From my Blog Post: Kristina Forest is another author whom I’ve read other works by and really enjoyed so I was very excited to hear she was going to write an adult romance. I was not disappointed and was heavily invested in this story (I actually bumped it up in my TBR because I didn’t want to wait anymore to read it, lol). I loved that it was 1) dual perspective, 2) had different parts that added layers to the story and 3) took place in New York. There was also tons of funny moments and I thought the banter between Lily & her sisters was hysterical. And for those who look bookish talk, there is SO MUCH of it in this story so you know I was the happiest panda while reading. I’m so happy that the E-ARC gave us a preview of Kristina’s next book and that it we will get to live in another character we have met’s world for a bit (I was ready to DM Kristina about what/who was next so that saved me a trip to IG, lol). We also got some spice in this story which delighted me being the grown person that I am.

This book was really cute and further proof that romance books don’t need 3rd act break ups to be successful!!! This books follows Lily and Nick as their go from secret pen pals to in real life friends to lovers. Their romance was sweet and I enjoyed both of them grew as characters separately and then together. It did take me a minute to get really invested in the story and I was constantly confusing Lily’a sisters up until the halfway point. Even still it was awesome we actually got to read the emails at the beginning instead of learning about them second hand and it made the actually meet cute between the characters so much more entertaining.

I was a fan of Kristina Forest’s YA stories but I think I’ll love her adult romances even more!!

Thank you so much to Berkeley Romance for reaching out with an eARC of this book!

I absolutely adored this book! I loved the epistolary style in the beginning with the emails and then the eventual meet cute between Lilly and Nick. I also loved Lilly's relationship with her sisters even though they really need to stop meddling in Lilly's love life. This book was full of swoon, angst, and even some steam!

I think Kristina knocked it out of the park with her adult debut and now I need more!

Quick Stats
Age Rating: 18+
Over All: 4 stars
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Setting: 4/5
Writing: 4/5

Special thanks to Berkley Romance and NetGalley for an eARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions reflected in this review are my own.

Despite the fact that one of her YA novels has been sitting on my shelves for the better part of two years, this is my first Kristina Forest novel—and I think it was a good one to start with, because I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I’m looking forward to picking up her YA work next.
Lily is a publishing assistant who yearns to work in children’s publishing. She wants to help publish diverse books that make Black kids feel the way her favorite book made her feel.
Nick is the author of that book.
The two email, become close, and then he ghosts her, only to later learn that Lily is none other than his new neighbor.
I love bookish books, so this premise was everything. And of course, the secret identity lent itself to plenty of angst. I honestly loved both him and Lily so much. Their chemistry was great, and they were both such compelling characters. Nick, especially. Did he drive me a little crazy with his constant negative self talk? Yes, but I also felt for him so strongly. I hurt for him like Lily did.
But that does bring me to my main gripe with the book: Nick needed therapy. He needed so much therapy. That negative self talk and also just the traumas that he had experienced had me basically screaming GET THIS MAN IN THERAPY at the book. This was one of those cases where it’s so obvious that he needed therapy to be able to heal and have a successful relationship in the past. These issues and struggles that he has, which play into every issue that Nick and Lily face, that impede their relationship again and again, are not the kind that he could reasonably work through on his own over the course of the two months in which the book takes place. And that fact felt so obvious to me. I understand that there are many reasons a person wouldn’t go to therapy, but it wasn’t mentioned at all in the book. It’s like it didn’t exist, and that honestly frustrated me to no end, and made it a bit hard to root for Nick and Lily, because he was messed up. He wasn’t in a place to be in a stable, healthy relationship, and it felt like he never took real steps to get to that place. Even in the end of the book, it felt like it was more the circumstances falling into place with his mom, not him putting in the work to heal.
I definitely enjoyed the book. It was fun, it was sweet, it had depth, but because of that I just don’t feel sold on the idea of their Happily Ever After.

This book started out very strong for me. I really loved the positive representation and You've Got Mail vibes. But then I felt like the story and events got choppy and didn't line up with the characters personality. It may be a case of it was me and not the book. I will still recommend this one to others looking for a cute bookish rom com.

