This novel tells the story of a (fictional) famous ice dancing couple, Kat and Heath, set in the 1990s-early 2000s. Most of the book is told from the perspective of Kat, looking back at their lives from small kids to all the ups and downs of their relationship and career. Interspersed are interviews with various people who knew them, documentary-style. Think Carrie Soto Is Back or Daisy Jones & the Six, but about the competitive world of ice dancing.

I totally could not put this one down, such an entertaining ride with the documentary structure also creating a bit of mystery. I will say I found Kat and Heath’s relationship kind of toxic so it kept me from finding this to be an epic love story like the book blurbs proclaim. But I still enjoyed every minute of reading it! If you’re looking for something to tide you over til the next Taylor Jenkins Reid book, look no farther!

4.25 stars

Much like Kat and Heath were obsessed with each other, I am obsessed with this book. I have a feeling it is going to be my favorite book of 2025. It is THAT good!!! The hype is real.

I'm aging myself here, but for those of us who were around in the 90's, this gave Nancy Kerrigan/Tonya Harding/Kristi Yamaguchi Olympics vibes, except The Favorites focuses on pairs ice dancing, not figure skating. It was such a fun read. I could not put it down! It is full of drama, backstabbing, toxic relationships, unlikable characters (except Garrett... loved him!), and wild love. I thoroughly enjoyed the format- part documentary commentary, part Kat's point of view.

If you love Taylor Jenkins Reid and enjoyed Carrie Soto Is Back, you will devour this one. Hats off to Layne Fargo for crushing it. I also loved her other book, They Never Learn. If you enjoyed this one, I highly suggest reading that one too.

This didn’t hit the mark for me. There’s so much hype about this book right now, and I was expecting more?

The first half of the book kinda had me reeled in, but by second half I was bored. I started out reading on kindle but listened to most on audio. I recommend the audio, as it’s easier to follow and more entertaining.

I didn’t connect with the characters. There’s messy relationships and lackluster chemistry.

I do however like how this dives into what may go on behind the scenes of a professional sport like ice dancing. The writing style was different but good.

This is the story of two toxic ice dancers and their dream to become Olympic gold medalists told in a documentary style way. It was such a unique concept and I loved the author kept the chapters short. The tension and angst I felt the entire time reading kept me wanting to go… “just one more chapter”. When I say Kat & Heath but the toxic in toxic relationships, that’s understatement. However, the author does a good job of still making you feel connected to them and wanting to root for them to succeed. At some points, I actually had a stomach ache bc I was so stressed over what was going to happen 😂. Definitely a memorable book that I won’t forget for a while.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 !!!

"We were adults, and we were children, and we were skating at the Olympics and also on the frozen lake back home, laughing and twirling and holding each other tight. It felt like flying and falling and being caught, all in the same instant."

When I read The favorites' blurb I was immediately captivated: childhood best friends who become Olympics skaters??? SIGN ME UP. I can easily describe Heath and Kat's story as dysfunctional, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. However I don't think that their love story is the center of the book, it's more about their journey as a figure skating couple. Also, I could understand if someone didn't like Kat as a main character because she's so self-absorbed and focused on her goal, but I really enjoyed her ambition and determination,

This book was messy, full of drama and angst... of course I loved it! Kat and Heath’s story is told through a documentary / interview style similar to Daisy Jones and the Six and I found this narrative style incredibly engaging; the main POV is Kat’s but in this way the author was able to show us the comments and thoughts of all the other characters, so it was really interesting imo. This book was beautifully written! Among all the secondary characters, I appreciated Garrett Lin the most: his voice felt like a breath of fresh air, a reliable character in a very competitive and shady environment.

Good thing I’m not Katarina Shaw though because I never would have survived all those betrayals and twists, but I enjoyed reading her story from the sideline 👀

What more can I say to convince you? If you have an hyperfixation on ice skating and drama like me, The favorites is perfect for you!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC!

