Author: Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Publication Date: 12 October 2021

Genres: young adult, fiction, lgbt, romance

Trigger Warnings: homophobia/biphobia, f slur, racism, death of a loved one, transmisogynoir, reference to suicide

Likes:

• Social issues addressed (AIDS)
• Gay representation
• Nostalgia from first book
• Mesmerizing language and metaphors

Dislikes:

• Unavoidable repetition
• Characters blend together
• Continuation mistakes
• Author preaching through characters
• Very little Dante content
• Nearly cringeworthy 

Rating:

Overall Summary: I straight up didn’t like this book. Perhaps I went in expecting too much due to the nostalgic memories of the first book, but either way I left feeling let down. If you’re like me and you have really fond, warm, fuzzy feelings about the first book – don’t read this! Savor those! Or, ignore me and read it because there were some really sweet moments between Ari and Dante that satisfied my 15-year-old self’s love for them! 

If you’d like to read more about my gripes with this novel (beware, spoilers), my full analysis can be found here!