I didn’t know what to expect from Writing Mr Right but it wasn’t a manifestation of a male muse after wishing on a candle. This book was such a cute cozy read. Aashiq is the perfect golden retriever boyfriend and is Ziya’s cheerleader in every way. I loved the cultural representation throughout this book as well. I wish I would’ve seen more of her interactions with her family and learned more but I loved what was shared. There were points that the story seemed too good to be true, but that’s more my preference rather than the author’s ability. If the goal was to make the reader happy and feel like there’s a perfect person for you, that goal was expertly achieved.

This was a pretty cozy and enjoyable read for me. I loved the representation and enjoyed Ziya's development throughout the story. Things did feel a bit slow at times, and I would've loved to see more development on the romance; that said, I do think this book would be a great read for anyone who enjoys a good romcom with elements of magical realism.

𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁:

This was an interesting read. I usually don’t gravitate toward books with magical realism themes but I went into this one blind so I had no idea this had that as an element. It was fun seeing her muse manifest to help her write a book because of a magical birthday candle wish. It was a little weird that she fell in love with a construct of herself, but I felt by the end her muse developed their own identity so it was ok. Definitely a different read and I enjoyed branching out of to get a little splash of magic on my day.

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬:

Ziya wants to be an author so bad. She works as a legal secretary during the day and writes in the evenings. She is discouraged as her manuscript keeps getting rejections.

Her bestie and roommate gets her a cake for her 30th birthday and it has a magical candle. So Ziya makes a wish to find her muse again. Never in her wildest dreams did she think a handsome man named Aashiq would appear.

Aashiq is there to guide her and help her find her way again. He pushes Ziya out of her comfort zone in all areas of life and helps her to find inspiration in the everyday again.

The only problem is Ziya may be falling for Aashiq and that could never work as he isn’t even a real man.

𝙁𝙖𝙫 𝙌𝙪𝙤𝙩𝙚:

“I see the world and all of its shades so differently now, and that’s because of you.”

𝑳𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒍𝒍 𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒅:

* Legal Secretary by Day & Author at Night
* She Keeps Having her Manuscript Rejected
* Magical Realism - Makes a Wish on a Candle
* Her Writing Muse Appears
* He Teaches Her How to Have Fun
* She’s Falling for Her Muse - Forced Proximity
* He’s Pushing Her Out of Her Comfort Zone
* He’ll Fade Away When She Doesn’t Need Him Anymore
* Cultural Rep - Pakistani
* New York City near Sunset Park
* Single POV - No Spice

✨🎂✍️💜✨🎂✍️💜✨🎂✍️💜✨

Writing Mr. Right by Alina Khawaja is a sweet story of an author named Ziya who loses faith in her writing and decides to quit. When she does, Aashiq, her muse, turns up in her apartment to give her hope, inspire her, and help her become the person she could be. But what will happen when Ziya rediscovers her passion for writing?

This was a fun story, and I really enjoyed Ziya’s development. There were times it felt a bit slow, but it was fun watching Ziya’s confidence grow. I would have liked to see more of the romance developing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for access to an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you, Alina Khawaja, Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!

Zaya is a writer who aspires to have her work published while also working as a legal secretary. After receiving another rejection letter on her 30th birthday, she deletes her manuscript and swears off writing. The next morning, she wakes up to a handsome stranger in her apartment who claims to be her writing muse named Aashiq. He works to help gain Zaya gain confidence in herself and enjoy not only writing but life. As she begins to get her writing spark back, Aashiq begins to disappear. Will she have to give up her chance of love for a next book?

This was a cute and quick romance read. The characters were cute, and Aashiq was great at encouraging Zaya to open up to the world. I did feel like the ending was rushed with Aashiq starting to vanish towards the very end of the novel. I would think that would start to happen much sooner maybe. The ending with the candles also felt like they through that in quickly.

Overall it was a cute read!

An aspiring lawyer and want to be romance author finds herself conjuring up the 'perfect man' who is set on encouraging her to be the best writer she can be and finally finishing her first manuscript in this sophomore contemporary love story from Pakistani Muslim Canadian author Alina Khawaja. I loved the unique take on the want to be romance author story, the dreaminess of the MMC and how much this book is an encouraging love letter for aspiring authors! Good on audio and highly recommended for fans of authors like Farah Heron, and books like Ashley Poston's Dead romantics or BK Borison's Good spirits. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Steam level: kissing only

A writer is losing her love of writing…and who should appear but a handsome physical manifestation of her inner desire to write, a muse if you will!

