★★★★★
Gah! Another amazing book. As soon as I finished my exams, I whipped this book off of my shelf because I had been waiting to read it for a while. I knew it was a contemporary and I felt that was the best type to read straight after the weight of exams.
Synopsis:
Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When they meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the two loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special kind of friendship--the kind of friendship that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through their friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves--and about the kind of people they want to be.
I really enjoyed this book. The writing and the fast pace really kept me on my toes. The chapters were small but fluent and it was totally all I could ask for from a book. This review is contains spoilers.
Firstly, the characters. Oh, my precious babies Ari and Dante. There are slightly cliché but I can easily see past that because, at the same time, they are part of a very special storyline. My favourite character was probably Ari because he felt very relatable and there were many times when I felt like I just wanted to wrap him up in my arms and cuddle him - especially when he was in hospital.
The storyline was really, really unique and definitely kept me guessing. I loved the fine details that deeply laced the story together; such as the rain, the swallows and the fact that the 'swimming' wasn't just a make-shift way of letting the boys meet, it was a plan that stayed the whole way through the novel. Also, the family dynamics and the way thats there wasn't a perfect picture created for the family back home. Authors can often forget that a character has family. Especially the unusual aspect of his brother being in prison for murder - which isn't really unusual, but it is for a YA novel.
The story was also really gripping. With the inevitable romantic tension between Ari and Dante, I would constantly live in hope that the next page would reveal a mass of celebrations as they finally resolved the tension. Of course, this doesn't happen until the end, so it kept me reading. I read this very fast (considering I'm rubbish at reading books fast) in 4-5 days because I just couldn't put it down.
My favourite part was definitely the ending with the lets-argue-and-consequently-kiss moment. And just the overall journey of watching them grow up and change thoughts, feelings and maturity.
My favourite quotes include:
- “Too much analysis. What ever happened to reading a book because you liked it?”
- "I bet you could sometimes find all of the mysteries of the universe in someones hand"
- “I don't always have to understand the people I love.”
There's lots more. I will definitely re-read one day and tag as I go along.
There's nothing I could criticise with this novel. In my opinion it was fantastic and I hope to find more stories like this. After all, it's not always about the way a words look on the page, but the way the words makes you feel. It was an emotional rollercoaster with tears and laughs. I look forward to my future re-read.
