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menomica's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-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? It's complicated
4.0
“Your place was empty before. But this is your family. You belong here.”
Aaaahhh.
I love the Bahrami family. Everyone is so sweet and loving and supportive. I love Darious. I thought this would be a romance novel but it’s really just the story of a boy navigating his identity and his depression. He’s so sweet and creative, and such a good brother 🥺.
I love the Bahrami family. Everyone is so sweet and loving and supportive. I love Darious. I thought this would be a romance novel but it’s really just the story of a boy navigating his identity and his depression. He’s so sweet and creative, and such a good brother 🥺.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying and Body shaming
Minor: Fatphobia, Xenophobia, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent
booksbutmakeitgay's review
challenging
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Xenophobia, Bullying, Death of parent, Mental illness, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Police brutality, and Religious bigotry
aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
I absolutely loved this. I related so hard to both being a mixed person with an immigrant mom who has gone back to the motherland a few times and also as a person with mental illness. That feeling of being too other in the U.S. and then being too other/not enough in the motherland is a difficult feeling to deal with. And family/friends making fun of you in what they consider normal per their culture while in yours it is rude/hurtful/a sensitive topic because you are hyper self conscious of certain things. Darius trying to navigate his relationship with his family in Iran IRL was also something I have done when I go back to the motherland.
When I tell you I bawled, it was full ugly crying. This is quite emotional and so wonderful. This is a book I def needed when I was younger but still resonates so strongly with me now as an adult. I connected so strongly with Darius throughout the whole book. Many of his thoughts and feelings I have experienced/do experience even now.
Informative in so many aspects about Iran and Iranian culture as well. I definitely want to go to Iran to see everything and eat everything!
I'm glad we didn't get told about Babou's illness progression past Darius leaving Iran because I don't think I could handle even more crying. Definitely look at content warnings because along with mental illness, there is some brief discussion on Babou's illness, and some discussion of Iran's political climate.
There is just so much in this book for me that made it 10000% worth my time.
When I tell you I bawled, it was full ugly crying. This is quite emotional and so wonderful. This is a book I def needed when I was younger but still resonates so strongly with me now as an adult. I connected so strongly with Darius throughout the whole book. Many of his thoughts and feelings I have experienced/do experience even now.
Informative in so many aspects about Iran and Iranian culture as well. I definitely want to go to Iran to see everything and eat everything!
I'm glad we didn't get told about Babou's illness progression past Darius leaving Iran because I don't think I could handle even more crying. Definitely look at content warnings because along with mental illness, there is some brief discussion on Babou's illness, and some discussion of Iran's political climate.
There is just so much in this book for me that made it 10000% worth my time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Racism, Mental illness, Bullying, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Dementia, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Police brutality
skyllarduncan's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Xenophobia, and Mental illness
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
imstephtacular's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Dementia, Bullying, Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, and Body shaming
Minor: Alcohol, Xenophobia, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Islamophobia, Grief, Death, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Classism
jamieschecter'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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Bullying
Moderate: Cancer, Fatphobia, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Terminal illness, Racism, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Body shaming, and Death
Minor: Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Cursing, and Forced institutionalization
ok7a's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Grief, Racial slurs, and Xenophobia
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
n_asyikin_'s review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
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
5.0
A moving coming-of-age story that depicted one's attempt at finding their place in a world that didn't seem welcoming. Darius the Great is Not Okay also showed what it was like to live with a chronic mental illness while facing the stigma associated with it.
Both raw & gentle, Darius' story tugged at my heart-string. What stood out for me was the insight into how depression influenced one's life, and how that in turn, shaped everyone's interactions with you. Khorram wrote it in a way that felt like Darius was only expressing his inner most private thoughts - and that rawness spoke volume. But more than that, Darius stood out through his narration. In his melancholy & quietude was a boy with a strong voice & unique insights. Truly, one of my favourite narrators in recent times.
You'd the joy of knowing a boy with his love for tea & Star Trek, whose gentle heart meant he adored being a caretaker - especially to his much younger sister, who has so much love that you'd wish he realized how much love the world has waiting for him in return.