I loved the cultural aspects of this story, following our Muslim Pakistani lead, and I thought the muse’s energy was infectious (if not a little much) and delightful! However, this story lacked a lot of the emotional depth between the characters, and felt much more like a book set to inspire other writers than a romcom! That being said, if that was the goal - it did a great job! I definitely left the book inspired to follow through on my dreams.


Thanks so much to Alina Khawaja and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review!

This book was just okay for me. There were moments I genuinely enjoyed, and parts of the writing were quite strong. However, it often read like a self-help book, which wasn’t what I was expecting. I found it difficult to get fully immersed in the story. While I liked the concept of the muse, I struggled with the idea that the MMC was a part of our FMC's subconscious. This made it harder for me to connect with the narrative. That said, if you're a fan of magical realism and nostalgic, old-school teen rom-com vibes, this book might be a great fit for you.

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing, Alina Khawaja & NetGalley for the ARC!

DNF, I got about 10 chapters in and called it quits. It was hard for me to connect with this story and found myself forcing me to finish each chapter.

The title and the cover art is what really drew me in, then I saw the premise of the book and I thought it would be a great read but this felt more like a self help than a romance to me, sadly.

*Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Alina Khawaja for the ARC!*

eARC
DNF

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the eARC

The title name and art cover is what drew me in. Then I read the summary and thought it would be a cute easy read. FMC being a writing? Yes please! I love when it’s a book about a writer. I’ve always enjoyed those tropes.

The premise is, Ziya is an almost thirty, legal secretary and struggling writer. Who’s been rejected by every possible publisher. She throws in the writing towel and continues her stable legal secretary work.
A strange man appears in her kitchen and he tells her he’s her muse, part of her creative mind. He’s going to help her get out of her head, enjoy more about life and the little things. Ultimately, find her creativity as a writer. They spend all day together and Ziya notices how attractive he is…

I went as far as 14 chapters and that’s when I DNF this. This wasn’t an easy read to begin with. I was pushing through to find growth with the FMC and a MMC love interest. As far as I read, I am guessing that Aashiq is the love interest, which I’m disappointed because it isn’t something that she thought of, wrote or created, it’s that he just appeared out of nowhere.

The book would have a better appeal to me if the FMC began thinking/writing of the love interest.

Read: May 8th - May 14th
Format: E-Book
Rating: No rating, DNF-ed @ 42%

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

I wanted to love this book. A discouraged writer learning to love the craft again? All while being PoC and advocating for PoC authors writing? Sign me up!

Except, well... I didn't like it. First, I'd like to clarify that when I read the blurb, when I read that her muse comes to life, I figured it was a mental construction of her perfect love interest, or a reflection of a guy she based her love interests on, or maybe the love interest of her book himself. I didn't expect the muse to be her desire to write manifested in hot man form. And because he was so intricately part of her, the romance just felt weird and off putting. I mean, yay for self-love I guess? But not when it's like this. I went from excited about this aspect of the concept to grimacing through it.

And the writing? I saw someone compare it to a self help book, and honestly, that's very valid. So much of the dialogue was stilted and forced because it just felt like someone spitting out what would be in a creative's curated self help book. I've given the advice at times myself, but always through text. The way it felt so polished coming from the mouths of characters made it feel inorganic and practiced.

This also extended to the protagonist, who came across as an inorganic embodiment of all the issues that a writer may have. Also, she rage quit because she couldn't get an agent or publisher. Look, I'm not going to give anyone grief for the route they want to go, but self-publishing didn't even cross her mind, and if anything, the book gave the vibe that only trad published books had worth, and it just left me with the icks. The complaint that the agents gave also didn't make sense? That the romances didn't have high enough stakes? Emily Henry was literally mentioned in this book. What was the stakes of Funny Story? That the protagonists wouldn't get together? Since when did romance need super high stakes besides the character growth and the building romance? The complaint she kept getting just made no sense to me.

I don't know. The entire thing around her writing career left me feeling more confused than sympathetic.

I won't say this book isn't worth giving a try. It has a good message underneath, and I genuinely desire messages about PoC writers being valid, and the need for people who look like them to be protagonists. But this book just didn't do anything for me. So, if the things I listed as complaints don't seem like things that would bother you, give it a go.

I love a good romance with a bookish angle and the premise of Writing Mr. Right gave me Ashley Poston romance vibes with its magical realism element incorporated into the plot... Both reasons why I couldn't resist adding this book to my shelves. I think I was probably most excited for the muse-coming-alive part of the plot, although I always love a good own voices representation as well... And while I did enjoy those elements, as a whole I ended up with mixed thoughts. I'll try to explain why below.

