I enjoyed this novel, although it was fairly predictable. Nice prose. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Another fantastic debut novel!

4.5 STARS!

This book started out strong and never wavered. Domestic thrillers are my absolute favorite genre and this one rates high on my list. Leah and McKenna are both trapped in abusive marriages when a chance encounter at a liquor store has Leah obsessed and following McKenna. She sees herself in McKenna and cannot stop watching her through her window. One night Leah witnesses something horrible, and she decides to intervene. What follows is an intense, edge of your seat thriller.

The story was so well written, and the author does an excellent job portraying domestic violence. I felt tense and anxious during some of the story and I felt so much empathy for Leah and McKenna. It’s true that no one really knows what goes on behind closed doors.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my e-ARC,

Leah and McKenna have much in common. Both are blonde, both are petite (McKenna not anymore) and both are wealthy, well educated professionals who are married to professional men. However, one similarity both defines and unites them. They are married to abusers.

Leah becomes aware of McKenna after a chance encounter at a liquor store. Noticing the resemblance, she follows McKenna home and watches her from a secluded spot. When she sees something upsetting, she reacts quickly to protect this stranger. Her actions begin a series of events that will eventually change their lives.

This compelling, upsetting thriller will stay with you long after the final page. Neither Leah nor McKenna fit the popular profile of an abused woman. Both were independent and successful. The Favor shows how they became subservient to controlling husbands. It’s difficult to read and difficult to put down. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Nora Murphy for this ARC.

The parallel lives of these two women caught in a web of domestic abuse have you wondering if they are the same person. As I read I can't say that I was always trying to figure out what was going to happen, but the storyline definitely kept me reading.

A great book until the end, I enjoyed how Murphy intertwined their lives and told a suspenseful tale. A great debut novel!

Thank you Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the Kindle ARC!

This was dark. And I mostly really enjoyed it. The actual crime that is committed twice is a bit too ridiculous but it felt good to read it. I appreciate that this book brings domestic violence to light and I think many readers will connect to it and hopefully can find themselves out of it.

Leah and McKenna don't know each other at all, but their lives are almost exactly the same. As we gradually discover what is really happening with these two women, they too gradually become aware of each other.

This story was masterfully done. The point of view shifts between the two women, and also shifts from past to present, allowing us to uncover what happened one piece at a time. The characters are sympathetic and believable.

I'd recommend this to people who like domestic thrillers/suspense. It is all-too realistic.

Serious Strangers on a Train vibes!

Fairly blind going into this read, but pleasantly surprised. The strong premise grabbed a hold and wouldn't let me go. In fact, I lost some sleep due to the page-turning goodness.

Will watch for Nora Murphy's sophomore thriller. I'm definitely a fan.

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Nora Murphy for an advanced copy of The Favor in exchange for my honest review.

What an emotionally compelling domestic thriller! Definitely the kind of story you're tempted to devour in one sitting.

Leah and McKenna are strangers with parallel lives. They're educated, wealthy, attractive, live in beautiful neighborhoods, and are married to handsome and successful men who know how to charm. On the outside, everything looks perfect. Cookie cutter. Like a suburban fairy tale. On the inside, however, something far more sinister roams.

Though the women have never met, they're both trapped in the same physical and psychological prison of abuse, with both of them suffering at the hands of their domineering husbands who have slowly smashed their peace and happiness to smithereens, having crumbled away their sense of dignity and independence until it's black and blue.

When Leah sees McKenna one day at a liquor store, she is gripped with an unsettling sense of familiarity. A bone-deep knowing. A siren call that seems to shout "all is not what it seems." So she follows her home.

Watching from the street, she decides to keep an eye out for her, until, one night, things take a turn for the worse...and she intervenes.

What happens next will bind these two women, these two strangers, together forever.

This was such an addictive read! Not only is it fast-paced and engrossing but it reveals the insidiousness of abusive relationships: the slow, sweet slide of coercion, the gaslighting that can muddle clarity of mind, the loss of sense of self, the isolation, the anger, the "walking on eggshells" fear and terror, the helplessness that can make a cry for help seem crazy, hopeless, dangerous, or impossible. The plot is predictable, I grant you that, but the characters' mutual trauma and psychology is what holds readers in its thrall. You can't help but empathize with all Leah and McKenna go through with their monstrous husbands. You can't help but hold your breath at all the ways in which their lives parallel, and then later, intersect because of a favor that was bestowed without request.

So, so good! A lot of great insights here about domestic abuse and manipulation that'll give book clubs much to discuss.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for the ARC in exchange for my review.

I enjoyed the first part, but things fell apart for me as the story went on. Way too predictable and nothing that was really unique. The pace was a lot slower than I expect with this genre. Narratives tended to overshadow the action, sadly, which made it hard for me to stay engaged. It never really delivered on a "Wow! I didn't see that coming." moment.

