I was really attracted to the premise of this book but unfortunately it fell a little flat for me. I enjoyed that this touched on social issues especially regarding women and the sexism we face. While each character had a distinct voice I felt myself getting lost and having to reread certain chapters because I wasn't sure what was going on. It was well written but I felt like I didn't connect with the story/characters and started to skim around 50% thru.

I was excited to find this book as I am a fan of Sonali Dev and I’m curious about the Mindy Kaling’s new imprint. This book was fabulous! I instantly connected with the the three main characters that represented three generations of women: Bindu, Aly, and Cullie. If you like a messy family story that is about love, strong women, secrets, dreams, finding purpose, forgiveness and starting over - this is for you.
It is told in alternating perspectives and has a dual timeline.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mindy’s Book Studio for and advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed reading Sonali Dev’s The Vibrant Years. I enjoyed it even more as it was a break from the normal romantic comedies that I read/ enjoy.

The Vibrant Years is a family saga of three generations: grandmother, mother and daughter. Grandmother has just moved into an HOA development that will not go away from her. Mother is a broadcast reporter that cannot get her big break no matter how juicy the story may seem. Daughter is an app developer that needs her big break so her first app won’t be charged a subscription fee. All three come together for a journey into who they really are after a death. For them, this will be the vibrant years of their life!

The Vibrant Years is a contemporary fiction novel that I will recommend to friends for years to come. This family saga allowed me to dive into Indian culture and root for all three family members through their different point of view chapters. Sonali Dev delivers in her latest novel and I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next!

The Vibrant Years is the story of three generations of the Desai family. One day, Bindu Desai received $1 million dollars in an inheritance and will not talk about it. She decides to move out of her ex-daughter-in-laws house and into a condo in a retirement community. After a few dates with a neighbor, he passes away leaving his entire estate to Bindu. Quickly her ex-daughter-in-law, Aly, and granddaughter, Cullie, come to her aid to keep her company. Now Bindu is being hounded by the other women in her retirement community, the family of her neighbor who are now wanting what they think should be theirs, and someone connected to her original benefactor. While Aly and Cullie try to help Bindu get through all of this, Bindu and Aly help Cullie develop a dating app by being her guinea pigs.

This is a beautiful story about secrets, loss, love, support, and finding ones self. While it is about an Indian-American family, this a universal story. I definitely recommend this to fans of family dramas and women's literature.

I really enjoyed this book. It took a minute for me to get into and it was available on KU audio/e-book so instead of reading my NetGallet e-book copy, I read the KU copy so I could seamlessly (mostly) go back and forth. I actually preferred the audio and really enjoyed the narrators. Three women finding themselves, each other, and love was a great story!

I snagged this off the Read Now section and I am really grateful for Netgalley & Mindy's Book Studio for this one! I thought this was really enjoyable. I liked the characters, the pacing, and the size of the book. I thought for the page count this packed quite a bit of punch. I listened to some of this on audio and it was done really well! I haven't read a book by Sonali Dev ever before, but now I will definitely pick up more by this author. This would make a really great book club pick for work or your more mature gal pals.

The best part of this book was that it truly centers women - the joy is in watching them grow and find their way and it's not all due to a man.

I loved this book so much that I recommended it as a pick for my neighborhood monthly book club. Watching Bindu break away from so many societal restrictions and truly be herself was wonderful. The relationship between Ali and her MIL (rather than her mother) was beautiful. I loved watching Cullie come into her own. Their dating adventures were hilarious.

Highly recommend this one if you want a book about strong women, the relationships women build to support each other, and of women breaking away from societal norms to find their own way.


A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

So fun and heartfelt, I had a great time with this. Loved the three POVs and the relationships between all three women. The book overall felt a bit too long-winded (lots of side exposition of the characters feelings when I wish that was shown instead) BUT I loved the character growth and had a great time.

Okay I really enjoyed this story. Like-- it was deep but accessible and the characters well-developed. This was a fun ride and I didn't want to leave these characters so soon! Three women each with their own shit going on, each leaning on and supporting the others. Lots of moments that had me laughing out loud. Some really heartfelt, teary-eyed moments. I finished reading this last night and already want to do a re-read. I loved all three women but I think my favorite journey of self-discovery and growth was Bindu. As she comes to realize she has been put in a box her whole life due to circumstances of others--- I just can't express how much I love that journey.
My first 5-star read of the year!

I absolutely loved this book. It hooked me and kept me turning pages until I was done. Finished it in two days! The character development was strong, and the premise was unique enough that it didn't feel like anything else I've read.

