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Susan Thomas is the new girl at school—she’s smart, driven, and strives for perfection. Her Indian family has just moved from Saudi Arabia to Canada, and according to her parents, her future will be set once she becomes a doctor or engineer. But Susan has a secret. She wants to be an artist instead.

Malcolm Vakil is the bad boy—he started raising hell at age fifteen, after his mom died of cancer, and has had a reputation ever since. He doesn’t care about connecting with his dad, or getting to know his stepmom. Unlike his other Zoroastrian friends, he doesn’t even know what he wants for his own future. Until he meets Susan. 

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.

Winner of the 2019 Nautilus Gold Award for Young Adult Fiction

Nominated for 2020 OLA White Pine Award

Junior Library Guild Selection

REVIEWS:

“Bhathena masterfully discusses a host of those themes including cultural differences, complex family dynamics and self-discovery. The characters are strong, and their development is realistic and well paced; the tone and flow of dialogue go a long way to creating a lasting connection with the story.” — Chidera Ukairo, The Globe and Mail

“The Beauty of the Moment is a superbly crafted work of young adult fiction, one filled with authentic and multifaceted characters and multicultural perspectives…Highly recommended.” — Chasity Findlay, CM Magazine

“Fans of Nicola Yoon’s The Sun Is Also a Star will enjoy this bicultural romance. A strong purchase for most YA collections, especially where contemporary romance is in demand.” — Cicely Lewis, School Library Journal

“[The teens’] struggles with expectations and traditions born in a faraway land will ring true for any reader with immigrant parents. At the same time, both Susan and Malcolm bear witness to their own parents’ marital failings, in contrast with the stereotype of traditional families.” — Diane Colson, Booklist

“This dramatic romance, told from Susan and Malcolm’s alternating viewpoints, authentically traces the teens’ gradual changes as they come to terms with mistakes they’ve made and who they want to be.” — Publishers Weekly

“Bhathena peels back the layers of her characters in a way that draws readers to them.” — Shanda Deziel, Quill & Quire

“It is the way Tanaz Bhathena tells [the teens’] stories, imbuing them with the distinction of their situations and with the eloquence of voice and thought, that uplifts the plot.” — Helen Kubiw, CanLit for Little Canadians

“The Beauty of the Moment […] truly captures budding romance, weaving together heartache and whimsical scenarios for a heart-wrenching story of love, sacrifice and the struggles of a messy family life.” — Verena Rafael, Bookshelf.ca

“Bhathena has crafted a masterfully complex story filled with flawed characters and a titanium-strength love story. In The Beauty of the Moment, readers will fall in love, experience the heartbreak, and chase burgeoning hope to the end. A brilliant follow up to A Girl Like That.” — Nisha Sharma, author of My So-Called Bollywood Life

“A brave big-hearted book, Tanaz Bhathena’s sophomore stunner is a complex, nuanced, and gracefully layered tale of love and longing, duty and desire, friends and family, fighting for what you believe in— and finding home (sometimes by doing so).” — Tanuja Desai Hidier, author of Born Confused and Bombay Blues

SELECTED MEDIA:

ALSO AVAILABLE IN:

Audio edition: Recorded Books

Canada: Penguin Random House Canada

India: Penguin Random House India