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Review: Only This Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian

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Only This Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian

Only This Beautiful Moment
Abdi Nazemian
HarperCollins
Published May 9, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Only This Beautiful Moment

From the Stonewall Honor–winning author of Like a Love Story comes a sweeping story of three generations of boys in the same Iranian family. Perfect for fans of Last Night at the Telegraph Club and Darius the Great Is Not Okay.

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.

My Review

I read this book as part of a kidlit book club. I’d read Desert Echoes by Abdi Nazemian before and have Like a Love Story on my reading list. As I’m writing this review, his next book, Exquisite Things comes out shortly. I have to say that so far, I’m really loving all the selections we’ve read for our book club.

One of the powerful things about this book is that it follows three generations of young Iranian/Iranian-American men from three different time periods. How often do we really get to know a teen character and then see their parent and grandparent’s experiences up close in this way? I thought that was really cool.

The story opens with Moud in 2019. We meet his dad in this opening chapter, and I know I made some assumptions about him. To then zip back through time to witness Saeed as a teenager in Tehran challenged a few of the preconceptions I’d made about who he was and why he was that way. The extra time periods added a lot of layers to his and Bobby’s characters.

This is a heavily male-dominated story, but I think this is one of the instances in which that’s necessary to make the point the author is making here about generational relationships between men. Each time period shows strong women who defy gender expectations in their own ways, too, though those relationships are not the focus of the book.

All in all, Only This Beautiful Moment is a powerful story that sets a tall goal for itself and delivers on every promise.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used fairly infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. A couple of short scenes show a couple touching each other. One character walks into a bathroom where a stall door gets kicked open, briefly revealing two men having sex. The description is very brief and startling to the character.

Spiritual Content
References to prayer in a life-and-death situation along with an acknowledgement that the person praying isn’t sure they believe in the God they pray to in that moment. A couple of characters repeat religion-based homophobic claims.

Violent Content
Soldiers break up a political protest, shooting into the crowd and hitting people. Bobby encounters homophobic beliefs prevalent in the 1930s. A couple of characters react with anger after discovering that people close to them are gay. One scene shows someone arrested for being gay. Moud learns of friends arrested for being gay.

Drug Content
Saeed reluctantly drinks alcohol at a party. A doctor gives Bobby a prescription medication and tells him it will help with performance nerves. (The doctor also tries to pass the pill off as a decongestant.) Another character warns Bobby about taking the pills or drinking alcohol.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I purchased a copy of this book and borrowed the audiobook version from my library. All opinions are my own.

Review: One Word, Six Letters by Adib Khorram

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

One Word, Six Letters
Adib Khorram
Henry Holt & Co
Published March 17, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About One Word, Six Letters

Two teen boys grapple with identity and accountability and set off a ripple effect within their community after a school assembly is disrupted by a shouted slur.

Freshmen Dayton and Farshid couldn’t be more different—or so it seems.

When Dayton takes a dare and shouts the f-slur at a visiting author during a school event, it sets off a chain reaction that forces both boys to face parts of themselves they’d rather ignore.

Dayton, grappling with the fallout of his actions, faces rejection from his friends, disappointment from his parents, and a growing awareness of the harm he’s caused. Meanwhile, Farshid is left to untangle his own feelings—about himself and about the quiet struggle of coming to terms with his queerness in a world steeped in heteronormativity.

As their lives unexpectedly intersect, Dayton and Farshid must reckon with what kind of men they want to become and whether they have the courage to defy toxic masculinity and societal expectations.

Timely, raw, and deeply thought-provoking, this novel is perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds and Nic Stone.

My Review

I think the way that the author chose to write this book is really interesting. First, it’s in second-person point of view (“You do this; you do that…”), which is an uncommon choice. Here, it really works to keep the narrative feeling immediate and to bring the reader as close to the story as possible. We are the protagonists, and the narrative never lets us forget that.

Additionally, the story alternates between Dayton and Farshid’s perspectives. We see both the circumstances that led Dayton to make a terrible choice and the harm that it causes.

I like that the story also highlights Farshid’s interest in boxing, a sport that not a lot of middle grade books explore. We also witness his battle with dysmorphia and how entangled that is with his identity and his fears about being outed.

