This book was an interesting twist on Strangers on a Train. Two women secretly watching out for each other without meeting. It is definitely a darker book, so I would recommend checking trigger warnings if you want to. At first I was finding one of the POVs hard to read because she kept making decisions I really didn't understand. However, in the end I think the audience is able to get a grasp on why she acts the way she does. Definitely not a groundbreaking book, with a pretty predictable plot, but I enjoyed it. I kept coming in to work and updating one of my coworkers on the plot. If you're in the mood for a psychological thriller, I would recommend trying this one.

Leah has a drinking problem. She goes to multiple liquor stores each week, pays in cash, then hides her drinking and the empty bottles. It's the way she copes with her husband, Liam, who has become more overbearing and abusive as their year-long marriage goes on.

One day, Leah recognizes herself in another customer at the liquor store; they even drive the same type of car (not the same year, though). She decides to follow McKenna home, only to find that they live near one another in similar upper middle class neighborhoods. Leah drives on and finds a place where she can watch her. This stalking continues for days before Leah finally sees enough to decide to act. She may not be able to leave her abusive situation, but she's going to do what she can to help McKenna.

The police investigate but can't find any evidence to arrest McKenna, even though the detective knows there's more to it. When McKenna decides that she can help Leah in a similar way, the police are scrambling to find out what is really going on.

I thought this book did a good job of shining a light on the hidden lives of others, showing that a pretty house in a pretty neighborhood with an attractive spouse and a nice car can mask a lot of ugliness. Domestic abuse is a serious problem and Ms. Murphy did a great job showing how easy it is to slip into a nightmare and how hard it is to get back out.

I had a few problems with the book that cost the rating a star. Why weren't the police watching McKenna more/better? She was able to be out and about, stalking someone, without them knowing? The case was still open, even if they had ruled her out. The two main characters were so similar, that even their behaviors mirrored one another. They were both successful, professionals before they got married. Their husbands were both abusive in similar ways and followed a similar trajectory. I would have liked more variety, so we can see that abuse can take on many forms.

Finally, Jordan, the detective. He is constantly referring to his partner who is in a coma. Of course we learn why and what happened, but that's it. He goes to visit her and sometimes talks about the case. It felt like there should be more (or less).

This was a book I received as an ARC three years ago (!) from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books. I'm embarrassed by my tardiness, but I finally have my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book. I think my review must have gotten lost in my documents, but here it is! This title from St Martin's Press was a great and twisty thriller that made great use of typical thriller tropes and kept the reader guessing.

A great character driven thriller that moves at a brisk pace. As you go back and forth between two strangers, the story unfolds unfolds in a very clever way.

The Favor was such a solid debut—I’m honestly impressed this was Nora Murphy’s first novel. The premise immediately pulled me in: two women, both seemingly strangers, connected by eerily similar circumstances. It had this slow-burn suspense that built so well, and I loved how the story alternated perspectives between the two women. You could really feel the tension mounting with every chapter.

There were definitely a few moments where I wanted things to move a bit faster, but overall, I thought the pacing worked for the kind of psychological suspense it was going for. It wasn’t over-the-top twisty, but it didn’t need to be—the real strength was in how it explored control, manipulation, and quiet solidarity between women.

If you enjoy domestic thrillers with emotional depth and a unique angle, this one is definitely worth a read. Nora Murphy is one to watch, and I’ll be picking up whatever she writes next!

Supsenseful story with a Strangers on a Train type plot, with a bit of a twist. I enjoyed watching these two abused wives take back their power, and I was rooting for them both to get away with it!

Two women, two lives damaged forever, it will take both of them to change their futures. Yes, the plot line centers around domestic abuse. While it's not an original story line, Nora Murphy does an excellent job of telling their story. Their sense of hopelessness is portrayed until one will decide to rescue the other. Recognizing abuse at all levels calls for bravery and these women will find it in their solutions.

This read surprised me. It started out slow but packed a punch halfway thru. The characters are well built and i love to hate them. Even though this book deals with DV, and I am a DV survivor, I still enjoyed the story. I loved the writing.. I loved the narrators.

I just finished reading "The Favor" by Nora Murphy. Many thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the advanced copy in return for an honesy review. This book is definately a domestic thriller that may be difficult for some to read because it revolves around domestic abuse.
Two women who don't kow each other but live very similar lives because the are both being abused by their partners

Leah and McKenna are smart intellgent women who are both seemingly living perfect lives: beautiful husbands, beautiful cars, beautiful homes. But behind closed doors they are struggling to survive their monster husbands. The story of how domestiv abusee begins slowly and eventually dominates is told perfectly by the author, who has definately done her research.

