Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. It would give this 3.5 stars ⭐️ if Goodreads would allow it. Overall I enjoyed the book & a few characters. Some characters were hard to relate to and some were just awful. Without giving spoilers, I felt that there was too much hype into a selfless act by an very selfish person and parts were just not relatable on a real life level.

The Favor was so enjoyable and engaging, I found myself unable to stop turning the pages. The author did an amazing job of handling sensitive subjects, and I definitely see this becoming a favorite in women's fiction. It is very well written, and the author is able to connect you with the characters. A must read.

An interesting story, although not one of my favorites, but I’m betting a lot of people will love it. 2 women of totally different stature in life become friends. Nora works at a vintage clothing store, and Evelyn comes into the shop throwing money down on vintage clothing. Soon they become friends and because Nora and her husband are unable to have a child, Evelyn offers to be a surrogate. Yet in all of this there is an inequality to this relationship. I guess my issue with the story is that I had no strong feelings for any of the characters. I felt like I was watching a tv show that i was not really into. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

The Favor by Adele Griffin is a wonderful book dealing with deep topics. The story covers things like fertility issues, surrogacy, new friendships, and relationship issues. I feel this are such common topics anymore and to read about his is a nice change from the standard books. The author did a great job and I look forward to more from her!

This was a very unique story that covers new friendships, fertility issues, surrogacy, and relationship issues.

This book had an interesting story it told. I was intrigued how Evelyn came into Nora's life and swooped in like the long lost rich sister. It kept me coming back to the book, I needed to know if she duped Bryce with the cloak, so was a great epilogue. I was a little bummed with how everything came together at Thanksgiving, Evelyn just got over everything and showed up? Wasn't very Evelyn of her. I did like how we got an answer to everything & how Barb left the store to her and Frankie. Would definitely recommend this book to friends!

Nora is ending her shift at the vintage clothing boutique in Manhattan where she works, with no other ambition than to stop at Whole Foods and make her husband, Jacob, a chick pea meatloaf. But when Evelyn whisks into the shop, asking to see some of the most expensive pieces, the allure of a large commission changes Nora's mind. Soon Nora and Evelyn are fast friends, as Nora sources pieces and helps Evelyn plan parties.

When Evelyn divines Nora's biggest problem--her fertility woes complicated by the fact she and Jacob have spent all their money and some they don't have on IVF--Evelyn decides that her newest project will be to carry Nora and Jacob's remaining fertilized embryo.

But the pregnancy, along with an expensive gift Evelyn gave Nora, challenges their friendship.

This is a thoroughly engrossing book that I found impossible to put down. It features a few of my favorite things--vintage clothing, Manhattan, babies, and complicated family and friend relationships. I loved the characters and wanted them to be my friends, too. #TheFavor #NetGalley

I love the idea of finding a designer item with history but my life is always a bit nuts so I don’t have time to sort through stores and I also am sort of icked out by wearing someone else’s clothes…

The Favor is the story of a woman who works at a vintage shop in NYC when she befriends an extravagant customer who proceeds to do a series of favors for her. I don’t want to give any spoilers but one favor is life changing. This was very entertaining. And I am not just saying that because there are so many Harry Styles references throughout. I loved the friendships and dynamics in this book. I really felt their internal struggles as to whether to accept the favors. And I loved the contrast between their lives - a life of excess compared to a life of debt and constant financial stress.

I loved this book! The setting was so familiar to me, having lived in NY, and being an avid vintage shopper. The writing is so good that I feel as if I know each character personally. I was especially impressed with the dialogue between Nora and her husband Jacob. So witty and incisive!
I almost did not pick up this book because fertility issues in novels seem to be over done lately, but the eccentric Evelyn drew me in - she is larger than life and entertaining. Very generous, yet totally self centered, turning her role as a surrogate mother into an influencer opportunity. Why? She didn't need the money, she just wanted non-stop attention worldwide.
I especially loved the the twist regarding the original Dior cloak given to Nora from Evelyn, which started a whole chain of events!
The only thing I did not like was the cover - I think it could have been more retro in a funky way to go with the excellent modern narrative.

