The characters are interesting and the plot kept me hooked. Would recommend

Thank you to Sonali Dev, NetGalley and Mindy’s Book Studio

Five whopping ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️‘s❗️


A sparkling intergenerational story of three women of Indian heritage. Bindu Desai (Binji), a Goan widow from Mumbai who has decided to buy a condo in Florida. Alisha, or rather Aly, her daughter-in-law who’s smart, a broadcast journalist who’s been waiting ten years for the big break. She’s lined up a major interview with Meryl Streep, but is being given the runaround by her studio. They’ve decided someone else from the firm will anchor the interview. That is when Aly gives them the pertinent information. It’s not discrimation they assure her! (Loud snorts of indignation from me!) This has happened to Aly constantly over the years. By the way Aly is divorced from Bindu’s son Ashish who’s returned to Mumbai to find himself, follow his dream, whatever! Binji has chosen to stay in America and live with Aly. Unusual, you and I say! And that’s what’s so striking about Binji. She’s unusual! She doesn’t conform! It seems she had had enough of doing that before she was widowed.
Then there’s her granddaughter Cullie Desai. A genius who’s on the spectrum. She’s developed an app, Shloka (which won awards for its ‘elegant’ coding). It helps people with Anxiety. Now the company who she sold it to (with certain requirements) wants to make the app something users have to additionally subscribe to. Cullie is furious. That option was never on the table. Then there’s her relationship with the super cad Steve, who helped her market the app, and made promises about divorcing his wife, whom he went back to a year later. Cullie bluffs about a new app development as a bargaining point against placing a subscription on Shloka. (Oops! One she now has to design!!) Of course the three women are dragged into trialling Cullie’s app which hilariously is a dating app!
Binji is a force of nature, whose behaviour unsettles some of the white community in her Florida condo. I love her! Binji is doing nothing but being herself, but is seen as threatening to the intolerant majority, (mostly women). Binji dances on regardless. Things do get tense when her friend Richard dies though.
One big question for me is, who left Binji the million dollars she used to buy her condo with anyway?
Each chapter begins with a quote from the journal of Oscar Seth. Who is this person and how does he relate to Binji? Very mysterious.
A story of the past rushing to catch up, of mystery, of joy, of finding oneself, of dancing free. Indeed a vibrant and colorful read. I was angry, and hurt on behalf of these women and I cheered as they won through and triumphed! A fearsome, often heart stopping tale!

A Mindy’s Book Studio ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.

Rated 4.5 Stars

The Vibrant Years was beautiful. I loved it. It was funny. It was entertaining. I loved the main characters and watching them embark on journeys that were separate yet also together. I loved how the author dealt with the desires and needs of the characters versus societal constraints and demands, the Madonna -Whore Complex and familial relationships. I loved how she wove all these pieces together to form this masterpiece. I very highly recommend it.

This story was a departure from my typical reading. I'm glad I did!

This book is about 3 generations of women from the same family. I learned more about the culture and expectations of families from India. The strongest theme of the book is to support the family. This was evidenced by the family rallying around Cullie when her tech job was in trouble.

A fun, engaging & inspiring read!
Great girl power & inter-generational connections. Enjoyed the multiple voices & personal issues each of the characters across three generations faces.
Timely & empowering!

With thanks to NetGalley & Mindy's Book Studio [congrats on this first release!] for this e-ARC!

A multigenerational story of 3 women becoming comfortable in their own skin and fighting for themselves outside of the mean and pressures of society

Bindu has been a widow for decades. As a young girl and a free spirit she made choices that defined her relationship with her late husband, her parents, her first love, her son, daughter in law, granddaughter and ultimately herself. When an inheritance finds its way into her bank account from a part of her life she has worked tirelessly to forget and put behind her she decides it is finally time to live her life on her own terms. Aly, Bindu's daughter in law has been divorced for a couple of years after over 20 years of marriage. She has been working hard on becoming a news anchor and when she finally finds a story that will get her a segment she has been wishing for. Gut as her ex-husband comes back into the picture, and the story is taken away from her she finally finds her voice and fights all the pressures society and those close to her that have defined her for too long. Cullie has suffered with anxiety her whole life and designed an app to help her. The app is a success, and has changed her life and many others, but when she is told the app isn't making enough money, and soon they will charge a subscription fee to users, she is desperate to find a way to save her app. She comes up with an idea to make dating apps more accurate, but instead she goes on a journey to learn what love and relationships should look like and bring to ones life.

I loved so much of this book. I could have read 200 more pages of these women's lives. The heart, grit, and healing found within the pages was so powerful. all 3 women went on a journey of self discovery that was so important and really pushed me to examine my own life. I am so lucky to have been able to read and enjoy this book and i can't wait to recommend it far and wide.

Oh, what a joy this novel was to read! Bindu Desai is one of my favorite characters in years. She’s a grandma, a sensual person, and a woman with secrets. Her journey and the relationships among the women in this novel drive it forward.

When Bindu receives a sudden inheritance, she fears it will unveil a secret from when she was only a teenager back in India — a secret that she has held shrouded in shame, that has affected her entire outlook on life.

But the obstacles she’s faced have not jaded Bindu. She’s determined to make the most of her vibrant years and invests in a new condo in an upscale retirement community where she can make new connections and, in her mid-sixties, do something she hasn’t experienced so far — dating.

However, moving means leaving the house where she has lived with her daughter-in-law, Aly. And Aly faces her own challenges. She’s passionate about television news, and a diversity hire at the station where she works. But she’s frustrated. Her boss has dangled a lead reporter slot over her head for years, only to snatch away her best opportunities every time they seem within reach.

Cullie, Bindu’s granddaughter, lives in New York. She’s smart and in her twenties, a software developer who has created a successful startup. But when Cullie’s new app promises to focus on dating—it leads to all the women, Aly, Bindu and Cullie re-entering the dating scene. And puts each of them on fresh paths—of romance and self-discovery.

Just a delightful read. Deep, fascinating characters, the camaraderie of a group of smart women, and so so many laughs along the way.

The Vibrant Years is an absorbing read, full of wit and wisdom. This novel made me laugh, smile, and cheer for three generations of strong women as each of them works through cultural programming and patriarchy to set their own terms for happiness and a fulfilling life.

Joyful, funny, fun. All the charm of a great Bollywood movie, with even more heart.

Don’t miss this one!

A deeply emotional story of three generations of women striving to come to terms with their lives so far and reaching for the futures they want. By the end of the book I was barely breathing, so caught up in their stories and the reveal of past secrets. Beautifully told.

This is what I already posted on GR:

Sonali Dev effortlessly transitions from romance to women's fiction in The Vibrant Years (which is also Mindy Kaling's book club's first pick), in which three generations of women in one family work together to help the youngest create a dating app to save her career. This feminist tale does something different from others of its ilk because of the way it highlights the patriarchal impact on each woman (not simply within their own careers, but also within their romantic relationships and relationships with one another). Bindu (the grandmother) is such an intriguing character (and I adored the journal entries that opened each chapter and hinted at her past life). As usual with Dev's books, there were moments of great poignancy and others with great humor (particularly with all the bad dates). When the full details of Bindhu's past are revealed, it is at once heart-breaking and cathartic, giving the reader a very satisfied feeling. Looking forward to her next book already.