I Will Blossom Anyway is a wonderful coming-of-age novel by Disha Bose.

It's interesting to read about the Indian cultures of matchmaking in today's world, and the expectations that are put on women, especially to be married. A good look at grief and growing into our best selves. Durga was born and raised in India, coming from a family that is always in her business and quite opinionated. She moves to Ireland to start fresh after her break-up. ⁣

I did enjoy this book. I thank NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

This book was not what I was expecting it was a lot more serious and darker than what I was expecting.In this book we follow Durga a young woman from India who moves to Ireland to work. This is really a tale of her becoming an adult dealing with grief and loss and complicated family dynamics. I think this book had an important unique perspective that I enjoyed and respected just definitely don’t feel like the cover conveyed this. This was my first book from this author I am interested in picking up more from them in the future I just know better what to expect next time. I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

The book was was difficult to connect wit the characters and the cultural context and content. So many miscommunication issues within the family and unable to communicate that caused a lot of long term issues. Mostly a coming of age type book that included the sad with the happy. Slow w moving and drawn out I was invited to read an advanced reader copy of the book by was under no obligation to write a review. The opinions expressed are my own. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the book. If you want a slow boil tis one is definitely for you.

I really enjoyed the Indo-Irish accent with the narration of this book! I’d just finished listening to a book about a woman dealing with the Indo-American experience so this was a perfect companion piece. Durga is trying to navigate her place in the world, her relationships, her family, and her friends. The story felt real and authentic. I felt like I went on a journey with our heroine and would love to have more books to follow what everyone is up to next!
*Thanks to Ballantine and NetGalley

A novel about dual identities, featuring Durga, a Bengal woman living in Ireland. Leaving India to escape her traditional family, Durga was in a long term relationship with Jacob, her best friend Joy’s brother. Durga is hesitant to introduce Jacob to her family, since he is Black and not what she assumes they will accept. Durga makes assumptions that will not always hold to be true, as she tries to figure out where she belongs, India or Cork Ireland. Durga’s relationship with her family was quite interesting. At times, the book was depressing, but it was worth the read.


Pub Date: 06 May 2025

Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.provided

I received a free ARC ebook of <i>I Will Blossom Anyway</i> from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Durga may have been raised in India with all its culture and family structure, but now she lives and works in Ireland. She had long wanted to escape the restrictions of an arranged marriage, and now, in Ireland, she sets out to discover herself.

No path of self-discovery is smooth or straight, and Durga must confront heartache and self-doubt along the way.

I enjoyed this book, but I think it could have been shorter and still present its theme successfully.

Durga is caught between two worlds - the world where she and Jacob are happily in love in Ireland and the conservative Indian world she has grown up in where her parents expect her to settle down and get married to a good Bengali boy. But after 2 years, Jacob worries that Durga will never be able to tell her parents about him and so they end their relationship, with Jacob’s sister, Joy, caught in the middle. Joy loves her brother and loves her best friend and roomie Durga and is devastated by their breakup.

And then tragedy strikes upending Durga’s world as she wonders about the what ifs in her life. Reeling on the heels of grief, Durga goes to India for her sister’s wedding and discovers more about herself and her family than she thought she knew. And recognizing that maybe her assumptions about her family might not have been as she thought.

This novel begins with heartbreak but ends with slivers of hope as Durga navigates life as it throws its punches at her. It’s a novel of self-discovery, rooted in self-identity of a young Indian woman living outside of the world she grew up in, dealing with grief and healing in her own way. Although I am neither Indian nor live in Ireland, there was much about Durga’s self-discovery journey that I was able to relate to.

Thank you to @ballantinebooks and @netgalley for a #gifted advanced digital copy of this novel.

Thank you to Net Galley and Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. Durga is the first of her family to leave Calcutta. She has always felt like the least (as her siblings seem to shine in ways she doesn't) and all the traditional expectations feel like a heavy weight. She decides she will leave India and she works hard to make it happen - finding a tech job in Ireland and also a boyfriend Jacob, along with becoming best friends with his sister, Joy. Yet everything isn't perfect in the paradise she imagined being away from her family and home. Jacob breaks up with Durga and she becomes unsure of all the decisions she made, leaving home and her life that she's made in Ireland. This is a coming of age story about growing up, finding your own voice and place in the world but also discovering the importance and meaning of family and home along with those who are chosen family and chosen home. 3.5 stars.

