Brief

A sex party inspires a South Asian woman to explore her sex life, her comfortable marriage, and her entire life.

What We Liked

The premise of this story is immediately attention-grabbing and entertaining. The writing is fun, confident, and engaging. Leena is an excellent protagonist and it's so easy to root for her. Themes of empowerment, rebirth, and self discovery make this a satisfying read.

Film: This project would be great for film, as it already has a clear and satisfying beginning, middle, and end. The pregnancy reveal at the end of the movie could serve as a fulfilling and lovely final ending, or as the jumping off point for another film.

TV: Leena is a strong leading character, and the cast of friends and family around her leave a lot of room for future episodes and character exploration. If Leena were to continue hosting 'Outside the Box' parties, a show would have the ability to explore the lives of all kinds of diverse women. Leena's pregnancy also perfectly sets up another season of television.

Key points:
1. Empowering theme.
2. Likable and endearing main character.
3. Confident, fun writing style
4. Interesting exploration of different cultures and traditions.
5. Exciting and memorable ending.

Synopsis

Leena is in an arranged marriage with a man named Manny, and she’s comfortable. She’s a traditional, fairly conservative woman, and the idea of a party about sex makes her uncomfortable. But her best friend Mahjong pushes her to attend, so she does. During the sex toy presentation, Leena ponders the fact that she’s never had an orgasm. She does have sex with Manny, but it’s not something she particularly enjoys. Leena ends the night by buying a sex toy and a number of other products. She also opens up to Mahjong about her sexual history, and the fact that she’s never had an orgasm.

When Leena gets home, she tries one of the toys with Manny. He enjoys it, but she still isn’t comfortable. They play a sensual game she bought and do connect as the play, but in the end Leena goes to bed and cries due to her anxiety regarding sex.

Manny leaves town for a work conference and Leena goes to a spin class with Mahjong. She also gets a haircut and a bikini wax for the first time, thanks to her friend’s encouragement. Then, Leena uses the toy she bought and finally has her first orgasm. She is overjoyed and proud of herself.

When Manny gets home, Leena tries again to use one of the products on him. Again, it ends in tears for her. She ponders her past relationships: one with a sweet romantic named Jonathan and one with a toxic and abusive man named Nick. After Nick, Leena’s ultra traditional mother set her up with a number of men. Leena met Manny at a party, but her mother encouraged the union.

The next day, Leena works up the nerve to show Manny how to perform oral sex using a samosa. The moment leads them to having sex in the kitchen, and Manny finally brings Leena to climax. She is so relieved and happy that she cries, and they hold each other.

A month later, Leena is feeling a lot more confident. Her sex life with Manny has never been better, and she even goes lingerie shopping and decides to wear her crotch-less panties in public. In an effort to get even more comfortable, Leena rents porn at the recommendation of Mahjong.

When Manny gets home from his latest work trip, he confronts Leena. He believes her newfound sexuality and confidence is because she’s having an affair. A miscommunication on Leena’s part accidentally confirms Manny’s theory, and she storms out of their home. Leena talks to her grandmother and she comforts her.

Leena goes home and makes up with Manny, and they have more experimental sex than ever. In the morning, Leena’s mom calls and gives her the devastating news that her grandmother has died. Leena was the last person to speak to her.
After her grandmother’s death, Leena wants to do something meaningful. She decides to host a sex party of her own and share what she’s learned. Because her cousin Tinoo is getting married, the party becomes a Bollywood Bachelorette party.

The party is a whirlwind, but overall it is a huge success. While there, one of the women informs Lenna that her abusive ex was fired for masturbating at work. It frees Leena from him even more. She dances and feels happier and better than ever before.

In the final pages of the book, Leena discovers she is pregnant. Everything is about to change.

About The Author

Jazmine Aziz writes from the heart about female empowerment and a clash of South Asian and Western cultures that she knows all too well. She is a Buddhist, a Muslin, and a Hindu. When she’s not writing, she loves spin classes and chocolate.