I was so excited to read a book about "older" characters but this just didn't land for me.

I'm not even sure why, I think I just didn't find the characters relatable enough, and I ended up chucking this on the DNF pile at around 30%.

I would read this author again as I enjoy the way it was written, this just wasn't the one for me.

Do Me a Favor is a fantastic slow burn romcom. Cathy Yardley has become my go-to author for Gen X romances, with relatable characters, plenty of humor, steam, and cute dogs too.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Widow Willa moves from California to an island near Seattle when she inherits a house from her great aunt, with plans to continue her career as a cookbook ghostwriter. But then Noodle, the escape artist dog next door immediately introduces her to Hudson. Hudson is the island’s divorced handyman, who lives on his parents’ farm along with his adult children. While Willa is wary of accepting help from anyone, Hudson offer renovation assistance and companionship. He knows their connection isn’t something that comes along everyday. But can they work through their different outlooks and build on their attraction? Um yes.

Anytime you begin a book by introducing a dog named Noodle, I’m in. But I adore this romance for the way it showcases two characters in their 40s. Both Willa and Hudson arrive with completely different life experiences. Their desires for something different linger beneath the surface, along with their struggles to make changes. Willa’s resistance to relying on anyone but herself makes sense given her past, both as the child of a Vietnamese mother who’s a first generation immigrant and as the primary caregiver for her late husband. It makes it that much more satisfying when she slowly learns it’s ok to ask for help.

This book looks like a romcom, but Yardley also tackles themes of grief and loss. I love the way Hudson is so careful and considered with Willa, knowing that one wrong move could scare her away. And note: when one of the main characters is a cookbook ghostwriter, it leads to lots of yummy food descriptions.

Do Me a Favor is an outstanding romance. If you are a fan of romcoms, along with likable and realistic characters in their 40s, Cathy Yardley’s latest book is a must read. It’s just a bonus if you like adorable dogs and delicious food too.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A cute small-town romance! this one for the acts of service girlies! Loved the dual POV. Some issues with the way the kids and diabetes are represented but overall fun read,

10* stars. I didn't think this author could top Role Playing but she did. These characters (as the young kids say) "hit" different. It was so refreshing to be reading about a couple so close to my age. It was beautiful and so heartfelt. I was so very happy on how they got their HEA.

This book was a second chance romance in that both main characters had partners previously and both, for different reasons, are no longer with those partners they’d once been tied to with rings and vows. Their story began with an adorably lost dog named Noodle, an old-new home that needed a bit of fixing up, and a cookbook that needing ghostwriting and inspiration.

This was a really sweet romance about two 40+ year olds finding themselves and falling in love again. It really gave me the feeling of it never being too late to figure out what gives you joy. And that there is no age limit on when you can fall for your perfect person.

More than the romance, the descriptions of the food had me drooling. Like I kinda wanted to try so much of it and I definitely connected with the character's love for experimenting with different dishes. I wanted to reach through the screen and pull out so many of the dishes Willa was experimenting on to try myself. Everything sounded so creative and incredibly delicious!

'Do Me a Favor' is the first book I have read by Cathy Yardley, although I've read hundreds of books in the 'romance' genre.

What I thought this book did well:
- I liked that this was a romance between two fortysomethings, because so many romance books are relationships at milestone ages; just turning 30 and just turning 40. I liked that this was different.
- The overall plot was intriguing: a widowed woman inherits her aunt's house on an island. She is at an inflexion point in her career and is trying something new, ghostwriting a cookbook, which happens to be for a social media influencer who does sexy cooking videos. The woman herself is very shy sexually so she has to step outside her comfort zone to do this. She decides to move to the vacant inherited house on the small town island and get it fixed up in case she needs to sell it for income, and in the process meets a local man who can do the repairs, and the romance ensues. Meanwhile, he is trying to reign in his playboy era and desires a meaningful relationship.

Where I felt this book had room for improvement:
- Voice of the narrator. The narrator was sort of a third person omniscient who also editorialized a bit. This did not work very well imo. In the case of this book specifically, with the chapters seemingly going back and forth between the main characters, it would have relayed the characters internal thoughts better if each chapter had been written in the first person, Willa or Hudson, and labeled as such.
- Inconsistency of characterization. I could not reconcile Willa being like a giddy 13 year old in one sentence and being internally embarrassed that she found Hudson's arm sexy, which is honestly really wild for a 46 year old, and yet later her internal thoughts were that she wanted to 'bang him like a screen door in a hurricane.' Aside from this not being good 'steamy writing', (are there people who actually have thoughts like that?) it was completely inconsistent with her character. This kind of thing happened a lot with Willa specifically and it detracted from the story.
- Way too much italicizing for intonation or effect. It got really annoying and then I couldn't stop noticing it. Using it sparingly and ONLY in dialogue would be more effective in the future, imho.
- A lot of the dialogue did not feel realistic, and there was little good or funny banter.
- Several scenes felt completely unrealistic to me, but were trying to be realistic. It's one thing when a book isn't trying to be realistic because then you can just abandon reality. But when they are trying to be, and aren't, it doesn't work. For me.
- I also didn't love that it seems like Willa's deceased husband died because he didn't mind his diet for his type 1 diabetes. It would have been so much easier to have had him have sudden cardiac arrest after having known blocked arteries or something. I can't put my finger on why I found it off-putting - maybe the unnecessariness of it? but it just didn't sit well with me.

