The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest
I have admittedly trash-talked the romance genre. Just the word romance made me think of cheap paperbacks in the supermarket or airport.
The covers were always busty women with half-closed eyes and unrealistically muscled men, often white, with long hair and baby blues or emerald greens. Seriously, why does everybody in a romance novel have blue or green eyes?
The odds…
Anyway! It seems a romance revitalization is upon us. Don’t get me wrong the tried and true still exist, there is a reader for every read (don’t want to yuck anybody’s yum) but I have been impressed and intrigued by all the cute covers and modern love stories I’ve seen floating around #bookstagram and #booktok.
The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest was one of them, so after a quick Google and a two-week library hold later, I was back in the world of romance!
This book feels cozy!
The characters are cute and awkward but not in an overdone way. The alternating POV, something I’m learning is a romance staple, was a cool touch but didn’t kill the tension. The chemistry felt real, and I loved that Nick and Lily were a bookish couple.
He writes.
She’s in publishing. *chefs kiss.
The only thing that had me tapping my figurative foot was the slow burn to the hookup. Enough already. It’s a romance I’m here for spice. Also, I know that characters have to have internal and external conflicts but Nick’s feelings of inadequacy and self-sabotage felt a little melodramatic after a while.
In the words of Mario, ‘You should let me love you.’
The overall vibe was fresh, sweet, and charming. It’s worth the read and I would recommend it! I just might be in my romantic girl era!
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