What do you think?
Rate this book
The Favour
‘There was a smug satisfaction in the knowledge that her friend’s picture-perfect life was tainted by a dirty secret. Quinn may be far from perfect, but she’d always have that over Hannah.’
Old friends Hannah and Quinn have grown apart over the years as their lives take them in opposite directions. Hannah cares for her three young children, her career on hold, while Quinn has a successful job in advertising, where she works hard and plays harder. But their friendship hangs together because of a terrible secret they share from their university days – a debt Hannah owes Quinn that they can never discuss.
Quinn has always kept her professional and personal lives separate, but these worlds collide when a colleague assaults her. As her life starts falling apart, Quinn decides to take revenge on her attacker – and she expects her old friend Hannah to help. But when things begin to unravel, Hannah must decide how much she’s willing to risk in order to return the favour.
A gripping examination of the darker side of friendship, power and loyalty. How far would you go to repay a debt?
Old friends Hannah and Quinn have grown apart over the years as their lives take them in opposite directions. Hannah cares for her three young children, her career on hold, while Quinn has a successful job in advertising, where she works hard and plays harder. But their friendship hangs together because of a terrible secret they share from their university days – a debt Hannah owes Quinn that they can never discuss.
Quinn has always kept her professional and personal lives separate, but these worlds collide when a colleague assaults her. As her life starts falling apart, Quinn decides to take revenge on her attacker – and she expects her old friend Hannah to help. But when things begin to unravel, Hannah must decide how much she’s willing to risk in order to return the favour.
A gripping examination of the darker side of friendship, power and loyalty. How far would you go to repay a debt?
- GenresAudiobook
364 pages, Paperback
First published May 4, 2021
About the author
Rebecca Freeborn
5 books27 followersRebecca Freeborn lives in the Adelaide Hills with three kids, a horse, more books than she can fit in her bookcase and an ever-diminishing wine collection.
She works as a communications and content editor for the South Australian Government where she screams into the void against passive voice and unnecessary capitalisation.
She writes before the sun comes up and thrives on unrealistic deadlines.
She works as a communications and content editor for the South Australian Government where she screams into the void against passive voice and unnecessary capitalisation.
She writes before the sun comes up and thrives on unrealistic deadlines.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 10, 2025
I just could not go on with this one was too slow although the prose sucked me in.
Two friends Hannah & Quinn know each other inside out but when something horrible happens to Quinn their friendship is put to the test.
Will Hannah help her best friend or are the consequences too high.
I was looking forward to this book but it let me down I didn’t like either characters plus I knew where this was going to go early on
TW SEXUAL ASSAULT
If you can handle dark themes/ topics then you will be fine but if you cannot pass by was a slow burn 🔥 I got bored 🥱would not recommend.
Two friends Hannah & Quinn know each other inside out but when something horrible happens to Quinn their friendship is put to the test.
Will Hannah help her best friend or are the consequences too high.
I was looking forward to this book but it let me down I didn’t like either characters plus I knew where this was going to go early on
TW SEXUAL ASSAULT
If you can handle dark themes/ topics then you will be fine but if you cannot pass by was a slow burn 🔥 I got bored 🥱would not recommend.
August 13, 2021
Not the easiest of books to read, The Favour covers some really tough subjects. I thought the author did a great job telling this story. Set in Adelaide in Australia, this is a story of friendship and how far you will go for revenge. It won't be for everyone as it is quite dark but it is a great story and had me hooked.
August 23, 2021
My second read by this author and it’s another winner! All the stars and then some.
Although fairly dark and disconcerting due to the theme it was brilliant from beginning to end.
Drama, secrets and revenge.
Fast paced and suspenseful.
Highly entertaining.
What more could you want from a book!
Although fairly dark and disconcerting due to the theme it was brilliant from beginning to end.
Drama, secrets and revenge.
Fast paced and suspenseful.
Highly entertaining.
What more could you want from a book!
May 26, 2021
I'm a huge fan of Rebecca Freeborn's novels so when I saw that she was releasing a new book I was very excited.
I had high hopes and it definitely exceeded my expectations! This novel was incredible.
I loved the characters and the way their relationships changed and developed throughout. I also lived the storyline in general, it was very real and hard to read at times.
I definitely recommend reading this one if you're a fan of the genre.
Thank you so much to Pantera for providing me with a copy of this book to review.
I had high hopes and it definitely exceeded my expectations! This novel was incredible.