Overall this book was a 2/5 star for me. Conceptually it had legs but the writing left me desiring more. Perhaps I am an outlier!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced review copy of this book and provide my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This is a swoon worthy five-star read. I loved Willa and Hudson as well as all of the secondary characters who pop up in this one, even the characters who aren’t active in the story, they all play a part. I did have some issues with parts, the description of diabetes wasn’t the best, but then each person deals with it differently, and some people do have a self-destruct where its concerned, but I know this will irritate some. I loved the fact that they were both mature, and we get to see the love story that is Hudson’s parents as well, that was sweet. Willa was so independent that it hurt, but in the end, she realised what’s important as yes independence is but so is happiness. Noodle definitely deserves his own little mention, as he was a huge part of the story and made me smile every time he popped up.

This was such a cute book. The romance was really cute and I enjoyed it a lot. And I could not put this book down. The plot was very well thought out.

Loved that the characters were older than you’d usually find in a romance like this. A cute, slow burn with some spice and main characters I really liked, especially Noodles! The setting was perfection. Thanks Netgalley and publisher for this sweet read.

𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰:
This was a really sweet book about two people in their 40s finding love. I loved how they kind of found themselves as they found each other. All the characters were likable and I loved the setting of the island.

𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰:
Willa had devoted her entire life to someone from an early age. Her whole adulthood had basically revolved around her husband’s life and happiness. And then he died.
Then there was Hudson, who had twins at 19 and raised them alone. He also put his own happiness on the back burner.
They both had major commitments at a very young age. When Willa’s husband dies and Hudson’s kids are now adults, they are suddenly free in the world. Being free doesn’t mean you’re ready though. It certainly doesn’t mean that you know how to navigate any of it.

This was a very slow burn but I appreciated it. They’re two adults who have a lot of baggage to deal with so it felt natural that it would move slow. Willa was fiercely independent and never asked anyone for anything. Hudson was the local handyman who genuinely loved helping other people. They were a match made in heaven.
I really liked how they had both lived very different lifestyles but were able to understand each other on a profound level. I think that understanding helped them trust each other very early on.
I also liked how there were a lot of characters of various ages in this book who were having a crisis regarding their career/job or life in general. Not everyone goes out and has a full blown career that they always dreamed about. Not everyone has it all figured out at the same time and that’s ok!
You’re never too old (or too young) to go after your dreams! I loved it :)

Thank you to Montlake and NetGalley for the eARC. I’m leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you NetGalley and Montlake for this ARC. To me, this was a cozy read. It had everything; quirky family and friends, love, loss and finding yourself. I really loved the conversations everyone(not their mom) had with Hudson his kids. As a young person myself, those words felt validating. The one thing I would have loved, was for Willa to get to know more people that live on the island. To get a feel for that small island life.

Thank you author and publisher for the arc copy.

This book was cute! It was an easy and fun quick romance read that I would for sure recommend as a palate cleanser.

I’m a sucker for small town romances and unfortunately these are quite the hit-or-miss but this one for sure hit the right spots!

I do feel like it was a tad bit too long for my liking, but enjoyable nonetheless!

Overall: 3
Spicy: 2

Overview: Recent widow moves inherits a relatives house and has to make the decision if she'll keep or sale. During the time there she does to ghost write to get back in the swing of cooking and publishing world. Since the house is on a island they have a different way of life and close knit community. The next door neighbor is where the town handy man lives, how has an escape artist for a pet. He's recently divorced and has dedicated his life to his twin children. Now they are older and want him to be happy.

Review: Overall it was a great second chance romance and finding love later in life. The story line felt rushed and I didn't feel the true connection between the couple and development of the story line. The book felt fairly predictable from the first chapter, I could see how the story was going to unwind. It was a quick read and okay book, but nothing wow worthy.

Widow and cookbook ghost writer, Willa Lieu-Endicott moved from California to one of Washington state's islands to live in the house her Aunt left to her. Willa feels as if she is adrift without purpose since her husband has died. She is closed off emotionally, afraid to open up or reach out to anyone. Until she finds a dog in her garage during a thunderstorm. Calling the number on the dog's tag, she meets her neighbor, Hudson Daws.
Hudson is a handyman on the island he has lived on all of his life. Hudson is immediately attracted to Willa but realizes that she is shut down and doesn't easily trust anyone.

After a series of mishaps and casual run-ins, Hudson manages to get passed some of Willa's barriers. She is attracted to him, but afraid to acknowledge her feelings of interest. Slowly Hudson manages to reawaken Willa's desires as well as get her to put her guard down so they can move their relationship forward. They share their private secrets and their hopes that had been pushed aside for life.

