Leah and McKenna - both strong, intelligent, compassionate, caring, driven women. And sadly, both victims of domestic abuse.

Leah is an attorney and McKenna a pediatrician. Both of them worked so hard to get where they are.
Both forced to quite their jobs and are trapped in their homes and in an abusive marriage. They want out, but attempting it could quite literally end up in their death and neither knows what to do.
They have a chance, brief encounter in a local liquor store, and neither knows this will change their lives forever.

Leah senses something there, and follows McKenna home. She keeps watching her discovers that McKenna lives a parallegl life to her own with a control freak husband who verbally and physically brings her down for the slightest thing. Leah has now been banished to the basement in her relationship, and fears for her own life and her mother's, as her husband has eluded to that, should she try to leave.

McKenna can't tell anyone what happens behind closed doors. To make matters worse, her husband wants a baby. He blames her for a prior miscarriage, and made her quit her job to focus on pregnancy. She secretly takes her birth control pills because she doesn't want to bring a child into this madness.

Leah sees something one day at McKenna's home that pushes her over the edge, and does something that will change the lives of both women going forward.

I don't want to give away anything else because it could spoil the story for you. But know that you will find yourself fully invested in the lives of these two women and rooting for them until the end.

I had both audio and ebook and switched between the two to finish this in record time.

Many thanks to NetGally, MacMillan Audio and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for allowing me advance copies of audio and ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Domestic abuse is not often spoken of much in many circles. The Favor takes this theme and draws together two strangers dealing with spousal abuse and creates a secret comraderie through murder.

I enjoyed cozying up with the novel and listening to the audiobook. Both are equally captivating and held my interest. There is a slow build in the beginning as the women and their situations are brought into focus. As things escalate it is extremely hard to pull away. I found myself engrossed by the circumstances and had to know the final outcome. I hesitated when the cop came on board. His narrative was almost filler to me if it wasn't involving the two main characters. No worries, he does fit the plot but not everything with this portions was needed in my readerish opinion. Honestly, I probably just really enjoyed the strength and plot of the two ladies more than anything.

The novel is narrated by Dylan Moore, Leon Nixon and Sarah Mollo-Christensen. That's right, it's like having a full cast in your eyes as everything plays out. Each narrator brongs their unique level of emotion to the characters they represent. It's one of my favorite aspects of the audiobook.

Thank you Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for the gifted digital and audio copies for review. All thoughts are my own. True rating 3.5/5.

The Favor by Nora Murphy is a recent read of mine and it’s so much like other books it really doesn’t have an identity on its own.

In one pov, we meet Leah. Leah is an alcoholic who frequents liquor stores and has a real affinity for vodka.

One morning, while at her favorite store she sees a woman (McKenna) who captures her attention and fires up a rapid obsession.

Ultimately she decides to follow this woman home from the store. And while on this stalker expedition something happens that only increases the obsession.

The other pov, McKenna is a struggling housewife. Her husband is strict and controlling. Her character is written like a fawn. Obeying him and swaying in his wind. She doesn’t know if she’s coming or going or if she has permission to do either.

What McKenna doesn’t know is that she and Leah have a lot more in common than would seem and that commonality is exactly why Leah is obsessed with McKenna and more specifically McKenna’s marriage.

The characters lack depth and feel one-dimensional and flat. It’s possible that they are written too similarly.

And there’s a turn(not a twist) that doesn’t make sense to how the characters’ stories were constructed. And once that happened I doubted everything the characters did and said.


Overall, it was very unbelievable even for a thriller.

THE FAVOR is a ⭐️⭐️ read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy!

First off, big kudos to Minotaur for their super clever and fun marketing for this book!

#FavorForAFriend

Secondly, this was such a thrilling debut! I found it incredibly captivating and fresh and I ultimately just couldn’t put it down!

Psychological domestic thrillers are my forte and this one was perfectly twisty and intriguing! I don’t want to say too much and give anything away so I’ll just leave it with noting that this was a suspenseful and fun popcorn thriller! It would also be a great starter for those who don’t read thrillers often!

The writing had me hooked from the start. Went back and requested the audio version too so I wouldn’t have to put it down and finished it in two days! Another book I requested because I loved the cover and went in blind.

