“There is goodness ahead of you. I know this because I know you. You don’t hide from pain or from play. Your joy is obstinate, yet you are brave enough to break. You have open eyes and an open heart—a rare combination in a world where one of those usually closes the other. You are your mother’s daughter, who is her mother’s daughter. You are, and you will always be, radiant.”

5 Stars ⭐️ So lucky to have read and reviewed this eArc before official publication on April 22, 2025—thank you, NetGalley and Simon & Schuster!

What an incredible read. I highlighted so many beautiful, big-hearted passages within this debut (!!) novel from Sarah Damoff. I have a feeling Ryan, Lillian and Georgette’s impactful story will resonate with many readers for years to come. Could not recommend this one enough!

Thanks again, NetGalley and Simon & Schuster.

A touching story of love, addiction, friendship and parenthood.

The story is split into three different perspectives, starting with Lillian the mother. She has her one secret, which for a good majority of her portion I didn't think bothered her. Her and Ryan's relationship started off like any other and I wondered where it could be going. But then I saw the struggles with Ryan, and her life as basically a single mother, which really started to pull at my heart strings. When the perspective switched to Jet, I knew something was going to happen but I didn't imagine like that.

Jet's portion is sad. And happy. And sad. I felt many emotions. And Ryan's? I was just happy he found peace.

I really enjoyed this more than I thought I would. It was moving and would cause anyone to be reflective. I look forward to more from this author in the future.

What It’s About:

The Bright Years is a quiet and gripping novel about the ways, big and small, that addiction can grasp a family in its clutches. Ryan and Lillian Bright are young and in love, but both harboring secrets from each other that have the power to change the trajectory of their marriage and the life of their daughter. The story is told through 3 separate POVs, all equally impactful and introspective, as the family is ripped apart and put back together in the way that only something truly broken can be - in a completely different way than it started.

Why I Liked It:

I’m drawn to so many aspects of this book — stories that span a long period of time (6 decades in this case), stories about addiction, multi POV, multigenerational family sagas — and it also had some contrasting elements to the books I typically read, such as the Texas setting. It’s readable, relatable (in ways both good and bad), full of richly developed emotion, and the characters will draw you in to the point that their disappointments feel like yours. I highly recommend this one — for fans of Claire Lombardo.

This was a beautifully written story about collective trauma and the expectations we place on each other to heal us. Given all of the time jumps and short chapters, it reads more like a short story than a novel and is definitely something you'll want to read in a day.

Being said, it was a little hard for me to get into for the first half of the book. A LOT of Lillian's story centers around pregnancy, her children as her identity, and pregnancy loss. As someone who's never been pregnant and never wanted children, I found it incredibly hard to relate to and feel any sort of emotional connection to her, because that was her entire personality. So if you're like me, this may not be for you.

I do wish the story had been told in a more linear timeframe as well--constantly going back and forth between "Present" Lillian and "Past" Lillian didn't really add anything to the story, and if you're not remembering what years fall into which timeline, you're going to get lost pretty quickly.

Being said, this is an incredibly emotional story and definitely not something you're going to want to read if topics like addiction, abuse, miscarriage, and child loss are troubling for you. Damoff has done an incredible job cramming a LOT of emotional impact in under 300 pages--if I was a crier, this definitely would have gotten me if I connected more with Lillian.

THE BRIGHT YEARS
BY: SARAH DAMOFF

About 4.5 Stars!

This is a debut author, Sarah Damoff's character driven narrative that is called, "THE BRIGHT YEARS," which it's evident that she draws a lot of depth to her storytelling potentially from her vocation as a social worker. It's not a long book but it took me longer to read as I lingered over parts of the trials, and triumphs of the Bright family over four generations. My favorite characters were Elise who is Ryan's mother, and Lillian who is married to Ryan. Sarah Damoff infused these two women as having an endless supply of love, but she doesn't shy away from the tougher parts of life with exploring adoption, love, hope, grief piled on top of grief, loss, friendship, and many other themes. It is very impressive for a debut to cover such a wide range of the very large cast of characters, but it's very easy to keep them straight, and I was truly engaged throughout the entire novel which I read in one sitting. I had things to do which I neglected since I wanted to keep reading, and this is quite an accomplishment how this is the type of family saga that feels all the more powerful as I type this review and reflect back. It's a memorable piece of literary fiction that will stay with me for a long time.

