I can't believe this is a debut novel, I can't wait to see what this author comes up with next! I read the plot summary and had a general idea but was still surprised throughout and I could barely put the book down. The main characters Leah and McKenna were written so well, this book took a dive into domestic abuse and how it can and does happen to anyone, including intelligent, achieving women with money, how everything is taken away slowly until they don't know who they are anymore. It was fast paced, well written and shines a light on something that is all too common...and not just on the abuse itself but the way it is hidden and affects every part of a person's being and life.

Thank you to the publishers at St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for my ARC of The Favor!

The Favor is a multi-POV story told from the perspectives of two abused women and the cop who begins to tie them together.

Leah Dawson is a stay at home wife, not because of her own doing though. Fired from her job last year, Leah spends her days driving to different liquor stores, stocking up on vodka, and sleeping her days away. During her Thursday run, she spies a woman that looks shockingly alike to her in nearly every way. With nothing better to do, Leah follows this mystery woman home and begins to realize just how alike their lives truly are. Leah doesn’t want this woman to live in fear for the rest of her days, so she decides to take control. A favor, if you will.

I absolutely loved the back and forth between Leah and McKenna! Their stories almost felt like true crime rather than fiction. I felt like these women were truly living their lives out there in the world, and I was somehow peering in on them. I’m sure that many women have experienced exactly what Leah and McKenna do, and maybe others don’t quite realize what is happening. I think the author did a great job of trying to bring awareness to these women who suffer in silence. I hope that, by reading this book, maybe they can find the help they need. The author also put information for DV victims at the end. All in all, a wonderful read about two women helping one another out. I highly recommend!

The Favor releases May 31! Preorder your copy today!

The Favor by Nora Murphy is a domestic thriller that I really enjoyed. This is a story of domestic abuse. Not just the kind you imagine, with yelling and hitting. This is the control of almost all aspects of your person. How much money you have to spend, how you spend your time and if you have any friends. I think if you have lived this, it would be a hard read. Not for violence, but the every day cruelty these men display.
Definitely left an impression on me. I look forward to more works by this author.

Come read the tale of two women who have never meet. Yet a fated crossing of paths leads both women down a road to freedom. This is just a lovely, fast paced tale that sweeps you away into two dark worlds. I love how the narrative switches halfway through the book it just adds such a beautiful twist on an already twisted tale. Readers are just going to fall in love with the characters and are truly going to enjoy this new twist on can someone commit the perfect murder.

Thank you so very much to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this domestic thriller. A great debut novel!
I thought it was fast paced and it kept my interest despite becoming predictable.
I liked that the author was trying to bring more awareness toward domestic violence and that truly anyone can be a victim despite how things appear to outsiders.
A trigger warning for domestic violence definitely needs to be added, so be aware before reading in case that’s something you would like to avoid reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC.

This is a gripping psychological thriller - the closed to Behind Closed Doors that I have read (and BCD is one of my favorites all time)! I could not put this one down! There is a trigger warning for domestic violence/abuse. A phenomenal debut!

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was great! I loved how these two strangers who are going through similar things, end up helping each other out.

Nora Murphy is the kind of talented, exciting new author that makes the inner frustrated writer in me a little jealous. I so enjoyed this book, which is both thrilling and impactful with an important and urgent social message.

We read a lot of domestic thrillers these days with a lot of abusive men, but not all of them are realistic or have a deep understanding of the dynamics and pain of domestic violence. Nora Murphy, I have learned, is an attorney with a background in intimate partner violence cases. This explains the excellent character development and sensitive depiction of the psychological and emotional issues women experience in relationships with violent partners throughout this book.

But more than being accurate, urgent and important, this book is also a good old fashioned scary thriller. It is Strangers on the Train meets A Simple Favor or a reverse Gone Girl (which is much more my speed than Gone Girl, tbh). In this book, two women in remarkably similar circumstances meet by chance, and realize they have a lot in common - particularly their abusive husbands. Since no one else is protecting McKenna from the abuse of her successful, well-regarded husband, Leah decides to keep an eye on McKenna in case she needs help.

The character development and the plotting are both superb, and the book has a sense of claustrophobia that really puts you in the shoes of the women who are trapped in these relationships. The psychological and emotional development of the characters give you a lot to think about while also scaring you.

I love a thriller that also has a little something to say about our society — but says it well through the characters without getting preachy. This book perfectly fits the bill. It will scare you and break your heart a little, while helping you understand well why women in these situations often feel they can’t leave, and cannot depend on the police to keep them safe.

A very impressive first effort from Nora Murphy. She has gained a new fan in me. Can’t wait to see what she writes next! 4 plus shiny stars.

Thanks to Minotaur, NetGalley, and the author for the great ARC

"Who are you?"
"I'm someone like you."

The Favor by Nora Murphy is a debut domestic thriller that grabbed me from page one.
The writing was thrilling and kept me turning the pages. I was invested in our 2 protagonists and wanted to know more about who they were "before". These beautiful, smart, educated women ended up in controlling and abusive marriages. How were they going to get out??

This book was written from Leah and McKenna's point of views. Both women had successful careers until something (or someone) put an end to it. Leah and Liam were both lawyers. Leah had a promising career, until she didn't. Not having a job gave her too much time and led her to alcohol. We get some of her backstory by going back in time to when she lost her job.

