A very real portrait of a real family. At times laugh out loud funny, at times making you tear up. A good real life story!

A mother, a father, a son, and a daughter all lead separate lives and all have a set of unique problems. Funny, predictable, and a quick read. I like it for light summer reading and though the family is Indian, their troubles are universal. Each character comes through clearly and it is a quick read. Late bloomers, indeed! This would be a nice choice for a book club as well.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. Well, we all have problems.....

Late Bloomers by Deepa Varadarajan centers around an Indian family based in a college town in Texas. Recently, longtime married couple Suresh and Lata get a divorce and go their separate ways. Suresh stays in the large, suburban home that Lata went through great pains to decorate while Lata resides in an apartment in a nondescript complex, sublet through friends. They're both embarking on new lives with Suresh registered for all the dating sites and Lata getting her first real job and learning that a professor at the college where she works expresses interest in her.

Meanwhile, their two children Priya and Nikesh, both fully grown, meet up with their own adult challenges. Priya hides her love life from her parents while Nikesh appears to be utterly happy and successful. He's living in New York City with his wife and soon-to-be one-year-old son. But are their lives really that happy or together after the divorce of their parents?

I loved this story and all the characters in it. It's written in an engaging, colorful style that moves you through the plot, and you really get a good idea of who these main characters are and how they're handling all the changes in their family dynamic. I rooted for all of them, even when they made mistakes or choices you knew were faulty.

Humor is threaded through the plot, so you may chuckle along the way. You also get a few glimpses at traditional Indian culture from the parents and how they acclimate to the nontraditional, more American changes they experience. And the kids witness their parents changing, sometimes in ways they don't approve of and that surprise them.

Many supporting characters round out the stories of each main character, and they're well-developed, too. Some of the circumstances surprise the reader, and you won't see what's happening until you're reading it. There were times I was surprised by the twists and turns that really add to the entire story.

Late Bloomers is worth reading. It may not be a beach book, but I think it would be perfect to tuck in your bag during a vacation. I'm looking forward to more books from this debut author.

After thirty plus years of marriage (which was arranged) Suresh and Lata are navigating the single life with the help of their children. Divorcing in Indian culture after such a long marriage is unusual. This seemed like an interesting premise for a book so I had high hopes. Unfortunately I didn’t find either the characters or the situations very likable or engaging. I was expecting humor and/or pathos and I got neither. 2.5 stars for me. . I thank NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read this ARC.

The Raman family is in a period of change. Lata and Suresh have separated and are trying to navigate the dating world. Priya and Nikesh each have their own relationship issues and are trying to navigate being adults with aging parents.

It's a fairly engaging read. I flew through the beginning and middle, wondering how things would turn out. Each character gets themselves stuck in a pretty crazy web of lies & secrets.

I struggled to sympathize with any of the characters. Although I like when characters are flawed, all four family members came across as selfish. None of them ever bother to check in on each other. It's the root of all their issues. And even though things are resolved nicely, I feel like another situation like this is in their future. I didn't feel like there was a lot of character growth.

Overall, not bad for a complicated family drama. Adults with newly divorced parents may enjoy it more.

* thank you Netgalley for an ecopy in exchange for my honest opinion. *

This was an easy read, but very enjoyable.

I can't say that I was blown away, the writing isn't particularly poetic, but I did enjoy this book enough to purchase a physical copy.

I am so happy that I came across Late Bloomers. This was such a fun, humorous read. This follows Suresh and Lata as they go through a divorce after thirty years in an arranged marriage. The divorce shocks their children and friends and causes quite the bit of controversy. There were jealous exs, dating mishaps, misunderstandings, and more. I wasn't sure going in if I would enjoy this book, but I'm so glad I took a chance on it.

If you like humor, family drama, and reflection on relationships, you should definitely read this book.

*Thank you to Netalley, Deepa Varadarajan, and Random House for the E-ARC of this book. This in no way affects the objectivity of my review.

What a fun trip into the live of an Indian American family in a small town in Texas. The story is told in alternating voices, primarily by Suresh (father and ex-husband), Lata (mother and ex-wife), and Priya, their daughter, with occasional commentary from son Nikesh.
Suresh and Lata are recently divorced after 30+ years of an arranged marriage and they’re each trying to find their way in their new lives. Little do they know that their two grown children find themselves in the same boat.
The characters are all richly developed - I want to learn more about their lives as well as trying some of the food that is beautifully described (like idlis)! Serious topics are covered, but there are also laugh out loud moments and sarcastic commentary (like Nikesh’s description of the playground dads in Brooklyn).
Late Bloomers is a wonderful debut novel by Ms. Varadarajan and I look forward to her next book! Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the opportunity it’s to read Late Bloomers in exchange for an honest review.

This novel alternates chapters among members of an Indian-American family, all of whom are struggling to solve issues of love, relationships, and family. The author did a good job of portraying the different family members through their unique voices. I felt as if I was introduced to a new culture with its own special traditions and beliefs, as well as underscoring the commonalities among cultures and families.


I received this novel from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

I was really enjoying this book until it just had to keep mocking everyone’s appearance. I DNF’d after a comment about someone having a cleft lip. It’s in bad taste to make your characters mock people born with facial deformities.

