I loved this book! We meet Moud, and his father, Saeed, who live in Los Angeles in 2019. Moud is gay and out, with a boyfriend, and his father had moved from Iran to L.A. when he was in his early 20s during the upheaval in the late 1970s. Moud’s mother passed away and he and his father don’t talk much. There is also a historical storyline from the 1930s with a young boy in the golden age of Hollywood named Bobby, whose mother is intent on making him a star, and we’re not quite sure at the beginning how he fits with the current-day story. But he’s also queer, and has to navigate the studio’s policies against “unnatural” activities. I loved how Nazemian wove these stories together.

Moud’s grandfather is in Iran, and is ill, and Moud and his father need to visit to see him before he dies. But how can Moud be out and queer and go to visit a country where being queer is illegal?

Nazemian has made all of the characters, from Moud to his father and his grandfather, and the people they interacted with, unique. Each time and place he described was alive and different.

We need more books like this, telling queer history. We need the stories of queer people set in places where we are not supposed to exist, because we do exist and will always exist. Nazemian has rocketed to the top of my “will always read anything he writes” list.

Bonus: Nazemian created a fat and fabulous character without explicitly describing her body or descending into anti-fat bias, when he has the character say “You think it’s easy being a fat girl in Iran?” He has clearly been educated in how to avoid diet culture and anti-fatness, and I very much appreciate that. (But I should have expected it from the author who created the fabulous, fat character of Judy in Like a Love Story.)

Only this Beautiful Moment follows three young men as they struggle to find who they are not only personally, but also what role they play in society and even their families. Moud is the first one we are introduced to in 2019. He is a young gay man in Los Angeles whose Iranian grandfather is dying, so even though Iran is dangerous for homosexuals he makes the trip with his father. Saeed is a young Iranian man in 1978 who is fighting for a better future but gets a little too caught up in the protests and is forced to leave for America. Bobby is a young American man in 1939 who is destined for Hollywood until embracing his love for his best friend starts him on a path that changes his life forever.

In the beginning I was unsure how to feel about this book. Moud was reserved and his overbearing boyfriend Shane rubbed me the wrong way. But as we learned more about Moud and his life, about the history of Iran and it's treatment of not only gays, but of all its assorted citizens, the story opened up to this beautiful, complicated, bittersweet world. As Saeed's and Bobby's worlds started to tie in the story became more complex, more informative, and overall more touching.

There were some parts of this book that I feel could have been taken deeper. The book was compared to Darius the Great is Not Okay and I feel like if I had not previously read that book then there would be some cultural parts of this book that I may not have fully understood. I also had a hard time embracing Bobby as a character because he was such a Momma's boy, but I do see how it all fit into the story. Overall, I am glad that I read the book.

The story of three generations finding identity and defining family, Only This Beautiful Moment follows Moud, Saeed, and Bobby across the years and between Los Angeles and Tehran. Moud (2019) is a gay Iranian American teenager going to visit his dying grandfather and Tehran for the first time. Saeed (1978) is finding his political voice and the cost of taking a stand in the midst of the Iranian Revolution. Bobby (1939) is the only son of an ambitious stage mother set on getting her son signed with MGM. The three stories within this novel blend to build an understanding of what it means to find yourself through finding family.

While I found some of Nazemian's dialogue a little clunky at times, the love expressed for the characters and for their journeys well outshone any awkwardness in the prose. The focus of this coming age puts the three young men in positions of defining self not for the consumption of others but for the peace of knowing one's own. Understanding who each of them was can only be complete when taken as a single unit, each leading back and forth through time. The book is a celebration of communities coming together and in doing so defining an individual in a way that I found beautiful and fascinating.

Thank you, NetGalley, for giving me an advanced copy of this book!

I enjoyed this book so much, and I loved following the three generations of the same family to see what they went through when they were younger. My heart broke for Baba, and all I wish that I could do is give him a hug. He went through so much when he was younger, having to deal with homophobic people and a mother who forced him into a career that he didn't want. I'm so happy that he was able to get a happy ending, even though most people wouldn't consider it a happy ending, because you could see that he truly was happy with how his life turned out.

