The premise of The Favor sounded great and I really liked the beginning where Nora and Evelyn get to know each other and become part of each other's lives; heck, I even enjoyed hearing about the vintage clothing aspect and I'm definitely not into that aspect. Unfortunately, when we got to the heart of the story, the infertility and Evelyn's offer, this book started to drag for me. I felt that there was too much talk of Evelyn's travel (we get it, she's really rich), the relationship between Nora and Jacob seemed to become way too contentious way too fast, and Nora becoming a veritable internet stalker all was just a bit much for me. I thought the narrator was great and the little twist at the end was fun, if unbelievable. Thank you to OrangeSky Audio and NetGalley for the early listen in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Favor by Adele Griffin was a most engaging and enjoyable book. I listened to the audiobook that was narrated by Kristen Sieh. Her performance was well done as she was able to easily transition from one character to another. The Favor took place in New York City. It was well paced and the character development was great.

It was minutes to closing time for Nora Hammond. She was ready to spend the evening with her husband, Jacob. Nora worked at a high end vintage women’s clothing shop. She had just put the closed sign on the door of the shop she worked at when she noticed a desperate woman customer trying to enter the shop. Nora debated for several seconds whether or not to let the woman in. After much debate, Nora decided to let the woman enter. The woman was noticeably well dressed and confident. She knew exactly what she wanted and Nora was successful at locating the vintage finds Evelyn Elliot was searching for. It was an impressive sale. Nora had not made a sale of that magnitude for some time. That encounter with Evelyn was about to change Nora’s life forever. Nora was about to step into another realm, a world where the rich and affluent lived. Evelyn Elliot was to become Nora’s friend. The two women would touch each other’s lives in ways they never could have dreamed of.

Nora was happily married to her husband Jacob. From the start of their marriage, they planned to have several children. Their attempts, though, had been unsuccessful. Even their attempts at IVF had been unsuccessful. They were now still childless and had accumulated a lot of debt. It forced both Nora and Jacob to be very thrifty. They had hoped they would have been able to purchase a house by now as well. Their apartment was minuscule. Despite all of their problems they had a good marriage and openly communicated with each other.

As Nora’s and Evelyn’s friendship evolved and blossomed, Evelyn decided to give Nora and Jacob the ultimate gift. Evelyn offered to be the surrogate for their child. What a selfless gesture! Or was it? What did Evelyn hope to gain from her generous offer? Did Evelyn have an ultimate motive for her decision? Could Nora’s and Evelyn’s friendship survive during the course of the pregnancy?

The Favor explored the themes of friendship, infertility, surrogates, marriage, family, wealth inequality, and parenthood. I enjoyed the characters in The Favor and continued to find myself still thinking about them long after I finished reading the book. There were parts of The Favor that had me laughing out loud and there were parts where I shed a tear or two. It bothered me that Evelyn chose to use her role as surrogate to attract and gain attention for herself. The ending, though, restored my opinion of her. I enjoyed listening to The Favor by Adele Griffin and recommend it highly.

Thank you to Orange Sky Audio for allowing me to listen to The Favor by Adele Griffin through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

What an interesting and at times suspenseful look at adult friendship - Griffin (with Kristen Sieh as our narrator) takes us on a complex journey with Nora and Evelyn from the moment they meet in I’ll Have Seconds - a vintage retail store. Nora, who works there, finds just what Evelyn is looking for and more so it seems a friendship is born. The friendship immediately became awkward for me when Evelyn talks Nora into selling her some vintage books with an offer she can’t refuse. Here was a woman accustomed to getting what she wanted and a woman who was just a bit starstruck giving in. I was slightly uncomfortable with this dynamic throughout the novel (and to be fair to this reader, Nora’s husband is too). The women stay in touch, often in the form of Evelyn needing Nora’s help as a stylist and a personal assistant - often intruding into Nora’s personal life.
We learn that Nora and her husband are in significant debt largely due to their infertility journey. They are just keeping finances under control and have just one embryo left on which their hopes for a family of their dreams rest. The tension in their city apartment is palpable. When Evelyn offers to be a surrogate - at a really good financial deal, it almost feels too good to be true.
And that is where Griffin excels for me. I was on edge the entire time I was listening. Is Evelyn for real? Would Nora’s marriage survive the friendship? Would Evelyn carry the baby to term and let her go? Griffin does an excellent job of creating and maintaining these tensions. I also appreciated her look at the “influencer” lifestyle and exploring its impact on Evelyn’s pregnancy and Nora’s experience. This culture has become so prevalent, and I’m not sure we always think through the consequences of it for creators and for consumers. And, as with the relationships, Griffin doesn’t offer easy solutions here either. She doesn’t provide an easy answer. Neither does she resolve the friendship issues that ultimately develop between Nora and Evelyn easily. Nora’s struggle becomes the reader’s struggle, and again I was 100% engaged the entire time. The ending (spoiler free) does provide a twist, and not the one I expected.

Nora and Jacob are aching for a baby of their own, but the debts accumulated from trying to conceive are staggering and neither of them makes a lot of money. So when Evelyn Elliot, rich, famous, and fabulous, barrels into Nora's job at a vintage store (references to brands and fashions abound) and into her life, Nora is in for a ride. But Nora feels a close connection with Evelyn, despite their different stations in life, and is drawn into Evelyn's world. But when Evelyn decides that her next project is to be a surrogate for Nora and Jacob's baby, all the boundaries and relationships are tested to the breaking point.

I listened to the audio version narrated by Kirsten Sieh and she was phenomenal! I find that when I listen to a book read by a good narrator I sometimes feel more immersed in the narrative than I would if I were to read the print version. In this case, listening to a superb narrator meant that I felt Nora's anxiety even more acutely. And wow, did she have a lot to be anxious about! Besides the themes of female and romantic relationships, the story explores power dynamics and how enamored those who don't have money are with those who do. Evelyn seems to be the embodiment of the carefree, glamorous, powerful existence that Nora craves, and that can't help but taint their relationship. I appreciated the exploration of modern human relationships in this story--Adele Griffin is an authentic storyteller!

I loved being able to listen to this book on audio. The narrator did a good job with each characters personalities and I couldn’t stop listening. Nora felt a strong connection to Evelyn since the first day they met and it was hard to tell what Evelyn’s motives were. She took Nora under her wing and I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. I wanted everything into work out for Nora and at times Evelyn took advantage of her. The communication between Nora and Jacob was refreshing to see with everything they’ve gone through. The story took a couple unexpected twists and I loved the ending.

Thank you @orangeskyaudio @adelegriffin and @tlcbooktours for the gifted audio.

Title: The Favor
By: Adele Griffin

Genre: Contemporary Women’s Fiction

Red Flags:
Infertility, Surrogacy, Depression,
Some language and adult discussions

Summary:
Nora Hammond loves all things vintage and eclectic, from rare books, to costume pieces. She works for at her local vintage shop, is married to the love of her life, and they are in enormous debt after attempting multiple rounds of IVF’s.

Evelyn is a high and mighty, wealthy, social influencer. Evelyn wanders into the shop one evening and quickly falls in love with Nora’s talent, and skills. These two women create a beautiful friendship, and Evelyn quickly volunteers to be a surrogate for Nora. Unfortunately, Evelyn is a perfect victim and a master manipulator, which means Nora always has to be on her toes and is afraid to offend her surrogate. As complications arise these two women play a beautiful game of cat and mouse, leaving the reader wondering what will happen next.

Review:
I have really mixed feelings about this novel. I love the storyline of friendship and the Cinderella like characters of rags to riches. However, I hoped for more in depth building of surrogacy itself. I know the author twists the novel so the reader is always wondering what will happen next, but I felt like the novel had a few supporting details that could have been elaborated on for a more in depth read. If you like feel good novels, this one is a good one. Also, the audible was an excellent listen.

Thank you to Adele Griffin, Kristen Sieh, OrangeSky Audio, and Netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

#reluctantreaderreads
#AdleleGriffin
#KristenSieh
#OrangeSkyAudio
#TheFavor
#netgalley

A touching and often humorous women's fiction story that sees an ultra wealthy NYC socialite slash influencer offering to help a couple struggling with infertility by being their surrogate. Good on audio read by a quickly growing favorite narrator of mine, Kristen Sieh and recommended for fans of books like The new person by Loretta Nyhan. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for early digital and audio copies in exchange for my honest review!