When the cookbook she's ghosting goes awry Willa decides she has to make a change or remain afraid to ask for help. She also suggests that Hudson do the same. She heads back to California and her parent's home for a short time to put her new life plan into motion. Hudson also knows he has to leap as well and heads to Switzerland for a year to follow his dream as well. In the end, the couple realizes they love each other and it's happily ever after.

This is my first book by Cathy Yardley and I did enjoy the book for the most part. The characters of Willa and Hudson were well-developed and as the story went on, it became clearer that they were a good match. The author did an excellent job of making their relationship grow naturally. Their immediate attraction to each other didn't feel, at least not to me, like insta-love, since neither even thought they would be more than just friendly neighbors and acquaintances.
My only criticism of the book is I would have liked to have had more of an obstacle for their relationship to overcome. It might have been interesting for the off-islander to make a bigger play for Willa or if Hudson's ex-wife wanted to come back to him or at least make an appearance on the island to access the new woman. But that's just me.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Tessa Bailey or Olivia Dade books. I will definitely be reading more of Cathy Yardley's backlist.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5⭐️
I was really excited for this book and while i did enjoy it, nothing really stood out for me. There were points that had me kicking, screaming, laughing (the skunk scene iykyk). It m was a cute little read that i think people would really enjoy!

The romance tho 😘. Willa & Hudson were so cute. I love that they are both in their 40’s, we need more older love interests in romances. Hudson’s kids were a really fun addition to this story. But the best character in this story is Noodles. Who can resist a cute dog? I know i can’t!

I would definitely recommend this book, and look forward to trying more of Cathy’s books.

3.5 stars

I firmly believe that Cathy Yardley writes for us mixed Asian Americans! She's created yet another strong and lovely FMC with Willa. Willa is a recent widow who inherits a home on a small PNW from her great-aunt. She's a bit down on her luck after wrapping things up after her husband's passing, so she turns to an old friend in cookbook publishing for some much needed work. While on the island she meets Hudson, the local handyman, who also happens to be everyone's favorite eligible bachelor.

I love that food is often a theme in Cathy's books! It plays a central role in this book because Willa is ghostwriting a cookbook. The dishes she tested and prepared are both believable and sound delicious! I love that Cathy uses food to bring characters together and ultimately closer to one another.

The pacing is great and it is a very easy read just like her other contemporary romances. I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for mixed representation in romance! Really looking forward to seeing what Cathy Yardley has in store for us in the future!

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Do Me a Favor releases July 23, 2024

3.75

- dual pov
- cookbook ghostwriter x handyman
- widow x divorced single dad
- neighbours
- pnw island setting
- characters in their 40’s
- love after loss
- biracial fmc
- first time having edibles
- a persistent runaway dog
- oops my house got skunked so now we have to share a bed
- slow burn

This was cute! I loved the small town farm vibes, and the close knit family. I don’t often come across romances with characters that are more older, so it was a nice change.
Overall, I think the pacing could have been a bit better, but I really enjoyed the underlying themes.
The story puts into perspective that there’s really no set age where you need to have your life fully figured out, as shown with both Hudson and Willa in their early and mid 40’s, as well as Hudson’s adult children who’re in their 20’s.
Finding the confidence to ask for help when you’re an independent and self-sufficient person can be so hard, so I loved seeing that vulnerability from Willa.

3/5 stars

Such a cute & quick read!!!🥹🥹
Will post the full review near publishing date🫶🏼 (July 23, 2024)

Review to come

Sorry, I accidentally post another book review in this by mistake. There's no option to delete, I will be back and edit this when I finish reading and reviewing. Thank you!

When Willa finds herself to be the new owner of her great aunt’s home, she decides a move to the Pacifica Northwest is just the fresh start she needs. The emotional loss of both her husband and way of life have left battling for purpose. Hudson has spent his entire life in the same place. While he’s always putting everyone else first and ready to help wherever he’s needed, he dreams of something more. A chance meeting, with the help of a furry friend, has these opposites entangled whether they want it or not.

Do Me a Favor is an opposites-attract, contemporary romance. This stand-alone does contain some open door content but it is not particularly spicy or aggressively descriptive. This is a story of starting over with MCs who are over 40.

I don’t know if it’s necessarily considered a meet-cute but I love when the main characters’ first interaction involves an animal, especially an animal being an absolute menace. The push and pull between these characters is so good. Willa needs to learn how to let others help her and Hudson needs that push to do something for himself. They balance each other and that stability that grows between them makes for the most genuine connection.

Is diabetes a death sentence? No, not necessarily, but it can be if not managed properly, as seems to be the case here. I appreciate the thoughtful but realistic way in which the author portrays a condition that affects so many but isn't commonly written about in this way. It’s an important reminder that chronic illnesses can affect each person differently.

I have read a lot of Cathy Yardley’s work and she continues to impress me with the depth of her writing in each book. Her MCs are complex but relatable. Even the side characters have layers that leave readers wanting to know even more about them. I’m grateful to have received an early copy of Do Me a Favor and I know I’ll be rereading it before the end of the year.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Montlake and Netgalley!