It was also about finding your own people, be it your flesh & blood or the platonic (or more) kinds. I loved how many scenes reminded me the permanent impact fleeting moments can have. And more importantly, when your emotions gripped you, it can feel like they would be constant when they were, like everything else in life, were just passing by. As Darius might say, life has a way to bend the space-time continuum (A perfect analogy for the themes explored!), and sometimes, we'd struggle under its weights - trying to live through it, and that's okay.
Also, I think it's important to look at how Darius' father responded to his condition as well; a perfect example of good intent gone awry, highlighting the necessity for self-awareness (which may be gained from psychoeducation, providing critical insights experience alone couldn't provide). Coming from a family that have history in various forms of mental illnesses, this was significant to contemplate upon.
Compassionate in its exploration of mental illness (MI), Darius the Great is Not Okay was honest with its depictions. It didn't try to romanticize the difficulties that came with living with MI, didn't try to dramatize anything either. But most importantly, it was hopeful in its message. Such a decadent read!
Both raw & gentle, Darius' story tugged at my heart-string. What stood out for me was the insight into how depression influenced one's life, and how that in turn, shaped everyone's interactions with you. Khorram wrote it in a way that felt like Darius was only expressing his inner most private thoughts - and that rawness spoke volume. But more than that, Darius stood out through his narration. In his melancholy & quietude was a boy with a strong voice & unique insights. Truly, one of my favourite narrators in recent times.
You'd the joy of knowing a boy with his love for tea & Star Trek, whose gentle heart meant he adored being a caretaker - especially to his much younger sister, who has so much love that you'd wish he realized how much love the world has waiting for him in return.
It was also about finding your own people, be it your flesh & blood or the platonic (or more) kinds. I loved how many scenes reminded me the permanent impact fleeting moments can have. And more importantly, when your emotions gripped you, it can feel like they would be constant when they were, like everything else in life, were just passing by. As Darius might say,
Also, I think it's important to look at how Darius' father responded to his condition as well; a perfect example of good intent gone awry, highlighting the necessity for self-awareness (which may be gained from psychoeducation, providing critical insights experience alone couldn't provide). Coming from a family that have history in various forms of mental illnesses, this was significant to contemplate upon.
Compassionate in its exploration of mental illness (MI), Darius the Great is Not Okay was honest with its depictions. It didn't try to romanticize the difficulties that came with living with MI, didn't try to dramatize anything either. But most importantly, it was hopeful in its message. Such a decadent read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Ableism and Racism
Minor: Fatphobia, Suicide, and Xenophobia
taelights'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
4.5
I was surprised how much I loved this book. Darius developed so well throughout the book and I loved seeing his journey and him grow as a character. The book made me laugh at parts and cry at others. Getting to see Darius make his first best friend, become closer to his family, deal with depression, expierence a new place/culture, and see him and his family deal with the impending loss of Darius' grandfather was such a bittersweet and emotiona journey to read about but so enjoyable.
Darius as a character is a bit cringey a times with some of the things he says and thinks but overall I ended up growing to really enjoyed him as a character.
I was a bit disappointed that this is marketed as a gay book but the gayness was so subtle it was nonexistent. Darius never says he's gay in any way and the hints at him being so are so subtle that I probably wouldn't have picked up on them if I hadn't gone into this knowing that Darius liked boys.
It's a beautiful coming of age story with a focus on family and friendship. It's definitely worth the read but if you're going into this looking only for gay content you might leave disappointed. The sequel from the description looks like it's actually explicitly gay though so I'm looking forward to reading that!
Darius as a character is a bit cringey a times with some of the things he says and thinks but overall I ended up growing to really enjoyed him as a character.
I was a bit disappointed that this is marketed as a gay book but the gayness was so subtle it was nonexistent. Darius never says he's gay in any way and the hints at him being so are so subtle that I probably wouldn't have picked up on them if I hadn't gone into this knowing that Darius liked boys.
It's a beautiful coming of age story with a focus on family and friendship. It's definitely worth the read but if you're going into this looking only for gay content you might leave disappointed. The sequel from the description looks like it's actually explicitly gay though so I'm looking forward to reading that!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Xenophobia
ashylibrarian's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
4.75
This is a beautifully written story about friendship, mental health, and self-discovery. I cannot wait to pick up the second and soon-to-be-published third books in the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Grief, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Terminal illness, and Xenophobia
Minor: Death, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence