gave me so much more than I even thought it would, for the first half I thought that it was just going to be a regular expansion to the first book but it was so much more! I have what was added by the blot twist, the losses, the growth of characters made this book more than I could have wanted. Highly recommend this book if you are missing the characters from the first book!

A stunning sequel that I didnt know I needed. I first read Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets of the Universe many years ago, and starting this sequel was a delightful reminder of why I love these characters so much. Benjamin Alire Saenz knows how to write poignant love that doesn't feel either condescending or snooty. Just pure excellence.

Fantastic sequel to a beautiful story of friendship, first love, and finding out who you are.

I loved Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, it was such a gorgeous, sensitive, heart-felt book, I was completely drawn into Ari's perspective, and found his struggles with himself extremely relatable, even without having gone through the same journey, we all have that point, or several points in our lives, where we try to define who we are to ourselves, and it really moved me.

Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World flows seamlessly from the first book, so you really feel like it is an autobiography, reading someone's inner thoughts as they move from the discovery of first love to what it feels like to live in a world where that love exists. The friendships and family dynamics are beautiful, as each generation comes to know and understand the other, and new generations bring fresh takes on life and love and the universe. The book is slow-paced, considered, thoughtful and thought-provoking. Ari is very introspective, and thinks an awful lot, I know that some readers have found his perspective a bit too over-thought, or melodramatic at times, but since I think I was very much like that as a teen, and still overthink things now, I really got on well with him.

These will definitely be re-reads for me, love Ari, love Dante, love both of these books!

I fell in love with Ari and Dante in book one so picking up the sequel was an absolute must for me. And whilst there were parts of the book that felt unnecessarily long, I’m so glad I got to see how these young men have grown. Ari in particular touched my heart in so many ways. I truly felt for him as he learned how to love and accept love in return. How he came to accept being gay and what that meant for his future. How he came to see his family and friends as people in their own right separate to him and how he loved them.

This book wasn’t always an easy read, full of hearts and flowers, far from it. Amongst the traditional difficulties of teenage life, there is loss, grief, anger and shame. The author incorporated the AIDS pandemic in such a subtle yet powerful way and really portrayed the challenges faced by gay men, in particular, that you can’t help but feel ashamed that the world thought it was okay to treat people like that. To ignore so much suffering and death.

But the story isn’t all sadness and heartbreak, there is so much hope. Ari learns to open himself up to his friends and becomes a better person for it. He learns that sometimes being quiet is good but sometimes you need to speak up for what you believe in.

I really enjoyed this book and it left me feeling a plethora of emotions, some good and some bad, but isn’t that what all good books do - make you feel something?

Thankyou to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me a copy of this book. Unfortunately for me this was a dnf. i thought the first book was ok and expected more from this but i felt like there was no plot and some parts of the book were just unnecessary and it felt repetitive.

This was a very disturbing but good read.

Thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish and could not get enough of.

This is a must read for anyone who enjoys a good thriller!!
Absolutely loved the characters, the plot, the tension -  impossible to put it down.
Certainly recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I would call myself a sceptic of sequels, especially when the first book wasn’t written with the intention of it having a sequel. However, both as a sequel to Discover the Secrets of the Universe and as a standalone story, this really worked. Picking up right where Discover the Secrets of the Universe left off, Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World explores Ari and Dante finding a place for themselves, and their love, within the world they inhabit. Whilst the first book focused much more on their internal struggles this book focuses on their external ones.

You could feel the love that went into this book and you could feel the love emanating from it, it had me in tears in multiple places just due to the amount of emotion it contained. Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World was similar enough to Discover the Secrets of the Universe that they fit well together but different enough that it didn’t feel unnecessary or repetitive.

Whilst at times I did feel as though Ari had opened up emotionally maybe too quickly, we are reading from Ari’s perspective and so as the reader are seeing the full force of his emotional development that to other characters is still closed off. The narrative style of this book did feel a little put-on and self-indulgent at times, it definitely lacks some of the simplicity of Discover the Secrets of the Universe that makes it so beloved. That being said I loved seeing Ari and Dante come into themselves, and Ari’s development and emotional growth was beautiful to witness.

I appreciate the way this book situated itself in queer history and also offered commentary on issues that society still faces today. Dive Into the Waters of the World took Discover the Secrets of the Universe and split it open. I don’t really know how to describe it, the first book felt inclosed, internal, and personal, the second still felt personal but it was also so much more collective and in many ways a lot more emotionally raw.

One thing that I didn't like about this book was the sub-plot with Ari's brother. I didn't feel as though the sensitive topic was handled well, and the purpose and tone of this plot didn't mesh with the rest of the novel. I felt this was an unnecessary addition that utilised a trans woman's trauma in order to move Ari's story forward and as such felt disrespectful.

This is a book about love, grief, finding and fighting for your place in the world, knowing who you are, and not being afraid to let other people see it. I do think that Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe didn't need this sequel, however, I appreciate the differences between the two books and think that Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World wouldn't work as well if it was more similar to Discover the Secrets of the Universe. Overall, this was a strong sequel to Discover the Secrets of the Universe that tackled much broader themes and emotions well.