This book was so much more than I ever expected it to be. I thought I was reading a teenage love story. But I was also reading a heartbreaking story about family and belonging, life and death, and love and hope. If you need a good cry, this one does the job. The last like, 150 pages the tears just kept coming. So heart wrenching and raw and real.
Ari and Dante have a summer together, and it is amazing and wonderful. Full of adventure and discovery of the world and of themselves and each other. School isn't as easy, but Ari starts to actually make real friends, and it's such a beautiful thing.
The AIDS epidemic is becoming terrifying for everyone as friends and family members begin to pass away from it, and Dante and Ari can't help but wonder if that will be their fate as well. But they still have hope of a brighter future, in the face of so much adversity. In the face of bigotry, racism, and pure, stupid hate, Ari and Dante hold onto the most important thing - love.
One thing I absolutely loved about this book was the support system that Ari and Dante have. That isn't the norm, unfortunately, and it is so, so important for teens, and adults, to have that support system in order to survive and eventually thrive in who they are. No one should be ashamed of who they are, or who they love, and this book is a beautiful reminder of that simple truth.