I’ve not cried this much since...well, since Darius the Great is not Okay

I just finished one of my most anticipated books of the year, the sequel to one of my all-time favourite books. And now I can breathe again. I was so scared. Writing a sequel to a beloved, special book is a frightening and difficult task but Adib pulled it off.

This book is set a few months after Darius' family's return from Iran, where they visited Darius' grandparents. Now that school has started again, Darius is part of the soccer team, grew several inches, got a haircut and a boyfriend. His name is Landon and they met at the tea shop that Darius is interning for. Things have changed but they're still the same. Darius has somehow become an ever bigger tea nerd, he's still the loving and protective older brother to Laleh, and he still struggles with depression and self-confidence.

This isn't a plot-driven book, so for the first few chapters I kept wondering what this was all about. And really, it's a coming of age novel. There are so many things on Darius' mind: his boyfriend wants to have sex but Darius isn't sure he's ready yet, his parents are overworked and struggling to keep the family afloat, his sister is having a hard time at school, his schoolmate Chip is really cute but Darius is in a relationship and anyway, Chip's best friend is a dick who keeps calling Darius homophobic slurs. Moreover, Darius grandpa in Iran is dying and Sohrab, Darius' best friend, keeps ignoring his Skype calls. And that's just the start of it.

There were a few things that I found middle irritating, the constant mention of Darius' testicles. I mean, yeah, they were almost busted during soccer training but at one point I had simply heard enough about them. Then again, they're pubescent teenagers who spend a lot of time thinking about their genitals so I guess it's not entirely unrealistic. Also, Darius has his signature expressions "Um" and "Yes. No. I don't know." I read this book in one sitting so I found them somewhat repetitive. And I wanted to see more of Sohrab. He's going through something major and I wanted to hear more about his circumstances (Yes, this is my way of saying I need a Sohrab spin-off novel). As you see, it's just minor stuff though - I'm nitpicking and don't have anything important to criticise.

Here is an (incomplete) list of things that I loved:
- Darius relationship with his father is very warm and loving which is balm for my heart after the hard time they had in the first book
- Darius' soccer teammates have his back and are super supportive when Darius introduces his boyfriend and shows up wearing nail polish. As someone who was bullied in school for being gay before I even knew I was gay, this broke my heart - in a good way. Men-only team sports are filled to the brim with toxic masculinity and thrive on homophobia, and to see Darius thrive in his circle of friends gave me hope.
- Sohrab!! While we don't get to see much of him, he's the most supportive best friend Darius could have.
- Darius' queer grandmas opening up to Darius about their past
- Darius using gender neutral pronouns for people whose gender identity he doesn't know
- Darius explaining that just because some has a queer best friend doesn't mean they can't be homophobic
- Laleh being Laleh
- the mental health representation
- the discussion of homophobia, racism, depression and body issues

I could go on. I also love how Adib Khorram manages to write novels that aren't super sad but still make me cry a baby. I cannot explain what it is that makes me so emotional, it just does. I'm glad this book exists. And now that we've had a sequel, why not make it a trilogy? What will Darius decide on once he's finished high school? What happens with Chip? Will we see Sohrab? Are his grandmothers going to join him at the Pride parade? I need to know.

Thank you to PRH International for the eARC!

Find more of my books on Instagramfavorites queer318 s1 comment Chelsea (chelseadolling reads)1,503 20.2k

Wow I need a hug I loved this book SO MUCH. I have grown so attached to Darius and his entire family and I would love nothing more than to read book, after book, after book following them moving through life together. I wish I had something more profound to say other than just screaming "I REALLY, REALLY LOVE THIS BOOK AND YOU ALL NEED TO PRE-ORDER IT AND READ IT WHEN IT COMES OUT," but this book turned me into the best kind of happy/sad mush and that is all I can currently muster. I honestly think I loved this even more than the first book ( Darius the Great is Not Okay ), and I REALLY loved that book. This series is just great and if you haven't read it yet: YOU ABSOLUTELY NEED TO.