I imagine it wasn’t easy to write Dayton’s perspective. While his viewpoint offers a deeper understanding into his behavior and his deep regret afterward, we are never asked to excuse what he did.

This is the kind of book that will start meaningful conversations about language and bullying and the harm that can come from using words carelessly. One Word, Six Letters is the first book by Adib Khorram that I’ve read, but it won’t be the last.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
References to a slur. The slur itself never appears in the text.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to a crush.

Spiritual Content
References to faith and Muslim prayer practices.

Violent Content
References to a homophobic slur. Some homophobic comments and behavior. Bullying behavior.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: El Deafo by CeCe Bell

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Graphic Novel or Adaptation, Memoir, Middle Grade 8-12, Nonfiction, , , ,

El Deafo
Cece Bell
Amulet Books
Published September 2, 2014

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About El Deafo

Starting at a new school is scary, even more so with a giant hearing aid strapped to your chest! At her old school, everyone in Cece’s class was deaf. Here she is different. She is sure the kids are staring at the Phonic Ear, the powerful aid that will help her hear her teacher. Too bad it also seems certain to repel potential friends.

Then Cece makes a startling discovery. With the Phonic Ear she can hear her teacher not just in the classroom, but anywhere her teacher is in school — in the hallway… in the teacher’s lounge… in the bathroom! This is power. Maybe even superpower! Cece is on her way to becoming El Deafo, Listener for All. But the funny thing about being a superhero is that it’s just another way of feeling different… and lonely. Can Cece channel her powers into finding the thing she wants most, a true friend?

This funny perceptive graphic novel memoir about growing up hearing impaired is also an unforgettable book about growing up, and all the super and super embarrassing moments along the way.

My Review

I read this book as part of a search for graphic novels for my littlest, who is seven and already beginning to read middle grade books. She loved this one. It brought up a few questions about what being Deaf means, which is great– it was a good thing to talk about. For the most part, she took the story at face value and easily engaged in the story about Cece’s quest for friends, her embarassment about the ways in which she is different, and her shyness about her first crush.

The writing has the perfect balance between kid sensibilities and adult reflection. There are a few scenes that made me laugh. The scenes captured how kids are but with a nod to the adults reading the book or acknowledging the irony or silliness of the situation from an adult perspective.

Cece discovers over and over that people react differently to her hearing aids and her hearing impairment than she expected. Sometimes this is annoying, as with her friend Ginny, who overpronounces everything and refers to Cece as her “deaf friend.” At other times, this is a welcome difference, like when her classmates learn about Cece’s ability to hear where her teacher is at all times.

This is one of those books that I hope finds its way into classrooms everywhere. I really enjoyed the smart, poignant writing. The illustrations are charming, with a simplicity that keeps the focus on Cece’s emotional journey. I loved this book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 7 to 10.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
One instance of mild profanity.

Romance/Sexual Content
Cece has a crush on a boy in her neighborhood.

Spiritual Content
Cece imagines herself as a superhero named El Deafo. Her superhero alter ego can bravely confront others who make her sad or uncomfortable.

Violent Content
One panel shows a dog biting a girl’s lower leg while she frowns. Another shows a girl hit in the face with a stick. She covers her eye with one hand, but there’s blood on her face.

Drug Content
One mom smokes cigarettes. One scene shows moms with wine glasses.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I borrowed a copy of this book from my local library. All opinions are my own.

Review: Sidequested by Ale Presser and K.B. Spangler

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Sidequested: Book 1
Ale Presser
Illustrated by K. B. Spangler
Andrews McMeel Publishing
Published March 17, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Sidequested: Book 1

The course of true love never did run straight…For fans of The Owl House and Critical Role comes the first volume in the lighthearted and epic adventure SideQuested!

Magic makes the world go ’round, but no one in Charlie Goldskin’s world knows precisely where magic comes from. This isn’t Charlie’s problem. She’s the adopted daughter of a woodcarver and is training to be a librarian. It’ll be a quiet life, but that’s fine with Charlie as magic is summoned through conflict and she would like to avoid that, thank you very much!

Then her birth father shows up to take her from her village and bring her to the King’s court.

