This reminded me in a way of Daisy Jones and the Six, and in still other ways Taylor Jenkins Reid’s style. But I will be honest, I am DNFing at 40%. I think other people will like it, but it just wasn’t grabbing me though I think that’s my fault for not selecting something slightly different.

Oh, the feels of this Reed. This was a new to me author and I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The roller coaster ride is unmatched from other novels that I’ve read, and I’ve read a lot. The author gives up behind-the-scenes Glimpse into the competitive ice dance skating world and the characters that she builds our dynamic. Kat and Rocha grew up in one another’s lives and their motivations keep them forever entwined together as the unlikely, the determined, and the favorites. The influences of the skating world will have readers suspicious and cheering all at the same time. I LOVE the real-life ending!

Katarina Shaw wants to win - no matter what. Her lifelong love Heath Rocha wants to win - because it's what Kat wants. In the cutthroat world of competitive ice dancing, these scrappy nobodies from the Midwest have a lot to prove to the West Coast elites. When the spotlight is on them, sometimes they shine... and sometimes, they get burned.

Interspersed with documentary-interview commentary looking back on the legacy of Shaw & Rocha on the ice and off, the book is full of sharp characters and fun plot twists. I came to the story expecting drama, revenge, ice-cold competitors and sequins. I got all of that, but also more heart and humor than I was expecting. Layne Fargo has a solid gold winner here.

The way I zoomed through this without realizing how long it really was! Layne Fargo has easily become an auto buy author for me. Every story written by her consumes you from the first page!

It has taken me a long time to write a review of this book. I'd argue that this is actually for a good reason - the plot, the characters the time skips everything was so wild it truly has taken me a month to go over my throughts on this.

" The favorites " has been strongly influenced by Catherine and Heathcliffs relationship from wuthering heights. Hence, the events of this book are less of a romantic tale, and more so of an exploration of the bond between two incredibly traumatized people amidst the competitive and quite cruel environment of professional sports.

There were so many emotions that this book evoked. I cheered, I raged, I needed the two characters together, I needed them to stay far away from each other (or at least I had to tell myself HEYYY THESE PEOPLE ARENT GOOD FOR EACH OTHER. STOP SHIPPING THEM RIGHT NOW THEY ARE GONNA DESTROY ONE ANOTHER) (and be very sexy while doing so, but still-). I felt the burning need for them to win their competitions as hard as the fmc did (and trust me the ambition and seer determination she had towards winning? Um chefs kiss. If you're looking for a book with a perfectionist "all or nothing" character this is for you.)

The exploration of racism in the sport and Hollywood as a whole, was also done to perfection. Heath as well as the original Heathcliff an abandoned boy finding comfort in an extremely temperamental, abused young girl, and growing extremely dependent on her, unable to handle the slightest rejection from his saviour as he sees her? Oh yeah I was obsessed.

The side characters were also quite a colorful cast displaying different aspects of just how much fame and unhealthy sportsmanship can ruin ones mental health. I cannot believe we have to wait THIS long for the book to come out! I sense or at least strongly hope it will be a hit as soon as it's released!

Thank you for the ARC of this book.
The book is well-written, very well thought out, and keeps a good pace for most of the book.
While I know nothing about ice skating, I can appreciate all the details that went into this book. I enjoyed the characters, though they had the ability to really piss you off at times.
I think the only downfall of this book, is that it feels a little drawn out. I feel like it could've been several chapters shorter.
I look forward to reading more by this author and hope everyone enjoys this book as I did.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of this book.

Oh, Layne Fargo. You did it again. When I read They Never Learn a couple of years ago, I was blown away. Not only was it a fantastic read, but it really had me wondering if Fargo was my dark doppelgänger (the book so closely paralleled my real life that it sort of freaked me out--not the serial killer part of the novel, but all the rest 😊). When I saw the topic of this book--totally different from They Never Learn--I wasn't sure if she could hit it out of the park again. Spoiler alert: she did.

This book takes us to the insanely competitive world of ice dancing. Our protagonist is part of a dancing couple with serious baggage. Like, Catherine and Heathcliff baggage. Exactly like Catherine and Heathcliff baggage: this is a loose re-telling of Wuthering Heights (yeah, one of my favorite novels on the planet. Does Fargo really know me??). The multilayered narrative takes us back to the passion and dysfunction in the Bronte novel while also providing a brand new topic with loads of tension and suspense. And that all makes this an amazing read.