Firstly, I would like to say I really wanted to enjoy this. I read "Wuthering Heights" last year and it was an adventure for sure. The main reasons why I enjoyed it was because Emily Bronte's writing is very beautiful, and her characters are utterly ridiculous. It was hilarious to me to read people acting super toxic in that time period. Just humans being humans no matter the timeline. In a hypocritical fashion, I've realized that a modern day "Wuthering Heights" inspired story is just not for me and sadly I did not finish this title. I will say that I really did like the interview style parts. I wish the entire book was written that way.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!

TOXIC romance and I didn't really like any of the characters. BUT it was still a fun read?! lol. So, I guess I hate read it? I enjoyed the premise and writing style. I need to read Wuthering Heights and see if that changes anything for me. 😅

Wow oh wow. This book was everything to me. I am obsessed with Heath and Kat and their story. This book was jam packed with drama and action, and figure skating and longing. The stakes always felt so high and I was addicted to reading, I had to find out where this story was headed and what would happen to Heath and Kat's Olympic medal hopes, as well as their personal relationship. This book was truly incredible, and I cannot wait to read anything else this author publishes.

The Favorites by Layne Fargo was an intense, thought-provoking and gripping story from the very beginning.
Her characters come to life and she shows so much emotion throughout them.
I truly enjoyed reading this book and look forward to her next one.

The Favorites by Layne Fargo tells the story of Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha- two small town ice dancers who make it big and end up competing at the Olympics. The book reads like a documentary of the two and their journey from obscurity to champions- complete with commentary from reporters. It really enjoyed this book despite some parts seeming a bit repetitive for me. This would make a fantastic tv series! Perfect for fans of the Daisy Jones style of book/audiobook.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5
Book: The Favorites by Layne Fargo
Genre: Women’s Fiction

I was absolutely hooked by this book!!!! Layne Fargo’s The Favorites is such an incredible, modern spin on Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, but this time it is set in the cutthroat world of competitive figure skating. The book totally nails the same wild, obsessive vibes as Emily Brontë’s classic. Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha have this fiery, intense relationship that feels so much like Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff. Even their names are little nods to Brontë’s original, which is such a fun touch! The book pulls you right into the drama from the very first few pages—there is ambition, jealousy, revenge, and all these big emotions playing out in a high-stakes skating world. It is just so addictive.

I have to say, Wuthering Heights has been my all-time favorite book EVER since I read it in my senior year of high school. The passion and drama in it totally blew me away, and it has stayed with me ever since. So when I saw that The Favorites was a reimagining, I was all in—and it did not disappoint!

If you loved Brontë’s masterpiece, you will totally catch those familiar themes: wild love, societal pressure, and the whole doomed-but-can’t-look-away romance. But The Favorites also brings this fresh, modern energy with a feminist twist that makes it totally its own thing. Katarina and Heath’s chemistry is off the charts, and the little winks to Wuthering Heights made me love it even more. This one is an easy five stars—completely gripping and so much fun to read!!

Thank you so much to #NetGalley @netgalley and @randomhouse Random House Publishing for sending me this wonderful eARC in exchange for my honest review. #TheFavorites #NetGalley

My review is posted on my instagram and goodreads today! (15Jan2025)
https://www.instagram.com/p/DE3cnYGSkm7/
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7199940548

𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝑹𝑬𝑽𝑰𝑬𝑾
𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙵𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚜 - 𝙻𝚊𝚢𝚗𝚎 𝙵𝚊𝚛𝚐𝚘

Genre: Sports Romance / Women’s Fiction
Format: Kindle
Length: 464 pages
Pub date: January 14 (OUT NOW!!!)
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5)

𝚀𝚞𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜:
“𝖨𝗆𝖺𝗀𝗂𝗇𝖾 𝖻𝖾𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖽𝗈𝗐𝗇 𝗌𝗈 𝖻𝖺𝖽 𝗒𝗈𝗎’𝖽 𝗆𝖺𝗌𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝖺 𝗐𝗁𝗈𝗅𝖾 𝖮𝗅𝗒𝗆𝗉𝗂𝖼 𝗌𝗉𝗈𝗋𝗍 𝗍𝗈 𝗌𝗉𝖾𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖾 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗌𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗈𝗇𝖾.”

“𝖨 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾𝖽 𝖧𝖾𝖺𝗍𝗁 𝖱𝗈𝖼𝗁𝖺 𝖻𝖾𝖿𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝖨 𝗄𝗇𝖾𝗐 𝗐𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾 𝗐𝖺𝗌.”

“𝖳𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝖿𝗋𝖾𝖾 𝖽𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗋𝗒 𝗈𝖿 𝗎𝗌: 𝖧𝖾𝖺𝗍𝗁 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗆𝖾, 𝗌𝗉𝗂𝗇𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖺𝗐𝖺𝗒 𝖿𝗋𝗈𝗆 𝖾𝖺𝖼𝗁 𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝗌𝖾𝖼𝗈𝗇𝖽, 𝗈𝗇𝗅𝗒 𝗍𝗈 𝖼𝗅𝗎𝗍𝖼𝗁 𝖾𝖺𝖼𝗁 𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝖼𝗅𝗈𝗌𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗇𝖾𝗑𝗍. 𝖭𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗌𝗍𝗂𝗅𝗅, 𝗇𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗌𝗂𝗆𝗉𝗅𝖾, 𝖺𝗅𝗐𝖺𝗒𝗌 𝗉𝗎𝗌𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗉𝗎𝗅𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗀, 𝗌𝗁𝖺𝗍𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖾𝖺𝖼𝗁 𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗉𝗎𝗍𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗉𝗂𝖾𝖼𝖾𝗌 𝖻𝖺𝖼𝗄 𝗍𝗈𝗀𝖾𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝖺𝗀𝖺𝗂𝗇.”

🤍childhood friends to lovers
⛸️ice dancing
🤍betrayal
⛸️tension
🤍drama

I LOVED “They Never Learn” and when I saw that Layne was coming out with a new book, I knew I had to get my hands on it. When I read the synopsis and learned that it wasn’t a thriller, I was even more intrigued!

Y’ALL. If I could rate this SIX stars, I would!!! ⭐️✨ I DEVOURED this book and can see myself thinking about it for a LONG time. You’re guaranteed to go on a hell of an emotional rollercoaster while reading The Favorites! There were times I cried, I giggled and I even gasped (at quite a few parts😱).

You know the writer is fantastic when I could visualize everything playing out like a movie in my head. AND speaking of that, can we get a movie adaptation soon? Please and thank you!☺️

Also, I heard that the audiobook was an even better reading experience because of the full cast. WHEN I do a reread, I’ll definitely be listening to the audiobook! 🎧

Thank you to @netgalley , @randomhouse + @laynefargo for this arc in exchange for an honest review!! 🫶🏽

Katarina Shaw has always had one goal in mind: make it to the Olympics for ice dancing (a type of figure skating). She meets an unlikely partner in Heath Rocha, a foster care kid who admires her from the side of the ice until she invites him to join. They quickly become inseparable as they fall deeply in love on and off the ice. They are on the rise in the figure skating world, until calamity strikes at the Olympic Games, effectively ending their partnership. Things continue to spiral as they go from lovers to rivals.

Okay, this book was such a hit for me! It really reminded me of Daisy Jones and TJR’s writing style. There are interviews littered throughout with short, page-turning chapters. I loved Katarina and Heath’s climb to fame, and their conflicts with the Lin twins. The audiobook narration was on point, I loved listening to all of the different narrators. I couldn’t wait to see how this one ended. It was a bit long, but it was so cinematic. I could picture all of the performances and I loved Fargo’s writing.

Layne Fargo has done it again, delivering a story that had me hooked from start to finish! I never thought I’d be this invested in ice skating since the days of Tonya Harding, but this book completely changed that. The way Fargo captures the high stakes, the drama, and the raw emotion behind the scenes of such a competitive sport is nothing short of incredible.

While reading along, I opted for the audiobook, and let me tell you—the full-cast narration brought this story to life in the most vivid way. Each character felt distinct and dynamic, and the audio experience was like watching a juicy, behind-the-scenes VH1 documentary. The drama, the rivalries, and the cutthroat ambition practically leaped off the page (and out of my speakers).

It was so immersive that I found myself unable to stop. Every chapter made me eager for more, and the mix of tension, ambition, and personal stakes was perfect. This book isn’t just about ice skating—it’s about power, resilience, and the lengths people will go to chase their dreams. Fargo has a way of making even the most niche settings feel universally gripping, and I can’t recommend this one enough!

I started reading the e-galley of this and was completely turned off by the very adult relationship these 14, 15, 16 years olds had. I'm so glad someone told me to try the audio - because gosh it's a whole vibe. I want the made for TV mini-series ASAP.

This book has CLAWS and I was absolutely here for it. It leans heavily into the drama and deception, and elite ice dancing provides a perfect venue for the story. Kat is an incredible character, and her passion and refusal to play by arbitrary rules, especially those for women, had me cheering her on.

I have a feeling this one’s gonna be one of my favorite reads of 2025 — with the feeling of TJR’s Carrie Soto is Back, Shaw and Rocha gave me chills and I could visualize every scene that was in the book and feel all of the angst, frustration, and need involved.

SPEECHLESS!!! 10/10 BREAK MY HEART ALL OVER AGAIN!
ok i went into this thinking it was a full blown love story, so ima stop you before you become entangled in this clusterf of a story.
this is brutal and heartbreaking but so beautiful and raw.
its a story or determination, and love, and crawling out of the depths only to be pushed down and forced to get back up on those ice skates again and again.
while it does center around the relationship of kat and heath it also focuses on kats self driven focus and i loved that so much. she knew what she wanted and was going to strive for it.
i don't know how else to talk about this without getting emotional. this is REAL LIFE ok, so not everything is perfect and things are going to happen in this story that 100% happen irl.
layne fargo i can't wait to see what you come up with next.
thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this ARC
also must listen on audio!!!

What a WILD, dramatic, and shocking read!

To put it simply, I finished reading this book two days ago and I'm STILL thinking about it constantly. This was without a doubt a very addictive read. Every time I became comfortable with the story or thought I knew the direction it was heading, a new wrench was thrown into the mix. Surprise after surprise. Shock after shock.

I also really liked how different this book was. I had no idea what I was getting into picking this book up aside from knowing that it featured figure skating. I definitely didn't expect it to be the dramatic and suspenseful story that it ended up being.

If you like a highly dramatic read, this book is the one for you. Think of the most dramatic show you've ever seen and this book probably gives that show some competition. I think my mouth was ajar half the time I was reading because I couldn't believe everything that was happening.

From the writing to the storytelling, this novel really did remind me of a style similar to Taylor Jenkins Reid. I couldn't help but be reminded of both "Daisy Jones & The Six" and "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" while I was reading.

I think this will be a top read for many in 2025 due to the shock factor of this novel as well as the addictive and obsessive nature in how this story unfolds.

***Thank you to Random House for sending me an e-ARC of this novel to read and review.***

⛸️Book Review⛸️
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Thank you so much @prhaudio and @laynefargo . I finished this book last week have been in a book hangover since. This book absolutely engrossed me, the audio is spectacular and a full cast 👌🏻. Incredible drama and romance, the world of skating is just so cut throat. I can’t stop thinking about Katrina and Heath, I can’t recommend this enough. It’s masterfully told and just an all around fantastic listen, highly highly recommend the audio it’s a work of art 😭
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Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Summary- She might not have a famous name, funding, or her family’s support, but Katarina Shaw has always known that she was destined to become an Olympic skater. When she meets Heath Rocha, a lonely kid stuck in the foster care system, their instant connection makes them a formidable duo on the ice. Clinging to skating—and each other—to escape their turbulent lives, Kat and Heath go from childhood sweethearts to champion ice dancers, captivating the world with their scorching chemistry, rebellious style, and roller-coaster relationship.

Until a shocking incident at the Olympic Games brings their partnership to a sudden end.

As the ten-year anniversary of their final skate approaches, an unauthorized documentary reignites the public obsession with Shaw and Rocha, claiming to uncover the “real story” through interviews with their closest friends and fiercest rivals. Kat wants nothing to do with the documentary, but she can’t stand the thought of someone else defining her legacy. So, after a decade of silence, she’s telling her story: from the childhood tragedies that created her all-consuming bond with Heath to the clash of desires that tore them apart.
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QOTD- do you watch the Olympics ? If so what is your favorite sport? I personally love the gymnastics and ice skating 🥰
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