Review Detail

MY THOUGHTS
I wasn't really sure what to expect from this book. I decided to pick it up solely based on the large amount of great things I've heard about it. I'm glad to say that this was a great book.

This book is from the point of view of Aristotle, who goes by Ari. He's a bit of a loner and doesn't really have any friends. That is until he meets Dante at the pool one summer. Ari and Dante don't have much in common, but they become the best of friends.

This was a very slow-paced story and that's my only major problem with this book. Although, the pacing makes sense. This book is entirely real. The characters are flawed and their lives, in general, are very realistic. The writing and the narrative is also very real and might bother some people, but I loved how real it was.

This book is a friendship story, a coming of age story, and a love story. I think the first two is most prominent in this book. It's a beautiful story about friendship and growing up. The love story involved is, again, very real. It is slowly added into the mix. It was one that I expected, as I knew that this book featured a gay romance, yet was still shocked by. I knew it would happen, but Ari never even hints at playing on that team. The love story portion does not come until the very end and it made me so happy when it did! I also have to mention how much I loved how the parents were very supportive of their sons. In fact, Ari's parents knew about it before Ari himself did.

This book also has a theme with family as well. Ari's brother is in jail and Ari doesn't even know why because his parents never mention him. There isn't even a single picture of his brother in the house. Throughout the book, Ari continues to question about his brother. There is also a little bit about Ari's dad, who hardly ever talks. In this book, Ari also grows closer to his family.

IN CONCLUSION
This was a really great book. It was beautiful and very realistic. I loved the friendship and the eventual love story! I recommend this book for pretty much anyone, especially if you love contemporary.