I was also impressed by the complexity of the protagonist Kat's character. She'd be easy to hate (as she tells us on page 1) but Fargo allows her full experiences to shape her and to help to show readers how an ambitions woman isn't a BAD woman (though that is often how such women are framed). And the diversions from the canonical Withering Heights tale allow this story to breathe with new life.

A great book. Read it. And I hope Layne Fargo keeps them coming.

Perfect for fans of Carrie Soto is Back and Challengers! This passionate retelling of Wuthering Heights follows Katarina and Health as they enter the world of competitive ice skating and all that it entails, from romance to sabotage. I quite enjoyed the difference in POVS. We got to see what those in the documentary had to say, as well as Kat's side of the story. There were times where the pacing felt a bit off to me but, overall, I would say that the dramatics of this retelling would make Emily Bronte proud! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an arc of The Favorites.

I loved this and I will read anything Layne Fargo ever writes. I found the beginning a little slow, but once it picked up it really gripped me. I really appreciate the ability to read this early

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me access to this book prior to the publication date.

This book is ripe with surprises around every turn. It’s filled with heartbreak, childhood love, and reunion. Betrayal and scandal are the key players in this story with Kat and Heath being perfect foils for one another.

The amount of character development in this book was absolutely outstanding. I feel as though I truly understood each of these characters, despite the constant twists and turns. With the amount of characters, it was interesting to see them develop over time and their relationship with one another develop.

Even with the fast pace movement of the story keeping me interested, there were moments that drug on. The repetitive nature of the different competitions was the reason for this, but it was interesting to see the different results from the same events.

Overall, I cannot recommend this book enough.

Layne Fargo knows how to tell an excellent story. Her writing is top-notch, especially the way she writes women, and although very different from her debut this book is equally enjoyable. I look forward to reading more of her work.

I am obsessed with this book! It is easily one of the best fiction books of 2024. This book was exciting, frustrating, I really connected with the characters, and I loved all the twist and turns. Thank you to NetGalley, and the publisher for the ARC.

Such a great intro into the world of ice dancing and the Olympics without being too technical and boring the reader! This is a story of perseverance and rags to riches with a reminder that nothing comes without cost. There were definitely parts that made me uncomfortable and were hard to read because I wanted everything to be perfect but that’s not life! Life is messy and imperfect and hard sometimes.

Excellent book! It has everything-hardship-love-competition-and who doesn't love the Olympics! This book was so good. I love the perspective of how it was written, I feel like you could see the people in front of the TV screen as they were being interviewed. The amount of detail and description made the story pop so vividly. I feel like it is well on it's way to be a limited series on Netflix, Prime, or some other streaming platform and I sure hope they do it soon! It would definitely do well on the t.v. and it's halfway there already with the way the bookw as written. The development of the characters and the rawness of the relationships really made this a fantastic read. I will definitely be checking out other books by this author! It is definitely a hit and worth of a gold medal for sure! #thefavorites

“The Favorites” by Layne Fargo is a fantastic look into the world of competitive ice dancing. It is one of the best books I have read this year and for sure a runaway best seller for Ms. Fargo. The story revolves around two young skaters who grow up focused on the ultimate goal of Olympic Gold medals. We live life along with them as they are partnered with the twins of an iconic multi gold medal winner to train, compete and love right into adulthood. The reality of winning in the skating world is cutthroat & ruthless. The toll it takes on relationships within the sport and for the family and friends on the outside is shocking and presented in a very honest way. The obsession to win is hard to read at some points but I became so invested in the characters I could not put the book down. Huge credit to the author for making the characters so alive, and for the documentary style the book was penned as it made the story even more compelling.
I wish I had more than 5 stars to give as it was a 10 out of 10 for me!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

*brb, calling my agent to see if I can get the rights to adapt this for screen*

Layne Fargo spins a narrative that is as propulsive as a skater on ice— and every bit as nail-biting, with its hairpin turns and precarious maneuvers. The Favorites is a delicious dive into the world of competitive ice dancing that is part character study, part romance, part thriller, and *all* drama. Alternating between documentary-style interviews, descriptions of archival footage, and aspiring Olympian Kat Shaw’s first person POV as the events unfold, the structure resembles that of Daisy Jones and the Six. But unlike so many of the derivative attempts to follow in the footsteps of that bestseller, this book manages to thwart imitation with its unique setting and sky-high stakes, living up to its predecessor. While it may not be as literary, it is every bit as compelling, if not more so. Coming to this with a passing interest in figure skating (ie I catch glimpses of it every four years, on the TV at the gym) and zero knowledge of ice dancing, it is a testament to Fargo’s writing that she was able to make me so thoroughly invested, right from the beginning, and keep me in her thrall to the last page. And, making her challenge even greater, Fargo serves up an array of morally questionable characters who could easily have been dismissed as superficial gossips at best, and sociopaths, at worst. These are not the sanitized idols you see smiling graciously from the trinitron, nor are they one-dimensional villains. Instead, they are deeply flawed and deeply human.

The Favorites by Layne Fargo is a dramatic and emotional story about a dance skater pair that grow up in the world of competition. The story is well paced chapters (past (1998ish-2010) to present) that are broken apart with interviews (present) from people who were involved.

We get a lot in this book in terms of character development and plot. There is personal growth for each main character. We see friendships and relationships develop, break, and reform. The main characters are Katarina (skater), her partner Heath, Bella and Garrett Lin (twins of a famous ice skater), Sheila Lin (the famous ice skater and the coach), other skaters, russian rival skaters, and olympic judges. We really see the difficulty that the skaters have maintaining relationships and staying true to themselves in an environment that breeds ruthless competition.

The setting is mainly the Lin Ice Academy until we start to see the skaters start to compete in the olympics. If you ever watched make it or break it it gives off similar vibes but instead of gymanstics it is ice skating.

This is the story of a woman who gives her entire life to the sport and we see her mature from being a competitive skater who is after the gold to a dedicated and graceful athlete.

There is emotion, messiness, a little bit of sabotage, and a whole lot of drama.

THE FAVORITES by Layne Fargo
Thank you to Random House Group and NetGalley for the pleasure of reading this book.
My mom loved watching figure skating and her all time favourite was Canada’s Sweetheart, Barbara Anne Scott (1948 Olympic champion and the only Canadian Ladies’ single winner of the Gold medal). When the figure skating show came to the city we were there and when they were on tv we watched. Her passion for the figure skaters never dwindled and when dancing was added to the figure skating program, she watched the competitions avidly (more loyal than the most loyal hockey fan) and now that she is no longer with us, we still hold her close and continue the tradition.
Reading The Favourites was fascinating. It made me recall the different scandals and injustices that prevailed in the real world of figure skating (Harding vs Kerrigan, Sale and Pelletier losing gold at 2002 Olympics) and the mentality that prevail for an athlete to win is the only option. The ten-year journey of Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha, their love for each other and her obsession to win an Olympic Gold medal was at times difficult to read. I imagined that the way they danced on the ice might have had more chemistry than Canadian pairs Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir (sometimes you had to wonder how the ice did not melt). Imagine the drive, the struggles, the dedication it took the figure skaters, pairs, dance, singles, balanced on the thin edge of a blade, to glide so effortlessly across the ice in their dips, twirls, and jumps.
Fargo did an incredible job in writing characters that came alive on the page. The situations Katarina and Heath, and the others, found themselves in and the raw emotions that they displayed was at time joyous and at others heart wrenching. The format of interviewing the different people involved in Kat and Heath’s journey, 10 years later for a documentary was very affective. Seeing all characters later too, added depth to the story too.
This novel is for all readers not just for figure skating fans as I am sure ALL athletes in all the sports must be super focused to meet the challenges, they and others set for them.
Overall, this novel is a gold medal winner

I am obsessed with this book, there is a short supply of figure skating books in the world, and this one is fantastic. There are nods to Tonya Harding, as well as the 2002 Salt Lake Olympic scandal, with enough of its own Greek tragedy to really pull at the heart strings.

I loved the format, told between Katarina’s past and the documentary interview style in the future. It reminded me a lot of the Meddling documentary, and I could see the book really come to life that way. I think it would make an incredible movie or tv show.

I was on edge for most of the book, similar to how on edge it is to watch figure skating. A delicate balance, where one misstep or wrong edge can send you spiraling out of a delicate program. It made me happy, it made me cry, I devoured it as fast as I could.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for allowing me this ARC of The Favorites by Layne Fargo.

I loved this novel. It was very 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo -esk and I loved every minute of it.

This is the story of Katarina Shaw and Heath Roush. Two ice dancers (similar to ice skaters) who are trying to make it to the Olympics. They both come from nothing and end up in one of the most well known ice dance schools in the world.

The book is written mostly in Katarina’s atm pov as she is growing up, but there is also the documentary pov. Commentary from family, Rivals, friends, etc. We know that something big happened, but aren’t sure what it is. I love a good scandal.

I would encourage everyone to give this book a chance. The writing was impeccable and the story was incredible.

The twist at the end left me shook. Don’t sleep on this one!