Wow, this was a good one. It kept me wondering if this was a mystery, was it going to end with some sinister finish, or was it just a beautiful human interest novel, with a friend offering the ultimate gift, a long wanted baby?
This story focuses on Nora and Evelyn, their unlikely friendship with such startling differences in their situations and their lives. Until, the ultimate gift, a favor beyond measurement changes the focus of their friendship, the ultimate gift of surrogacy, the willingness to carry her friend’s child.
This novel is so entertaining, with the journey among the super wealthy and entitled, the interesting dabbling into vintage clothing, and the emotional journey of surrogacy. Adele Griffin really goes all out with this novel, interesting subject, complex characters and a look inside the “playgrounds” of the super wealthy.
A strong 5 stars from me and my thanks for the ARC, for my independent opinion.
An added bonus, an ending that I didn’t see coming!

First, thank you to the publisher and author for providing me with a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I didn't know anything about this author or her newest title, The Favor, until being offered a digital copy through Netgalley. I thought it sounded interesting from the book summary. For most of the book I had a feeling that there had to be something else going on and kept wondering if there was going to be a twist. Unfortunately that kept me from being fully invested in the story, but it was still enjoyable.

Nora loves working at I’ll Have Seconds, a high-end vintage store, in Manhattan. She has everything she wants for her career and a wonderful husband in Jacob. But the one thing she dreams of - having a baby - is just not happening. As she begins to lose hope that she will ever have a child, socialite Evelyn whirls into her store looking for a dress. The two hit it off immediately, with Evelyn quickly relying on Nora for styling and friendship. Then Evelyn offers to be a surrogate for Nora and Jacob. It will be their dream come true, but the rules of engagement of their unlikely friendship are tested.

I just didn’t love this one. I thought Evelyn was never really developed as a character - she just sort of appeared and had lots of money, but her friendship with Nora didn’t seem genuine. Nora was almost afraid to set any boundaries, for fear of upsetting Evelyn (especially after Evelyn was carrying the baby for her). I appreciated the surrogate aspect, and thought the author did a great job showing all that is involved in that process, but the rest of the story just felt off to me. I kept waiting for something to happen. That being said, I did read through it in a day, as the short chapters and decent pace kept it moving quickly.

Thank you to Netgalley, Adele Griffin and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC. “The Favor” releases June 13, 2023.

This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly.

When Nora meets wealthy Evelyn in a second-hand store, a fabulous friendship begins. The story of how their friendship evolves into a strange, but extraordinary modern family is absolutely one I could not put down. Every time I thought I knew how the story would progress, a new wrench was thrown in to keep me reading. A beautiful tale of the family we choose!!!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy!

The Favor by Adele Griffin is intriguing and thought-provoking. Nora and Evelyn meet when Evelyn comes into the shop where Nora works. Evelyn is used to getting what she wants and Nora is what she wants. So begins a friendship that will cause pain and joy for both women. In addition, there are other friends and Griffin does an excellent job of describing friendship and family ties on multiple levels. I thoroughly enjoyed The Favor and look forward to searching out other books by Adele Griffin.

This was a fast read but the premise was lost on me. I expected a lot more depth in their friendship, it never made sense to me why they were friends really, nor did Evelyn offer to be a surrogate make sense. So I kept reading, waiting for it to feel real/meaningful but it never did. I was worried about the outcome esp with no legal documents in place. But overall hard to care about the characters

This book was a quick read, but felt like a superficial look at friendship and class differences and surrogacy. It might be fine for some of the older students, but it also will be far from their life experiences at this point. It does raise some interesting ethical questions for discussion

Ṫḣė Ḟȧv̇ȯṙ ḃẏ Ȧḋėl̇ė Ġṙi̇ḟḟi̇ṅ

I received this from NetGally in exchange for my honest opinion

❤️❤️❤️❤️
4/5

Nora and Evelyn couldn’t be any more different. Nora works at vintage clothing store, where she loves matching the perfect item with the custom. At home, Nora and her husband Jacob, are struggling with IVF treatments, and debt.

