Overall, this book was cute and handled East-meets-West dynamics in a very creative and evocative way. I loved the cultural and religious conversations it brought up, specifically, how pleasure and desire were addressed within traditionally conservative communities. The timeline for the main character fell flat for me, and I did not like the dual POVs, but the character development for the widows felt well-paced. I loved the writing class scenes and wish that had been the focus of the book, rather than adding the true crime subplot. From now on, generational trauma should only be unpacked with mild erotica.