afi’s story made me cry by the end. the author manages the balance between evelyn’s wishes and afi’s perfectly. medi brings up an issue not talked about enough in western feminism - even if your husband can provide for you, it does not mean you have to tolerate his lack of love. a man can only give you everything when he meets more than your material needs. the scene in which afi brings up the double standards - that eli, her husband - can have multiple wives without it being called cheating but she cannot so much as flirt with another man really moved me. it is not often than in narratives such as this, the woman stands up for herself on this level and furthermore, the couple doesn’t get a happy ending. medi’s writing makes for swoon worthy moments between eli and afi that made me forget his wrongdoings even as a reader. but she still grounds us in the reality that being sweet only in crisis is empty love. i do not know if this author has other works available right now, but i would love to read more from her. i have not been so captivated by a book in a long time!

I think book covers pretty well why Afi has such a hard time thinking she deserves better then a marriage that makes her anxious and later miserable but while so many people love sub par partners we’re not really given strong reasons to understand what she sees in him beyond monetary security etc. 

There's so much to unpack in this novel about an arranged marriage that follows an unexpected course. I found Afi to be extremely relatable, despite the fact that she often acted as a very spoiled teenager. There's a heavy dose of frustrating supporting characters in which we, along with our heroine, must endure along the way. It's always very enlightening to read about different cultures and traditions, especially getting to see things from a different viewpoint. Ultimately, I enjoyed going on this journey with Afi and find myself thinking of the other women in the story and their perspective of the events as they unfolded. I'm glad this book was recommended to me, and I pad on the recommendation to you!

An easy read but not a very fun one