I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A young woman has to face the reality of the death of man that she loves.

This was a solidly great read! I am a big fan of the author's TV writing, and her bighearted humor is on fully display here. For fans of Dolly Alderton!

The whole time I read "Love Ones" by Aisha Muharrar, I thought that this would make a great movie or mini series. As a book by itself, it's ok. It's a typical Rooney-esque story about love lost and people doing human things and messing things up.

cool, well done book about grieving and sorrow and coping with loss. 5 stars, would definitely recommend. tysm for the arc.

Thank you for this ARC! I was instantly immersed in the world the author created. The characters are very relatable, and the story was a page turner. It is romantic, but not cliche. It is sad, but hopeful. I highly recommend this one for a quick read that is not fluff.

Really tender and an interesting approach to a grief story. I fell in love with Julia and thought Elizabeth’s character always was a bit off to me, their friendship and journey of discovering Gabe post-mortem was heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measure. I enjoyed it a lot and would say this would actually make a really good book club pick as there would be a lot to discuss and it feels like a general crowd pleaser.

I liked Loved One, but didn't love it. It sounded like a book straight up my alley, but I think I ultimately found the whole premise the book was built on to be a little empty.

Julia's first love and now best friend Gabe passes away very suddenly. He's a very successful musician and relatively famous amongst his cult-like following. When Julia and Gabe's mother realize some of his possessions are missing, Julia makes it her mission to find them and she thinks there's a good chance they're with his most recent ex-girlfriend.

I totally understand why a bereaved mother and best friend would want all of their loved ones possessions back, but there was something odd (to me) about the desperation they had to get back a guitar, hat, some sheet music, and a bracelet. To the point Julia literally gets on a plane to another country to basically stalk the ex-girlfriend. Grief makes people do some wild things I guess. Gabe's mother also drove me a bit crazy in how she communicated with Julia. But again, I suppose that can be chalked up to grief.

I did enjoy the progression of the plot and the growth and revelations the characters experience as the novel goes on. A story that starts with a lot of questions ends with lots of answers and I really appreciate that.

I also enjoyed Aisha Muharrar's writing style and would certainly read more from her!

This book was a great exploration of love and loss, and the questions/feelings that often remain when you lose someone. I had a good time reading about Gabe and Julia and how they were able to grow into themselves.

This is a relatable story for anyone who has either considered dating a friend or dated one and it didn’t work out. It pulls on a lot of emotion that i think will resonate with a large audience, especially younger people.

Thanks to Penguin and NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you to the publisher for early access to this moving novel. Loved One surprised me with its intriguing characters, who you meet as teens during a romantic summer in Barcelona. I found the prose lovely, the characters both believable and archetypical of their roles as almost mother in law, ex, first love.
I would pick up another book by this author if able!

Aisha Muharrar’s Loved One is interesting and thought provoking. I can’t say that I loved it, but I can say that I don’t think I’ve ever read anything quite like it. That is in and of itself an accomplishment. The book is told by Julia, after she learns of the death of one of the most important people in her life, Gabe, at just 29 years old. The relationship itself was a continuously evolving one that was left in a state of flux when he died, leaving Julia with a lot of unresolved feelings and questions. This leads her to volunteer to track down Gabe’s last ex, Elizabeth, to see if she can get items back for Gabe’s mother. When they have interactions, they are prickly ones, but whether either one wants to admit or not, they both benefit from having, as it gives them another perspective on Gabe. The reader will see how Gabe had meaningful relationships with people but struggled to be present and committed because of his devotion to his music. This left both women feeling like they were having different feelings in their relationship with him than they thought he did, only to find out later that he felt similar but walked away because of his passion. Having been in friendships with people I adored that ended up feeling very one-sided on my end, I could see why this was a struggle for both women. The other thing I could understand was the need to cling to whatever you could have someone that is gone too soon. Gabe’s mother Leora wants as many of his things back as possible. Julia is desperately searching for the medical bracelet she made for him. And Elizabeth doesn’t want to hand over the things he left in her flat. Some of these items are deeply personal and sentimental and serve as that last connection to someone who’s gone. There were times in this book where I disliked Julia, Elizabeth and Gabe, mostly for their failure to understand and consider the feelings of people important to them. But at the same time I could almost always understand the position they were in and how hard it can be, especially when you are grieving, to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved this book. It was at turns funny, moving, sweet and insightful. It was a beautiful exploration of grief, love, art, and relationships of all kinds. I feel it is something that will stay with me for a long time.

