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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
3.5 rounded up!
“We were guilty. But we were also victims. We were survivors.”
Two highly educated and professionally accomplished women – Leah and McKenna – married to equally educated and accomplished men , no financial worries and homeowners in respectable neighborhoods- what more could a woman want? But the truth behind their picture-perfect lives is not what any woman would dream her life to be.
On her routine liquor run, Leah notices McKenna and sees through her polished exterior or rather sees herself reflected in McKenna’s demeanor. On an impulse, Leah follows McKenna home – and as she repeats her trips to McKenna's neighborhood, her suspicions are confirmed. McKenna is in an abusive marriage similar to her own. Leah,unable to help herself, feels compelled to help McKenna – as a favor. What follows is a sequence of events that changes their lives irrevocably. The larger part of the narrative is shared by Leah and McKenna with a few segments narrated by a third character who is introduced later in the story. The narrative switches between the past and present detailing the lives of both Leah and McKenna- their courtship and subsequent marriage with their respective spouses and the present state of their lives , their professional accomplishments and the circumstances under which they are forced to quit their respective jobs and how despite not ever knowing each other in the past and hardly ever interacting with one another in the present, they become involved in each other's lives.
Fast-paced, with an engaging narrative and well – fleshed out characters, Nora Murphy’s The Favor is an impressive debut! However, you need to suspend disbelief quite a bit to fully enjoy the story. If you don’t overthink it, the plot will definitely pull you in from the very first page!
The author, who is a practicing attorney, uses her professional experience in dealing with survivors of intimate partner violence in her insightful and vivid depiction of the various manifestations of abuse – humiliation, manipulation, coercion, and ultimately physical assault. In her note at the end of the book, she makes a valid point that domestic violence and spousal abuse are not limited to families lacking in education or financial stability and are not uncommon among couples from more educated or affluent backgrounds. That is an important message. In her note, the author states,”Intimate partner violence can debilitate us. Our friends. Our sisters. Our mothers. Our daughters. Our neighbors. Or, a stranger, just as Leah was to Mckenna, and McKenna to Leah. We must understand them. We must support each other. We must support ourselves.”
I switched between the e-book and the audio narration with this one. Dylan Moore, Leon Nixon and Sarah Mollo-Christensen brilliantly brought these characters to life through their superb narration.
“We were guilty. But we were also victims. We were survivors.”
Two highly educated and professionally accomplished women – Leah and McKenna – married to equally educated and accomplished men , no financial worries and homeowners in respectable neighborhoods- what more could a woman want? But the truth behind their picture-perfect lives is not what any woman would dream her life to be.
On her routine liquor run, Leah notices McKenna and sees through her polished exterior or rather sees herself reflected in McKenna’s demeanor. On an impulse, Leah follows McKenna home – and as she repeats her trips to McKenna's neighborhood, her suspicions are confirmed. McKenna is in an abusive marriage similar to her own. Leah,unable to help herself, feels compelled to help McKenna – as a favor. What follows is a sequence of events that changes their lives irrevocably. The larger part of the narrative is shared by Leah and McKenna with a few segments narrated by a third character who is introduced later in the story. The narrative switches between the past and present detailing the lives of both Leah and McKenna- their courtship and subsequent marriage with their respective spouses and the present state of their lives , their professional accomplishments and the circumstances under which they are forced to quit their respective jobs and how despite not ever knowing each other in the past and hardly ever interacting with one another in the present, they become involved in each other's lives.
Fast-paced, with an engaging narrative and well – fleshed out characters, Nora Murphy’s The Favor is an impressive debut! However, you need to suspend disbelief quite a bit to fully enjoy the story. If you don’t overthink it, the plot will definitely pull you in from the very first page!
The author, who is a practicing attorney, uses her professional experience in dealing with survivors of intimate partner violence in her insightful and vivid depiction of the various manifestations of abuse – humiliation, manipulation, coercion, and ultimately physical assault. In her note at the end of the book, she makes a valid point that domestic violence and spousal abuse are not limited to families lacking in education or financial stability and are not uncommon among couples from more educated or affluent backgrounds. That is an important message. In her note, the author states,”Intimate partner violence can debilitate us. Our friends. Our sisters. Our mothers. Our daughters. Our neighbors. Or, a stranger, just as Leah was to Mckenna, and McKenna to Leah. We must understand them. We must support each other. We must support ourselves.”
I switched between the e-book and the audio narration with this one. Dylan Moore, Leon Nixon and Sarah Mollo-Christensen brilliantly brought these characters to life through their superb narration.
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Murder, Alcohol
Moderate: Body shaming, Confinement, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Gaslighting
The Favor was a gripping read with tough topics on domestic abuse, manipulation, substance abuse, body shaming, and fertility. It is packed full of intense drama and leaves you on the edge of your seat wondering what is going to happen next!
I was, however, a little frustrated about women feeling like they couldn't be open to the police about their abuse for fear of being considered a suspect, even though they were also a victim; although I totally understand why... I was definitely telling the detective multiple times, well duh!
Have you read this book? What were your thoughts on this?
Still a good read though! Would highly recommend the audiobook! I liked how the author also highlighted how real domestic abuse is and provided some statis to provide insight and actually make this story hit home.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced copy audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
I was, however, a little frustrated about women feeling like they couldn't be open to the police about their abuse for fear of being considered a suspect, even though they were also a victim; although I totally understand why... I was definitely telling the detective multiple times, well duh!
Have you read this book? What were your thoughts on this?
Still a good read though! Would highly recommend the audiobook! I liked how the author also highlighted how real domestic abuse is and provided some statis to provide insight and actually make this story hit home.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced copy audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
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!
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!
The tag line for this book reads Staying is dangerous. Leaving could be worse and I feel like this does a good job of setting up your expectations for this book. In The Favor we follow two different points of view, the first is Leah who no longer works and drinks all day and the second is McKenna who also finds herself currently unemployed but still trying to figure out what her new normal is. Leah and McKenna have never met but both recognize something in each other at a chance meeting that will change their lives forever. I can't say a lot about this book because it is a fast read and anything I say could be spoiler. I really enjoyed this thriller, it was fast paced and I kept wanting to keep reading to see where everything went. I will say that if you read a lot of domestic thrillers than this plot is not a new one but the author's writing style kept me very engaged and I can't wait to see what they put out next. Thank you Minotaur and St. Martin's Press for my gifted copy for review.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Two women living parallel lives, trapped in marriages to controlling husbands, have a chance encounter that sets them on a dangerous course to freedom.
This engrossing story will inevitably draw comparisons to a classic book turned film noir, but I found it to be a fresh take on the premise. The women were portrayed sympathetically, giving the reader an understanding of how a person would feel unable to leave an abusive relationship. The result is an effective combination of suspense and character-driven drama.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.
This engrossing story will inevitably draw comparisons to a classic book turned film noir, but I found it to be a fresh take on the premise. The women were portrayed sympathetically, giving the reader an understanding of how a person would feel unable to leave an abusive relationship. The result is an effective combination of suspense and character-driven drama.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow. That was one hell of a book.
The writing is fantastic, so well written that it felt like I was living in the book - which I certainly wouldn’t want to! I liked the concept of 2 characters living close to identical lives that have never met yet they both somehow follow the same path of events.
It did take me a while to get into it but once I did, I couldn’t stop reading. I liked the twist and I loved the ending!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse