Our Best Intentions is a debut novel about an Indian immigrant father, Barbur, raising his daughter, Angie, in the rich, suburban enclave of Westchester County, New York. As Angie returns from swim practice one summer day, she stumbles upon the remnants of a crime and becomes unwillingly involved by calling for help.

Our Best Intentions is complex exploration of race, class, and culture and the privilege they afford. The story dives into the struggles of navigating a culture and community outside your own, particularly from a first and second generation immigrant perspective. While there is a bit of mystery woven into the narrative, this novel falls much more in the literary fiction genre.

Our Best Intentions offers readers a narrative that feels like a firsthand biographical account. Told through multiple points of view, each character’s voice reflects their thoughts, feelings, and motivations. In this way, the story becomes immersive and emotional. I do think the ending could be stronger and provide more closure. Still, I was satisfied where Jain chose to end.

For a debut novel, I found Jain’s character development to be especially strong. Each narrator and character is distinct with their own internal conflicts. For me, Barbur was written perfectly. Despite not particularly liking some of his opinions or actions, Barbur was incredibly reminiscent of an Indian immigrant I know, from the things he said, felt, and understood to his treatment of mental health. Whether you know someone like the characters or not, Jain crafted characters that feel fully formed and familiar.

In Our Best Intentions, Jain’s writing does border on young adult at times. I think you could interpret this as a positive or a negative. On the positive side, that means Jain captured the voice of a teenager since several of the narrators are in high school. On the negative side, a lot of serious topics and deep issues are included in the story. However, the issues are not given the full depth and exploration they demand.

I struggled with Our Best Intentions but not because the book or writing was bad. Instead, Jain’s piercing insight, complex characters, and immersive writing struck a chord – one that happens to be sensitive.

The things that frustrated and enraged me in Our Best Intentions were not writing or plot issues that reflect poorly on the novel. Instead, the book was accurate and reflective of people, particularly BIPOC and immigrant individuals, living in white, wealthy communities. It was my personal history and familiarity with the situations and events the book presented that angered me and caused me stress. Our Best Intentions encapsulated all my negative academic and school experiences in one book plus those which I have not experienced but infuriate me nonetheless.

Overall, Our Best Intentions is a solid debut novel that explores hard-hitting, evocative topics through a strong story and robust characters. I definitely recommend it and look forward to Jain’s future books.

A beautiful and tragic story of children and parents, culture and class surrounding the life of Angie Singh, from a single parent home with a love of swimming and quiet. Her journey through high school is punctuated by a tragic event involving classmates that helps her understand her instincts and her father. The struggle with a peer group and parental love are both breathtaking and emotional. Very well done!

Author Vibhuti Jain’s debut novel, Our Best Intentions, tells a tragic tale of what happens when you make a mistake you can’t undo. Especially when others already think you’re trouble.

The story folds out from one fateful event — the stabbing of high school student Henry on the campus football field. The further the book progresses, the more we learn about the events leading up to and following the attack. Who did it? Why? And why is the town’s richest family — Henry’s parents — trying so hard to cover up the truth?

Throughout the novel, Jain offers viewpoints not from Henry, but from others involved in the incident — Angela, who found Henry on the field, as well as her father, who would do anything to protect her. Chris, who allegedly saw the attack. Didi, the alleged attacker’s cousin, and the school principal who wanted desperately to see Didi’s cousin Chiara succeed.

These alternating perspectives are essential to magnifying the story’s depth. This book isn’t about a boy attacked on a football field. It’s about a girl watching lies spread out of control. It’s about a boy whose biggest mistake will cost him nothing because he’s white and his best friend is rich. It’s about the ways privilege makes people feel powerful enough to manipulate those without it.

It’s about how some people will never reach their full potential for no reason other than they’re Black, or they come from less-than-ideal circumstances. Or because even those who genuinely want to help them don’t have the power to do that without facing repercussions.

The book is a raw, unapologetic look at the way marginalized groups are mistreated and misjudged — and the lengths rich white people will go to “protect” themselves from presumed threats to their well-being. Angela’s feelings of helplessness seeing another person of color under a completely different kind of attack and knowing her voice won’t change the narrative is the story of so many people trapped beneath the weight of others’ prejudice. Mabel, having faced her own challenges, tries to stand up for Chiara to no avail because the odds are already stacked against both of them.

