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…
Release Date: Feb 28, 2022
Heat Level: Sensual
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley
Price: $10.99
Lily’s dream of being an editor for children’s books has stalled as she watched promotions pass her by. She finds solace in her world of books and reaches out to a popular fantasy author. The two strike up a serious connection, but she is taken aback when he ghosts her.
Lily decides to move on, and what better way than her sexy neighbor, Nick. She doesn’t know that is the same author she has been corresponding with. The two seem to have a vibe, but he turns a bit cold on her and instead offers to help her find a date for her sister’s wedding.
This is the first book this year that just felt right. The Neighbor Favor just has the right elements of a feel-good rom-com. The characters are fleshed out and adorable. The chemistry is on point, and the secondary characters all add a boost to the story.
When Nick and Lily meet, the chemistry is on point. There is the anticipation that this could all go bad for them because Nick is holding back on his end. However, the cat was out of the bag at a good point in the book, and the couple was able to navigate a friendship, which leads to so much more.
What really draws a romance lover like myself in is the cute book dates and chat between Nick and Lily. What girl wouldn’t like a book nerd of their own? While I didn’t necessarily care for Nick’s hot and cold behavior, I end up falling for him. He has family issues that he needs to address, and he eventually sorts through all the emotional baggage, but it does put a slight damper on things. Lily is a lot more mature than most.
I love the side characters and especially look forward to more books by Ms. Forest.
~ Samantha
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