A realistic look at grief and who it belongs too - who has ownership over someone when they pass? Mother, siblings, friends, lovers. You mean something different to everyone in your life and so whose grief is most valid ? This was a well written book that I enjoyed a lot.

Aisha Muharrar’s Loved One is a quietly powerful exploration of grief, memory, and the deep emotional currents that connect — and complicate — our relationships.

At its heart, it’s a story about loss, but also about identity, intimacy, and the imperfect ways we hold onto people we’ve loved and lost.

The novel centres on Julia, who first meets Gabe as a teenager abroad in Barcelona. What begins as an intense romantic spark evolves into a long-standing friendship that never quite loses its emotional charge. Years later, when Gabe dies suddenly, Julia finds herself reeling — not just from his death, but from the realisation that the version of him she carried all those years might not have been the whole picture.

Muharrar deftly handles this emotional terrain, bringing together Julia and Elizabeth — Gabe’s more recent ex — at his funeral, then again under more intimate circumstances. Their interactions are complex and compelling, revealing how two people can grieve the same person in different ways, and how memory and meaning shift depending on perspective. The tension between them is delicately written, filled with moments of discomfort, revelation, and unexpected connection.

What makes Loved One stand out is its emotional precision. Muharrar doesn’t rely on melodrama; instead, she allows the characters’ pain, anger, confusion, and growth to emerge gradually and authentically. There’s humour and tenderness woven throughout, softening the sharp edges of loss without diminishing them.

This is also a novel that understands the ripple effect of death — not just on the closest relationships, but on the periphery too. Gabe’s presence lingers not only in Julia’s memories, but in the lives of his other friends, his mother, and Elizabeth, who each carry a unique, valid experience of grief. The story acknowledges these emotional overlaps and conflicts with a maturity that’s both honest and compassionate.

Muharrar’s writing is assured, clear-eyed, and emotionally resonant. She captures the contradictions of grie f— the selfishness, the yearning, the guilt, and the grace — in a way that feels both personal and universal. Loved One is a remarkable debut that stays with you, a layered reflection on how love and loss intertwine, and how understanding someone often means accepting what you’ll never fully know about them.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

i was hooked from the first page, but I found the changing timeline to be quite tedious by the end. I felt the same way about most of the characters. I did love how realistically the author described grief and the grieving process.

Loved One is a tender, quietly powerful exploration of love, grief and memories. When Julia's best friend—and once first love—Gabe dies suddenly at 29, she helps his mother retrieve some of his belongings.

For me, Loved One was a slow burner—until Julia's trip to London. From that point on, the story found its emotional stride. The evolving dynamic between Julia and Elizabeth (Gabe's recent ex-girlfriend)—particularly the question of whose grief is more valid: a lifelong friend or a recent lover—was absorbing and thought-provoking. It invited a reflection on how we measure the depth of loss and how different types of relationships carry equal, if not different, weight.

By the end, I was completely drawn in and was eager to finish the book.

I was recommended this by a friend, and I would never have known about it otherwise - so was really glad it fell onto my radar as it was a lovely read.
Julia is left devastated by the sudden death of her best friend Gabe. Gabe was originally her first teenage love, but their relationship had moved on to friends.... although only a month before his death unbeknown to anyone else they had got together one weekend for more than friends activity! At his funeral she meets Elizabeth, his last girlfriend, who seems standoffish and rude.
Julia and Gabe's mother, in the midst of their grief, are trying to locate some of his most treasured belongings. And suspecting they might be with Elizabeth Julia flies to London to track her down in the hope of retrieving the lost possessions.
And there, in London, they meet and get to know each other properly. Both hiding from each other the depths of their relationship with Gabe, they try together to navigate the grief they find themselves in.
I thought the ending rambled on a bit. But that was the only negative in an otherwise lovely read.

