I found this book quite enjoyable. The voice of the author is written as e-mails to tell the story so the flow of book and the way it's written could be argued to be stylistic rather than the authentic voice and work of the author themselves. I'd have to read more of her work before determining if I'd rate this lower for the writing itself.

The characters, however, were very diverse yet fun. I found Gamrah's self-pity and unfounded pride to be annoying, but her situation was understandable and realistic. Lamees was such a cutie and a nice bubbly personality that I found refreshing against all the blue moods of the other girls. I loved her ending and was so happy for her! Michelle was an interesting character to bring in the Western perspective against the Saudi culture directly as she was originally living in the U.S.A. before moving to Saudi Arabia. Sadeem I felt so bad for as she kept getting screwed over but she never let it stop her - just slow her down for a while.

The themes of this book are love, relationship, marriage and divorce, and the value of female friendships and support networks. The e-mail format that a lot of readers found pointless actually helped to add additional commentary to these themes outside the story told by the characters to paint a target on one of the topics to provide an opposing argument that exists in the Saudi culture which is either held by a majority of people, men, or people from a particular sect.

Overall, I thought that Al-Sanea did well in how she decided to paint this story with constant entertainment that made me want to grab a bowl of popcorn while also engaging in some serious topics that are important to the women of Saudi Arabia.

Moderate: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Classism

While I personally quite enjoyed this book, take my rating with a grain of salt. I've heard plenty of people in other reviews say that it hasn't aged well and that it doesn't accurately portray how Saudi Arabia actually is. Some people I definitely don't agree with though, saying that these girls are vapid and only care about gossip and men. I personally found that the majority of these characters had quite a bit of growth. There was hardly any gossip so I don't get that. While a lot of the book is focused on the women traversing relationships with men, it still comes back to their friendships and how they learn from their mistakes and grow. 

Also, I highly suggest looking into the controversy over this book getting an English translation. As an aspiring translator of novels, it has made me learn about how biases can be interwoven into translations (in this case of both the translator AND the author- it was a messy project it seems) and to be careful. Also that the relationship between author and translator can be rocky and not always end on good terms. (We can see that in the acknowledgements at the end of the book)

Forgot to mention there is some racism towards Asian women in this, so be warned. It's about 1/3 in

This was such an enjoyable and easy read. Within the book one character is anonymously writing weekly emails detailing the lives of herself and her three friends over the past six years. It offer a look into the lives of four, upper class Saudi women. I loved how each friend felt so distinct and had such relatable chatter flaws. Super fun and insightful!