Etta’s grandmother dies, and she feels compelled to follow her sister to Myanmar to deal with her grandmother's ashes. Leaving behind loved ones but traveling towards a past that includes old friendships, family, and complicated relationships, Etta begins to come to terms with and revisit her memories.

This is such a beautifully written story about family and relationships. I loved the feeling this book gave me. I felt as if I were peeking into the warm and sunny pages of another life. Vicariously living through Etta, I wanted to learn more about her family history and intrude upon her innermost thoughts.

Overall, this is a great vacation read. Even with some of the tougher family dramas, it felt light and airy. It's just a gorgeous book throughout.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up to 4. This was a quick and informative read. I learned so much about the history and political turmoil of Myanmar (Burma).

American sisters Etta and Parker end up traveling separately to Myanmar after the death of their grandmother. Two timelines are covered, the first in 1988 when the family visited their grandmother’s homeland, the second 2011 to bring her ashes home. Parker has taken her grandmother’s ashes back to Myanmar for burial. Etta follows shortly after to try to come to terms with a traumatic event from 1988 and to resolve her feelings for her childhood love Shwe.

This is a character driven family story that touches on sibling love, childhood trauma, immigration, and differing cultures. It has many descriptive settings, mentions of Myanmar culture and food. Enjoyable read.

I really liked learning about Burma/Myanmar because it’s not a country I have a lot of knowledge about. Getting to see Etta’s childhood really explained why she acted the way she did and her complicated relationships with both Shwe and Jason. I’ve never really thought about traveling to Myanmar but after reading this book it’s definitely on my list. The author writes beautifully and really draws you into the story. Would be a 5 star read but I didn’t love the ending, I wish we got to see what happened when Etta and Jason got back to Boston.

Interesting plot, premise and characters but I had some trouble with the writing style which made it difficult to get through.

Oh this book was just so good! I loved the plot and the main character. It was so captivating. Such a great read! Well done