This went through a lot of tropes but I really liked it and enjoyed both leads immensely, and I always love a book that takes on publishing issues.

This was a really fun romance to read! It was so easy to lose myself in this story every time I picked it up.

The chemistry between Lily and Nick feels so natural, so organic, and unforced. They have a very refreshing connection, whether it’s the relationship they started in their emails or even how they connect in person. Seeing how they interact just feels *good* to read.

The story is kind of chaotic in a way, because there are so many subplots going on. All the weird situational stuff surrounding this relationship can seem a little far-fetched at times, but that’s also what makes it interesting to read. The whole "mistaken identity" trope would be a complicated scenario on its own, but then you layer in all these other parts about how Nick is Lily’s favorite author, and also her hot neighbor, along with the whole wedding date set up. It’s a lot when you pick apart all the different pieces, but for some reason it never *feels* like a lot on the page.

I think the reason why all of it works is because each plot point is serving a dual purpose of not only making the romance fun by throwing in some more obstacles and more opportunities to connect, but also by reinforcing the thematic concepts.

The whole mistaken identity aspect through the emails illustrates where the two characters are starting from. Writing anonymous emails is safe, it doesn’t require any risk, it doesn’t have “real-life” consequences, and it ties into the impostor syndrome they both feel. Both characters have trouble owning up to who they are and standing proudly in all of their messiness, uncertainty, and imperfection. So hiding behind a screen makes a lot of sense.

The wedding date bet that Lily has going on with her sisters ties into the pressure she often feels with her family—the fear that she’s the only one who doesn’t have everything figured out and therefore is not taken seriously. She feels like she has to prove that she can find her own date, and by extension her own happiness, without them trying to offer unsolicited help or advice.

All of that is necessary and all of that is adding to the development of this relationship, which makes it feel satisfying, even as it gradually comes to the natural conclusion you would expect.

There were some minor things that I noticed as I was reading. First, I kind of felt like Lily’s sisters were being shoehorned in a bit because there’s a strong likelihood that this will continue as a companion series. Which is fine, but I just feel like the set-up of that distracted from the story's central focus at times.

Something else that wasn’t super satisfying is the fact that you know exactly where the breaking point is going to be. You know what’s gonna cause the third act break-up. From the very beginning, you know that the truth about these emails is going to come out, and then it’s just a waiting game as to when that’s going to happen.

There's nothing necessarily "wrong" with that, I was just hoping there would be more to it than there was. But again, that’s perfect fine. It’s a perfectly serviceable plot point, and overall I still had a great time reading this. Overall, it’s a fun, escapist, heartfelt romance that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

Kristina F I love you. One of my favorite authors of this generation. The slow burn story line usually isn’t my favorite but this one was done perfectly.

Was very cute but ultimately was an average romance for me. I don't love when the secret identity trope is used in romance and it just slowly devolves into one party lying to the other for half the book.

What a fun read!

This book is sweat and is very clearly romance. I wish the slow burn wasn't quite so slow, but overall it was solid.

I love the pretend-to-date trope. The Neighbor Favor is a good example of this. Kristina Forest paint a fun and loving picture of two people who need an excuse to get together, add in a book-crush and you have a sweet enjoyable read! If you like pretend relationship tropes, this book is for you!

This was such a cute love story! Lily is shy and introverted, and dreams of working as a children’s book editor one day, and on a whim decides to write to her favorite fantasy book author.

As emails are exchanged between Lily and Nick, they begin to open up to one another, and I loved how their friendship and relationship began to develop. As fate would have it, Nick also happens to be the cute new neighbor that Lily has no idea is also her favorite author.

Featuring:
Neighbors to friends to lovers
Email exchanged letter format
Cute romance featuring books

*many thanks to Netgalley and Berkley Romance for the gifted copy for review

2.5 stars

This was a bit of a struggle to get through and I spent a lot of time debating on DNFing, so that's where we're at today.

I liked Lily and Nick well enough. They're both good people with good intentions, but she's a bit of a pushover and he's a bit of a push-away-er. Both of their POVs were on the bland side and did sound more like YA than adult romance.

Plot wise, it was okay. The big secret took up a lot of Nick's inner monologue, while Nick took up Lily's inner monologue. I will say that I loved Lily's sisters with a sickness and could have done with a million more scenes with them. The chemistry was okay, the push and pull was ridiculous, and while the last couple of chapters were good, it did feel like it was too little too late.

Overall, something kept me reading, but I have no idea what that was.

**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**

This was my first Kristina Forest book and I will for sure be reading more books by her. I loved how this online romance turned IRL was written. The love of books was very cute and relatable. I had a great time reading this.

Everything about this book was amazing. I loved it so much. I would highly recommend it. The characters are wonderfully written.

This was a cute and fun semi-second chance romance. Both Nick and Lily were lovable characters, each with their own issues to tackle. Watching the characters grow together and independently was great and the ending wrapped everything up well. I will be looking for more from this author in the future!