TW: death of a parent/loved one, depression, racism, homophobia, being pressured into sexual acts when you're not ready, coming outfavorites174 s may ?510 2,368

[pointing to Darius] that’s my emotional support soccer gay

—?—

Picking up a few months after the events of Darius the Great is Not Okay, this book follows Darius as he navigates relationships and friendships, with his boyfriend, old and new friends, and his grandmothers. The previous book, set in Iran, tackles Iranian identity, family, and depression, and while those themes are still present in Darius the Great Deserves Better, there are new challenges Darius has to face. Though I didn’t quite love this one as much as the first book, it was still such a solid sequel, written with the same heart that made me love Darius the Great is Not Okay.

I’ve loved these books because of Darius himself—I feel a sense of deep understanding with him and his experiences with sadness and depression. There are tiny things that he mentions doing or thinking throughout the book, and they aren’t given much attention to but I instantly recognized those things with myself too. There were some… weird moments Darius had that made me lose the connection sometimes, but overall, excluding those bits, I was able to relate to him and be comforted by him and his experiences in the first book.

My depression was part of me. Just being gay was. A part, but not the whole.
I enjoyed book one because of its focus on depression, family, friends, and personal growth, and I’m really happy that all of those didn’t take a backseat in this sequel. First of all, there was one scene with Darius’ grandmothers that really touched me and made me tear up. But in general, all the scenes of Darius and his family, especially with his sister, were my favorites. Seeing Darius want to take care of and protect Laleh from the racist microaggressions she faces at school hits so close to home for me as an older sibling to a younger sister as well. I also appreciated how we got to see his dad struggling with a depressive episode, because it was an excellent way to show that healing and recovery is never a linear journey and sometimes we get set back for some time before regaining our ground again.

Along with racism, the book also tackles homophobia and bullying. I thought Khorram made great commentary on the act of being a “bystander” in these situations—Darius is friends with someone who is also friends with Darius’ bully, and it’s clear that there is an issue with this person never calling the bully out and letting him continue to torment Darius.

My main problem was that I didn’t really care for the romance. I found Darius’ boyfriend to be bland and didn’t see much chemistry between them, especially since they had gotten together before the book started. I also couldn’t fully enjoy interactions with another person in the “love triangle” because I was scared it would veer into cheating and/or turn into something unhealthy based on power dynamics. I think I really would have loved this book a lot more without the inclusion of these romance elements.

“You deserve people in your life who make you happy, Darius. No matter what. Just remember that. Okay?”
I adored the ending of this book, though, especially with my fear of how the romance part would be resolved. It was handled artfully, and I loved Khorram’s emphasis on relationships sometimes failing because they simply don’t work, as well as the importance of holding people accountable for their lack of proactiveness. I thought it was a perfect way to wrap things up but still leave some part of Darius’ story open. Overall, Darius the Great Deserves Better was a sequel I felt satisfied with, though I wouldn’t say no to another installment, especially with Sohrab! I fully recommend these books for anyone looking for quiet, exploratory stories that offer comfort that slips in between your ribs without you even realizing.

—?—

:: representation :: biracial (Iranian, white) fat gay MC with depression, Iranian characters, mlm LI, bisexual character, character with depression

:: content warnings :: racism, homophobia, bullying, depression

Thank you to Penguin Teen for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! This did not affect my opinion in any way.

All quotes are taken from an advance copy and may differ in final publication.4-star contemporary my-heart ...more144 s Tucker (TuckerTheReader)908 1,708 Shelved as 'not-released-tbr'

darius the great deserves a better cover

-------------

darius the great deserves a release date

| Goodreads | Blog | Pinterest | LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagramlgbtqia young-adult100 s Cece (ProblemsOfaBookNerd)330 7,072 Want to read

My favorite contemporary of all time is getting a sequel and the announcement made me burst into spontaneous tears. HOW WILL I SURVIVE UNTIL I CAN READ THIS?????anticipated-of-2020 lgbtqia male-protag ...more75 s Larry H2,640 29.6k

4.5 stars, rounded up.

