I. COULD. NOT. PUT. THIS. DOWN.
Wow I cannot believe this is a debut author! The Favor was thrilling and exciting and traumatic and heartbreaking and uplifting, all at the same time! McKenna and Leah are unlikely heroines, depending on how you view them. And I couldn't help but root for them both. This suspenseful domestic thriller was incredibly good! I cannot wait to read more from Nora Murphy.

Leah and McKenna lead similar lives, with husbands that are controlling and abusive. Leah notices McKenna first, she begins stalking her and during one of those visits she intervened and steps into McKenna’s house doing the unthinkable! Will McKenna return “the favor”? Thank you Minotaur Books for a gifted copy.

The Favor, by Nora Murphy, is a well-written, intriguing domestic suspense novel. Though I’m not generally fan of domestic thrillers, this story and the writing captured my attention and sucked me in.

The story follows two women-strangers-who are living parallel lives. They are strong, educated women who have impressive careers and promising futures, but both are victims of controlling, manipulative husbands, and find themselves trapped in their circumstances. They are unknown to one another, sharing only strong life resemblances and a chance meeting, but they are soon to be inextricably linked.

This story is told from three POVs and each provided an essential part of the plot. This story is very compelling, but would benefit, in my opinion, by being a bit more condensed. After the halfway point it became somewhat repetitive and circled around the same information and events a time or two. The plot line wasn’t especially original, or surprising, and unfortunately, I thought the ending fell flat. I was expecting something more from the conclusion, or just some thing to actually happen. That said, I was fully invested in the story.

Though uncomfortable, the story is unputdownable and the topic is critically important and tragically relevant. Despite a few minor issues, I enjoyed this story and look forward to the author’s next.

Argh…the tension in this story is intense! What’s going to happen next??? Loved the storyline and both main characters. I do have to say, however, that the ending left me wanting more!!!

Leah and McKenna have never met, but they have more in common than they realize…that is until one night Leah shows McKenna just how much alike they really are. A domestic thriller that speaks to abused women who stay with their partner because they are afraid to run. Thank you NetGalley, Publisher, St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books for any early copy of this debut novel by Nora Murphy. The comments and review are my honest opinion.

The Favor by Nora Murphy

Leah and McKenna are two total strangers who seem to be living parallel lives, lives that are full of domestic abuse and assault. A chance meeting at a liquor store ends up changing both of their lives completely, when they each perform the ultimate favor in an effort to save each other.

This was a truly exciting read, one full with a lot of suspense. It was interesting to get to know both of the main characters in the story through opposing points of view throughout the book as well as the Detective who has been tapped to solve the case that Leah and McKenna found themselves involved in. I found the depiction of domestic violence and abuse interesting, and loved that the author included information about the tragedy that many women face in today's society and provided resources for people who find themselves to be in those situations. It could potentially be triggering for some people, however, so this is an important trigger warning.

All and all, this was an easy read that involved two very strong woman. It was also a fantastic debut novel for Nora Murphy. I will look forward to reading more of her books! Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

I was lucky enough to win a physical copy of The Favor in a giveaway but also got an audio ARC and went back and forth reading and listening. ⁣
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‘It was like she was my friend, my ally.’⁣
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Leah and McKenna are educated, intelligent, professional, poised women; who live in high class neighborhoods, but their circle of friends are small, and their sophisticated, wealthy husbands are silently lethal.⁣
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This story follows two women, who look pristine on the outside but are suffering from domestic violence at home. ⁣
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Their stories are heart breaking, they feel trapped and you feel their pain. This was a tough read because it was so well researched - domestic violence and how difficult it is to leave wealthy, educated men; no matter how educated and intelligent you are as a person. ⁣
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I started and finished this book so quickly, it gripped me from the beginning. ⁣
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
Thank you @minotaurbooks for an ARC for my honest review.

The Favor by @NoraMurphyBooks was a book that I read in three days. When I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it. I will be telling anyone who will listen to read this book.

A little over the crazy husband storyline but this was So good! Really enjoyed the plot and characters and kept me guessing throughout the story. Definitely recommend to any thriller lover! Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

A definite page turner. Great storyline that keeps you up wanting to read and finish it.. well worth losing sleep over. So we'll planned or not planned it all came together in a way I didnt see coming.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

This was a lot of fun. For me it worked well as a palate cleanser in between a few serious books. Full of twists, turns and great surprises! Thank you so much!

A digital ARC of this book was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher. The opinions are my own and freely given.
WARNING:
Scenes of domestic violence

A chance encounter leads to a woman taking matters into her own hands.
When Leah sees McKenna at a liquor store one Friday afternoon, she recognizes that she is the woman she used to be. Leah follows her home and watches her interactions with her friends and how her demeanor shifts when her husband comes home. Leah continues to watch her and one night, things get out of hand, and she takes matters into her own hands. Then McKenna sees Leah and without knowing it, does the same thing. These two women have never officially met and have no links to each other.
I really liked this book. It was a different take on how to rid a life of an abusive husband. I would recommend this book. Fast and easy to read.
Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books.

