Sex, Love, & Halaqahs by Nia Malika Dixon

In 2001, Jasmine, Regina, Maya, Bayaan, and Noreen, five Muslim women of varying ethnicities in Baltimore, MD are the best of friends and meet every weekend for a special “girlfriends” halaqah. (A halaqah is a gathering to study Islam and the Quran,) but their friendship and faith are challenged when Regina suspects her husband of cheating, and Bayaan’s been keeping what she knows about it, a secret. As the drama slowly unfolds, everyone starts choosing sides, and the harmony of their friends’ circle, along with Jasmine’s upcoming nuptials, is in danger of falling apart. If they don’t come together and resolve their differences, it could mean the end of their lifelong friendships and their gatherings of faith and food.