Loved One is a beautiful, reflective story about love, loss, and the kind of friendship that leaves a lasting imprint. Julia is grieving the death of Gabe - her best friend and first love - and as she helps his mother, Leora, sort through his things, we begin to piece together the story of their relationship: messy, loving, complicated, and enduring.

Told in first person, the narrative feels very personal and honest, like we’re right there with Julia as she tries to make sense of her grief and everything she didn’t know about Gabe. I loved how the story unfolded gently, with memories woven into the present, showing how deeply connected they were and how hard it is to let go of someone you never fully had.

Some of the character dynamics were hard to sit with - especially Leora. Her coldness and detachment didn’t quite make sense to me at times, especially for someone who raised Gabe on her own. I kept wondering if her behavior was meant to reflect her own way of coping, but it did feel jarring alongside the warmth Gabe seemed to give others.

Still, this was a moving and tender read. It captures that strange, raw space between heartbreak and healing, and I really appreciated the way the author let things stay a little unresolved - just like real life often is.

I requested this on the strength of the Maggie Shipstead recommendation on the front but it was too lightweight for my taste, I can definitely see that others might enjoy. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Give me any book about love and loss and I will treasure it.
This book looked at those friendships
where maybe in another universe, it could have been something different.
I loved the flashback scenes about Gabe and Julia's past.
Truly heartbreaking wonderful read.

Funny and touching exploration of grief and trying to make sense of losing someone important to you when you were also estranged. Loved how well this novel sketches the strangeness of realising you might not have known a person as well as you thought after they're gone and no longer around to ask them.

4.5
A tender, emotionally resonant read that explores love, grief, friendship, and the complexity of loss with honesty and heart. The story thoughtfully asks who gets to claim grief and how well we ever truly know someone. The musical backdrop adds a lovely touch, and the writing is engaging throughout, though the shifting timelines can occasionally feel disorienting. Still, this is a moving, memorable story that lingers long after the final page.

This story was an exploration of love, loss and jealousy, with Gabe at the center of it. Julia and Gabe first meet when they're in Barcelona. Julia's there to study and Gabe is there with his mother, who is teaching at an art school. He's trying to figure himself and his future out when he meets Julia, but nevertheless their relationship begins. A relationship that lasts a lifetime.

Then Julia meets Elizabeth, who is Gabe's latest ex, and the two women begin a journey of discovering themselves and the man they both loved. They're full of questions, concerns, jealousy and (white) lies, but have to work together if they want to put the puzzle pieces of Gabe's story together.

I think love and loss, especially grief, is depicted well throughout the story - it forces people into awkward situations, fuelled by a range of emotions. The characters are well constructed - they feel like real people. Like you or me. People you'd meet at a party or standing in line at a museum. There's humour, sadness and comfort throughout the pages and I really enjoyed it all.

What a beautiful exploration of grief, friendship and love. I absolutely loved this novel which felt like an American version of Sally Rooney’s normal people (if one of them died).

The characters were perfectly crafted and felt so real, and their relationship was messy, fun and heartbreaking. I loved the multiple settings across the US and Europe, and the twists were well executed. Would recommend!

Absolutely loved this book! This is all heart and touches the right chords. It makes you smile and feel the impact of a loss.

The book has themes of love, friendship, loss, grief, family and rivalry. A sudden death and its impact on the lives of people around. How much do people belong to us and is there a degree to it. Can someone claim more of a loss than the other. And a feeling of who knew them the best. It is all realistically done. The book connects since it feels real and relevant. Also liked the touch of the music world here.

Absolutely recommend this one. The book is about love and loss and friendship in a beautiful amalgamation. It does a brilliant job of showing love in the backdrop of grief. The writing style is brilliant and catches attention from the beginning.

Thank you 4th Estate and William Collins and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange of my unbiased review.

I felt the book went on a bit and veered between past and present in a sometimes confusing manner. However, overall it was an insightful look into first loves, relationships and grief. I enjoyed it.

