Such a pleasure to revisit Darius' world and watch him navigate first love, torn feelings and what it means to be a friend. Returning from their trip to Iran to visit an ailing grandfather, Darius has a new found friend group in the soccer team, a new job at a real tea shop, and his first boyfriend. But, things aren't so easy when your parents are stretched thin for finances, your dad's starting to show signs of his depression flaring up, and a sneaking feeling that someone who used to be a bully may be sending signals. Or, is that all just in Darius' head? If you haven't read the first Darius the Great is Not Okay, you'll still be able to jump into Darius' world and enjoy.

In the sequel to Darius the Great is Not Okay, Khorram continues the complex and nuanced story of Darius and his amazing family, the story of his continued, realistic and complex struggle with mental health and meds, and the search for love of family, friends, and a boyfriend. Khorram deftly covers post-9/11 racism, homophobia, mental health stigmas, and difficult family dynamics in a novel that is a pleasure to read.

I read this book in two days, picking it up in every spare moment I had. There are no easy formulas or neatly packaged conclusions in this book, it's as nuanced and meaningful as everyday lives. A great second installment in Darius's story, I hope there are more.

I read this in one night - Darius remains a relatable and empathetic character in this sequel. His struggles with his identity, his family and with the question of consent. It is an #ownvoices, LGBTQ title, but it has a much bigger reach than that. Darius is so honest about his sexuality and his mental health that his internal monologues are some of the best I have read. Highly recommended for HS student. No matter their orientation.they will be able to relate.

A full blog post will definitely be published this week.

Next I’ll say that I have a slight bias- I was on the Morris committee that selected Darius the Great Is Not Okay as a finalist and then the ultimate winner. So I was equal parts excited and nervous to read it’s follow up. Yet, as you can see- 5 stars. No joke.

What a wonderous walk back into Darius’s world: a teen boy on the soccer team. A boyfriend. An internship that turns into a job selling tea- the things that he loves. He’s trying to advocate for this younger sister who is being bullied at school. He’s sad about his dying grandfather in Iran. He wants to make sure his dad is fine.

Khorram’s skillful writing flows easily. I was entrenched from the start because Darius is so easy to love as a vivid portrait of a teen boy trying to make his way through life but doubts a lot of his moves and feelings. Yet he wants authenticity, from himself and his friends. So Khorram creates conflict and Darius rises to the occasion creating a feel-good story with not so happy moments that teens can learn from: mirror, window, or sliding glass door. He addresses sex straightforwardly as well as discrimination and homophobia.

I love that the answer to anything is to make a cup of tea. I also love that this is always family-forward in all of its iterations. It’s warm and cerebral but fun. An excellent follow up for sure... it’ll be a looong wait until it’s actually in print!

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, like 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 like "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 like 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.