What a great, modern reimagining of the classic thriller plot. I loved this book and all the characters— even those I loved to hate. Amazing debut novel for Nora Murphy— her writing style was skilled and polished, I was so surprised to learn this was her debut and can’t wait to see what she does next. I don’t want to give too much away, but if you enjoy a well written suspense novel, pick this one up today. Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The description for Nora Murphy's novel, The Favor is as follows - "A gripping debut domestic suspense novel, The Favor explores with compassion and depth what can happen when women pushed to the limit take matters into their own hands." I literally could not put this book down! If you liked Behind Closed Doors or The Couple Next Door, you are going to love this book! WOW! I can hardly wait to read more of Ms. Murphy's novels!!!! Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC!

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is just the book that I needed at this point in my life. It was a thriller and therapy at the same time.

The Favor by Nora Murphy

Published: May 31, 2022
Minotaur Books
Pages: 289
Genre: Thriller
KKECReads Rating: 5/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Nora Murphy attended law school in Washington, D.C., then worked as a judicial law clerk before transitioning to private practice. During law school, she participated in two clinics through which she represented and studied the issues facing survivors of intimate partner violence. A practicing attorney, Nora writes as much as she can, usually long before the sunrise or on her phone for brief moments when the inspiration strikes. Nora resides in Maryland with her husband, young son, and five rescue pets. The Favor is her first novel.

“As it turned out, I’d never been so wrong about anything.”

Leah used to be a lot of things. But now she is a scared housewife with a secret. McKenna was a pediatrician who, after suffering a miscarriage, felt as though her life had fallen apart. Her husband made her quit after only a year in practice. Leah notices a pretty blond one afternoon and follows her. Little did either of them know, but their lives were about to become entangled in a deadly way.

Oof. This was a heavy read. I enjoyed how this story unfolded. And I enjoyed the main characters. There was intensity from page one, and it didn’t let up.

This story is such a tragic way of life for many people. That is what makes this body of work so good. We all know a Leah or McKenna.

While the results of this tale are fictionalized, it leads to a consequence that affords both characters a somewhat happy ending.

I enjoyed the writing style, and it is clear that Norah Murphy is an intelligent woman who has seen her fair share of devastation.

This novel will linch you in the gut and will leave you speechless. This novel will make you angry. But it will also be impossible to put down.

Leah and McKenna are living what seem to be parallel lives, yet they do not know each other personally. But what happens when they inadvertently get involved with each other? This domestic suspense is a fabulous debut! I thought I was so over it with the slightly unreliable narrator bit, as well as the domestic violence angle, but this book was written so well and it kept my attention throughout. This is a raw and real journey of two women and the detective who is determined to not let go until he finds the truth. I really appreciated the resources provided at the end of the book as well. Nora Murphy is definitely an author to watch out for!

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thanks NetGalley for the arc!

Woa! I could not do anything else but read this! I was captivated.

Leah and McKenna are married women who don’t know each other. But they have a huge thing in common- their lives aren’t what they seem. No one on the outside knows their husbands are possessive and abusive. Both husbands made sure their wife wouldn’t work and would be confined to the home, living up to their standard. This story was so eye opening. It reminded me of BA Paris’s Behind Closed Doors. You never truly know what’s going on in anyones home.

One of the abusive husbands wind up dead and shortly after so does the other. How is it connected? Are the women involved?

I had to know who did or didn’t do what. These poor women were leading such sad lives. One an educated doctor, the other a prominent attorney yet they were held captive by the person they thought loved them. I can only imagine just how often this happens. Not one ounce of me felt bad when the husbands were murdered. These women were free and it seemed that it was their only way out. I also enjoyed the detective in this case. Soemtimes I had to think about which women was which when reading but that’s only because their lives were similar.

Excellent story by Nora Murphy!

My reading mojo is back with a vengeance this year (finally!!!!) and I've been racing through page after page and gobbling up books. So maybe it's the fact that we got rid of cable and went to internet TV only (which just doesn't seem worth it most of the time) that has helped open up more reading time...but I'm more than happy about that. I seem to be favoring thrillers/suspense and after a while, I think it's hard to present something that's different. The Favor definitely held my interest and took me along for a wild ride. This isn't one of those where have to figure out what is going on. It's very clear what happened from the start. The only question is how it's going to turn out. Will they get found out? Are you, the reader, okay with what happened and why? There's definitely a moral question with this one...but I can say, as I closed the book, I'm more than satisfied!!

A simply brilliant debut … albeit with some trigger warnings for domestic violence. What do you do when the people that are supposed to love you simply want to control you? Do you lose complete control of your life? Leah and McKenna are both stuck in relationships that are quite high maintenance. And then they get worse…. This one had me on the edge of my seat … and simply marveling how some people treat others. Thanks to NetGalley for the early read. Put this on your TBR list!