Wenn auch vielleicht nicht so stark wie der erste Teil, so ist es dennoch schön, Darius noch einmal besuchen zu können. Hier fehlte mir der iranische/persische Flair, da das Buch ganz in Amerika spielt. Dennoch ist es ein wichtiges Werk, das hoffentlich wieder vielen jungen Lesern auf ihrem Lebensweg helfen kann. Noch immer hat Darius zu kämpfen, doch wir merken, wie er langsam wächst und erwachsen wird. Es gibt viele Hürden zu nehmen und oftmals fallen wir hin. Auch Darius muss lernen, wieder aufzustehen. Dass manches im Leben weh tun wird, dass es Narben geben wird, dass wir aber stärker und grösser aus diesen Phasen hervorgehen. Khorram schreibt erneut sehr einfühlsam, feinfühlig. Er weiss, wie sich diese Dinge anfühlen. Wie es uns ergeht, wenn wir nicht weiterkommen. Und wie wir uns hinterher fühlen. Es ist gut, dass unterdessen solche Bücher geschrieben werden. Bücher, die den Lesern sagen, dass sie in Ordnung sind, wie sie sind. Dass es in Ordnung ist, wenn man auch mal schwach ist. Bücher, die einen in den Arm nehmen, wenn es kein anderer tut. Bücher, die Mut machen. Die Wege zeigen. Gut, dass es Darius gibt. Mit ihm zusammen trinken wir erst einmal einen herrlich duftenden Tee, wischen uns die Tränen aus den Augen und machen weiter.

„Yeah. I‘m okay.“ Okay that really got me. I enjoyed learning more about Darius and his family. I must admit nothing will compare to the first book and a sequel after such a good book has always the burden of very high expectations. They didn’t meet all of them for me but I always enjoyed coming back to this book. Darius just has a very special place in my heart. The writing is as amazing as always.

“Being depressed doesn’t mean I’m not happy. It’s like, happy is one color. And depressed is another color. And you can paint happy, and then paint a little depression around the edges.” So so happy because Darius definitely deserved a sequel and this one was just as good as the first book. Deeply human and emotional, about family, friendship, love and tea! The way this book deals with depression is so beautiful, and vulnerable and hopeful. Darius has my heart and I am so down for a third book (pretty please??)

I devoured this book just like its predecessor. I really liked how it showed that your partner can have awful traits but it’s hard to acknowledge them when there are so many good things about this person as well. Relationships aren’t black and white and they can be hell to deal with. But the best ones are worth it. The struggle of being a teenager, of growing up and having to navigate what is good for you and what isn’t was being portrayed quite well in my opinion. Besides, the writing style is really easy to get into, I finished this book within a few hours. I’ll definitely keep an eye on this author in the future.

I am ashamed to say that this was indeed the first book I've read this year. (Not a bad one to start off with though.) I've nearly read this in one sitting, disliking the parts I disliked in the first book and wondering what the heck happened in-between. I feel like I've missed something. Not just story wise, also for the characters, the atmosphere, everything. That was kind of a downer... It felt so different compared to the first book. So much WAS different to the first book. Yes, Darius changed but I feel like I couldn't witness the change ??? Something that happened after the first but before the second book. Still, this was good besides giving me a different feeling than the first one.