Wow! This is a wonderful, heartfelt story that is now my favorite novel for 2024. It is nothing short of amazing!
The main theme of this book is addiction, secrets .and the family trauma that it creates for not only one generation,but four.

I loved these characters and felt for them all as they try to make the choices needed to move forward in life and try to accept or understand the challenges day to day.
It is dramatic and emotional each and every day and it was certainly reflected in the words as I read.
There is no doubt a need for a box of tissues at multiple points in this book.

Everyone knows someone effected by this illness and it is so well done that I believe everyone will want to sit and get to know the people in "The Bright Years". We may know them already!
Thank you to @NetGalley and to @Simon & Schuster for this incredible ARC and allowing me to read and provide my own review.
Please read it!

I really enjoyed this book. It was sad but in the end an emotional and cleansing read. Forgiveness prevailed.

The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff paints a deeply empathetic portrait on the reverberating effect that alcoholism has on a family across four generations. The book is split into three sections, each narrated by a different main character - the wife of, daughter of, and the alcoholic husband, respectively. The characters are thorough and vivid, they are deeply flawed in their own ways and all the more real for this reason. As a reader, I could feel the love felt by the members of this family, and the grace and forgiveness that they show each other over years and years of mistakes is something to be admired. I felt real emotions reading the various losses and surprises that the family experiences, and their shock, sadness, grief, and frustration was palpable as if they were my own experiences. I found the book largely absorbing. Sarah Damoff is a tender, kind, and captivating writer, and as a result this is a beautiful read.

As someone who loves multi-generational novels that span a lifetime of years, I was extremely excited for The Bright Years. The first section, narrated by wife Lillian, was my favorite section and at least for the first half, followed a coherent story line. Towards the end, and especially in the later two sections, the timeline became increasingly hard to follow. There were major jumps in time that I struggled with, sometimes having to re-read passages to figure out who it was about. It's possible this was written this way as a narrative device, set to depict each character's lived experience as they were going through a formative time in their life (ex. in Ryan's section, the way he often regretfully reflected on his earlier years as he was growing older and more frail). However, I still found it difficult to follow, especially in the final section when we are jumping between Ryan's childhood, his adulthood, and his later life.

Thank you to Sarah Damoff, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am absolutely floored by this novel. The fact that this is a debut work is something I had to remind myself of over and over again throughout my reading of these complex, nuanced, and incredibly lifelike characters. Damoff’s experience working with people from all walks of life, on all sides of trauma, comes through in her ability to create a woven network of connections and splinters. The Bright Years tells the story first of Lillian and her journey of hope and heartbreak on her way to finding Ryan, a Bright spot in her otherwise dim world. Together Lillian and Ryan form Georgette, known affectionately as Jet, and together – and apart – the Brights navigate the definition of family, addiction, and what it means to truly love and be loved. I recommend this book to fans of Clare Lombardo and to anyone who seeks stories about the multiple facets of humanity – the beautiful and the ugly parts alike. I am so looking forward to the novel’s official release so that I can share a selection of my favorite lines and quotes.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster & NetGalley for the eArc.

Love, loss, forgiveness are all central themes in the novel. While parts were slow, you’ll be glad you pushed through and finished this book. We all strive for greatness and there are many bumps in the road to achieve it. Jet and Kendi’s story reminds one of young love and your first best friend. Jet goes through all the emotions and reading her story, one has to root for her and feels the emotions as she goes through them. Great book.

This is a family saga, where addiction reigns and everyone pays for it. It is not a long book, but did feel long to me at times although I enjoyed it. The end was a little schmaltzy for me, but sometimes things do work out that way.

“The Bright Years” by Sarah Damoff is an absolute masterpiece, a novel that captures the essence of life’s fleeting moments with poignant clarity and beauty. Damoff’s writing is exquisite, blending lyrical prose with vividly drawn characters whose journeys are deeply personal and universally relatable. The narrative explores love, loss, and redemption themes, weaving them into a tapestry that feels intimate and expansive. Each chapter is meticulously crafted, pulling the reader into the lives of its characters and holding them captivated until the very last page. Damoff’s ability to evoke emotion is remarkable, making “The Bright Years” not just a story but an experience. This book is a triumph of storytelling, deserving of its five stars for its emotional depth, narrative finesse, and unforgettable impact.

I loved this book! The writing was amazing and I read this in a day. I couldn't put it down, I wanted to know what was going to happen to Lillian, Ryan and Jet. I loved that it was set in Fort Worth, TX and throughout Texas, as I am a native Texan.
This is a deep look into addiction and what it can do to a family. There is so much love between these characters and the right decisions aren't always made. It is hard to read in many ways because there is loss and it is sad.
I loved Jet and Elise and Kendi. I liked watching Jet grow and change and how the loss she experiences molds her and changes her.
I adored Elise and how much she cared about Lillian and Jet, even as her son, is struggling to stay in the picture.
Lillian is such a strong character, bearing the weight of motherhood, but leaning on found family in the process. I related to her journey through motherhood a lot. There are so many lines I highlighted throughout. This was one of my favorites: "I begin to understand that keeping a child is like keeping the sky- always with me but never mine."
Jet and Kendi's relationship grows and changes, as relationships do as you grow up. They had emotions and loss to process. Eventually they figured out how to do that while backing each other.
I think that many people are going to love this novel and it will make great discussions for book clubs.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This was a very emotionally “heavy” book. It is a story of one family’s struggle with addiction. How that addiction impacted each family member in such profound ways.
It about family, love, loss and showing the people you love the true meaning of grace.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for this eArc!

