This breaks my heart to even say, but this one just wasn't for me. I had a hard time connecting to either main character, the foul language felt out of place, and the emails were so, so long.

It's a DNF from me but I'm happy to hear that so many others loved it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for my complimentary e-arc of this book. All opinions here are my own.

I adored this book. This one definitely had a You've Got Mail vibe.

Lily works in publishing and is also an advid reader. She has an author she has loved, but he hasn't put out a second book. She discovers he now has a website and sends him an email. She's surprised when he answers, and she and Strick become email penpals for months. There is flirting and she is enjoying their online relationship. He breaks things off on the day they were planning to meet and the communication ends.

Flash forward months later it, Strick/Nick is living in NYC. Lily keeps bumping into her hot neighbor, Nick. They start a little flirting. But then - her cat, her tattoo, and a few other things tip him off and he realizes she's THAT Lily and tells her he isn't in a place to have a relationship. They agree to be friends while he assists her in flirting and finding a man to take as her date to her sister's wedding. And we all know how that goes. But it isn't smooth sailing for Lily and Nick.

Besides the romance, I loved the family dynamic of the Greenes, as well as the family issues Nick has. Lily's interaction with her sisters was very real and her emotions of not feeling like "enough" compared to them also was real and raw. Lily's boss was also something else!

This is a new to me author but I loved her writing and will definitely be watching for more to come! And the sneak peek at the end makes me think we are getting the stories of Lily's sisters, which I'm excited about.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group/Berkley Romance for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

In The Neighbor Favor we meet heroine Lily as she hits send on an email to her favorite author just as she faints in a crowded New York subway car. More surprised than anyone, the author responds and the two begin a months-long epistolary friendship that turns romantic. Just as the two are scheduled to video chat, the author bails, ceases replying to her emails, and eventually deactivating his account. A few months later, still heartbroken and sick of her sisters trying to set her up on dates, she bets them she can find her own date for her sister's wedding, and when she does, her sisters will have to lay off on the matchmaking. Lily has her eyes set on her hot neighbor, Nick, but despite an obvious connection between the two, he swears he can't date her because he's not in the place for a relationship. Little does Lily know, Nick is the author she had corresponded with, and he's too scared of breaking her heart again.

This story is absolutely charming. As a big reader, I always appreciate books starring book lovers--and Nick and Lily are certainly that. With Lily's former job at a bookstore and current job in publishing, and Nick's work as an author and travel writer, and their constant conversations about books, it's, well, endearing. The first kiss between our leads felt incredibly random and sudden, but the book was otherwise stellar. I loved the main characters and I loved them together. I also enjoyed the sections of the book, namely, the prologue, emails, and the aftermath.

Thanks to Berkley for my eARC and finished copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 9/10

What a deeply enjoyable contemporary romance! Strong YOU'VE GOT MAIL vibes, minus the corporate greed -- Lily and Nick's love letters (love emails?) set the stage for a slow-burn IRL romance that bucked standard romance structure. For a book premised on miscommunication, Lily and Nick are surprisingly good at talking to one another, which helps to avoid the typical frustrations of YGM-style romances. Also loved that Forest is definitely setting up a trilogy centering on Lily's sisters -- they were very fun side characters, and I'd love to see each of them take a turn in the spotlight!

I LOVED this book! It is full of everything I enjoy in a rom-com: bookish elements, great side characters, and lots of banter. Lily works for a nonfiction publishing division but dreams of editing children's books. She sends an email one day to the author of her favorite fantasy novel and much to her surprise, he emails her back and they begin to have an email friendship. All until he ghosts her and Lily is devasted. Months later, Lily keeps running into the cute stranger who lives down the hall, Nick. They begin to become friends. One day, Nick realizes that Lily is the woman who he had been emailing for months the year before- the woman he ghosted. As Nick tries to stay away from Lily, they continually are pulled back to one another.

Both Lily and Nick have lots to work on. Lily is not confident in her own abilities and Nick is worried that his past is going to affect every choice he makes. This is such a sweet story about overcoming fears and healing wounds. Nick and Lily's relationship is so sweet, I was rooting for them the whole time. There are so many bookish elements in this story and I loved all the scenes where Lily and Nick talk about books. Plus- the side characters were so wonderful! This is one of my favorite romances I've read this year so far! I can't wait to press it into people's hands.