I didn't enjoy reading Saeed's point of view much, but that's because of the fact that he was hateful towards his own family when he found out the truth about their sexualities. It wasn't fair for them to be treated the way that they were, and they deserved more love and respect from their son. I understand that he grew up during a different time period, but they were his parents and he should have treated them differently.

I love Moud, and I'm actually glad about how his relationship stands at the end of the book. I love that he was able to learn the truth about his grandparents and that his dad started to come around to his sexuality at the end of the book. I like that he was able to go back to the country that his family is from and start to learn more about his culture and what it's like there. I hope that he continues to learn about his life and family and that he can try and help things improve in the country.

I think that everyone should read this book, as it gives them an inside look into different cultures, and how things can be in other countries that they either haven't heard about, or learned about in school. Easily a 5 star read for me, and will reread it many times.

When I got approved for this title I was truly over the moon. Having three different family members pov and seeing how generation trauma gets passed down is something we really don’t see in literature. The idea was very unique and I was excited to see it play out.

Unfortunately, the execution was not there and I had to jump ship at 28% in. I hate dnfing a book and especially if it is an arc. The first three chapters were really strong. There was a lot of topics brought up that needed to be talked about. They’re uncomfortable topics but very important because American ideology can be a lot and I loved how the book fought against that. There’s not one way to be queer and having extreme opinions on forcing that agenda causes more harm than people realize. The information on Iran as well was done well because so many people don’t even understand how important and big the Iranian revolution was. Like I said the first three chapters were so good. The information brought up was important and necessary to see.

What started to lose me was the dialogue in Mouds chapter when he’s finally in Iran. It felt very stilted and didn’t really have emotion in it. It felt like things were just being thrown at you and you couldn’t get any sense of what the characters were really like. I was still enjoying but struggling with the lackluster dialogue. What really got me was the party Moud attended with his cousin. That’s when the dialogue was very monotone. The story’s progression just started to feel no longer cohesive. Then Moud kissed Siamak and I had to call it quits. It’s very obvious that Moud is not happy with his boyfriend and they don’t really see eye to eye on anything but that doesn’t excuse cheating behavior. Especially when it was very clear Moud wanted Siamak to kiss him before they even kissed. I don’t support cheating in any shape or form and it really ruined the book for me.

I hope this book does well and there are others who can thoroughly enjoy this title, I just won’t be one of them.

This book was absolutely stunning. Each generation perspective was beautiful, and how those perspectives melded together into a cohesive storyline was masterful. This was a moving read that had very unique characters while having accurate representation. (of second-generation immigrant adolescence, of Iranian culture, of the relationship between immigrant parents and their offspring etc.)

Abdi Nazemian has written an epic family story in which there is alot of loss and pain but also much acceptance and forgiveness. He depicts the lives of three generations of Iranian men from 1939 to 2019. The novel takes us from the golden age of Hollywood to the anti-Shah protests in 1978 to the protests in Iran in 2019 and the presidency of Donald Trump. Needless to say neither Iran nor the US comes out well. US readers will gain a good deal of insight into Iranian history, culture, and food. But the real crux here is the importance of family and forgiveness. The title says it all--you never know what life will bring so live in the joy that is the present moment, support others, and avoid judging others and oneself.

This is a beautifully and passionately written book. You come to care for and understand the three main complex characters and the friends and family members who surround them-- Shirin, Zip, Ava, Bahar, Siamak, and even Margaret and Shane.