Jain’s story does not sugar-coat reality. It takes time to build emotional foundations for each character — even Chris, who we’re supposed to hate despite his backstory. We come to understand why each character reacts the way they do to the incident. We see how everyone involved seemed to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, and that makes the book’s ending that much more impactful.

As a white person, this book really made me hate white people (and I hope it has the same effect on others like me who read it). When you view this story, you see people for who they really are, and the ones most in the wrong are the ones who think they’ve won in the end.


No one wins when someone ends up dead.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I thank all involved for their generosity, but it had no effect on this review. All opinions in this review reflect my true and honest reactions to reading this book. This is the best book about teenagers that I’ve ever read. While it does lean slightly toward stereotypes, it does a great job of displaying the social system of kids in high school. They face a hierarchy that leads to some being popular and others being less so. This book clearly lays that all out, more so when you throw in a diverse student in a mostly Caucasian student body.

Angela Singh, a junior in high school, lives with her immigrant father. Her mother abandoned her daughter and husband when Angela was young. Bobby stepped up as a single parent to raise Angela as best he could. She is a successful competitive swimmer looking at the possibility of making the Olympic team, but she’s shy. When she happens upon her best friend’s brother lying on the football field after being stabbed, she’s pulled into a the investigation. For doing the right thing, she faces punishment and exclusion from the police, the school administration, and her peers.

One of my favorite characters in this story is Babur/Bobby, Angela’s father. He’s a man who gives his all to always do the right thing. He works hard to raise his daughter to be a good, contributing member of society while trying to make his small business a success. Money is always tight for the Singh’s, but Bobby doesn’t want to deny his daughter anything. He, too, is drawn into the crisis his daughter is facing.

This book focuses on racial discrimination/white privilege, doing wrong things and getting away without consequences, cruelty in the guise of humor, maternal abandonment, and placing blame without evidence on one of the few diverse students in the school.

It was interesting to watch this story unfold. It took me back to my high school days. I recommend this book. I look forward to reading

I really love a well-written coming-of-age story and that’s exactly what I got in 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗕𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 by debut author Vibhuti Jain. This is the story of Angie, 15, and her Indian immigrant father, Babus. He’s been a single parent since Angie’s mother left them nearly ten years ago. To survive, he tightly scheduled their lives down to a weekly menu of dinners that never varied. As a means of childcare he enrolled Angie in after school swimming and now in high school she’s a star on the swim team. Their relationship is tense with the missing presence of Angie’s mom always lurking between them and Angie is a typical teenager in that she can be down right mean to her father.⁣
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Into this dynamic comes a tragic incident which Angie is a peripheral witness to. This upends both their lives and could change the course of their futures. I really enjoyed their story, despite the fact that the action in it was a bit uneven. The unwavering love and devotion Babus had for his daughter was touching almost to the point of heartbreaking. And, Angie’s attitudes toward him so embodied that of many troubled teens. The story played out in unexpected ways, keeping me highly engaged throughout and I loved the ending even though it still left me with questions. If you, like me, enjoy coming-of-age stories, 𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘉𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 is a book you definitely need to pick up. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
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Thanks to @williammorrowbooks for and ARC of #OurBestIntentions.

This novel delves into the issues of family dynamics, racial bias, privilege and the strong desire for individuals to fit in and be accepted. It has interesting characters, suspense and will pull at your heart strings.

Angie, a teenager, is walking home from swim training at the high school pool, when she finds her friend's brother stabbed on the football field. Henry McCleary is from a wealthy, prominent family whose family seems to know how to use their money and their standing to make things go their way.

The only suspect in the stabbing, Chiara Tompkins, is a Black girl who has run away from her home to live with her aunt and apparently wasn't properly enrolled in school. In the court of public opinion, Chiara has already been determined guilty.

