Kristina Forest (Zyla & Kai; Now That I've Found You) brings everything readers love about her young adult novels--warmth, depth of characterization, emotional intelligence--to The Neighbor Favor, her first romance for adults. When publishing assistant Lily sees that the author of her favorite fantasy novel, long out of print, has just launched a website, she impulsively e-mails him. What follows is a delightful eight-month e-mail exchange in which Forest sets up and subsequently knocks down a whirlwind epistolary romance.
Travel writer Nick isn't who he claimed to be five years ago when he wrote the epic fantasy novel featuring Black elves and a devastating cliffhanger. Now, after years of obscurity, Nick's best friend and literary agent lands him a major publishing contract and he moves to New York City--right next to the woman he ghosted. Meanwhile, Lily needs a date to her sister's wedding, and her handsome new neighbor is just the man to help her find one--if they can avoid falling for each other, that is.
The Neighbor Favor is a standout contemporary romance that proves a romance can be trope-driven and complex, flirty and emotionally rewarding. Forest adeptly sets up and resolves secrets, complicated family dynamics and romantic hang-ups. In one insightful scene, she captures the disorientation Nick feels at being welcomed into Lily's big, loving family after growing up with only his dysfunctional parents. The Neighbor Favor, for fans of Farrah Rochon and Christina C. Jones, is a joyous celebration of books, family and Black love. --Suzanne Krohn, librarian and freelance reviewer