Excellent domestic thriller in the vein of "Strangers on a Train." A stark reminder that things are not always as they seem, especially behind closed doors. Fast-paced, with lots of low-level thriller energy humming just below the surface. And as I've mentioned before - gorgeous cover! Already looking forward to Nora Murphy's next book. Also, loved having a book set in the Baltimore/DC area!

One of the best books Ive ever read. The story was amazing. I talked about this book for weeks after. A rollercoaster of suspense and emotion. This book literally had my jaw in the floor. There were gut wrenching moments, fear, sadness and then hope. What a fantastic storyline. Absolutely incredibly written. A stand out storyline that sticks with you. There were parts where I literally gasped out loud. Parts where I cheered out loud. This book is amazing. The characters are amazing, the plot and the writing are amazing. Read it!

I really wanted to enjoy this book and I did for the first 50% of it..... but then it kind of died off for me. It was quite repetitive and I didn't love the use of alcohol and drunk driving. I understand immensely why such habits were established considering what one of the main characters goes through; however, the drunk driving was unncessary. It made me feel extremely uncomfortable.

I also didn't enjoy the Detective perspective that came into play around the middle part of the book. While I understand that he assisted with moving the plot along, it introduced a side storyline that didn't provide anything meaninful to the main plot. Then the POV just stops and the side story disappears. It felt disconnected and left me confused where the ending was going.

The ending ties up a little neatly and you're kind of left wondering, 'now what?!' I really wanted to love this but I didn't :(

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Turnabout is Fair Play.

As a psychological thriller centering around domestic abuse, you may think there’s nothing new to add. However, the writer’s agenda in The Favor is not only to thrill, but to impart information.

A promising debut telling the story of Leah and McKenna, two successful and enterprising women with a promising future earned and laid out in front of them. The book demonstrates how easily they fell victim to their controlling, dangerous husbands and the mental hi-jinks involved with leaving them. It’s not as easy as it would seem.

I always read and appreciate author notes and Nora Murphy provided not just insight, but Help Lines for those who may want them. A point taken was that abuse can happen across all societal and economic levels and it happens so gradually, that a trap is laid without the victim realizing it. Important for future reference and recognizing situations for what they are.

Reading and discussing with friends adds to my enjoyment and my experience here was no exception. Jayme and I cruised through this together and were aligned in our thoughts - so no dissension regarding how wonderful this book was!

Thank you to Nora Murphy, NetGalley, and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for my advance reader’s copy. Expected publication May 31,2022

I LOVE discovering a debut from a promising new author!
And, with “The Favor”- I have done just that! ❤️

Leah and McKenna have never met, though they have are leading parallel lives.

Both are intelligent, educated, accomplished women, who have SOMEHOW lost their sense of self worth after getting married.

In this story, they won’t find themselves in the same train carriage and they don’t meet accidentally at the gym or the coffee shop.

But, one day, Leah sees McKenna in a liquor shop, and recognizes an earlier version of herself, and she feels compelled to follow her.

And, then to return again to the other woman’s home on another night.

What she witnesses is something she knows only too well herself from her own marriage: McKenna’s husband isn’t as “charming “ as he seems.

And, when Leah, decides to intervene, the two will finally meet.

“I AM SOMEONE LIKE YOU”
And, now the two are forever linked.

But is the link one that our Detective can figure out?

I found the writing to be immediately engaging, and the insights into domestic abuse were spot on! (resources provided)

I know! I know!

Many of you are tired of reading about abusive, controlling husbands, gaslighting and women who cope by becoming addicted to alcohol and/or drugs-but this is a serious problem that can paralyze women from all walks of life. And, what sets this story apart from the others is the quality of the writing. I was flipping the pages late into the night!

The men is this story were interchangeable-but that didn’t really matter because this story is about the women.
And, I was rooting for them every step of the way!

4.5⭐️ rounded down

I cannot wait to read what Nora Murphy writes next!

This was a buddy read with my friend Susan! Be sure to read her always insightful review!

Thank You to Minotaur for my gifted copy! This title will be published on May 31, 2022. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the eARC of Nora Murphy's debut novel.

This is a domestic suspense book told from the POV of Leah and McKenna, both in abusive relationships and the Detective assigned to investigate the murder of both their husbands.

Short and sweet:

Not my favorite. There were certain parts of this book that had me questioning whether this was a sequel because they seemed unnecessary. I also felt like towards the middle of the book the author kept repeating the same thing over a over again and unfortunately, the pace never picked back up for me.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

Strangers on the Train meets the world of domestic suspense in this great debut thriller by Nora Murphy!

Leah and McKenna are complete strangers with a lot in common. After a chance encounter, an obsession builds as the action of one woman sets in motion a string of events that will change their lives forever.

I really enjoyed Murphy's writing. It draws you in right away and keeps the pace and tension throughout. The parallels and relationship between Leah and McKenna is well-developed and makes for a great heart of the story. This book brings suspense, but also addresses heavy topics like coercion and domestic abuse through a thoughtful lens. Nothing is used for the shock factor which I really appreciated.

This year has been full of great suspense debuts so far and I've officially added Nora Murphy to my reading list!

Thank you to Minotaur, SMP and Netgalley for the complimentary eARC to read and review. All thoughts are my own.

Expected pub: May 31, 2022

https://onereadingnurse.com/2022/01/19/the-favor-arc-review-by-nora-murphy/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CY97h1JLu7j/

((Pssst sorry if my writing seems stilted. I tried to write without using a single comma and it's darn near impossible)

Thank you so much to Minotaur Books for the free digital advanced copy of The Favor by Nora Murphy! All opinions are my own

I have mixed but overwhelmingly positive feelings about this book. It is a gripping domestic thriller that I read in two sittings. The author is a lawyer who has worked with survivors of intimate partner violence and it's obvious she knows what she is writing about. My only issue was with one of the points of view that just didn't ring true.  I would definitely recommend The Favor to anyone who enjoys a fast paced stressful domestic thriller.

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Both of the women have a present tense point of view. I thoroughly enjoyed their narratives and was just downright scared for them the whole time in the current storyline. As the author writes in the afterword,  IPV occurs among white collar professionals and it is just terrible how these things can happen even to well educated women like Leah and McKenna. They are respectively a lawyer and doctor. There was a second timeline that started when Leah got married and worked towards present day events, showing how things devolved once the husband got control

Once a crime occured and the third voice is introduced, I unfortunately thought the detective's POV detracted from the book. The whole side storyline involving his partner showed that some people don't escape the violence and may have helped to toggle his understanding of events. It generally felt distracting though. The detective felt like a very cookie cutter character and even just with some of the generic investigator lines that he said it was difficult to feel anything for him. I also think that due to the nature of the crime in the novel there would be no way that he could start to close the case so early. The social pressure would be unbelievable, heck maybe I've read too many procedurals but it seems like some special crime crew would get involved if he wanted to close the case. What happened definitely works for the book but it just didn't feel real at all

The only other silly thing was that one of the women mentioned the importance of financial independence, well before the control and coercion started, but then didn't hesitate to transfer all of her funds into a joint account when she got married. All of your funds - hello that's not maintaining your independence! Good advice there for women to absolutely not do that and maintain a portion of their own finances. It was also shown that some banking related things can be subverted with forged signatures, but I thought banks required most of those forms to be signed in person?

Don't mind me please I am just splitting hairs now. These things absolutely worked in the scope of the novel. The Favor is a thrilling, suspenseful, quick read and contains a list of resources for suspected abuse at the end as well as a thoughtful afterword which I think added a lot to the novel.  One good thing that the detective character accomplished was identifying signs that IPV may be happening to somebody, as in, what does it look like to people in their social circle? 

Breakneck pace, suspense, danger, women you'll care about, and I think the tough topics were handled well and without judgement.

Definitely do pick this one up if it sounds up your alley, these characters have a heck of a story. Out in May!

If you like domestic thrillers, girl I gotchu w this one. Love and obsession. Coercion and control. So it’s like drunk lady unreliable narrator vibes, in parts. People on booksta shade this trope so much but whateverrrrrrr I love it! 🤣

This book seamlessly shifts POV and timelines and had me hooked cover to cover. I. Was. On. Edge. This book tied two strangers together that ended up having a lot in common.

Is perfect really what it seems? How do you cope when things change? What would you do for a stranger?

Loved this one.

Mahalos @minot for the ARC.

This book was one twist after another! A good thriller keeps you on the edge and I could not stop reading once I started! Very shocking ending too.

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of The Favor by Nora Murphy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review and opinion. I wasn't sure what to expect as I hadn't read this author before. I was totally drawn in from page one! This is a very captivating and suspenseful read! It was so good and I highly recommend you read this as soon as you can get your hands on a copy! I will for sure be reading more by this author.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an AMAZING DEBUT novel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Whoa that was INTENSE! I was Gripped from the very beginning, what a Plot! An emotionally, compelling, fantastic story. GREAT, GREAT, GREAT!!! Will stay with me for a LONG time! Keep writing Nora!