Evelyn Eliot is a socialite who comes into Nora’s work, and buys out the store. The two strike up a friendship, and Evelyn offers to carry a baby for Nora and her husband Jacob.

This is such a beautiful story of love, and friendship. It shows how with the right people in your life, you can get through anything.

I knew nothing about this book except what appeared in the book description. What I know now is that this is a great read!

I suppose I should warn the reader that the storyline includes failed fertility treatments. If this is a sensitive topic for you, be forewarned.

Nora and her husband are deep in debt, having spent more than they could afford on fertility treatments. They’ve come to the conclusion that they’re in too deep to try again. But then Nora meets Evelyn at the shop. Evelyn is rich, filthy rich, one might say, and she has no problem spending a lot of money at the store where Nora works. They become friends SMS soon Evelyn offers to be the surrogate for Nora and Jacob.

But things can’t be that easy and the author takes us through the pregnancy, the increasing emotional distance between Nora and Evelyn, and there’s a side story about vintage couture that runs throughout the book.

It did take me about a third of the book to really get into it, it seemed a bit slow to start, but soon it picked up and I was fully invested in the story. If any of these storylines are of interest, go for it.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for this NetGalley ARC. All opinions are my own.

Nora Hammond spends her days selling vintage fashion and antique finds in an upscale vintage shop in Manhattan. She’s beautiful, successful and happily married. On the surface, her life looks perfect. It’s not. She and her husband Jacob are drowning in debt, debt caused by treatments for infertility and failed IVF attempts. They have one embryo remaining but, with her history of miscarriages, Nora knows she cant attempt another pregnancy. Enter Evelyn Elliot. And what an entrance she makes, barging into the shop to spend thousand of dollars in a late day sale. At the end of the day, Nora, her co-worker Frankie and Evelyn sit in the store, surrounded by her purchases, and toast each other with champagne. Friendship follows and penny pinching Nora, as Evelyns’s new part time stylist, enters the world of multimillionaires with yachts, multiple homes, private cars, housekeepers and chefs. It’s a delicate balancing act but Nora is managing until Evelyn offers to carry Nora and Jacob’s baby.

“Obviously, nobody would call Eleanor out for being spoiled. But shouldn’t somebody let her know what might be perceived as out of touch? Wasn’t that the job of a friend?”

The story is told by Nora, and I found her charming and relatable. Though at times Eleanor’s money and privilege could be irritating, I could also see how it was necessary to highlight the contrasts in the two women’s values when professional dabbler Eleanor sees being a “compassionate” surrogate as a great way to add content to her brand on social media. Jacob frustrated me through the whole book, his insensitiveness to situations had me cringing.

The story journeys down the road of fertility issues, and the storms couples face, not the least being the very real debt that can happen with infertility. I went into this book thinking it would about high-end fashion and friendship. I do think this book is for a specific group of people, I was surprised by the main issue being infertility. This book had me surprised throughout the book, i kept waiting for the TURN. Surprisingly enjoyable, I did feel like the beginning was quite slow, but I flew through the end. For some this may be a heavy read, due to the infertility factor. It was emotionally relatable. The side characters and their intertwined stories were relatable and enjoyable.

The Favor is one of those special books that will be read in book clubs and will start conversations about infertility/alternative family experiences. It is the perfect start to those uncomfortable taboo family topics.

Unfortunately I just couldn’t connect with this book and it ended up as a DNF for me.

There were lots of references to things I didn’t understand and I just don’t feel I’m the target audience for this novel. I adore the cover though.

A very different and interesting book. After reading the back blurb, I thought it would be more about the fashion and the second hand store than it was about infertility and surrogacy. Once I got used to that storyline, it was pretty enjoyable.

