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annakh16's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Mental illness
Moderate: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, and Grief
Minor: Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Murder
_fathimanourin1234_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I could connect with Darius in many moments. The feelings, thoughts and his way of thinking, over thinking, everything I could relate to him in many situations. I had criticised him in some situations too.
As a whole this book is my another favourite of all time.
Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
mel_muses's review against another edition
2.5
Maybe part of it was the way it was marketed. First of all, this is not a queer book. From what I've heard, the sequel definitely is, but there is no mention of the main character being LGBTQ+ at any point throughout this novel. People need to stop talking about this book like it's a YA romance because it most certainly isn't, and that might actually be part of why it falls flat.
Not to say a romance is necessary for a YA book to be good. That is completely, certainly not true. However, there was such little self-discovery going on throughout this book that I simply spent most of my time listening to it bored and asking "so what?"
I really liked the inclusion of complex family relationships — especially between Darius and his dad, and Darius with each of his grandparents. I also enjoyed the depictions of culture, food, and tea that were explored. The parts that focused on culture were probably the best parts of this whole book.
However, Darius the Great Is Not Okay was also completely cringe-worthy. Maybe it's just not for me, but all the references to Star Trek and repetition of certain phrases irked me. Darius put so many people in boxes, including his own family, and I absolutely could not stand it. His repeated use of "Steven Kellner" to express his dad's thoughts was incredibly ineffective and just served to add humor to a situation that didn't need it. He also kept referring to people from his school as "soulless minions of orthodoxy" and while, yes, he was bullied and they were horrible people for doing that, this made Darius' conflicts seem inconsequential and hyperbolic.
And the depression rep... it honestly felt like it was just thrown in there to earn some representation points. Not to say the author doesn't have the right and voice to speak on it — of course, he does — but I just didn't connect with it and I felt it only had a minimal impact on the plot of the book. Besides maybe one scene at the end and a few interactions with particular people throughout.
Overall, while I'm glad this book has managed to make such a great impression on so many other reviewers and readers, I couldn't personally recommend this book for its story, writing, or depression representation.
Trigger Warnings: ableism, bullying, death of a parent (side character), depression, fatphobia (challenged), homophobia, family member with cancer, islamophobia, racism (challenged), suicidal ideation recounted
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racism, Islamophobia, and Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer and Suicidal thoughts
agwood32's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Mental illness and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Bullying, Fatphobia, Homophobia, and Islamophobia
Minor: Death of parent and Murder
bladelikesbooks's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Bullying, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Racism, Terminal illness, and Islamophobia
Moderate: Death, Suicide, Medical content, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
Minor: Blood
haley49's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Fatphobia and Mental illness
Moderate: Bullying, Homophobia, Racism, and War
Minor: Sexism and Colonisation
lupitabaeyongo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Bullying, Mental illness, and Xenophobia
Minor: Homophobia
emmazan's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Homophobia, Islamophobia, and Dementia
Minor: Bullying
valereads's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
That is to say it was beautiful and I loved it.
Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Death, Fatphobia, Mental illness, and Grief
Moderate: Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, and Religious bigotry