Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. And the book of the year! I loved this story so much. I went and put on the Cutting Edge the second I finished.

OMG, this book was absolutely insane! I've never felt this level of frustration and pure emotional chaos while reading in a while 😭 It had me on the edge of my seat the entire time, barely able to breathe, let alone put it down. The cliffhangers at the end of every chapter were like punches to the gut, making me need to turn the page immediately. And the interview-style format? Genius. It gave us a peek into everyone’s mind, showing how each person saw the same events through totally different lenses. It was brilliant, but man, it was frustrating in the best way. Thought-provoking, intense, and completely consuming. I was hooked from start to finish, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

an easy 5 stars!

This book had me hooked right away - drama (!!!), romance, ice skating, childhood friends to lovers, rivals, angst, tension, chemistry, twists and turns ( both literary & on the ice) … what more could a girl ask for??

I haven't stopped thinking about this book or these characters since I finished reading! I really wish I could somehow watch Kat & Heath skate in real life but in the meantime I'll have to manifest a book to screen adaptation (please please please).

I can't wait to re-read on audio - I've heard amazing things about the full cast narration!

a HUGE thank you to Random house for sending over an advanced copy! 💕

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Random House, and Layne Fargo for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review. I love this book so much! It reminds me of the movie Cutting Edge and TJR’s previous books. I love the writing style of multiple POV’s, flashbacks, and the interview style all mixed in together. This is a fantastic book and highly recommend it to anyone who loves women’s fiction, romance, coming of age stories, and ice skating. This will be one of my favorites of 2025! Thank you again for allowing me to review this book.

This was such a fun, stressful, and addicting read! If you grew up on CW TV shows and are now a fan of the Magnolia Parks books, you'll definitely enjoy this.
Layne Fargo really chose the format (a mix of of documentary interviews and the story told from Kat's perspective) well, and uses it not only to enhance the suspense and tension throughout the book but also to create captivating characters.
You can definitely feel the Wuthering Heights retelling aspect at the start of the book, executed in a very original way, but the story eventually takes on a life of its own. It truly feels like a TV drama, mixing contemporary events and culture with the story seamlessly, and it even had me convinced it had to be real and googling real-life ice dancers and their stories by the end.

Oh boy. I was super excited to pick this book up due to all of the early 5 star reviews I saw; however, this book did not work for me at all. I did not enjoy any of the characters, the plot line or the fact that the issues just keep repeating themselves over and over. I felt like I was reading a young adult novel the whole time.

I will leave my thoughts there as I do not have one positive thing to say about this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for allowing me to read an early copy.

Everyone in this book is terrible, which tracks for a Wuthering Heights retelling. However, unlike in Wuthering Heights, I struggled to feel anything about Kat or Heath and most of the book felt like being told things but never really going deeper on anything. The ending was a letdown for me as well.

3.5 rounded up

By far and away, my favorite experience with this book was the audiobook production! Reminiscent of Daisy Jones and the Six, the cast of characters made this story come alive. Former ice skating competitor, @johnnygweir, absolutely stole the show!!

Initially, I wasn’t interested in this story - I like ice skating enough, but don’t really know a whole lot about it - but then I started seeing rave reviews! For the first 50%, I was all in - finding reasons to do chores around the house - wanting to listen to it as fast as possible. Then somewhere along the way, the steam ran out of my engine and I began having to force myself to finish.

I think the drama started to be a bit much for me, I began liking Katarina less and less (by the end, I really couldn’t stand her at all), and I was frustrated by some of the turns the story took. Regardless, I do not regret the experience because the audiobook truly is top notch. I’m not sure I would have finished had I read the print version of this one, so trust everyone when they tell you audio is the way to go!

4.5 overall. Holy cow. I am unwell *and* completely satisfied. It was messy and compulsive and enthralling. I honestly want to reread it already and know that it’s going to be an ideal read as the Olympics roll around (also ice dancing is the perfect sport for this type of book, no notes)

The Favorites by Layne Fargo is everything. The format, the drama, the setting, the character dynamics, it all works so well together. The story never drags on and truly brings you into their world over the course of many years.

Absolutely loved! This book was so addicting from the first page. I loved the the format with there being documentary chapters and then chapters from Kat's POV. I flew through this book needing to know what happened next. I know knowing about ice dancing but this book made you feel like you were in the ice rink with them. So much drama! The relationship between Kat and Heath is just part of it. I could definitely see this being made into a TV series.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for an ARC of the Favorites by Layne Fargo for an honest review.