Angie's dad, Bobby is a single parent and owner of an Uber business. As an immigrant family, Bobby is working very hard to give his daughter everything she wants and ensure they "fit in." When the McCleary family dangles a scholarship in front of Angie with a few strings attached, Bobby is torn on what to do. When Angie automatically refuses the scholarship., there is lots of tension between father and daughter especially as Angie forges ahead to find out what really happened on that football field and if Chiara is truly guilty.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I wanted to think about this book for a few days after finishing it. My initial reaction was that this book has so much potential to build off of and to discuss. I mean a black girl is found dead and presumed guilty of stabbing a white boy who happens to come from a privileged white family - and the police do little to prove otherwise, the community is quick to assign the blame and guilt, and racism and privilege are the prevalent forces in power . The story does nothing but build on this event for about 95% of the book. Yet, we only hear Chiara's voice and her side in one teeny chapter; making Chiara seem as insignificant as the community that treated her the same way. But then I took a moment to think of the POV of the book - Most of the narration is from Angie and her dad. Likely, no high schooler would know the details of the event and what happened; no teenager would know how to behave other than how they have their entire life; adults would definitely have their own framework of what is the "right" thing to do next. Keeping in mind the POV, the book is written exactly how things would play out in real life. The circumstances of the event would play out in exact detail to the way the book narrates them - because no one was there to put the details in place of the whole event. That being said, if that was the intention of the author, there were too many characters introduced that implied that the story would develop into a deeper and more detailed one. My feeling is that once these characters were introduced, (i.e. the principal, the supposed attorney for Henry's family, Chiara's aunt) the reader automatically assumes that the story will be leveling up with some type of resolution - but that is never the case.
Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow & Company for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The novel starts out strong and is well- written. Perhaps it's just my particular timing, but I struggled to finish it. I may revisit this at a later date. My apologies.

I thoroughly enjoyed Our Best Intentions. It's a great debut that delves into father/daughter relationships, assimilation, and privilege. There are quite a few alternating perspectives in this novel. I was glad to get some insight into some of the side characters but I was left with some lingering questions at the end. Overall, it was an interesting, well-written debut and I enjoyed it.

I received an advanced copy of this book from William Morrow and NetGalley for my honest review,

This book had me going from the beginning, I liked the characters and story. Very good read.

Bobby who owns an Uber business and his daughter live in a suburb of New York. His daughter Angie is walking home and finds a classmate was stabbed and bleeding in the football field, She gets him help, and the police investigation starts,

Good story!!

Our Best Intentions by Vibhuti Jain is a story about families, good and bad, and how they affect a person, their personalities and their actions. As a parent, to do one’s best is often not enough. We see this plainly with Babur Singh who, when his wife leaves him, structures his life so that he can survive. What he did not notice is that his daughter, Angie, was not getting what she needed from him. When he figured it out he tried to remedy the situation, to some good effect. Angie had not witnessed the stabbing, but had come upon Henry just moments later. She called 911, leaned him against her backpack to make him more comfortable, and kept him company. This was the worst thing that had ever happened to her and she wan’t the victim. The police came, and the principal, and Henry’s family’s lawyer and heard her tell her story. As the book progresses we read the stories of all involved.

My heart went out to both Babur and Angie. Lost and alone, they struggled to cope and the story portrayed that magnificently. It is so hard to be a teenager, especially if you are different. That echoed through the entire story, no matter whose life was being examined. It was poignant and real. It told the story of being different. It also told the story of how desperately teens need someone with whom they can communicate. It was a truly lovely story.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Our Best Intentions by Harper Collins, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #HarperCollins #VebhutiJain #OurBestIntentions

It is hard to believe that Our Best Intentions by Jain was a debut novel. I am sure this will be a top 2023 read for me.

This story had SO much. The complex characters were well developed. The plot lines were absorbing and paced perfectly, compelling you to keep reading. It was timely and topical with multiple POVs. Most importantly, it felt very real. That thought kept popping up in my head - the characters were relatable and what happened didn't feel overly contrived. As the story unfolded, the author revealed more and more letting the reader come to his/her own conclusions. It was a very thought provoking read.

The thriller/drama touched on many themes such as race and class relations, familial relationships, divorce, friendship, 1st and 2nd generation immigrant experiences, mental illness, moral quandary. Book club discussion galore!

I highly recommend this book and will definitely be following Vibhuti Jain.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the advance eArc in exchange for an honest opinion.