The pacing of the book is brisk--the author covers alot of ground--excellent editing/self-editing. Sometimes the tone gets a bit didactic, particularly when the author is talking politics or homophobia--occasionally the characters seem a bit too much like mouthpieces rather than characters--but the story has so much heart, is so moving--and packs an incredible emotional punch-- that it is an extremely rewarding journey. The ending is realistic and hopeful. Highly recommend!

this novel follows three different iranian teenagers from the same family, but different times.

moud, in 2019, is traveling to iran for the first time because his grandfather is ill. his mother died when he was four and he’s never felt close to his father, but maybe this trip will change that.

saeed, in 1978, is a student in iran with a promising future. but then, he gets caught up in the riots, and is forced to leave his parents and his country. not too long after getting to the u.s., though, he learns something about his parents that he has trouble wrapping his mind around.

bobby, in 1939, could lose everything if his sexuality is found out. after landing a contract with MGM, even where and with whom he hangs out is strictly monitored. but all he wants is a life where he can be more free.

i LOVE family stories, especially ones spanning generations, so i had to request this as soon as i saw it. (also, i loved nazemian’s like a love story, so i figured this one would be just as great.)

despite the novel being split between the three teens, it never felt like one story was more important than another. they each had their own journeys which we got to see.

i loved how this story ended. it didn’t feel like their stories were done, which is what i loved. i feel like not having every single knot tied made these characters, and this story, feel so much more real, and i know that they’re going to stick with me more because of this.

i highly recommend this book!

This was such a beautiful, impactful story. It's a story of three generations of Iranian men and their journey for themselves, each other, their identities, and their countries. Abdi Nazemian does a wonderful job having each of the three shine in their own story, but still bringing it back to each other. He also does a wonderful job showing the very different queer experiences throughout the decades, but still tying it back to the importance of the loved ones and community around us. I think this is likely a new favorite of mine and I'm so, so glad I stumbled upon it!

It is weird (in a good way) how this book sat on my shelf for over 4 months and when I finally picked it up, it just completely blew me over.
I've read and loved other books by Abdi Nazemian but this one by far is my most favourite. I was falling in love after just the first chapter, knew I would love this with my whole being when I was just 10% in.
I think I read it at just the right time but to think this would've been in my 2022 top 10 if I only read it sooner. But it's fine, I'm glad I requested it.
The book revolves around 3 main characters, it is a generational saga of 3 Jafarzadeh men, spanning almost a century. All of them struggling for love, with love, romantic and platonic. The themes of the book are family dynamics and intergenerational trauma with a beautiful backdrop of finding yourself and what your identities mean to you.
The writing style was beautiful and so much of the book hit me, a queer person of color, very hard. I'm feeling so grateful to have read this book and would highly recommend it to everyone. :')

A beautifully written novel about family secrets, love, and history.

I adored this book! It is a very bittersweet tale of an Iranian-American family told through the perspective of three men over three generations.

The author does a brilliant job of fleshing out the three main characters and of revealing their growth over the years. The characters are relatable and believable, the dialogue well written, and the story line draws the reader in.

A beautiful and poetic inter generational story that connects son, father, and grandfather. I learned so much about Iranian culture. Because the story spans three different characters some things became implied but never outright explained. I felt like the ending as a little rushed and I did want to spend more time with each character. This story felt fresh and new and I loved the diverse POVs from the characters.

I loved that while reading this book, not only did I laugh and cry, but I also learned so much about Iranian culture and family dynamics. Three generations of the same family, connected not only by blood but by circumstance. The way the truth tumbled out and how they were so intentional about sharing the truth after years of either avoidance or cover ups was especially beautiful to me. It’s not often we see vulnerable, emotional men in media so I appreciated this loving depiction of this family despite the tenseness as well.

I really enjoyed the women of this book as well. They were all strong and I loved how they knew what they needed.

This book was really fantastic and I enjoyed almost everything about it. I was rooting for Moud and Bobby so much, and I was so relieved to see their respective personal relationships develop. Saeed, I had a bit of trouble connecting with due to the homophobia, however I appreciated his character arc and I’m proud of his development. Every queer person knows a young Saeed (circa before accepting his family), and it was both frustrating and interesting to read his thoughts.

My only question at the end of the book is, did Bobby/Baba make up his illness’s severity? Because he did not seem sick in the book. He used a wheelchair but it did not seem like he was at the end of his life at all. He was still very active and cognizant and he was never taking medications or seeing doctors. I was expecting that to be another focus of the story.