Before I continue, I have to stress that I still love the premise of Writing Mr. Right. The magical realism element really took the plot to the next level for me, and the story had SO much potential. Somehow, the execution itself didn't quite work as well for me though. That said, I can't deny that it was a quick read and I can always appreciate a clean and almost cozy romance. I could also really appreciate the Pakistani representation in the story and how it was incorporated into the plot.

Where did it get wrong for me then? Let's just say that I'm just not sure if this story should actually BE a romance, or at least not in its current version. I mean, am I the only one weirded out by the fact that Aashiq is basically a physical manifestation of Ziya's creativity?! And that he lived inside her brain before coming alive?! Somehow it just felt wrong for them to develop feelings, especially since his origin is mentioned over and over again. I feel this story would have worked so much better if their connection would have been just a close friendship instead... Or at least with its current inspirational vibe during most of the plot and the multiple mentions of where he came from.

And that is another thing that started to bother me after a while: how certain parts almost read like a self help book with one too many inspirational quote. It made the dialogues feel a lot less natural and it simply became too much for me; it really distracted from the rest of the story. I'm all for characters focusing on growth and self-improvement along the way, but I just wasn't a fan of how this was incorporated into the plot. Especially since some of the changes in Ziya were quite abrupt and didn't always feel credible.

I also struggled with Aashiq himself. Sure, his puppy energy made him easy to like and he sure tried to do a great job as a muse. Like I said, if the connection would have been a friendship, their growing bond would have been easier to overcome... But the romance just never felt right for me. I liked the whole new-at-being-human part of his character, although it's a shame that it wasn't done in a consistent way. I mean, there were moments where he was incredibly clueless, and then a couple pages later he is suddenly behaving like any other human... His behavior while learning to be a human was a bit too over the top at times as well, and a more balanced approach would have made his character feel more credible.

In the end there were elements I enjoyed in Writing Mr. Right and it is without doubt a quick and easy read, but there were also elements that didn't work quite as well for me. I did love the magical realism element and bookish angle though!

I'd first like to thank Harlequin Trade Publishing, and MIRA for the eARC of this book.

I absolutely wish that I could give a higher star for this book, but (unfortunately) like the FMC kept hearing from agents....I could not connect with the FMC at all. I wanted so much to love this story, but I kept finding myself wanting to either not pick this one up, or just read something else altogether.

I'm sure that this book will resonate well with writer hopefuls, and it definitely had some very good bits of motivation dispersed throughout the story.

This was such a fun and refreshing read. I loved the concept but I do feel as the execution was not the best. I couldn’t submerge myself into the story like I typically do. As the story continued, I did begin to feel as if I was being told how Ziya felt rather than being about to feel and experience it for myself. However, I do believe this book has the potential to be someone's favorite book ever, it just was not for me

Unfortunately, I did not finish this book, but did get about 60% through and skipped to the end.

The premise is interesting - an legal secretary decides to quit writing after too many rejections and a birthday wish turns into her writing muse personified. The fmc is Pakistani, and deals with her identity as a woman of color, while struggling with her confidence and social skills. The mmc is a golden retriever who sees the world as brand new, since he has has always been a part of her psyche.

The issue I had with the story was the way things were told, not shown. Dialogue between characters was long and overly descriptive in ways that became formal and unrealistic. The mmc's childish wonder and curiosity was a bit over the top, while the fmc was overly stubborn in being open to growth. After a while, the story became repetitive and the dialogue was shouldering too much of a burden to tell the story.

Thank you for the chance to read and review this book!

This was a quirky, cute read with a lot of magical realism and heart weaved into the story.

Ziya and Aashiq were both fantastic characters and I fell in love with each of them as the story went on. I really appreciated Ziya’s growth as a character and her finding her zeal for life again. I loved that she found a way to make all of her dreams come true while finding joy in the glimmers of life like making meals, seeing a sunrise, and running. Aashiq was quirky and I enjoyed all the little moments where he found joy in the every day and encouraged Ziya to never take those little things for granted. He had so much fun with life and drew that out of her as well.

The cultural representation was great and I found it added a lot of depth to Ziya’s character when we would see her struggles with her family and her lived experience with her culture and faith. I learned a lot from reading this book!

Unfortunately, I never really got over that he was an “extension of her” and that took away from the romance for me. It just seemed like the author mentioned him coming from her subconscious too many times for it not to be a little strange. I loved the premise of him being her muse, I just don’t think it was executed as well as it could’ve been to make it believable or to make me buy into this as a romance instead of a friendship. I do feel they might’ve been better as friends, as the romance came off as unrealistic. I also didn’t love the ending for Emily and didn’t think it fit with the narrative that was built around her boyfriend in the rest of the book.

