Desert Mojito by Nazli Ghassemi ****

Ever wonder what life is like for expats in Dubai? Desert Mojito by Nazli Ghassemi answers: "Just like Sex and the City." Narrator Maya Bibinaz Rostaampisheh-Williams (Iranian father and American mother) and her girlfriends live a carefree life of men, sex, partying, travel and shopping. Maya makes clever observations like,
Moving at the Middle Eastern pace fro a productive American is like a samba dancer trying to move with the rhythm of a tai chi form
and
I like the country's semi-liberal, pro-Western attitude mixed with the Middle Eastern flair. And for sure it's the safest place I've ever lived.

If you are looking a mixture of single-girl talk and praise for the exotic life in Dubai, this is the book for you: Sex and the Desert. In this telling, Dubai is a place of sex, drinking, and even a gay wedding celebration.

My problem was the Chamber of Commerce upbeat presentation compared to the recent news stories of rape victims being sentenced to jail terms for sex out of marriage. I know this book was partially funded by a Kickstarter, but it reads like it was funded by the Dubai tourism bureau. This discrepancy spoiled some of the fun for me.

 Arabic Glossary

habibi - My (male) friend
habibti - My (female) friend
inshallah - God willing (hopefully - for future events)
mashallah - God has willed it (appreciation - for good news)
wallah - (I promise) by God
alhamdulillah - Praise to God (similar to Hallelujah)
salaam - Peace (similar to shalom)

I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway on July 15, 2013. I received the book July 18, 2013.