4 stars

This was such a lovely book.
I adore our main characters. Hudson was sweet and amazing and a fantastic son and father and when he meets our heroine I love it! Their meet cute is one of my favorites. It was destiny they met and that changed both of their lives.
I love how his family embraced our heroine. Supported her. Gave her the family and love she needed.
I really liked the town's people and even the sexy chef in the end.
Overall this was another fun read by Cathy Yardley.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

this is the first book i’ve read by cathy yardley and i think i’ve found my comfort author! this book was so CUTE and everything i wanted from a small-town romance it felt like a warm hug

Do Me a Favor by Cathy Yardley is a heartwarming and humorous romance novel that will make readers fall in love with the characters and their story. The book follows Willa Lieu-Endicott, a cookbook ghostwriter who is struggling to get her career back on track after her husband's death. Her latest project has her stuck, but her new neighbor, Hudson Clark, inspires her to push through.

Hudson is the opposite of everything Willa has ever known - he lives on a farm with his parents and two adult children and has a happily chaotic life that includes biker barbecues, an escape artist dog, and adorably menacing goats. Despite their differences, the two fall into an escalating cycle of favors, paybacks, and attraction, even though Willa is trying to keep her distance.

Yardley does an excellent job of creating complex and relatable characters that readers will root for from the very beginning. The chemistry between Willa and Hudson is palpable, and their journey towards happiness is both heartwarming and humorous. The small-town setting of the Pacific Northwest adds to the charm of the story and makes readers feel like they are a part of the community.

Overall, Do Me a Favor is a must-read for fans of romance novels. It has everything you could want in a book - a heartwarming story, relatable characters, a charming setting, and plenty of humor - and leaves readers feeling uplifted and hopeful. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun and entertaining read.

If I could pick one word to define this book it would be GENTLE. A romance where courtship is the central point, Do Me A Favor is like a warm hug. Willa, 46, is a widow who inherited a house from her great-aunt on a island. After a long, emotionally draining time in her life (that included the loss of her husband and of her job), she decides to give island life a try. She has the most adorable meet cute on a stormy night... with a dog!

When her hunky neighbor comes to pick up the canine escape artist, she's intrigued, a little skittish and utterly surprised that she's attracted to him.  She hasn't felt that in a really long time.

Hudson is a single dad of grown up twins, living in the family farm and he's the local handyman. Soon, he's working at Willa's, fixing odd things and doing some renovations. They're tentatively flirting with each other. He's been burnt by his past relationships and he doesn't date islanders and she's still trying to find her footing after losing her husband. A dog, a few goats, some very interesting cookies and meddling parents and children might be just what they need. 

I love Cathy Yardley's books and this is no exception. The pacing is a little slow but it makes perfect sense for the flow of the story. I highly appreciate that she writes about "older" people and I love that Willa is the "older woman" here. 

As I said before, It's a story of courtship. It's also a story of finally going after your own dreams and loving someone enough to encourage them to pursue them. Highly recommend!

Thanks NetGalley and the author for letting me read this early. 

Possible triggers: FMC lost her husband due to complications with diabetes. Child abandonment (historical), death of loved ones

This book gets into the straight up identity crisis (formerly known as mid-life crisis) that people of a certain age may have when contending with questions like What do you do when you're not primarily in care giving/crisis mode on behalf of others? What happens when you're at loose ends and are trying to think about your life's 2nd act at your big age? This book tackles those issues with APLOMB!

There is a bit of a twist on the third act break up - unconventional but I was digging it. Both characters had to be good to themselves in order to be fully present for the other. While I generally prefer my HEAs to be "present, local and IMMEDIATE" (as we sometimes say at work), I can appreciate when characters have the presence of mind and self-awareness to acknowledge they need to take a step back and do work to become their best selves. GREEN FLAGS!

Small town vibes, grown folks business, emotionally regulated adults - PUT IT IN MY VEINS!!!! Another Cathy Yardley hit for me and I'm going to need the book in multiple forms.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 STARS
A handy-man/contractor romance???? I heard a tiktoker recently come out begging authors to write romances with people with normal jobs and I can see that they have heard us and are delivering lol
As soon as the author describes Hudson like “Timothy Olyphant” from Justified I was SOLD.

