Calcutta born Durga leaves her family for a job in Ireland where she meets Joy, her new BFF and Joy's brother, Jacob, with whom she falls in love. Enjoying the freedom of an independent life, she also recognizes her role in her family and how her new life would be viewed by them. Because she fears her family will not accept Jacob, she hesitates telling her family about him. When she doesn’t invite him to her sister’s wedding in India, they break up. The nostalgia of returning home for the wedding entices her back to that culture, but is it enough to give up her new life in Ireland?

A fast contemporary read with flowing prose, this coming of age novel touches on so many themes. There is the struggle between finding your own way and obligations to your family, living a cross culture life, taking control of your life, and the misunderstandings that can occur when we prejudge our family’s dynamics. I enjoyed learning more about the Indian culture, particularly the traditions surrounding a wedding and Hindu myths…and all the references to food. I liked the woman Durga became.

This book was an ultra-slow starter
I just really didn't care about the characters
Sorry but not my fave

I enjoy books about cross-cultural topics. This one is interesting, taking place in Ireland. There is a high tension relationship between Indian, Durga and Irish, Jacob. It’s well written, but sometimes I just don’t find a hook that really engages me. I really couldn’t relate to the main character.

Thank you Netgalley for this opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I really enjoyed this character driven, coming of age story, that follows Durga as she learns who she is and where she belongs. All of the characters in the story were flawed and endearing and I never truly knew where things were headed next. When the book ended, I found myself wishing for the best for everyone I had just spent time with while being content with the stopping point of the story as they continued on their paths in life.

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

She beat the sophomore slump! I enjoyed this even more than I enjoyed “Dirty Laundry” and I absolutely loved that book. She topped her previous work which I didn’t think was possible. It was so real and raw and I identified with Durga even as a middle-aged white American. It was just masterfully written and I felt all the feels in the course of this book. Wonderful story!! Can’t wait for the next!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC of this book.
A coming of age story about merging a life growing up in India with
Life as a young adult in Ireland.; reconciling traditional family values
And rituals with the new freedom of growing up in the new world.
Engaging with interesting character development

Entering Durga's life was an immersive experience. I learned so much about the culture and dishes of India. We begin, however in Cork where Durga, a mid-20's woman from Calcutta, has come to work in tech support. She has left her large, close-knit traditional Indian family to establish a separate life away from the loving but stifling family in which she is one of four siblings.

Durga's two-year love affair with her flatmate's brother has broken up because she failed to invite him to her sister's wedding. Jacob, who is bi-racial, feels that that's the reason she has not wanted him to meet her family. Disha Bose seems to be writing from a deep knowledge of traditional Indian family dynamics. Her mother and father and older sister, expect her to accept an arranged marriage.

Diving into this novel is like slipping into another life so different from more contemporary methods of meeting people and having relationships with people not approved by parents. The novel is a delicious read, not only because the food descriptions will make you hungry, but because it's emotional journey into friendship grief, growth and finally development of emotional maturity. Disha Bose writes from the heart and what seems like her own experience.

Thanks to Ballantine for an early copy of this book to read and review.

.

I had a really difficult time getting into this story and relating to the main characters. I did enjoy the cover, and the title really drew me in… And it was obvious to me that by the end of her story, Durga was blossoming anyway!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher, for an advanced reading copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

This book tugged at my heartstrings on a way I didn’t know it would. I shed a tear at some point but overall it was a sweet story.

I loved this sweet coming of age story x. It was such a good book and you will root for the whole family
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review the book

I Will Blossom Anyway by Disha Bose is a sweet, emotional, informative and partly sad about a young Indian woman from Calcutta who now lives in Ireland. Her intention is to find herself and discover self-love away from the traditions of arranged marriages and other old ways of life in India. She explores her sexuality, friendships and love relationships with sometimes confusion, self-doubt and always with a sense of humor. It is light and quick reading and explores India and her family in a new and loving way!! It is a good read!

The writing is easy to read, the plot is easy to follow, and the story itself feels incredibly relatable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for the ARC.

Such a great coming of age story! I really enjoyed meeting Durga and her whole family. An authentic and emotional coming of age story that pulled me in.

I wish I could read this again for the first time.

SPOILER-FREE SYNOPSIS:
This book follows Durga, a woman who was born and raised in India with traditional parents and 4 siblings, who moves to Ireland to work for a technology company. She falls in love with Jacob, but their secret 2-year relationship comes to an end when she decides not to invite him to her sister's wedding back in India for fear that he won't be accepted by her family. Following their breakup, Durga finds herself mentally battling between her newfound understanding of being a modern woman and the pressures of her upbringing and cultural expectations.