The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest was a very quick read for me. I was granted access to the audiobook via @PRHAudio and the ebook thanks to @BerkleyRomance. I will say the first part of the book includes several email exchanges, which I found much easier to read rather than listen to.

Lily Greene is working for a publishing company in the nonfiction division although her dream is to work with children's books. On a whim, she reaches out to one of her favorite authors and low and behold she gets a reply. While clunky at times, the two email back and forth. Until, he ghosts her.

Months later, Lily meets her new neighbor Nick and the draw was immediate. She felt the chemistry and familiarity of this man and decides to beg him to help her find a date to her sister's wedding.

The book was a delightful break from all the dark thrillers I've been reading. Lily has an overwhelmingly intense and affection family. They are judgmental and loving all at once. Their fierce protectiveness over one another showed up time and time again.

Their inner dialogues were fascinating for me, because both of these characters have genuinely good intentions and some very poor execution at times. Overall, I would recommend this book! I read it closely after finishing The Love Wager and they have some similarities!

I loved every single second of this! The emails between Lily and Nick and starting the book out like that was one of the most engaging ways the author could have done that. When I reached the end of the emails my jaw literally dropped and I had no choice but to continue reading immediately. I love any book that is about books, so Nick being an author and Lily working in publishing was the perfect pairing. Nick was such a well written character and his backstory was a little heartbreaking, and Lily made me so proud. They were so perfect for each other and the chemistry was everything. I cannot wait for Violet's book, she was such a fun side character!


Thank you #netgalley for an early read of #theneighborfavor in exchange for my honest review

Thank you to Netgalley, Kristina Forest, and Berkley Pub for an advance copy of The Neighbor Favor in exchange for an honest review. Wow, wow, wow! I absolutely loved this story!! I found myself instantly intrigued with Strick and Lilys relationship and was even more invested as the story went on. There were so many great supporting characters in this one and my favorite might have been Tomcat! Even though this love story wasnt necessarily conventional, I found the everyday life of the two main characters to be something many of us can relate too. I also love books about books so this was a fun addition to the storyline for me too! This one is out tomorrow and if you love rom coms, get your hands on it ASAP!

Loved this one! I'm such a sucker for email exchanges that turn from random to friendship to maybe something more.
Lily is the youngest of her sister's and is not as successful or outspoken as her sisters so she is set up on dates constantly by her sister and getting pressure to change jobs.
Making a bet that she will find a her own date she asks her cute neighbor for help. He's very familiar but they don't know eachother. This one was so sweet. But there were a lot of family issues they had to overcome to feel like they could start their lives in general and maybe together.
Thank you berkleyromance and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

This was a cute bookish rom-com between a writer and an editor. Nick,aka Strick, and Lily meet anonymously through email and bond over their love of fantasy books.

I enjoyed the emails they exchanged. It reminded me of You've Got Mail. Lily and Nick started out the story very lacking in self-confidence and I appreciated the character growth over the course of the novel. I liked the peak into the publishing world and the secondary characters.

This book included:a New York City setting
a hidden identity
a slow burn
a sister bond

I recommend adding this to your TBR if you like books about books or one set in New York City. Thank you to the publisher for my e-copy of this book.

The Neighbor Favor is a fresh and flirty story about a shy bookworm's romance with her favorite author. I glued to the pages!

This story is a bit of a slow burn, but it also has some brief open door steam, as well. I liked their love was a slow bloom, and that as their love bloomed, they both came out of their shells. Their relationship is also full of chemistry, and it was so fun to feel that chemistry from them as I read this book. Individually, their characters bring a lot to the table. Lily and shy and reserved, and her experiences with dating are pretty negative. She's also unhappy with her job. I think we can all relate to these experiences!

Enter her sexy neighbor, who also happens to be her much-loved author pen pal! The attraction is real, but Nick has some issues to work through. I LOVE the trope where the friend helps the other friend date while hiding his true feelings. It gives me all the feels because of all the pining!! And this book has some good level pining on both ends.

Overall, I enjoyed the book so much! I related to Lily as a main character, and I am definitely looking forward to reading more by this author!