Adib Khorram's new novel, Darius the Great Deserves Better , is a beautiful, heartwarming, and emotional story about family, friends, love, identity, sexuality, mental health, self-esteem...and tea. Lots of tea.

Darius Kellner, the protagonist of Khorram's terrific Darius the Great is Not Okay , returns, and it is so good to have him back. When the novel opens, things are going well for Darius. He has a boyfriend, Landon, an internship at a fancy tea shop, he plays on his school's varsity soccer team, and he's even developing a strong friendship with Chip, one of his teammates, who used to bully him. He also has been keeping in touch with Sohrab, his best friend that he met when his family visited Iran.

But even though he should be happy, things keep causing him to feel unsettled. His dad has to travel a lot for business and he seems to be struggling emotionally, his sister is having trouble at school, he's still getting bullied by his nemesis, Trent, and sometimes he just worries that everything is going to come crashing down.

While Darius s Landon a lot, he isn't sure he's ready to take their relationship to the next step, so he's worried Landon may want to end things. And as much as he loves working at the tea shop, he just doesn't know if he'll ever get the hang of knowing the right things to look for when tasting teas. It's enough to keep his depression at the forefront of his mind.

Darius needs support and love, but his needs come at a time when his family is in the midst of stressful and sad situations, too. With his father out of town, his mother working long hours, and his grandmothers staying with the family (and he's not even sure if they him), Darius keeps reaching out to Sohrab, but even Sohrab isn't available. Suddenly he starts relying a little more on Chip, but he can't quite figure Chip out all the time, which is unsettling, too. It's a lot for one teenager to deal with!

I love the vulnerability that Khorram gives Darius, and I definitely identified with many of the emotions he felt throughout the book. I've been in the place where you should be happy but your anxiety that things might suddenly change, or your worry that people really don't feel the way you think they do about you, overtakes you. When you couple that with familial discord and trying to become comfortable with your sexuality and your first relationship, it's enough to overwhelm anyone, and Khorram shows you both the good and troubled sides of Darius' personality.

I enjoyed Darius the Great Deserves Better so much. It's such a beautifully told, engaging, emotional story, but Darius is so able that you can't help but root for him and those around him. There's so much to think about in this book, and Khorram never gets too heavy-handed or creates too much unnecessary drama. While as in real life, so much angst could be avoided if people would just communicate with one another, I think Darius' occasional inertia was true to his character.

Khorram said he wrote a sequel because he felt as if Darius had more to say. I think he still does, and I hope that a third book is out there somewhere on the horizon. But regardless, I'd read whatever he writes.

Check out my list of the best books I read in 2019 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2019.html.

Check out my list of the best books of the decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.

See all of my at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.

Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.61 s Reading_ Tamishly4,935 3,041

Every character showed their vulnerable sides and I am just a single person with a single heart absorbing all their sadness, happiness and loneliness.
.
.
.

The book came out years ago (I feel). I was highly anticipating to read and love it. But then it came out and I grabbed it on its publication day. I realised I wasn't ready to read it. Yes, what the actual heck.

Then I tried reading it twice in between. Each time I realised I still wasn't ready for it.

But then today out of nowhere (after not 'feeling it right' going through more than 59 books for 'what to read next') I came to realise its time for this book.

And how perfect it is for it broke my heart the entire time I was reading it.

I just want to say this if you are planning to read this series. Be aware that this book is really heartbreaking at times and demands all your patience and attention.

It talks about terminal illness and grief; racial slurs, homophobia, mental health and gender identity. Yes, a lot of bullying as well.

I want to say there's a lot more but you actually have to feel them as you read the book.

It's so worth the wait. The book chose me and I sobbed the entire day reading it taking breaks in between to bawl my eyes out.

I cherish this book series so much. Author, you are so good at this. Keep it up. I want more of Darius and his family.62 s Lauren Lanz770 273

After learning tons about Perisan culture in Darius the Great is Not Okay, I was overjoyed to read a second novel following Darius and his family!

~?~ What is this book about? ~?~

Upon returning from their visit to Iran, Darius is forced to adjust back to life in America. He misses his best friend Sohrab, as well as his mother’s family that they had to leave behind.
Now Darius is a part of the Varsity soccer team at school, he’s getting along great with his dad, and he has a boyfriend. Just when things begin to seem normal again, Darius is put to the test. He’s not sure he enjoys his job, his grandmothers that don’t seem to him are staying with Darius’ family, and he begins questioning everything when a teammate catches his eye despite him being in what he thought was a happy relationship.

~?~

Having loved book one immensely, I had high expectations and a good feeling I’d enjoy this one, too. Thankfully I was right; Adib Khorram delivered what was a powerful novel surrounding family, friendship and love along with the struggles of teenage life.

The family dynamic was one of my favourite things about this book. It made me so incredibly happy to see Darius and his father make an effort to bond after their tense relationship in the past. Darius doing everything to comfort his little sister was also really heartwarming.

The exploration of Darius’ romantic relationship was done especially well. His constant questioning and self exploration was very refreshing to read about, especially considering a lot of YA books don’t spend as much time on these things. The way Darius and his father's depression was handled was also really great!

I couldn’t have asked for more from this sequel! I’m so happy to have read it, and can’t wait for those who enjoyed the first book to get their hands on this one!5-stars almost-favourites i-own45 s Lance644 218

"Ghorbanat beram is one of those perfect Farsi phrases you can't quite translate into English.

The closest thing is: I would give my life for yours.

Sometimes it was just hyperbole.

But for Sohrab, it was literal."

"And it didn't feel Sohrab either, who felt the kind of person I could count on for anything. Who knew me inside and out. Who accepted all my flaws and still made me wish I could be better."

"How do you explain the fear that someone you love might stop loving you all of a sudden?"

“You deserve people in your life who make you happy, Darius. No matter what. Just remember that. Okay?”

5 stars. Darius the Great Deserves Better is the much-needed, absolutely almost-perfect finale to what is now one of my favorite YA duologies of all time. If you notice, the color palatte for this book's cover matches that of Darius the Great is Not Okay but inverted: I think that is incredibly indicative of the contents of this book. While the cover of the novel seems to suggest that the "love triangle" is the focus point of this novel, that is far from the case. Instead just the previous book in this duology, this is a character study novel that feels far more slice-of-life than driven by any sort of external plot. But un the previous book, this novel is about Darius maturing and discovering new facets of himself in a space he knows well.

This novel's progression and general elements are ultimately tied to Darius' character arc. Whether it'd be prose, the pacing, and especially the themes, Darius' personality permeates each and every aspect of this novel. Khorram's prose remains reflective of Darius' character voice: lots of short, staccato phrases and sentences that are indicative of how Darius himself processes the world. It's interesting. The writing itself is very sparse, with lots of line breaks and empty space on the novel's pages; But it is in that emptiness (coupled with the metaphors used) that Darius' character voice becomes richer and more developed. Whether it'd be the way he views events occurring or his thoughts on certain people or subjects, the way the writing is formatted and done allows the reader to immerse themselves in Darius' head. This novel, and its predecessor, is one of the finest examples I can think of in regards to development of character voice.

This book also contains discussion of so many important topics deftly woven into Darius' everyday life. There are conversations ranging from homophobia, bullying, racism, to mental health and more. What I love about this book is that it shows how these various issues impact Darius, as well as his family's, everyday lives without it coming across as shoehorned. This book shows how seemingly vague, intangible concepts such as having a queer friend not being an excuse for blatant homophobia or the way young kids of color are forced to confront racism at such early ages can severely impact someone's everyday life. It is apparent that the discourse had in this book around these subjects come from a genuine place and it was amazing to see that, particularly for a story about a young gay man of color.