This was a sweet, quick read for anyone looking for a little magical realism. Overall this was a cute read with a lot of heart!

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing (MIRA) for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Ziya Khan works at a law firm by day and then works on her novel at night, but things aren’t exactly going great in either department. She’s so dedicated to work that she doesn’t have friends there and barely takes time to eat lunch. Once she goes home to write and try to query her novel, it gets turned down by agents for being too low-stakes.

One night, she’s had enough and decides to give up writing and her novel. The next day, she ends up meeting Aashiq. Who is Aashiq? He is the embodiment of her muse and is there to help her find her love of writing again. Once the job is done, he’s gone and back to being in Ziya’s head, which doesn’t seem so bad at first.

While Ziya is reluctant to do anything, Aashiq quickly becomes a positive presence in her life as he’s outgoing, carefree, and kind. As you might guess, the two are spending a lot of time together, and they end up falling for each other. The only problem is that he is going to disappear once Ziya gets her love of writing back and finishes her next novel.

Since it has that fantastical element to it, I won’t give away what happens. However, I loved this concept, and I think it worked so well. It was so fun to see how Aashiq approached the world and people because he had never seen anything beyond what was in Ziya’s head. It was refreshing to see someone who had no idea what the world was like handle it. In turn, it was incredible to see Ziya blossom into who she was meant to be. She had been living on autopilot, and Aashiq gave her the push she needed.

The romance between Ziya and Aashiq is bittersweet as we know what’s coming. However, the two end up spending the time they have together intentionally. They do things Aashiq has only dreamed about, try new activities, and even venture to Times Square on New Year’s Eve. No worries on that, as they end up going back home before the ball drops.

Once again, Alina Khawaja captured my heart, and I adored this book. Her books are always so fun and fresh with Muslim characters who we don’t see much in romance books.

This was a meta, tongue in cheek romance with a lot of heart. The premise was a little magical and absurd, in all the best ways, and was explored really well. Ziya was a really relatable, complex character that had a great emotional arc. I also loved getting to see her relationships with her family and culture, as well as her passion for her writing.

I adored this book!! Thanks to the Author, Alina Khawaja, NetGalley and the Publisher for my ARC and this opportunity to read ahead of release! AS a struggling writer and aspiring for more in her life as a legal assistant, Ziya makes a wish on magical candles thanks to her best friend and the next morning, Aashiq, her main character in her story and her muse, appears in her kitchen, making pancakes. The next few weeks Aashiq pushes Ziya to exercise more, push for what she wants at work, make new friends, take time for things she loves and take chances she never considered to before. Little does she know that the more she works towards her book and her writing she adores so much, the more Aashiq begins to disappear. I think my favorite part of this book was the representation of the authors own family and Pakistani culture and heritage. I feel like its something we dont see represented often and I truly loved seeing and learning all of it! The entire book stresses the important of career/life balance and not only does Aashiq help her with her writing he does really show her what that is and what that entails as its not anything she has ever considered before. This read absolutely brought me to tears in the very best ways and I have already been recommending to friends! #NetGalley #WritingMrRight

Writing Mr. Right by Alina Khawaja feels like waking up to find that the one person who actually believes in you is standing in your kitchen making pancakes. Ziya Khan is stuck between the day job that drains her and the dream that keeps slipping through her fingers, and after one last rejection letter on her thirtieth birthday, she’s ready to call it quits for good. Enter Aashiq, her muse brought to life, looking way too real and way too determined to get her back on track.

The setup sounds magical, but what makes this story work is how grounded it stays. Ziya’s struggles with self-doubt, burnout, and wondering if it’s smarter to just give up are painfully real. Aashiq isn’t there to hand her success, he’s there to push her into doing the terrifying work of believing she deserves more. Watching her reclaim her voice, little by little, is just as satisfying as any romantic payoff.

Their relationship is sweet and slow with just the right amount of spark, but always with that bittersweet ticking clock in the background. Ziya knows that the better she gets at standing on her own, the closer she is to losing him. The tension never tips into melodrama though. It’s handled with a light, funny touch that keeps the story moving without undercutting the emotional weight.

Writing Mr. Right nails that tricky balance between a rom-com that makes you laugh and a character journey that actually makes you feel like maybe you should dust off whatever dream you stuffed in a drawer five years ago. It’s fresh, charming, and sneakily emotional without ever getting preachy or heavy-handed.