There were parts of this book that I loved and parts that dragged. I think the idea and storyline was definitely fresh and exciting as a reader. I’m not going to lie Bella and Heayh getting together ruined it for me but I stick it out until the end. 3.5 stars

If you combine ‘Daisy Jones and The Six’ vibes with ice skating, you’ve got this book rolled up in a nutshell. I was completely immersed in the story and I loved how it incorporated the interview/documentary style too. I have no doubt it will be one of the most popular books of 2025! Thanks so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. Pub day was 1/14/25 - it’s out now!

The Favorites was book full of young emotion, ambition, and idealism. It was sometimes tense at it explored themes jealousy and toxic friendships through a variety of characters. The book was entertaining but occasionally faltered in its pacing and the depth of its character development. Halfway through reading I learned it was a retelling of Wuthering Heights. I am undecided if I enjoyed knowing that or if it distracted me while reading, trying to find parallels.

4.5 stars

This was a shockingly fun time. My expectations were low, as I didn't love "They Never Learn" by this author, and I probably wouldn't have even requested this ARC had I realized it was a "Wuthering Heights" retelling, but wow am I glad I missed that. Because this was a banger. I can't even really articulate what I liked about it, or really compare it to other books I've also rated highly, because it wasn't good in the same ways? I don't know. But oof. I have read several books since this one and am still pining for it and reading/watching more ice skating things to try to fill the void. Unsuccessfully.

I don't read a lot of books where the main plot is romance, and even though this is classified as a sports romance, it felt more like a romance between Kat and ice skating than it did between Kat and Heath. Much like in "Wuthering Heights", I didn't really care much about Heath(cliff). But I loved Kat in this. She was scrappy, bitchy, determined, and not afraid to be herself, even if that meant people didn't like her. Kat loved skating, and Heath loved Kat. Obviously that's pretty unhealthy and led to a lot of problems, but man was it fun to read about.

The narration style in this flipflops between Kat telling the story in first person, thinking back on the events years later, and interviews with their friends and rivals who witnessed the events, being recorded for a "10 years later" documentary. Something that ended their ice dancing partnership happened at the Olympics, and the book tells us everything that led up to that big moment, starting from when Kat and Heath are 16-year-old hopefuls. I found the portions about the training and competing and the world of ice dancing and their fame more entertaining than the romance itself, but it all weaved together so well. I've seen people mention "Daisy Jones and the Six" as a comp for this, and while it's not as emotionally fraught as that one for me (which I gave 5 stars) I definitely get the vibe. This would make a great movie or TV show, and I need it immediately so I can fall back into this story all over again. Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book drew my attention right from the start since I have a son who does on line skating shows where he interviews former skaters and comments on their past performances as well as current skating shows. The author was spot on with a lot of the drama surrounding the competitions. The dialog amongst the professionals at the end of each chapter was perfect. I love the way the author portrayed their determination to win and the hard work it entailed. While writing about the skaters, she also showed their fragility as they try to balance out their professional lives with their career goals. She also details their costumes in relation to their music which is a very important aspect in skating. Well written!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
#TheFavorites #LayneFargo #NetGalley

The comparisons to "Daisy Jones and the Six" are legit. If you were at all turned off by the cover like I was, don't let that deter you. "The Favorites" by Layne Fargo is first and foremost a love story that draws you in from the first page. If you love a good scandal-ly, gossipy story and watch a lot of docu-series about the rich and famous, I highly recommend this book! Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The drama was very well written.. there was a lot of ups and downs and the sort of behind the scenes/interviews were a great addition rather than just one POV
I think the FMC is supposed to be a little frustrating, but sometimes I wish it wasn't written so coldly
I didn't vibe with the beginning but the middle to end, all the drama and everything was definitely indulgent and easy to fall into and I thought the plot twists were super interesting
Was definitely a hit of the new year and I see why it's so hyped!

Well, this book has become my personality. I am OBSESSED. I did the audiobook for this one and adored the full cast of narrators - Johnny Weir was such a lovely addition. I had no idea this was a Wuthering Heights retelling until I was finished reading so if you love that one you will need to check this out. This will easily make my top books of the year list - I never wanted it to end!

I want to preface that this is not a bad book or badly written. It actually is so well written and thought out. With that being said, I hated it. I need to be able to latch onto one person I love and adore in a novel but I hated everyone which made me not care about the novel.

Also - we are built up this entire time focusing on Katarina’s goal of becoming a gold olympic winner just for the ending to fall so flat. I was just so angry.

the only interesting part of the novel was the sabotage at the end and the whodunnit. everything else was repetitive and annoying. i was over bella as being Kat’s best friend because they were not best friends they were actually people who hated each other. and heath was literally a flawed individual who couldn’t wait to make Kat angry because he knew she would come back. like i am so sorry i didn’t like this novel but like also, it is what it is. people will like this novel for what it is and for how it feels like a documentary about someone real (think Daisy Jones and the 6 or Honey) and this just didn’t cut out well for me even while loving Daisy Jones and tolerating Honey.