Isn't it funny how life sometimes gives you exactly what you need in a turbulent or emotionally difficult time in your life? This book was the serendipity I needed - giving me the extra push I needed to make a drastic but positive change in my life. I found so much meaning in this book, and it helped me process a lot of my own feelings and recent life changes while indirectly relating to and sympathizing so much with Durga and her grief. The relationships were so complex yet relatable, and the character development throughout was just so satisfying and hopeful. This book made me feel so seen. Highly, highly recommend.

Thank you to @netgalley + @randomhouse for the ARC, and to @dishabossy for this beautiful coming-of-age story releasing on May 6, 2025!

Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: coming-of-age, self-discovery, romance, contemporary fiction
Trigger warnings: grief, death of a loved one, domestic violence, complex family dynamics

This is a sweet book that explores the Hindu myth of Durga and Kali--one pure of heart and one her alter ego. It begins with protagonist Durga who has moved from India to Ireland and lives with flatmate and best friend, Joy. Joy's brother Jacob has been Durga's on-again, off-again boyfriend and something tragic happens just as Durga meets another man walking on the beach. But she must soon travel to India for a wedding and is worried that her traditional parents will attempt an arranged marriage for her so she's reluctant to go. She does and everything that transpires after that just proves that no matter where you are you are always home with family!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

A coming of age story centered around India born and raised Durga. She’s leaving home to begin her independent life in Cork, Ireland. She rents an apartment but the cost isn’t manageable for a single person so advertises for a roommate. Joy is the first person to come and immediately tells Durga that she will not only take the apartment but will cook and do all the cleaning. Thus begins a strong friendship that will be tested by heartbreaking circumstances. Durga finds herself in a 2 year loving relationship with Joy’s brother but is reluctant to bring him home to her sister’s wedding because he is black and believes that her family will not accept him. Because Durga refuses to bring him they break up but are both miserable because they are deeply in love. Going home can be difficult because your memories are of your life as a child and the family dynamic of adulthood is quite different. This story has complicated and sometimes misunderstood family relationships. Worth a read although at times I found myself frustrated wanting Durga to get on with life.
This ARC was provided by Random House Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Such a great coming of age story! I really enjoyed
meeting Durga and her whole family through this story. Such an authentic and emotional coming of age tale that pulled at my heartstrings.

Also the cover is/was beautiful!

This novel beautifully explores themes of cultural identity, family traditions, love, friendship, and personal growth—all told with a mix of humor, heartbreak, and warmth.

Durga, the youngest of three Indian daughters, is named after a Hindu goddess symbolizing purity and strength. Her parents hope she will embody these virtues as she forges her own path. When she moves to Ireland for a promising job, she embraces her independence, forming close friendships and even falling for her flatmate’s brother. However, when she returns to India for her sister’s wedding, she hesitates to bring her new friends along, fearing her family won’t accept them. It’s only later that she realizes she underestimated both her parents and the deep value of family.

I enjoyed this book—it’s an engaging and thoughtful read. At times, it felt geared toward a younger audience, with some decisions left unexplored in depth, but I’d still recommend it to readers who enjoy stories about personal growth and cultural transitions.

This is a beautifully layered and empowering story of self-discovery and transformation. At its heart is Durga, an unassuming middle child from a loving but stifling Calcutta family who unexpectedly becomes the first to break free from the expectations and limitations that have long defined her. In Ireland, far from the familiar, Durga steps into a world of endless possibilities, and readers are invited to join her on a journey of growth, heartbreak, and self-realization.

Durga’s transformation is deeply compelling. Her initial timidity and self-doubt are relatable, and her journey to reclaim her identity feels authentic and hard-won. The relationships she forges in Ireland—especially with Jacob and Joy—are vibrant and dynamic, highlighting the complexity of love and friendship and the courage it takes to navigate both. Her relationship with Jacob is particularly poignant, a reminder of how love can teach us about ourselves even when it doesn’t last.

Durga’s struggle to balance her newfound independence with her ties to home and family creates a rich tension that many readers will recognize. The goddess Kali's invocation serves as a powerful metaphor for Durga’s ultimate empowerment, reminding us that bravery and transformation often come from within.

With evocative prose and deeply human characters, this novel explores what it means to carve out one’s own path.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.