The Favor was and enjoyable and engaging read, I found myself unable to put the book down. The author did an great job of handling sensitive subjects. It is very well written, and the author is able to connect you with most of the characters. Some of the characters were a little hard to related to and were a bit unlikable. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC.

I started this one not knowing much about it and was immediately hooked. The storyline was fast but also detailed and made you feel like you were a part of the story. I was just as entranced with Evelyn as Nora was. I finished in one sitting because I had to know how this story played out.

The Favor is a story of family and love, and the various ways and make-ups that we can see them in our very own lives. It is sweet and sincere and at its roots demonstrates that those two, family and love, in no way must be traditional and can be found in a wide variety of actions and environments.
Adele Griffin creates characters that flew off the pages and I felt as if I was learning more and more about them as the pages continued. They were all so real, and I believe it made the novel better off.
The story itself was widely developed as a narrative!

4.5 ⭐️s. Really well written and the story sucked me in. I identified quite a bit with Nora - while not infertile, we struggled to get pregnant and had 2 miscarriages so I get the whole emotional rollercoaster and struggle around other new parents she felt.

I thought the character development was great and there was so much anxiety I felt for Nora during so much of it, making me want to know what was next. The disparity between Nora/Jacob and Evelyn was well done and the tension conveyed perfectly, and while the friendship was a little dysfunctional, it was a great story about grace, generosity and forgiveness.

While there were things in the book I wish went differently, the imperfection of the story felt authentic. Overall I enjoyed this one a lot.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine.

Thank you to NetGalley, publisher and author, for the free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. The story was overall entertaining. I liked the description of the vintage merchandise especially the elegant clothes. What I did not like was, Evelyn's character. It kept reminding me of Elle Woods for some reason.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark Publishers & NetGalley for a digital advance reader's copy. All comments and opinions are my own.

This book checked some of my favorite boxes – fashion, friendship, and an ending with a surprise twist.

The novel begins with the definition of “Favor – An act of kindness beyond what is due or usual. Friendly regard shown toward another, especially by a superior.”

Author Adelle Griffin incorporated the concept of “a favor” and then surprised me. The premise sounds predictable, with one girlfriend offering to carry a baby for her friend who can’t conceive. So that’s the favor, yet the friendship is a bit unusual, as is Evelyn, one half of the friendship who sweeps into Nora’s life in an overwhelming and overbearing way.

When I read the book’s description: “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.” There was no question I was going to read this book.

It’s a story of the haves and the have-nots – wealth vs. debt, children (pregnancy vs. infertility), employment and more. It’s a story of girlfriends, trust, and honesty. It’s an unexpected yet heartwarming story of family and forgiveness.

I highly recommend this extremely readable novel!

A couple of days after I started reading Adele Griffin’s The Favor, I attended a production of Federico García Lorca’s 1934 play Yerma. The title character is a young wife who is desperate to have a baby; while the other women in her village are getting pregnant and delivering healthy children, Yerma can’t seem to conceive. The years go by, and Yerma (which is the feminine form of yermo, meaning “barren” or “wasteland” in Spanish) still does not have her much-longed-for child. Things ultimately do not end well for her.

The Favor is a lot less bleak than Yerma, but the parallels still struck me as I was watching the play. In rural Spain in the 1930s, there wasn’t much a woman could do but pray. In New York in the 2020s, there are other options. Nora Hammond and her husband Jacob are deeply in debt after rounds of unsuccessful fertility treatments. Then one evening, a wealthy, glamorous woman named Evelyn swoops into I’ll Have Seconds, the chic vintage shop where Nora works, and buys several thousand dollars’ worth of clothing. Nora and Evelyn hit it off, and the two become friends… of a sort. Evelyn begins to pay Nora to help style her for society affairs and even do some personal assistant-like tasks. But the two women seem to genuinely enjoy each other’s company, despite the somewhat transactional nature of their relationship. Suspicious Jacob, however, isn’t a big fan of socializing with Evelyn and her husband Henry.

When Evelyn offers to serve as a surrogate for Nora and Jacob, it seems too good to be true. Why would a one percenter with multiple homes make such an offer to a couple who can barely afford their fourth-floor walk-up? As it turns out, Evelyn does have her own motivations, and they aren’t entirely altruistic. But this is a modern women’s fiction novel, not a tragedy like Yerma, so I was pretty sure things would work out in the end. Still, The Favor did make me question whether two people from such different worlds can ever truly be friends; when Jacob and Nora are summoned to Evelyn’s family manse to meet her parents, it’s so palpably uncomfortable that I found myself desperately hoping they’d just get the hell out of there. The Favor is willing to directly confront class differences in modern American life, and it’s not always a pretty sight.

4.25ish stars

I don’t really know why, but I initially assumed this book would be a quick and rather fluffy read. It had more depth and complexity than I had anticipated, and while it could still be considered so-called “chick lit,” it was a bit of a layered story about friendship, motherhood, and love (with less of an emphasis on the romantic variety). It had me feeling a bit tense at tones, but over all, I quite enjoyed the story.

A beautiful and touching novel exploring the bonds of female friendships. When Nora meets Evelyn, she is swept up in Evelyn's socialite status and money. Yet at the same time, she also feels a tight bond with Evelyn that quickly becomes precious to her. However, there is always an unspoken imbalance between the two women in that Nora and her husband come from humble backgrounds whereas Nora has big trust fund money.

When Evelyn offers to become a surrogate for Nora and her husband, their friendship will be tried in ways neither of them was prepared for. The two opposite worlds that they live in quickly become obvious. It's a well written story about the impact of many issues facing women today. Nora has struggled with infertility while Evelyn has no problem getting pregnant and carrying a child. Nora is struggling financially while Evelyn has more money than she can ever spend. Nora wants to safeguard her fetus but it's being incubated in Evelyn's womb leaving Nora feeling helpless at times. In so many ways, it seemed Evelyn always had the majority of power in their relationship. Yet as the story progresses, you do see the negative sides to Evelyn's life as well. Things aren't always as glorious as they appear.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and felt that watching the evolution of Nora and Evelyn's friendship was well described and felt realistic.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The audio was really enjoyable. It pulled me into the story and the narration of the voices felt spot on. 4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for these early copies of both the audiobook and ebook. I chose to review them both and the opinions contained within are my own.

i really enjoyed this one!!! lots of drama between a rich lady and main character who is in debt and struggling with fertility. her new rich friend offers to be a surrogate and drama ensues.... great book!!!!

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.