Quick note before the review; I'm not too sure why people have this on their LGBT shelves, but it's not LGBT. I believe the author is LGBT, but there are no apparent LGBT themes.
Also trigger warning for depression and talk of suicide.
I really really loved this book. Darius's mom is Persian, but Darius has lived his whole life in America. He's fat, awkward, takes meds for depression, and loves tea. He doesn't really have friends at school and is constantly being teased by a few of the guys in his grade. Upon the news his grandfather has a brain tumor and won't get better, his parents decide they need to take a trip to Iran to see him. While they're there, Darius befriends Sohrab, and they discover they're a lot like each other, despite them growing up in different countries.
Despite the writing style being the fourth-wall-breaking kind, I really liked it. I connected to Darius more I think, because of the way his depression is narrated. It doesn't come up and down like a lot of authors tend to do, it's always there, lurking between the lines. It reads like depression feels.
I also loved that it takes place in Iran, I love that teenagers are going to get to read this and find a part of themselves within it, as there aren't many teen books with Persian main characters. And that this one mostly takes place in Iran is fantastic. It also touches on the prejudices Darius faces at school, as well as what it feels like to visit somewhere that's supposed to be your home, but feeling like a tourist.
I also loved the way it depicted a healthy male friendship, where they could both show feeling, stand up for each other, and have respect for each other without worrying it would make them less "manly"
The only problem I had was that the writing became a bit repetitive after 200 pages, the voice that came from the style began to fall away because lines were repeating so often.
I can't wait for this book to come out. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for the e-arc.
4.5/5 stars!