I loved the characters and the way their relationships changed and developed throughout. I also lived the storyline in general, it was very real and hard to read at times.
I definitely recommend reading this one if you're a fan of the genre.
Thank you so much to Pantera for providing me with a copy of this book to review.
March 18, 2021
There is something fresh and timely about this book. It addresses questions and issues about sexual assault that I'd not yet considered. A really interesting portrayal of the bonds and binds of friendship.
June 5, 2021
A contemporary thriller which deals with some really heavy themes. A trigger warning is needed as it deals with sexual assault and rape. In particular, what happens when the perpetrator gets away with it. What lengths would you go to in order for justice to be served? Well written and faced paced - you will read this one as quick as you can. If you have children you will relate to Hannah's life. So realistically written you will cringe and laugh at the all too familiar scenes. Quinn's life is a bit of a mess and you will hope she can sort it out. In many ways so is Hannah's life. This story explores the bonds of friendship. The secrets that will forever bind Hannah and Quinn together - they must keep each other close as they are indebted to each other with secrets of the past, present and future. Read it.
Enjoy x
Enjoy x
August 21, 2021
Solid idea but one of the main characters constantly behaved in a way that defied any logic which made the plot seem contrived.
August 23, 2026
TL;DR: A thoughtful, confronting and remarkably authentic exploration of trauma and its consequences that unfortunately loses me completely at the ending. After spending an entire novel showing how messy sexual violence, relationships and justice can be, everything is suddenly tied up in a Hollywood bow—and this story deserved to remain uncomfortable.
—————
There are definitely trigger warnings to be aware of with The Favour, including rape and extensive discussion of sexual assault. It’s not an easy read, but for most of the book I thought these subjects were handled incredibly well.
What worked for me was the authenticity of the aftermath. The characters’ actions, reactions and mental states following trauma felt considered rather than convenient. People don’t necessarily behave neatly or make the decisions you want them to make, and the novel allows for that. The consequences continue to affect the characters and their relationships rather than existing simply as a plot device.
The push and pull between Hannah and Quinn was particularly compelling. There is so much love between them, but there is also a fundamental lack of trust that neither can simply wish away. Their relationship is delicate, complicated and damaged by everything that has happened, and that complexity was one of the most interesting parts of the novel.
For most of the book, everything felt frighteningly plausible. And then we get to the ending.
This is a very Australian novel, set firmly within an Australian reality, and Australia has restrictive gun laws. I simply didn’t believe the way the final encounter with Simon unfolded. After spending so much time creating a story that felt researched, thoughtful and real, the conclusion suddenly tipped into something far more heightened and fictional.
But the more I think about it, the gun itself isn’t even my biggest problem. It’s what that confrontation allows the story to do afterwards: tie everything up far too neatly.
Of course we want perpetrators of sexual violence to face justice. But one of the uncomfortable realities that much of this novel acknowledges is that they very often don’t. Victims aren’t always believed. Evidence isn’t always enough. People manipulate narratives, protect themselves and lie. Justice doesn’t necessarily arrive neatly enough to provide everyone with closure.
Yet suddenly, that’s essentially what we’re given.
I also cannot believe that Simon, faced with the police, wouldn’t immediately attempt to change the narrative. This is a man we’ve spent the novel understanding as manipulative and self-serving. Am I supposed to believe that at no point he would say, this woman coerced me and held me at gunpoint? That he wouldn’t do absolutely everything possible to undermine Quinn’s version of events and present himself as the victim? Instead, the ending effectively becomes: Oops, you’ve got me. I’m a serial predator.
I didn’t buy it.
Strangely, I think an unsatisfying conclusion might have been more satisfying. Not because I wanted Simon to escape consequences, but because it would have been more authentic to the story I’d spent the entire novel reading. Sometimes there isn’t justice. Sometimes there isn’t closure. Sometimes the damage remains, and people have to work out how to live with that.
Instead, this ending almost wipes the slate clean. It feels like the Hollywood adaptation of a much more complicated story: the version where everything has to be resolved before the credits roll so the audience isn’t sent home feeling too uncomfortable.
And I think The Favour had earned the right to make its reader uncomfortable.
More frustratingly, all of this takes attention away from Hannah and Quinn. Their relationship, with all that love sitting alongside mistrust, hurt and uncertainty, was far more interesting to me than a dramatic final showdown. I wanted the conclusion to sit with that complexity rather than bury it beneath an artificially neat resolution.
