Interesting premise and I love that this was own voices.

Overall is was solid book. Cute story and good characters. I have read quite few stories featuring Muslim characters and they usually center that identity firmly in the conflict. I was refreshing that the conflict of this book wasn't about hate or the attempt to find their place within the two cultures of Muslim and America. That is not to say I don't enjoy those books but its nice that Ziya's nationality added to her worldview but was not the central conflict.

Aashiq as a character sort of felt one dimensional. He was there to be her muse and while he did that, if the author was going to make the ending where he stuck around I would have liked him to have become more independent as the story went on. The ending was a little lackluster and I felt like the HEA wasn't earned as much as it could have been.

My final thoughts was that I enjoyed this book, but it didn't blow me away. It was kind of like watching a Hallmark movie. It was sweet, entertaining but pretty standard.

I dnf'd at 47%. I really wanted to like this book but unfortunately it just wasn't for me. The idea for the story was there but I just wasn't a fan of the execution.

🫑

I wanted to love this. I love the representation, I loved the idea, I loved the culture in this. I just wasn’t invested (I totally didn’t mean to use the same critique as in the beginning of the book, but 🤷🏼‍♀️) I listened to it and was about 86% in and wasn’t driven to pick it back up. I ended up reorganizing my entire library with nothing on, just because I wasn’t chomping at the bit to finish it. It’s a cute story, and would make a great Hallmark movie. Overall a good listen, but not something I would consider for a reread.

❤️ Tropes ❤️
💋 sweet romance
💋 magic realism
💋 muse/writer
💋 forced proximity

Ziya has been working her whole life to be a published author, but when another rejection lands in her inbox from a prominent editor just before her birthday, she quits. She isn’t going to write anymore, she can’t handle it. She just wants to be happy. She deletes her whole manuscript, has a slice of cake early and goes to bed. But when she wakes up there is a strange man in her house. Aashiq says he is her muse, but she thinks she is just going crazy. Especially since other people can’t seem to see him. Too bad he won’t leave her alone.

As an author, I can relate to the problems that Ziya had in this book. She was pouring her heart out only to have people tell her that what she wrote wasn't good enough. Then the worst happened... she gave up. That is until she made an unintentional wish that brought her muse to life. And what happened next is nothing short of magic.

Aashiq, the muse, shows her that life and writing is not all about sitting down and putting pen to paper. I found such joy in this book. So many lessons that Aashiq told Ziya pertain to my life as well. So not only was this book a work of fiction, but it worked to light a fire under me in the form of a self-help book.

Then... Alina did it... she made me cry. If a book can make me cry, it is automatically a 5-star review, so Alina... thank you for providing this wonderful work of fiction and self help even if that's not how you envisioned it to be.

Mayuri Bhandari did an excellent job reading this book! <3

I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This novel follows an aspiring writer turned legal secretary struggling with being turned down for publishing. Losing hope and inspiration, she wills Mr. Right into existence with her mind to help her learn more about herself, be more confident, and take more risks.

To me, this was very reminiscent of an Ashley Poston novel with the mix of magical realism and romance. Not only that, but the added aspects of diversity with our main characters and family culture is a bonus.

I appreciate how our love interest was so supportive and willing to challenge our main character to be her best. Not only is this a romance novel, it is also a powerful journey of becoming comfortable with yourself and learning to believe in yourself. It was the right amount of romance and personal growth that I appreciate from a fully formed romance.

Overall, this was a really solid romance that I enjoyed a lot. You may even say it is a-Muse-ing.

Imagine this— you’re a writer whose story keeps getting rejected from agents, so you’ve decided to give up writing. You make a wish on some apparently magical candles and when you wake up the next morning there’s a man in your kitchen.
Flash forward— he’s evidently your writing muse come to life. His goal? Get you to start writing again. Not his goal? Have you fall in love with him. But alas.
I loved the magical realism element of this story— I thought it made it really unique. It’s interesting to think she technically fell in love with herself— not just learning to love herself— but that’s an interesting quirk to the story I think. It’s kind of like a wholesome djinn who not only helps you with your writing but also feel more confident taking up space and interacting with peers. He really changed the FMC’s life for the better. I also love that a part of her motivation for writing was so that others like her, POC, feel represented when they read and see themselves in books.

Thank you Harlequin Audio for the listen!

(2.75 stars)
The premise of Writing Mr. Right sounded so good, right up my alley with a strong dose of magical realism. Unfortunately, it just didn’t grab me as much as I had hoped it would.

Ziya Khan is turning 30. She’s an aspiring novelist but her manuscripts keep getting rejected and she’s feeling frustrated and despondent about it. She does really like her day job as a legal secretary, so that’s a saving grace for her. The story is told by Ziya, so we only get her point of view.