This has:
•Small-town/island romance
•Single dad (to adult children)
•found family

Hudson Clark is the islands resident bachelor, a handyman and owner of Marigold Meadows Family Farm. Willa Lieu-Endicott is a stranger in a new place with a dead husband and a sexy cookbook to ghostwrite. Willa is having a bit of writers block, does she even remember what sexy feels like or looks like anymore? How can she write something she can’t relate to? *Hudson Clark enters the chat* I can fix that.
Can Willa’s handsome handyman charm her into an unexpectedly hot and heady new chapter of her life? And maybe inspire Hudson to follow his own dreams he’s kept on the back burner?

It’s not often that I get to read about characters that are mid-life and it is SO REFRESHING. These characters are secure in who they are and when they see an opportunity for love, they capture it. I found it very gratifying that after raising two children, Hudson was finally able to do something he was really excited and passionate about later in life. And that Willa is able to find an enriching love and life after her loss.
I liked this story, however, I wish this would have given more to the moments that inspired Willa in the writing of the cookbook. It felt like the cookbook was just a vessel, then it fades too much to the background.

So cute! Such a quick and easy read! Honestly took me out of a long reading slump, will definitely be purchasing when comes out!

This book was a sweet romance. The MMC was charming and the FMC was sweet and relatable. At times, I felt like we were just getting to skim the surface on things that could have been gone into on a much deeper level, but it didn't make me hate the book. I liked the fact the characters were older. I feel like most romance books depict MC in their early to mid 20s, so this was a refreshing change. I don't think the book was perfect, but I'm okay with it. I would recommend it to my friends who are looking for an easy read with a sweet story.

This was a very sweet contemporary romance!

Tropes/Themes:
♥️ Love after loss
♥️ Small town/island romance
♥️ Main characters in their 40s
♥️ Single father
♥️ Friends to lovers

I enjoyed this. It was slow moving, character-driven and did a great job at exploring life and love in your 40s.

A true gentle romance that only cathy Yardley can do. This book feels like a warm hug that makes you very hungry!
A gentle reminder that love can be found at any age!

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

After reading Cathy Yardley's Role Playing months ago- I jumped at the chance for this eARC.  Listen- the world of romance needs more "later in life" love.  There- I said it. Give the elder millennials, GenX and above their due.  I enjoyed this romantic tale about two 40 somethings- one widow, one divorcee- and their journey to one another.   Extra bonus points for a dog being involved in the meet cute, detailed foodie descriptions and WIDE OPEN COMMUNICATION with MATURE expectations!
Points deducted though for the T1D depiction.  If I could suggest any change to this book it would be a different ailment/cause of death for Willa's former spouse.  T1D didn't feel like the right "choice" here.

4.5*

I thought this book was quite delightful! Hudson and Willa's romance had that sort of slow burn, soft, quiet vibe and I was really into it. I liked how supportive and steady of a presence Hudson was - not only for Willa but everyone in his life. And though Willa took longer to open up, it was obvious how good she was for Hudson; they brought balance into one another's life. There were some moments between them that had me absolutely kicking my feet I was so giddy. I did feel like the ending was a little abrupt but overall I loved this sweet romance a whole lot.

Thank you for the ARC.

We are here.for.older.main.characters! Willa finds herself in her deceased great-aunt Caroline’s home on a small island off the Washington coast. How did she end up here? Well, her husband had also died recently, and she became an expert of estates, paperwork and the like. Why not execute her great-aunt’s will as well? The author skillfully mixes in just the right amount of humor along side the heavy scars that both Willa and Hudson carry. As a foodie, I love reading about MCs with careers in food, and Willa’s trajectory from food science to pop-ups to ghost writing cookbooks was unique yet authentic. Hudson’s endearing, patient demeanor juxtaposes beautifully with his passion for helping Willa and his strength when she needs him. The spicy scene was realistic, a tiny bit humorous, and hot! Yardley’s pacing was right on target, and I loved the farm atmosphere with the quirky goats. The best part of this novel was the way that the author carefully crafted the characters working on their flaws while supporting each other without miscommunication or jumping to conclusions, while bettering each other.

Kinda torn on this one! On one hand I enjoyed my time reading it, but at the same time it felt a bit surface level and not much happens. I gave it 4 stars mostly for enjoyment and would recommend this one to those who like a low angst books (still check TW).

I read the first 20% of this one on a particularly stressful flight and this book was my saving grace and distracted me from THAT (TM) so I appreciate this story.

The premise was a lot of fun, Willa inherits a house and Hudson is helping her fix it up. They also are neighbors.

The single parent trope does not always work for me, but I liked seeing Hudson with older kids, that was fun. I really liked the whole Clark family and even though they were a bit too perfect it was nice.

My main crituqe is that everything got wrapped up so quickly! We don't really have a 3rd act break up and the conflict is minor, but I did not like how everything resolved itself and the way the HEA wrapped up wasn't my favorite either. If this had been spread out a bit and given more page time to resolve I would've been happier bc while I am happy how everyone ended up I wanted to SEE MORE of their HEA.

TW: death of a spouse due to chronic illness

✨Book Review: Do Me A Favour by Cathy Yardley✨

I received this book as an ARC reader in exchange for an honest review. This book follows Willa and Hudson who are both trying to navigate being adults in their 40’s and still aren’t totally sure where they are going with their lives. The story shows a lot of growth on both sides of the relationship. It is a single dad, small town, romance where he falls first and falls harder. There were certain parts I felt could have been fleshed out more and by the end it did feel quite dragged out for me personally, but overall I enjoyed reading it. If any of the tropes I’ve listed interest you then I would definitely give it a go when it releases!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Cathy Yardley for my ARC copy. All thoughts are my own.

“Do Me a Favor” is absolutely delightful and refreshing. I love seeing older (in their 40s) characters who are both at a bit of a crossroads. Not a midlife crisis, but at a point where their lives have hit a stall point.

Willa and Hudson are charming in their own unique way. I love their slow ease into a relationship. Noodle was a delightful comedic break.

Overall the themes are well thought out and while I was suspect of the ending, Cathy Yardley tied everything up beautifully.

This book attracted me cause of the cover and the setting being around whidbey island. I liked both the main characters and I liked Hudson’s family a lot. There were a few things that made the book hard read which was one the odd discussion around her husbands cause of death. I feel like we never got a true understanding of what caused it. Diabetes itself, a complication of, something unrelated? The other was Willa was sometimes childish…. She is a 40 something and just seemed okay demanding what she wanted but in the same breath covering her face cause she can’t?? I’m not sure it made me not connect with her. Thank You NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thanks to Netgalley and Montlake for the eARC!

Words cannot describe how disappointed I am in this book. I am a HUGE Cathy Yardley fan: I've read Fandom Hearts, Ponto Beach, and Role Playing... But this... was not for me. (And this review turned into a rant.... oops.)

There are a lot of things I can talk about so I'm just going to jump in with the big one: I wonder if this book suffered for not having nerdy characters. For me, the book and romance were too basic. We had a polite and timid ghostwriter / chef / widow who moves to live in her great aunt's old house on a small town and meets a very flirty handyman / contractor. And they .... just hang out. That's basically the book. It's SO VERY HALLMARK. And I'm not knocking Hallmark movies (There are a few I love!) but this is one of the boring ones. There was just no real major PLOT or conflict. It felt very blah, characters included. I didn't like either one. They didn't jump out at me at all.