Thank you NetGalley for the review copy!

I’m not surprised the writer is associated with great tv show writing, because this book is able to be both funny and emotionally engaging. The author is so generous with all of her characters, they feel like real people you might run into. The story also has a mystery element which happily surprised me.

I’d recommend this book for fans of Rufi Thorpe, The Good Place, or Fleabag.

One of my favorite books this year. The story is fast-paced with a hook that kept me reading, and the characters felt aspirational and relatable at the same time. With its distinctive protagonist's voice, strong sense of place (LA, Barcelona, London), memorably quirky characters, and just-this-side-of-realistic storyline, it reminded me of Maria Semple's books. I'm already recommending it to my book-loving friends.

The story begins with Julia, a successful artist, giving the eulogy of her first-love-turned-close-friend of over 10 years, Gabe, who dies unexpectedly at twenty-nine. His sudden death launches Julia into an intercontinental quest to recover a few of his dearest possessions - a guitar that belonged to his mother, a Mets baseball cap his father gave to Gabe when Gabe was young, and a medical bracelet that Julia designed and crafted for Gabe to 'keep him safe.' Julia's journey takes her from Los Angeles to London and Barcelona into the murky realm of the past, including a collision course with the last woman he loved, a guarded, self-possessed florist and restaurateur named Elizabeth. Two women who loved the same man and yet know and understand him in two very different ways coming face to face. I had a difficult time feeling connected to the characters or the storyline. The writing was too simplistic and juvenile, leaving me rolling my eyes. The concept behind the story is a good one, but I don't think the author was able to deliver it in a meaningful way.

I found this book to slow and whiny. It was a bit of a mystery, but not enough of one to feel any sense of tension. Or care about the end result. Generally disappointing after reading the description.

This book was an interesting exploration of love and loss, and the questions that remain after you have lost a loved one. I enjoyed reading about Julia's history with Gabe; their young relationship, their friendship, and the wonder of what could have been/would have been if Gabe hadn't died unexpectedly. For a debut novel I was impressed with the author's writing style, character development, and ability to meld humor with emotion. I would definitely recommend this book to others.

At the heart of this quietly gripping novel is a love story—several, in fact—not all of them romantic. When Julia’s first love and longtime friend, Gabe, dies suddenly at just twenty-nine, she’s left adrift in the wake of a loss that feels both distant and deeply personal. What begins as a simple mission to retrieve his cherished possessions becomes a globe-spanning emotional excavation, uncovering the tangled threads of past relationships, unresolved grief, and the shifting boundaries between friendship and love.

The prose is quietly lyrical, with reflective moments and vivid emotional detail. The author doesn’t rush through grief or healing, instead allowing space for silences, slow reveals, and small, intimate ways people try to hold on to the ones they’ve lost.

Ultimately, this is not just a story about recovering objects—it’s about recovering parts of ourselves that get scattered through time and relationships.

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

I absolutely devoured this. The rare (?) book whose cover is as good as its inside. It is a story entirely about people and grief and love but somehow never feels slow, ponderous, or depressing. I can't wait to read more of what Aisha Muharrar writes.

Lovely! I adored the writing style and the way Julia describes her thoughts and her surroundings (it makes sense that a talented jewelry designer/creative type would be detailed-oriented and observant). I was fully invested in Julia’s exploration of her grief and what could have been but never will be.

Highly recommended to anyone looking for a tender and thoughtful read.

Thank you very much to Viking and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

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.