This book made me smile so many times and kept me riveted until the end!

The Raman family has a lot going on as individuals and as a family. Suresh and Lata have divorced after 30 years of an arranged marriage and both are trying to figure out who they are as individuals separate from their identities as parents and spouses. Their son Nikesh lives in New York and seems to have it all: a marriage, a son, and a successful career. But those things are a bit more nuanced that they seem on the surface. Their daughter Priya is physically closer, but keeping her relationship with her married co-worker hidden from her family. Their family relationships and their connections to friends and romantic partners come to a head when everyone is celebrating Nikesh's son's first birthday.

Every character in this book was interesting and compelling and I loved how the story followed all four of the Raman family members switching between their perspectives. I hope Deepa Varadarajan continues to write as I will be picking up her next story!!

Such an enjoyable read, outside of what I might normally gravitate towards when I'm picking books. A wonderfully written debut novel about divorce, relationships and all the dysfunction that comes with family. This was charming, heart-warming and quite funny. I laughed out loud quite a few times reading this. Thank you Net Galley for the advanced copy!

Loved this one!

Late Bloomers gives us the perspectives of the four core members of the Raman clan. The children are in their 30s and are a bit shook by their parent’s unexpected divorce. The family is made up of 4 flawed people who are extremely likable and compelling. This family will stay with me for quite sometime.

An uneven novel about a family, past and present wound together in the aftermath of the parents' divorce after 36 years of an arranged marriage. The father's online dating, the mother's first date, the first date she has ever had in her life, their daughter who has secretly been having an affair with a married man, their son who has quickly found himself living with his boss, a fast affair that resulted in a baby, and pretending now to his divorced parents that he and his girlfriend are married. How divorced people navigate, the ins-and-outs of family and sibling relationships, what constitutes a life, the fluidity of love. There is sweetness here and compassion, dysfunction, workman-like prose, and unfortunately, it never lifted off for me.

Thanks to Random House and Netgalley for an ARC.

I really enjoyed this family drama where you get all four perspectives of the members of an Indian family. The mother and father are newly divorced. The son and daughter are in disastrous relationships. And everyone judges everyone else. Plus they all keep secrets from each other. It’s everything you could want in a family drama in a book and not in your own life.

Thank you so much to Net Galley and Random House Publishing for the gifted ecopy of this book!

I enjoyed my time with the Raman family, The chapters alternate between Lata, Suresh, Priya, and Nikesh. I especially liked reading from Lata's perspective. This book didn't blow me away and it probably won't stick with me for long, but it was a pleasant read. It was funny, sad, frustrating, and it was a nice, quick read that helped get me out of a reading slump.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

Members of the Indian American Ramen family are figuring things out. After 36 years of marriage, recently divorced Suresh is trying out internet dating. His ex-wife Lata who initiated the divorce is adjusting to her life of freedom. Daughter Priya is wrestling with her own single status at thirty-five. Son Nikesh, who lives on the other side of the country, appears to have it all (good job, beautiful wife, new baby) but feels detached. The book shifts between the perspective of each family member as they reflect on their choices, hopes, and the pressures they face. Should Suresh let a woman and her son live with him? Should Lata date a white music professor? Should Priya end her affair with a married man? Should Nikesh tell his parents the truth? Everything comes to a head as the family members gather for the first birthday of Alok, Nikesh's son.. This is a book about how families can be messy and loving, and how we need to give ourselves and our loved ones lots of grace. An easy, entertaining read, although I did start to skim near the end. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.

Late Bloomers by Deepa Varadarajan is a witty, thoughtful, and sweet story about finding yourself later in life. And how paths change and it is OK to change with them, and change some of the expectations others have of you. Varadarajan creates a wonderful family with the Raman family, a fairly typical Indian American family. They are aloof, annoying, charming, and ultimately, caring. Suresh and Lata surprise their friends and family when they divorce after 36 years of marriage; surprising their children, Priya and Nikesh, the most. Suresh tries to find a new partner through online dating- much to the chagrin of his son, Nikesh, who helps his dad navigate some of the online dating pitfalls. Lata enjoys her independence for the first time in her adult life, and may have found someone to share her life with. Nikesh is seemingly happy and successful, with a gorgeous wife and baby. But is it real? Priya, a professor, is angry about her parent‘s split, while also trying to extricate herself from the married man in her life. As each of the Ramans try to figure out how to deal with the changes in Lata and Suresh‘s lives, each comes to realize how they have settled in their own lives. And how they might focus on the second chances in front of them. There are secrets revealed, hearts broken and saved, and the metamorphosis of a family finally facing choices made in the past. Varadarajan is able to mix humor and drama together seamlessly, and creates a story that pulls you in and has you cheering and crying for the characters. Loved the writing and the story is something that will resonate with everyone. Random rating 4/5. Thank you NetGally for the eARC.

I read the first 20% of this one and realised it really wasn't for me. I thought it would be more literary and thought-provoking, but it's just a contemporary about divorced parents dating, and I think the tone was trying to be snarkier than the story called for, so I DNFed pretty fast.