Publication Date: February 28, 2023
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…
There’s very good news—publishers are releasing contemporary romantic comedies at a breakneck pace, and many are terrific. The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest is a charming rom-com written by a Black author with Black characters, but its appeal is not limited to any cultural group.
Fantasy fiction fan Lily Greene wants to ply her passion in the children’s publishing arena but is stuck as a struggling assistant to a nonfiction editor. When she finally discovers an email address for one of her favorite authors, she begins a lengthy email exchange with the elusive writer she only knows as “Strick.” Their correspondence becomes increasingly deep as their friendship develops until Strick suddenly ghosts her.
A few months later, Nick Brown (Strick) moves to New York to deal with the reissuing of his first book and to write sequels. It isn’t long before Nick realizes that his attractive neighbor is actually Lily from the emails. He should tell her but is overcome by his feelings of inadequacy. Will love find a way in spite of the messy situation?
The strength of the book is characterization. Lily and Nick were imminently relatable as they learned to deal with family relationships and other people’s expectations. They were an excellent fit for each other, and their feelings were genuine and believable. Other characters, especially Lily’s sisters, gave the story dimension and interest.
It was a joy to read The Neighbor Favor, and I will look for more from Kristina Forest.
Kristina Forest is the author of romances for both teens and adults, including I Wanna Be Where You Are, which The New York Times called, “a big hearted story,” and Now That I’ve Found You, a Book Riot Best Book of 2020. Her next YA romance, Zyla & Kai, will publish with Kokila Books in Summer 2022, and her adult romance debut, The Neighbor Favor, will publish with Berkley in February 2023. She earned her MFA in Creative Writing at The New School and she can often be found rearranging her bookshelf.
