I don’t really have strong feelings about this book, but reading it made me feel at peace. It was a nice, quick read, and I liked Ari’s calm narrative perspective. I also found comfort in Ari’s melancholy at times.

Before I get into my review, I want to mention that I got quite sick while reading this book. I had a pretty bad case of the flu and was bedridden for a few days, which might explain why I didn’t enjoy it as much as I probably would have if I had been feeling well. That being said, I really loved the story of Dante and Ari. It explores so many important themes, race, sexuality, family, and friendship, but at its core, it’s also about self-discovery and learning to love both yourself and the people around you. I absolutely adore Dante, Ari, and their families. The only thing I found myself wishing for was a bit more depth. While the book touches on many significant topics, including homophobia, it doesn’t always explore them in great detail. I would have appreciated a deeper dive into those aspects. At the same time, I do value that the book brings them up at all, since it opens the door for important conversations, and in that sense, it does a wonderful job. Overall, I really enjoyed the book. I just wish I hadn’t been sick while reading it. I would still definitely recommend it to everyone.

Dieses Buch hat mich ungefähr eintausendmal gebrochen

This book introduced me to the joy of reading and was with me throughout my pre-teen years. I'm not sure if that's how you'd describe it, but reading it always made me feel safe and hugged.

Ich liebe dieses Buch! Eins meiner Lieblingsbücher. So eine schöne Geschichte.