Nora's greatest dream is to have a baby with her husband Jacob. They have tried everything and their debt reflects the various, failed attempts. When wealthy socialite Evelyn sweeps into her life, Nora is fascinated and welcomes the distraction of her friendship and lifestyle. Will Evelyn be her savior and the solution to all of her woes? That is, as they say, "the rest of the story." The Favor keeps the reader guessing about Nora's marriage to Jacob, her relationship with Evelyn, and her other friendships. Mix in a mysterious cloak and this book will keep you turning the pages.

The Favor is an insightful and warm-hearted story of two very different women who make an unexpected connection when one decides to carry a baby for the other.

This book was so beautiful and so very emotional.
The FMC, Nora, is so likeable and down-to-earth. One day Evelyn rolls in to Nora's work like a cyclone and Nora is so captivated by her.
They keep in touch and become quite close, so much so that Evelyn offers to be a surrogate for Nora.
If anything would test a relationship, that would be it.

This book was so much about the friendship between Nora and Evelyn. The surrogacy came second to that in my opinion.
The longing that Nora has for a baby and the eggshells she walks on around Evelyn so as not to upset her make for an emotional read and the authors done a fantastic job of navigating it.

A brilliant book and I one I definitely suggest!

Thank-you to @sourcebooks, @adele and @netgalley for this book in exchange for a review!

A touching and often humorous women's fiction story that sees an ultra wealthy NYC socialite slash influencer offering to help a couple struggling with infertility by being their surrogate. Good on audio read by a quickly growing favorite narrator of mine, Kristen Sieh and recommended for fans of books like The new person by Loretta Nyhan. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for early digital and audio copies in exchange for my honest review!

I enjoyed the read. Well-paced and well-written, the book did not give me any boring moments. But that's not to say it didn't have a few issues. Nora and Evelyn meet and forge a fast friendship, maybe too fast. The favor itself, which involves surrogacy and which is the main subject of the story, was never entirely believable for me, mostly because I couldn't get a handle on Evelyn's character. I appreciated all the vintage clothing references and found those enjoyable. The ending left me just a bit misled, but overall the story had kept me reading, and that's a good thing. I would read more from this author. Recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the complimentary e-copy!

An Emotionally Intense Story of Friendship

SUMMARY
Nora Hammond loves working at Manhattan's I’ll Have Seconds, a high-end vintage dress shop. The only thing about it she doesn’t like is that she barely makes enough money to pay her bills. Just before closing one night, socialite Evelyn Elliot sweeps in and changes Nora’s life forever. The two women spark an immediate friendship, and Nora is jettisoned into New York’s moneyed circle simply by being close to Evelyn. Nora feels comfortable with Evelyn and shares her struggles with debt, her tiny apartment, and even her unfulfilled but desperate desire to have a child.

Their friendship is tested when Evelyn offers to be a surrogate for Nora and her husband, Jacob’s frozen embryos. Evelyn begins a viral social media and marketing campaign about each step in the baby’s gestation, and Nora’s patience is stretched to the breaking point. THE FAVOR examines the feelings of longing for a child and how relationships are affected.

REVIEW
THE FAVOR is a captivating and endearing tale of two women from opposite ends of the financial, social, and personality spectrum who make an immediate connection. The writing effortlessly intertwines the lives of Nora and Evelyn, creating a hopeful but emotionally intense story of friendship and the responsibility that sometimes comes along with such a friendship.

While I adored Nora’s quiet and sweet character, Evelyn’s character blows in like a hurricane. She is exuberant, dramatic, and commanding. When we meet her in the first chapter, she flamboyantly buys out the store’s entire collection of vintage designer dresses, spends tens of thousands of dollars, and leaves Nora with her biggest commission check ever. The chemistry between the two very different women was fascinating, and I loved how they bonded over the poetry of Frieda Bergessen.

