The Favor by Adele Griffin, this was a new author for me so wasn't really sure what to expect. Overall I found this to be an enjoyable read, I enjoyed the friendship between Nora and Evelyn, and the added twist to the storyline was endearing to say the least. I would recommend this book to others.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark, and I am leaving my review voluntarily.

Nora and Evelyn cannot be any different, yet they became friends and share an experience like no other.

Evelyn stumbles into Nora’s life as she is closing up for the night at the vintage shop she works at. Evelyn is wealthy and ends up buying a lot that night, which means Nora is getting a nice commission. She recognizes Nora’s eye and hires her at random to be her personal stylist. The two become fast friends! Nora on the other hand is in debt, she longs to be a mother but it feels impossible. Her reality is getting the bills paid, from failed IVF attempts, so she accepts these jobs.

As their friendship grows Evelyn decides that she wants to be a surrogate for Nora.

While I enjoyed it, at one point I honestly thought this book could be a thriller. I was on the edge of my seat for a while and wasn’t sure what to expect in the end.

Thank you to Netgalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Adele Griffin for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I’m not sure why I thought this book was a thriller or creepy, but for some reason I did and it gave me a sense of foreboding throughout most of the middle of the book. I had so much anxiety for no reason. But once I got past that I really enjoyed the book. Evelyn was such an interesting character and I could never quite predict what she was going to do. I loved Jacob and Nora’s relationship and their families. I would recommend it to those who enjoy traditional “women’s fiction” (though I hate that category, LOL).

Thank you to the publisher - I received a complimentary eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When I first started reading The Favor, I thought it was going to be an easy breezy fun book, but it actually incorporated some very difficult issues such as infertility.

Nora and her husband, Jacob, have been wanting to start a family and are finally considering a surrogate. Nora works in a vintage clothing store when influencer, Evvie walks in. She loves how Nora takes care of her and they also become very friendly. Once Evvie finds out about Nora and Jacob's issues, she offers to carry the baby for them. She also uses it to gain followers on social media.

Evvie was not a character that I cared for. In addition to using the pregnancy to gain followers, she would also go to doctor's appointments without including Nora or Jacob, travel all over the place and just didn't seem to really care about the baby.

However, Nora is very much invested in Evvie as a person and not just a surrogate. When the two of them have a few conflicts, Nora really misses Evvie and is upset at not having regular contact. There is not only friendship drama, but family drama as well and I did not see the ending coming.

4 big favor stars

Doesn’t it sound fun to work in New York at a vintage dress shop? How about when an uber-wealthy woman comes in and her purchases help to pay the bills?

Nora has always loved vintage clothing and her job at I’ll Have Seconds, but her meager salary isn’t helping to pay down the enormous debt that she and her husband Jacob have after pursuing alternate means to have a baby.

Nora sparks a friendship with socialite Evelyn and helps to style her for various events and even her Friendsgiving. As they pay down the debt, Nora and Jacob still yearn for the baby they haven’t been able to have yet.

Evelyn makes an extraordinary offer to be a surrogate for Nora and Jacob. Can they trust Evelyn? I was on pins and needles as this one played out. Can you be good friends with someone when there is a huge wealth disparity?

There are some social media elements thrown in here and it always makes me wonder how people would behave if we didn’t have that medium to show off our activities.

I enjoyed this well-written story and I’ve still been thinking about it a few days later.

“‘Our home,’ he says, and his voice cracks a little. ‘That’s not our home,’ I tell him. ‘Home’s only another word for us, right?’ He nods.”

At I’ll Have Seconds, a high-end fairytale vintage dress shop in Manhattan, Nora Hammond loves nothing better than pairing a rare find with the perfect client.

At home, Nora grapples with the bleaker reality of enormous debt, a tiny apartment, and ever-dwindling hope that she and her husband Jacob will have a family of their own. When socialite Evelyn Elliot charges into Nora’s life, the women spark an immediate connection, and Nora is jettisoned into the heady whirl of New York’s moneyed elite. As Evelyn’s stylist and confidante, Nora needs to learn all new rules of engagement for the uber-wealthy. But it isn’t until Evelyn decides her next cause is to carry a baby for Nora, that these rules–and this unlikely friendship–are tested.

I was hooked from the first chapter with this one! Evelyn was like the fairy Godmother that Nora needed. As the story progressed I was waiting with bated breath for Evelyn to pull the rug out from under poor Nora in regards to her extreme and immediate generosity. I won’t spoil whether she did or didn’t, but that aspect definitely had me listening at 2x speed to find out. The narration was wonderful, especially the southern accents of Evelyn’s parents. The talk of infertility and surrogacy was emotional and done very tenderly. An enjoyable listen for sure!