It starts out with Ryan as a young child coloring underneath the table while he can hear abuse from his alcoholic father towards his mother Elise. She coaxes Ryan to play a game to quickly leave their home at night on foot. This is the late 1950's and cultural references are woven into the story.

Lillian who is at the library sitting down at a table reading is approached by Ryan who sunlight's as an artist and works at a restaurant at night has dreams of opening his own Art Galley so he can be free to paint and photograph his own preferences. Lillian welcomes him to sit down when he recognizes her from the bank where he has seen her while trying to secure funds from a loan. Eventually they go across the street to a Greek restaurant where she witnesses Ryan do an act of kindness which they are into the future newly married without a courtship. They are both newly married only Lillian hasn't disclosed to Ryan that she had a son that she gave up for adoption. I could feel by the lovely writing Lillian's loss of that child who she didn't seem to want to part with her son. but her musician boyfriend turns out to be indifferent, and she and him went separate ways. She never forgot her son even though Ryan has no idea.

Her and Ryan have decided to try to have another child, and it ends with grief that is palpable how deeply she feels the repercussions. After quite some time they try again for another child who they are rewarded with a baby girl named Georgette, who they nickname Jet. Sometimes husbands change when they buckle under the pressure of children, but in this case it's one child and Ryan starts drinking and he leaves them since Lillian and him have what seems like history repeating itself and Lillian seeks refuge from Ryan's mother Elise who I loved for her empathy and kindness she showed towards her daughter-in-law by welcoming them to stay with her with understanding. Elise had been close to Ryan, but her handling the situation was admirable. Lillian only planned on staying a few days so you can imagine her heartbreak when Ryan calls her and tells her that he's moved out. These two women were my favorite characters for their resilience and strength of their character who handle disappointment with such kinship towards one another.

Lillian is a wonderful mother to Georgette as she is a single parent who meets another mother named Shauna who has a son the same age as Georgette, named Kendall who both mothers are supportive while their daughter and son are just as close. This really reflects and focuses how the power of friendship can help you get through hard times. Ryan who continues to be unreliable and he supports Georgette financially but is afflicted with alcoholism, and between his mother Elise and Shauna Lillian and Georgette show strength in how they handle the inconsistent behavior of Ryan's choice of alcohol, but there isn't any bad feelings towards the author's depicting Ryan as disappointing, but not painted as a bad guy as in this author's vocation she obviously has a deeper understanding of addiction than I do.

This is a beautifully written novel that as heartbreaking as it is, it's never depressing showing well developed characters who have the necessary layers that show her characters as gray instead of sketching them as black or white. There's so much more to this story that I will leave for you to discover when you read this. It explores Georgette's character whose dynamics towards her parents is explored with the same expertise and I can't emphasize enough how realistic this is written with all of the costs that are visited on this family, but it is written with this author's empathetic eye towards balancing out the tragic with hope and love within these pages. I didn't think it was predictable with that aspect keeping you intrigued from start to finish. The range of emotions that I'm left feeling is that I know I won't forget this saga of how these lives were captured so remarkably intimate told through three points of view which is Lillian's, Georgette's and Ryan bringing it full circle. It definitely covers four generations within a lot fewer pages than those who this author's writing with comparisons are made to in the synopsis. There's one who I've read whose first book was one that is a good 400 pages longer which has been more educated in writing that was much more frustrating with this never gave me that feeling once. I highly, highly recommend this to literary fiction fans who enjoy realism incorporated into the big picture that I know will impact most readers. This novel deserves to reach as wide of an audience as possible. I'll be recommending this to all readers, and I cannot wait to read whatever this author writes next.

Publication Date: April 22, 2025

Thank you to Net Galley, Sarah Damoff, and Simon & Schuster for generously providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own, as always.

#TheBrightYears #SarahDamoff #Simon&Schuster #NetGalley

This book absolutely WRECKED me. I haven’t cried this much reading a book in a long time. A full blown stream of tears. This book fully encompasses the imperfections of life and how beauty and messiness can coexist. I enjoyed how the author incorporated the layered complexities of generational trauma that happened between multiple characters and one family. Truly a stunning novel about life.

