It was an interesting insight into the lives of second generation Indians. As an Indian living in India, I could empathise with the characters and the protagonist. Quite an interesting read!

I did not finish this one. This book just wasn't for me and I had trouble getting into it. I have nothing bad to say about it, it just wasn't my personal taste.

Well-Behaved Indian women is a beautiful story about how mothers try to do better for their daughters, doing whatever is in their power to give them a life with more opportunities than they ever had. Mimi is the oldest of the three main characters in the book. She is now retired. She loves being around girls and teaching them, giving them access to education that they may be getting denied due to their socioeconomic status. Nandini, her daughter, moved to the US after her marriage and is a doctor there. Simran is Nandini’s daughter and Well-Behaved Indian Women is set in the time when Simran is just out of college. Her longtime boy-friend, Kunal, has proposed to her and what lies ahead is an Indian wedding preparation while trying to figure out who she is and how to make her dreams of being a writer come true.

Well-Behaved Indian Women portrayed beautifully how our histories make us and being a generation apart can make such a difference. So much happens in 20-30 years, we are almost different people. Touching on gender roles, Indian culture, marriage, love and familial relationships, this is an enjoyable read. A wedding is the time to bring families together and while travelling in India with my husband and being surrounded by my family – aunts and uncles – I felt immersed in the book and taken away by the festivities.

Simran is a writer and psychologist, judged by her mother, Nandini, who feels writing isn’t a “job.” When a journalist comes knocking, Simran questions her career and engagement.

Nandini, Simran’s mother, has done the best she can to provide a good life for her children. She faces racism in the workplace and at home, and she is often placating her husband’s complicated family. Her ideal in life has been to be the “Perfect Indian Woman.”

Mimi is the mother of Nandini. She feels like a failure as a mother, but she strives to be a good grandmother to Simran.

Well-Behaved Indian Women is incredibly well-written. It’s a story about how women don’t often follow our dreams, and how we strive for certain ideals that culture or society dictates. The characters are complex and lovable. This is very much a character-driven book, and I adored every bit of watching them grow as their relationships were tested. This is such a gem of a book, and I look forward to more from Saumya Dave.

RATING: 3/5 STARS

If you like generational, cultural stories I think you may like this one. It's very character driven, but I found myself not too invested in them unfortunately.

An exploration of what it means to live our own lives, especially as women coming from families who have strong ideas of what’s “best” for us. I wanted a more satisfying ending, but I appreciate the message that sometimes we have to make a mess of it all to really have any chance of knowing, let alone getting, what we want.

This debut is such a great story about mothers and daughters over three generations. Simran, Nandini, and Mimi are all incredibly different women, navigating the world the best they can—and to see the way they support and challenge one another reminded me of some of the most pitch-perfect moments in another wonderful grandmother-mother-daughter story, Jane the Virgin.

I absolutely loved this book! I was so engrossed by the characters right off the bat. Her writing is out of this world, if you've been in a reading slump this is a great place to start, it absolutely blew me away!

‘Well-Behaved Indian Women’ by Saumya Dave was a beautiful, touching, and sumptuous story that followed three generations of Indian women. I absolutely loved this one. Highly recommend!

*Thank-you to Netgalley for providing me with a eARC of this book. All opinions expressed are voluntary and my own. *

*Thanks to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the complimentary copy for my honest review*

It was really interesting getting to read about different cultures and how these three generations of women were so profiled. This wasn't a super engaging book for me even though it had all the premise to be a great read. It had excellent themes around family and the characters were well-developed. This book just honestly wasn't for me but I would recommend it to others.

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2021 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2021/02/2021-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

This has taken me so long to write the review because I just express how much I enjoyed reading this beautiful story. I have re-written this review so many times – I wish I could just do an hour long video!

This story is about three generations of women that are interconnected but choose to focus on their differences. It’s about the transition in mother-daughter relationships as we grow up. The books focuses on each character individually while somehow enlightening the reader by focusing on each individual character’s relationship with each other and their families.

The story is about Simran’s relationship with her family and fiancée as she tries to understand herself, her goal, and her purpose in life. (How many of us can relate to that?) The story is about Nandini, her mother, trying to be the best mother, daughter-in-law, wife, and follow her career and dreams without compromising her ‘duties’. (How many of us can relate to THAT?) Intertwined with these stories is the story of Nandini’s mother and how her role has changed between her daughter and granddaughter. Standards of the Indian community that were once important, don’t mean the same to Mimi. It shows acceptance and life has more meaning than pleasing those around you.

Without giving too much away, if you grew up in a South Asian household – you need to read this. I can’t tell you how many conversations I have had with friends about all the relatable details in this book. I’ve always wanted to write a story about how the standards of our community have shaped my life and I’ve struggled with trying to carve my own road. It’s not fun, it’s bumpy, but there’s such a gratification in making your own decisions without thinking about what other’s will say. Saumya, thank you for writing this book. I could never write something so beautifully written and explained.

I can’t stop saying how relatable this story is. Whether it’s the mean aunties or the sexism that’s engraved in our communities, it’s definitely going to spark some conversations! A great book club read – I can’t tell you how many times we interrupted each other because of the excitement!

This beautiful debut about three generations of women who are each navigating their lives and finding their ways as they juggle family obligations and expectations.
Saumya Dave penned an exquisite story that tells us it's never too late to reach for your dreams and change the course of your life.

*I received an advanced copy of this book for an honest review.