Also, I'm not sure what happened but the dialogue / conversations between them felt so stilted and weird. There were times when they KNEW too much about each other. Like, when Willa oogled him without ever looking for a ring - after he MENTIONED KIDS. She never even ASKS about his wife. EVER. He ends up telling her about his ex-wife at 45% in, after she is already having major feelings. It's just weird because they're STRANGERS. She should at least be casually asking if he's married or looking at his hand or SOMETHING. Like that's something you ask about if you're attracted to someone??? By the same token, around 45%, Hudson says something like "Oh, right after your husband died" and I was like "Um, she NEVER told you that." Which - from what I can recall, she didn't? I swear the two of them had too much knowledge of one another.
There was also a point where Hudson was like "Oh, yes, this song is actually the salsa version of the opening theme to her favorite manga." And I was like "Who is her? WILLA? HOW THE EF DO YOU NOT ONLY KNOW THIS SONG BUT THAT IT IS HER FAVORITE ANIME?" Like, she had to have shown you multiple anime in like what 2 weeks? While you were working on her house? And to have a favorite anime implies she likes more anime than that which is NEVER MENTIONED AGAIN EVER. It was the WEIRDEST inclusion ever. I wanted nerdy characters but random insert of ONE anime is NOT IT.

That felt like a rant. And it was. Okay, my last rant is about the overall drama in the book. The dramatic scenes felt like they were included for NO REASON: The GREAT uncle telling the 23yo she shouldn't sleep around? That was not very well written in - it was drama for dramas sake and gave me the icks that a great uncle even KNEW she was sleeping around let alone that he needed to comment on it???

And the other thing was the WEIRD issue between Hudson and the restaurant owner Patrick. First of all, Hudson was being a BIG ASS to Patrick. You can have your own opinions on your own house but he wants HIS house to be done HIS way. It's not WRONG of him to want to modernize it. And I hated that there was no retribution for this way of thinking. That because a house is old and is beautiful that it has to stay that way forever and needs to be restored instead of modernized. IT IS HIS HOUSE AND HE SHOULD DO AS HE WISHES. Then when Hudson and Patrick meet at the restaurant, there's a big "who's cock is bigger" issue and I wanted to be like "I don't think a random ass guy would be LOOKING at Willa let alone trying to one-up this handyman contractor for NO FLIPPING REASON. It was such a weird addition and I wanted to smack EVERYONE AT THAT TABLE.

Ultimately, I think my big disconnect for this book was in the final 25%. (And this is a ME thing.) Where we have a "third act conflict" that just went against my own ideals as a person. I get chasing your dreams, but it felt like the entire book their "dreams" weren't what they ended up doing at the end. Why can't your dreams change? And it frustrated me that the concept was "You have to chase your dreams even at an old age" instead of "Maybe your dreams have changed and that's okay too. You're allowed to live your own life how YOU want." And yes, I applaud them for chasing their dreams but honestly the whole book - it felt like they DIDN'T CARE ABOUT THOSE DREAMS. Those were rarely ever at the forefront of their minds. They wanted each other, not the dreams. And it just frustrated me to no end. I think it's a disconnect between my generation and gen x, I suppose. I'm younger than these characters so it makes sense. Maybe she was trying to appeal to a different crowd here? I loved Role Playing but this.... was not it for me.

Also, I wish the Auntie thing had been an actual thing that happened in the book instead of the epilogue. GOD I wish we could have had some Sam / Auntie banter! That would have been so flipping cute. I actually really REALLY liked Sam. He may be the only thing I liked in the book.... oof.

So, all in all, this is my least favorite Cathy Yardley book. I gave her until the end because I needed to know how bad it was... If this is your first CY book, GO READ ANOTHER ONE. This is NOT her at her best.

DO ME A FAVOR by Cathy Yardley is another lovely, gentle, Gen X romance.

I love books about older characters. Partly because I myself am old, and old people also deserve to have stories of love and happiness. But I also love them because you get such different stories. What does it mean to finally get to pursue your interests after spending your whole adult life putting other people first? How does communication change when you've both been around the block a few extra times? There's such a richness in the maturity of Yardley's middle aged characters. There is still conflict, but there's no miscommunication and overreaction (and third act break up!) because they handle it like the grown adults they are. I really liked it.

DNF very early

This is outside the formula for Cathy that I know and love and I'm just overall disappointed with the direction.