Nora works at a second hand high-end clothing resale store. She and her husband, Jacob, are trying unsuccessfully to have a baby and have done into debt trying. In walks Evelyn - wealthy, outgoing, caring. After Nora and Evelyn strike up a friendship, it's like Evelyn overtakes her life -- Nora is helping plan her "friendsgiving", helping her with schedules and choosing clothing after Evelyn's PA takes another job. Eventually Evelyn offers to be their surrogate, while blogging all about it on social media. Lots of twists in the story to keep it interesting, it does drag on a bit but I enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a digital, temporary ARC in return for my review.

Thank you Netgalley and Spark publishing for this ARC of: The Favor. This book took me way longer to get into then most books and I almost didn’t finish it it. It was like being on a rollercoaster. The first 150 pages were an extremely slow buildup to a fast drop into the real story which in my opinion ended fast and quick and left me with A LOT of questions.

Nora and her husband very desperately want a child and the American dream of a family and a white picket fence life. Unfortunately, after years of trying and failed and expensive medical bills they are out of luck. Enter Evelyn; a socialite with a panache for all things fabulous and glamorous who quite literally stumbles upon Nora. A fast friendship of the haves and have nots interwoven with a designer cloak of a dead poet lead to surrogacy and betrayal. After Nora sells the cloak to get a little more of her dream things quickly fall apart. Will Evelyn’s keep the baby that’s isn’t hers from Nora, will their friendship ever recover, and can life ever be normal? After the fall out and an early delivery the book diminishes to days at the NICU, broken spirits, and ends with and uneventful conclusion. The book has a slew of characters but the main focus seems to be the cloak and not the actual favor. I’m glad I finished it but it was definitely a struggle.

Nora, deeply in debt, can’t afford to try IVF again with her last remaining embryo, Evelyn sweeps into her life and offers to carry a baby. I was nervous about the whole scenario and the Nora/Evelyn relationship, really enjoyed the book. Thanks to NetGalley for the arc

This book was a very pleasant surprise! I wasn't sure what to expect from this premise but I found myself in love with the characters - Nora's desperate want for a child and Evelyn's carefree attitude towards everything (including surrogacy) were so well balanced. I liked the pacing of the book, the little fashionista moments and felt that I was constantly wondering when their deal was all going to turn sour. The concept of lying for social media was also intriguing and felt very relevant. Overall - great book! It felt real, realistic (mostly) and approachable.

This was a DNF for me, sadly I just don’t think I was the right person for this book. I tried for days to get into it but gave up on chapter 6. The cover is beautiful, though!

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review and opinions are my own.

Kudos to the author for an intriguing story line that kept me turning pages I was on Nora and Jacob’s side from the very beginning. It was emotionally relatable even though I know nothing about surrogacy or high fashion. I found the chapters in the last third of the book a bit tedious as I wanted to go right to the birth. All in all, well written, excellent dialog and believable characters.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

SO GOOD! This is one that would be stellar adapted for TV. Thank you netgalley & the publisher for the ARC, in exchange for an honest review. Excuse me while I put together my dream cast for this book...

Nora Hammond spends her days selling vintage fashion and antique finds in an upscale vintage shop in Manhattan. She’s beautiful, successful and happily married. On the surface, her life looks perfect. It’s not. She and her husband Jacob are drowning in debt, debt caused by treatments for infertility and failed IVF attempts. They have one embryo remaining but, with her history of miscarriages, Nora knows she cant attempt another pregnancy. Enter Evelyn Elliot. And what an entrance she makes, barging into the shop to spend thousand of dollars in a late day sale. At the end of the day, Nora, her co-worker Frankie and Evelyn sit in the store, surrounded by her purchases, and toast each other with champagne. Friendship follows and penny pinching Nora, as Evelyns’s new part time stylist, enters the world of multimillionaires with yachts, multiple homes, private cars, housekeepers and chefs. It’s a delicate balancing act but Nora is managing until Evelyn offers to carry Nora and Jacob’s baby.

The Favor blends themes of friendship, the definition of family, infertility and surrogacy against a glamorous background. The details about vintage clothing are enjoyable and add to the story. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and Adele Griffin for this ARC.

An excellent contemporary story with engaging characters; full of warmth and humor. Would recommend

Thank you to Adele Griffin, NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the arc of this book