AHHHH DOMESTIC SUSPENSE JUST GETS ME! This book was a WILD ride that I cannot stop thinking about. vigilante suspect who youre rooting for the entire time? count me in! I am absolutely shocked that this was a debut because the story was just written so incredibly well. The words flowed and the story was so captivating that I could not put it down.

This is a very captivating and suspenseful read! It had me sucked in right from the beginning. Leah and McKenna lead similar lives but have never met. Their story is mind blowing. I couldn’t believe this was a debut novel! So good!

Leah and McKenna are living seemingly parallel lives. Both young and brilliant woman, who are married to handsome, charming, and successful men. Unfortunately, they are also married to men who are becoming more and more controlling and abusive.

The Favor is a fast paced domestic suspense thriller that will having cheering for the “bad guys “.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC. #Netgalley #thefavor

Thank you Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for an eARC of The Favor in exchange for an honest review. 4.5 stars!

Wow! This book left me speechless, which is why it's taken me a few days to write my review. Nora knocks it out of the park with her debut domestic suspense novel. I guess I was rooting for the "bad guy" the entire way through, but once you read this one I think you'll agree 100%!

The subject matter of this book is heavy, trigger warnings for domestic abuse. The author ends the story with a note about just how prevalent these types of relationships are in society, and it's heartbreaking and absolutely impactful. A reminder that we never know what's going on behind closed doors.

I couldn't put this book down and absolutely binged it. I was hoping for a little bit more from the ending, but it wrapped up nicely and this book will be on my mind for quite some time. I can't wait to see what else the author comes up with next!

3.5 stars, rated up

Nora Murphy has written a pretty spectacular debut novel here. Leah and McKenna are both living lives they never planned for with husbands who have changed, and not for the better.

Okay, yes, I found it a bit implausible, but it’s well written and engaging. Cover to cover, it kept my interest and kept me turning the pages.

A notice to other readers - there is no neatly tied up ending here, and I really enjoyed that aspect of the story.

Can I give this book 10 stars? No? 5 stars just does not seem fair.

Buckle your seat belts folks, you are headed for a wild ride. I am still in awe over the fact that this is a debut novel. Nora Murphy, is powerful, to say the least. A natural born story teller with a gift for writing.

I started The Favor late Monday night, I honestly chose it because I have a reading goal for the month and I saw that it should be a nice quick read that gets straight to the point. Well, I was wrong about it getting straight to the point as there is A LOT of build up, but it is well worth your patience.

My initial thought of Leah was that she was creep with an alcohol problem. Although she DOES have an alcohol problem when the story starts to unfold you understand why. Leah is not a victim, she is a survivor. McKenna, I felt so sorry for her. I cringed every time it would flip back to her point of view. She felt so real and I just wanted to protect her.

Ok, i need to zip my lips now, I don't want to spoil this book for any of you. Do yourself a favor, this is a must read. Thank me later.

If you love a good "fem vigilante" book filled with suspense and nail biting moments, this book is for you. I loved it. I LOVE LOVE LOVED it.

WOW! Almost an entire book takes place in the first third of the novel....It's a roller coaster of a story that sucks you in from the very first pages. I guarantee that everything you guessed at the start will be wrong!

Leah and McKenna do not know each other. They may live in the same wealthy area, wear similar clothes, drive similar cars and live parallel lives but they have never intersected. Until now.

This is a fantastic play on a fairly well known twist. I don't want to give anything away and look forward to hearing your thoughts. If you are a domestic thriller fan and you like your female protagonists a bit stronger and apt to fight back, then this is a novel for you! Highly Recommended #NetGalley #TheFavor #StMartinspress

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
This is tough one to review. I enjoyed the concept of it although it is heartbreaking. I actually think this would make a great movie as for some reason I couldn’t connect with these characters as much as I felt I should have while reading their stories. I kept thinking how it would be a great movie the entire time I was reading. 🤷‍♀️

The premise is a sad yet common one of domestic violence and spousal control. Some parts were tough to read and get through but it does have a suspense premise behind it as well. It just didn’t ring true to me. I do think this is a solid debut that had so much potential to be amazing and I will be reading this author again.


Thanks to NetGalley and the author for my early copy.