Two very different women make a connection over vintage fashion and become friends. After knowing each other only a short time, one offers to be a surrogate for the other who seems to have exhausted her options with infertility treatment. The pregnancy tests their friendship and there's always a worry that something will go wrong. The last 25% of the book, approximately, is even better than the beginning, though I was still left with a few questions. The references to vintage fashion throughout the book were fun and interesting.

I wasn't sure where this book was going in the beginning, but I'm so glad that I stuck it out. The characters were compelling, and the story was wonderful. I never expected it to end the way that it did, and I've already recommended it to people I know.

Thank you for the opportunity!

This one was a cute one. I enjoyed it on audio because the narrator was a good one. Her voice was entertaining and far from annoying. The storyline had potential to be good, but it lacked depth. I wanted more. It kind of dragged on at moments. I loved the heartfelt story. I loved how the end played out. I also loved the relationships that were created over such a hard and sad subject. Double check the triggers before reading! Thank you for the opportunity to listen to this advanced audiobook.

Thank you, Net Galley and OrangeSky audio, for an audio copy of The Favor.

This was really good. The main characters are infertile. They get a surrogate, and then the games begin!

This was a sweet and easy to listen to book. I enjoyed the easy going story and liked the narrator. I would recommend this to friends as a nice book to listen to if you want something that's not too heavy!

There was a lot that I liked about this story, but then there were things I didn't like as well.

I enjoyed how Evelyn just swept into Nora's life like a storm but seemed truly interested in building a friendship with Nora. While there was a definite financial inequality between the two women, Nora didn't make as big a deal of that as others seemed to think it was.

Nora's focus on helping Evelyn achieve a dearly-held dream was touching. Yes, Nora was an opportunist in seeking to spin things to her advantage, but only after she fully committed to doing good things for others. You can be altruistic and leverage that to build a platform; after all, that's how a lot of businesses and influencers operate.

Anyway, I have to admit that I really didn't like the way the story ended. It would have been much better without the epilogue... Because of the twist at the end, it took the story from a 4-star rating down to a 3-star rating for me.

Thank you to Adele Griffin, OrangeSky Audio and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

This was an emotional ride for sure! I struggled to get into the first half... it went a little bit slow, but by the middle, I became a little more invested and was overall happy with the ending.

✨ 𝐀𝐔𝐃𝐈𝐎𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐑 ✨

Thank you #partners @tlctours & @orangeskyaudio for the gifted ALC.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿
𝗕𝘆 𝗔𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗻
𝟵 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀
𝗡𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗞𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝗶𝗲𝗵
𝗣𝘂𝗯: 𝟲/𝟭𝟯/𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯

📖 Nora works at a high-end consignment shop. Toward the end of one of her shifts, a high-energy, eccentric woman breezes in asking to try on some of their most expensive dresses. The woman, Evelyn, is an old-money socialite, and she and Nora develop a fast, albeit unlikely, friendship.

Nora and her husband live a life the complete opposite of Evelyn. They struggle financially and are having difficulty getting pregnant. Evelyn takes Nora under the wing and provides financial support for odd jobs, but it's when she offers the ultimate gift that their friendship is taken to the next level, and put to the test.


💭 I was immediately charmed by this story of unlikely friendship!! You know those books that pull you in from the first page? That's what this one did for me!

As a National Book Award finalist, Adele Griffin is clearly a talented author. With her gorgeous prose and the complexity of her characters, I was completely absorbed. Within the first few chapters, Griffin made me care about these characters and become invested in their story. 👏🏻

I especially loved the exploration of friendship and the ways money and status can complicate things.

Kristen Sieh, the narrator, was a fantastic choice for this book! Her voices for the characters (especially Nora and Evelyn) are superb 👌🏻! She really brought this story to life. 💕

📌 The Favor is out now!

📖Posted to my IG today!

The Favor

Wow, this was such a great book! I am so thankful to @sourcebooksfor my physical copy and @tlcbooktours @orangskyaudio for my ALC! The writing was fabulous and the narration by Kristen C was phenomenal.

Synopsis:

Nora lives in Manhattan in a tiny apartment with her husband Jacob. Nora’s life changes the day Evelyn Elliot, walks into the high end vintage dress shop that she works at. They instantly click and Nora can’t get enough of the attention from her new uberwealthy friend. Soon she is Nora’s stylist and confidant. She is out of her comfort zone rubbing elbows with the moneyed elite but also exhilirated by the upgraded lifestyle.

Evelyn offers Nora something that is priceless and this ultimately changes their friendship. Especially when Nora feels Evelyn is capitalizing on being a surrogate for her.

My thoughts:

I loved the bond between Nora and Evelyn and I can totally relate to how exhilarating it can be to have a new friend who seems so enamored by you. At a certain point in your life it can feel as exciting as a new romance. Nora’s character was so positive and I loved how she always wanted to see the best in Evelyn even if there were red flags.
Griffin captured the feelings of having a premature baby perfectly,as someone who went through having my oldes daughter six weeks early.

Read this if you like:
Books focused on female friendships
Fashion
Reading about influencers
Surrogacy
Premature births

Nora and Evelyn are two women who come from very different worlds. Their paths collide when Evelyn enters the vintage shop called I’ll Have Seconds (how cute is that?) where Nora works. A woman of considerable wealth, Nora can’t believe her good fortune when Evelyn spends a literal…fortune.

Hoping to hear from Evelyn again but never quite expecting it to happen, Nora is amazed when Evelyn makes good on keeping in touch. Before long, she finds herself wrapped up in Evelyn’s elite existence, much to the chagrin of her skeptical husband, Jacob.

As time moves on, Nora and Evelyn’s bond only intensifies, Evelyn often showering Nora with generosity and gifts as a thank you for filling in as her stylist. Then Evelyn decides to give Nora the ultimate present- the offer to carry a child for Nora who has had trouble conceiving, despite trying desperately to do so. While Jacob has his misgivings, Nora feels like this might be their best shot at getting the baby they both want so much. But as the plan unfolds, both women, and their relationship with one another, are tested in ways no one could have predicted.

I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook version of The Favor thanks to @orangeskyaudio and @netgalley. A slice of life story, you didn’t really know what was going to happen to these characters. Both Evelyn and Nora make some questionable decisions, proving, in the end, that they were actually more alike than they were different. A book about unexpected opportunity and newfound friendship, The Favor is a novel that asks readers to take the journey with these women without judgment, which when you think about it, isn’t a big ask.

I had a hard time with this. I loved the idea behind it, but the power imbalance between the two women made me very uncomfortable throughout. I know this shows the strength of the writing, but I was uneasy throughout the story that should have been more heartwarming than nerve-wracking.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

I received a complimentary copy of this book "The Favor" and all opinions expressed are my own. I listened to the audiobook. I didn't really connect with the characters or the story. I have no interest in fashion. I struggled with the friendship of Nora and Evelyn, it didn't seem real? I don't know the word for it. Not sure if I would have finished if it wasn't an audiobook. Twist at the end was good but overall not a book for me.

Nora and Evelyn cannot be any different, yet they became friends and share an experience like no other.

Evelyn stumbles into Nora’s life as she is closing up for the night at the vintage shop she works at. Evelyn is wealthy and ends up buying a lot that night, which means Nora is getting a nice commission. She recognizes Nora’s eye and hires her at random to be her personal stylist. The two become fast friends! Nora on the other hand is in debt, she longs to be a mother but it feels impossible. Her reality is getting the bills paid, from failed IVF attempts, so she accepts these jobs.

As their friendship grows Evelyn decides that she wants to be a surrogate for Nora.

While I enjoyed it, at one point I honestly thought this book could be a thriller. I was on the edge of my seat for a while and wasn’t sure what to expect in the end.

I really enjoyed this Audiobook. The narrator brought the characters to life!

Thank you to Netgalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Adele Griffin for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.