Reading another review that told me the book was fiction was helpful - some of the Megan Hart books I've read have delved a bit more in the erotic side of things and this one does not explore that genre.This book was a really good story, well written and kept me reading to find out about the favour. The characters were well-developed and the story of Janelle taking care of her grandmother was very realistic and hit close to home. I would recommend this book. THE FAVOR is a story about secrets and the varying and powerful ways they can effect those who keep them.Janelle Decker was not an easy teenager so her mother sent her to live with her grandmother, Nan. While living with Nan, Janelle developed relationships with the three boys that lived next door, “those Tierney boys.” The oldest Tierney, Gabe, and Janelle fell in love in high school but their relationship was overcast by family secrets, small-town gossip, and fear. Both Gabe and Janelle said they were going to leave the small town of St. Mary’s and make something of themselves. Then there was a tragic accident that made Janelle run and never look back and made Gabe stay put forever. When Janelle returns some 20 years later to take care of an ailing Nan, emotions are ignited and well-kept secrets are slowly revealed.There were parts of this story that I enjoyed very much, and parts that felt slow, jumbled, and anti-climactic. The flashbacks, while mostly helpful in developing the characters and the plot, were distracting and confusing at times. While much older and more life-experienced, the characters are somewhat stagnant in their emotional development. When Janelle returns to town she and Gabe communicate no better with each other than they did as teenagers. I thought the flashbacks to teenage Gabe and Janelle were precisely written. The inability to communicate and the awkwardness of displaying emotions for two kids with less than perfect upbringings was honest and well-written. The adult relationship between these two is hampered by the secrets of life in the Tierney home and “the favor” that Gabe asked Janelle for when they were teenagers. There is so much build up to the discovery of the favor that I almost felt disappointed when it was finally revealed. While my criticisms of this book seem aplenty, I did enjoy much of the book. Janelle and her son develop a stronger relationship as the story progresses and Nan is wonderful. Nan brings together whoever is in the room with her and is much more observant than anyone gives her credit for; she brings out the best in those closest to her. The author also does a great job of portraying a families varied reactions to dealing with the impending loss of a loved one. And the story of the Tierney’s, both the parents and the sons, was emotional and, in parts, unpredictable. This story makes you think about what holds families together and what drives them apart; and how different people have different capacities for forgiveness.
What do You think about The Favor By Megan Hart (2013)?
Really not a book for me. I did finish it, only because I have OCD and hate things left undone.
—cwaa
Great story. Lots of hidden meanings without saying the words.
—Savy
I love Megan Hart but this book was so slow.
—hindblue
