Reviews with content warning for Bullying - Darius the Great Deserves Better

I preferred the first book with Darius exploring Iran and his Iranian heritage. This sequel lagged for me with a lot of tea and tea tasting.

Read for Whateverathon 2022 for host fave (first book in the series), continue a series, and borrow a book.

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yoursupremereads's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

The follow up to Darius The Great Is Not Okay is a great sequel. Khorram has continued to flesh out Darius's trademark nerd/weeb tea loving charm through this new installment. But has given him a new boyfriend and a potential future love interest in the form of an old childhood bully. This story explores not only residual trauma from bullies, but from the passersby who stood around and let the bullying happen. This story also did a good job of investigating personal growth and understanding one's boundaries when entering a new relationship. And how sometimes your first "love" might not even be that, and that's okay. Khorram also fills Darius's world with characters that are multi-faceted just like him, making his new crush for a previous bully all the more interesting. Also, fully appreciate Khorram giving Darius queer grandmothers, while adding to that one of them being a transwoman. Chef's kiss.

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ok7a's review against another edition

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emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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imstephtacular's review

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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tinytrashqueen's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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lizreadsbooks's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

I tore through this sequel. It was delightful to be back with Darius and to watch him explore his identity back in the United States as a gay Iranian-American teen. At times, it feels like the book has taken on a bit too much to address fully (queerness, mental health, family dynamics, bullying, racism, refugees), but I still found myself rooting for Darius and his friends and family. If the ending wraps up a little too quickly and tidily, it’s forgivable. Khorram’s writing is relatable and compelling, and I look forward to reading more from him.

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anxiousnachos's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

Trust Adib Khorram to write a book that makes me look like a fool - I was literally talking to someone just yesterday about how I felt like I had completely outgrown YA contemporary as a genre and then BAM, I decide to finally pick up the Darius sequel and of course it is amazing. There’s something about Khorram’s writing style and voice that I find so special and emotive, and the way he so accurately portrays what it’s like to live with depression, even when not in the midst of a depressive episode, is fantastic. Add in one of the best father/son relationships in YA, some soccer gays, and I am completely sold.

Content warnings: depression, bullying, homophobia, Islamophobia, sexual content (including being pressured into sexual activity), terminal illness, death of a grandparent, grief

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thewordsdevourer's review against another edition

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funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

i actually liked this better than the first book! darius the great deserves better is a book i wish i had read when i was younger: it was comforting in its assurance of continually discovering oneself; relatable in its depiction of grief; and affirming in its portrait of living w/ depression but still being ok.

darius's growth and his changing relationships w/ those around him were sth i enjoyed seeing, particularly his family dynamics and his new, supportive friendships. the characters--even the bully loser--were surprisingly multidimensional. this book was also refreshingly--almost effortlessly--diverse, and i rly like how the author tackled racism, microaggressions, homophobia, sexuality, consent, and mental illness w/ tact, somehow managing to interweave them all into the plot w/o ever sounding preachy.

similar to the first book, however, i was often annoyed by the writing, specifically the unncessary single sentences + line breaks and repetition that sounded more dramatic than they needed to be. i also wish the ending was less rushed, and that more time were spent on certain ideas and scenes, exploring them a lil further to fully grasp them. nevertheless, i still enjoyed this book, and it's def one of my top mental illness-related books for sure.

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