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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really wanted to love this one - and it was good!! - but fell just short of love. There was one plot point I couldn’t get past. I did still really like it and thought it was a cool & interesting twist on some common thriller tropes.
I really loved the idea of this book & two women helping each other. It’s terrifying to think about how common it must be for people to live like this & have nobody know about it. It’s easy to say that you’ll never become a victim of DV, but this book shows you it can happen to anybody.
I was rooting for both of the women & I’m happy with how things turned out for them, but I wasn’t super happy with the ending of this book. The book just seemed to randomly end. After everything they went though, I felt like they needed more.
I was rooting for both of the women & I’m happy with how things turned out for them, but I wasn’t super happy with the ending of this book. The book just seemed to randomly end. After everything they went though, I felt like they needed more.
I was surprised to learn that The Favor is Nora Murphy’s debut novel! She writes with a style that feels much more experienced and kept my attention throughout the entire book, plus the characterization was very well done. The characters have an obsessive nature that kept me on edge wondering what was going to happen next. The pacing was balanced and riveting, and I found the ending satisfying. I believe this is considered a domestic suspense novel and I would definitely recommend picking it up if you enjoy the genre!
Thank you Minotaur Books for my gifted copy!
Thank you Minotaur Books for my gifted copy!
Leah Dawson has worked hard and she’s now a lawyer, she meets her future husband Liam whose now a well known divorce attorney, on the outside they appear to have it all. But once Leah marries Liam she sees a different side to him and how far he will go to control her.
McKenna Hawkins is a pediatrician married to psychiatrist Zachary. They look like the perfect couple. Just like Leah once she’s married Zachary shows a darker side.
These two woman don’t know each-other and have never met. One day Leah spots McKenna at the local liquor store. Leah knows there’s something familiar about McKenna and she realizes she sees herself in her, and when she follows McKenna home and watches, she sees that they share a similar home life , right down to the physical and emotional abuse. Leah makes it her mission to help McKenna and soon one night turns both their worlds upside down. How far is Leah willing to go to help this woman she doesn’t even know? As the story line unfolds you see how you truly don’t know what’s going on behind closed doors. Emotional abuse is a hidden abuse. I truly enjoyed the story and felt horrible for these woman’s home life, it opens your eyes. Trigger warning abuse both physical and emotional. This was a great fast read!
McKenna Hawkins is a pediatrician married to psychiatrist Zachary. They look like the perfect couple. Just like Leah once she’s married Zachary shows a darker side.
These two woman don’t know each-other and have never met. One day Leah spots McKenna at the local liquor store. Leah knows there’s something familiar about McKenna and she realizes she sees herself in her, and when she follows McKenna home and watches, she sees that they share a similar home life , right down to the physical and emotional abuse. Leah makes it her mission to help McKenna and soon one night turns both their worlds upside down. How far is Leah willing to go to help this woman she doesn’t even know? As the story line unfolds you see how you truly don’t know what’s going on behind closed doors. Emotional abuse is a hidden abuse. I truly enjoyed the story and felt horrible for these woman’s home life, it opens your eyes. Trigger warning abuse both physical and emotional. This was a great fast read!
Well this book had a really unique concept! Although the ending was meh, so 4 stars.
THE FAVOR by Nora Murphy is an enthralling debut thriller! It’s about two women, Leah and McKenna, who have never met but live parallel lives trapped in their marriages with “perfect” husbands. When Leah makes a decision one night their lives will never be the same.
.
There’s so much I enjoyed in this book:
- intrigue right from the first page!
- multiple POV - Leah, McKenna and Detective Jordan Harrison
- alternating timelines between Now and then that gives backstory
- unreliable narrator - Leah is introduced as an excessive drinker
- foreboding vibes when we meet their husbands
- the characters that were lawyers were extremely authentic since Nora Murphy is a practicing attorney
- the author’s note that provides resources for intimate partner violence
Thank you to Minotaur Books for my advance review copy!
.