I am so blown away that this is a debut novel. Some people are just born to write and Sarah Damoff is one of them. Bravo!!!!!

Thank you Simon & Schuster, NetGalley and Sarah Damoff for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I feel so privileged to have read this book.

TW: Addiction, miscarriage, adoption

Thank you @simonbooks for the physical ARC of The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff as well as the eARC on @netgalley. This has been one of my most anticipated reads of the year.

This book. 😭😭😭 Not to be dramatic, but my husband ran down the hall because he thought I was CHOKING due to me crying so hard while reading this book. 😂 This book destroyed me in the best possible way and was such a stunning depiction of family, love, and addiction.

This book starts in 1958 with a young Ryan fleeing his abusive home, with both he and his mother escaping his alcoholic father. Flash forward years later, Ryan meets Lillian and they fall madly in love. Lillian has her own secrets and Ryan has his demons, but the love is palpable. They have a daughter, Georgette (Jet) l, and then tragedy strikes. The story continues until 2019 and chronicles the relationships between Lillian, Ryan, and Jet in the face of addiction, loss, and grief. I loved the multiple POVs and getting to hear from Lillian, Jet, and Ryan. I adored getting to know these characters and their lives and especially loved the other supporting characters in their world (Elise, Kendi, Davis, & Shauna).

This one gets all the stars! Not since reading Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano (my favorite book) 5+ years ago have I cried so hard while reading such a beautiful story that makes you feel SO MUCH. Make sure you pre-order this debut being released on 4/22 (and some tissues too), I can tell it’s going to be huge.

This is my debut of the year so far! The Bright Years is a heartbreaking family saga that tells the story of the Bright family told in the point of view of mother, father and daughter.

The character development was incredible and you found yourself routing for each of them. Damoff did an incredible job humanizing the disease of alcoholism and its lasting effects for generations.

This is a very heavy read and has numerous triggering and deeply thought provoking themes, including abuse, abandonment, teen pregnancy, alcoholism, grief and pain.

This novel will stay etched in your heart. I can't wait to see what comes next from Sarah Demoff.

Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy in exchange in for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, Simon & Schuster and Sarah Damoff for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of The Bright Years.
This is a beautifully written four generation family drama filled with ups and downs. I was completely invested from start to finish and enjoyed every second of it.
The characters are extremely likable and complex. Even those who behaved poorly and made the wrong decisions made sense to me and I could identify with each one. I rooted for the whole family to stay together and work through the difficulties.
The plot is fast paced and I was never bored. This is a debut novel which is quite impressive. The themes should hit home with every reader. No family is ideal and no one has all the answers to solve every problem. Love and caring remain constant from beginning to end. I thoroughly recommend this book and I look foreword to more from Sarah Damoff.

One family, three different perspectives. The mother, father, and daughter. A whole bunch of pain, miscommunication, and unnecessary suffering. There’s grief, addiction, secrets, resentments, and sadness. Then, there’s also hope, forgiveness, and new beginnings. In short, this debut has it all.

Lily and Ryan Bright’s love story starts off like something straight out of a Hollywood movie. But as life settles in, the chinks in the armor start to show. Ryan sinks deep into alcohol addiction, and while he feels like he’s making the best decision by abandoning his wife and daughter, he instead continues the generational trauma his mother fought so hard to break away from.

There were so many times I wanted to jump into the book to knock some sense into Ryan. The unnecessary amount of pain he caused those around him because he couldn’t see far enough out of his own pain was devastating. Lily is a stronger woman than me and was able to forgive more times than I would have been.

This book is literally a roller coaster ride with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. I didn’t want the book to end and honestly felt like it could have been a little bit longer so the ending could have been fleshed out a little bit more. And even though I wasn’t a huge fan of how Damoff ended the story, this is still a book that will undoubtedly stick with me and be a contender for a top book of the year for me. It’s an excellent debut that solidly puts Damoff on my radar.

This is a heartbreaking story of love, loss, and addiction. The multiple points of view fully immerse the reader, allowing them to experience the multigenerational challenges and complexities of the characters' lives. Each perspective adds depth to the narrative, highlighting how deeply interconnected their struggles are. The emotions in this story are so powerful that it brought me to tears, and its impact stayed with me after I finished reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was completely heart breaking, and I loved it so much! It’s about love, family, addiction, loss and grief.

