HOLY GUACAMOLE! This was a wild one! I love the fresh take this book had and the uniqueness of how the plot unfolded. Two women who don't know each other, yet they are so intricately connected. Brilliant. It was written very well and I finished it- cover to cover- in a matter of hours. I feel like if I say more I will give it away, but I definitely will be recommending this one. I am now a Nora Murphy fan and I can't wait to see what she comes out with next. BRAVO!

Survivors of domestic violence come together to protect one another; neither knowing the other. This is a great twist on The Burning Bed type of redemption for women surviving spousal abuse. I really liked both women and even the detective was a cool character. This was an easy read and enjoyable.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Leah spots a woman who she thinks is having the same crisis as hers. When Leah's husband leaves to visit his mom, Leah is thinking of leaving but knows that her husband will not stop until he finds her. This book kept me interested from the first page.

This thriller is about 2 women who are very much alike in their lifestyles but do not know each other, yet! Leah and McKenna both have nice homes, new vehicles, and professional husbands.. They also share something that they try to keep secret - spousal abuse. They are both in a store at the same time and Leah notices McKenna and something tells her that they share the same secret. Leah becomes curious and decides to find out more about McKenna and see if her intuition is correct. From then, their lives collide with devastating results.
I did find the beginning a bit slow, but then the story got interesting.
I thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Overall this was a good thriller. I enjoyed reading it but it didn't make me stop everything to finish it

Thank you St.Martin’s Press and NetGallery for the ARC ebook. This book started out too slow for me.The subject matter has been done before in novels,movies such as Girl on the Train,Strangers on a Train..Alcoholics,abused women by husbands,partners,bad marriages,etc.Plans are made between strangers to kill off unwanted spouse(s).Too much focus on alcohol,boring.

This book was good but it wasn't great. I finished it, I'm not mad that I read it but it was just... Good/meh. If someone asked I would say it's an easy beach read, put it on your list but don't be upset if you never read it. Pretty predictable and the cop storyline with his partner in the hospotal was unnecessary and didn't add anything to the book.
Thank you @netgalley for the opportunity to read!

✔️ 3 POVs - two women who are in controlling and abusive relationships and a detective trying to solve the murders of not one but two prominent and successful men ! I loved reading all three POVs⁣
✔️ watching two successful women end up in these situations was hard to read but I think can also help educate us so we can watch out for signs with our friends and family

This is a different take on the domestic thriller, two women similar in many ways both being abused by their husbands, two women who seem to have it all, wealth, beauty, handsome husbands, theirs path overlap and if they can't save themselves, how can they help someone else. It is a well written fast and enjoyable read.

In writing about domestic abuse, Nora Murphy explores the options women have in taking matters into their own hands, especially when staying is dangerous, but leaving could be worse.

The challenge with victims, Leah Dawson (legal career) and McKenna Hawkins (pediatrician), is fabrication; they are trapped in their homes and relationships because they emulate perfection. They live a fake life, carefully curated by money and prestige. One of the women notices ‘signs’ in the other when the strangers pass in the aisles of a liquor store and decides to follow her home. Obsessed with protecting her because she is a victim herself, this woman keeps watch over her daily until she sees something and is forced to act.

It was an eye-opener for me and, although I didn’t identify with either woman or their issues, I felt saddened for all women who are trapped. Here we have two educated and successful women who are victims of their husbands’ ego. Their status and education didn’t make it any easier to leave their relationships. The success of this book will be the author’s legal background and the authentic characters. I truly felt like I was there and feeling the desperation. Fairly naive, I was blown away by the mind-games the husbands initiate to make their wives powerless. Zach Hawkins and Liam Dawson are downright evil in their interactions behind closed doors; belittling and withholding access to finances. Murphy’s notes include statistics and information about offering support to those we suspect are in danger as well as informing us that leaving isn’t as easy as it looks.

A fast-paced, genre-hopping debut, this one contains triggers that should be investigated prior to reading.

I was gifted this advance copy by Nora Murphy, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

OMG I couldn’t put this one down!! This was my first time reading this author, and I’ll definitely be reading more. The way she depicted these characters was fantastic. Even though I’ve never been in this situation at all, the women were very relatable and I totally resonated with both of them. This book did a great job and showing that it is truly so hard to escape an abusive partner. I loved the suspense and that twist right at the beginning! My jaw literally dropped. And the ending was perfect. This was everything I could want in a thriller!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC in exchange for a review. This title will be published May 31, 2022.

Wow. This one is really good, guys!. Gripping, riveting with a storyline that keeps you guessing until the end- I read this one in one sitting. I really loved both Leah and McKenna. The two main characters made poor choices when it came to the controlling, successful men they married. But you can't keep a good girl down in these two cases! It is surprising that the author made two characters who were doing bad things still so inherently likable! If you liked The Last Mrs. Parrish, Behind Closed Doors and The Woman in the Window, this is one that you need to move to the top of your stack. It is a fun, twisty ride!

I think The Favor was a thrilling and tightly wound story. The two main characters Leah and McKenna sometimes became confused in my mind as I read because they were so alike. I think that is the point-alike in their experience but... dissimilar in their personal heart break they experienced in their marriages. I highly recommend to anyone who likes domestic suspense stories. I hate to admit that I cheered when a thoroughly evil thing like murder happened. I could not help myself. The only detractor in the story to me is the detective's point of view. He was dogged in his pursuit but seemed he was clutching at straws and knew he was. It did not add to the tension for me because I guess I really did not want the murderer caught. I still loved the writing and though it is hard to understand domestic abuse behind closed doors I am so thankful to Nora Murphy for bringing it out in the open.

Thank you to Net Galley for a chance to read and review.

Leah and McKenna lead parallel lives, they both are in abusive marriages and can't get out. Leah, on her regular run to the liquor store, sees McKenna and instantly feels a connection to her, following her home. Over the next few days, she stalks McKenna, who lives a life so similar to her own, even in her neighborhood, until one night she sees something that sets their lives on a crash course. And here I will stop because there is no way to not give away most of the story if I continue.

I found The Favor to be an engaging psychological domestic thriller, the abuse was realistic and I am sure will be triggering to some people. I did find some of the bits a bit slow, but when I put it down I found myself wanting to pick it back up and get back to reading. Nora Murphy's writing was raw and she proved her talent in this debut, along with the fact that the time she spent as a lawyer, really helped bring realism to the story.

One of the best parts of the book was an impactful afterword written by the author that helps to remind us just how common abuse really is. If you are a fan of domestic thrillers, pick up The Favor.

I was gripped to this novel and looked forward to picking it up every night. The main character was written well, someone you could connect to and root for. There were not too many characters and the storyline was not too drawn out, two flaws that some thrillers in this genre often have. I can't believe this is Nora Murphy's first novel, and that she writes on her phone! I'm really looking forward to reading more.

This story would make an EXCELLENT movie.

I enjoyed this book, and would overall give it 4/5 stars. I found the first fourth of the book hard to get through for no other reason than it's just a sad and dark situation, following two women in abusive marriages. I paused reading it for a while at that point because I never felt I had the mental energy to immerse myself in that kind of story, it was just emotionally draining to read about. However, when I did pick it back up, it was around when the major plot point occurs, and once that got going I was definitely into the story, rooting for the women, and wanted to keep going! It's an interesting domestic thriller, and I equally enjoyed the third perspective of the detective as well.

Thank you so much for allowing me to read this advanced e copy. I will plan to post a review on my Instagram (@Laurengettinglit) the week of publication and tag/send the link to St. Martin's Press.

Thank you St Martin/Minotaur Press for the chance to read Nora Murphy's The Favor. I actually chose to read this after access to a sample chapter from Minotaur press, the small chapter was enough to get me engaged with this atmospheric, moody suspense thriller. I really enjoyed the slow burn simmering tension that Ms Murphy generated in this book and found the character and plot development to be powerful and well executed. Though not a cat and mouse story, it had similar vibes and themes, the idea of Leah being obsessed with tracking McKenna's life until fate brings them together and perhaps the inevitable, and dark, collisions happen.

This is a really strong offering, dark, moody, and evocative; the story has a can't put it down edginess that held me captivated and engaged, I stayed up late to finish the book as I was truly invested in seeing how the story would not only end but how Ms Murphy would lead the reader to the end. A sign of a good suspense book isn't just the end of the story but also how authentically and effectively a writer can lead the reader from the beginning to end; Ms. Murphy brought me on an enjoyable reading journey and did this well.

I enjoyed this different take on a domestic thriller.
Two women find themselves in the same situation. Who is to blame?
How did they get here?

Book Review 📚

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*I have graciously received this ARC from @netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Spoilers***

Pros: This was extremely addictive. This was a quick read with short chapters. 😉👏 Two strangers with the same terrible story. Murphy really captured the full emotion of domestic violence. How powerful your abuser can be and make everything in life difficult. The physical and mental abuse can be triggering for some so heads up on that. This really kept my interest the whole book.

Cons: What I didn't really understand was the purpose of the detectives relationship with his partner. Why it needed to be talked about because it didn't really go anywhere? I also didn't really like the ending. I could have came up with 1000 better endings just saying. 🤷‍♀️🤦‍♀️

I was pleasantly surprised with this debut novel by Nora Murphy! I went in blind like I normally do with thrillers these days and was instantly sucked in. The back and forth POVs and then how they overlapped with one another, giving the reading a view from each of the women's lives. It was such a clever way to tell the story. Straight up gave me Behind Closed Doors vibes with these horrible husbands who absolutely had it coming. The way the author described coercive control in a marriage was very well done and shows how it can develop...slowly and over time. This was a solid domestic thriller that I would definitely recommend.