There’s so much I enjoyed in this book:
- intrigue right from the first page!
- multiple POV - Leah, McKenna and Detective Jordan Harrison
- alternating timelines between Now and then that gives backstory
- unreliable narrator - Leah is introduced as an excessive drinker
- foreboding vibes when we meet their husbands
- the characters that were lawyers were extremely authentic since Nora Murphy is a practicing attorney
- the author’s note that provides resources for intimate partner violence
Thank you to Minotaur Books for my advance review copy!
I never found it particularly suspenseful in any way — just a whole lot of domestic violence. Even the detective (whose POV we really didn’t need?) regularly visits his partner in the hospital, where she’s in a coma after they responded to a domestic violence call.
This is more of a commentary on domestic abuse than it is a thriller or suspense novel. I thought it was fairly obvious what was going to happen based on the synopsis and the title. Clearly I’m missing something, because I keep seeing glowing reviews.
This is more of a commentary on domestic abuse than it is a thriller or suspense novel. I thought it was fairly obvious what was going to happen based on the synopsis and the title. Clearly I’m missing something, because I keep seeing glowing reviews.
This book was good, but not great. It started off strong and I was instantly hooked. But then it quickly lost steam and my interest.
The major issue for me here is that this book is billed, in part, as a thriller when it’s clearly a mix between a mystery and domestic fiction. In that regard, with the more appropriate genre-labeling, it’s a fine book. It’s not terribly fast-paced or novel, but it’s good.
What I did like was the way the author handled domestic abuse and the portrayal of the survivors, both of which I thought were done well. And, for domestic fiction, it was an interesting character study.
I don’t need every mystery to have a major, shocking twist - but this one has no twists at all, so it kind of fell flat for me.
It was good, but not great. It’s not one I am likely to recall much about in a few months.
The major issue for me here is that this book is billed, in part, as a thriller when it’s clearly a mix between a mystery and domestic fiction. In that regard, with the more appropriate genre-labeling, it’s a fine book. It’s not terribly fast-paced or novel, but it’s good.
What I did like was the way the author handled domestic abuse and the portrayal of the survivors, both of which I thought were done well. And, for domestic fiction, it was an interesting character study.
I don’t need every mystery to have a major, shocking twist - but this one has no twists at all, so it kind of fell flat for me.
It was good, but not great. It’s not one I am likely to recall much about in a few months.
I’m still having a hard time believing this was a debut novel. It was so well written and developed, I will absolutely be reading anything this author writes in the future. I love that we have no idea what the major plot is going to be based on the synopsis, it adds so much to the reading experience.
I was a huge fan of the multiple points of views and time lines. Our main characters had so much in common, and I was rooting for both of them throughout the whole book. I really felt like we got to know the both so well.
If you are looking for a solid read with a bunch of twists and heart pounding moments, look no further. This is both very character and plot driven, which gives you the best of both worlds.
I was a huge fan of the multiple points of views and time lines. Our main characters had so much in common, and I was rooting for both of them throughout the whole book. I really felt like we got to know the both so well.
If you are looking for a solid read with a bunch of twists and heart pounding moments, look no further. This is both very character and plot driven, which gives you the best of both worlds.
The topic of this book is a real and important one about domestic abuse and violence. For that, I can appreciate this book!
We follow two women who are in challenging and abusive marriages. They see each other and recognize one another simply because of their own personal situation they are in. Things evolve in a creative and interesting way.
But. I felt like the storyline was a bit simplistic and repetitive and perhaps a bit unrealistic. I started to get bored half way through when I realized not much more was actually going to happen but resolve in a way I expected.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance audiobook.
We follow two women who are in challenging and abusive marriages. They see each other and recognize one another simply because of their own personal situation they are in. Things evolve in a creative and interesting way.
But. I felt like the storyline was a bit simplistic and repetitive and perhaps a bit unrealistic. I started to get bored half way through when I realized not much more was actually going to happen but resolve in a way I expected.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance audiobook.