I cannot believe this is a debut author-THAT is how exceptional this book is. I read most of it in one sitting, gasping, laughing and even crying a little. This story of Ryan, Lillian and what happens over time in a marriage is utterly a masterpiece. I hope it sells a zillion copies next year when it releases. Thank you to Edelweiss who provided me with a copy for my honest review.

This is a stunningly beautiful, yet heartbreakingly sad novel about love, family, addiction, loss and redemption.

When Lillian meets Ryan, they fall madly in love. They are both hurting from grief and this is what draws them together. When they start a family of their own, Ryan vows to be a better father than his own, but when he can’t keep that promise, he knows he must leave. Lillian raises their daughter, Georgette (Jet, for short) on her own knowing that Ryan will come and go, in his fog of alcohol, as best as he knows how. But when tragedy strikes, Jet must move on and learn how to forgive, how to love, and how to make peace with her past.

This book is masterful. I cried, I laughed, and I contemplated my own life choices while reading this. I honestly cannot believe this is a debut novel. I will read every book that Sarah Damoff writes. Thank you, NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read this 5-star novel.

The Bright Years, the debut novel by Sarah Damoff is an unvarnished story about the pain of alcohol addiction told from the perspectives of the wife, the daughter and the alcoholic husband/father. It’s extremely well written and details the emotional ups and downs of hope that often bring hopelessness, anxiety and sometimes a chance of redemption. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley. Most highly recommend.

Wow, The Bright Years is a hard, sad, and wholly beautiful book. Lillian is an orphaned young woman swept off her feet by Ryan. Despite the heaviness of her life without parents, Lillian is able to fall happily and deeply in love with Ryan. Things change for them both when she becomes pregnant. Secrets rise to the surface and Ryan is pushed to a path he’s always avoided: alcohol as life’s coping mechanism.

They share a daughter, Georgette, more commonly referred to as Jet. Jet, alongside some special neighbors become Lillian’s family. There are hard years and ups and downs, but this core group grows ever stronger. Occasionally shaken by the storm of Ryan’s alcoholism.

It feels hard to sum up this story, told in three parts: first Lillian, second by Jet and third, by Ryan. The relationships feel deep, important and real. The pain of Ryan’s alcoholism, as a family illness, is tangible. I felt moved to tears several times, especially as the book neared its end.

Overall, I loved this story and its characters. Highly recommended. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought books couldn’t make me cry… until I read this.

The Bright Years follows Lillian, Ryan, and their daughter Georgette (Jet) on a familial journey of love, addiction, and loss.

This story was beautifully told from all three different points of view at different times in their lives. You get to see the full story and find both anger and understanding for all three.

As a thriller reader who sometimes dabbles in contemporary and general fiction, I can’t wait to share this with my fellow book lovers! It’s a fantastic, emotional story that I could not put it down.

Books about birth families are some of my faves. This story was rich and heartbreaking and hopeful all at the same time. I was fascinated with the writing and flow of each chapter. It worked for me! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This is a beautifully written, raw account of one family's journey through a collection of tragedies and misadventures. The book is contained in small scenes by date, narrated by the different characters. There are no punches pulled; this is a raw story. Without this toughness, though, I don't think the full complexity and beauty of the characters would shine through. Well worth the read and the five stars.

I do love a multi generational family novel, sprawling decades, with shifting perspectives, but The Bright Years was not my favorite read. The story and characters were compelling but the writing felt like a work in progress still. I think it has a lot of potential and I would love to revisit this book in its final form.

The impact of alcoholism on a family can go on for generations.
This novel opens with a riveting, sad prologue (a boy and his mom on the fun from his violent dad).
Next, a meet-cute with a really sweet guy who actually does become a good husband and father....
A woman who's kept her illegitimate child a secret from the man she married...
This is well-written and high-impact, but I found myself skimming after a while.
Life is hard, and when I read, I seek to escape into something light hearted and amusing.
Yes, I continue to read the difficult stuff. Because I cannot NOT read the sad stuff. (Especially historical fiction and nonfiction.)
Finding happy reading material is not easy.
No, I don't insist on happy endings, but I crave a consolation prize, some silver lining for all the tragedies, and some humor.
Kudos to Sarah Damoff for tackling this dark subject matter.

Wow, wow, wow. I cannot believe this is a debut! This book is one of my top reads by far.

The story follows Lillian, Georgette, and Ryan through their journeys. Damoff does this in a way that does not make it feel long and slow. It is perfectly paced and gives you so many emotions. I laughed, cried, smiled, and grieved while reading.

I highly recommend this.

TW: Miscarriage and Alcoholism.

Really lovely, absorbing, and heartbreaking.

Lillian loves Ryan and Ryan loves Lillian. For a while, that’s enough. When their daughter, Georgette, is born, secrets emerge that threaten to upend all of their lives.

This is a tender and captivating read about love, family, friendship, grief, and addiction. The writing is gorgeous and full of care and empathy for its characters. The inclusion of three points of view (Lillian’s, Georgette’s, and Ryan’s) and the transitions between each was done so well. I did not want the story to end and highly recommend it.

Thank you very much to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy of this stunning debut.