The Beauty of the Moment

by Tanaz Bhathena

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 mum 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. Malcolm doesn’t know what he wants - until he meets her.

Love is messy and families are messier, but in spite of their burdens, Susan and Malcolm fall for each other. The ways they drift apart and come back together are testaments to family, culture, and being true to who you are.

• ISBN10: 0374308446
• ISBN13: 9780374308445
• Publish Date: 1 March 2019 (first published 26 February 2019)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 10 September 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Farrar, Straus & Giroux Inc
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

[bookishzelda]

I really enjoyed The Beauty of the Moment, it’s a sweet story about relationships and family. Also how culture and religion play into who we are and how we act.

I thought the culture part of the story was so interesting. I realized how little I know about Indian culture and I loved every second of learning about it through the story. I also looked up more about Parsi and Desi. I really thought the tidbits about what it’s like in Saudi Arabia and even Canada. I want to read more books like this. Just even the characters misunderstanding about each other and there is one part where Susan explains her name. I just thought everything was presented in a way that for someone like me who doesn’t know these things could understand.

The family element is so strong in the story. I loved that, I loved that it really shows different types of family dynamics. I might have not been happy that Susan’s parents were deciding her future. I could also see though that they just want her to have a successful life. Especially her mother that gave up things in order to marry and have children. I think that is something that is completely relatable. My mom did the same and she was happy with her choice but she was also insistent about me going to college (I was the first in my family to go to college, I have 3 older brothers). I can tell you my dad wasn’t necessarily happy that I went to a Liberal Arts College for my Journalism degree. Ha ha. So I loved how the book showed that yes we are all made up of different cultures and things but the heart of a family is important to everyone.

I loved the characters!!! Especially Malcolm. He is a such a cool and sweet boy. He’s someone who has had trouble in the past, especially after dealing with his mom’s death but the way he picks himself back up. I love that he stands his ground on things he is trying to improve about himself. He’s just so open and honest it’s hard not to like him.

I also really like Susan. She is shy and reserved at times but can really take care of herself. She’s smart and works hard but also loves her art. I loved seeing her really come out of her shell.

I really loved the story. There are so many things about it that mesh so well together. I love that when the conflict comes up in the romance, there isn’t a magical easy fix. The characters have to really work on themselves to find a way back from it. I thought the book had some really great storytelling!!

I really enjoyed the book and definitely recommend it for you contemporary read list.

[layawaydragon]

I received this book for free from Fantastic Flying Book Club in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.The Beauty of the Moment is Tanaz Bhathena's sophomore novel starring a sarcastic troubled boy and a too good girl. Perfect for fans of To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han and When Dimple Met Rishi, releasing this Tuesday the 26th. Find all the info and links below for purchase, my review and a tour wide giveaway.

About the Beauty of the moment:

 

IMHO: The Beauty of the Moment

The Beauty of the Moment reminds me of To All the Boys I Loved Before, but with only one boy, one little sister, one book, and immigrant parent complications. There's still the great sibling relationship, the trouble with driving,  the compelling relationship between opposites, and the mean girl ex-girlfriend that gets to mature with her own arc.

I really love having it switch between Susan and Malcolm's POV. I wasn't sold on Peter K until the very last book of TATBILB and even then, reluctantly. Malcolm getting to tell his story made it super easy to understand and believe him during the rocky relationship portion.

Susan and Malcolm come from unhappy homes with wildly different set ups.  The contrast and balance between the two situations is fantastic. They may each console and vent to each other, but all the progress is made individually.

I do wish we saw more of Susan's mom's changes first hand as well as finding out what happened to Malcolm's crew.

I also loved:

• anger management boxing lesson


• the concert


• girl trio


• boy trio that doesn't suck


• The last scene + sentence

 

Top 5 Non-Spoilery Quotes:

This is the part of her love story that Amma never tells our relatives: the bit where her Happy Ever After turns into a Lifetime of Drudgery.

 

My knuckles strain against my skin. Let the old man try. This time Mahtab isn't here to stop me.

 

"Oh yeah, bunking. That's what the Brits call it. Or brown people colonized by Brits."

 

"I don't know what happened between you and that boy, Susan. but love isn't easy." She stares at the closed bathroom door. "You just need to decide if it's worth the trouble."

 

Love should not be one-sided.

Giveaway:

Prize:Win a finished copy of THE BEAUTY OF THE MOMENT by Tanaz Bhathena (US Only)
Start Date:19th February 2019 Ending Date: 5th March 2019
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

This review was originally posted on The Layaway Dragon

[Sam@WLABB]

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 some issues, which were keeping them from moving forward.

Susan had been the perfect daughter back in Saudi Arabia. She got top marks, and would never dream of running around with boys or lying to her parents. Then, she found herself in a new country with an absent father and a mother who was growing more and more distant. She was struggling to adjust to this new learning and teaching style, hiding her collegiate dreams from her parents, and engaging in a secret relationship with Malcolm. Her parents' arguing and impending divorce was the straw that broke the camel's back, and forced Susan to evaluate her dreams and needs. It was a really meaningful journey with took with her, as she learned to assert herself more, learned to appreciate the grey areas, and also come to terms with the fact, that nothing was guaranteed.

And then, there was Malcolm. He was still dealing (poorly) with his mother's death, as well as his father's past abuse and infidelities. Though, he was no longer as self-destructive as he had been in the past. he still bore the reputation he earned. By being with Susan, he started seeing things through a much more mature lens. He started believing the praise and recognition he was receiving, and started working harder to achieve at the level people thought he could achieve. I really loved watching Malcolm grow, chapter by chapter. I don't know, maybe it's because he was an underdog, or maybe it's because I am all about second chances, but his story really warmed my heart.

For me, this book was really about growing up, and the way maturing changes us and the way we navigate relationships. It was about making mistakes and owning up to them, but obviously, I also adored all the way love was integrated into the story. Bhathena showed the upside and downside of love. She showed how it can be really messy, but still really beautiful. I definitely appreciated the way Malcolm and Susan's romance played out, because I thought it was very realistic.

And, wow! What a fabulous ending. I absolutely loved what Bhathena did there. I knew she wouldn't make it easy for me, but she left me super happy in the end.

Overall: A fantastic look at love, growing up, and taking chances to achieve one's dreams.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS