Is The Favor by Nora Murphy a thriller? I don't think so, but other readers might! To me, this was a domestic drama with a dash of detective fiction thrown in thanks to a detective's viewpoint that we get closer to the middle of the story. This book was really interesting to me since it's not a twisty read but rather focuses on domestic abuse and the intricacies of being controlled by a partner against your will. Both Leah and McKenna had promising careers and are strong and capable women until they each marry the wrong guy and will end up being connected in a way you would never expect. I thought it was a slower burn in general, but still perfectly paced, and even though I knew what was going on thanks to the 3 POVs, I just did not want to put it down.

I would also recommend the audiobook since it was well done and made me feel like I was getting to know Leah and McKenna even more. Dylan Moore, Leon Nixon & Sarah Mollo-Christensen voiced their respective characters perfectly, and I really wanted to learn more about the detective thanks to Nixon's narration and the lack of getting to know him as well as the female MCs. Maybe another book based on him will eventually surface? If so, I would read it in a heartbeat. The Favor was hard to read at times, and as Murphy mentions in her author's note, it brings up that age-old question of why women would stay when they realize the man they married isn't what he seems. I have never been in this situation but I'm sure it isn't as easy as you would think it would be, and this book really gets that point across. I wasn't really surprised by anything that happened, but I loved the ending and was impressed with how intuitive this author is.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

We love a book were people are behaving badly, don't we? Fast paced, engaging domestic thriller that asks how far would you go to help a complete stranger? The author did her research on domestic abuse and it shows in the writing. Included are resources for further information.

This book kept me enthralled from start to finish - I could not put it down! The pacing is superb. The book is told in 2 POV with a reference to domestic violence. Loved the unexpected ending.

I really enjoyed this book! It was fast paced and a very quick read. I enjoyed the whole concept of the book and I was pleasantly surprised with the ending. I would recommend this as a light read, despite the nature of some of the subject matter.

This review was also published on Goodreads.

Leah and McKenna have never met but they will. Both women are married to seemingly great husbands and have great lives. However, their lives are different than they appear when behind closed doors. Both women suffer physical and emotional abuse, gaslighting, isolation, and financial control at the hands of their husbands. Leah happens to see McKenna in a liquor store and recognizes that she is in the same situation as herself, and decides to help her. The story goes from there and is definitely clever and keeps you drawn in until the very end. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

Debut novel for Nora Murphy and while the plot was excellent and many will enjoy this thriller I had a hard time getting into it, but that was just a personal issue with the style of writing. The favor is a twist on Strangers on a train: Leah and McKenna share something in common; although they don't know each other. When Leah sees her in a liquor store she recognizes herself in McKenna and becomes obsessed with helping her -- but how far will she go?
Included is an Author’s Note with resources and information pertaining to domestic violence for those who may personally need it or know someone who does.
** trigger warnings for domestic and psychological abuse
Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for a copy of the book to review.

Strong Strangers on a Train vibes from this one. What do you do when you find someone in your shoes that you could save? Do you let them meet your same fate or do you try to prevent them from ending up like you?

Great debut novel from a new author. Looking forward to more!

ARC from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

While I loved the alternating perspectives, I didn't feel that the story was all that suspenseful or thrilling. It was pretty straightforward, and once the first "twist" happened, there wasn't much else that I couldn't predict. I also felt that the book became repetitive as it described the abuse each woman faced, which while important to understand for the storyline became a bit tedious to read.

This exciting book tells the story of two women with the same secret lives. I found the first half of the story very compelling. The second half moved a little slowly for me. All in all it was an interesting book.

The Favor definitely kept me intrigued from beginning to end. I loved the way the timeline shifted and the way the author writes! Thrillers are one of my favorite genres and I love when a book can keep me guessing and just enjoying the twists, turns, and thrill. Loved this one!

Great thriller. I loved how the book was written and the over all feel of the book. I definitely didn’t want it to end. I recommend this to friends and family especially if you like thriller genre.

Wow, what a great debut novel! I could not put this one down! I look forward to reading more by this author. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

The way the story starts will have you rapidly turning the pages, I was hooked. The back and forth on the timeline got me confused a bit but the characters keep you focused. This deals with domestic violence so this may not be for everyone. A good book club discussion on what should the two women have done differently or were they correct in what happened to their husbands. 3.5 stars

I really enjoyed this novel, personally I would highly recommend it. It was interesting and entertaining. It kept me wanting more throughout the entire book!

