I usually love a family saga, but the pieces of this one never fully came together for me. I wanted more distinction between the voices of each point of view, and a lot of the prose fell flat for me. A serviceable read that I think will still find an audience, especially for a spring/summer style easy read.

This book was all about what we say and don't say to each other in our families, and how those gaps build our relationships. It looked at a family, with two adult children and parents who had recently divorced. All the ways that family interactions build over time, that silences grow, that connections are based on assumptions, just kept coming to the forefront in different ways. This isn't a book i will think about for a long time, but it's one i enjoyed reading.

This story of an Indian-American family dealing with the parents’ divorce after 36 years in an arranged marriage hits all the right notes, with warmth, humor, and relatable characters. I especially enjoyed the wife’s resolve to create a life for herself despite her fears. The husband’s internet dating forays were funny and real, and the adult children brought their own drama into the mix. A delightful debut.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this ARC to read! I loved reading about this big-hearted, dysfunctional family, all trying to find their way in life while also navigating their relationships with each other. It was awesome to read about an "imperfect" Desi family, who all have their own trials and tribulations just like everyone else. I feel like all of the characters were very relatable, and I loved Priya's rambunctious, dissatisfied personality - Suresh's character was also really funny and done quite well, he reminded me of some people I know. I liked the writing style that the author had. The plot is also approachable to many age groups - me and my mom both received this book on NetGalley (totally coincidentally) and we both had so much fun reading it. Excellent debut by this author, and I'm highly looking forward to reading more!

This was my first book to read by this author but won't be my last! The story and its characters will stick with you long after you finish the story. Highly recommend!

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a sprawling story about family and love.

The book follows Suresh and Lata, a divorced couple, and their adult daughter Priya. Subverting stereotypes about desi families and peaking behind closed doors this book follows the drama behind their relationships. As Suresh dives into online dating, Lata decides she wants to pursue her dreams, and Priya debates about telling her family the truth about her boyfriend we get to know them and their lives more.

It's a largely character driven book told from different perspectives.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am hoping for a sequel or follow-up of some kind for it. I loved the family dynamic that was presented, rather than the generic nuclear family stereotype. I also loved how much culture was in the book. Great read!

Overall Rating - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice - 🫑
World Building - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Character Development - ⭐⭐⭐
Trigger/Content Warnings - Divorce, Cheating, Arranged marriage

Plot; I can hear all the people complaining about the miscommunication trope already and the book isn't even released yet. For anyone unprepared, the entirety of this book is a giant miscommunication trope, but, I think it is done well. This is a great example of what happens when you keep secrets, lie, and don't communicate needs or desires to people around you. It's great how it shows this too, as it shows the same events through multiple characters perspectives to show how their priorities and views are different, and the plot actually paces quite well doing this, which surprised me a bit. The primary thing I didn't like about the plot was that it jumps a bit. When one chapter ends and another begins, there's a bit of a time skip where they mention what happened, but you're still missing some. It threw me off, and isn't the favourite thing, but plot wise I got used to it. I'm also not a huge fan of the ending, but ce la vie.

Characters; Now I think the actual growth of these characters is pretty limited, I think their creation is very good. All four characters are very very distinct, and I think that is influenced by their culture (keeping in mind I am a white woman, so take that with a grain of salt) and family unit, and the author does a good job of giving examples of thing and showing it through the book. It's really accented how different they all are when two characters bring up memories of or react to the same event. You can clearly see their priorities, thoughts, even how it may have influences what they grew into. Again, not a lot in the way of development (although there is some) but this is a fairly realistic timeline, and it's short, so I think a slight lack of growth for characters is warranted.

Romance; Four romance plots, and they're all wildly different. What a ride. This is a weird book, it covers internet relationships, new parent relationships, spontaneous pregnancy relationships, cheating relationships, spontaneous meeting relationships, so many. I think it's really interesting though, and a good reminder that not everyone meets their romantic partners in a "common" way. There are a million ways to develop relationships, and a million ways that they could grow or diminish, and I think that's displayed very well in this book. It made it very engaging and each character unique and engaging.

Writing; Writing was good. I think I already said everything I liked or disliked with it. My favourite thing was the many characters seeing the same event but through their eyes, and my least favourite was the jumping time in the beginning of chapters. The writing itself I found engaging, aside from a couple repeated phrases (that man. If you know, you know).

Overall Thoughts; This reminded me of Regretting You by Colleen Hoover but 1. Better and 2. With a more realistic plot. I think it's important to read stuff like this to remind ourselves that not everyone is gonna see, hear, or think the same things we do, even if we are in the same conversation or situation. I also loved that they didn't water down any of the cultural aspects for white audiences to be more likely to pick it up (again, this is based on my being a while woman and my fairly limited knowledge of Indian customs, foods and traditions). It was authentic and I liked it a lot.

