After the family's return home from Iran, Darius gets a boyfriend, his dream job as an intern in a tea shop, and a spot on the school's soccer team. But that doesn't mean his problems are over.

There were times I felt the intricacies of tea connoisseurship and sports were taking over the story, but I still want to know how various relationships were going to develop further at the end. There wasn't really a cliffhanger, it just left me wanting the story to continue. ( )

Adib Khorram could write anything and I would read it. At this point I am convinced that he can't write a bad book. ( )

In this follow-up to Darius the Great Is Not Okay, we follow Darius - now back home in Portland from the family trip to Iran - as he negotiates his first job (at a tea shop), dealing with racism directed at himself and his little sister, his first experience as a team player (JV soccer), and his first relationship. He worries about his father's depression, which seems to be getting worse again, and his best friend in Iran, who seems to be holding something back.
There's some great stuff in here about teen relationships, both friendships and love interests, and it's always great to read a YA novel that gets those kinds of things right; Khorram writes convincing young characters who interact in believable and realistic ways, and he uses those characters to talk about important issues. Highly recommended, but if you haven't read the first book, I'd start there. ( )

audio (8 hours) teen fiction (sequel continuing to follow Iranian-American dealing with the racism and depression that continues to impact his family and friends, and also navigating his first relationship)

I really like spending time with Darius so was happy to pick up this sequel. The issues he deals with are very real and all the characters are so thoughtfully drawn -- they do feel like family, right down to his "tired old queer" trans-grandmother. ( )

Weak sophomore effort, in my opinion. The first book in the series followed Darius Kellner on a trip to visit his dying grandfather in Iran, where we were introduced to a foreign land and culture. Darius worked through some major personal issues, including his sexuality and depression, and made a lifelong friend, Sohrab. This second book was a typical high school stuff in Portland, Oregon: boy-boy romances, who is a bully, who is a friend. I quickly tired of all the kissing and pining, and was happy when the book ended so I could read something better. Unless you are really into tea and/or the new Star Trek series, skip this. ( )