I looooooved Leah and McKenna’s characters! Two brilliant women, but trapped in marriages to horrible men. It all begins at a liquor store where they bump into each other. The author’s writing is so engaging, characters feel so real, perfect narrators and I can’t wait to read more in the future!

#TheFavor:⁣
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“I felt knocked down by sadness, by a sense of helplessness, and, mostly, by shame. It was like a thrashing ocean wave had picked me up and slammed me onto the firm sand, thrusting the air out of my lungs. I let myself cry. It was like a little gift. I so rarely acknowledged or felt permitted to express my emotions.”⁣
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Initial thought: What kind of favor do they owe? ⁣
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Review: The Favor is a maddening, but real look into domestic violence. Two very similar wives in a similar situation, just begging for a way out. This was a quick read that I couldn’t tear away from. I wanted everything to work out and wanted them to be free.⁣
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Some of the plot does stretch reality, and some of it can be fixed logically in real life. But sadly, some instances very real. The escalation of the domestic violence is portrayed accurately. The subtle comments, gradual isolation, then the escalation of physical violence, all very real. ⁣
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I really enjoyed the audio from @macmillan.audio. The cast was so distinct that I didn’t have to wonder which character was speaking. The timelines did kind of throw me while listening, but I kind of was able to keep track. I will say the very last chapter confused the heck out of me. I felt like the last part was just tacked on, and I missed something. I ended up having to go back the last three chapters to make sure I didn’t miss a thing. I then realized what it was (xoxo physical copy) and it made sense. Some things are hard to transfer to audio, and that was one instance it rang true.⁣
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Overall, a solid thriller of wondering what is going to happen next. It kept my interest, and I found myself cheering for them. Thank you @minotaur_books and @macmillan.audio for the gifted copies. The Favor is out 5/31.⁣
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QOTD: You just committed the perfect murder (bravo!) Where are you going to go to start your life over?

A book you can’t put down until you are finished! Also an excellent conversation starter full of “what ifs” and “maybe….” Absolutely loved the plot even with a sad, sensitive storyline. You immediately feel part of the characters and their situations and will quickly become advocates for them…. But should you? This may be Murphy’s debut novel but is written like a seasoned author. You will remember this story for a while upon completion.

Suspenseful drama ensues in Nora Murphy's debut, THE FAVOR. I listened to the audio, and with 3 narrators, it pulled me right in with ease. A 4.5 Star audio book for me!

Leah and McKenna are two incredibly intelligent and successful women who end up in very similar destructive relationships. They live not far from each other yet have never met. On one particular night, Leah sees behind the proverbial curtain and makes a decision that changes both women's trajectories.

I really appreciated this look at domestic violence. It took the effort to show how easy it can be to get caught in a situation beyond one's control. I felt like I gained a bit more insight in this issue, and for that I am grateful.

If I am super critical, my only beef was how a couple situations were a bit repetitive. Changing POV'S is probably a lot harder than I realize, so take this as a reader, not a writer! There were just a few places where I could have figured out what was happening without going back and repeating the scene from the other viewpoint. But maybe I would have missed something without it, so again, I defer to writes and editors!

That small issue aside, and it is a very small issue, I really liked this story. I loved how the women were not connected and how the plot held that distance for so long. I liked the detective, too! The audio was a great way to consume this story. The narration caught all the tension and emotions of the moments that I may not have injected on my own. The 3 narrators helped keep the audio version clear. Ultimately, I felt this story gave a look into a world I know is real, but thankfully don't experience with a satisfying sense of justice.

Thank you to @NetGalley and @macmillan.audio for this Advanced Listening Copy. Put this on your list as it comes out on May 31st! And read/listen to the final note at the end regarding DV. It is important and helpful. Norah Murphy will be an author to watch

An excellent debut novel by Nora Murphy. This audiobook was executed excellently with three narrators who all did a great job. There was never confusion in reference to who was speaking and what was happening at any given time. The storyline was great as well.... two perfect strangers who see each other in a liquor store and become embroiled in each others lives, without speaking, they none the less do for each other something they could have never done for themselves. Murphy approaches some touchy subjects in this book with compassion and understanding, making the plight of women in abusive relationships clear to the reader showing them just how difficult it can be to be stuck in such a situation and what lengths a person might need to go to in order to be free. I always looked forward to listening to this novel, listening at whatever opportunity I was afforded. I look forward to Murphy's next novel!
Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this excellent audio book in exchange for my honest review.

Nora Murphy is a debut author which I did not know while reading, and I will say she put out a solid first book. I will read her next one for sure. *Mild Spoilers Ahead* They are vague


The Favor involves 2 couples: McKenna and Matthew (doctors), Leah and Liam (lawyers). Both women are in abusive (physical/emotional/verbal) relationships with their spouses. This of course follows the usual Trope: Both couples struggle with fertility, both women are runners (do authors know there are other forms of exercise?), both are forced to quit their job to stay at home and be the "perfect" wife. The story unfolds from there, and as you can probably guess from the title of the book they do something for one another, yet they do not know each other.

The reason I didn't give it a higher rating is because the first 50% of the novel was endless descriptions of the women drinking. Leah more so than McKenna, it was pitiful. I really did not like the way both women refused to seek help for their situation, I do understand the difficulty of reporting abuse, but these women had marks, could back up the abuse, could easily "escaped" but instead turned to liquor stores. The endless drinking and dependence on alcohol was a problem, because I was like, girl stop drinking and you won't be so hungover and you will have the energy to leave your loser husband.
All that to say way to much backstory going on. Nora, we got it, the husbands are bad and crazy. But this was just to much I was really bored.
The returning of the favor I saw coming from a mile away (it felt like more like an ocean away because the book was dragging at that point)

There was a detective who was on the case and had this whole side story with his partner who was in a coma, that really had no significance except it gave him a chance to talk out his thoughts....I think that was the sole purpose of "Cole". Again adding more pages to this already long book.

The ending did wrap up nicely and I was glad with how it wrapped up I guess. But there were some very unbelievable things....I will leave you with my favorite:

Can you smash a gun with a sledgehammer to destroy evidence??

MAJOR TRIGGER WARNINGS
-alcohol
-abuse
-violence
-depression

This was a fantastic debut by Murphy. Although most of it was predictable it did not stop my enjoyment of it. Leah and McKenna meet randomly in a liquor store. Leah follows McKenna home and spies at her through a back window. She sees what is occurring behind closed doors and it is early similar to what is happening in her own home. A lot of the story focuses on domestic abuse. Abuse does not come in the same form. Women do not always walk away with a black eye and broken ribs. Abuse can be emotional / psychological and financial. A lot of times this is how it begins before it escalates into something even worse. If you find yourself or someone you love in one of these situations, please speak up and do something about it. It will only get worse. I listened to the audiobook version of this and really enjoyed the three narrators, they kept me engaged and even though I knew what was going to happen, I still wanted to keep listening.

Leah and McKenna live similar lives as they are both trapped in marriages with abusive husbands. Leah meets Mckenna at a liquor store and she is immediately intrigued by her because some how she can see something of herself in Mckenna . Soon their paths will cross each other when one of them intervenes in the other’s life .

Narration: The Narration is done by Dylan Moore and Leon Nix . Dylan Moore narrates the voice of Leah in a very believable manner. When she transitions into the voice of Mckenna, there is a subtle difference in the voices so the listener will be able to distinguish between the two characters.
Leon Nix does a great job at narrating detective Jordan Harrison’s voice , however when he attempts to narrate the voice of the Spanish speaking maid it became a bit offensive and stereotypical.
Story : The premise of the book was what intrigued me about the book , however it fell a bit flat for me . Nora Murphy did an outstanding job showing the different
Facets a partner can use to abuse a spouse and while I wholeheartedly empathized with both women the story in itself was rather dull.

The action that does take place in this book is very rapidly overlooked by the repetitive internal narratives and the mundane day to day happenings. Midway through, detective Jordan Harrison is introduced. His storyline is somewhat a distraction from the main story line .
While this book was not for me, readers who were enthralled by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen’s The Wife Between Us, will most likely love the skewed psychology and shifting perspectives in this domestic thriller.

***Thank you Minotaur Books, St. Martin's Press and
NetGalley for this advanced audiobook.

Amazing audiobook. I love when multiple narrators are used. Perfection. I read the ebook already so I know the story is perfection itself. I honestly could not stop thinking about it for days. Definitely one of the best thrillers I’ve read this year.

I literally couldn’t put this book down from the moment I picked it up. A woman pushed to her limits - you never know what she can truly be capable of. Warning of abuse within the relationships if that is a trigger. Honestly a little predictable but still a roller coaster of a ride. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book was refreshingly different than many I have read lately, or ever. The concept was great and the plot was exciting. I did wish for more at the ended but in reality it was a smart ending that made sense. Loved it! Would definitely recommend.
Thank you NetGalley, and to the publisher and author for a chance at this ARC!!

Before we get started, I’m confused about the blurb, because the whole story starts when Leah and McKenna DO find themselves in the same shop! They don’t talk, but still, the first line of the blurb is false.

I really enjoyed this quick, engaging thriller. Leah and McKenna were both interesting characters. Both were well-educated, successful professionals until their husbands took that away from them. Fortunately, I’ve never been in their position, but the author did a great job of making them relatable and making their actions seem somewhat understandable to the reader.

I’m a big fan of obsession/stalker novels. In the vein of The Woman In The Window, an alcoholic woman is obsessed with saving another woman she believes is being abused. Unique to this story, though, is the fact that Leah finds herself in the exact same position as McKenna.

My thoughts on the ending could be considered a spoiler, so don't read further if you have yet to read the book.

Spoiler thoughts: there wasn't really a twist. Nothing happened that wasn't guessable from the blurb, although this one was marketed as a thriller. The ending also felt somewhat unresolved--I understand why the case wasn't closed, and was glad they weren't caught, but it felt kind of unfinished.

Overall, I was pleased with this debut novel, and will be watching out for more from this author in the future. It won’t be for everyone, given the theme of domestic abuse, but if you can handle a difficult theme then it is worth the read.

Audio Review: I loved these narrators: Dylan Moore, Leon Nixon, and Sarah Mollo-Christensen. McKenna’s narrator was my favorite–her voice was so pleasant! As always, this audio production from Macmillan Audio was top-notch. Audiobooks do such an amazing job of drawing me into the story and keeping me engaged.

I enjoyed listening to the audio version of this and loved the fact that it had three narrators, all of whom did an amazing job. It really brought the story to life and gave it depth. This is an original take on two strangers meeting and deciding to help each other out. The two protagonists don’t actually meet for quite awhile yet they make very significant impacts on each other’s lives. The two woman are very similar and share certain struggles. This story was fast-paced came together nicely. It wasn’t as complex as other books in this genre, but it was definitely an entertaining read. I also liked the overall point that that the author was making and I thought she did an excellent job of conveying it. I will be recommending this audiobook to library patrons.

I loved this debut novel. The narration, performed by three people added so much to the audiobook. A great job by them. The story highlighted domestic abuse and control. Though not quite believable I had no trouble, nonetheless enjoying the characters and storyline. The two main characters played pivotal roles in each others lives. There were plenty of twists to keep me interested and I found this book a quick read.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio
For the ARC.

Fantastic. I absolutely loved this. It really sucked me in from the start and i couldn’t stop until the end. I was dying to see where this went and how it ended!

I wasn’t sure where it was going at the start but what unraveled was twisty and emotional. i really understood these two women. I felt for them. No one should ever have to experience violence especially by a loved one in any way.

I loved that there was a POV of the detective as well! I wasn’t expecting that but it definitely added to the story!

I think the author did wonderful at tackling this issue and showing the effects of it and what it can really be like to live in this situation. I enjoyed her character development and her writing.

I was completely enthralled until the very end. I was so worried about how this would end too 😅

This is such a great unraveling of a series of events & what happens when you “do a favor”. Will it back fire or be for the greater good.
I loved that there were 3 narrators as well. And it made their perspectives more distinct and they were easy to listen to.
Highly recommend.

This started out super slow, and I wasn’t invested. It wasn’t until halfway through when I needed to see how this ends. I enjoyed the narrators and they had good pacing. Overall I would recommend this audio!