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The Beauty of the Moment
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Susan is the new girl—she’s sharp and driven, and strives to meet her parents’ expectations of excellence. Malcolm is the bad boy—he started raising hell at age fifteen, after his mom died of cancer, and has had a reputation ever since.
Susan’s parents are on the verge of divorce. Malcolm’s dad is a known adulterer.
Susan hasn’t told anyone, but she wants to be an artist. Ma ...more
Susan’s parents are on the verge of divorce. Malcolm’s dad is a known adulterer.
Susan hasn’t told anyone, but she wants to be an artist. Ma ...more
Hardcover, 354 pages
Published
February 26th 2019
by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
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jojo
She is seventeen and starting her senior year of high school
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30

Start your review of The Beauty of the Moment

I was trying to break out of a reading slump, and so I resorted to my usual strategy—try something outside my usual genres. It always works!
If you’ve read my review of A Girl Like That, you know that contemporary teen romance is not my genre. And, if you’ve read my review of A Girl Like That, you must also know that there’s no way I’d miss a book by Tanaz Bhathena.
There is a lot to like about this book, and again we’re treated to realistic, developed characters that pop out of the page. Sadly, h ...more
If you’ve read my review of A Girl Like That, you know that contemporary teen romance is not my genre. And, if you’ve read my review of A Girl Like That, you must also know that there’s no way I’d miss a book by Tanaz Bhathena.
There is a lot to like about this book, and again we’re treated to realistic, developed characters that pop out of the page. Sadly, h ...more

4.5 stars
This book managed to tick every single box on a romance list that I had no idea I even had. It was sweet and endearing yet spicy and a bit forbidden and wonderfully balanced with real life.
In short, this is one of my favorite romances ever.
I just–the new girl/bad boy trope has so much potential to flop given all the bad tries from the late 2000s, early 2010s. From aggressive to almost abusive love interests to just plain bad to trashy and cliche, there’s a lot of ways to go wrong.
Yet ...more
This book managed to tick every single box on a romance list that I had no idea I even had. It was sweet and endearing yet spicy and a bit forbidden and wonderfully balanced with real life.
In short, this is one of my favorite romances ever.
I just–the new girl/bad boy trope has so much potential to flop given all the bad tries from the late 2000s, early 2010s. From aggressive to almost abusive love interests to just plain bad to trashy and cliche, there’s a lot of ways to go wrong.
Yet ...more

there's nothing objectively //bad// with this book but it really didn't fulfill the 'cute romcom' contemp for me
i feel like i've read this story a million times and aside from the amazingly descriptive portions dedicated to food, it was pretty bland and predictable
also i would have preferred the conflict to revolve around the characters and their family issues rather than the b*tchy ex who is after the mc just because the guy likes her 🙄
1.5 stars ...more
i feel like i've read this story a million times and aside from the amazingly descriptive portions dedicated to food, it was pretty bland and predictable
also i would have preferred the conflict to revolve around the characters and their family issues rather than the b*tchy ex who is after the mc just because the guy likes her 🙄
1.5 stars ...more


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I wanted to read this book because I loved her debut novel, A GIRL LIKE THAT. I didn't care that this book would be completely different in tone (cute instead of soul-destroying) and setting (Canada instead of Saudi Arabia); she had won me over with a brilliant and powerful effort, and I was eager to get my hands on anything else this woman wrote.
Susan is the new girl at her Canadian high school, having just transferred from a fancy aca ...more

This was an utterly interesting and engaging tale. There are so many ways to classify this story. It's an immigrant experience story. It's a love story. It's a story of heartbreak. It's a coming-of-age story. Whichever the case, I thought Bhathena did them all quite well, and I really enjoyed meeting Susan and Malcolm.
Both Malcolm and Susan were well written and multidimensional characters, who I grew to care for. On the surface, they seem so different from each other, but both were dealing with ...more
Both Malcolm and Susan were well written and multidimensional characters, who I grew to care for. On the surface, they seem so different from each other, but both were dealing with ...more

Very sweet and as always, I'm forever in love with Bhathena's writing style.
...more

Ahhhh, my favorite type of young adult story! Smart, fierce female lead with a complex life outside of her romantic life, BUT there's romance too. And such a great cast of characters! The storyline of an Indian teen who moved from Saudi Arabia to Canada for her senior year of high school addresses being an outsider and fitting into a new world, but not so much the "POC vs white" dynamic that is typically written. The community she lands in has a very diverse population, and the discussion of all
...more