Prince Leopold is gifted in the noble arts of diplomacy and combat, but he’s never met anyone like Charlie. Falling in love with her wouldn’t be an issue, except he’s already engaged, and his fiancée is the daughter of a very powerful evil witch. Charlie, panicking, decides to break the news to Princess Robin…but then she finds love at first sight, too. To resolve this love triangle, the teens are sent on a quest to discover the source of magic! So much for Charlie’s plans for a quiet life…

My Review

This was so much fun to read! I love that it starts out as if an NPC (non-playing character) has gone on a quest in a tabletop adventure. The early scenes especially seemed to harken back to role-playing game rules and expectations. I loved the playfulness of that approach, and the fact that the first other character Charlie meets is a vulture who thinks Charlie is about to be eaten.

The story takes some common fairytale tropes and turns them upside down while still delivering stakes and great characters. I’m a huge fan of this book. It looks like it began as a webcomic, and now I even want to look that up and find out more about that, too.

Dungeons and Dragons fans and readers who enjoy upbeat fantasy graphic novels will not want to miss this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Romantic tension between characters.

Spiritual Content
Some characters can do magic. Some animals can talk. Dragons exist.

Violent Content
Situations of peril.

Drug Content
An adult character drinks wine.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

MMGM Review: Hafsa’s Way by Aisha Saeed

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Hafsa’s Way
Aisha Saeed
Nancy Paulsen Books
Published March 10, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Hafsa’s Way

In this inspiring stand-alone companion to New York Times bestseller Amal Unbound , Hafsa defies her family’s patriarchal expectations by pursuing her dreams and insisting that her married sister pursue hers.

Hafsa intends to be a doctor one day, so she’s thrilled to be accepted into Bukhari Summer Science Camp for kids who share her dream. Her parents, however, do not share her enthusiasm. They don’t support the idea of girls being doctors, the camp is expensive, and they don’t want to send her off to the big city of Lahore unsupervised. But when her brother-in-law offers to pay, and he and her sister invite her to stay at their house instead of in the dorms, her parents grudgingly give in.

Hafsa couldn’t be more excited, but things get off to a shaky start when it immediately becomes apparent that she accidentally signed up for the wrong program. And since she’s the only one not staying in the dorms, her fellow students treat her like an outsider—and a country bumpkin. On top of all that, she’s worried about her sister, who seems to have set aside her own career goals to please her in-laws.

But Hafsa’s way is to forge ahead, whether that means finding ways to pursue her medical studies, immersing herself in the climate studies program, or taking a pivotal field trip to the zoo—where an encounter with an elephant leads to several unexpected outcomes. It’s not easy to negotiate being part of a community—and a family—that doesn’t support her dreams, but Hafsa’s never been the type to take no for an answer. She’s determined to grab any chance she can for a better future, no matter what the odds are stacked against her.

My Review

I had no idea where this story was headed as I read the first few chapters. Hafsa has big ideas, and I love that there were people in her life who supported her dreams. I like that her dreams shifted a little bit as the story progressed, too. That feels very relatable to me, and definitely something that seems relatable to a lot of young readers.

The story includes many different types of characters. I think readers who aren’t very familiar with life in Pakistan will appreciate that. Some scenes showed Hafsa with her family in their small town. Other scenes showed Hafsa walking through a big city. Still others showed her experiencing a privileged life in a fancy house with hired help.

Yet, in all those places, she faces different kinds of challenges. Some of the girls at the camp were less invested in the curriculum than she was. Others were even more interested. Hafsa made judgments about some of the people she met. She had to reevaluate those ideas as she learned more about each person.

I also really appreciated the relationship between Hafsa and her older sister. While Shabnam’s life was more complicated than Hafsa realized, she still felt a strong connection to her sister, and a desire to see her sister happy. I like that the story made them consider each other’s perspectives more, and to lean into one another’s strengths.

One thing that’s interesting to me is how gradually the plight of the elephant emerges as a central component of the story. At first, Hafsa doesn’t even realize she’s made this connection with the animal. That relationship grows as the story moves forward.

