The Bright Years is an intimate, honest look at the ways addiction and secrets can ripple through a family, shaking their fragile foundations to their core. With her precise insight, Sarah Damoff gives readers an honest portrait of a family in crisis, how they grapple with their present and future in the wake of their world falling apart.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster for providing a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is an amazing collection of words and stories. I cannot wrap my head around how much greatness is wrapped up neatly in under 300 pages. The sentences are beautiful, the characters and emotions are intense and fully realized, and it spans 40+years all in my own backyard. This is a glorious debut. Five Stars. The five stars at night are big and bright...

I received this ARC from NetGalley and was immediately drawn into the story. The Bright Years does a fantastic job of portraying parents as human—flawed, complex, and doing the best they can with what they have. I appreciated how the novel explored different ways people process grief, making it an emotionally gripping read.

The use of flashbacks was one of my favorite aspects. The story beautifully illustrates how the past shapes both our present and future, particularly in the way parental decisions impact their children. Lillian made choices based on what she believed was right at the time, using the resources available to her. Watching her children interpret those choices—and seeing how their perspectives evolved with age and understanding—was incredibly moving.

This novel is a heartfelt, thought-provoking read that lingers long after the last page.

There are so many things to digest with addiction, loss, grieving past versions of yourself and others, generational trauma. I also made the mistake of finishing it at breakfast in the office and was deep breathing to not cry.

“I don’t want a new tomorrow—I want a new yesterday.”

I can’t say enough good things about the writing, the pace of the story, the complexity of the characters. There wasn’t much foreshadowing or leading up to big moments, which made the story feel so natural. Things change at the drop of the hat and now we have to process them.

“But there is no easy way out. We just have to calculate between loss and loss.”

Moral of the story, I cried. A few times. And I won’t stop talking about this book for a long time.

Thank you SO much to Sarah Damoff for this book and to Simon & Schuster for the ARC via NetGalley.

I can’t believe this is a debut novel. I absolutely loved the storyline and years that the story spread through. I felt like this book was hitting my soul. I was not expecting to be emotionally impacted by this novel and I’m a puddle of mess.

"The Bright Years" follows the life of a family in Texas over time, chronicling their individual and shared triumphs, love, and losses across the years in a poignant and thought-provoking work.

When Lillian first meets Ryan, a passionate artist determined to open his own art gallery, the two fall quickly in love and promptly get married despite a number of unresolved issues between the two. What Lillian has kept from him is the secret of an earlier son, one she gave up for adoption years before, and for Ryan, his dependency on alcohol only grows. After the birth of their daughter Georgette "Jet" Bright, Lillian is forced to make a decision for the safety of her child, but one that causes the family to splinter and for young Georgette to grow up with a mostly absent father. A crushing loss changes the family forever, and with it, Georgette is forced to confront the truth of both of her parents' pasts, all while she comes to terms with adulthood and dealing with her own struggles and grief.

From the start, "The Bright Years" is very much a character-driven novel, and one that shifts through the alternative perspectives of Lillian, Georgette, and Ryan over the course of time. I appreciated that each character had their own voice, and you were able to understand and empathize with their situations and actions. For Lillian, we come to see her love for both her daughter and husband, as well as the struggle to separate him from his addiction; for Georgette, coming to terms with the good and lesser-known aspects of her parents becomes an integral part of her own journey and self-acceptance; and for Ryan, his lifelong battle with alcohol will never be erased, but he attempts to forge a better life for himself and his family despite the past. This was a beautifully written work that lovingly and gracefully examined an ever-changing family, the ways they came together and fell apart, and highlights the strength of their love for each other. I'm impressed that this is Dumoff's first novel and am so excited to read future works from her!

Very much recommended when this novel is published in April 2025!

A gorgeous multi-generational family drama that captures the heartbreak of addiction and how it can tear a family and a couple apart. I loved The Bright Years from beginning to end and it truly stuck with me. Heartbreaking but hopeful, it's a book that should be read by everyone.

Many thanks to Netgalley and publishers for providing my review copy.

The Bright Years was a short but impactful read. Zeroing in on 3 characters across a span of many years. There were so many moments during the book that surprised me and made me very emotional. Addiction, grief, loss. It goes on. Damoff did a fabulous job weaving this story together from 3 different perspectives. I wanted to hold onto each one and not let go.

The Bright Years is a touching novel of how addiction takes hold of not only the individual, but on generations to follow. Author Sarah Damoff’s The Bright Years depicts one family’s struggle with addiction over a span of decades. With the toppling of one bottle, the promise of the next one to fall is inevitable. It's a heartbreaking adult fiction novel filled with despair, grief and yet the continued desire for love and hope. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys realistic fiction and recent historical fiction as there are well written flash backs woven into the story.

Thank you for the ARC NetGalley and Simon & Schuster. Opinions are my own.

Perfect. The writing is absolutely beautiful—lyrical without being overdone, full of emotion without feeling forced. The characters are richly drawn, each with their own struggles, hopes, and moments of grace. It’s a big-hearted story, full of warmth and depth. Simply, I loved it.

5–wow so many emotions.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with an early read of The Bright Years in exchange for my honest review.

