Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

I've been meaning to review this one since I've finished it because... reading it, I just had a lot to say while doing so.

The rating was very difficult. The book had some good things about it and bad things about it. For starters, I really did enjoy the fact that this story had not only LGBTQ representation, but also Latino representation--especially in a Young Adult novel. It was refreshing, being hispanic myself, to see it, and how Sáenz represented both families, Ari, and Dante was beautifully done in that respect. And I loved it. Ari, who is narrating the story from a later point in his life, is definitely relatable, some of the things he said and how he was trying to find his identity and fit in this weird world we live in is something that everybody goes through, no matter their orientation or racial background.

One particular storyline that I also like in here is the storyline with his brother. I won't go too much into it, but Sáenz also did a good job with showing how essential that storyline is in the overall plot of the story. With also the conflicts within Ari's family, it just all seemed well put together and flowed.

However, many of the things I like about this novel is in the later part of the book. If it didn't have the first 50 or 54 pages, or rather if those pages were done in a different way, I feel like I would have enjoyed it so much more. The writing to me felt extremely forced, the characters were hard to get to know, and it just didn't feel right. Every chapter sounded like it started the exact same way and it caused a major problem with me. Another problem I had with it was the way Ari's sexuality was brought up? I am not going to touch about how his parents and Dante's parents took to their orientation because their reaction is how every parent's reaction should be (unfortunately that's not always the case). It was more... I didn't see their relationship really develop from being more than a friendship. I feel like Ari's actions in the novel are not as cut and dry as Sáenz makes it, you could love someone and save their lives and defend them without it signifying you love them in a romantic way. I just feel like there should have been more development beyond that in order for Ari and Dante's relationship to be on the board.

I could also see where the comparison to Perks of Being a Wallflower comes from, but the similarities as some reviewers are making them out to be. You could tell that they are two different stories with some of the same elements. They are both coming of age novels with the same themes involved (pretty much), there is bound to be similarities. I could also see the connection with John Greene's novels as well, but Sáenz's novel takes on a more lyrical tone than Greene's.

Overall, it's a good book, that has its good and bad moments. It did not live up to the hype at all, and that was a little disappointing. But it definitely makes me want to read more Sáenz in the future.