Overall I was very pleased with this book and devoured it in two days! Looking forward to more from this author. Thank you to Balzar + Bray and NetGalley for this e-arc.

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Trigger Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Homophobia, Grief, Blood, Police brutality, and Outing
Moderate: Violence, Infidelity, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Death of parent, Cancer, and Terminal illness
Minor: Sexual harassment and Suicide

📚Book Review📚
Only This Beautiful Moment
Publish Date: May 9, 2023

@abdaddy has done it again! I loved how the three generational perspectives masterfully switch so the transition is seamless and the story merge beautifully. I felt so many emotions while reading this book, and I was easily transported to both the locations and time periods. Another wonderful LGBTQIA+ and Own Voices novel from Abdi Nazemain.

Synopsis:
“2019. Moud is an out gay teen living in Los Angeles with his distant father, Saeed. When Moud gets the news that his grandfather in Iran is dying, he accompanies his dad to Tehran, where the revelation of family secrets will force Moud into a new understanding of his history, his culture, and himself.

1978. Saeed is an engineering student with a promising future ahead of him in Tehran. But when his parents discover his involvement in the country’s burgeoning revolution, they send him to safety in America, a country Saeed despises. And even worse—he’s forced to live with the American grandmother he never knew existed.

1939. Bobby, the son of a calculating Hollywood stage mother, lands a coveted MGM studio contract. But the fairy-tale world of glamour he’s thrust into has a dark side.

Set against the backdrop of Tehran and Los Angeles, this tale of intergenerational trauma and love is an ode to the fragile bonds of family, the hidden secrets of history, and all the beautiful moments that make us who we are today.”

Thank you to @balzerandbray and @abdaddy for an advanced copy. This is my honest review.

This is a very powerful book in my opinion. It goes through the perspectives of three generations within the same family and their individual stories were so well written and what they were experiencing was very thought provoking as the story unfolded.

I felt so much for these characters even if I didn’t agree with them and I enjoyed the author’s writing style so much in how they were able to capture how human everyone was.

DNF @55%, this one of those "did I read the same book as everyone else" scenarios.
I requested this ARC because of the "Perfect for fans of Last Night at the Telegraph Club and Darius the Great Is Not Okay" and Darius the Great is one of my favorites. However, I was disappointed and I ended up not finishing it. This story is about Moud, an 17-18-year-old in Los Angeles in 2019, his father Saeed when he was eighteen in 1978 and in Iran, and then his father (Moud's grandfather) Bobby, also at 18 in 1939 back in Los Angeles.

I was interested in seeing the three generations pan out but I was bored and couldn't get into any of the characters, none of them really have any personality, and they didn't feel all that different from each other (which I guess could be the point since family and whatnot) and the first-person writing didn't do them any favors.
Moud's personality really just felt like he was pretentious and better than everyone because he was more, for a lack of a better word, "woke" than everyone else. Side note, I don't think being woke is a bad thing, we should all be more aware of what is going on but Moud and his boyfriend are that one friend of a friend who will give you a ten-minute lecture for shopping at Kroger and using plastic bags and "how dare you for not spending your weekends protesting, obviously, you don't care as much as we do, let me go on my podcast to tell you how you're wrong" (Shane was seriously insufferable and how he just casually policed language like you couldn't say how something felt "real" because "everything is real".) Saeed's POV was pretty hard to read since he's very homophobic and only cares about a girl that he met three times but his instalove is more valid than everyone else's love and no one understands him. His homophobia made sense from the time period and where he grew up and that he was upset, but since and was in first person, it was really uncomfortable to read, and it really felt like the narrative left him off a bit easy and even validated his point of view at points. Honestly, I didn't read enough of Bobby's chapters to get a sense of his personality but he was pretty one track mind too.

The writing for me was also pretty bland, everything is just written out and told to you in a stunted way which is weird since, again, it's all in first-person, there's no emotion at all. Maybe it gets better but I just didn't want to pick it up anymore to continue.