This one was SUPER interesting in terms of structure — it starts off epistolary and then obviously brings these two characters into each other’s orbit before they know who they are to one another, only for them to fall in love again. I was also really fascinated by the pacing of the story; the couple reconciles but then there’s still a good 20% of the book left for them to navigate other larger problems together, which I just found to be a really neat change-up from how a romance is typically plotted out. (Nick could’ve done with more groveling, IMO, especially given how flip-floppy he was with Lily, but that’s a minor complaint overall.) A true love letter to book readers too, with so many titles namedropped that I added a few to my TBR!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was an adorable read that I thoroughly enjoyed.. I loved the prologue and seeing Lily and Nick before they even started writing back and forth. I loved that they learned about each other via emails first before even knowing what the other looked like. I know that Nick did participate in a lie of omission but honestly I could understand why given his family situation and he earnestly had Lily's best interest in mind. I also liked how there wasn't really a third act break up and that the misunderstandings they had were believable and easily resolved. Can't wait to hear more from this author's adult novels since I'm confident there will be one for every sister.

This was alright. I felt like it needed more from the characters and the plot. It didn’t have that build up I like in romances and the characters were a little annoying.

Loved it ! It read very much like a 90s romance movie. I loved the emails at the beginning to give us a head start on the romance. The two characters were perfect for each other. I honestly would love to see this as a a movie

This one was so cute! I loved Lily and Nick, their love for books and the fantasy genre spoke to my heart! The romance was great and that slow burn was so worth it! The connection built through email correspondence and then friendship was really sweet and I was definitely rooting for them! I really liked Nick’s backstory and seeing him get more confident with his craft. Lily was kind and adorably awkward, so seeing her find her voice and path was great. I loved that Kristina Forest gave us characters and conversations with so much depth, they felt so real to me. I also appreciated the maturity of these characters and I also loved that the conflict was resolved rather quickly and we were able to see get quite a bit more storyline after. Loved it!!

A cute love story involving two people who love books - yes please! I ate this book up; the chemistry between Lily, an assistant at a publishing company, and Nick, a travel journalist/fantasy author, is just too good. It gave me all of the feels, and then some! Rom-coms are hit and miss with me, the reliance on tropes can make it too easy to guess what is going to happen and therefore take any surprise or suspense out of the reading process. The Neighbor Favor is well-written, heartfelt, and lovely. We have two people who doubt themselves, who find each other, and help each other to grow and mature and to believe in themselves. I love Lily’s family and NIck’s friends; they add a lot of fun and depth to the story and to the main characters. And while the story focuses on the rom-com aspects, it does not shy away from dealing with some deeper issues, such as broken family relationships. I love Lily and Nick and was rooting for them from the first page to the last.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

4/5 stars

3.5 stars!!

Soooo cute and endearing. I loved the story of Lily emailing her favorite author only for him to end up her neighbor, Nick. The plot twist - she doesn’t know they’re the same person.

Their friendship was fun and I enjoyed watching their relationship progress.

Some parts were slow and the ending seemed anticlimactic?

But overall enjoyed!

Kristina Forest's books, to me, are the book equivalent of the best netflix rom coms. The Neighbor Favor is no different. The vibes were immaculate, the romance the perfect balance of sweet and spicy, and the inner dialogue 110% relatable. Highly recommend for all the romcom lovers out there!

When Lily sends an email to her favorite author, Nick, she never expected him to reply. She also never expected to develop an intimate relationship with him, only for him to ghost her right before they were set to meet. Months later, Lily is living with her sister and unbeknownst to Lily the new neighbor she's crushing on might just happen to be the author who ghosted her. Nick can't help but feel drawn to Lily, but when he realizes who she is, he tries his best to steer clear. What better way to convince himself he made the right choice by distancing himself from Lily, than by helping her find a wedding date to her sister's wedding.

This was such a charming and easy read. The story kicks off with emails between Lily and Nick, as they mutually strike up a virtual friendship. All the emails are at the front of the book and while it was fine to read them that way - I've heard they're a bit hard to grasp if you're listening to it. From there we experience how their relationship grows, stalls, and starts back up. I liked that Nick realized early on that his neighbor Lily, was the same Lily he was emailing and felt that his reaction was fairly realistic. The BIG REVEAL to Lily also felt appropriate and not OVER done, which I appreciated.

The romance itself was a little slow to deliver but I thought the chemistry between the two was sweet. While they both had some family drama going on, neither side plot overshadowed the romance plot line and overall, this is a cute read. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I recommend this book for anyone who loved A Cosmic Kind of Love or Got Mail.

The Neighbor Favor comes out February 28, 2023. Huge thank you to Berkley Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.  If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof.books.

** Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. **

I loved The Neighbor Favor so much! Beautifully flawed characters who find a kindred spirit in each other. The plot moved at a nice pace, the characters felt like your friends and Lily's sisters reminded me of my own siblings. Moderate spice level and a delightful slow burn.

