This was a super cute and sweet romance. I enjoyed Ziya's journey through rediscovering her love for writing and being more sure of herself in the world. Unfortunately it was a tad too cheesy for me to fully love it. The romance was more Hallmark-esque than I prefer and the writing exercises felt far too on the nose and educational for the reader rather than really helping the character.

A cute story that reminded me of the movie Hot Frosty in good ways: golden retriever guy magically appears after the FMC makes a desperate wish. I love the Pakistani Muslim representation in this lighthearted romance genre. The first half had some pacing issues, with long descriptions of scenes that weren't relevant and ended up taking away from the moment. The pacing was better toward the end, and overall I enjoyed the book and chuckled at all the appropriate parts.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC! All thoughts and opinions are my own in this honest review.

Such a cute read!

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for this ALC.

Okay, first off, I love the narrator. They did such a wonderful job. If I had read this myself, I would have been so lost with pronunciations!
This was such a light, sweet romance. I definitely will be looking out for their other books in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley, and the publisher for the ARC!
Writing Mr. Right is a feel-good story centered around self-discovery and confidence. Through a whimsical, almost magical lens, the main character learns to embrace who she is and love herself fully. The pacing dragged at times, but the empowering message and creative premise made this a charming read. Ideal for readers looking for a light, inspirational romance without spice.

I thought by the title that the book was about a romance, even though having a romance between the FMC and a part of her would be strange. I did like that it was about finding yourself beyond who you are to other people and family. Good and cute story! Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for giving me early access to this audiobook!

I thought the audiobook for this one was really well done. I liked being able to hear the Pakistani pronunciations of names and, of course, the food descriptions! I think the narrator did an excellent job at capturing Ziya’s voice.

In my opinion, this narrator’s seamlessly blended the lightheartedness of the story with the heartfelt-Bess of the book too. This narrator is quite talented with all of the different voices and mannerisms she gave each character.

Thank you so much for allowing me to listen to an ALC of this one!

I thought that this was going to be a romance and it wasn't. Cute story about finding yourself and your confidence, but I really wanted some romance.

This was unique and quirky!

I had a back and forth experience with this. As I know that so many elements covered in this book are so vital to cover. All these elements tying into wellness and mindfulness that then leaks into watering your creativity and not giving up. The writing craft also is a big element here which I feel like this read could be great for writers to read and feel validated.

It is also not lost on me the irony of the main character fighting for the stories residing in her, being worth telling and reading. That message stands strong and firm in this book.

There were just elements that were hard to grasp when it came to the imaginary/not really imaginary friend. It was hard to grasp and digest. But All in all I feel the talent of this author, I love the way this author views writing, and will still read more books by them.

This story is cute, but I just couldn't get into a rom-com between a female writer/legal secretary and her writing muse who comes out of her own mind. It was too much like she was falling for herself. I couldn't get past it and I like a little magic in my books. I really appreciated the FMC's problem getting her feel-good romances with Pakistani lead characters published because they weren't about enough. As though if the main characters were Pakistani the story had to be more about angst, heartbreak and trial. It was an excellent point. Rom-coms with happy endings can be about any characters from anywhere. I'm glad she was convinced to stick to her guns.

First and foremost, thank you to the publisher and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I loved this story and it was definitely worth the read! The narrators did an amazing job bringing this story to life!

I really enjoyed this author’s Maya’s laws of love but this book wasn’t what I expected. I think this should have been marketed as contemporary fiction and not as romance as romance is only like 15% of the book. It’s also a sub plot and not the main theme.

However there’s a lot of self discovery, awareness, going out of your comfort zone, perseverance, and the larger side of life discussed in this book. But it was hard to get excited and engage with the characters because primarily I was expecting romance. If I knew what I was getting initially I might have enjoyed this better.

The narrator was amazing though! Her voice and dictation was comforting and engaging.

That said if you are looking for a book that shows how to inspire yourself on your goals, you might enjoy this. I would not however recommend this as a romance read.

Thank you to HTP for the ALC and a galley of this. All thoughts my own.

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

✨🎂✍️💜✨🎂✍️💜✨🎂✍️💜✨

WOW! Doesn't everyone want their muse to come to life? I enjoyed the humor and chemistry between the characters. A great 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

## Writing Mr. Right

Writing Mr. Right* is an original multicultural romantic comedy centered on Ziya, who juggles her day job as a legal secretary with her dream of becoming a writer. Despite facing repeated rejections, Ziya begins to doubt her abilities. Everything changes when her muse appears in her kitchen, bringing her creativity to life.
### Highlights

**Engaging References:** The story includes numerous nods to renowned authors and films, adding a relatable layer for the audience.
**Unique Storyline:** Although the beginning is slow, the narrative eventually captivates with its originality.
**Positive Vibes:** The book exudes positivity, offering valuable lessons for personal and professional growth, even for those outside the writing world.