Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher an opportunity to read and review this book. All thoughts are my own. Nora runs a vintage shop in New York. Her and her husband are drowning in debt trying to have a child. Socialite Evelyn comes in right at closing and they strike up a friendship that eventually includes Evelyn wanting to be a surrogate for Nora. This book was good, kept this reader turning the pages well into the night, will look for more from this author.

I LOVED this book. Absolutely loved it.
Nora works at a high-ish end second hand clothing store and lives with her husband Jacob in a small, cramped apartment. They have decided to give up on trying to have a baby, and overall, there life is just a bit sad. That is, until Evelyn Elliott drops into the shop and buys just about everything they're selling. And that begins and unlikely friendship between Evelyn and Nora.
But is it a friendship, or is Evelyn using Nora for her fashion sense and the fact that she's always available for whatever Evelyn needs someone for? That's the question for the first half of the book. And when Evelyn offers to be a surrogate for Nora and Jacob, the questions of her motivations drive the second half of the book.
This is a wonderful story of friends and family: the family we were born with, and the families we make. It's a story of authenticity in a social media driven world, where the choices we might make for our online persona are in conflict with the choices we might ordinarily make in the 'real world'. The tone is light but the themes are serious, and Nora is a wonderful character.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for this read.

Unfortunately this one fell flat for me! It never really sucked me in and I was bored the majority of the time reading it.

I made a prediction about what "the favor" this book centered around would be, and I was correct. That said, this book surprised me with its character insights and the growth of the relationship between Nora and Evelyn, and the changes in their relationship dynamics.

Nora is an employee of a vintage secondhand shop in NYC when one day Evelyn waltzes in shortly before the store closes and changes Nora's life from there. Evelyn is wealthy, and privileged, and the source of disagreements between Nora and her husband Jacob, but Nora has difficulty extricating her life from Evelyn's once she makes her an offer she cannot refuse.

Evelyn's motivations behind the offer are not altogether altruistic, and there's conflict along the way between Nora and Evelyn, and in her marriage too. That said, by the end of the book they have worked through those conflicts and found a new way to have a healthy and happy relationship.

Overall, this book offered an interesting exploration of marriage, family, and friendship and all that it entails to navigate the challenges associated with cultivating a new friendship and having a happy marriage all at the same time.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

I really enjoyed this one. I liked how it told a sweet story of a young couple trying to grow their family with the help of a surrogate. I had a bit of suspense and magic. The characters motives and thoughts were well described and at times I felt like I was a character in the book myself. I will be recommending this book to others!

I was very intrigued by the synopsis. The relationship between a parent and a surrogate is a special one and I had hoped for a truly inspiring and emotional journal from Nora and Evelyn.

Unfortunately I found their relationship to be very surface level. It wasn’t deep enough to really make me feel anything about these characters.

I found Evelyn to be manipulative and it felt she was using Nora for the most part. It felt like this ‘sisterly’ relationship was quite forced and I guess I just didn’t believe they really felt anything for each other.

Overall I found the plot to be a little flat, I was expecting a lot more drama and emotion but for me it just wasn’t what I hoped for.

I was lovely seeing Nora and Jacob become parents but I felt the author could have delved way deeper into what it’s really like to struggle with fertility.

I flew through this truly engaging novel in one sitting. It is a very topical story about couples undergoing IVF and considering surrogacy. The suffocating debts incurred by these efforts is heartbreaking. The author creates terrific characters and the dialogues are fast paced and revealing. I loved reading about them and I loved them. The premise required a lot of suspension of disbelief so I can’t give it a rave. However, the ending is a coup de grace and you will love it as you probably will love the novel and recommend it as well. Terrific read..

A really heart-warming book that tackles very deep emotional elements that a lot of families struggle with: infertility, money issues, multiple rounds of IVF and the toll it takes. I think the way everything was mentioned and carried out in the book was really beautifully written and dealt with in an interesting way. Also I thought the characters and relationships between them were skilfully written especially expressing the power dynamics between Nora and Eleanor. Overall I really enjoyed this one with such a sweet ending it was a great read.

I do not have any of my own children (by choice) but my sister struggled with infertility. She and her husband were able to adopt but I have always wondered what if. “The Favor” by Adele Griffin wrestles with whether you’d be willing to carry a child for someone else and what such a commitment might mean.

While Nora has a great husband and a job she loves, she has been unable to get pregnant despite. When she meets Evelyn—who leads a very different life—she becomes overwhelmed when her new friend offers to become a surrogate mother for Nora's child.