Book lovers will adore this upbeat romance between a shy publishing assistant, Lily, and her favorite fantasy author, Nick, who become pen pals. The two unknowingly become neighbors and soon become close but Nick’s true name remains secret. The pair’s emotional connection encourages them to grow into more capable adults, both learning to go after what they want professionally. The sweet pair will have lots of fans.

This book was super sweet and cute! This was such a great flirty and slow burn story. I loved all the characters and the great dynamic that they had with each other. Nick and Lily were just two book lovers who found their way together with a few up and downs. Tomcat, Lily's pet cat, was absolutely adorable! Also, the Greene family sounded so awesome and fun. I totally wanted to watch their annual fashion show. And I would love to read more about this family!

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

"He wondered if he could ever look at Lily and not feel like he'd been struck by lightning."

The Neighbor Favor was SO CUTE!!! The novel starts out with a very swoony epistolary section as our main girl Lily, begins emailing back and forth with her favorite author. That is until he ghosts her...

Flashforward to our main guy Nick's big move to NYC after his first novel has been bought by a major publishing company. He can't stop thinking about his neighbor Lily, a girl who has a lot of similarities to the fan who he struck up a flirty email exchange with a few months ago.

Nick is a character who desperately needed to go to therapy, but his feelings for Lily are so so sweet. I highly recommend this romance to fans of Book Lovers and You've Got Mail!

“In this heart-fluttering romance by Kristina Forest, a shy bookworm enlists her charming neighbor to help her score a date, not knowing he’s the obscure author she’s been corresponding with.“

Awe. This book was adorable.

I loved the layers of the story. The beginning, where each character reveals themselves slowly over email, was sweet and genuine. The rest, Enemies (?) to Friends to Lovers was a fantastic slow burn.

The secondary familial characters, both biological and found- added so much to the story, and I’m hoping to meet many of them in books to come.

I thought Nick’s inner turmoil about “messing everything up, just like [his] dad” got a little tired by the end, but I like that, while it wasn’t completely resolved, he was taking steps (therapy FTW) towards health.

The only thing I found lacking was the sex scene. There was one, but it wasn’t super-titillating.

I loved the 100% Enthusiastic Consent, but as to the rest: very little foreplay, Mild Discomfort, and everyone has a happy (synchronous) ending. Has the author written YA in the past? Those are the vibes.

Thank goodness sex isn’t everything. Maybe by the time they get around to Iris and Violet’s stories, there will be Heart- but also Front Bottom-Flutters for all.

Honestly, though, I’m here for the sequels, regardless.

7/10

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publish Group for this charming ARC.

I absolutely adored The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest. Is there an actual trope for bookish characters and bookish settings? Because, if not, there really should be!

Lily Greene is a lifelong book lover who works in publishing. She’s not quite where she wants to be, which is to work as a children’s book editor, but she’s trying to get there. One day she decides to email her favorite fantasy author, N.R. Strickland, and they begin a months’ long correspondence that becomes the highlight of Lily’s days. They have wonderful conversations and really open up to one another, to the extent that it has Lily imagining what life could be like if she were to meet him in person, a new friendship or possibly more? That is until he abruptly ghosts her and deletes his email account with no explanation. Shocked and a bit heartbroken, Lily moves on with her life.

I loved Lily. She of course scored points with me immediately by virtue of being a book lover, but I also just really admired her determination to keep going after her dream job, as well as her perseverance when it came to taking control of her love life. Up until N.R. Strickland (or Strick as she called him) ghosted her, Lily had been caving in to her sisters’ endless attempts to set her up her dates that went nowhere, but after getting burned by Strick, she decides it’s time to bring her sisters’ meddlesome matchmaking efforts to a halt. I also very much related to her social awkwardness and loved that this awkwardness is what actually ends up driving the plot of the story because in order to find a date, she turns to her new neighbor, the sexy and charming Nick Brown. He’s not looking to date anyone but is happy to help Lily find someone and get her sisters out of her hair. Unbeknownst to Lily, her new neighbor is actually N.R. Strickland.

I honestly wanted to hate Nick for ghosting Lily, but the more we get to know him, he has very real reasons for doing what he did even if he went about it the wrong way. I went from wanting to hate him to very much wanting him and Lily to see that they were perfect for each other. I also enjoyed getting the glimpses into Nick’s journey as a reclusive author trying to complete a sequel to his best-selling fantasy novel, which also happens to be Lily’s all time favorite book.

The chemistry between Nick and Lily is wonderful and I enjoyed all of their scenes, from fun and silly ones trying to buy Nick furniture at IKEA to more poignant and heartfelt ones as Lily tries to help Nick deal with some long-standing issues he has with his father. And don’t even get me started on the adorable bookish dates they go on. Be still my book loving heart!

This was my first time reading a novel from Kristina Forest and I very much look forward to reading more from her because The Neighbor Favor was just a pure delight!