I feel like I'm committing a sin for not loving this and not giving it 5 stars. I really thought I was going to love this one too...maybe it's me?
Synopsis: Two completely opposite boys, Aristotle and Dante, meet as children and grow into themselves and their changing relationship together as they navigate young adult life.
Plot: This was 100% a character study as there was little to no plot, and that is okay--but for me, it made it a little boring at times. I felt as though this book was trying a little too hard to be something deep and meaningful, making the interactions feel inauthentic. Don't get me wrong, there were absolutely gorgeous quotes that have stuck with me and it's overall a powerful story but sometimes it just felt to be a little too much. The narrative was also told in a choppy fragmented way that wasn't my favorite either. Just felt like it was trying to be poetry, again adding to the trying too hard aspect.
Characters: Despite other things, this had great representation and was a nice coming-of-age story for a young Mexican-American boy figuring out his sexuality and what he wants to do and be like in the world. I always love getting to read new perspectives and this definitely gave that. But, it also felt as though I was reading about the existential life crisis of a 15-year-old. Aristotle was definitely a hard character to like sometimes, and I feel as though that was absolutely on purpose, but it still made him hard to love.
I guess I just didn't feel the magic other readers were talking about. The novel did what it came to do, I'm just so on the fence about this one. Don't think I'll be reading the sequel either.
2.5/5 stars.
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