Thank you to Netgalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, Orange Sky Audio, and the author for the ARC and ALC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Nora works at a vintage clothing store and one day Evelyn pops in and makes a huge purchase. Nora and Evelyn become fast friends after that day even though they are complete opposites. Nora and her husband struggle financially, mainly because of the costs of the IVF treatments. Evelyn was born into money and has never had to worry financially. As their friendship develops, even if it is a little one-sided, Evelyn offers to be a surrogate for Nora and her husband.

Infertility and surrogacy are discussed as are the differences between Nora and Evelyn's lives. Evelyn agrees to be the surrogate but doesn't want to involve lawyers until after they know the embryo has been successful. While I'm not sure the intention of the book was to keep you wondering, you can't keep reading just for this fact. Is everything going to be ok when the baby arrives?

I received an ARC of The Favor I. exchange for an honest review.

THE FAVOR by Adele Griffin is a thought-provoking and moving story of marriage, friendship and the lengths to which a woman will go to realize her dream of being a mother. Nora Hammond and her husband, Jacob, desperately want to become parents. After going into emotional and financial debt trying IVF, they are losing hope of it ever happening. Everything changes when wealthy socialite Evelyn Elliott comes into the high-end vintage store where Nora works. The two women form an unlikely relationship that throws Nora into the heart of Evelyn’s elite New York society world. Nothing could be more different from the modest lifestyle that Nora and Jacob enjoy. Evelyn occasionally gives a monetary gift to Nora, but nothing is more shocking than when Evelyn offers to carry a baby for Nora and Jacob. So begins a journey fraught with things that Nora can’t control. Evelyn is a force she is afraid to confront, fearful that she will do something to make Evelyn change her mind. This is a story of money and influence, but also love and friendship. The themes of infertility and surrogacy were handled with honesty and compassion. The backdrop of vintage fashions added to my enjoyment of this engaging story. Well done! Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy.

Nora and her husband live in a tiny apartment in Brooklyn and are saddled with debt from failed infertility treatments. She works at an upscale second hand clothing store and one day as they are closing for the day an obviously wealthy woman named Evelyn barges in and they bond over a famous poet. Evelyn ends up buying enough to cover a month’s worth of sales. Evelyn sends her an expensive gift tied to the poet and then she starts asking for help acquiring more outfits for events and other PA work since her PA moved on to other things. This all leads up to a shocking offer. I was on pins and needles for the rest of the book waiting to learn how it all turns out in the end.

I received a free copy of this book to review through NetGalley.

4.5/5
The Favor was a very enjoyable book that pleasantly surprised me. I liked the characters in the book although there were times that I did not like Evelyn as she's a socialite who seemed to always get what she wanted and had to have things done her way even though she meant well. I liked Nora who had a good heart but I wish she would have had a stronger back bone when dealing with Evelyn. Overall, this was a good story about female friendship, family, surrogacy, trust, and what can happen when you're not open and honest with someone close to you. Loved the little surprise at the end. I liked Adele Griffin's writing style and look forward to reading more of her books.

Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and NetGalley for the review copy.

Thanks for the opportunity to read an advance copy of The Favour.

First - it was very well written, and I got a very clear vision of the two main female characters - who they were and what was motivating them. Some very personal and clear moments related to motherhood, friendship, fertility.

I enjoyed this novel, but felt like it was unsure of what it was supposed to be. It read a bit like women's fiction, then a bit like a thriller - but with no thrill. The reveal at the end was VERY meh. I feel like it should have double/tripled down - or left the twist out completely and focused more on the emotional side of the novel.

For a book that isn't marketed as a thriller, this book gave me SO MUCH ANXIETY. I almost wish it was a thriller because then it would have made sense to me why I was so anxious. During the first half of the book I was worried about where the plot was going to go, I was around 30-40% through and I could not imagine what was going to happen for the remainder of the book. With that being said, the second half of the book is significantly more fast-paced than the first half, which I appreciated.

I wish we got some clarity as to why Evelyn was the way she was. Did she just have an insecure attachment type? Was she just that out of touch? I wish we knew why Evelyn and Nora had such a strange relationship... I just felt like I was always waiting for the other shoe to drop. Maybe I let all the family members get to my head, I am not sure.

Regardless, the book was captivating. I just think that my anxiety levels while reading prevented me from reading a book about unlikely friendships, unconditional love, found family, fertility struggles, and surrogacy. Unlikely friendships- kind of, but I wouldn't consider them friends. Unconditional love- not unless we are talking about the husbands loving their wives. Found family- I wouldn't consider Evelyn and Nora found family. Fertility struggles and surrogacy- absolutely.