The Bright Years explores the lives of the Bright family over four generations, focusing on Ryan and Lillian as they navigate personal struggles, including addiction and family secrets. Their daughter Georgette tries to escape her past, but a family crisis forces her to confront their complicated legacy and the possibility of healing.

With amazing quotes throughout I found myself laughing and even shedding a few tears. The story of Ryan and Lillian and the evolution of their marriage is a true masterpiece.

I was slowly then all of a sudden hooked on this book. The shift from part one to part two....tissues. The writing is beautiful and lends itself well to the topics covered. Definitely recommend.

Overall this is a 3.5/5 read for me, mostly because I liked each section of the book less than the one that came before it. By the end we reach the perspective of an alcoholic character whose voice is hard to believe, not because he is an alcoholic, but because he almost seems like a brand new character because readers don't get to know about him - aside from his alcoholism - until the end. The pacing also seems to become less consistent throughout. Overall, this is a good read about how people live their lives and the effects alcoholism can have on a family. and recommended for readers interested in family dynamics and addiction.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for providing a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff
5 STARS
Pub Date: April 22, 2025

I have not shed more tears for a book in quite some time. The story of the Bright Family is told through three different perspectives. I experienced love, heartbreak, grace, tragedy, loss and redemption and all it's different raw forms throughout various generations. As a trigger warning, this book does explore addiction as one of it's central themes.

This author takes one family and develops the intricacies of what it is to be a family unit - the love, the disappointment the loss. This book is so truly layered with these themes. The story of the Brights is the story of all of us. They are genuine and vulnerable and there is no doubt that in some part, in some way, this book will resonate with you. As I finished the book and read the Author's Note of "this story belongs to all of you" I got the goosies as that's how it truly felt.

I can't help but think of "Above all, love one another deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins."

This is a must read - I promise. Thank you NetGalley, author Sarah Damoff and Simon & Schuster for providing this ARC.

I really enjoyed this book. I think the author did a good job of tying in the culture of the different periods and generations. I liked that the story was told from different perspectives. This really anchored it in time and also shed more light on what had already happened in the past. I liked that it was redemptive at the end. This really brought it full circle. I felt so many different things reading this book and was very impressed that it is a debut novel. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley. This was a triumph.

The Bright Years, like real-life, is not always "bright" but riddled with harsh realities. This multigenerational novel beautifully reveals "the good, the bad, and the ugly" of Ryan and Lillian's lives and the lives of those they love. The tale of this little family is told in three parts with Lillian, Ryan, and Jet, their daughter, each sharing their own stories while expertly revealing their hopes, angst, grit, fear, grief, alcoholism, secrets, forgiveness, introspection, and unconditional love.

Sarah Damoff created well developed, believable story line, main, and supporting characters. The strength of Elise (Ryan's mother) is goal-worthy: escaping an abusive alcoholic, creating a loving, caring home for her young son, nurturing his love of photography, and making a good life for them on her own. Elise's strength, wisdom, and love is revealing numerous times as Lillian, Ryan, and Jet's stories unfold. Elise is truly a matriarch.

This is a beautiful gift of literary fiction that has the ability to break your heart yet offers healing, hope, and forgiveness.

This book is wonderfully and poetically written. I loved the different character sections that showed their lives chronologically as they intertwined. The author being a social worker allowed her to write a nuanced view of addiction from multiple perspectives that was sensitive and understanding. Masterful!

3.5 ⭐

I keep finding myself gravitating to family-centered reads, so when I stumbled upon The Bright Years and all the early praise it's receiving, I was intrigued. ⁣
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𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐄𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝: ⁣
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I loved that Sarah Damoff explored the tough subject of alcoholism in this read and did so through the lens of multiple characters and the passage of time. This added layers and history, which made it feel more authentic. This was an emotional read with themes of family, secrecy, and battling your own demons. I found myself moved by the story. ⁣
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𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝗪𝐚𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐞:⁣
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As much as I enjoyed the premise of this book, I would have loved to have seen it a little more fleshed out. This story has great bones and characters I cared about, but it's a shorter read, and I found it to feel a little rushed, which in turn caused me to struggle to connect with it as much as I believe I could have. At the same time, this was a debut, readers. I'm so impressed by the aforementioned "bones" of this book and find myself excited to see what Sarah Damoff does next. I'll definitely be checking it out!

The Bright Years is gorgeous, shocking, and deeply emotional. I was blown away by the lush, incisive prose and complex family dynamics. I'm not ashamed to admit that I sobbed while reading the last third on a plane. I can't wait for whatever Sarah Damoff writes next!

This is EXACTLY the kind of book I needed in this moment, one filled with heart and depth and meaning. We follow the story of Lillian and Ryan in their early years, when life was so full of possibilities and joy seemed inevitable. But as it often happens, difficulties arise. And life must continue to persist.

The story is told in three different perspectives but following in a linear timeline. Each unique vantage point was equally compelling and provided its own distinctive voice and context. It is a story of hope, grief, joy, second chances and all of the realness that life is constantly bombarded with. The characters are unbelievably well-rounded and fully captured my heart.

I was so enamored by this family's story, and I desperately wanted to know how it played out. There were several unexpected pivots, but the flow and pacing was consistently and artfully executed.

This is a family story that is not to be missed.