There’s a lot about The Favour that I genuinely admired. Its treatment of trauma and its consequences felt thoughtful, confronting and authentic. That’s exactly why the ending disappointed me so much. The novel spends so long embracing the messiness of reality, only to clean everything up at the moment when I most wanted it to remain messy.
—————
There are definitely trigger warnings to be aware of with The Favour, including rape and extensive discussion of sexual assault. It’s not an easy read, but for most of the book I thought these subjects were handled incredibly well.
What worked for me was the authenticity of the aftermath. The characters’ actions, reactions and mental states following trauma felt considered rather than convenient. People don’t necessarily behave neatly or make the decisions you want them to make, and the novel allows for that. The consequences continue to affect the characters and their relationships rather than existing simply as a plot device.
The push and pull between Hannah and Quinn was particularly compelling. There is so much love between them, but there is also a fundamental lack of trust that neither can simply wish away. Their relationship is delicate, complicated and damaged by everything that has happened, and that complexity was one of the most interesting parts of the novel.
For most of the book, everything felt frighteningly plausible. And then we get to the ending.
This is a very Australian novel, set firmly within an Australian reality, and Australia has restrictive gun laws. I simply didn’t believe the way the final encounter with Simon unfolded. After spending so much time creating a story that felt researched, thoughtful and real, the conclusion suddenly tipped into something far more heightened and fictional.
But the more I think about it, the gun itself isn’t even my biggest problem. It’s what that confrontation allows the story to do afterwards: tie everything up far too neatly.
Of course we want perpetrators of sexual violence to face justice. But one of the uncomfortable realities that much of this novel acknowledges is that they very often don’t. Victims aren’t always believed. Evidence isn’t always enough. People manipulate narratives, protect themselves and lie. Justice doesn’t necessarily arrive neatly enough to provide everyone with closure.
Yet suddenly, that’s essentially what we’re given.
I also cannot believe that Simon, faced with the police, wouldn’t immediately attempt to change the narrative. This is a man we’ve spent the novel understanding as manipulative and self-serving. Am I supposed to believe that at no point he would say, this woman coerced me and held me at gunpoint? That he wouldn’t do absolutely everything possible to undermine Quinn’s version of events and present himself as the victim? Instead, the ending effectively becomes: Oops, you’ve got me. I’m a serial predator.
I didn’t buy it.
Strangely, I think an unsatisfying conclusion might have been more satisfying. Not because I wanted Simon to escape consequences, but because it would have been more authentic to the story I’d spent the entire novel reading. Sometimes there isn’t justice. Sometimes there isn’t closure. Sometimes the damage remains, and people have to work out how to live with that.
Instead, this ending almost wipes the slate clean. It feels like the Hollywood adaptation of a much more complicated story: the version where everything has to be resolved before the credits roll so the audience isn’t sent home feeling too uncomfortable.
And I think The Favour had earned the right to make its reader uncomfortable.
More frustratingly, all of this takes attention away from Hannah and Quinn. Their relationship, with all that love sitting alongside mistrust, hurt and uncertainty, was far more interesting to me than a dramatic final showdown. I wanted the conclusion to sit with that complexity rather than bury it beneath an artificially neat resolution.
There’s a lot about The Favour that I genuinely admired. Its treatment of trauma and its consequences felt thoughtful, confronting and authentic. That’s exactly why the ending disappointed me so much. The novel spends so long embracing the messiness of reality, only to clean everything up at the moment when I most wanted it to remain messy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2026
The Favour by Rebecca Freeborn was such an interesting read. There were moments when the story felt so real that I almost felt like I was there, experiencing everything alongside the characters, which was quite crazy! Then, at other times, the thought process seemed almost impossible to understand.
But, on reflection, I actually think that was an important part of the story. When you look at it through the eyes of a survivor, the erratic decisions, acting without thinking and questioning everything suddenly make much more sense. It really made me stop and think about how people react when they are scared, vulnerable and trying to survive.
For me, this was ultimately a story about understanding, trust and the realisation that you can't always trust anyone! A thought-provoking read that definitely made me look at the characters and their choices differently as the story unfolded.
But, on reflection, I actually think that was an important part of the story. When you look at it through the eyes of a survivor, the erratic decisions, acting without thinking and questioning everything suddenly make much more sense. It really made me stop and think about how people react when they are scared, vulnerable and trying to survive.
For me, this was ultimately a story about understanding, trust and the realisation that you can't always trust anyone! A thought-provoking read that definitely made me look at the characters and their choices differently as the story unfolded.
July 17, 2021
The Favour written by Rebecca Freeman is a contemporary thriller. It follows the story of two friends Hannah and Quinn. They have gone through a lot of ups and downs with each other over the years and have managed to stay friends through it all especially with a dark secret tying them both together. Something terrible happens with Quinn and she is sexually assaulted by a work colleague. Her life has been turned upside down. What lengths would you go to for a friend?
I really enjoyed this book and finished it in a few days. I loved reading about both Hannah and Quinn and learning what happened between them many years ago and what tied them both together. The ending of the book is amazing and I loved it.
Please note: The book has trigger warnings for sexual abuse.
Thank you panterapress for the copy of this book for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this book and finished it in a few days. I loved reading about both Hannah and Quinn and learning what happened between them many years ago and what tied them both together. The ending of the book is amazing and I loved it.
Please note: The book has trigger warnings for sexual abuse.
Thank you panterapress for the copy of this book for an honest review.
March 14, 2022
I have been eager to read the authors other book ‘Misconception’ however it wasn’t available at my local library so I opted for this one instead... it wasn’t great. If a book is good I can usually finished it within a day or two.. but this one took a week.. I had no urge to pick it up.. to want to know more. I felt it was really really drawn out, I feel like it could have been so much more concise and parts that were described as ‘gripping’ or ‘captivating’ were ill described and lacking, I feel like it could have been so much better. On the plus side this is a South Australian author with the story set in Adelaide, very accurate on that front which was refreshing, especially being a local myself.
June 13, 2021
Quinn, a successful career woman working in an advertising agency.
Hannah, housewife with three kids married to Ethan who according to Quinn has taken Hannah for granted.
Quinn and Hannah have been best friends since their uni day. Quinn had done ONE BIG favour to help Hannah, and it's time for Hannah to return her favour now.
It's a bit flat and lack of twists, but I will still recommend this book as the story line and characters development are really good. The ending is the best, so be sure to put grab this book for your next reading.
Hannah, housewife with three kids married to Ethan who according to Quinn has taken Hannah for granted.
Quinn and Hannah have been best friends since their uni day. Quinn had done ONE BIG favour to help Hannah, and it's time for Hannah to return her favour now.
It's a bit flat and lack of twists, but I will still recommend this book as the story line and characters development are really good. The ending is the best, so be sure to put grab this book for your next reading.
November 17, 2024
3 stars.
Interesting idea, of the parallels between events that happened in teenage and adult years of best friends Hannah and Quinn's lives, but far too drawn-out for my liking. Possibly would have worked better read as opposed to listened to, the narrator wasn't overly amazing and I didn't felt captured the tension in the story as well as she could have.
I saw the ending coming from a mile away, from the time that , and that didn't help either!
Interesting idea, of the parallels between events that happened in teenage and adult years of best friends Hannah and Quinn's lives, but far too drawn-out for my liking. Possibly would have worked better read as opposed to listened to, the narrator wasn't overly amazing and I didn't felt captured the tension in the story as well as she could have.
I saw the ending coming from a mile away, from the time that , and that didn't help either!
April 22, 2021
An engrossing read.
A story of the darker side of friendship, when a long held secret and enormous debt owed is called on.
The difficult subject of sexual assault underpins the narrative and is portrayed in a very realistic way.
A story of the darker side of friendship, when a long held secret and enormous debt owed is called on.
The difficult subject of sexual assault underpins the narrative and is portrayed in a very realistic way.
January 5, 2024
I LOVED this book. A page turner and so easy and exciting to read. The content was definitely difficult but I thought the author handled it with such care and compassion and made two interesting, nuanced and often unlikeable (REAL) female characters.
July 10, 2025
This was readable, but did get on my nerves.
March 16, 2021
The Favour is a piercing portrait of female friendship that lays bare with brutal honesty the huge risks women take when they trust another with their darkest secrets. Indebtedness becomes a moral and personal burden in this fast-paced and gripping novel that will leave readers’ assessing the fault lines of their own friendships and wondering what might be at stake should they ever fracture. In Quinn and Hannah, Rebecca Freeborn has given us that rare quality in a story: frighteningly relatable characters that stay with readers long after they've turned the last page.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews