---
product_id: 956795
title: "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe"
price: "€ 16.12"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.hr/products/956795-aristotle-and-dante-discover-the-secrets-of-the-universe
store_origin: HR
region: Croatia
---

# Now a major motion picture Award-winning, critically acclaimed 350 pages of lyrical prose Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

**Price:** € 16.12
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## Summary

> 🌌 Discover the friendship that changed everything — don’t miss the story everyone’s talking about!

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
- **How much does it cost?** € 16.12 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.hr](https://www.desertcart.hr/products/956795-aristotle-and-dante-discover-the-secrets-of-the-universe)

## Best For

- Customers looking for quality international products

## Why This Product

- Free international shipping included
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## Key Features

- • **Timeless YA Classic:** A Time Best YA Book of All Time (2021) that resonates across generations
- • **Cinematic Experience:** Inspired a major motion picture starring Eva Longoria and rising stars
- • **Deep Emotional Connection:** Explores identity, family, and friendship with raw, honest storytelling
- • **Relatable Complex Characters:** Follow Aristotle and Dante’s layered journey of self-discovery and belonging
- • **Perfect Gift for Thoughtful Readers:** A meaningful present that sparks conversations on identity and acceptance

## Overview

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is a critically acclaimed YA novel celebrated for its poetic writing and profound exploration of identity, family, and friendship. With over 350 pages of heartfelt storytelling, it follows two teens whose unlikely bond transforms their lives. This award-winning book inspired a major motion picture and holds top ranks in LGBTQ+ and teen fiction categories, making it a must-read for anyone seeking a moving, authentic narrative.

## Description

Now a major motion picture starring Max Pelayo, Reese Gonzales, and Eva Longoria! A Time Best YA Book of All Time (2021) The award-winning, internationally renowned book that is a “tender, honest exploration of identity” ( Publishers Weekly ) and distills lyrical truths about family and friendship through the unlikely connection between two teens. 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 the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.

Review: A Beautiful Book - You know art that is so beautiful it almost physically hurts? Like what I might imagine it would be like to be able to gaze on an original Van Gogh painting or to witness an astounding moment in history? That type of pain that stems from beauty? Yeah, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe made me feel that type of pain in droves. This book. THIS book. I cannot express how much love I have come to have for 350 pages. I knew around page 40 that this was going to be a 5 star read unless something made the whole story drastically turn south, but instead, each page only reaffirmed that this was a very good, very rare book. Those medal stickers on the dust jacket are there for a reason, one I think this book FULLY earned. The writing in this book is astoundingly beautiful. My favorite writers are the ones who can say something so profound in a simple way that lets it ring true for a reader in a way that lets the words stand on their own, without too much flourish. The writing is enchanting, and walks a fine line sometimes. I think in less skilled hands some of the things that Saenz writes could have come off as foolish or trying to hard, but since the narration is from Aristotle’s point of view, it works perfectly. Aristotle and Dante are the kind of characters who make your heart ache a little. Ari(Aristotle’s nickname throughout the book), has a lot of pent-up anger stemming from his questions about his brother. I got the feeling that Ari never felt quite sure of himself, always on thin ground and wanting to figure out the rest of his life before he had really lived to be wise enough for that. Dante, on the other hand, comes across as so self-assured as first, and as the book continues the layers to each character just deepen and they discover more about themselves and each other. Along with Aristotle and Dante come their families. And I have to say, I don’t know if I’ve ever read a portrayal of families I like more than in this book. There are no absence parents, but no perfect parents either. What IS present is really believable family dynamics. This is Aristotle’s story, and Dante’s story, but it’s also their families story too. Aristotle doesn’t understand his Dad, and while this was a sub-plot, I really enjoyed getting to know Ari more THROUGH his relationship with his father. Perhaps the reason this book works so well, the writing, the characters, the plot, is because it engages readers so easily. It’s the type of book you want to savor a bit, to really interact with it while you’re reading. As I was going along, my Dad(who was in the room while I was reading), even remarked that my emotions were on my face. I laughed, I (almost) cried, and sometimes I even shook my head. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is one of those books that become like an old friend–comfortable, but beautiful. Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book(minor spoilers): “Words were different when they lived inside of you.” “I wanted to tell them that I’d never had a friend, not ever, not a real one. Until Dante. I wanted to tell them that I never knew that people like Dante existed in the world, people who looked at the stars, and knew the mysteries of water, and knew enough to know that birds belonged to the heavens and weren’t meant to be shot down from their graceful flights by mean and stupid boys. I wanted to tell them that he had changed my life and that I would never be the same, not ever. And that somehow it felt like it was Dante who had saved my life and not the other way around. I wanted to tell them that he was the first human being aside from my mother who had ever made me want to talk about the things that scared me. I wanted to tell them so many things and yet I didn’t have the words. So I just stupidly repeated myself. “Dante’s my friend.” “Even though summers were mostly made of sun and heat, summers for me were about the storms that came and went. And left me feeling alone. Did all boys feel alone? The summer sun was not meant for boys like me. Boys like me belonged to the rain.” Final Impression: I’m pretty sure my gushing review is proof enough, but I LOVED this book. It made me feel emotions in a way not many books do. It’s artistic and simple at the same time, with characters who have all these layers of complexity that just make me like them more. Add in excellent family dynamics and beautiful prose, and I was sold on Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.
Review: It Deserved All The Awards - First person perspective quickly became a non-issue once I got a few chapters into this book. This is probably the best first person story I've read. All the feels. So, so many feels. This story was so profound. I felt like I was Aristotle, or Ari to his friends. He was a lonely, lonely boy, and though I had good friends--great friends growing up, I remember feeling such an aching loneliness at times. I also remember being caught in my own private wars and living inside my head, keeping so many of my thoughts to myself. Ari was a beautiful boy who was confused not only about himself, but about the entirety of his family. His father returned from the Vietnam war a shell of his former self--not that Ari would know that because he was born after his father returned from the war. It was as if whatever haunted his father was inherited by Ari. He grew up being so bothered by the fact that he didn't know his father because he wouldn't let anyone in. He grew up as practically an only child because his siblings were so much older than him. He grew up hating that his brother, who was in prison, was treated as though he didn't exist. He hated that there were so many secrets in his family, yet he didn't want to share any of his secrets either. There was so much anger and confusion roiling around inside of Ari. And it really came through in the writing. I just wanted to hug him, and I remember being him. And then Dante came into his life. Dante was such a polar opposite of Ari, but like a light in the otherwise darkness of Ari's mind. They were a strange pair, Aristotle and Dante, but they fit so perfectly together. Dante taught Ari to swim, and became Ari's first ever real friend, let alone best friend. He immersed Ari int art, and books, and a different family life than he was familiar with. Dante made Ari feel things that he didn't want to. He made Dante want to share his mind, which was something Ari just didn't do. Watching them fall in love... It was amazing and beautifully written. This was like a slice-of-life, but with a plot. I wasn't always certain they were falling in love. The author, in my opinion, keep me wondering. I figured Dante out pretty easily, but Ari, as Dante called him, was "inscrutable". Just when I thought maybe he returned Dante's feelings I was like, oh maybe not. Even when Dante was beaten badly enough to be hospitalized, and Ari found out one of the boys who had done it, he went ballistic and returned the favor to the little punk. Maybe I'm just clueless, but I certainly would destroy anyone who hurt my bestie, and I would definitely have pushed her out of the way of a moving vehicle. That's what besties do, or at least I thought so. Which is why it made sense to me when Ari continually said he hadn't done it on purpose, it had just been a reflex. Protecting people you love-no matter the manner of love--is a reflex. You don't think about it, you just do it. I honestly believed for the longest time, that Ari loved Dante as a friend. Their experimental kiss threw me off because the author tried very hard to make the romantic feelings seem one-sided...or as I said, I'm just clueless. I'm not doing very well on this review. This book has got me shooketh. It was just a beautiful story, and I loved every page of it! It was sad and funny and exciting and heartbreaking. Dude, this book made me cry. Not full-on ugly cry, but I got misty and that's a good as tears when it comes to me. This book also triggered me a bit. But it was a me-thing. I was reminded, every time Ari thought about his father, of how much I miss mine. And like with many other books on my shelves, I can't believe it took me so long to read this.

## Features

- Easy to read text
- It can be a gift option
- This product will be an excellent pick for you

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #9,637 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #3 in Children's Books on LGBTQ+ Families #16 in Censorship & Politics #27 in Teen & Young Adult Friendship Fiction |
| Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 15,749 Reviews |

## Images

![Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91sGa37Qw+L.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Beautiful Book
*by S***Y on April 25, 2014*

You know art that is so beautiful it almost physically hurts? Like what I might imagine it would be like to be able to gaze on an original Van Gogh painting or to witness an astounding moment in history? That type of pain that stems from beauty? Yeah, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe made me feel that type of pain in droves. This book. THIS book. I cannot express how much love I have come to have for 350 pages. I knew around page 40 that this was going to be a 5 star read unless something made the whole story drastically turn south, but instead, each page only reaffirmed that this was a very good, very rare book. Those medal stickers on the dust jacket are there for a reason, one I think this book FULLY earned. The writing in this book is astoundingly beautiful. My favorite writers are the ones who can say something so profound in a simple way that lets it ring true for a reader in a way that lets the words stand on their own, without too much flourish. The writing is enchanting, and walks a fine line sometimes. I think in less skilled hands some of the things that Saenz writes could have come off as foolish or trying to hard, but since the narration is from Aristotle’s point of view, it works perfectly. Aristotle and Dante are the kind of characters who make your heart ache a little. Ari(Aristotle’s nickname throughout the book), has a lot of pent-up anger stemming from his questions about his brother. I got the feeling that Ari never felt quite sure of himself, always on thin ground and wanting to figure out the rest of his life before he had really lived to be wise enough for that. Dante, on the other hand, comes across as so self-assured as first, and as the book continues the layers to each character just deepen and they discover more about themselves and each other. Along with Aristotle and Dante come their families. And I have to say, I don’t know if I’ve ever read a portrayal of families I like more than in this book. There are no absence parents, but no perfect parents either. What IS present is really believable family dynamics. This is Aristotle’s story, and Dante’s story, but it’s also their families story too. Aristotle doesn’t understand his Dad, and while this was a sub-plot, I really enjoyed getting to know Ari more THROUGH his relationship with his father. Perhaps the reason this book works so well, the writing, the characters, the plot, is because it engages readers so easily. It’s the type of book you want to savor a bit, to really interact with it while you’re reading. As I was going along, my Dad(who was in the room while I was reading), even remarked that my emotions were on my face. I laughed, I (almost) cried, and sometimes I even shook my head. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is one of those books that become like an old friend–comfortable, but beautiful. Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book(minor spoilers): “Words were different when they lived inside of you.” “I wanted to tell them that I’d never had a friend, not ever, not a real one. Until Dante. I wanted to tell them that I never knew that people like Dante existed in the world, people who looked at the stars, and knew the mysteries of water, and knew enough to know that birds belonged to the heavens and weren’t meant to be shot down from their graceful flights by mean and stupid boys. I wanted to tell them that he had changed my life and that I would never be the same, not ever. And that somehow it felt like it was Dante who had saved my life and not the other way around. I wanted to tell them that he was the first human being aside from my mother who had ever made me want to talk about the things that scared me. I wanted to tell them so many things and yet I didn’t have the words. So I just stupidly repeated myself. “Dante’s my friend.” “Even though summers were mostly made of sun and heat, summers for me were about the storms that came and went. And left me feeling alone. Did all boys feel alone? The summer sun was not meant for boys like me. Boys like me belonged to the rain.” Final Impression: I’m pretty sure my gushing review is proof enough, but I LOVED this book. It made me feel emotions in a way not many books do. It’s artistic and simple at the same time, with characters who have all these layers of complexity that just make me like them more. Add in excellent family dynamics and beautiful prose, and I was sold on Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ It Deserved All The Awards
*by V***O on June 5, 2019*

