Author: Kristina Forest
Publisher: Berkley Books
Genre: Multicultural Romance
Format: Kindle ARC
No. of Pages: 416
Date of Publication: February 28, 2023
My Rating: 5 Stars
DESCRIPTION:
In this heart-fluttering romance by Kristina Forest, 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.
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 an editor of children's books but has 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 e-mail turns into a tentative friendship and possibly something else Lily won't let herself entertain--until he ghosts her.
Months later, still crushed but determined to take charge of her life, Lily seeks a date to her sister's wedding. And the perfect person to help her is Nick Brown, her charming, attractive new neighbor, whom she feels drawn to for unexplainable reasons. Little does she know that Nick is an author--her favorite fantasy author.
Nick, who has his reasons for using a pen name and for pushing people away, soon realizes that the beautiful, quiet woman from down the hall is the same Lily he fell in love with over e-mail 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.
MY THOUGHTS:
Lily Greene is in a dead end job with a demanding employer. She is an editor which she loves doing, but her dream is to edit children’s books. However, all she has been doing for years is nonfiction and getting a promotion or a new job has been impossible. Lily does find a distraction, however. Years before she read a fantasy book that she has loved, and she finds a way to communicate with that author. They connect to a degree where a friendship is born, but it suddenly goes nowhere.
Meanwhile, Lily’s well-meaning sisters have been involving themselves in her love life for as long as she can remember. Now that one of her sisters is about to get married, she tells them that she will find her own date to the wedding. The person she plans to ask is her sexy neighbor Nick Brown. Both Nick and Lily are drawn to each other in ways that Lily does not understand. Nick himself has a secret, one that would explain their connection, but he’s very reluctant to tell her what that secret is.
Nick has had a very difficult childhood, and for that reason he has chosen a pen name, and now has a chance to write a sequel for a book he wrote when he was back in college. Yes, the very same book that is Lily’s favorite is the very book that Nick authored. Lily has no idea that this kind and handsome stranger just happens to be the fantasy author that she admires.
With New York City having over 8 million residents, I did have to suspend belief about Nick and Lily meeting. Other than that one thing, this book was a true delight and a real pleasure to read. What was very sweet about The Neighbor Favor is that as much as Nick really cares for Lily, all he wants is her happiness and if this means doing a favor to help her to get a date to that wedding, then he will at least help her find someone else.
Kristina Forest is a new name for me because she has been a successful YA author, which is a genre that I generally do not read. I love that she made her debut in adult fiction with this wonderful book. The characters were wonderful, the love story was genuine and warm, and the chemistry was off the charts. There is much more to the story, however, and that includes the bond between Lily and her two sisters, as well as their parents, the drama Nick experienced in his own family, and how strong Lily had to be to make a career choice at a difficult time in her life. Lastly, as a diehard reader, I love that both characters truly loved books, almost notably science fiction, especially BIPOC Sci-Fi authors.
Many thanks to Berkley Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
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