Clearly, Evelyn is a person who likes to be in control and for her, offering to carry Nora’s baby might have a much different end game. While parts of Evelyn might come across as overly dramatic, Nora’s plight felt quite real.

Overall, I enjoyed this story, which dances the fine line between contemporary fiction and thriller. Because you don’t know what to expect, you keep turning the pages and that makes for a fun read.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for this read.

This book was so heartwarming, it felt like a big hug by the end.
The entire book I was just rooting for Nora and Jacob hoping that things would work out the way they wanted. The power imbalance between Nora and Evelyn kept me on my toes to see how things would play out.
I also absolutely loved the descriptions of all of the glamorous clothes through the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC in return for an honest review.

I truly couldn’t put this one down and finished it in a weekend. The characters are likable. I wasn’t sure where the story was going but found it delightful and satisfying. It’s a pretty quick read and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

The Favor by Adele Griffin was a beautiful, poetic read about female friendship, infertility, and their impacts. I cannot wait to purchase a physical copy for my home library! I was wow-ed by Griffin's ability to draw the reader in with her thoughtful words. I thought about this book when I was not reading and talked to my husband about how much I loved it during every tea steep.

Meet Nora. She works at a vintage boutique in New York City. She wants to start a family with her husband, but there are complications. She soon develops a friendship that will forever change her life. Will she finally be able to have the family she desires?

Meet Eleanor. She is an extroverted socialite who buys out the inventory of a vintage boutique for her closet. She forms a new friendship and offers to help this friend. They say opposites attract, and that works for friendship too, right?

I applaud Griffin’s ability to normalize the traditionally taboo topic of infertility. As someone who has struggled with fertility, I found solace and comfort in this story. It was comforting to discover this aspect of relatability. The Favor is a distinctive novel book clubs will love, and will generate conversations about infertility and alternative family experiences. This book is a safe space. Add this to your TBR and pre-order your copy ASAP!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book is a classic case of "Don't judge a book by its cover". You open this expecting it to be a contemporary love story as displayed by the pink cover. It deals with infertility, humor and the world of high fashion (what a spread!) At points it reads like a thriller, at other points a commentary on the very real issues of couples today. Very much enjoyed this book.

⭐️. 1/5. I don’t know what it was about this book but I found the obsession that Nora had with Evelyn downright obnoxious and I couldn’t move past it. I’m always appreciative of @netgalley ARCs and will forever drop everything I’m doing to read an ARC first. This one was a no from me.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cq6vzFnL02a/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Such a charming story!
Polished writing, fully imagined characters, layered relationships.
I was completely caught up in the journey--thoroughly enjoyed!

With great thanks to NetGalley & Sourcebooks Landmark for this e-ARC!

I really enjoyed this story. It truly highlighted infertility and how it affects the people going through it. It was a very charming story that was beautifully told. I read it in one sitting I just couldn’t put it down. The characters are strong and friendship is the main theme here.

Adele Griffin grabbed me on the first page of her new fast-paced novel. Nora works at a vintage clothing shop in New York City where she and Frankie dress wealthy customers in haute couture of yesteryear or yesterday. Nora's life changes when millionairess, Eleanor, glides in for clothes to wear to a party that night. The two women hit it off and become friends of a sort.

Eleanor has an uncanny knack for asking for things, always last minute and quite urgently. She also sends money via Zelle to Nora in return. Nora is uncomfortable with the money but slowly gets pulled into Eleanor's orbit. Most people would find it difficult to refuse an invitation to a premier theater performance and a party with celebrities. Nora's husband, Jacob, doesn't like the endless "asks" from Eleanor. It creates tension in the relationship. A gripping narrative arc is the core of this book.

I couldn't put this book down. It read like a thriller since I didn't trust Eleanor and feared for Nora's well-being. I loved this book and the gliding prose of Adele Griffin. I highly recommend this to everyone who likes a good contemporary story!

This was a lovely and truly refreshing novel about friends, family, and motherhood. The rich socialite was out of touch, but decidedly not repugnant. There was tension and drama, but it all felt realistic. Loved it.

Like many others, I too, kept thinking something bad was going to happen, this turned out to be a story that while dealt with the very difficult path of infertility, and the journey people go on in the creation of a family. An unlikely pair become friends, and Nora the vintage shop owner befriends/ works as a stylist for Evelyn. After time spent together Evelyn offers to carry the couple's child for them. This was honestly a great story and seeing Nora weave her way through a millionaire's lifestlye, and the ups and downs of it all , on top of dealing with past miscarriages and the IVF treatments. I would recommend this to friends and family alike.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This book is a great book on the difficult path infertility can take a person on but its handled so well. It s a great contemporary fiction book.