The Favor is a marvelous debut! Extremely enjoyable, fast paced and unputdownable. 5 star read that I definitely recommend.

I really liked this one. The twist was good and the reading was smooth. I really enjoyed the writing and I will be looking at other books from this author.

I enjoyed this one but I wanted more. I thought it was a thriller but it ended up being a domestic drama. I would try another book by this author and would recommend this one if you like domestic dramas.

What happens when you meet someone like you... and you want to save them from the same things you're going through?

Leah and McKenna are living very similar lives - both had jobs that they loved, both fell in love with charming, charismatic men, both got married and moved to the 'burbs, both stopped working. Both live picture perfect lives, at least that's what it seems on the outside.

But Leah and McKenna have a dirty secret, and when Leah spots McKenna at a liquor store one day, she can't help but be drawn to her.

Thus begins a favor that McKenna didn't ask for, but one she knows she needs to replay.

Will our detective find the link between these two women? And if he does, what will he do with this information?

This is one book you're definitely going to want to read.

Nora Murphy’s THE FAVOR pulled me into the story from the start. Two women who don’t know each other but are so similar it’s eerie. Strangers stuck in their lives that become linked by one impulsive act. How did it get to that point? How did two well-educated professional women get into the situation. Well-written and well-paced, Murphy’s debut kept me reading from beginning to end and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.
Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy. All opinions are my own and freely given.
#TheFavor #NoraMurphy #StMartinsPress #debutauthor

Do you really ever know what goes on in someone else's home? When two complete strangers, who have parallel lives, meet. Leah watches from afar and knows all too well what McKenna is going through. The Favor explores the just how far women will go when pushed to the brink. This is a good read, even if a bit slow at times, but overall solid.

Ohhhh wow I read this book in one afternoon!!!!!!!! This book kept me reading until the last page. It is a riveting story that will spell bind you from page one and not let go until the last.

Leah and McKenna live similar lives, although they have never met. Recognizing the similarities between them, Leah begins to follow McKenna, wanting to help her in anyway she can. A split decision makes them entangled in one another's lives.

This book was really entertaining and full of suspense that I flew through in two sittings. There is an alternating timeline between the past, where we learn about how each woman ended up marrying the monsters they now call their husbands, and the present, during the nightmare they are each living. Big trigger warning for domestic abuse, both physical and psychological and gaslighting! I listened to it on audio and think that the narrators did a great job with all three POVs. The biggest complaint about the book that I had was that during the POV of the detective, he kept talking about his partner, and how much he missed them after they had an injury on the job... It just seemed unnecessary to the narrative, and made him feel a bit creepy and obsessive in my opinion. I feel like his POV could have been left out all together and I would have enjoyed the story a bit more.

Definitely didn't feel like a debut, and I'm intrigued to see what the author comes up with next.

This is not a simple favor like borrowing some milk. Oh no, this is much more. These two women have never met but live parallel lives suffering under the hands of domestic violence.
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Fast paced this tale spins out of control as two women try to escape from their abuses with their lives intact.

Thank you #minotaur and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Leah and McKenna are living similar lives although the two have never actually met. Both women are facing the same problems and when their paths cross, they each recognize that fact. This one got off to a slow start, but I was holding my breath and crossing my fingers by the end. It didn't grab me quickly, but once it did, it didn't let go. It has a lot in common with a classic thriller, but telling you which one would spoil the plot.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and Noram Murphy for the ARC of her debut novel, "The Favor". My opinions are my own and done voluntarily.

wow, just wow! This did not read as a debut novel. It was beautifully written, wonderful world building and wonderful characters that suck you into their stories and lives. It felt real. It was a total page turner, and you just want more.

Two Women: Leah and McKenna, well educated, successful in their professional lives and married to awful men. But neither know the other, until one day. when one becomes obsessed with the other and then they take matters into their own hands to help the other get away from their monster of a husband.

This was a whirlwind ride; it was a quick read and I read it in 2 days. I really love multiple POVs, and this was done well. At times I felt like I was confused but I got back on track quickly. easily a 4-star read. it is very typical of a good thriller, and I can't wait to see what else Nora Murphy writes next!

This book was so good — disturbing, but addictive. The author created two sympathetic characters in Leah and McKenna, and portrayed their struggle realistically. It could happen to anyone, and "just leaving" isn't a safe or easy solution. Enter: the favor.

I loved the writing style. The subject of abuse is usually one I don't enjoy but the writing hooked me from the start. Sort of gave me Strangers On A Train or Girl On The Train vibes. The pacing was great. It was a fast read. It was very gripping and fast. I highly recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. This was one of those books that make you cringe as you flip pages. You want to just have them run in different directions. It was really good. I really enjoyed this read.

