"I bet you could sometimes find all the mysteries of the universe in someone's hand." 
 I'm just going to get this out of the way: wow. 
 This novel is about two young, Mexican boys, obviously with the names of Aristotle and Dante. They're both dealing with several issues within themselves, their friendship, and family. Our main protagonist, Aristotle (who goes by Ari), is a lonesome, bored, and angry teeanger wanting a friend to become close with. At home, he has a distant father who was formerly a war veteran. His mother is a pretty average mom at home and their relationship is much better than the one he has with his dad. Not only that, but he does have two sisters that are much older than him. So that being, he doesn't live with them and feels like the odd sibling out. He has an older brother, but it's almost as if he doesn't exist. His older brother is in prison, for that reason, Ari wishes he could find out more. Throughout the novel, he's constantly wondering about his brother and why no one else ever does. Dante lives with his perfect parents, his dad being a literature professor. (Forgive me, I forget what his career his mom did for a living.) Dante and his father share relative characteristics. Dante is a smart and strange young boy. Ari and Dante meet one day at the pool, where Dante soon offers to help Ari with his swimming. Ari finally finds the close friend he's been looking for. 
 Character thoughts: I even said while reading this on here, that I really found Ari to be a relatable character. Although, I'm not as angry as he can be at times. But, he does have a personality similar to mine. I think it's important to be able to be able to understand the mind of the character you're reading, so I knew I'd give this book at least 3+ stars for just that. 
 Dante, on the other hand, was sort of strange to me. I didn't really feel like I understood him at first. He did come off as smart and strange, as I said before. He loves to read and draw, which is pretty artistic. When he drew the chair in Ari's room, I cry. He's truly a caring character, if you didn't know throughout reading. He really did care about everything such as birds and especially, Ari. 
 As you may know, this book is under multiple LGBT+ lists and just that fueled me. I had to read it. The entire first half of the book, I was so lost! I was like, "Wait, are they just friends? He just said they're only friends. Ari, what are you doing? You totally love the boy, you saved his life!" 
 It was kind of frustrating to me to see Ari be like that, but obviously he was confused himself about his sexuality and it makes sense. But, going into this book expecting a really cute, LGBT+ romance, I was kind of disappointed at the beginning. REMEMBER: I still gave this book 5 stars. 
 Near the middle of book where Ari practically saved his life tore me into pieces. I hated that Ari wouldn't take recognition of it. He was angry at Dante for awhile and they made the promise to never speak of it again. How can you never speak of it again if you broke the boys two legs? AH. Frustration. 
 The main part of the book that I want to talk about is the letters between Ari and Dante. Ari not writing back and Dante writing more than several letters, why? That's when I really started to doubt them together. But, I had seen the fan art and the fanfiction so I knew I couldn't let go of this novel. A few of Dante's letters actually hurt my heart. I'd give examples, but I already returned it to the book to the library. I'm sure you get what i'm saying if you've read it, the emotional turmoil is too real. Especially when Dante started talking about smoking pot and kissing girls. *clenches fists* why. But, it's okay. Dante and Ari really change throughout the book and together, it is really beautiful. 
 One of the biggest turns in the book that made me extremely happy and want to give it 5 stars is the growth with his father and learning more about his brother. Ari deserved to hear about his brother after having so many feelings inside about him. He was constantly curious and to finally understand while bonding with both his parents was simply bittersweet. I'm beyond happy that his dad became more open with him and could talk to him like a normal father should. 
 Overall, i'm incredibly glad picked up this book because I haven't found one that compares to the way this author shows self discovery within his characters, friends, and their families. I'm usually never okay with sequels to a contemporary novel when it's amazing as a stand alone, but I became to invested into Ari and Dante that I can't wait for the sequel. 
 As everyone else has already said, everyone should read this book.