I picked up this book on whim while I was at Barnes & Noble. I read the first two lines in the synopsis…
“Susan is the new girl—she’s sharp and driven, and strives to meet her parents’ expectations of excellence. Malcolm is the bad boy—
…and immediately abandoned my magical readathon TBR to read this.
I love a good good girl/bad boy/forbidden love trope and this book delivered in such a mature way. This book follows two characters, Susan and Malcolm. Susan recently moved to Canada and has a lot goi ...more
“Susan is the new girl—she’s sharp and driven, and strives to meet her parents’ expectations of excellence. Malcolm is the bad boy—
…and immediately abandoned my magical readathon TBR to read this.
I love a good good girl/bad boy/forbidden love trope and this book delivered in such a mature way. This book follows two characters, Susan and Malcolm. Susan recently moved to Canada and has a lot goi ...more

5⭐️ for this strong YA novel following an Indian girl, Susan, who moves from Saudi Arabia to Canada where she forms a friendship with certified “bad boy,” Malcolm.
This one surprisingly grew on me! I loved that the main characters form a genuine friendship and that this novel addresses so many themes. Susan is a talented artist whose immigrant parents want her to pursue a “professional” degree, and Malcolm’s issues with his dad are serious issues I haven’t seen tackled by many YA books.
I also enj ...more
This one surprisingly grew on me! I loved that the main characters form a genuine friendship and that this novel addresses so many themes. Susan is a talented artist whose immigrant parents want her to pursue a “professional” degree, and Malcolm’s issues with his dad are serious issues I haven’t seen tackled by many YA books.
I also enj ...more

I enjoyed this book so much! I liked how it was completely adorable and yet dealt with tougher subjects and didn't shy away from the harsh reality. I really liked the romance aspect of this book, it was the perfect amount of cuteness and drama mixed together, which made my reading experience truly enjoyable. completely recommend it! also, I will forever love the way Tanaz Bhathena writes, can't help it (4.25)
...more

Mar 07, 2018
Savannah
marked it as to-read
um yes, please ~ and tanaz promised that nobodies dies so maybe less crying

I absolutely adored this book.
Me.
Someone who rarely reaches for contemporary.
I completely, whole-heartily loved it!
The characters were phenomenal!
Susan! Oh Susan! We are literally carbon-copies of one another other than that we come from different types of brown cultures and family experiences. I have never related to a character so much in a contemporary novel like I did with Susan. Her shyness was so wonderfully depicted, but she most definitely had some fire. Her loyalty was admirable, but th ...more
Me.
Someone who rarely reaches for contemporary.
I completely, whole-heartily loved it!
The characters were phenomenal!
Susan! Oh Susan! We are literally carbon-copies of one another other than that we come from different types of brown cultures and family experiences. I have never related to a character so much in a contemporary novel like I did with Susan. Her shyness was so wonderfully depicted, but she most definitely had some fire. Her loyalty was admirable, but th ...more

4.25 stars
read on my blog
I'd read Tanaz Bhathena's debut, A Girl Like That, and I was so excited for her sophomore novel. It didn't disappoint! The Beauty of the Moment was a beautifully poignant book that speaks to all of us.
While reading this book, I could perfectly picture it as a movie or a tv show. Yes, it's a slice of life book, but honestly, the wa ...more
read on my blog
Nothing lasts forever. Not this snowflake. Not our homes, not our families. But it doesn't mean you can't live in the beauty of the moment.
I'd read Tanaz Bhathena's debut, A Girl Like That, and I was so excited for her sophomore novel. It didn't disappoint! The Beauty of the Moment was a beautifully poignant book that speaks to all of us.
While reading this book, I could perfectly picture it as a movie or a tv show. Yes, it's a slice of life book, but honestly, the wa ...more

MY RATING: 3/5 STARS
I received a copy from Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for a honest review.
The Beauty of the Moment will be the next read that hits the shelves with a fantastic representation of diversity and culture. Heavy with important topics youth can relate to, this book is a fun ride from page one to the last.
The story follows Susan, a new girl, born in a different country and highly distinguishable because of the way she acts, her clothes, and accent. Raised under strict paren ...more
I received a copy from Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for a honest review.
The Beauty of the Moment will be the next read that hits the shelves with a fantastic representation of diversity and culture. Heavy with important topics youth can relate to, this book is a fun ride from page one to the last.
The story follows Susan, a new girl, born in a different country and highly distinguishable because of the way she acts, her clothes, and accent. Raised under strict paren ...more

