The Neighbor Favor Book Review by Kristina Forest

Small spoilers ahead

Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Adult, Fiction
Pages: 397
Format: Ebook
Rating:

Initial Thoughts

So, I am writing this review in May, and I read this book back in February. Life happens, ya know?

I remember that during February, despite always trying to read diversely, I specifically wanted to focus on books by Black authors. I had The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest saved on my Kindle for quite some time, and February felt like the perfect time to finally pick it up.

I went into this book with zero expectations. I just wanted a cute romance and hoped to enjoy myself.

The Plot (Spoiler-Free!)

Lily Greene is a fantasy lover who impulsively decides to email her favorite author just to tell him how much his books mean to her. But then… he replies.

What starts as an email friendship with the potential for something more suddenly comes to a halt when Lily is unexpectedly ghosted, leaving her confused and hurt.

Months later, as one of Lily’s sisters prepares for her wedding, her family becomes insistent that Lily bring a date. After a disappointing romantic past, Lily has no interest in being set up again and insists she can find someone on her own.

The problem? Now she actually has to follow through.

Enter Nick, her very attractive new neighbor.

There’s immediate chemistry between them, but what Lily doesn’t know is that Nick realizes she is the same woman he had been emailing and ghosted months earlier. Now that they live in the same building, Nick has to decide whether he can continue pushing Lily away or finally let himself get close.

What I Liked

The Neighbor Favor had so many things I love in a romance novel:

• A NYC setting
• The FMC and MMC communicating in a nontraditional way (in this case, through email)
• A Black FMC who reads fantasy, is quirky, and loves cats
• Strong family relationships
• Romance with real chemistry
• Good pacing
• A plot outside of the romance

It was also so cute that all the women in Lily’s immediate family were named after flowers: Lily, Violet, Iris, and Dahlia. I love a good theme.

The relationship Lily has with her sisters and mother was one of my favorite parts of the book. I’ve always wanted sisters, and this book somehow made me want them even more. Built-in best friends forever. People who will always be there for you no matter what.

Yeah, I know sisterhood comes with disagreements and fights and not everything is rosy, but I think Kristina Forest perfectly captured that bond. Lily is lucky to have three built-in best friends. Sure, they tease her and can be nosy, but they are also caring, supportive, and genuinely want what’s best for her.

It’s very clear that Forest is knowledgeable about her subject matter, which I find important in any book. She captured what it feels like to live and work in NYC: the crowded subways, the heat underground, and the overall energy of the city.

I also found this quote perfectly described how I felt when I was younger:

“She’d read the Dragons of Blood series when she was a shy, friendless teenager who wanted nothing more than to escape and have a real adventure of her own.”

During periods when I didn’t have many friends, I always had books and fantasy worlds to escape into. And even when I did have friends, I still had books and new worlds waiting for me.

I also appreciated that Lily didn’t chase Nick because that is just something I personally don’t enjoy reading. Nick was frustrating at times, but I appreciated that Lily knew better than to beg someone to be with her.

“She wished she could convince him otherwise, but she also knew that Nick was a grown man and he’d need to come to that realization himself. She thought that a relationship with Nick could work, but she knew better than to wait around for him to change his mind and see their potential.”

Lastly, I found this description of Lily’s boss particularly funny:

“Working with Edith was like being an abandoned toddler in a crosswalk during rush hour.”

What Didn’t Work for Me

Full disclosure: I read this book back in February, so I cannot remember all of my criticisms in detail.

I take notes while I read, though, and based on those notes, I remember feeling like it was a bit too convenient that Lily didn’t have access to her phone during the third-act breakup/miscommunication (which, by the way, is my least favorite trope).

Her charger was at home, she didn’t have a spare, and Edith needed her during lunch. Fine.

But for the other seven hours of the workday, she could not step away for five minutes to buy a new charger? There is a Duane Reade every other block in NYC. Also, no one at work had a charger she could borrow?

And lastly… why didn’t she just email him? You know, the form of communication that started this entire relationship? She eventually thinks of this, but it took a little too long for her to make that decision for me.

I also had a lingering question about who watched Tomcat while Lily, Violet, and Iris were away on the bachelorette trip and Nick was in North Carolina. That feels like a pretty important detail to leave out considering how much Lily loves her cat.

Read This If You Like:

• Black contemporary romance
• Romance books set in NYC
• Bookish FMCs
• Family-centered stories
• Cute contemporary romance
• Quirky female main characters
• Romance with emotional depth
• Books about books

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest. It was such a cute romance and one I could absolutely see myself rereading in the future.

As I reflected on my time with this book, I realized just how much I enjoyed the setting, writing, and character dynamics. I recently finished my first interconnected standalone series, and I think I will continue on with this one because I would genuinely love to revisit these characters and world.