Trigger warning: domestic abuse

The Favor by Nora Murphy
"Leaving would be dangerous. Staying could be worse." Reading that tagline on the cover of The Favor by Nora Murphy drew me in right away and I knew this was going to be good. And I wasn't wrong! The Favor was a very captivating and gripping domestic thriller and I'm all for domestic thrillers! The story revolves around our two main characters, Leah and McKenna who lead very similar lives but haven't quite met. They are both being controlled by their domineering husbands. And what happens...well, I won't tell you! But I will tell you to get this book on your radar and pre-order lists! I will be looking forward to reading more by Nora Murphy in the future.
Thank you for the publishers and Netgalley for e-copy of The Favor in exchange for my review.

This is a fascinating look at two women who don't know each other but find themselves in the same circumstances as their husbands are abusive. Leah and McKenna have never met but each becomes aware of the other as women can often sense what's going on in a similar marriage. And so begins a great story of how far women will go to protect each other when their happiness is threatened. Murphy injects just the right amount of terror and foreboding in this sizzling story of women who are determined to help each other even when not specifically asked. Yes, you should aim for one sitting as you won't be able to put this one down!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I was consumed by this book...just compelled to keep reading it. It is a great story with Stranger on a Train vibes but it is wholly and entirely original.

THIS is the book everyone will be talking about in 2022...and Murphy deserves it.

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a copy. It is my pleasure to write an honest review.

Leah and McKenna have never met, though they have parallel lives. They are both accomplished in their fields and have married men who are abusive. Leah, a lawyer, and McKenna, a pediatrician. The only thing they have in common is the liquor store.

If you have seen or read Strangers on a train, you are up to date. Only with women. Educated women with their own resources but relegated to the house by their abusers. They could just drive away, but they don’t.

The first portion was interesting and the rest was not. Predictable would be a good word. The wife lets herself go because her husband is tracking her every movement. Not going to the police because no one would believe them.

It felt like so many other books in the same genre.

NetGalley/May 31st, 2022 by Minotaur Books

Imagine two successful women each living in an idyllic suburb with everything they could ever want. Leah and McKenna are these women who want for nothing. They each live in a gorgeous home, drive expensive SUVs and are encouraged by their handsome husbands to spend money on themselves. Below the surface there are ripples of discontent that are exposed in this sharp debut novel, "The Favor," by Nora Murphy.

One day a chance encounter in a liquor store brings Leah and McKenna face to face. Though no conversation ensues, Leah recognizes what used to be herself in McKenna. On a whim she follows her and discovers she lives in a beautiful house in an affluent neighborhood similar to her own. Leah decides to park in the neighborhood and eventually witnesses a small get together on the patio between McKenna and her friends.. As soon as McKenna's husband comes home, Leah can see a palpable shift in tension. Leah wonders if McKenna is living the same lie she is.

Leah becomes desperate to understand more about McKenna. As she learns more about her from afar, she decides to take matters into her own hands and commits an unthinkable act to help McKenna. This book is told in alternating perspectives between Leah and McKenna and toggles between past and present. Here we learn about the tendrils of fear, abuse and despair that undermine their marriages.

This is a very engrossing domestic thriller that will not disappoint. Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Nora Murphy for the advanced copy of The Favor in exchange for my honest review.

I went into this book completely blind and absolutely could not put it down, so I will leave the synopsis out of my review and suggest future readers also go in knowing very little about the plot.

I am beyond impressed that this was a debut novel, I was thoroughly entertained and it had alternating POV chapters, which I love. The book started with a bang, leaving me wondering "what the actual hell is going on?"

I highly recommend this easily digestible, unputdownable book to thriller lovers everywhere. I finished it in one sitting!

I look forward to more books by this author. I highly recommend it. Be sure you have plenty of time to read because you will not want to put it down. The author really draws you in to the lives of Leah and McKenna. I really enjoy stories that keep you on your toes and guessing as to what is going to happen next. It is definitely a story that will pull at your emotions. Two thumbs up!

This book! I finished it in 5 hours, and I couldn't put it down!! Two strong women, two abusive husbands, two stories of husbands going off!!! This is one heck of a read! The author absolutely tidied everything up and brought a novel along the lines of Gone Girl and The Woman in the Window t the fore, but This is BETTER! Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the egalley of The Favor, and thank you to Author Nora Murphy for writing an incredibly indelible story!

This book is a reminder to us all that outward appearances aren't necessarily based on reality.

Reminiscent of Strangers on a Train ~ only McKenna and Leah didn't meet and make plans to help each other out. The book is suspenseful. We learn what their lives are like, living with a controlling, abusive husband and what actions they take to try to get out of the situation.

Part way through the book we meet a police detective. I felt he came to conclusions without doing a proper investigation and then tried to find ways to support them, He spent time in a hospital room, discussing the case with his unconscious partner. I found it strange to be part of the story. He shared information while interviewing a witness that he shouldn't have and questioned suspects without reading them their rights.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was one of those books that you can't put down. I read it in two days. I am definitely looking forward to reading more books by Nora Murphy.

Leah and Mc Kenna have so much in common yet they have haven't met. Yet they will change each others lives. No one understands like each other what it is like to be in their shoes.

Freedom is just around the corner.

If you are a fan of Ruth Ware, you will love this one by Nora Murphy. This back-and-forth features a couple of unreliable narrators that you can’t help it route four, was so excited to see this drama play out and felt as if both characters for people you could relate to. That’s the market good riding! Highly highly enjoy!