A novel about dual identities, featuring Durga, a Bengal woman living in Ireland. Leaving India to escape her traditional family, Durga was in a long term relationship with Jacob, her best friend Joy’s brother. Durga is hesitant to introduce Jacob to her family, since he is Black and not what she assumes they will accept. Durga makes assumptions that will not always hold to be true, as she tries to figure out where she belongs, India or Cork Ireland. Durga’s relationship with her family was quite interesting. At times, the book was depressing, but it was worth the read. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Beautiful cover. reflecting a heroine caught between two different countries, India and Ireland.

Title suggests Durga's character growth. It happened, I think but not to the point the reader will appreciate her journey.

Found book's scenes set in India as she interacts with her immediate family much more intriguing than her relationship with the Irish siblings, Joy and Jacob. Not a fan of her treatment of Luke.

This ARC was provided by the publisher, Random House Publishing Group Ballantine via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

#IWillBlossomAnyway #NetGalley

This story follows Durga who is Bengali but moved to Ireland for work and is navigating love, loss, grief, friendship, family, and finding herself.

We follow Durga’s journey after her secret (from her family) ex boyfriend and best friend’s brother die. She learns more about herself than she ever thought possible and more about her family that continued to surprise her in positive ways.

I have to admit I was a bit confused on where the story was going but ultimately realized it was such a great representation of life- you don’t know what’s next and most of it is mundane while you’re figuring it out.

I loved a lot about this book- true representation of friendship between Durga and Joy, the honest display of grief from everyone in Jacob’s life, and the thoughtful highlighting of tough topics (abusive relationships, arranged marriage, religion, etc).

Durga comes from a large family and feels subpar compared to her accomplished and personable siblings. When she has the chance to travel for work, she takes it as her chance to shine and possibly stand out. However things go sour personally and now Durga has to decide what she wants and what she is willing to give up to achieve it.

I Will Blossom Anyway is a enjoyable coming-of-age novel which illustrates the challenges women face in order to capture it all - love, professional advancement and inner peace. As a reader, this novel gave me a better appreciation and understanding of the Indian culture and family values. Thank you to NetGalley and Ballentine Publishing for the opportunity to read this novel.

Durga is our resident heroine caught between her life in India and Ireland. Does she want to live her life on her own or return home to what her family wants. That is the essence - however I really found myself not caring. I just didn’t find Durga all that interesting. Thanks to NetGalley for the read.

I loved the story and found great parallels within myself, especially between two worlds and cultures. I think people will love reading and seeing the paths and roads - we all have a little angel and devil in us. Reading this, you can find yourself and grow with the characters.

Durga is caught between two worlds. She is a young woman from India living in Ireland and being pulled in two directions. Her traditional family is wanting her married, and providing her with suggestions for whom to marry, while she is living in Ireland and wanting to be free to do as she pleases. Her sister is getting married and she will be coming back to India to be with her family for the celebrations. But before her trip, tragedy strikes her world and she finds she is torn with what her life should look like going forward. I really enjoyed getting to see a world view that is completely different from my own.

Durga Bose’s debut is a heartfelt journey of self-discovery, freedom, and inner fire. Durga, named after the goddess, leaves her overprotective Calcutta home for a new life in Ireland. There, she finds love, heartbreak, and something even more powerful—herself.

This novel beautifully captures what it means to exist between cultures, to crave independence, and to finally blossom on your own terms. It’s witty, warm, and quietly fierce.

For fans of: millennial coming-of-age stories, diaspora voices, and women finding their strength.

Thank you @netgalley and randomhose publishing group for gifted galley of this book.

As an expat myself, I really wanted to connect with this story, but it just didn’t land for me. I found Durga’s character hard to engage with—she felt passive, indecisive, and emotionally distant. Her relationship with Jacob lacked depth, and the big moments in the story felt more told than shown. While the cultural elements were interesting, I struggled to care about the characters or their choices. Others may connect more with Durga’s journey, but this one just wasn’t for me.

This book is about an Indian woman growing into her own person, finding independence from her conservative family.
I really liked her friendship with Joy and her relationship with her sister.

I Will Blossom Anyway follows the life of a sheltered Indian woman living in Ireland. Durga has decided to experiment with living while not under her traditional parents eyes. Durga finds first love but cannot figure out how to combine her two lives. What follows is an emotional journey of self discovery while Durga figures out what she really wants. I cannot imagine having the constraints of a traditional Indian life. It was interesting to see what she appreciated in each of her lifestyles.

Don’t let the cover on this book fool you! This is not a romcom, but a young woman’s quest for self-discovery.

Durga moves to Ireland from India to pursue a new job and independence from her family. At her new home she finds love, friendship, but she’s always questioning her choices.

There’s a (very shocking!) twist in the story and it turns her world upside down. How will she deal with this new perspective? Read this story and find out!

Loved!