Loved One by Aisha Muharrar – Book Review

A debut novel exploring grief, complex friendships, and the relationships that define us, told through a fresh premise and delivered by an evocative audiobook narrator.

Just finished: Loved One by Aisha Muharrar

Author: Aisha Muharrar
Narrator: Emma Ladji
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Literary Fiction, Relationship-Driven
Publication Year: 2025
Runtime: 9 hours and 17 minutes
My Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5 stars: Great)

The Overview

Setting: Contemporary, during that transitional period from your twenties into your thirties
Protagonist: A woman grappling with the sudden loss of her closest friend
Central Conflict: What did their relationship really mean, and how do we understand someone after they’re gone?

When a woman’s close friend – a musician – dies unexpectedly at 30, she travels to recover possessions he left scattered with friends during his travels. She and his most recent girlfriend spend extended time together in London, each unpacking her feelings about the loss through their conversations and occasional conflicts. The narrative explores how relationships that span from college into adulthood accumulate layers of meaning, ambiguity, and interconnected histories within friend circles. Muharrar examines how differently two people can perceive the same person, including conflicting views of his personality, strengths, weaknesses, and relationships with each of them.

The Deep Dive

My Take

Muharrar’s debut demonstrates sophisticated craft in how she portrays complex emotions through approachable, even occasionally lighthearted prose. The novel successfully balances grief’s weight with the texture of real life. Instead of telling us about the characters’ grief, the book shows it in action and in conversation, as the woman and the recent girlfriend meet, eat together, travel together, and even arrange flowers together. The two women move between harmony and conflict as they process their loss. It’s emotion told through life and relationships. 

The distinctive approach felt fresh and engaging, making a deep topic approachable. I enjoyed the book right up until the end, when a final conflict seemed to diminish the book’s nuanced themes, throwing away the previous, thoughtful reflection. I may be in the minority with that feeling, and it was a small drop of disappointment in an otherwise thoughtful exploration of grief and connection.

Why Now? Our Cultural Moment

Capturing the universal experience of navigating complex relationships that evolve from very young adulthood through adulthood, this explores complicated friend circles, nuanced relationships, and the chosen families we build over time. There’s the loss of an individual, but there’s also the loss of an era, as the characters navigate tension between who we were together in our twenties and who we’re becoming separately in our thirties as more people break into couples and establish family lives.

The Audiobook Experience

Narration: Emma Ladji brings a realistic, modern woman’s voice that feels refreshing and authentic, perfect for this story. The narration is calibrated for the story’s unique blend of illustrating deep emotion through action and conversation.
Length: Typical length for fiction at 9 hours, and just right for the story 

Audiobook Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5 stars: Great)

Audiobook vs. Print Recommendation

The narration is above average and enhances the conversational, introspective nature of the prose. I’d recommend this in audio, though I expect it would work equally well in print for readers who prefer that format.

Is This For You?

Perfect For

• Readers who appreciate relationship-driven, reflective contemporary fiction
• Anyone navigating the evolution of college friendships into adulthood
• Listeners seeking thoughtful explorations of grief that avoid melodrama
• Those drawn to fresh narrative structures and unconventional premises

Skip If

• You prefer fast-paced, plot-driven stories
• Relationship ambiguity and open-ended questions frustrate you

Similar Reads

1. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin – another complex, lifelong friendship with layers of meaning
2. The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan – similarly unconventional structure exploring modern relationship dilemmas

The Bottom Line

This debut offers a fresh premise that examines grief, friendship, and the relationships that define us with both complexity and approachability. While the ending may leave some readers wanting more, the journey throughout this book provides thoughtful, honest exploration worth the time investment for professional women who appreciate character-driven literary fiction.

Where to Listen

Quick note: This review includes affiliate links to help support Lark’s Edition. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend audiobooks and equipment I’ve personally experienced and loved.

• Audible – Get your first audiobook free with Audible’s trial
• Libro.fm – Support independent bookstores
• Hardcover from Amazon 
• Kindle version from Amazon 

For Your Book Club

1. How do the two women’s different perceptions of the deceased friend reveal the impossibility of fully knowing another person? How does this relate to your own experiences of friends or partners seeming different to different people in their lives?
2. The protagonist and her friend dated briefly before transitioning to close friendship. How did their romantic history complicate the grief process and others’ perceptions of their relationship? Do we treat grief differently based on relationship labels, and is that fair?
3. The musician’s albums serve as one way to understand his inner life, yet their meaning remains ambiguous. How does the book explore what we can and cannot know about people through their creative work versus direct communication?
4. The narrative explores how friendships from high school and college evolve into our thirties. What does this book suggest about maintaining chosen family across life transitions, and how does this resonate with your own experience?
5. Both women, as well as the deceased friend, work in creative fields where their work expresses feelings. How does the book use this professional context to explore broader themes about how we communicate emotion and process grief?