Darius the Great Deserves Better
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-25 08:51:23
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Adib Khorram
- ISBN：0593108256
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
In this companion to the award-winning
Darius the Great Is Not Okay
， Darius suddenly has it all: a boyfriend， an internship， a spot on the soccer team。 It's everything he's ever wanted--but what if he deserves better？
Darius Kellner is having a bit of a year。 Since his trip to Iran， a lot has changed。 He's getting along with his dad， and his best friend Sohrab is only a Skype call away。 Between his first boyfriend， Landon， varsity soccer practices， and an internship at his favorite tea shop， things are falling into place。
Then， of course， everything changes。 Darius's grandmothers are in town for a long visit， and Darius can't tell whether they even like him。 The internship is not going according to plan， Sohrab isn't answering Darius's calls， and Dad is far away on business。 And Darius is sure he really likes Landon 。 。 。 but he's also been hanging out with Chip Cusumano， former bully and current soccer teammate--and well， maybe he's not so sure about anything after all。
Darius was just starting to feel okay， like he finally knew what it meant to be Darius Kellner。 But maybe okay isn't good enough。 Maybe Darius deserves better。
Darius Kellner is having a bit of a year。 Since his trip to Iran， a lot has changed。 He's getting along with his dad， and his best friend Sohrab is only a Skype call away。 Between his first boyfriend， Landon， varsity soccer practices， and an internship at his favorite tea shop， things are falling into place。
Then， of course， everything changes。 Darius's grandmothers are in town for a long visit， and Darius can't tell whether they even like him。 The internship is not going according to plan， Sohrab isn't answering Darius's calls， and Dad is far away on business。 And Darius is sure he really likes Landon 。 。 。 but he's also been hanging out with Chip Cusumano， former bully and current soccer teammate--and well， maybe he's not so sure about anything after all。
Darius was just starting to feel okay， like he finally knew what it meant to be Darius Kellner。 But maybe okay isn't good enough。 Maybe Darius deserves better。
Reviews
Melissa
，
Literally so good， this book just gave me the biggest comfort hug ever goodbye
Alex Ba
，
Definitely shed a few tears while reading this book
Lizzy
，
I think this is a perfect sequel， and a really really good book。 In the author's notes， Khorram states that he decided to continue Darius' story because he had more to say。 And the messages within "Darius the Great Deserves Better" are absolutely worth telling。 I found it incredibly refreshing to follow a protagonist who struggles with sex， and the pressures that come with it。 What makes it even better is that Darius is gay， and it's rare to see explore a queer character who is facing these very I think this is a perfect sequel， and a really really good book。 In the author's notes， Khorram states that he decided to continue Darius' story because he had more to say。 And the messages within "Darius the Great Deserves Better" are absolutely worth telling。 I found it incredibly refreshing to follow a protagonist who struggles with sex， and the pressures that come with it。 What makes it even better is that Darius is gay， and it's rare to see explore a queer character who is facing these very real and relatable situations。 What makes this book a perfect sequel is that is expands on the themes of the first book， and introduces new themes that perfectly tie in with the old ones。 It is a completely natural continuation and I love it。 The way the relationships between Darius and Landon and Darius and Chip resolved were so appropriate。 Nothing felt forced or contrived， and the tone was consistent。 Each member of Darius' family had their own moments， and their relationships with him were also a fitting expansion from the first book。 "Darius the Great Deserves Better" was a cathartic experience for me。 It's a quiet， thoughtful narrative that conveys its messages very well。 If Khorram decides that Darius has even more to say， I will absolutely listen。 。。。more
Irène
，
Rating & review to come
Ringo The Cat
，
Disappointing sequel。
elena
，
I don’t think I’ve read too many books where I don’t believe have the characters are real， existing figures in the world of the book。 Are we sure Sonrab isn’t in Darius’ head， cause he reminds me of a flat piece of paper and it concerns me how concomer his advice is。 This was almost four hundred pages of build up， and to what？ I guess we’ll never know because 🗣nothing happened🗣
Emi
，
以前読んだ『ダリウスは今日も生きづらい』の続編。続編があると知ってどうしても読みたかったから読めて良かった。前作よりも更に共感する部分が多かった。もっとシリーズで続いてほしいなぁ。
ithzelmabel
，
Well。 What can I say？ I loved this book just as much as the first one。 Just take my heart because I don't need it anymore lol。 Its awesome！ This book is more about him growing up and dealing with his romantic life and his friendships。 Darius has grown up， joined a soccer team， he has a boyfriend， teammates/friends， and he has a great relationship with his dad。 It doesn't go as much detail about his culture as the first book but since I read the first one I still had a little bit of an understand Well。 What can I say？ I loved this book just as much as the first one。 Just take my heart because I don't need it anymore lol。 Its awesome！ This book is more about him growing up and dealing with his romantic life and his friendships。 Darius has grown up， joined a soccer team， he has a boyfriend， teammates/friends， and he has a great relationship with his dad。 It doesn't go as much detail about his culture as the first book but since I read the first one I still had a little bit of an understanding of his culture/traditions of his family。 Darius has finally got an internship at the tea place he wanted and he likes it but it is also overwhelming for him and he is worried he will not love tea anymore。Darius has a boyfriend and likes him a lot but he has to navigate the issue on whether he should have sex with his partner when he is not ready to have that kind of intimacy with him。 In the end， they don't， and I think that is a great message for young people because if they are feeling pressured or they are just not feeling ready for sex then it is okay not to do it。 I think we need that message more and more in books， media， everywhere to normalize it。 Not everyone likes sex， not everyone goes at the same pace， and nobody should have sex just because "it's expected" of them。Darius family is having money problems and his dad is having depressive episodes but they are communicating more and even though its bad is also comforting that they trust each other to talk about it。 Also， Chip might like him in a romantic way and Darius does not know how to deal with that when he only wants to stay friends with him for now。 However， in the past Chip and Trent have bullied Darius and Darius is debating on whether to forgive Chip and keep their friendship or not。 I really liked seeing Darius grow and learn some more about the nuances of social interactions and just him getting better mentally and emotionally。 I hope there is a third book soon because I really want to see if Darius gets together with Chip or not and I want to know if his best friend will see him soon！10/10 would recommend！ 。。。more
Janelle
，
I was so happy to have more Darius， but this book didn’t move me the way the first one did。 I feel like there was a lot lost between the first book and the second book。 The new boyfriend came out of nowhere and I would have liked to see where and how that relationship developed。 The relationship takes away from the other struggles in the book…maybe if we knew what Darius saw in Landon it would be easier？
Jessica Kruse
，
Just like the first one， I never wanted this story to end。 I really hope Adib Khorram feels that Darius has more story to tell; I’d love a third book。 Can’t recommend these books enough。
Amelia
，
brutally honest about the realities of mental health and queerness。 Letting the hard things be hard， without making them beautiful。 At the same time beautiful and hopeful and inspiring。
Naza N
，
This is soooooooo good and wholesome， I have no idea what to say。 😭❤️
G
，
Darius the Great Deserves Better is an open and honest book about what it's like to live with depression and how hard it can be to navigate through high school while being openly out， trying to figure out your identity， and standing up for your culture and heritage。 This second book in the series dealt with a lot of other communities that Darius is connected to other than the Persian communities we see in the first book; we get to see a lot more of how Darius grows and takes in others advice and Darius the Great Deserves Better is an open and honest book about what it's like to live with depression and how hard it can be to navigate through high school while being openly out， trying to figure out your identity， and standing up for your culture and heritage。 This second book in the series dealt with a lot of other communities that Darius is connected to other than the Persian communities we see in the first book; we get to see a lot more of how Darius grows and takes in others advice and shortcomings and how he deals with those situations。 We get to see how Darius learns to have more confidence， develop more bravery， and find out how to navigate all the different relationships he has now in his life。 （view spoiler）[ One thing that I felt was lacking in Darius' growth was his relationship with Sohrab。 Despite talking about how him and Sohrab are best friends and how Darius grows increasingly worried about Sohrab not answering his Skype calls， when they do talk we don't get to hear about how Sohrab is or what he's doing or how he's dealing with his grief--of his father and of Babou。 In the first book we see Sohrab lash out in his grief at Darius and call him selfish/self-centered; in this second book we don't hear him say those words but we can pick up on it based on how Darius describes what he tells Sohrab but doesn't in turn describe what Sohrab tells him。 To pair with that theme of selfishness， we see Landon lash out and call him the same thing but for a different reason。 （hide spoiler）] Again， it was really nice to see the transparency and openness between Darius and his father and how their relationship has changed over the course of the series; it was refreshing to see how humanized the relationship between father and son can be in YA and not just delegating the parents to the sidelines of the narrative until they're important for a plot point or to help move the narrative ahead。 While the father son dynamic is dealt with well， the relationship between Darius and his mom seems to fall a little flat with her always working to support her family and her parents and Darius always away doing something else。 Regardless， all of the familial relationships were dealt with well and with respect， and showed growth as the narrative progressed。We get to see Darius in the first novel as a Sophomore and in this second novel as a Junior。 I hope we get to see Darius again as a Senior or sometime after high school graduation where he navigates his future， identity， and mental health。 。。。more
Sara
，
When I found out about this sequel， my first instinct was concern since the I enjoyed Darius the Great is Not Okay so much。 I am thrilled to report that not only did I love this as much as the first， I may have enjoyed it even more （and yes， I cried）。 I will follow Darius wherever Adib Khorram may lead him。
Aditya Cahaya
，
💯🔥
Andria
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I bloody love Darius。 I don’t know what to tell ya。I was so scared to read this because I absolutely adored the first book and was worried that this wouldn’t live up to my expectations。 Luckily， I was wrong。 This book is strange because it isn’t plot driven， but still hooked me in the whole way through。 I feel like I would have hated a lot of things about it if it wasn’t this book lol。I really love Adib Khorram’s writing。 It just makes me so emotional even when it isn’t an emotional moment。 I di I bloody love Darius。 I don’t know what to tell ya。I was so scared to read this because I absolutely adored the first book and was worried that this wouldn’t live up to my expectations。 Luckily， I was wrong。 This book is strange because it isn’t plot driven， but still hooked me in the whole way through。 I feel like I would have hated a lot of things about it if it wasn’t this book lol。I really love Adib Khorram’s writing。 It just makes me so emotional even when it isn’t an emotional moment。 I didn’t feel like I was reading a book， but that I was reconnecting with a friend who was catching me up on his life。 I loved being in Darius’ head and understanding his motivations。 I love reading about a family who is similar to mine and reading words that I grew up with and food that I know。 Landon is annoying and I’m glad Darius realised he deserved better。 I LOVE that he didn’t end up with Chip， but that they acknowledged their feelings and reconnected as friends before it could blossom into something more。 I love the tea representation in this book。 And， ya know， the representation in general， I guessDarius the great。。 is great 。。。more
Kate
，
Darius has worked his way into my heart。 I think my favorite scenes are the ones with him watching DS9 with his dad; there's something so lovely， so familiar and domestic， about the two of them sharing that experience。 Darius has worked his way into my heart。 I think my favorite scenes are the ones with him watching DS9 with his dad; there's something so lovely， so familiar and domestic， about the two of them sharing that experience。 。。。more