I don't know, I think maybe I was just not in the right headspace for this book, or I let a throw away comment greatly impact what I thought the book was meant to be.

Nora and her husband are living in a tiny apartment, struggling with their bills and their inability to have a child, then socialite, Evelyn Elliot comes into the vintage dress shop where Nora works. The two women strike up an immediate kinship. Nora begins helping Evelyn out with things for which Evelyn insists upon paying her. Then, suddenly Evelyn decides that she wants to carry a baby for Nora and her husband, and everything changes and not necessarily for the better.

This is a compelling book that explores the nature of friendship between women. The friendship between Nora and Evelyn is contrasted with that of Nora and her college friend, Meg. The relationship between Meg is much more easygoing and relaxed and on more equal footing than that of Nora and Evelyn. Not only have Nora and Meg known each other longer, but they also have more similar backgrounds and as a result the whole nature of their friendship is different.

The book is also an exploration of the economic toll the struggle to have a child can be on a family and the different routes that a couple can take to have a family. It serves as a reminder that even for couples who follow the same basic root to parenthood, it can be a vastly different experience. This is illustrated in the way Nora's co-worker, Frankie's path to parenthood is so similar to her own and yet also so different and not just because he is part of a same-sex couple. All in all, this is quite an engrossing novel that really makes you think about a lot of things.

The favor has a lot of good themes throughout the book focusing on surrogacy, found family, some unlikely friendship and absolutely unconditional love.

While i did enjoy the basis of this book, and i loved reading about the MCs journey in becoming parents i felt extremely detached from the characters.

I felt that the characters were extremely immature in certain sections of the book and also acted a bit too trusting and nonchalant about the entire surrogacy process.

Overall, it was a quick read with a lot of wonderful themes but felt a bit frustrating during reading and unfortunately felt forgettable.

A very unique take on infertility and surrogacy!

I was drawn to this story from the synopsis, but the female friendships were what really resonated with me. There were some really fun and outrageous moments mixed with serious ones in what is sure to be a contemporary/women's fiction hit!

I liked the concept but the friendship didn’t feel believable at all. Evelyn seemed incredibly manipulative and not really a good person some of the time, Nora alternated between annoying as all get out, naive, and way too laid back about the whole surrogacy. Some really unhealthy relationship dynamics is several of the relationships, even between Nora and her husband (I’ve already forgotten his name) at times yet it never really felt like it was addressed. It was an easy lighthearted read and I enjoyed parts of it but unfortunately didn’t meet the mark for a recommendation or a future re-read.

I had a stone in the pit of my stomach for most of this book. I was afraid of what would transpire.
I thought Evelyn treated Nora like her pet project and was blasé with her noblesse oblige attitude. She capitalized on her surrogacy by being a media mogul queen.
I thought Nora was very naive and should have listened to Jacob more.
Ultimately, Nora gets what she wants and more, a great twist I wasn’t expecting.
It’s a very good book.

I really enjoyed The Favor. I liked how relatable Nora was and her intense desire to be closer to Evelyn. She was such a sincere friend despite how easy it would have been to use Evelyn for her money and prestige. She just wanted the friendship and closeness.
Evelyn wasn’t an entirely unlikeable character but she was very hard to like. I read with bated breath, waiting for her to do something absolutely detestable to make my feelings feel more valid. I won’t spoil anything by telling if that happened or not.
This is ultimately a story of friendship and family/found family. I think it would make a great book club pick.
I don’t normally add trigger warnings but I feel the need to note that this book does focus heavily on infertility.

I will be posting this review on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ctcu1IoL8vY/?igshid=MmJiY2I4NDBkZg==

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5170107713

And Amazon

The Favor by Adele Griffin releases today 6/13/2023!!

This book felt very complex to me. It deals with the themes of intimacy (both in marriage and friendship), loyalty and trust.

The way the story unfolded kept me intrigued and wanting to keep reading. The story, the way it unfolded, definitely kept me on my toes. For a little while I was nervous that Jacob & Nora would suffer more heartbreak on their journey to become parents. Evelyn, their surrogate, a socialite and relatively unknown to them, was a real wild card. Even the twist at the end was a surprise. I would definitely put this in your TBR pile!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the chance to read this one and share my thoughts!

Delightful, heartwarming and humorous story of 2 women, complete opposites, who become friends and help each other out. One even offers to be a surrogate for the other as parenthood and the quest for parenthood has left them in debt and hopeless. i liked the fashion component in the story too.