Fast moving, modern novel. Emotional, witty, sad, realistic representation of grief & loss and how the dynamics of friendships & relationships change. “ Grief takes practise”. The twists and turns of the main characters’ connections are analysed and truths bravely faced. A youthful view on love & loss.

I received this ARC through NetGalley, and it hooked me immediately. The realistic movement between grief and loss, the unknown, realizing you might not know someone as well as you thought. This story was beautifully written, it made me laugh and cry. The descriptions of Barcelona and London made me feel like I was actually there. I understood the pain and having the “what ifs” make you feel like you’re drowning. Loved this book!!

This book has everything. It really put me through the emotional wringer. Julia's best friend and great love, Gabe, unexpectedly dies. Julia is left to wonder what might have been. Gabe's prized possessions are missing, and Julia goes on a quest to find them, to distraft herself from her grief. Julia struggles with Gabe being the centre of other people's worlds too, especially with Gabe's ex, Elizabeth. All of the characters behave badly at times, but in a plausible and understandable way. Essentially, it's about how no one really belongs completely to someone else.

A nice story about first love, grief and wondering what could have been. I liked the characters and thought the author dealt with the subject well.

Julia's first love, and later best friend, musician Gabe dies unexpectedly at age 29, whilst in the process of trying to write his fourth album. As well as Julia, he leaves behind his untraditional mother Leora, ultra cool and slightly older ex-girlfriend Elizabeth, and his fans. When his mother tries to recover some of his possessions, Julia travels from LA to London to try and retrieve them from Elizabeth and other of Gabe's acquaintances. Although her desire to help is genuine, Julia also has ulterior motives: she wants to meet Elizabeth, and she's trying to run away from the fact that in the lead up to his death, her and Gabe weren't speaking. As Julia and Elizabeth try to outdo each other on their claims to Gabe's memory and affection, and in their quest to recover his belongings, can their rivalry turn into friendship?

I finished this book and I was bereft and aching for the women who loved and lost Gabe, and for the life that he left behind. It's even more poignant because the reader never meets Gabe except in the reminiscences of others. In their grief, Julia and Elizabeth, and to some degree Leora, at times behave badly and selfishly. This could make them unlikeable in any other situation, but I think Muharrar succeeds in allowing the audience to dislike the behaviour but understand and forgive the characters.

This book is about love, loss, regret, missed opportunities, and above all grief, but it also has its funny moments, and more than anything it feels true. I absolutely loved this book. It felt so real and raw, and utterly heartbreaking, and I hope it gets the attention it deserves when published.

Aisha Muharrar’s novel begins on a strong emotional note, capturing the disorientation and heartbreak that follows the death of a loved one. Julia’s grief over her friend Gabe, and her choice to roam the world collecting his possessions, draws the reader in with an immediate sense of purpose. The early chapters—filled with vivid flashbacks to Gabe’s music and the early days of their friendship—are particularly engaging, and I found myself invested in understanding both characters’ bond.

However, once the initial momentum fades, the story’s progression becomes less satisfying. Julia’s ongoing struggle with unspoken feelings for Gabe is an understandable part of grieving someone who passes away suddenly, yet it can also leave readers feeling stuck in a loop of unresolved tension. This could be seen as reflective of real-life loss, where not all questions get answers, but I occasionally felt the pace lag as Julia’s internal conflicts repeated without much forward movement.

The introduction of Elizabeth, Gabe’s ex-girlfriend, adds depth to the plot, especially in highlighting the different ways people process loss. Still, I had hoped for more evolution in the dynamic between Julia and Elizabeth. Their interactions showed promise, but their relationship seemed to hover in a static, uncertain place longer than necessary.

Overall, the book offers a realistic portrayal of grief and how it can disrupt even the strongest of bonds. I appreciated the authentic exploration of how the living carry on with unresolved questions, though from a storytelling standpoint, the lack of closure did become frustrating. It’s a worthwhile read for those who enjoy reflective novels about loss and friendship, but it may not maintain its initial energy for readers who prefer a stronger narrative resolution.