On her birthday, her best friend and roommate gets her a cake with some candles that the bakery said were magic. And they were! When Ziya makes a wish … well, that’s the premise of the book. Her writing muse comes to life in the form of a handsome young man, Aashiq. He inspires Ziya in a lot of different ways, from getting her to go out for a run or a walk, to eat healthier, and much more in connection with her writing. I just didn’t buy their eventual romance and the final outcome. It stretched my credulity a bit too much.

I really appreciated the Muslim representation in this story. Ziya’s family are Pakistani New Yorkers, very much at home in the city but still respecting their culture. I highlighted one quote that spoke to me:
“‘The whole reason I started writing seriously is because I wanted to combat those stereotypes, to show different kinds of stories… Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like anyone wants those stories. It’s like they think the only Muslim stories that have value are the ones where we’re suffering or we have to teach the reader something. We’re more than our pain, and we shouldn’t have to teach people why we matter.’”
I don’t know about you, but I think this statement is just as perfect if you substitute “Jewish stories” for “Muslim stories.” So much truth!

I bounced between the ebook and the audiobook, but mostly listened to the audiobook, which was well narrated by Mayuri Bhandari.

Thank you to MIRA and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book and to Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC audiobook! I really enjoyed this book. I'm sure every woman would love to dream up her ideal man and then have him come to life before her very eyes and be everything she needs. This was my first book from this author and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

Thanks to Alina Khawaja and NetGalley for sending me this ALC in exchange for a honest review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is the most magical RomCom I've read in a good while.

This book might have been on of the easiest 5 stars I've ever given not only it was a amazing and very unique story (to me) but it flowed perfectly from beginning to end, seing Ziya take charge and fall in love with her own life thru Ashiq fresh eyes have me pure joy.

And the romantic plot being so filled of quiet moments between the two of them made my heart skip a few beats, but I think one of my favourite parts is that Khawaja treated a few topics concerning her ethnicity without having to fall in stereotypical clichés but by having the characters just talk about it in a casual way.

I gotta say for a moment there I thought that maybe Aashiq had a bit of a toxic positivity problem but see keep on knowing about him it's clear that is not the case he just has fresh eyes to see the world in just like maybe a child would.

Mayuri Bhandari work on narration was so impeccable that I even listened to the audio in 1x just to enjoy her narration and the story for a little longer
Ziya Khan and Aashiq have my whole heart

~Blurb~

Ziya is a struggling Writer whos just trying to get by one of the worst day of her life from being splashed by a car on her way to work by reading a rejection from a literary agent about her book not being special, when she receives a new response from a diferen agent minutes before her birthday starts at 12:00 she thinks this might be the good news she's been waiting for but when she opens the mail for it just to be another rejection, and right there and then she decides is enough and she'll quit writing and at when the clock turns 12:00 blows the candles to a piece of cake and only wishes to be happy.

Little does she knows that when she wakes up she'll have the surprise of her muse Aashiq becoming real to help her get back in her writing horse.


Tropes:
Delusional FMC
Golden Retriever MMC
Cornelia Street iykyk
Struggling Writer
RomCom

If you need a fun book with a plot you’ve never read, this one fits the bill! My girlies who love a fun book with no spice will love this one! 🥰

Ziya is an aspiring author who is desperate for a muse… who just show happens to manifest in person to help inspire her.

Ziya was desperate for characters who helped represent her, but was unsure if she was the person for the monumental task. I absolutely loved seeing her muse inspire her throughout this book!!

I was lucky enough to have this as an audiobook and Mayuri Bhandari did an amazing job narrating this story!

I first want to thank the publisher and netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read (listen) and review this! While my review remains unbiased, I am grateful and appreciative nonetheless.

Onto my review, I'm not sure where to begin. This was my comfort for days on end and I savored it for some long drives I had to undertake. I know I took a little long to finish it but I didn't really want it to end too soon. While I can't say I'm fond of how the plot is set in motion I did like where it went once it was. The writing was solid and it was easy to see Ziya's growth as a character even outside of the scenes we're intended to. I loved the vivid descriptions and details, the way some things felt familiar and natural despite me personally having no experience with them and the way I could see and hear and smell and experience the world as though I had become a part of it. And, as a writer (currently on indefinite hiatus) myself, I felt inspired and energized by many of the writing scenes and exercises and thought-provoking discussions. If nothing else, this made me miss writing, so there's that.

But something else I wanted to touch on just briefly was the subject of the characters. Ziya being the main character obviously experiences the most growth, gets the most attention, and is our centering force for the story. She was mostly likeable; I'm always glad to see more Muslim characters whose stories a d motivations don't solely revolve around the trauma of being a victim of Islamophobic prejudice or being a 2nd gen immigrant trying to tee the line between embracing and rebelling against the culture their parents brought from "back home" and the one the discovered in the west. Those stories matter, of course, but I also like when we can be more than that. Ziya was someone with dreams and an inspiration not SOLELY tied in external factors but something her own and she had the physical manifestation of her creativity there to help her.

On that note, I can't say I was too fond of Aashiq if I'm being honest. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to see a male-love-interest who isn't a snarky jerk shooting off one-liners that somehow annoy the FMC into loving him. His influence on Ziya, beyond just the writing, was very well done and I like who she became with some pushing and support from him (which technically means herself? Did she technically gaslight herself into growing as a person?) With that said, as a character, Aashiq kind of annoyed me. He was a little TOO childish and naive. I get the aspect of him being innocent and I mean if anyone fits the "born yesterday" accusation it's definitely him, but it just felt kind of off-putting if I'm honest. It was weird knowing he was the love interest when she had to talk to/treat him like a toddler at times. Towards the end (spoiler alert) it got a little better once they were open about wanting something romantic but honestly even then, it didn't feel as believable from his side. Ziya, yes but not Aashiq. There's a movie I once saw a YouTube review* about (because who actually watches movies anymore) and Aashiq very much reminds me of one of the characters in it and that's not a compliment considering that guy's IQ was lower than his body temperature and he was a literal snowman come to life!

SPOILER AHEAD


I was also a bit let down by the ending. Due to my aforementioned feelings about the Aashiq character, I was fully hoping for and ready to embrace a "content and happy in another way" ending. Like, I knew it was just a red herring, but I wanted so badly to believe the scene at the library with the "does everyone get a happy ending?" question was prepping the readers for an ending where Aashiq doesn't get to make it to the end. Maybe he would've just all been in her head and she feels like she hallucinated the whole thing and no one remembers Aashiq, til she finds some item or some note or something in her life that basically lets her know he existed once upon a time and she's content with that but moves on in life. Idk. I had hoped maybe in the epilogue Ziya would be a published author with a different husband or something and she just accepted Aashiq as a part of herself that knew her like no one else would because it was her all along and just yeah. Idk. Any way to not have Aashiq actually be present in the ending but also not have anyone be sad or unhappy about it. Maybe the real Aashiq was the drafts inside her along the way lol.

No but really, I didn't hate Aashiq and his role in the story was definitely important, I just didn't care for some of his extremely childish moments. I didn't find them charming or endearing but I guess I'm not meant to, someone else will probably find them "cute."


As always, I'm happy to support another Muslim author and see some diverse stories out there. I can't say there was too much Islam present in this one, but the main character does at least mention prayers and use the name Allah to refer to God a few times. She mentioned some odd thing about having an imam "bless" her apartment when she moved in because she thought it might have possibly been a murder house, and uh... That's not really a thing. So that felt like it was kinda written for a "soooo relatable amirite" nudge nudge for the non-Muslim gaze. Idk. But religion wasn't an intended focus in either the narrative or the character outlook so I won't get into any further discussion on those matters.


One other note about the characters, I was relieved to see both of Ziya's parents being supportive. Her having a good relationship with both of them in the past and present was a relief, even though they weren't in the story too much. The siblings were in even less but even with their differences they seemed like normal family relationships to some degree, no major drama and no hate or anything. Emily, the best friend, is also very much appreciated. I was VERY happy to see her be the one to sort of wake Ziya up and turn her around when she was nearing a new low, and I love that that moment also helped Emily solve her own problem too. A clear example of, "when we help others, we help ourselves."

I think the narrator did a good job, although there were a few tonal inflections that seemed off (just an odd handful over the many hours of reading so it's very easy to overlook.) I may come back if/when I have more thoughts to add but for now, that's about all I had to say.

Once again I want to express my gratitude and appreciation to MIRA publishing and Netgalley for allowing me to enjoy this book. I look forward to more stories from Sister Alina, and I hope everyone had as good a time or better with this book as I had. Happy reading everyone!

















*giving a post-script shout-out to Pitch Meetings is tight!

Writing Mr. Right by Alina Khawaja was honestly such a charming read—with just the right mix of heart, magic, and personal reflection.

Ziya completely pulled me in. She’s ambitious, determined, and dealing with the kind of creative burnout that feels way too real. Her doubts didn’t read like fictional filler—they felt lived-in, like someone who’s been told “no” one too many times but keeps showing up anyway. I loved that about her.

The whole concept of Aashiq being a manifestation of Ziya’s muse? So cute. And also kind of brilliant. He’s not just some all-knowing dream guy—he doesn’t have access to her thoughts or feelings just because he came from her imagination. That made it feel a little more magical, a little more grounded, and honestly more meaningful.