Story had some cute moments but overall it wasn't my favorite, I'm not a big fan of a slow burn so this didn't help The email exchanges in the beginning was cool but after that I kind of lost interest. I feel the secret identify could've been handled a little better ad the close door aspect of the romance didn't help me much

Attention book lovers! Here’s your next bookish romance! I absolutely enjoyed The Neighbor Favor by @kristinaforest_ ! If you are a fan of You’ve Got Mail, you will love this one. This story begins with emails exchanged between a publishing assistant and her favorite author. And these emails become something more! I loved this black romance and its celebration of black excellence. And I loved the personal growth arcs of Lily and Nick. Add this bookish romance to your TBR! Thank you for the advance copy.

Shy, bookish, and admittedly awkward, Lily Greene has always felt inadequate compared to the rest of her accomplished family, who strive for Black excellence. She dreams of becoming a children’s books editor, but she’s been frustratingly stuck in the nonfiction division for years without a promotion in sight. Lily finds escapism in her correspondences with her favorite fantasy author, and what begins as two lonely people connecting over email turns into a tentative friendship and possibly something else Lily won’t let herself entertain—until he ghosts her without a word.

Months later, Lily is still crushed, but she’s determined to get a hold of her life, starting with finding a date to her sister’s wedding. And the perfect person to help her is Nick Brown, her charming, attractive new neighbor, who she feels drawn to for reasons she can’t explain. But little does she know, Nick is an author—her favorite fantasy author.

Nick, who has his reasons for using a pen name and pushing people away, soon realizes that the beautiful, quiet girl from down the hall is the same Lily he fell in love with over email months ago. Unwilling to complicate things even more between them, he agrees to set her up with someone else, though this simple favor between two neighbors is anything but—not when he can't get her off his mind...

This dual perspective romance is perfect for bibliophiles, particularly fantasy readers.

On an excruciatingly hot, stalled subway train, Lily passes the time by looking up the author of one of her favorite books, a fantasy novel about black elves that was barely in print when the publisher closed 5 years earlier. To her surprise, the elusive author now has a bare-bones website, so she she sends him an email full of praise before passing out from heat exhaustion. After a few awkward exchanges, an intense, friendship via email emerges between two like minds who have never experienced such a deep connection. Then, on the verge of their first video call, the author ghosts Lily, leaving her devastated.

Lily is the youngest of 3 daughters who dreams of being a children’s book editor. She feels unlucky in love, tolerating her high-achieving sisters’ matchmaking just to get them off her back. With her sister Violet’s wedding on the horizon, she makes a fateful bet with her sisters: if she finds her own date to the wedding, they’ll stop their meddling forever, and if she loses, she won’t complain about their setups until she dies an old cat lady.

Enter Nick, a new neighbor in the building where Lily is living temporarily with her sister. Emboldened by the wedding date deadline, typically shy Lily speaks to Nick and initiates a kiss that turns scorchingly hot. While Nick claims he’s not ready for a relationship right now, he agrees to give her pointers in finding someone else.

It’s difficult to talk about Nick without giving away too much of the plot. Suffice it to say that he has some secrets to contend with and trauma to work through.

There’s so much to love here: book nerds, love letters (well, emails), Lily’s close-knit family, Violet’s total lack of filter, a fluffy, male calico cat, so much flirting, and believable character growth. One demerit: the she-doesn’t-know-she’s-beautiful trope.

I will riot if we don’t get to hear Violet’s and Iris’s stories. Sequels, please!

If you like books featuring…
Love between book nerds
Hidden identity tropes
New York City

Great for fans of…
Maame by Jessica George
The Second You’re Single by Cara Tomacghi
Love Life (HBO)

This heartwarming friends to lovers just made me feel good today. I listened to it in one sitting, just finished it a couple hours ago.
It’s angsty, funny and steamy. I loved the relationship between Lilly and her sisters. I think I loved the friendship just as much as the romance between Nick and Lilly.
This story is delightful from beginning to end.

One day, Lily decides to email her favorite author, never expecting him to respond. Not only does he respond, but the two of them start a friendship through their back and forth email exchanges. That is until he ghosts her a year later. Months later, when Lily asks her new neighbor, Nick, for help in finding a date to her upcoming sister’s wedding, she has no clue he is actually the author she spent a long time emailing. It’s only a matter of time before they put it together.

I really enjoyed this one, starting with the email exchanges and watching Nick and Lily eventually meet in real life. I was dying for Lily to realize Nick was the author she had been chatting with, and I was rooting for them from the beginning. I also appreciated all of the book talk, given both characters had jobs related to books and publishing. This book seemed to set up a potential series and I am hoping for more!

Thanks to Berkley Publishing for the advance copy and to @berittalksbooks and @dg_reads for the buddy read!

A fun story of hidden identities and friendship blossoming into love! The characters were well written and the love story was swoony! I couldn't get enough! I am sometimes a bit hesitant about stories with hidden identities, mainly because you KNOW it will blow up and cause major drama. But I thought this one was well done! So sweet!

These characters>>> Their Chemistry>>>>
Love them✨
This book is cute, fun & hilarious. Love it

Thanks for the review copy ❤️

I adored I Wanna Be Where You Are so I was very excited to pick up The Neighbor Favor! Things you are going to love about this book:
-The beginning is going to hook you! Our main characters are emailing back and forth and I couldn’t get enough.
-Lily works in publishing and Nick is a writer which of course readers love to see in a romance!
-It’s dual POV and gave me You’ve Got Mail vibes.
-It’s a book with a lot of heart!