Here's the thing: Darius is one of the handful of protagonists that I truly see myself in. He's a gay, chubby boy trying to navigate first love and what he wants for himself in life with a best friend in an entirely different country. It's impossible for me to untangle my personal experience from him as character and thus, the book itself. Watching Darius go through his growing pains as well as voice so many of the thoughts that I have had at one point or another was incredibly comforting. So many of his thoughts about wishing his best friend was closer, about not liking the way his body looked, and especially about his fears about coming out felt Adib Khorram had reached into my head and put my thoughts on page. It's a wonderful thing to find a character who you identify with so much; so thank you, Adib Khorram for writing Darius.

Some spoilery thoughts: I d how Khorram handled Darius' experience with first love and the loss of it. Rather than demonize Landon (Darius' ex-boyfriend), the narrative makes sure to point out that Darius and Landon want different things. The way this novel ends with Darius saying "I'm okay." BE STILL MY HEART. Darius not knowing what romantic love feels and being unsure about it. The scene at Laleh's school and the anger Darius felt at the racism and bullying his younger sister already had to deal with. Lastly, the potential for the Chip and Darius romance and the way Khorram ensured that they dealt with Chip being a complicit bystander in Trent's bullying of Darius. It was refreshing and even though a part of me wants more, it makes sense for the ending to be the way it is.

Conclusively, one of the best contemporary YA series I've ever had the joy of reading. Sometimes you read books that find their way into your heart without you even expecting them to; Darius the Great Deserves Better and the previous book are two of them. Thank you to Adib Khorram for writing two books that made me feel just a little bit more okay far after I turned the last page.2020-faves all-time-favorites contemporary ...more45 s Meags2,277 568

4.5 Stars

Darius the Great Deserves Better continues the coming-of-age story of Darius Kellner, a gay Iranian-American high-schooler, who loves drinking tea, plays on his school’s soccer team, and works tirelessly to manage his anxiety and depression so he can live a happy and healthy life.

In this sequel, Darius, now out to his family and friends, experiences his first-ever relationship with a boy named Landon. Every kiss and touch are both exciting and terrifying for the always shy and body conscious Darius, but he s Landon a lot, even though he doesn’t quite feel ready for all the physical steps in their relationship that Landon seems so keen to take.

New relationship aside, Darius spends a lot of his time helping out his financially struggling parents, who are working themselves to the bone after depleting a lot of their savings on their families recent—but worthwhile and vital—visit to Iran. Darius, being the ever sweet and helpful son, takes on an extracurricular job at his favourite tea shop (owned by Landon’s father) to help out, even stepping into a parental role to offer advice and support to his younger sister when she begins to experience bullying at school.

In his own school life, Darius is making new friends and thriving on the soccer team, thanks to the confidence boost given to him by his Iranian best-friend Sohrab, who he deeply bonded with on his trip to Iran last spring. Unfortunately, Darius still finds himself the target of Trent, his long-time bully, who throws verbal taunts and insults Darius’s way every time they cross paths, making school not quite the fun or comfortable place he wishes it was.

To make things more complicated, Darius finds himself developing some unexpected and confusing feelings for his teammate and closest new friend, Chip, who just happens to be Trent’s (the bully’s) best-friend. Chip is wonderful and kind, and he seemingly really s Darius, making Darius always feel safe and cared for whenever they're together. But besides the whole 'already having a boyfriend' thing, Darius just can’t comprehend why Chip is friends with a bully Trent and doesn't know what to make of their new connection because of it.

This is very much a coming-of-age story, with lots of emotional turmoil to work through and plenty of personal growth to experience. I absolutely adore Darius. He’s this teddy bear of a character who I wanted to fight for and protect. His every hurt made me ache and his every triumph and personal victory made me smile. He’s genuine and an ongoing work in progress, just wanting to fit in and be loved. Although half my age, I could relate to this kid on a deep level, and I think most people would.

As a sequel, I would not recommend this as a standalone—but I would urge fans of the LGBT YA genre to give both books a go, because Darius is a character whose (ongoing) story is well worth the read. When I read book one (Darius the Great Is Not Okay) I never really expected a sequel, to be honest, but now I have it I couldn’t be more pleased. For me, this second book surpassed it's predecessor in terms of emotional engagement and enjoyment. And this time around, I want nothing more than to hear there will be another book, hopefully making this a trilogy because I NEED to see what happens next with Darius and Chip!borrowbox cover-lust cute-kids ...more38 s Helia30 31 Want to read

DARIUS THE GREAT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST BOOKS I'VE GENUINELY SEEN MYSELF IN AND IT'S GETTING A SEQUEL I'M CRYING

To know that an Iranian writer can write a book about an Iranian kid and his experience living between two cultures, and that the book was popular enough to warrant a sequel? It means everything to me.

I'd been invisible prior to reading that book and I didn't even know it. I can't wait to see Darius again.

29/12/2019 Edit: We have a cover!! Thank you for all the s <3 if you want to read my own voices review for book 1 you can find it here31 s Zitong Ren512 178

Darius the Great Deserves Better is the sequel to Darius the Great is Not Okay and I thought it was really good. It is set sometime after the first novel, where there have been some significant developments off page. Despite this novel being a YA contemporary, they are a number of hard-hitting themes that are present in this book. It heavily deals with racism, internalised homophobia and internalised fatphobia, as well as accepting yourself and learning to do things that you actually enjoy. So, it made total sense to me that this novel was titled as it was, because Darius deserved a lot of better things than he had at the start of this novel, some of which he obtained by the end, he got out of some tricky no longer satisfying positions and found his way among new friends.

While a lot of this novel can feel and read in a manner that is quite sad, considering that both Darius and his father are going through depression, and financial issues as well as constant targeted bullying, it is also a story of self-growth and self-discovery. In that way, it was quite sweet and lovely to see the changes and development and to follow Darius towards a sense of self fulfilment and to a potentially better life. There are a lot of sad moments - I didn’t find them to be as hard hitting or striking as they were in book 1, but they were still really well constructed scenes, and I could see what those moments meant for the characters.

I did really the characters in this novel, I thought they were well crafted and well realised individuals with tons of personality. I saw with Darius’ grandmas, they seemed cold and plain, but as we travel through the course of this book, the author did manage to show a different side to them, and that was great. Darius, the protagonist was well written, and I felt that we really got to know him as a person through his inner monologue and the way he interacted with others. I can’t help but support him as a character as he is dealing with so much in this book and as a reader, I wanted him to succeed. I feel somewhat mixed about Landon as a character, as he did seem a decent person in most respects, but then there were just a couple things that made me didn’t him as much.

I really love Laleh though. So full of energy and life, and just as a side note, how is a nine-year-old reading Dune and The Fifth Season, wow that is some big brain energy. Anyhow, it was irritating reading about how as a half Iranian girl, she was reduced to nothing more than a ‘terrorist’ and being called similar slurs. The unfortunate thing is that these things do occur, naturally lots of white people are unaware of it, or even turn a blind eye, but I thought this book handled issues racism quite well.

Now there were some things that didn’t work for me one hundred percent for me in this. There was the sort of almost there love triangle that, just from reading the blurb on my copy made it really obvious how it was going to go. It was almost a significant part of this novel so I don’t see what the author could have done otherwise. , I wasn’t the biggest fan of Landon, even though he was nice most of the time and I did think that Chip and Darius had greater chemistry, but anyway, that wasn’t really for me. On another note, I did find a fair bit of it to be predictable. There were some moments that I didn’t foresee for certain, especially with what happened with Sohrab, but I was roughly aware of how this was going to go.

In the end I enjoyed this a fair bit, and I was able to get through it really quickly so that was nice. It was a good easy read, I suppose I’ll put it that. 7.5/102021 contains-romance contemporary ...more31 s solanne207 529

Darius deserves the world.

Adib Khorram I am begging you for another sequel2020-reads26 s b. ?363 1,470

third book with darius and sohrab’s adventures plsssssssbooks-i-own read-202126 s booknator138 172

Kann mir bitte einfach jemand sagen, dass es da einen dritten Band gibt??
Autor del comentario:
=================================