This is a very interesting family saga of the Raman family and Indian American family navigating life in the U.S. while both assimilating and maintaining their culture. I love a good a family saga and this one did not disappoint. We get the POV of all 4 members of family as the both id stuff from each other and navigate their own trials and tribulations. I always enjoy reading stories that involve cultures outside my own and learning more about the experiences of immigrants and other POC as they navigate the U.S. and the cultural nuances of both their culture and the U.S. I think Deepa Varadargan did a good job of exposing and explaining those.
Overall this was a great novel. I loved the pace of the book, there was just enough backstory to keep the story moving forward while giving readers and understanding. I

36 years after their arranged marriage, the parents in and Indian family divorce. Late Bloomers follows the family as they cope with the fall out.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this Dramedy about an Indian American family who are all trying to overcome the dysfunction of their past and find love. The story seamlessly alternates between the POV of all four family members: the parents and the two adult children. The character development was strong and the author did a fantastic job of developing the relationships. I knocked off one star because it was a little slow at times. It also really bothered me that there was repeated reference to how old the parents were and how late in life they were. They were both in their later 50's. That's not old at all by today's standards, so all of the references were hard to take seriously.

Overall, well written and entertaining. I would definitely recommend this book!

Special thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an advanced copy of Late Bloomers in exchange for an honest review

Late Bloomers tells the story of Suresh and Lata, and their two adult children, as they navigate divorce. Each character is portrayed as imperfect and flawed but yet sympathetic to the life they are given as they face a challenges both occur naturally and self-imposed.. I became so involved in the family's drama (reminded me of my own family) and growth across the novel. Overall, I found the story very heartwarming.

I'm so pleased that I took a chance on reading an advance copy of this debut novel, thanks to the publisher and Netgalley. The book exceeded my expectations. Over the course of the book, especially the 2nd half, I felt like I got to know the characters, and I appreciated being able to see the perspectives of both generations of this family. I enjoyed the twists and turns of the plot as well as the humor infused throughout the book. I think the book is more than "chick-lit" and actually would make a good choice for book discussion groups. I highly recommend this book and look forward to more from the author.

Raw and bighearted, Late Bloomers is about four individuals in an Indian-American family trying to reconcile who they are with who they thought they would turn out to be. The characters are flawed and complex, and miscommunication between them results in tense yet hilarious scenes that reminded me of Crazy Stupid Love. While occasionally outlandish, I enjoyed how Varadarajan weaves the story together through different perspectives and personalities, and I found the family dysfunction deeply relatable. Give this a read if you like introspective, fast paced writing and complex family dynamics with a splash of humor.

I’m not usually crazy about the use of multiple POV, it just doesn’t always flow well for me. The author really made it work in this story and I really enjoyed it. It all moves smoothly as it goes back and forth between characters. It makes for a family story I think we can all relate to, all the emotions, the misunderstandings, how hard we are on ourselves. I look forward to more from this author.

*** Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an advanced copy of Late Bloomers in exchange for an honest review ***

A blend between the 2011 movie, Crazy Stupid Love, and the more recent streaming series, Never Have I Ever, Late Bloomers tells the story of Suresh and Lata, and their two adult children, as they navigate divorce. Each character is perfectly imperfect, flawed in their own way but still sympathetic as they are faced with a myriad of challenges (some occurring naturally, some self-imposed). I read this book in a single sitting, I was so involved in the family's drama and invested in the character's growth across the novel. Overall, I found the story heartwarming and big-hearted, a novel about forgiveness, growth, and family.

I wasn't expecting multiple voices and found it a bit jarring, but the varied characters held my interest, as did the evolving story. I would have preferred a single narrative, but maybe that is just me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC. What a great novel about an Indian family trying to figure out their lives. First, the parents are divorced and figuring out how to navigate post-divorce dating, especially in an Indian community that is made on arranged marriage and looks down on divorce. Then the kids, trying to figure out their lives, wants, and navigating their parents foray into dating.

This was almost a 5,
I have been exploring “ Desi American “ writing for the past few years. There is a comfort in seeing characters like you and those you grew up with in fiction but I have found most of these books to be lacking in character complexity and distinguishable nuances within the Indian culture. Most of them seem fit the stereotypical BS about Indian culture.
This one is pleasantly different and draws you in right away. It isn’t the deep philosophical stuff of A.Roy or J. Lahiri but a well crafted snap shot of an Indian American life that is relatable and entertaining.
SPOILERS:
The climax and ending are not as relatable or believable and the ending is rushed. However, the individual insight of the characters still makes this a time worthy book.

I love books with multiple narrators and this one does the shifting perspectives really well. The messiness of a family unit with loyalties and rivalries and mixed up emotions felt authentic and the characters are very real (as in genuinely flawed, but you get so into their stories that you end up sympathizing with them anyway). I also like how things aren't always neatly wrapped up or one way or the other as it felt more like real life.

The dynamics of Indian Americanness were so instantly recognizable to me in a way that was both funny and sometimes infuriating (in the sense that I got annoyed for the characters), and the disconnect between generations and immigrants and their children born here was also well captured.

Some of the non-narrator characters could have been more developed, but maybe that is an unfair comparison as we don't get to hear their thought process in the same way we do for the narrators. Regardless, this was a great read and I was sad when it was over because I wanted to spend more time with the narrators and loved the often unexpected humor.