A fast read that packs a big punch. It's about three women, three generations - a mother-in-law, a mother and the daughter. All of them are still finding their way in the world, still growing, still trying to discover who they are. They've given up a lot to be wives and mothers. They want their life back, their ability to find love but on their terms.

I loved the three main characters. I loved their struggles with love, their struggles to find their voice and what they wanted. Their voices were so real and I couldn't help but love them all. I thought the twists and turns were a little easy to guess but I didn't mind knowing, I just enjoyed the story and where it took me. I flipped from kindle to the audiobook and the narrator was wonderful!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Loved! I was intrigued the minute I saw reference to Mindy Kaling, and she didn't let me down.

Bindu Desai decides to move into a retirement community after inheriting a million dollars from someone from her past, plus a fight with her (former, but forever) daughter-in-law, Aly. It's the first time she's living life of her own terms and she's embracing every minute. Aly is still learning to navigate life post-divorce while chasing her professional dreams. Cullie, Aly's daughter, lives in California after developing an app to help with anxiety and is trying to figure out what to do next (without the help of her creepy, married ex/mentor/not-a-boss).

A crisis brings Cullie back to Florida, and her grandmother and mother inspire her next app. All three have a lot to learn about life, dating and each other, and I loved watching them navigate this phase. I particularly enjoyed Bindu's storyline, especially when learning about her past (even when a little sad). I enjoyed Cullie's storyline as well, but I thought Aly's was a little lost at times.

Heartwarming and well-written - I'll be reading more by Sonali Dev! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This books is about 3 women: grandmother, daughter-in-law and grand daughter. Overall I thought it was good but not great. The grandmother has a secret from her past that threatens to be exposed, the daughter in law is struggling with challenges in her career and marriage and the grand daughter has a work challenge to overcome. Generally I liked the characters but wasn't really heavily invested in what happened to them. Some bits were funny. As said, overall just good but not great.

I really loved this book. I thought the book was very well written. The characters were easy to connect with. I was hooked from beginning to end. It was one of my favorites

I looooove Mindy Kaling, so Mindy + books is always going to be a hit!
The Vibrant Years is from Mindy’s book imprint- it is a truly wonderful story about three generations of women, how they support and love each other, and how they grow together through adversity and fear and change.

Dev’s writing of the three main characters Bindu, Aly, and Cullie is amazing. I felt like I KNEW them. I wanted to see Bindu’s beauty and experience her charm and energy. I wanted to be confident, smart Aly. I cheered for scared but tough Cullie.

I really loved this story and if female friendship/family/and stories of self discovery are interesting to you— definitely pick this one up!

This is the first book from Mindy Kaling's new imprint “ featuring romantic comedies, suspenseful dramas, and coming-of-age stories by a diverse range of emerging and established voices". Sonali Dev is an established author, and in this multigenerational story, she brings us three generations of Indian American women at different stages in life telling the story through alternating POVs.. It is cliché for sure, but it hit all the rom-com highlights and brought such rich cultural descriptions that only serve to add to the overall story arc of family dynamics in marriage, dating, and professional struggles. I loved the relationship between the three women, and though there were some pacing issues for me, the writing style of Sonali Dev kept the book a light and entertaining read. While this book centers around an Indian-American family, it will appeal to a a broad audience who will find themselves immersed in a story that beautifully handles personal and social issues in a humorous and emotional way.

The Vibrant Years is a beautiful story about three generations of Indian women, living in America, who come together during a crisis in this heart filled book. Highly recommend for anyone who needs a smile! Will be recommending for my book clubs.

Thank you to Netgalley and Mindy's Book Studio for the ARC - The Vibrant Years is out now!

The raw feelings that flow through the entire book swept through me too! I loved it all! Intense, satisfying and yet uplifting to be with each of these strong women and their outcomes. Sonali Dev- just wows with this book! I have to take a break from another book because of the tumultuous emotion running through me. That's what an amazing book does.... wraps you up in the experience!

I enjoyed Bindu so much and appreciated her relationship with her daughter-in-law.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

Don't you just love a woman-centered story with a funny, quirky, filled with bravery, encouraging, yet heartwarming and still take you to an emotional ride? This story of three generations Indian women of Desai family coming together for a crisis and personal issues that somehow is interrelated to each other--is what you might've just looking for!
The story is so enchanting, providing us with different perspectives from three different age group women on facing some issues we're facing daily. I love every character's arcs, both the struggle and the redemption. Lastly, I was so impressed with every except of the journal starting every chapters, it just the type of journal/letters that you know how honest and sincere the writer were when they wrote it.