Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - Darius the Great Deserves Better

First of all I need a third book so badly. If we do not get book three I will be deeply disappointed. Also I need Darius x Sohrab to be endgame because they are the couple I want and need.

This series is so beautiful. The themes of family and friends are so wonderful and make me so emotional. I loved seeing Darius' relationship with his father strengthen as a result of the events of last book. I loved seeing all the themes explored in this sequel - family, Darius being gay and exploring his feelings for boys, body image, boundaries in romance and with sex, and mental health.

I honestly hated both of the possible love interests in this story and think neither of them should be with Darius. Landon was a selfish asshole who kept trying to guilt trip and pressure darius into sex every other chapter. Darius would keep saying no and that he wanted to take things slow and that he wasn't ready to lose his virginity yet. So it was just really annoying that he kept bringing up sex and trying to pressure Darius in pretty much every interaction they had. Including once

in his grandmothers' car right after a memorial service for Darius' grandfather which was really icky to me.

Then Chip is also a horrible option. Bully to lovers is literally the worst trope ever to me. So, ex-bully and current friend with a crush on Darius was just not it. Especially seeing as Chip is still best friends throughout the book with Darius' other bully who is still actively bullying him and calling him homophobic and racist things. Even if Chip is no longer the one bullying Darius and being prejudice against him it doesn't change the fact that 1) he did it in the past and 2) that he is still best friends with a racist homophobic bully. He never defends Darius despite seeing the way his friend treats this boy he claims to like and he's always making excuses for the bully as well. So in my opinion he didn't actually change and is still just as bad.

And no, him finally defending Darius in literally the last chapter doesn't make up for it especially because it was only after Darius had an argument with him about it.

Anyways please give me book 3 and also make Darius and Sohrab get together in it thanks.

Content Warnings

yvonne_cl's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

gem114's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-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

This novel is like a handbook for healthy masculinity. I loved that about Darius the Great is Not Okay, and I feel like the lessons continued beautifully in Darius the Great Deserves Better.

Darius, back in Portland, is coming into his own. He joined the high school soccer team, came out to his family and team, got an internship at his favorite tea shop, and started dating his first boyfriend. On paper, everything seems great, but we all know life isn't that simple.

Darius and his dad both still struggle with depression, Darius' grandfather in Iran is on his deathbed, dating is complicated, and racism and homophobia are still alive and well, even in liberal Portland.

I know that I'm not alone in hoping we get at least one more Darius the Great novel. Hell, I'd love to follow Darius to college and beyond. His place was empty, and I'm hoping for more stories to continue filling that gap.

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