The Favor, Nora Murphy's debut, is a taut, fast-paced read that has a twist early on that sets our characters on a collision course. Leah and McKenna, professional woman living in an affluent DC suburb, are strangers. who happen to live parallel lives. Leah, a lawyer, knows what goes on inside a home can be much scarier than outside. When she is on a walk one night and witnesses something inside McKenna's home that seems all too familiar she decides to help McKenna. The women are no longer strangers and the favor may be too high a price to pay. Told from both women's perspectives, this has been one of my favorite debuts this year. The chapters and action are fast paced and the backstory to both Leah and McKenna are pieced together until a horrific picture is completed. I look forward to future releases by Nora Murphy.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

I could not put this one down and read it in one sitting! My first read by Nora Murphy and am looking forward to many more!!

What an outstanding debut domestic thriller! I cannot wait to read more from this author. This book provides multiple point of views, mainly Leah and McKenna. Two woman who do not know each but their lives are running on a parallel course. There’s also the point of view form the detective who on the case. This book was tense and gripping and I enjoyed every minute

Two strangers with strikingly similar circumstances intersect one day and it changes the rest of their lives. This story, told through the two main characters, brings to life the very real problem of abuse within marriage. Written in the back and forth style between characters,the author highlights the cycle of abuse.The Favor explores questions such as,” when does a person realize that what they thought was love is actually control and abuse?” “ when should friends speak up about what they are witnessing and not keep silent?“ “how much fortitude and inner strength is needed to take the risk and make a change?” Although predictable, it’s good to see stories being written that have the potential to save someone’s life.

The Favor by Nora Murphy was a gripping and compelling debut thriller about domestic abuse. It was intricately plotted and fast paced. Once I began reading The Favor I found it very had to put it down. Both Leah and McKenna were victims or survivors, depending on how they were seen or who was describing them, of domestic abuse. Their handsome, affluent and professional husbands were unrelenting. Both marriages began on positive notes. In each of the two marriages, both the husbands and the wives initially had professional careers, friends, interests and respect for one another. Slowly over time, the husbands, Zach and Liam, became increasingly controlling, demanding and threatening. Both Leah and McKenna lived in fear every day of their married lives not knowing what would trigger their husbands to hurt them physically, emotionally or verbally. Both husbands wanted “perfect” wives. They wanted to control all aspects of their wive’s lives.. Although they loved their husbands very much when they first married them, they grew to abhor them with a vengeance as they became more and more controlling. The horrors that both Leah and McKenna had to endure were unthinkable.

On a chance encounter, Leah and McKenna were at a local liquor store at the same time. Leah had developed an alcohol dependence to help her cope with Liam’s control over her. McKenna was at the same liquor store buying wine and chips for her two friends who were coming over to her home that afternoon to see her newly finished patio. Leah immediately recognized certain traits in McKenna that reminded her of her own. She became intrigued with McKenna and found herself following her from the liquor store to her home. Leah was convinced that McKenna and herself had more in common than just their blonde hair. Could Leah help McKenna free herself of the abusive marriage she found herself in? What would happen to Leah under Liam’s devious scrutiny and control? Could they help free each other from their respective nightmares? What would the consequences be?

The Favor by Nora Murphy was an important story to tell. Although it was purely a work of fiction, domestic abuse is more common than we would care to realize. Women in situations of domestic violence often make excuses for their spouses or boyfriends, deny that anything happened, become too embarrassed to admit that they have been violated or more than often think they imagined the whole thing. Often, the husband or boyfriend is a smooth talker and is able to convince the woman that she imagined whatever she thought had happened. In The Favor, both husbands were professionals, had good reputations and were easily able to manipulate any situation in their favor. Many emotions like fear, anger, despair, pain, embarrassment, helplessness, hopelessness, bravery and compassion were felt throughout the pages of The Favor. I enjoyed reading The Favor and highly recommend it. I look forward to reading more books by Nora Murphy.

Thank you to Minotaur Books for allowing me to read The Favor through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book was great, but also had a lot of weird crossovers with me. Im a formerly hot blonde, now let-go housewife with a (luckily former) heavy day drinking problem and a controlling husband. I also had a new patio installed and had 1 loose paver. I also had a (actually 4) miscarriages. So this book made me feel a little hostile toward my husband. I do wish that the women had at least gotten the chance to have a full conversation! The only questionable thing I felt was that Leah felt the need to follow McKenna from the beginning just because she thought she looked like her old self. I can’t wait for the authors next books.