Happy release day!! This was everythingggggg to me, literally giving me the Scott and Tessa ice dancing novel of my dreams. The angst! The tension!! The competition! The backstabbing!!!!! It was just so much fun. I loved Katarina in the best way, to be a competitor as a woman and have single minded focused on winning. I loved the development of the characters and their relationship development over time. I loved the conclusion. I especially loved the Dracula ice dance. The multimedia platform was also enjoyable, and added anticipation and different perspectives to the story. Shaw and Rocha forever! Loved it.

Thank you to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

The Favorites by Layne Fargo is about Katarina and Heath who are childhood friends turned lovers turned ice dancing partners and their obsessive relationship with not only one another, but winning.

This book was PHENOMENAL.

Firstly, it’s set off in almost a docuseries type writing style? It flips between Katarina’s first person POV, and then paragraphs from side characters within the story. If you have read Daisy Jones and the Six and liked that writing style, then you’ll like this one too!

As for the story, oh my goodness gracious it had me on the edge of my seat immediately and then the entire way throughout. As a former female athlete, I am a sucker for a good story written about a powerful woman in sports, and that theme was absolutely nailed here. You’re strong and confident as a woman in sports? You’re a bitch. You’re empathetic and sensitive as a woman in sports? You’re soft and too emotional. I thought it was so well done.

The chemistry with Heath and Katarina was bleeding off the page! The side characters were incredible! The plot turns had me not able to turn the pages fast enough - I LOVED this one!!!!!

The Favorites ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
⛸️
“Even as children, they were so intense. That was their greatest strength, and their greatest weakness. But they loved each other, and they loved skating. I think that’s what people will remember most: their love.”
⛸️
“Imagine being down so bad you’d master a whole Olympic sport to spend time with someone.”
⛸️
HAPPY RELEASE DAY to a book that put me in such a book hangover, I feel legit nausea when I think about it 🤣 that’s dramatic, but holy hell, this story puts you through the wringer and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to see the cover and not feel every emotion I had when I read it. It was like if Daisy Jones and Lukov had a baby- so if you’re a fan of either of those stories, this is worth picking up!
⛸️
Kat and Heath have been attached at the hip since childhood and through their devastating upbringings, they found solace in only two things: ice skating and each other. From the moment she put on skates, Kat has been determined and ruthless to fulfill her dream of one day becoming an Olympian and for every step, Heath has supported her as her partner. However, it’s never an easy road to the top and their journey to becoming world-famous ice dancers was filled with drama, love, ambition and betrayal.
⛸️
There were so many times I had to pick my jaw up off the floor and even more times where I wanted to chuck my kindle across the room. I ADORED the interview layout of this book and the dual timeline and the twists and turns definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. And I’m so eager to listen to the audio because I bet it’s fantastic. BUT there is something that happens later on in the book that is preventing me from giving this book 5 stars and every time I think about it, my blood boils. It took me a few days for my anger to settle down and my chest to stop hurting lol but even with that one plot line (no matter how much I freaking hate it) doesn’t negate the fact that this book is incredible and I have no doubt it’s going to be ALL over social media this year!

⛸️ dual timeline
⛸️ childhood friends to lovers
⛸️ second chance
⛸️ professional ice dancers
⛸️ so much angst

Figure skating has always been my favorite Winter Olympic sport, and I still remember watching the Nancy/Tonya scandal unfold when I was in high school, so I couldn't wait to read The Favorites. It's the story of Katerina and Heath, an ice dancing pair who fight their way from troubled childhoods via the ice skating rink, with huge dreams of Olympic gold and glory...and a lot of drama along the way. I had heard that it's written in a similar style to Daisy Jones and the Six, which I loved, and it's true that it has a little bit of a Daisy Jones feel to it. Each chapter has parts of a tell-all documentary about the duo's rise and fall, with little snippets from key players talking to the camera and helping the story to unfold. But it's mostly told by Kat herself, and I loved it.

As I mentioned, there is a lot of drama here - love, passion, betrayal, heartbreak, friendships, childhood trauma, ambition - it's all here and so much more. I wished I'd had the time to sit and read it straight through, because every chapter left me dying to read one more. I loved Kat and Heath, even when one or both of them was unlikable at times, and couldn't wait to see how their story played out. But I was also sad to see it end, and I will definitely be looking up other Layne Fargo books to add to my TBR.

And so here we are only 2 weeks in to a new year and I am already adding a book, aptly named The Favorites, to my Favorites shelf. Thank you to Random House & NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. 5 stars.

This book has become my Roman Empire. I cannot stop thinking about Kat and Heath and their crazy story. It felt SO REAL and I wish I could have seen their last performance together and it pains me that I cannot look it up on Youtube. This is easily the top contender for my favorite book of the year and I will be re-reading it at least two or three more times before the year ends!

