Book Review: The Vibrant Years

The Vibrant Years by Sonali Dev is being released on 12/1 and is the first book out of Mindy Kaling’s new Amazon Little A imprint, Mindy’s Book Studio. I was sent an arc and I just finished it last night.

This multigenerational story is so good. The book follows three female main characters. Bindu is 65 and lives in a fancy retirement community, living her best life which includes dating and riling up the HOA. Her former daughter-in-law, Aly, is still very close with her. She is 47 and has been working towards her dream of anchoring her own segment on the news station she’s been working for for years. Cullie, Aly’s daughter is a tech-world star at 25, having created an extremely popular app.

Things aren’t all they’re cracked up to be though. Bindu has half of her retirement community after her for every little thing because they dislike her vibrant lifestyle and how attractive she is. Secrets from her past also plague Bindu. Aly dreams of anchoring her own segment on the news, but for years her boss has made excuses for passing her over. Add to that that her husband divorced her and moved back to India and her life is not going the way she had always hoped. Cullie is a coding genius but when her app is in danger of being available only by subscription service, she has to deliver something new to investors to keep her original app free.

I was instantly engaged in this story from chapter 1. I loved getting to know these ladies and I love their relationship with each other and their dynamic. They each have their own issues and problems that they are dealing with. I thin it’s so interesting and realistic to see these women who are all at different stages of their lives going through life changing events. It just shows that there is no set age that we have “everything” or have it all “figured out”. Sometimes it takes a while to figure out what you want in life or what you deserve in life. And it’s never too late to want to change your life. The love Bindu, Aly, and Cullie have for each other was so wonderful to see. Their love for each other and unwavering support for one another was really touching. This is a great book about love and self-discovery.

I loved this book and the characters so much!