Both women find themselves wanting to help each other, but without really knowing each other. Interspersed with their struggle is a police office who is trying to solve a crime. It is very well written and provides an excellent back story of both women which makes them bery sympathetic and rootworthy. The men are completely despicable and it is hard to believe that such people exist but unfortunately they do.

I liked the honesty of this book, and the pace of the story. It was completely absorbing and I found myself not wanting to put the story down. The main characters were not perfect, but they were very real and relateable. The way the story ended was realistic and satisfactory.

I obviously hated reading about the men. They made me angry and I was shocked by some of the things they did to these women they professed to love.

In the end, I was engrossed in this story and invested in what happened to these women. What was the favor? You'll have to read the book to find out. You will not be disappointed.

Happy Reading.

This book was great! I read it very quickly (sorry for the late review), Nora Murphy is a go to author for me now.

This certainly was a fast and engaging read. Both McKenna and Leah are married to men who are completely controlling and abusers. How this plays out is the entire premise of book..to me nothing stood out as original but I was captivated into their characters Nothing surprising here but to see how it unfolds is really good. Definitely trigger warning on domestic abuse.

The Favor is a domestic suspense book that goes into psychological abuse in well off couples. Harder to pinpoint, the psychological aspect makes for a tense storyline.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was an enjoyable domestic suspense novel that had me on the edge of my seat from the get-go. AN enjoyable, quick read.

I really wanted to love “The Favor” - and it was good!! - but fell just short of that 5 star rating. There was one plot point I could not get past. I did still really like it and thought it was a cool & interesting twist on some common thriller tropes.

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

While this book started strong and had several plot twists to keep me reading, it becomes predictable fairly early on. Not a lot of suspense for what is supposed to be a domestic suspense novel. I did like the ending and how the favor was given. It was a solid 3 star thriller.

I really enjoyed this one. The alcoholic woman troupe is one of my favorites (even if it does get overplayed), but always love the drama that comes from it!

What a phenomenal debut by Nora Murphy!! In a version of Strangers on the Train, two women from different lives connect for this domestic suspense. Looking forward to seeing what she does next

📖 Book Review 📖

🎧📱 "The Favor" by Nora Murphy

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Backlog of Netgalley

 With 2024 coming I have made a New Year’s Resolution to get through my Netgalley backlog, prioritize reading more ARCS, and post the reviews on publishing day.

So here is a @netgalley ARC from earlier in 2023.

A debut thriller, about 2 strangers, Leah and McKenna, leading eerily similar lives. They both are married to great, charismatic and successful men, have a nice houses in safe neighborhoods and both drive a nice, almost identical car. But look closer at these women, with no social life, and spend many days and nights drinking alone at home. The story reads like a set of dominos falling- each lined up nicely and falling down into place. The author's note at the end of the book really shed light on how the author’s background as an attorney helped her really put into words what domestic violence can be like. She showed it can happen to anyone, and many men play the long game, gradually, carefully taking away one freedom after another. Both of these women were educated, of a higher economic background and when the abuse was finally physical, they were “stuck” with no money, no access, and no one to turn to. I will definitely look for more books written by Nora Murphy. My dislikes were the story was almost too perfectly lined up- the dominos fell just right.

#bookstagram #letsread #somanybooks #bookreview #bookrecommendations #readersofinstagram #readmorebooks #booklover #bookishlove #readersgonnaread #bookishaf

I did not upload the book before it was archived, so I cannot review this book on Netgalley or other platforms.

I really wanted to like this book the plot seemed really intriguing but I found the characters easy to mix up and the time jumping kept confusing me. This story follows two women who lead very similar lives suffering from abuse. One of the women show up to help the other leading to life changing decisions. I don’t want to say to much more to avoid spoilers but this was for the most part a pretty good thriller.
My main issues as I said above was the Povs were confusing to me the two females were very similar and they would switch back and forth on timelines too so I really struggled with that. I also really kept forgetting the police POV every time and would have to stop and think where am I then remember oh that’s right there is a police POV.I do think the story was unique and would pick up more from this author in the future there were just some tropes and things in this book that I am not a fan of. I would say if you are a fan of unreliable narrator main female character with alcohol problem. This character trope just frustrates me but I know a lot really enjoy this I would say similar vibes to The girl on the Train. I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.