“Even as children, they were so intense. That was their greatest strength, and their greatest weakness. But they loved each other, and they loved skating. I think that’s what people will remember most: their love.”

Happy Pub Day to my new Roman Empire!

It’s been over a week and I’m still thinking about THE FAVORITES, let alone Taylor Swift and Gary Lightbody’s “The Last Time” playing on repeat. I’ve seen this book floating around bookstagram and I agree with the hype. This novel about two ice dancers striving for Olympic gold is epic, dramatic, and unputdownable, while also showing the drive and competition in what it means to be the best and the sacrifices made to achieve it, including love.

Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha were once the most renowned ice dancers in the world. Despite the scandals and conflicts that surrounded them from their early years to their eventual success, it was an incident following the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics that became their downfall. Now, a decade later, a documentary series that is supposed to reveal the truth about the duo is released, but Kat Shaw has her own version of events she wants people to know that is far from what the headlines made her out to be.

I never realized how intense ice dancing could be until this book, let alone the passion that can be fueled from such close partnership. While it may be over-dramatized in Kat and Heath’s story, there is still a drama to the sport that is reflected both on and off the ice and Layne Fargo captures all those nuances and emotions put into it. By telling the story through oral commentary from various characters and via Kat’s first person narrative, we get a full picture of the events that unfold, making for big reveals and surprising turns of events within the short chapters. The main characters, based on their names, also made me think of Wuthering Heights. Though I haven’t read it, I think there are elements of it that can be found in THE FAVORITES.

What I connected to the most, that made this a compelling read, is Kat. She is fiercely driven to be the best like her idol, Sheila Lin, who plays a crucial role in her and Heath’s lives. It’s this ambition however that puts her in conflict with Heath’s undying love for her. Their relationship is complicated and messy, ignited by passion and ruined by betrayal. There is a part in the later half with Heath that infuriated me maybe more than it affected Kat. And yet, there will always be an unwavering kind of love between them that even I couldn’t let go. Kat is unconventional, but she becomes a champion in her own way that I found myself rooting for her until the bitter end.

I honestly haven’t read any other book since finishing THE FAVORITES because it still continues to take over my thoughts. I’m not sure if I will ever be over it any time soon, especially since I read it again the other night. I also heard the audiobook is just as good. This is definitely a book that can be devoured in a day despite its 400+ page length, making for a good winter read and if ever, an addictive series adaptation.

Thank you so much Random House and Netgalley for the eARC!


** Review can also be found on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/p/DE0UjfIyWFj/?igsh=c3BhczBtZXdzOGpm
and Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7078165563

Review: The Favorites - Layne Fargo ❄️⛸️
Pub Date: 01/14/25

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group for my electronic advanced reader’s copy!

I was loving my e-arc so much I had to pick this one as my January BOTM as well!

I don’t know about yall but I was seeing this book everywhere in January and was so exited to get my hands on it! I don’t know why but I thought it was a romance and maybe the cover would suggest that as well but it’s definitely not! It’s a contemporary fiction with a toxic relationship at its center. All about ambition, sabotage, and unpredictable love. This story follows Kat and Heath from childhood friends to becoming adult champion ice skaters. It is told in a Netflix documentary-style with interviews throughout the whole story and descriptions of video shots. Think Daisy Jones and Six meets The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I have to say this was very close to a five star read but ultimately I gave it 4 stars because there is not one single character you can like in this and because it feels at times like too much is told to us rather then shown. It’s all scandal and drammaaaaaa. It reads so fast and the chapters are so short! But man was it entertaining and shocking! So definitely recommend when you want something you can “press play” to in your mind, sit back and watch the drama unfold!

While the star-crossed love story at the center of this book is appealing enough, it has the added bonus of its exciting setting in the elite figure skating world. You don't have to like or even care about the sport to enjoy the book, but if you are a skating fan that will certainly add to your enjoyment. The book provides a fascinating insider-like view of the sometimes cutthroat world of high-level athletic competition without sacrificing either plot or character development

The characters are well-drawn, neither all good nor all bad but rather with interesting shades to their personalities. Their actions may not always be agreeable but make sense in terms of story. The plot is exciting, unpredictable, fast-paced, and emotion-stirring. It's a delightfully engaging book.

This book defines obsession. I am such a big fan of Layne Fargo so I was so excited to be able to read The Favorites. High drama, thrilling and scandalous. The Favorites will have you gasping. Hard to put down and this is THE book of 2025. You’ll be thinking of this book long after finishing reading it.