This book is a beautiful, interwoven story spanning three generations of a family and the complications of secrets and generational trauma. The book is told from the point of view of each of the three main characters, each within their own time periods as teens. Their stories are heartbreaking and hopeful and perfectly illustrate how similar people are, even if they seem different, and how little we know about people, even those closest to us. All three characters wrestle with their own identities, culture, belonging, and love in their unique ways, constantly surprising each other as they pull back the veils of their pasts and identities.

This expertly written book is culturally rich, a window into the lives of these three men who have ties to Iran and the US, but struggle to feel like they belong in either place. Only This Beautiful Moment is a beautiful book about family and all the messy moments that connect them.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

Sometimes you find a book that falls beautifully into its genre while also being so singular that you marvel that someone thought to do it. This is one of those books for me. It is absolutely, without question, queer YA of the 2020s. It is also a layered story of three generations of men in a Persian-American family, each with his own heartaches and secrets, converging on a present where one of them has become the father and another the grandfather in a family. Their relationships with love, art, and politics shift and change with time and circumstance; their approaches to family and ethnicity are also fluid. Sometimes they're more easily able to see their differences than their commonalities.

It is so good.

Even just the writing of the first section, the introduction to Moud as a contemporary teenager with a fraught relationship with social media and a boyfriend who has seriously different attitudes than he does, promises to be a really lovely novel of personal growth and exploration, just the sort of thing YA does best at its best. And then the next section--expands, shifts, it's more book than it might have been, deeper and better and with more perspectives.

In addition to the three protagonists, the minor characters are so well considered and so well drawn. This is a book that's really thoughtful about everybody having their own stuff to deal with, some of it really large stuff. It keeps beautiful perspective on its own specificity as one example of the way the world can strive to be better, not the only example. I'm so glad I had a chance to read this.

This was such an interesting read coming after the Chander Legacies from Nazemain. The story's three different perspectives gave an insight into the generation trauma, both the growth and sad delays in the evolution of a country.

By setting this against the back drop of three different men in the history of Mahmouds family you get to see how each of them struggled with who they were and how they would manage to go beyond this and become a stronger family.

At first I wasn't totally sure how all of these stories were going to intersect or even come together to what they did. I am so glad that I was able to read this in advance and can say that this is another amazing LGBTQIA+ and Own Voices novel from Nazemain. 4.75 stars. rounded up to 5 stars. Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and the author for my advanced copy of this novel.

I have so much to say about this book, but most of it will have to wait for my video review that I’ll post on release day. There’s a lot about the political/historical background that we get a really good picture of, and plenty that’s so Iranian, including a reference to a Googoosh song that happens to be my favorite one.
Suffice it to say that there’s a lot about this book that’s amazing.
This book is about Moud, a teenager who goes to Iran with his dad (who knows he’s gay but basically avoids acknowledging that, so they end up barely ever talking), to visit his grandfather in Iran.
Every 2nd chapter tells his dad’s story of leaving Iran when he was young, and every 3rd chapter is about his grandfather when he was young, and he had an American mother and didn’t know he was Persian.
All 3 of their stories depict queer life, both the great things about love and community and the bad things about society, in different ways and in 3 different time periods. There’s also a lot that connects all 3 of their stories. They’re all repairing relationships with parents, finding and losing love, and leaving their country for another one. We know that Moud’s dad must have stopped being into poetry somewhere along the way and have to get all of the pieces to find out why. We know that his grandfather teaches music, but get to almost the end of the book to see his exact motivations for teaching young people and helping them.
I should also add that many of Abdi Nazemian’s books do a great job of depicting relationships ending, showing that it’s ok if something ends, and that a relationship doesn’t have to be bad to need to end. And this book has 3 different people having that experience.
In so much media, we just see good relationships starting, or bad relationships ending, so it’s really great to see a piece of media that shows a loving relationship where the reader can completely see how the 2 people like or love each other, that still ends.
In fact, the main characters of this story are each surprised to find out that the adults they know loved people who they didn’t end up with forever.