The topics of Nora’s infertility and Evelyn’s surrogacy were engrossing. It’s a highly sensitive topic for many, but it was nicely woven into a cleverly written story.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks/Landmark for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


Publisher Sourcebooks/Landmark
Published June 13, 2023
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

That was a satisfying book. The characters are built up very well, so you feel the feels when you are reading through their lives. The anxiety when the thing that you know it going to happen happens. Then some surprisingly twisty things. I liked all the characters. They were vivid and real. the storyline was plausible. Decent research into IVF and infertility was done. Only one cringey moment when they use 'implant' instead of 'transfer'. Having lived through it, that is one that annoys me. But everything else is good enough that I let it go. The story kept the pages turning and I could easily picture all the goings-on in the book. I'd recommend this one.

I was given an ARC for my honest review, which I have written above.

Nora and Jacob have tried everything to have a baby. They have one embryo remaining. They have gone deeply into debt for fertility treatments and really can’t afford to do another round. Nora works at I’ll Have Seconds, an exclusive vintage dress shop in New York. Late one afternoon, Evelyn Elliott comes in at closing time. Nora and her co-worker, Frankie, stay late – afraid to lose a commission. As Evelyn steamrolls through the shop, she takes a liking to Nora. Evelyn convinces Nora to be a personal stylist for her mostly by dangling cash payments. Nora and Jacob badly need the money so Nora accepts these jobs. As Nora becomes more and more enmeshed in Evelyn’s life, Evelyn makes a crazy offer. She will carry Nora and Jacob’s last remaining embryo. Nora convinces Jacob that nothing will go wrong in spite of the fact that they don’t have a legal contract. As the months pass, Evelyn seems to pull away from Nora. Nora worries that she and Jacob won’t have the happy ending they hoped for. Nora also discovered that money doesn’t necessarily buy happiness.

The Favor is a great heartfelt story about unlikely friendship! First we have the rich, eccentric, uber wealthy Evelyn and then we have the polar opposite Nora, who isnt the happiest with her life. They strike up a friendship and Evelyn offers to carry a baby for Nora.
Once that was offered, I was HOOKED, would this agreement stand the test of time? Or would it be too much for either party to bear? Evelyn was hilarious with her outrageous antics! But she also just loves helping others,
Nora's step mother Gabby was my favorite character!
What a great, enjoyable story with amazing characters!!

This book was not what I expected at all. I didn't expect to fall in love with Nora, and actually also with Jacob and Frankee and Meg and so many of the other characters. And I didn't expect to feel sorry for Evelyn who seemed to have everything, who spent thousands of dollars without blinking an eye - and who felt that was the only way she could have friends. Evelyn craved acceptance as evidenced by her somewhat creative blog that bent the truth in favor of glamour.

The descriptions of vintage clothing were fascinating and I could easily picture the shop and the elation to have a customer like Evelyn.

Nora and Jacob desperately wanted a baby but have been unsuccessful with IV etc. Evelyn offers to carry a baby for them and I was afraid this would lead to disaster for them depending on her. We as readers go through the various complications with the characters, hoping for the best. No spoilers.

The ending blew me away. Go Nora!!!!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC! Overall a good story with interesting characters with an interesting friendship. I felt like the first part of the book was a bit slow. Part two, things picked up and it was able to reel me back in.

The Favor by Adele Griffin is a book about relationships. All types of relationships: friendships, partnerships, marriage, parenthood, family. This story is centered around and her newfound friend and eccentric millionaire Evelyn. Evelyn can give Nora and her husband the gift of something they have struggled to have for years. I really enjoyed this story and the characters that Ms. Griffin develops in the year or so this story takes place. The main focus is the surrogacy storyline but I really enjoyed the other offshoot storylines as well.

Overall a beautiful read.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and Netgalley for an advanced readers copy of this book for my honest review.