This is a short novel that spans decades. Sometimes stories that jump so quickly through time feel rushed or I feel disappointed when moving to a new period of time. But in this story, it did not bother me. I was engrossed in the lives of this family and could not put it down as I flew through the years with them. Excellent characters and I felt deeply connected to them. This story was equal parts devastating and beautiful, and these characters will haunt me for a long time.

Wow, this is quite a debut. I really liked it. It made me think a lot, especially about people with addictions. I know the author mentions at the beginning that she has a lot of experience with working with people with addictions. We follow a few characters in the "Bright" family, mostly Lillian and Ryan as they fall in love, get married, and have a baby girl. There are choices made, choices that are infuriating, My heart was tugged and pulled by these characters throughout the book. Bravo!

Most of my favorite books in the last few years have been family epics—stories covering generations and years inside one family as they fall in love, fall out of love, live, die, laugh, and cry. Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane and Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano are perfect examples. Well, Sarah Damoff's "The Bright Years" is also on that shelf.

Lillian and Ryan meet in a library, where Ryan recognizes Lillian from her job at the bank. Their first date is that same day at a Greek restaurant, lasting for hours. Soon, they fall deeper and deeper in love and marry. Next, Georgette "Jet" Bright is born, and the world changes.

Told by Lillian, Jet, and Ryan, the Bright family's story follows them from the 1970s to the present day. Despite its short length, this isn't an easy read. Damoff doesn't waste space with useless words, but parts of the Bright family story are hard to read. There is deep anger and resentment, as well as deep love and hope.

The Bright family story is modern, not looking back with rose-colored glasses. It deals with heavy topics (adoption, alcoholism, death), but these are topics that families have to deal with and should be talked about more.

This is a debut novel, and it reads like it's from an old master at fiction. I highly recommend this book and can not wait to see what Sarah Damoff does next.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Oh my gosh, this will absolutely be in my top ten of the year! So moving, so sad, so emotional, but also hopeful? I WEPT at the end of this book. Highly highly recommend if you love a complicated, multi-generational family story!

The Bright years is a solid family saga -- engaging, emotionally observant, and at its best when it leans into the quiet complexities of parenthood, loss, aging, childhood, generational trauma, and the long arc of family history. Some parts really landed, especially around how people grow apart and then find their way back to each other. But too often, it reaches for emotional impact in ways that feel a little forced. The prose veers purple in some places, and some of the emotional beats feel over-scripted. Still, the story sticks.

This book is absolutely incredible. Spanning decades and generations, it packs an emotional punch in a concise 288 pages. But despite its shorter length, the writing is eloquent and full of rich imagery. I was blown away by how fantastic this book was. I couldn't put it down. I smiled, I cried literal tears (many times) and I rooted for the characters to succeed. This book and its characters will stay with me a long time.

There is a major trigger warning here for alcoholism. Also, because it spans so many decades, death and grief are inevitable here. Tread carefully, but for me the author handled these real life struggles in a relatable and careful way. This book will give you all the feels. I highlighted SO many passages, many of my favorites I can't share due to spoilers--but know you'll want to stop and reread and highlight passages that speak to you along the way. What an INCREDIBLE debut novel!

"Time can wash dirt off a memory until it is revealed as something else entirely."

Read the last page completely stunned and shocked this is a debut novel. The writing is impeccable, crafting of the plot is flawless and the development of the characters is perfect. The story wrung every bit of emotion from me and left me fully satisfied. Nothing over written, no over reaching for emotion or feeling. Just literally perfect. Getting to read an advance copy of this has been a gift. Everyone I know and love will receive a copy of this pre-ordered from my local bookstore.

The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff is a captivating tale that serves as both a heartbreaker and a heart-mender. It beautifully portrays the themes of inheritance and loss, compelling readers to confront their vulnerabilities and secrets in order to discover their inner strength and truth. This stunning debut novel is a must-read for those seeking a poignant and thought-provoking story.

While the book dragged in parts, it was a story that kept me interested. It is a book about a family that has been devastated by alcohol. Very sad when a life is devoted to alcohol and they miss out on life in general. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the complementary digital ARC. This review was not coerced in any way and is my own words.