Kellyanne
，
I hope Darius still has more to say。 In fact， I hope he never runs out of things to say。 I would say more， but I don't want to put anything under a spoiler cut。 Just。 I love this series。Adib Khorram has written such amazing characters。 I hope Darius still has more to say。 In fact， I hope he never runs out of things to say。 I would say more， but I don't want to put anything under a spoiler cut。 Just。 I love this series。Adib Khorram has written such amazing characters。 。。。more
Hazel Dharan
，
Dnfed😭
Courtney
，
“Being depressed doesn’t mean I’m not happy。 It’s like， happy is one color。 And depressed is another color。 And you can paint happy， and then paint a little depression around the edges。” I liked the first book a little more but this was still a very solid book。 I really enjoyed this duology！ This book delves into so many amazing topics and Darius is definitely one of my comfort characters。
Ana Luiza Gregorio
，
4。5 ⭐️There really is something special about Darius and Adib Khorram's writing （really， this man could publish his shopping list and I'd eat it up）。 rtc 4。5 ⭐️There really is something special about Darius and Adib Khorram's writing （really， this man could publish his shopping list and I'd eat it up）。 rtc 。。。more
Mer Mont
，
Of course I read this in practically a day。 It was just as beautiful as the first。 I’m serious， these books are so beautiful。 When I go to rate something five stars I ask myself if it deserves the same rating that these books get。
Favour Abimbola
，
I love this book so much
Sarmat Chowdhury
，
The surprising sequel to the bestseller "Darius the Great is Not Okay"， Khorram takes us back to the Kellner family with "Darius the Great Deserves Better" which picks up a few months after the end of the first book， with Darius more confident and finding himself now on the soccer team for his high school as a junior， with a new sense of structure in his life post Iran。 Unlike the first book however， which was more a story on Darius balancing his Persian biracial identity and discovering his Per The surprising sequel to the bestseller "Darius the Great is Not Okay"， Khorram takes us back to the Kellner family with "Darius the Great Deserves Better" which picks up a few months after the end of the first book， with Darius more confident and finding himself now on the soccer team for his high school as a junior， with a new sense of structure in his life post Iran。 Unlike the first book however， which was more a story on Darius balancing his Persian biracial identity and discovering his Persian side that he is seeing for this first time， the follow up focuses more on the issues that Darius faces closer to home - the financial struggles of the family， his sister facing xenophobia from her classmates， his grandparents coming to town and the distance that exists between him and them， the struggles of his parents as they grapple with his dads depression - along with the fact that Darius now has a boyfriend and new job at a tea shop， while also dealing with his changing feelings about his friend Chip。 While Khorram does a great job in making Darius a compelling narrator， and really putting the mental health and depression that Darius grapples with at the center of the narratives， one of the off putting things that I found about the book comes with the fact that the plot is not linear in the sequence of events that it follows。 There is no overarching goal for Darius - more to find some semblance of rhythm for himself。 That being said， this was an amazing read， and one of the times I was happy that the author decided to create a sequel for a standalone novel because of the story that still needed to be told。 I was rooting for Darius the entire time， and his friendship with Sohrab is still one of the pillars of the novel， and for that I am very happy about。 Though a YA novel， "Darius the Great Deserves Better" is a great read for any age， because it has a way of making Darius and his own story one that you can see as a reflection for your story and struggles。 。。。more
sam
，
I need a 3rd book ASAP more sohrab！！！！ I loved this book it was a perfect sequel I loved seeing how Darius grew and developed <3
Nisa Andani
，
