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imstephtacular's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Bullying, Mental illness, Islamophobia, Xenophobia, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Cursing, Pregnancy, Racism, Death, Alcohol, Dementia, Chronic illness, Fatphobia, Homophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
tinytrashqueen's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Mental illness, Homophobia, and Racism
Moderate: Fatphobia, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual content
lizreadsbooks's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying and Homophobia
Minor: Mental illness
davidup_15's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
4.0
NB I haven't read the first book in the series (I just found this on the library shelf and it looked interesting) - I intend to read the first book but honestly I think you can enjoy this one independently.
REVIEW: The characters and their relationships are endearing, complex, intriguing, and deeply real. There are no real 'good guys' and 'bad guys', which I love - everything is nuanced, and sometimes relationships just don't work out even though both participants are good people, which is so reflective of real life. Khorram's exploration of the intersection of Iranian/Persian and queer identity was also really interesting. It didn't grab me and hook me in so I was gobbling every word up the way a lot of other books have, but it was still a fun read that I enjoyed and had absolutely no trouble getting through.
REVIEW: The characters and their relationships are endearing, complex, intriguing, and deeply real. There are no real 'good guys' and 'bad guys', which I love - everything is nuanced, and sometimes relationships just don't work out even though both participants are good people, which is so reflective of real life. Khorram's exploration of the intersection of Iranian/Persian and queer identity was also really interesting. It didn't grab me and hook me in so I was gobbling every word up the way a lot of other books have, but it was still a fun read that I enjoyed and had absolutely no trouble getting through.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Homophobia
anxiousnachos's review against another edition
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
Content warnings: depression, bullying, homophobia, Islamophobia, sexual content (including being pressured into sexual activity), terminal illness, death of a grandparent, grief
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Bullying, Homophobia, and Islamophobia
Moderate: Terminal illness, Grief, and Sexual content
thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Bullying, and Mental illness
Moderate: Grief, Homophobia, Sexual content, Terminal illness, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Death
1quillb's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
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
4.5
This is so much better than the first book. Darius is such a relatable character, as is what he goes through in this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Homophobia, and Bullying
Minor: Transphobia, Body shaming, Death, and Grief
callmeluh's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
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
3.5
I was both excited and scared to read Darius the Great Deserves Better. Excited because I absolutely loved the first book, and scared because to me a sequel wasn't necessary. And unfortunately, I didn't feel the same things I did with Darius the Great Is Not Okay.
I found this book too predictable, I knew from the start how it was going to end (and the synopsis doesn't really help either). I did really appreciate how the conversation on depression was brought here. It's a little different than in the first book, especially as it essentially focuses on Darius' dad, but I think it was just as important.
Although I didn't like this book as much as the first one, I would still recommend it. Also, I hope there will be a third book. Even though I didn't feel like there needed to be a second book, with everything that happened here I feel like there could be a book 3.
I found this book too predictable, I knew from the start how it was going to end (and the synopsis doesn't really help either). I did really appreciate how the conversation on depression was brought here. It's a little different than in the first book, especially as it essentially focuses on Darius' dad, but I think it was just as important.
Although I didn't like this book as much as the first one, I would still recommend it. Also, I hope there will be a third book. Even though I didn't feel like there needed to be a second book, with everything that happened here I feel like there could be a book 3.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Mental illness, and Homophobia
Moderate: Grief and Racism
jacobandthefrogs's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
sad
fast-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
4.75
I truly can’t believe it took me this long to get back around to reading about Darius. I absolutely fell in love with his story in the first book Darius The Great Is Not Okay, and then in this book I rekindled that flame with this cast of characters. In the first book there were obvious correlations between Darius thoughts, feelings, and actions that for me at least correlated with a queer experience. So I was more than delighted to see that this book relievers on that front and gives us an out and proud Darius as our narrator. He has some bumps in the road with his relationship with his boyfriend, Landon, and some outlier feelings and hat he has to deal with returning character, Chip. I’m also glad this book does not shy away from the mental health representation and advocacy that was established in the first book. Depression is a delicate and serious topic that this book handles carefully and gracefully with Darius and his Dad.
There are so many things that I want to say about his book, so much praise, and so much love but I’ll leave this review at that because I don’t want to risk telling every single detail of this book.
(The only reason I have given 4.75 stars is a mainly selfish reason because I wish there was an epilogue or just another chapter to the ending of the book.)
There are so many things that I want to say about his book, so much praise, and so much love but I’ll leave this review at that because I don’t want to risk telling every single detail of this book.
(The only reason I have given 4.75 stars is a mainly selfish reason because I wish there was an epilogue or just another chapter to the ending of the book.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Homophobia, and Mental illness
Moderate: Death
annabeavo's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Mental illness