I also really appreciate that the effort to help the elephant wasn’t limited to Hafsa’s labor. What made the experience so powerful was that it brought to fruition all the relationships that Hafsa had invested in throughout the story. It celebrated the power of community and working together.

The author’s note at the back of the book relates the real-life story that inspired Hafsa’s Way. I love the book even more knowing that it was inspired by real events. If you liked The Elephant’s Girl by Celesta Rimington or The Boy Who Met a Whale by Nizrana Farook, be sure to check this one out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Hafsa spends time at her newly married sister’s house and watches her sister interact with her new husband. She hears them laugh, sees them hug one another, and is glad they’re happy.

Spiritual Content
References to Muslim prayer practices.

Violent Content
A devastating storm sweeps through the town where Hafsa is staying, damaging buildings and homes. Some people are left carrying belongings through floodwaters.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday

I’m sharing this post as a part of a weekly round-up of middle-grade posts called Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday. Check out other blogs with posts about middle-grade books today on Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays at Always in the Middle.

Review: Daughter of the Cursed Kingdom by Jasmine Skye

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Daughter of the Cursed Kingdom (Witch Hall #2)
Jasmine Skye
Feiwel & Friends
Published February 24, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Daughter of the Cursed Kingdom

Two girls, bound by magic, must work together to stop an oncoming war, while grappling with unresolved feelings and terrible secrets in Daughter of the Cursed Kingdom, the thrilling conclusion to Jasmine Skye’s queernormative romantasy duology.

“If I ask you to walk into danger with me, Rosamund Holt, will you do it?”

Born a bone witch, with the power to raise the dead, Shaw has spent her life preparing to take her place as Death’s Heir, so she can lead her people to victory in an unavoidable, prophesied war. But then she met Rosy, sweet, stubborn Rosy, the most powerful bone familiar she’s ever known, and the only person Shaw has never been able to predict. Rosy, who doesn’t believe in the prophesied war that has consumed Shaw’s entire life.

“I won’t be their weapon, but I will be yours.”

Shaw has won Rosy’s loyalty, but Rosy has made it very clear she’s not willing to share her heart, a fact that Shaw is determined to respect… no matter how much it hurts. But now, as tensions with Vinland rise and secrets about the Witch King’s motivations are revealed, Shaw needs Rosy and her entourage more than ever. Will Shaw become the conquering warlord she was prophesied to be, or will she be strong enough to find a new path forward?

My Review

I loved the first book in this duology and really looked forward to the conclusion of Shaw and Rosy’s story. Weirdly, it took me most of this book to notice that Shaw’s perspective is written in first person and Rosy’s is in third person. I’ve read books like this before, and obviously, it didn’t bother me. It didn’t register with me until I was hundreds of pages in.

Rosy is my favorite character of the two, but I loved Shaw more and more as the story progressed. She faces such hard decisions and grows so much as a character. The relationship between her and Rosy stays largely in subplot territory throughout the book. Considering the threats the two girls face, it’s unsurprising that this would be the case. I liked the balance between the romance arc and the rest of the story.

I couldn’t always keep the magics sorted in my head, but I love the attention to the different types and how they work together. That made the story world feel rich and full to me. The cast of characters is inclusive in terms of gender identity and the relationships represented. One character also becomes disabled during the course of the story. At first, the others focus on healing their friend. When it becomes clear that even magic cannot provide a total physical healing, their focus shifts to addressing pain management and mobility needs. This character maintains an active role in the story until the conclusion. I appreciate that Skye not only included a character with a disability but also showed the experience of injury and recovery.

All in all, a conclusion worth reading. It’s a little longer than I’m comfortable with these days (470 pages), but I managed to make my way all the way through the story, and I’m glad I did.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used very infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
Characters have the ability to perform magic. Some can shift into animal shapes. Some characters encounter ghosts. A ghost can become angry and attempt to possess someone. This is dangerous and harmful. The fix is to soothe the ghost and help their spirit find peace. A bonding ceremony can relationally join two people and allow them access to one another’s magic.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Shaw and her classmates have been raised to serve in the military and attend an elite magic military school. Characters face battles and ambushes in some scenes. References to the death of a comrade. One character becomes disabled as a result of injuries from an attack. One character violently ends their life in one scene.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.