And no, Ziya falling in love with a guy she created in her head didn’t feel weird to me. It felt symbolic—like she was also learning to love herself. To slow down, tune in, and do things that actually serve her, not just what she thinks she’s supposed to do. That part stuck with me more than I expected.
Alina Khawaja doesn’t just give us a sweet romance with great representation—she also sneaks in some deep, reflective stuff that had me thinking about my own life. Like, “Wait… what have I been manifesting lately, and is any of it actually for me?”

As for the audiobook—loved it. The narrator really brought Ziya’s emotions to life, and even without a dual or duet setup, I stayed locked in. Clean production, great pacing, and easy to follow.

Warm, introspective, and just the right amount of whimsical—this one definitely caught me off guard in the best way.

Thank you to Alina Khawaja, Harlequin Audio, and NetGalley for the early listen—opinions are mine, and so is my attitude. Writing Mr. Right is on sale now.

This book is so damn cute, and so funny. I loved the touch of magic in this romance and it was so lighthearted and inspiring. I wish my muse can materialize and be here lol.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

📝 Bookish Thoughts
This was a fun and light-hearted listen! It totally gave me that Charmed episode energy where they conjure up the perfect boyfriend 🤣

Yes, it was cheesy and totally unrealistic, but I still had a good time. Aashiq was such a cutie and truly kindness personified. Definitely magical romcom vibes!

✨ What to Expect:
• Writer FMC
• Magical realism
• Grumpy FMC
• Sunshine MMC
• Slow-burn romance

📖 Final Score: 3.5 stars
🎧 Audio Score: 4 stars
🎙️ Narration Style: Solo

📅 Pub Date: June 10, 2025
Thank you to Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for the advanced listening copy. All thoughts are my own.

I enjoyed this magical realism and romance novel. This contemporary love story from Pakistani Muslim Canadian author Alina Khawaja was such a cute one to read. I loved the unique of the magical realism. All in all, if you enjoy magical realism and romance, I would pick this one up.

I listened to this book and it was very well done. Mayuri Bhandari did such a good job with the accents between characters.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

4 ⭐️
I think this was a very good story about a writer finding her passion again and learning to live life in the present moments. I definitely recommend this book.

Thank you Netgalley for my ALC of this book!

Writing Mr. Right by Alina Khawaja
Our main character is legal secretary and also aspiring author and lawyer. One the eve of her 30th birthday she receives yet another rejection of her book which makes her delete it and vow to give up writing. The next morning she is greeted by her muse, a man who’s been conjured out of her mind to make her fall back in love with writing.
I really did like a lot about this book! The Pakistani rep was really cool and I loved her family! The magical realism/fish out of water MMC was very cute and easy to like. It reminded me a lot of 13 going on 30 meets the guardian angel from Drop Dead Diva (IYKYK). Watching our FMC really fall back in love with life was cute, but I just couldn’t get past the constant reminders that the man she was falling in love with was an extension of her own mind. It was just super weird that she was essentially falling in love with herself?? I also felt like her goals of being a lawyer were an afterthought and not well explored. It was still cute, but just not a favorite for me. 3⭐️

Thank you so much for a free audiobook in exchange for an honest review. While I liked the synopsis of this book, I did not enjoy the FMC. To me, the narrator's likeability or relatability is essential to my reading experience. With Ziya, she whined and complained throughout 80% of her narration. There is no reason to complain that much in a romance book with this little stake involved. While this book is someone's next favorite read, it was a no for me.

Writing Mr. Right by Alina Khawaja
emotional funny hopeful reflective relaxing sad medium-paced
3.0


This was different, who doesn’t fantasize about having the perfect motivator?? This motivator just turns out to be a hot guy you created with your mind…

The start of this book with a little bit slow for me reading about a writer is probably harder for me as a reader because I don’t like to write. When expressing creativity writing is just not my medium, so I found it kind of hard to relate with our protagonist.
I found the narrator played the characters and their backgrounds very well, I definitely listen to books that have had characters with differing backgrounds, and they are just not well represented by the narrator. No fault of their own just that there are so many variables and differences.

A fun funny read with a cute story though!
Thank you to Harlequin Audio for the ARC copy in return for an honest review!

# Writing Mr. Right
# 7/17/2025 ~ 7/28/2025
# 3.0 / 5.0

This book just wasn’t for me. I loved the premise, but the execution just didn’t work for me. I didnt connect with the characters. The writing and the story didn’t catch my attention within the first 1/4 of the story. I made it to 50% and had to DNF. I received this book from Harlequin audio and Netgalley. All opinions are my own.