There is so much to say about this book, so many layers to uncover. Let's start with the most general overview of how south asian women are supposed to be "well behaved" and adhere to the age old traditions of prioritizing everyone else above themselves. I resonated with this story on so many levels, when it comes to career choice, choosing the right partner, losing yourself in trying to make the family happy and so much more.
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Then there was the mother-daughter relationship, how the mother tries her best to give her daughter what she couldn't have but forgets to think that those opportunities can also have their own set of problems. The other side is not always greener.
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Lastly, how important it is to let your children decide what they want to do in life. Yes, as parents you can guide them, but show them different paths and let them choose.
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I have never highlighted so many quotes in my kindle! Either it sums up my life or is giving me advice!
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I have realized that this year I have read a few books where I get to see the parent's point view and understand their concerns better. It has given me a different perspective towards understanding my own grandparents and parents.
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The reason I have given it less than 4 stars is because I believe it could have been slightly shorter.

"Well-behaved women seldom make history."
- Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

Simran Mehta's parents have had high expectations for her since she was born. She has been raised to do well in school, pursue a prestigious profession, and make her family proud, but most importantly, she is expected to marry, start a family, and take care of not only her children's and husband's needs, but also the needs of her husband's family. As she works toward her master's degree in psychology, publishes a book, and gets engaged to her high school sweetheart, Kunal, it seems as though Simran's life is on track. When a famous journalist attends her book release party and expresses interest in her writing, however, she begins to question not only her career path, but her romantic path, as well.

Nandini Mehta, Simran's mother and a physician, has done everything in her power to provide a good life for her two children. She has put up with ridiculous expectations from her husband's family, all while caring for her kids, juggling an exhausting and demanding job, facing racism and sexism in the workplace, and often sacrificing her own hopes and dreams for the advancement of her husband's surgical career. Since youth, she has strived to make everyone happy and to be the "perfect Indian woman," but when an incredible job opportunity shakes up her life, she is forced to look inside, remember her past, and think about who she truly is.

Mimi "Nani" Kadakia has long believed she failed her daughter, Nandini, and has carried that guilt for decades. With her granddaughter Simran, she is hopeful she can be more supportive and helpful, and perhaps even mend the rift that has begun to form between Simran and Nandini. But is she hiding secrets of her own?

Saumya Dave, this book is a gem. I absolutely loved learning more about Indian culture, and while I was saddened and angered by many of the expectations women shoulder, I truly appreciated the strong relationships that existed between all three generations of women in this family. I was invested in each and every plotline, and I especially loved watching all three of these strong, intelligent, and bold women take risks, grow, and realize that what others have criticized or perceived as their "imperfections" are the qualities and characteristics that make them unique and incredible.

Although I am not an Indian woman, I am a mother, daughter, and granddaughter, and I could sympathize with pieces of all three of these women's stories. As a people-pleaser, I've always wanted to make others happy - to be the "perfect" daughter, wife, mother, and friend - but none of us are perfect. And although it's very hard, we sometimes have to forget about what others think of us and simply focus on who we are and what's most important to us. We're all flawed, but that's what makes us beautiful, real, and ourselves. And I adore how Dave emphasizes and celebrates that through her lovable, dynamic characters.

"For years, we assumed ambition was a curse for us," said Mimi (Nani). "Men could always wear it like a cape, while women, women were forced to tuck and hold it inside themselves. But look at us. You see, we all had to become scandals before we became ourselves."

This beautiful, character-driven story touched my heart and not only made me laugh, but also moved me to tears. A story of life, love, forgiveness, family, and resilience, I absolutely recommend picking this wonderful book up. Thank you, thank you, thank you so much to @berkley and @saumyajdave for my gifted e-copy of this incredible debut novel in exchange for an honest review. I can't wait to read more of Saumya's work!

Well-behaved Indian Women by Saumya Dave is about three generations of Indian Women focusing mostly on our protagonist Simran. Simran is living the Indian American dream -- she's finishing up her degree in psychology and she's engaged to her high school sweetheart. But she's realizing she wants more from life when she meets a high profile Indian American journalist, who also happens to be handsome. In the novel you'll also meet her mother and grandmother, both of whom are strong women. I really wanted to love this book, but for some reason it didn't do it for me. I think maybe the writing wasn't really doing anything for me. But maybe that's because I wanted it to be literary fiction and it was more contemporary/popular fiction. So that said, if the novel intrigues you, definitely read it. This is the type of novel that fans of Reese's Book Club books will really enjoy. In other words, it's good popular fiction that deals with serious issues but the book itself isn't too much of a downer. And all's well that ends well. So yeah, I guess it wasn't so bad after all.

DNF
At this time, I'm no longer interested in this title. Thank you for the opportunity to read the book and I apologize for the inconvenience.

DNF after about 100 pages

While I liked the writing and character work initially, the plot descended into one of infidelity, and I felt very uncomfortable with the direction in which things were going. That sort of subject really doesn't fit. I thought it was a good book but one I was not going to like, so I DNFed to not be a negative review.

I enjoyed this story of three generations of women. I love when family sagas show how one generation affects the next, and here we have the mothers' overt desires to make life better for their daughters, as well as the way their personalities interacted. Although it was a bit slow in some places, this is an engaging story about choice and family bonds.

A compelling and emotionally nuanced multicultural debut that delves into the relationships between mothers and daughters across several generations. Beautifully written, it draws the reader in with its almost too close to home description of guilt, self loathing, doubt, and ambition. The book primarily focuses on the relationship between Simran and her mother, Nandini, as they struggle to balance the past, their culture, and their present to find themselves.