I want to take Darius and hug him and tell him high school will be over one day and life will improve immensely after that!!

Darius is an Iranian American high school student just trying to fit in. He feels to Iranian amongst his peers, but too white and American in regards to his Iranian heritage and family. I felt so much for Darius! The way he felt left out of his own family, constantly compared himself to his sister, and just wanted to be SEEN was so relatable and understandable. 

This book follows Darius and his family as they travel to Iran, a place Darius should feel ties to, but has never visited. I love following the story of Darius getting to know his grandparents and finding himself. The self-discovery journey that Darius goes on was inspiring. This book is queer, but in a subtle way that I really appreciated. Being queer is not always about love and relationships and such, and the author does a wonderful job of incorporating that into this book. 

Also, the author alludes to Darius being plus size or not thin, and you know I love to see this, especially for a male character! 

The fact Darius is aware of his depression in high school and is medicated for it is amazing. Yay for destigmatizing medication and depression!!