Do Me a Favor by Cathy Yardley (ARC Review)

Title: Do Me a Favor
Author: Cathy Yardley
Type: Fiction
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Montlake
Date published: July 23, 2024

A complimentary physical copy of this book was kindly provided by Firefly Books Distribution in exchange for an honest review.

Willa Lieu-Endicott moved from California to the Pacific Northwest to start over. Since her husband’s death, she’s been struggling to get back her old career as a cookbook ghostwriter. Unfortunately, her latest project—ghostwriting for a viral cooking sensation known more for his washboard abs than his meals—has her stuck.

Until she meets her new neighbor.

Hudson Daws, the handyman next door, lives on a farm with his parents and two adult children. He’s the opposite of everything she’s ever known. His happily chaotic life includes biker barbecues, an escape artist dog, and adorably menacing goats. He’s also got a sinfully sexy smile and a rumbling bass voice that makes her shiver. He inspires her.

From their first meeting, the two fall into an escalating cycle of favors, paybacks…and attraction, even though Willa’s trying to keep her distance.

They both have their own pasts to deal with. Now, they just have to figure out if they have a future.

⤖ My Review ⬻

Having read Cathy Yardley’s 2023 release, Role Playing, and enjoying it, I was definitely excited to read Do Me a Favor. As much as I try not to compare books by the same author, it’s sometimes hard not to. And in this case, I did note that I enjoyed the pacing a bit more in Do Me a Favor than in Role Playing.

Thinking on it more, I realized that there might be more to my liking it than just the pacing. While the premise of Do Me a Favor was not as unique as last year’s book, I did overall find that I enjoyed it more. Perhaps it’s the pacing, perhaps it’s the particular rom-com elements used in this title specifically, perhaps it’s that the characters were a little closer to my age which made them easier for me to relate to…or perhaps it was a mix of all of the above.

I liked the male protagonist, Hudson, quite a bit and know that this is likely (at least partially) due to my being engaged to a man who is also quite handy, haha. I liked Willa as well! I just found that some of the scenes focused on her thought process and reminiscing about the past didn’t hold my attention very well, especially around the sadder subject and when I found certain thoughts would repeat.

That being said, I didn’t love the scenes focused just on Hudson either, so perhaps I just wanted to read about them spending time together rather than what they did apart. Maybe that just goes to show that I was a big fan of this pairing! In either case, I enjoyed Do Me a Favor and am curious to see what Yardley might publish next!