What a great thriller! This was a little bit of a slow start, but once it got going, I could not put it down. Such an interesting concept, two women both leading similar lives, and they are not lives they saw for themselves and neither know how to make a safe change. I want to note the author covers domestic abuse in here really well, and the thriller component was very well done. Leah drives through McKenna’s neighborhood one night and witnesses her going through something similar as she, and decides to do something about it, forever changing both of their lives.

Once Leah steps in, the book picks up and really doesn’t stop until it is over. I was riveted, wanting to know what in the world had these two ladies gotten themselves into and more importantly how on earth they were going to get themselves out of it. This is a fairly quick read and the pacing is fast, which are both elements that I love in a thriller. This was a well done, easy read and I really enjoyed it overall. I listened to this one via audio, and the narrators did a fantastic job with this as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the digital copy to review. I absolutely recommend it if you like this genre, and also if you want an easy, fast paced thriller to read.

I really enjoyed this thriller. The premise was a domestic thriller but it was unique I thought. It is also a quick read which I like and would definitely recommend as a great binge read. The characters were similar and in similar situations so it was interesting to see how the events would play out and how each would react to the situation. I definitely felt bad for both the main characters and I was thinking I
may want to do a favor for them myself. I liked that the ending was kind of a happy ending. Overall I would recommend this thriller and I really enjoyed it! I definitely will be on the lookout for the author's next book.

*I received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for my honest review.*

Two women living seemingly parallel lives - successful career women in very new marriages - who never meet face to face are both in danger from their husbands. I enjoyed how the stories unfolded bit by bit and how the situations both wives were in were shown in flashbacks. The set up for both women was infuriating in how easy it is for men, or anyone, to take control over a person.

This was a strong debut and I will be adding Murphy to my list of authors to follow.

Wow, this was a debut?!? 𝕃𝕆𝕍𝔼𝔻!!!!!

Be aware, before you open this book, it may be triggering to survivors of domestic violence. I normally don’t include trigger warnings, but this one was necessary.

𝒲𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝐼 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒𝒹:
*strong character development. I was rooting so hard for both of the MC’s by the end that it was hard to stay in my chair.
*taboo subject matter, but the author didn’t glamorize it. You felt like you could really understand what the MC’s were dealing with.
*the sisterhood factor. Women uplifting and helping each other, even if they are complete strangers (we need more of that these days).

𝒲𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝐼 𝒹𝒾𝒹𝓃’𝓉 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒:
*the husbands. Duh.

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books and Nora Murphy for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. THE FAVOR is available now.

I love a win finding a hidden gem emerging in the writing world! The quality of writing was superb and had me engrossed page after page! There are a lot of different books out there that have the element of domestic abuse incorporated, but let's get real.... it is a prominent problem in the real world, and reading about it either fact or fiction keeps it from being hidden because it isn't going away. This is a book that does give the women of the story empowerment to their characters and focus to them empowering themselves to not stay trapped. Leah and McKenna women who could be friends if they ever had their lives intertwine but are just living very similar lives never as anything more than existing in a world full of people not knowing one another from the next stranger on the street until ....Leah happens to notice McKenna and sees herself in this woman, living almost the same idyllic life with so many secrets under the surface. Leah wanting to help herself and McKenna turns into an obsession and Leah starts to "observe" McKenna driving through her neighborhood and watching her life unfold just as Leah's does at home. That is just the start to this intriguing, compulsive, and clever story that unravels a little at a time! The Author's Note gives resources and information about domestic violence that helps to resonate with the book and how aligned with factual domestic violence this book was written from. Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the gifted copy, I look forward to reading whatever Nora Murphy has next! I give it 4.5 stars!

Wow! This one was highly entertaining & would it be weird if I said satisfying?

Leah & McKenna lead similar lives. They live in the same neighborhood. Each has recently lost or quit their careers to be stay at home wives. Each has an abusive husband. After Leah becomes infatuated with McKenna she decides do to her a favor.

I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. I had to know what was going to happen next & how it would end. I was rooting for Leah & McKenna the entire story.
I also greatly appreciated the way the author brought light to the many differnt forms of domestic abuse. If I'm being honest, I'd never heard or knew the term of financial abuse until reading The Favor.

I highly recommend this one!