First person perspective quickly became a non-issue once I got a few chapters into this book. This is probably the best first person story I've read. All the feels. So, so many feels. This story was so profound. I felt like I was Aristotle, or Ari to his friends. He was a lonely, lonely boy, and though I had good friends--great friends growing up, I remember feeling such an aching loneliness at times. I also remember being caught in my own private wars and living inside my head, keeping so many of my thoughts to myself. Ari was a beautiful boy who was confused not only about himself, but about the entirety of his family. His father returned from the Vietnam war a shell of his former self--not that Ari would know that because he was born after his father returned from the war. It was as if whatever haunted his father was inherited by Ari. He grew up being so bothered by the fact that he didn't know his father because he wouldn't let anyone in. He grew up as practically an only child because his siblings were so much older than him. He grew up hating that his brother, who was in prison, was treated as though he didn't exist. He hated that there were so many secrets in his family, yet he didn't want to share any of his secrets either. There was so much anger and confusion roiling around inside of Ari. And it really came through in the writing. I just wanted to hug him, and I remember being him. And then Dante came into his life. Dante was such a polar opposite of Ari, but like a light in the otherwise darkness of Ari's mind. They were a strange pair, Aristotle and Dante, but they fit so perfectly together. Dante taught Ari to swim, and became Ari's first ever real friend, let alone best friend. He immersed Ari int art, and books, and a different family life than he was familiar with. Dante made Ari feel things that he didn't want to. He made Dante want to share his mind, which was something Ari just didn't do. Watching them fall in love... It was amazing and beautifully written. This was like a slice-of-life, but with a plot. I wasn't always certain they were falling in love. The author, in my opinion, keep me wondering. I figured Dante out pretty easily, but Ari, as Dante called him, was "inscrutable". Just when I thought maybe he returned Dante's feelings I was like, oh maybe not. Even when Dante was beaten badly enough to be hospitalized, and Ari found out one of the boys who had done it, he went ballistic and returned the favor to the little punk. Maybe I'm just clueless, but I certainly would destroy anyone who hurt my bestie, and I would definitely have pushed her out of the way of a moving vehicle. That's what besties do, or at least I thought so. Which is why it made sense to me when Ari continually said he hadn't done it on purpose, it had just been a reflex. Protecting people you love-no matter the manner of love--is a reflex. You don't think about it, you just do it. I honestly believed for the longest time, that Ari loved Dante as a friend. Their experimental kiss threw me off because the author tried very hard to make the romantic feelings seem one-sided...or as I said, I'm just clueless. I'm not doing very well on this review. This book has got me shooketh. It was just a beautiful story, and I loved every page of it! It was sad and funny and exciting and heartbreaking. Dude, this book made me cry. Not full-on ugly cry, but I got misty and that's a good as tears when it comes to me. This book also triggered me a bit. But it was a me-thing. I was reminded, every time Ari thought about his father, of how much I miss mine. And like with many other books on my shelves, I can't believe it took me so long to read this.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ As poignant and poetic as a desert rain (spoiler review)
*by P***R on May 29, 2018*

I'm thinking long and hard about whether to give this book a 4 or a 5. It's not easy, because I am utterly in love with the book, but it isn't perfect. Let me rephrase that: it didn't give me what I needed towards the end. First of all, the likes. The prose, my god, the prose. Mr. Sáenz's words flowed through me like honey. I've always been a sucker for excellent voices on the page, and his prose has such character. It's like reading words from behind a haze of heat, like a hot day in El Paso. You could almost hear the shimmering of the voices through the heat. And the core characters were solid and a joy to accompany. The pace was pretty good, didn't really feel like it lagged at any point in the story. Many things to love about it. The dislikes were few but they were there all the same, hence the 4-star rating. As mentioned, that ending felt rushed and, dare I say it, unsatisfying. Only because I would have loved nothing more than to see the realized love between Ari and Dante unfold under the skillful writing of Mr. Sáenz. I feel deprived of it almost. Also, while the core characters were strong, the background characters were a bit uninspired. Particularly, I feel like Ari's/his family's dysfunctional relationship with the brother Bernardo wasn't that developed, so I didn't really care how it was resolved, or even if it was resolved. I'm not as mad about him killing a trans prostitute as much as the other reviewers, but my issue was I wasn't really given much incentive to care. So I didn't. For me, the whole brother dysfunction could have been omitted and nothing would change. But all-in-all, I loved this story. Mr. Sáenz writes like a dream, and makes me see how pedestrian my own writing is in comparison. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in gay YA and coming of age novels. However, if you have a sweet tooth like I do for romance, maybe temper your expectations a little. It really is a loss that we don't get to experience what happens after the confession through Mr. Sáenz sensuous, rich, writing.

## Frequently Bought Together

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*Last updated: 2026-07-05*