Thank you to Berkley Romance for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Star Rating: 4⭐️

This book. OH, MY, GOODNESS THIS BOOK. It has quickly become of of my favorite new romance releases.

The story follows Lily, a book lover who wants to break into the world of children's publishing but is stuck editing everyone's FAVORITE genre, nonfiction (*yawn*), and Nick, an author turned reporter and world traveler. Writing under the pen name N.R. Strickland, Nick is responsible for creating Lily's all-time favorite fantasy novel, one that ended on a cliffhanger that was never continued. One day, dehydrated and stuck on the subway, Lily deliriously emails Nick, and so begins the pair's months-long email correspondence, in which they slowly begin to fall for one another- only for Nick to stop responding with no clear explanation. Cut to months later, when Lily enlists the help of her charming and attractive new neighbor in finding a date to her sister's wedding. Little does she know, however, that Nick is the same man whose words she fell for all those months ago.

I loved everything about this book, from Nick and Lily's adorable emails to their instant connection when they meet in real life. The development of their relationship felt so natural, and I absolutely flew through the book, dying for the pair to give in to the connection that was blossoming between them.

I always enjoy reading Dual POV romances, but there was something about this one that hit different. Nick quickly puts together that Lily is the woman he fell for over email, which makes him even more reluctant to pursue anything with her. His perspective was my absolute favorite to read, because he was utterly head over heels for her, and the angst that came from him trying to help set her up with someone else was *chef's kiss*.

I've seen some reviews saying that Lily acted young for her age, but I felt the exact opposite. Her decisions as a character on the most part felt incredibly mature in a way that I greatly appreciated. She was sunshine personified, as well as happy and carefree, preferring to spend time with her toddler niece at family events than actually socializing, which felt more like a relatable mark of her personality (because who wants to talk to adults when kids are so much more fun?). Lily's family was absolutely everything. The dynamic between her and her sisters, Iris and Violet, was hilarious and relatable (as someone who also has a sister), and I cannot wait for more from both of them (can we talk about how EXCITED I am for Violet's book??).

This book felt like a classic romantic comedy in all the best ways. It gave off some You've Got Mail vibes, but in a unique, and dare i say, better way. This is going to become a book that I reread in the future, and highly encourage all romance lovers to pick up!

The Neighbor Favor begins with Lily finding a website for her favorite author. She takes a chance and emails him, without ever expecting to hear back. After almost a year of emailing back and forth, Lily and Strick have formed a meaningful relationship. All of a sudden, Strick skips out on a video call and Lily doesn’t hear from him again. Lily moves on with her life until the day she sees her new neighbor, Nick. Lily is intrigued by her quiet, cute neighbor and starts to put her email relationship with Strick behind her. As Lily and Nick become closer, she becomes more confident in herself and begins to fall in love. Lily & Nick are great characters and their families and work lives are interesting and fun. I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read the next one!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy.

the neighbor favor has all the elements to make the perfect fluffly romance. lily is a bookworm obsessed with a book written by an elusive author. on a whim, she looks him up online for the 100th time only to see he now has a website with an email address listed. so in the middle of fighting heatstroke she emails him and to her surprise he responds! thus begins months of email exchanges that change the course of their lives.

nick has my heart. i’m such a sucker for soft mmc. i like an alpha, obsessive man is cool but i love me a gentle man who is aware of his insecurities. the ones that are vulnerable when the time comes. the ones who are just as obsessive about their women but in a softer way. idk how else to describe it but i fall for it every time!

i love this book so much. i know for sure it will be a re-read for me. it’s truly the perfect book to read when you want to lay in bed kicking your feet at two people falling in love.

I really loved this romance by Kristina Forest. I liked that the first part of the novel was told entirely in emails as Nick (as Strick) and Lily first stared corresponding and getting to know each other. This had spice & heat, great (and not-so-great) family dynamics, and an adorable romance between two bookworms that I adored!

i liked the premise of this, but the writing didn't work for me. dual POV is great with these kinds of stories, but i felt like the couple's issues were less about growth and more about keeping them apart. i would have liked to see more of the sisters without feeling like their relationship issues were such a huge part of their character.