McKenna and Zack were both doctors. McKenna was a beloved pediatrician and loved her job. But she was also looking to start her own family. We get her story that she put her job on hold to concentrate on her husband and starting a family with him.

The 2 couples and their jobs and backgrounds were a little too “same same” for me. That was really the only issue I had with the book. The women's stories and the fact that they had similar jobs as their husbands was a tad too convenient as well. But those were also aspects that aligned the two women without them even knowing it. They were 2 strangers living similar lives in abusive relationships. I liked how Ms Murphy took these women and gave them their power back after having their power taken away by someone that was supposed to love them unconditionally. We read domestic thrillers where the women are put in these situations so often, it's nice to get a slightly different spin.

I was fighting for the women and didn't care for either of the husbands. The added POV from the detective was just what the story called for and added another fine element to the "mystery" being investigated. The supporting characters, even though they were few, were definitely important for the detective to lay the groundwork of who each person involved was 'before and after'.
I really enjoyed this debut and will be interested in future books from this promising author.

Awesome book! New to me author and for sure will look for more to read by them! Very well written! For sure recommend to others.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Favor by Nora Murphy introduces us to Leah and McKenna, who have a lot in common, but they don’t know each other. One a former successful attorney and the other a former successful pediatrician. Both married for a short time to highly successful men. Both live in large, expensive homes not too far from each other. Both are miserable, monitored, abused, and in danger from husbands who want them to be under their complete control and domination. And finally, both with husbands who end up murdered. They didn’t do it. The police can prove it. They are finally free from a wretched life but under police suspicion. Great storytelling of a widespread occurrence (the abuse) and the helplessness of women in this situation who only want a loving spouse, partner, home, and happiness. This book is about severe spousal abuse, so you have been warned. Well done by the author Nora Murphy. Publication Date: May 31. #abuse #death #murder #thriller #domesticabuse #mystery #whodunit #TheFavor #NoraMurphy #NetGalley #Minotaurbooks @minotaur_books #ARC @netgalley @noramurphybooks
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Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and author Nora Murphy for this ARC; my thoughts and review are my own and without bias.

#bookaddict #booksofinstagram #bookhaul #bookstagram #bookstagramer #bookshelf #booksbooksbooks #readersofinstagram #reader #booklove #bookobsessed #instabooks #readABook

I'm sorry to say but I wasn't into this book as I hoped. I will have to try again. Thanks for the ecopy.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It left me thinking about justice and what that truly means. Is is black and white? Does a gray area exist?

Leah and McKenna are strangers who have a lot in common. They both live in the same town and are in bad relationships. When Leah is watching outside McKenna’s home and doesn’t like what she sees, she takes matters into her own hands. As the story unfolds, the two women get to know each other from afar until the pieces begin to come together. As a reader, I felt a lot of sympathy for the characters and their situations.

What a great suspense. About 2 women in similar circumstances who do each other “a favor”. Great read. I’ve never read a book quite like this one!

Some might wonder from the outside why two highly educated women found themselves in relationships far less than ideal with no foreseeable way out. Cue in “the favor” when Leah decides to give McKenna a way out and McKenna returns the favor. I enjoyed this story in many ways - because this story was like no other. While there were elements of this story seen in other great books I have read, this unique twist on a domestic thriller had me turning pages. I will be looking out for this author in the future.

A domestic suspense that focuses on 2 women with situations which mirror each other. A chance meeting leads to discoveries, resolutions, and freedom. A solid 3.5 stars for me. It’s not one to keep you on the edge of your seat but it does open your eyes to how not everything is as it seems.

I enjoyed the back and forth situations with Leah and McKenna but was disappointed in the ending. It just dropped I hoped to have some closure for each of them.

It’s exciting to read a brand new author’s debut novel and it’s even better when it’s a good book!!! I have to start out by saying this was a tough book to read as it has physical violence in it and it’s hard to digest at times. 2 women Leah and McKenna do not know each other but they both live with physical abuse from their husbands. Why can’t they just leave? Luckily I have never been in this situation and have never had to make this decision. But oh boy this book roped me right in and kept me reading into the wee hours of the night! I was just in awe at this authors writing - how can she be this good with her first book??? I cannot wait to read more from Nora Murphy!!! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

In order for a book to receive 4 or 5 stars from me it has to have at least one of three things-

Unique plot or premise or a unique perspective on a common plot
Relatable and likable characters that are developed well
Twists or turns the reader can’t predict coming

This book’s plot reminded me of Behind Closed Doors meets Girl On A Train meets A Kind Worth Killing and because I loved each of those books, this one quickly won my heart. Domestic Thrillers have to meet certain criteria to fit into the sub genre so it’s extremely hard to get a story with a plot that hasn’t been told before but this story was able to put a unique spin on a story that seems to have been told a million times before, making it exciting and new to read. The characters are well developed and extremely relatable and although the twist was pretty easy to figure out early on, I couldn’t stop reading to find out what was going to happen at the end. Would justice prevail or had justice already prevailed?

I was pleasantly surprised to see this was a debut novel because I would have never guessed that based off how well the story was written and came together. I definitely am looking forward to the next book by this author!

I really enjoyed this book. I could not put it down! ! I read it in one day! I would definitely recommend this book! It had some twists I never saw coming! A MUST READ!