Reviews

Darius the Great Deserves Better by Adib Khorram

lara16's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing 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

julieannholland's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

misskodiereads's review

5.0

I read the first book a while back and am glad i held off on reading the second for a while because i really feel like i read this at the right time. I really enjoyed that not everything was neatly resolved because that doesn’t happen in real life, and the book wouldn’t have felt as real if it had.

mellowbry's review

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing 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

3.75

Likes 

• Theme: Compared to other books in which the asshole character (Trent in this instance) never changes from their horrible behavior, I liked that this book conveys the message that change could be possible for these kinds of people. This book gets the reader to cheer for Trent by giving glimpses of his true character, demonstrating goodness in him. Hopefully, when Trent realizes how Darius feels, and what Chip said, he'll finally make the effort to become a better person. 
• Young Masculinity: This book is very BLUNT about matters concerning young men -> masturbation, sex, self-esteem issues about character and body, adult responsibility at a young age (jobs, babysitting), platonic and romantic affection, etc. This is all portrayed fantastically and presumably accurately. I'm glad this author wasn't afraid to talk about these things because it allows readers who grew up with Darius from the last book to relate to him again at a different age. 
• Humor: The book is mad funny sometimes. (I don't know what else to include since I love Darius and didn't want this review to be too negative.)

Dislikes/Wished Was Better

• Emotional Tension: My main issue with this book is that the emotional tension is not as strong as in the first book. The tension between Grandma and Oma, Darius's mom, and even Chip and Landon didn't impact me like Darius and his Dad, Babou, and Sohrab in the first book. The first one almost made me cry at its resolutions, while this one didn't make me react at all.  
• Plot: Again, not as strong as the first book. Eventually, I noticed a home, school, practice, and work pattern. While it was never boring, I questioned if a second book was necessary.  
• Love Triangle: Probably the weakest love triangle I've ever read. Landon and Chip are fine on their own but the drama was pretty dumb and it was clear from the beginning who Darius would choose. 

annakh16's review against another edition

emotional 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

Protect. Darius. at. all. costs! The title of this book is spot on. He does deserve better. 

I’m glad this sequel was good. There is a wide range of (often tough) themes handled beautifully - grief, depression, family, first relationships, sexuality etc etc. It is lovely seeing such a complex and nuanced young character. 

I also found the accountability refreshing - it wasn’t all “forgive and forget” (which I feel like happens sometimes in YA), but the characters had all the necessary conversations, which were also written very well. There were some great life lessons in there. 

I would’ve liked to see more of some characters - Sohrab and Steven especially - but I think putting them aside was needed to make space for the new plot lines, so I get it. We still got some sweet moments with both. I also found Darius’ feelings about his relationship with Landon  very relatable personally. 

This series will stay with me, I’ll miss it. The sequel definitely cemented this as a new favourite YA contemporary. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Grief, Body shaming, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Racism

thereadingbunny's review

5.0

I'm obsessed with this duology. That's normal, right?

**Spoilies**

I love that Darius comes out off page, between the two books. I love a good coming out story, don't get me wrong. There also is something so powerful about telling a *different* story about gay people. Like, there's other cool stuff they do and go through. I would stay in Darius-verse forever. Trilogy, Adib??? 🙏🏻 🤩🤩

thepetitepunk's review

5.0

Somehow this was even better than the first book! If you want to know what I like to see in books, this checks every box. Beautifully written, although of course tough, conversations on sexuality, friendship, depression, relationships, boundaries, toxic masculinity, family...everything. So wonderfully done. Would love to see more from this author in the future!

shiqingxuan34's review

2.0

This was honestly just disappointing compared to the first book.
It felt kind of unnecessary and a bit disjointed.
Maybe I don't remember it well enough but the vibe just felt completely different from the first, and there was little impact reading it. I didn't get invested, and the new characters weren't really developed enough for me to care about them.
I wish I enjoyed it more ):

nickscoby's review

4.0

Adib has done it again! This is one of those books where I wanted to stay up all night reading but then get mad at myself for reading it so fast, so I ended up frustrated and happy all at once. This book has so many relatable contemporary themes that manage to come across quite effectively. (Trust me: with less gifted writers, it would feel like box checking) But here: we get to see the complete world that Darius lives in and it is complex and nuanced, including a trans grandparent, adolescent and adult depression, financial strain, boyfriends who want more from you sexually than you are ready for. In other words, Darius lives in the 21st century. And I don't know how the author does it, but somehow I ended up rooting against the Perfect Boyfriend in favor of a flawed character. It is quite a love triangle that does not have a Hollywood ending.

mancthulhu's review against another edition

4.25

really great sequel to a brilliant and sweet story!