***I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.***
A shy bookworm enlists her charming neighbor to help her score a date, not knowing he’s the obscure author she’s been corresponding with, in this sparkling and heart-fluttering romance by Kristina Forest.
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...
The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest is a slow-burn romance with friends to lovers trope featuring a cute bookworm and a reclusive author.
Story Recap:
Lily Greene has always lived in the shadow of her accomplished family. Her sisters both have powerful jobs, but all Lily wants is to be an editor for children’s books and move on from editing nonfiction. Lily finds an escape from the pressures of her family by corresponding with her favorite fantasy writer where they form a bond. Until he suddenly ghosts her, and she doesn’t know why.
Months later, Lily’s sister is getting married and she needs a date for the wedding or else her sisters will fix her up. She asks her handsome neighbor, Nick Brown to help her find a date. She doesn’t know that Nick Brown is the fantasy writer that ghosted her months ago. Soon, Nick realizes that Lily is the same Lily he fell in love with over emails months ago, and he agrees to help her find a date because he’s not available for a relationship.
My Thoughts:
The book starts with several pages of email messages between Lily and Nick, and I enjoyed watching their relationship blossom via email. Then we get to the present, and we learn much more about Lily and Nick. Lily is a strong and compassionate person and she’s my favorite character. I love her relationships with her sisters, it’s not perfect but realistic. It took a bit more to warm up to Nick, he’s a broken man with family issues. But, eventually, I grew to like him and believe he is worthy of Lily’s love.
Recommendation:
I highly recommend The Neighbor favor to anyone who enjoys romance. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
About Kristina Forest
Kristina Forest is the critically acclaimed author of romance books for both teens and adults, including I Wanna Be Where You Are, Now That I've Found You, and Zyla & Kai. Her adult romance debut, The Neighbor Favor, will publish with Berkley on February 28, 2023. She earned her MFA in Creative Writing at The New School and she lives in New Jersey, where she can often be found rearranging her bookshelf.
This looks really sweet and I’m okay with a character that is hard to warm up to as long as there a long enough redemption which definitely seems like the case here.
I like the sound of this one, but I think I’ll do the library audio instead of getting an e-copy through the publisher/netgalley. Nice to see you enjoyed it, Wendy!
I’m seriously so excited to read this book. I’ve enjoyed several of Kristina’s YA novels and the concept for this adult romance really piques my interest. Loved finding out your thoughts 🙂
Great review, Wendy! This sounds like a wonderful romance. I love a good slow-burn! And I also love that it’s a story about a bookworm and a reclusive author. I don’t think I’ve read one like that yet. Thanks for sharing!
I’m intrigued! Bookish romances are so much fun. Nice review!
I have not read this one yet, but it is already on my TBR. And now that I’ve read your review, I really want to read it! Great review!
This sounds like such a sweet read with lovely characters. Wonderful review!
I need to start this soon. I always enjoy sister relationships in books and family dynamics. Amazing review!
Great review, Wendy. I like the sound of this romance. I just requested it, so will see if I can get my hands on it.
Sounds good! Great review, Wendy!
I was hooked at “shy bookworm”! 😀
Good review, Wendy!
This looks really sweet and I’m okay with a character that is hard to warm up to as long as there a long enough redemption which definitely seems like the case here.
I like the sound of this one, but I think I’ll do the library audio instead of getting an e-copy through the publisher/netgalley. Nice to see you enjoyed it, Wendy!
This sounds like such a cozy and sweet read. 🙂
Nice review, Wendy!
I’m seriously so excited to read this book. I’ve enjoyed several of Kristina’s YA novels and the concept for this adult romance really piques my interest. Loved finding out your thoughts 🙂
I hope you enjoy it, Stephanie
I’m glad that the emails worked better for you in the beginning than me! Great review!
Thank you, Joanna
Sounds really lovely, great review 😊
Thank you, Jenny
Glad you loved this one Wendy! Awesome review!📚💜
Thank you, Susan
I’m glad you liked this one. It sounds really good.
Thank you, Kristi
This sounds really cute!
It is! Thank you, Amanda
Great review, Wendy! This sounds like a wonderful romance. I love a good slow-burn! And I also love that it’s a story about a bookworm and a reclusive author. I don’t think I’ve read one like that yet. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Stephanie
This sounds like a lovely read and I enjoyed reading your review Wendy!
Thank you, Jodie!
I love how this story is set in the book world. Bookish books are always fun. Excellent review!
Yes they are! Thank you, Tessa
I love that Lily has such strong family ties, lovely review!
Thank you, Rae
This sounds like a lovely read. I do like books about authors and editing them.
I like a bookish book too. Thank you, Janette
I like the idea of this book.
Thank you, Rosie.
I like the beginning!
It’s good. Thanks Carol
I didn’t care for Nick so much.