THE NEIGHBOUR FAVOUR - KRISTINA FOREST
4.5⭐
PLOT - Lily Greene is a shy awkward bookworm coming from an accomplished family.
She wants to be a children's book editor but is stuck as an assistant to am extremely frustrating editor of non fiction division.
On a random subway ride she writes to her fav mysterious fantasy author and it becomes the highlight in her life when he replies and they continue for many months untill he ghosts her without a word.
Now, she needs a date for her sister's wedding and she asks her new neighbour Nick Brown to help her find one but she isn't aware that Nick is her favourite fantasy author.
Nick realises that whatever the reasons for ghosting Lily..he still has feelings for her but will be own up and be there for Lily of return Lily's favour someone for her.

MY THOUGHTS -
I loved the plot and strong structure the email conversation ( epistolary) between the two...the story flew by..
Love books which have books/stories/publishing world as its core..and this has all the 3 and must say it was well done.
The miscommunication troupe was done well along with Nicks backstory combines well with the book.
Lily was little immature at times with her inability to speak up.
Loved lilys sisters Iris, Violet and we do get glimpse of their future stories too and can't wait to read them.
Thank you Netgalley and publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Read if you like:
🗽 Books set in New York
📚 Books set within the Publishing Industry
🖤 Diverse Romances
💻 Meeting Virtually

Oh my gosh! I truly loved this one! I loved how it starts with Lily and Strick emailing back and forth as Lily finally found a way to connect with the author of a book she loved but hadn’t done well as the publisher folder soon after it was published.

I then loved how the author moved us from emails back to Lily’s POV a year later and getting to see how things have progressed for Lily and her meeting her new neighbor Nick.

I love how this was a slow burn romance with some slight spice added in, but truly was also about the growth of Lily and Nick as individuals as well and facing their demons.

If you are looking for a romance with a lot of heart and character development I highly suggest reading this one, out soon from Berkley Romance! Thank you to the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Four and a Half Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭑
The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest is a slow-burn romance with friends to lovers trope featuring a cute bookworm and a reclusive author.

Story Recap:
Lily Greene has always lived in the shadow of her accomplished family. Her sisters both have powerful jobs, but all Lily wants is to be an editor for children's books and move on from editing nonfiction. Lily finds an escape from the pressures of her family by corresponding with her favorite fantasy writer where they form a bond. Until he suddenly ghosts her, and she doesn’t know why.

Months later, Lily’s sister is getting married and she needs a date for the wedding or else her sisters will fix her up. She asks her handsome neighbor, Nick Brown to help her find a date. She doesn’t know that Nick Brown is the fantasy writer that ghosted her months ago. Soon, Nick realizes that Lily is the same Lily he fell in love with over emails months ago, and he agrees to help her find a date because he’s not available for a relationship.

My Thoughts:
The book starts with several pages of email messages between Lily and Nick, and I enjoyed watching their relationship blossom via email. Then we get to the present, and we learn much more about Lily and Nick. Lily is a strong and compassionate person and she’s my favorite character. I love her relationships with her sisters, it’s not perfect but realistic. It took a bit more to warm up to Nick, he’s a broken man with family issues. But, eventually, I grew to like him and believe he is worthy of Lily’s love.

Recommendation:
I highly recommend The Neighbor favor to anyone who enjoys romance. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Swoon! I fell in love with Forest’s romance stories after reading Zyla and Kai last summer so I was especially excited when I saw she was writing her first adult romance novel! And it didn’t disappoint!

This You’ve Got Mail style second chance romance was the perfect love story for any book lover! You’ve got a love between an author and someone working in publishing! Not to mention a love between an author and a fan. I really loved the idea that they were neighbors since I fell in love and married my boy next door!

As much as I loved the steamy slow burn romance between Nick and Lily, I really loved many of the side characters. I loved Lily’s sisters and the sisterly bond between them. And the positive people in Nick’s life, from his best friend and agent Marcus to his neighbors who are caught in their own love story!

Lastly, I love the idea of Nick writing Black Fantasy novels, a genre that deserves more attention and praise!

If you’re a lover of books this is the perfect romance story! I saw a peek of what Forest has in the works for an upcoming book, and I am ecstatic!!