I will have to say this: Tanaz Bhathena sure knows how to write about young people and their angst, their journey through emotional landmines and keeping readers invested in the world she creates. In ‘The Beauty of the Moment’ we have Susan Thomas and Malcolm Vakil as the main protagonists and narrators from whose point of view, the reader is taken to a world of school grades in the last year of senior high school, bunking, trying to fit in, falling in love, falling grades, jealousy and uncertai
...more

(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
What I loved about The Beauty of the Moment was how it could deliver on so many levels. It touched a nerve in my heart with its romance and comedic elements - I am a sucker for some good banter. But what's more, The Beauty of the Moment delivers two extremely thoughtful main characters who are dealing with issues of identity, family, and fear of getting hurt. There was something so ...more
What I loved about The Beauty of the Moment was how it could deliver on so many levels. It touched a nerve in my heart with its romance and comedic elements - I am a sucker for some good banter. But what's more, The Beauty of the Moment delivers two extremely thoughtful main characters who are dealing with issues of identity, family, and fear of getting hurt. There was something so ...more

Feb 20, 2019
Simant Verma
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
age-young-adult
Full review on: Flipping Through the Pages
The Beauty of the Moment was such an interesting and delightful tale. Initially, I thought this to be a simple YA contemporary romance novel but once I dived into it, it proved to be way more than that. Tanaz Bhathena has handled all the different themes in the story quite well and I fell in love with it.
WONDERFUL MAIN CHARACTERS
This book has a wonderful set of characters. Our main characters are truly likeable and relatable, though they are complex ones ...more
The Beauty of the Moment was such an interesting and delightful tale. Initially, I thought this to be a simple YA contemporary romance novel but once I dived into it, it proved to be way more than that. Tanaz Bhathena has handled all the different themes in the story quite well and I fell in love with it.
WONDERFUL MAIN CHARACTERS
This book has a wonderful set of characters. Our main characters are truly likeable and relatable, though they are complex ones ...more

This is a typical forbidden ya romance.
A girl and boy from different religion fall in love.
(view spoiler)
Malcolm, the hero, is not likable to me. A typical rebel and bad boy.
In the beginning of the book, he was heartbroken due to his breakup from a very ‘Hot’ girl, the typical high school mean girl. Apparently she has moved on with another guy.
Then he meets Susan, the new girl in the school and f ...more
A girl and boy from different religion fall in love.
(view spoiler)
Malcolm, the hero, is not likable to me. A typical rebel and bad boy.
In the beginning of the book, he was heartbroken due to his breakup from a very ‘Hot’ girl, the typical high school mean girl. Apparently she has moved on with another guy.
Then he meets Susan, the new girl in the school and f ...more

characters: 3/5
pacing: 2/4
actual substance of the story: 5/5
romance and/or significant friendships: 4/5
the writing: 3/4
creativity: 0.5/2
- 1 because I found this extremely boring.
16.5/25 | 3.3 STARS
I went to a young adult book festival a month ago where I listened to Bhathena talk about the plot of this book and her inspiration behind writing it. I figured it seemed cute, and I was kind of intrigued. Unfortunately, I didn't connect with it, and here's why.
So we have Susan who just moved from Sau ...more
pacing: 2/4
actual substance of the story: 5/5
romance and/or significant friendships: 4/5
the writing: 3/4
creativity: 0.5/2
- 1 because I found this extremely boring.
16.5/25 | 3.3 STARS
I went to a young adult book festival a month ago where I listened to Bhathena talk about the plot of this book and her inspiration behind writing it. I figured it seemed cute, and I was kind of intrigued. Unfortunately, I didn't connect with it, and here's why.
So we have Susan who just moved from Sau ...more

