A Simple Favor: A Compelling Thriller by Darcey Bell
In today’s blog post we’re going to be discussing a psychological thriller. The story centers upon two women who become friends because their children go to school together. Emily is a corporate working Mom, while Stephanie is a stay-at-home mommy blogger. The two don’t have a lot in common besides their sons. But when Emily goes missing and leaves her son in Stephanie’s care, Stephanie knows that something is wrong. To get the full scoop on this mysterious story, keep reading for my full A Simple Favor book review.
And if you enjoy thrillers, you can read more of my thriller reviews here.
What is A Simple Favor by Darcey Bell About?
A single mother’s life is turned upside down when her best friend vanishes in this chilling debut thriller in the vein of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train.
She’s your best friend. She knows all your secrets. That’s why she’s so dangerous.
It starts with a simple favor—an ordinary kindness mothers do for one another. When her best friend, Emily, asks Stephanie to pick up her son Nicky after school, she happily says yes. Nicky and her son, Miles, are classmates and best friends, and the five-year-olds love being together—just like she and Emily. A widow and stay-at-home mommy blogger living in woodsy suburban Connecticut, Stephanie was lonely until she met Emily, a sophisticated PR executive whose job in Manhattan demands so much of her time.
But Emily doesn’t come back. She doesn’t answer calls or return texts. Stephanie knows something is terribly wrong—Emily would never leave Nicky, no matter what the police say. Terrified, she reaches out to her blog readers for help. She also reaches out to Emily’s husband, the handsome, reticent Sean, offering emotional support. It’s the least she can do for her best friend. Then, she and Sean receive shocking news. Emily is dead. The nightmare of her disappearance is over.
Or is it? Because soon, Stephanie will begin to see that nothing—not friendship, love, or even an ordinary favor—is as simple as it seems.
Bell masterfully ratchets up the tension in a taut, unsettling, and completely absorbing story that holds you in its grip until the final page. (from Amazon.com)
Who are the Main Characters in a Simple Favor?
There are a couple of main characters who are present throughout this story.
- Stephanie, the main character, is a stay-at-home mommy blogger. She lost her husband and her half brother a few years prior in a car accident. She prides herself on taking excellent care of her son Miles. She seems very mild and unassuming at first, but as the story progresses it becomes clear that she holds a lot of secrets.
- Miles. Stephanie’s son. He becomes best friends with Emily’s son Nicky at school.
- Emily. A Mom who Stephanie meets while she’s waiting at school pick up on day. They bond over the fact that their sons are very good friends and start spending time together. Stephanie considers Emily her best friend and she enjoys watching the two boys when Emily is busy at work. But when Emily never arrives to pick up Nicky at Stephanie’s house one day, it becomes clear that something is going on.
- Nicky. Emily’s son. After Emily goes missing, he begins acting out.
- and Will. He is Emily’s husband. He’s very busy with his high-powered job and it’s clear that most of the child rearing fell on Emily when she was around. Stephanie offers to help out a lot with the kids and he is very grateful. Maybe too grateful? Lol. But you’ll just have to read the book to find out exactly what I’m taking about.
My Initial Thoughts
The first time I read this book, I listened to the audiobook. I enjoyed both of the narrators who portrayed Stephanie and Emily. The characters have very different perspectives and personalities, and I felt that the narrators did a great job in showing that.
I Enjoyed the Parts of The Story that is Told Through Stephanie’s Blog
I think part of what makes a great psychological suspense novel is how the author chooses to tell the story. Very rarely is a story told straight through. It has to have nuance and surprises. So I really liked how some of Stephanie’s blog posts were included as a way to advance the story.
In the beginning she depicts the realistic scenario of being a mom and trying to juggle everything in her life. But when Emily goes missing, she starts using her blog as a place to express her feelings and try to bring awareness to Emily’s disappearance. She figures that if anyone can help her figure out what happened, it would be the moms in her blogging audience.
As her internet fame begins to rise, Stephanie’s blog posts aren’t always truthful. Stephanie’s character enjoys the attention that she gets from sharing Emily’s story and she starts embellishing parts of her life. I really felt like this was an interesting form of storytelling and something different that made the story stand out.
Did you know that A Simple Favor was made into a Film?
Yes, A Simple Favor was made into a movie that was released in 2018. It was directed by Paul Feig. It stars Anna Kendrick as Stephanie, Blake Lively as Emily, and Henry Golding as Sean. In 2025 they released a sequel called A Simple Favor 2, which I imagine is a completely new story since there is only 1 book and not 2.
I have not seen either of the movies yet, but I’d be very curious to see how the book to movie comparison is.
Were there Plot Twists?
Of course there were! All psychological thrillers keep you guessing. And this one definitely veered off into directions that I was not expecting.
And without going into too much detail because I don’t want to spoil anything, it gets a littler eerie in the middle. The idea of Stephanie being all alone in her big house was definitely creepy.
Would I Recommend A Simple Favor?
Yes, I would. This book had a strong hold on me from the beginning. And even though Darcey Bell has released quite a few books since this one, I think this is her best book. It’s a remarkable tale of psychological suspense and the character of Stephanie really surprised me. She comes off as very cringe sometimes with all of her mom talk. And yet, she is definitely not the model mother that she thinks she is. It’s very fascinating. As far as leading characters go, she really made me curious.
In Conclusion
Thank you so much for checking out my A Simple Favor book review. As I mentioned earlier, I felt like this was a great debut by Darcey Bell. I was so curious about what happened to Emily and my brain went a little wild as I tried to solve the mystery. As it turns out, everyone in this story had their own secret that they were trying to hide.
If you enjoy psychological or domestic thrillers, I think you will find this one enjoyable. The characters were definitely cringe at times but I think the author did a good job of also making them interesting. I wasn’t necessarily rooting for them, but I was still interested in reading their story and finding out what would happen next.