There was a lot to like about this. I liked the premise a lot and thought there were some interesting elements, but ultimately it was forgettable. I enjoyed the omniscient narration and that we got to know what actually happened. After all, there's his side, her side, and the truth.

This book is sad and I felt a little uncomfortable about a young Black girl being made the scapegoat for the inciting incident. It felt like we exploited this poor girl's life story to tell tangential stories of others. This would be a good pairing with Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson (but I felt that one was quite a bit stronger). Featured on ep. 92 of Book Talk, etc. https://www.booktalketc.com/1749254/12339140-march-books-on-the-radar

Our Best Intentions provides a look into an affluent community when a student is stabbed on the football field during summer break. The story is told from different perspectives, and the story grabs you from the first. I really enjoyed this book.

OUR BEST INTENTIONS by Vibhuti Jain was a compelling story of what happens when reality intersects the carefully curated artifice of a community that prides itself on open mindedness while maintaining its stance of effortless perfection. Simply put, a single event sets in motion a series of predictable, yet surprising results when a young woman defends herself and is accused of being aggressor, with each person's point of view representing the way that the world looks to them. The characters were relatable, believable, and face their past and future demons in fascinating ways. I did not want to put the book down once I started reading. This book is a terrific place to begin transformational discussions between members of community and what it takes to thrive together. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own unbiased thoughts.

Our Best Intentions begins with Angie finding her classmate Henry stabbed on her way back from swim practice and his friend Chris running away. She doesn't see it actually happen but between Chris trying to blame their classmate Chiara for the stabbing, and the police asking leading questions, it makes Chiara the only suspect. Everyone is quick to blame Chiara and Henry's family uses their wealth and status to make sure it stays that way, even when Angie begins to question what she really heard and saw and wonders if Chris and Henry had done something to Chiara. Throughout all this, Angie is also dealing with the relationship with her dad, who wants her to stay out of it and focus on school and swimming. Overall, a tough read about how good intentions can quickly spiral into something unintended and the harm those fast judgements cause people, particularly when only one version of the story is being told.

An immigrant family finds themselves caught in the middle of a criminal investigation when Angie Singh finds a white classmate - from a wealthy and influential family - stabbed on the football field. The police focus all their attention on Chiara Thompkins, a Black student who disappears after the stabbing.

Told through multiple and conflicting POVs, this layered narrative explores multiple important and timely themes - racism, classism and immigration to name a few - while also providing an intimate portrait of an Indian American family. As the story progresses and more details of the incident come to light, the reader will be forced to confront their own biases, morality and what they might be willing to do to protect their families.

While I think this is an important and timely book and a strong debut, there were times where the narrative felt repetitive and some story points that I wish had been better developed - I was especially hoping for more resolution with the mother and to see more of the fallout from the events at the high school. I’m looking forward to seeing more from this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Our Best Intentions is Vibhuti Jain's debut novel, and it is amazing, one of my favorites so far this year. Angela, daughter of Indian immigrant/single dad Babur, is finishing her swimming practice over the summer when she sees a boy (who she likes) staggering on the football field with a knife protruding from his gut. This book is about what follows and how our best intentions sometimes get in the way. Fabulous debut and moving story about friendship, parent-child relationships, wanting to "fit in," racism, power, and privilege.

Our Best Intentions is a compelling page turner that brings insight into race disparity, immigration, family relations and class disparity within our country. A synopsis of the book can be found on the internet. Ms. Jain has written about multi-dimensional characters living and trying to survive in a community filled with prejudice and unreasonable judgements. Thanks to NetGalley and the Book Club Girls of Instagram for the ARC!

Although published as an adult book, this book about a stabbing at a high school will have crossover appeal for teens. Life in a mostly white, idyllic Westchester County, NY town changes for Angela, the daughter of Indian immigrants, when she is the only witness to a stabbing on the high school football field. A Black girl is blamed for the stabbing but Angela is unsure of what she actually saw and heard. Race and privilege play a big role in this book. Overall lots to discuss in this book but the whole premise of the murder - an unlocked high school campus in the summer, even the swimming pool - gave the book a weak start for me