Aisha Muharrar’s debut novel, Loved One, is a beautifully layered exploration of love, loss, and the tangled narratives we construct around the people who shape us. With keen emotional insight and a deft narrative structure, Muharrar delivers a compelling story that is as much about self-discovery as it is about uncovering the past.

At the heart of the novel is Julia, whose relationship with Gabe—a first love turned lifelong confidant—remains an unresolved thread in her life. When she meets Elizabeth, Gabe’s most recent ex, at his funeral, a single, charged interaction sets her on a path of emotional excavation. Julia’s journey to London, tasked with retrieving Gabe’s belongings, becomes an opportunity to seek closure, but instead, it leads to an intricate and often unsettling dance with Elizabeth. Their dynamic—tense, revealing, and deeply human—forms the novel’s emotional core.

Muharrar excels at crafting complex characters whose motivations and emotions unfold gradually. Julia and Elizabeth are both flawed yet compelling, each grappling with their own version of Gabe and what he meant to them. The novel’s shifting perspectives and timelines keep the reader engaged, building a sense of quiet suspense that mirrors Julia’s own search for understanding.

Beyond its central mystery, Loved One is a meditation on the contradictions of memory and love. It asks whether we ever truly know the people we hold dear and how much of our love for them is shaped by our own needs and perceptions. Muharrar’s prose is elegant and emotionally resonant, capturing both the intensity of youthful romance and the aching complexity of adulthood.

For readers who enjoy introspective, character-driven narratives in the vein of Sally Rooney or Ann Patchett, Loved One is an engrossing and deeply moving novel. It lingers long after the final page, much like the people and relationships it so poignantly portrays.

I was immediately into this book once I started reading it. I thought this book was a really interesting way to explore how a person may feel after losing someone they loved. Death of a loved when can lead to complicated emotions, especially in Julia's case where she had a complicated relationship with Gabe. She was so set on viewing her friendship with Gabe through one lense, it was interesting to see how she struggled once she met Elizabeth and was given another perspective. I enjoyed seeing how these two women interacted with one another and came to support each other through their grief. I for sure will be recommending this book to my friends once its out!

A story of love and loss and many unanswered questions when someone dies.
I wanted to like this one. It was just so slow and rather whiney.

NetGalley/ August 12, 2025 Viking

3.5* rounded down
I was hooked from the first page, but I found the changing timeline to be quite tedious by the end. I felt the same way about most of the characters. I did love how realistically the author described grief and the grieving process.

Thanks NetGalley and Penguin for providing me with an ARC!

Loved One is a heartfelt exploration of love and loss, diving into the lingering questions and complicated emotions that stay with us long after someone is gone. The story follows Julia as she grapples with grief and the weight of memory after the death of Gabe, her close friend and first love. When she’s asked to retrieve Gabe’s belongings from the home he shared with his ex-girlfriend Elizabeth, Julia unexpectedly forms a relationship with Elizabeth. Together, they navigate a mix of vulnerability, tension, and understanding as they uncover hidden truths and untold aspects of Gabe’s life. Having written for the show Parks and Recreation, Muharrar brings smart and perfectly timed humor into the story, using it to balance the emotional depth of the novel, making the narrative both earnest and deeply tender.

While the pacing might be slower at times, and the characters are far from perfect, the novel’s emotional depth and authenticity resonate deeply. Loved One is a bittersweet journey for anyone who has wrestled with the complexities of love, loss, and the messy feelings we uncover about ourselves and the people we’ve lost once they’re gone.

A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read Loved One ahead of its release. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to dive into this heartfelt story and reflect on its powerful themes. It’s been a meaningful experience, and I’m excited to share my thoughts on this moving and thought-provoking book!

The more I read of Loved One, the more I enjoyed it. I felt the pacing and narration were a little jerky at the beginning, and I didn't feel as invested in Julia's quest to retrieve Gabe's missing items from his ex-girlfriend Elizabeth as I'd have liked - but the more we got to know Elizabeth, the more I cared about the overall story. It was clear Julia and Elizabeth were keeping secrets from each other, but I'm torn on Muharrar's decision to keep Julia's secret from the reader for most of the book; I'm not sure whether it felt more suspenseful or withholding. That said, I loved the resolution and teared up reading the last few pages. Thanks to NetGalley and Viking for the ARC.

A solid 3.5! Loved One started off a little bit slow for me, but by the end I was so invested in Julia, Gabe, and Elizabeth and their relationships with each other.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking for sending me this book!

This book was an interesting exploration of love and loss, and the questions that often remain when you lose a loved one. I enjoyed reading about Gabe and Julia's past and how not only their relationship blossomed, but how each of them were able to grow into their own creative spaces. I feel that this is a story that will be relatable to anyone who has considered a relationship with a friend, but felt held back, or maybe it didn't work out for some reason or the other.

Overall, really well written story and I would look forward to reading other works by the same author.