Rasanya suka ga fair kalo mau ngereview buku bahasa inggris tapi pake bahasa ibu。 Yha， ampuni jiwa ini yang masih tidak fasih menulis inggris ya， guys。Jadi， hampir mirip sama buku pertamanya Darius （Darius the Great is Not Okay）， di buku kedua ini kita mengikuti perjalanan Darius mencoba menemukan jati diri dia di tengah persoalan keluarga yang juga lagi heboh-hebohnya。 Gimana dia tiba-tiba ngerasa kehilangan minat soal teh， galau mutusin untuk lanjut pacaran sama Landon atau jangan-jangan doi m Rasanya suka ga fair kalo mau ngereview buku bahasa inggris tapi pake bahasa ibu。 Yha， ampuni jiwa ini yang masih tidak fasih menulis inggris ya， guys。Jadi， hampir mirip sama buku pertamanya Darius （Darius the Great is Not Okay）， di buku kedua ini kita mengikuti perjalanan Darius mencoba menemukan jati diri dia di tengah persoalan keluarga yang juga lagi heboh-hebohnya。 Gimana dia tiba-tiba ngerasa kehilangan minat soal teh， galau mutusin untuk lanjut pacaran sama Landon atau jangan-jangan doi malah jatuh cinta sama Chip。。。Ga ngerti lagi， Darius itu anak laki-laki yang baik hati banget。 Selalu nawarin bantuan ke orang tuanya， nolongin adenya yang kena rasisme di sekolahnya。。。 selalu aja ngebantuin orang lain tanpa sadar kalo diri dia sendiri sebenernya butuh bantuan。 Anyway， buku ini ringan dan enak di baca setelah selesai baca buku-buku berat。 Cepat selesai juga karena walaupun halamannya banyak tapi lebih berisi dialog daripada narasi。 。。。more
Peggy
，
A very good book following up on Darius after his trip to Iran。 Tells the story of his queer identity and his family’s history of depression well， but a very abrupt happy ending。
Maryam
，
I LOVE THIS DUOLOGY WITH MY WHOLE HEART
Tsungi
，
“You deserve people in your life who make you happy， Darius。 No matter what。 Just remember that。 Okay？”4。5✩- Synopsis -Darius is forced to reintegrate into American life after their trip to Iran。 He misses his best friend Sohrab and his mother's family， whom they had to leave behind。 Darius is now a member of the Varsity soccer team at school， gets along well with his father， and has a boyfriend。 Darius is put to the test just as things appear to be returning to normal。He's not sure if he ap “You deserve people in your life who make you happy， Darius。 No matter what。 Just remember that。 Okay？”4。5✩- Synopsis -Darius is forced to reintegrate into American life after their trip to Iran。 He misses his best friend Sohrab and his mother's family， whom they had to leave behind。 Darius is now a member of the Varsity soccer team at school， gets along well with his father， and has a boyfriend。 Darius is put to the test just as things appear to be returning to normal。He's not sure if he appreciates his job， his grandmothers don't seem to like him， and he starts to doubt everything when a teammate catches his eye， despite him being in what he believed was a great relationship。- Writing -Growing up is difficult; I'm still working on it and have a lot to learn。 It's difficult to be honest with people， no matter how much you care about them。 It's difficult to admit you've made a mistake。 But， at the end of the day， it is our ability to open our hearts to others that connects us together as family， partners， friends， and community。 I think Adib Khorram did a great job of teaching me all these things all the while teaching a beautiful story。- Characters -Darius is one of my favorite people。 I didn't believe I could love him any more than I did， but I was proven incorrect。 I adore the entire family， and I adored the entire story。 I enjoyed following Darius' development from the first book to the end of this one。 His passion for tea is unrivaled。 I liked seeing Darius make new friendships while also maintaining contact with Sohrab。 His relationship with Laleh， his younger sister and his dad。I thought about leaving out this point but I just have to say it。 I really disliked Landon， every time he and Darius interacted he really irked me。 He was really pushy but I guess he was written that way for a reason。- Final Thoughts -All I wanted to do towards the end of this book was hug Darius， Sohrab， and pretty much every single character。 This was so touching and wonderful that I can't recommend it highly enough。My rating system:5✩ - Well， there went my day。 Couldn't put it down。 I think it destroyed any hope of reading other books。。。4✩ - This book was fantastic！ I really enjoyed it。 It may be missing something， or there is one major issue in it， but overall I would highly recommend it！3✩ - This book was average。 Neither good nor bad。 Certainly not the worst book I've read， but not the best either。2✩ - This book really just wasn't for me。1✩ - Well， I finished it。 How？ I don't know。 Definitely do not recommend it。 。。。more
Libby
，