Review : The Beauty of the Moment by Tanaz Bhathena is exactly the type of fluffy Young adult Rom-Com, delivering an important message we definetly want more of.
Susan, has just moved from Saudi Arabia to Canada with her mother to upstart her education carrer as this new country ptovides her varied opportunities. She has always been a brilliant student back home in Arab, and hopes to continue her streak. Life so far has been an easy ride for her, and while in Canada she expect nothing less.
Malcol ...more
Susan, has just moved from Saudi Arabia to Canada with her mother to upstart her education carrer as this new country ptovides her varied opportunities. She has always been a brilliant student back home in Arab, and hopes to continue her streak. Life so far has been an easy ride for her, and while in Canada she expect nothing less.
Malcol ...more

* Thank you Penguin Teen Canada for the opportunity to be apart of this blog tour, see the full details on my blog *
- actual 4.25/5 stars -
The Beauty of the Moment is a modern novel following Susan, the new girl in town, who just arrived from Saudi Arabia. She dreams to be an artist, but her family has different plans for her. While she is trying to meet exceptionally high academic standards and dealing with her parents her inevitable divorce, she meets Malcolm. He's a bad boy type and has a qui ...more
- actual 4.25/5 stars -
The Beauty of the Moment is a modern novel following Susan, the new girl in town, who just arrived from Saudi Arabia. She dreams to be an artist, but her family has different plans for her. While she is trying to meet exceptionally high academic standards and dealing with her parents her inevitable divorce, she meets Malcolm. He's a bad boy type and has a qui ...more

Like I mentioned in the introduction for this post, the moment I heard about The Beauty of the Moment, I knew that I had to read it. There are so many things that I was excited about (like the author and the location). And once I started reading, there were a few other things that I really liked that I didn’t know about beforehand. As is the case with all books before reading them, I didn’t know if I’d like the characters (no matter how awesome they may sound in the synopsis).
And while it took m ...more
And while it took m ...more

Actual rating: 3.5 stars.
Tanaz Bhathena’s A Girl Like That was my absolute favorite book of last year, so it’s safe to say I had high expectations – which were met, for the most part, with her sophomore novel. This follows the stories of Susan and Malcolm – two Indian-Canadian teenagers trying to live their daily lives and make it through each day as best as they can. When their paths collide, they feel an immediate pull towards each other, and so begins a love story with two characters you can’ ...more
Tanaz Bhathena’s A Girl Like That was my absolute favorite book of last year, so it’s safe to say I had high expectations – which were met, for the most part, with her sophomore novel. This follows the stories of Susan and Malcolm – two Indian-Canadian teenagers trying to live their daily lives and make it through each day as best as they can. When their paths collide, they feel an immediate pull towards each other, and so begins a love story with two characters you can’ ...more

This book was definitely an adorable and refreshing contemporary romance filled with tons of diversity and set in Canada! The fact that it takes place in Canada had me geeking out so much! Anyways, back to the actual book, we follow Susan and Malcolm and their intertwining love story as well as family drama. It takes a lot to fall in love against parents wishes or to be the perfect poster child. Sometimes life becomes too stressed out and as the title says we have to live in “the beauty of the m
...more

This book really reflects the proverb of whatever is meant to be will be and the love of Susan and Malclom really signifies just that. Things happen for a reason and if a couple is meant to be together, they will find a way despite what their families might think and even if they do not make sense on paper as the "perfect couple." What if Jenny Han and the Director of Serendipity decided to collaborate on a novel? The Beauty of the Moment is the direct spawn of the answer to that question.
Thank ...more
Thank ...more

A warm, lovely romance between two Canadian teens, Susan Thomas (a recent immigrant from Saudi Arabia) and Malcolm Vakil (a boy with a bad reputation who is dealing with an abusive father). The book is beautifully diverse and strikingly poignant in how it deals with themes such as serious illness, parents having marital problems, struggling to fit in when feeling like an outsider, and finding the courage to pursue your true dreams. Another wonderful book from a favorite author (don't miss Tanaz
...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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What's the Name o...: SOLVED. YA romance/maybe contemporary. [s] | 5 | 23 | Jun 04, 2021 02:23AM |
Tanaz Bhathena is an award-winning author of young adult fiction. Her books include Of Light and Shadow (forthcoming in 2023), the White Pine Award winning novel, Hunted by the Sky, and The Beauty of the Moment, which won the Nautilus Gold Award for Young Adult Fiction. Her acclaimed debut, A Girl Like That, was named a Best Book of the Year by numerous outlets including The Globe and Mail, Sevent
...more
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