Let me start by saying that the hype is worth it. Everything you've already heard about this book is likely true. I was on the edge of my seat with every page. I inhaled this book, I needed to know what was going to happen next in every chapter. I don't think I've ever gasped so many times while reading a book. I will admit that I didn't love all of the turn of events as the story unfolded, and I never would agree with these things in real life, but it worked here for me and I ate it up! As many times as I wanted to root for each character, I also found myself mad at all of them (with the exception of Garrett).

the main idea: Kat & Heath are childhood best friends who grow up together while skating and falling in love. Kat's dream is to be an Olympic ice skating champion. Heath's dream is to make Kat happy. Their journey to the Olympics is long and destructive. They meet people along the way who help them improve, but also tear them down.

Read if you love:
-the dramatics of Magnolia Parks
-the interview writing style of Daisy Jones
-stories with betrayal and scandals
-first love, rivals, intense sports competitions

If you don't do the audiobook, I highly recommend listening to the Spotify playlist while listening, it really increased the overall experience.

After finishing this book, the only thing I want to do is pick it back up and start all over again. OBSESSED would be a fair word for it!

Kat and Heath have known each other since childhood and have had their eyes on the prize for years: Olympic gold in ice dancing. Using a documentary style format, Fargo shows us what exactly happened to this skating pair over the years.

I loved everything about this, from the messy relationships and gut wrenching emotions to the lust for victory and fierce competition. It is angsty, complex, insanely compelling, and fueled by ambition.

The format kept me constantly wanting more, wondering where our ice dancers would end up and whether they would finally clench that gold medal and call themselves the best in the world.

Thank you to Random House for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

“𝘈𝘯 𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘤 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘬𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘤𝘦”

Get ready friends! This book is going to be a huge hit! I read it last month with my book club and we unanimously loved it. It’s being compared to Daisy Jones and the Six - but on ice skates! In the acknowledgment section of the book the author mentions the influence Taylor Jenkins Reid has had on her writing and it’s definitely noticed here in the best ways possible.

Told through interviews and flashbacks, the story pulls you in immediately. Entering the world of ice dancing with no money or support, Kat and Heath literally claw their way to the top. Soapy drama, childhood sweethearts, rivals - this is as good as the real life drama of Tanya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan.

Katarina Shaw might not have the family backing or the funding to make it big, but her determination to become an Olympic skater is undeniable. When she meets Heath Rocha, a boy stuck in the foster care system, their bond quickly turns into a powerful ice dancing partnership that captivates the world.

Ten years later, a documentary resurfaces, claiming to uncover the truth behind their rise and fall. Kat, who’s tried to move on, is forced to confront the past she’s spent years running from. Reluctantly, she decides to tell her side of the story, revealing the deep, emotional connection she had with Heath and the untold reasons their partnership ended.

What I really loved about this book was the format—it felt like Daisy Jones & The Six meets From Lukov with Love. The story is told through interviews and personal reflections, giving it a documentary-style feel that makes the drama and tension feel even more real. The chemistry between Kat and Heath is electric, I was up all night reading this.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the Arc!

I am always a little skeptical with figure skating being the main content of novels and media in general. Besides reading, it's the other facet of my life that I hold the same amount of passion for. I am heavily involved with officiating the sport and hold ice dance true and dear to my heart. So I have a lot of skin in this game.

This was very well researched, and none of the skating lingo were weird, or faltered where I usually shake my head at things. So kudos to Layne Fargo for pulling it off. Also kudos for including Johnny Weir in the audiobook production.

This was exciting, and it was tense. (Like most free dance events anyways, minus the deliberate sabotage I hope).

My only concern is that this is sort of being marketed as a romance, and though it has romantic elements, I can't say that we're in romance territory. It is a wonderful suspensful thriller with some romance sprinkled in.

The interview/documentary style of writing was intriguing and the voices used were excellent and kept the novel at a good clip. The pace never lagged, and all in all, it was a very eventful time.

Thank you to PRH and Netgalley for an e-copy.

The Favorites, out today(!), is one of the most inspired classic novel retellings since Clueless.

If you haven’t already, you’re about to see The Favorites everywhere, including on many best of 2025 lists, I’d wager. Layne Fargo’s new novel is a deliciously soapy love story and an addictive sports drama (“set in the sparkling, savage sphere of elite figure skating”), BUT/AND it’s also a near perfect, nuanced retelling of Wuthering Heights, and for that I am grateful!! I read it front to back on a flight home after the holidays and could genuinely not swipe the kindle pages fast enough.

I guarantee you’ll have so much fun reading this book whether or not you’ve read Wuthering Heights, but I did find myself smiling in response to each subtle connection to the source material, so if you are at all inclined to read it (perhaps before Emerald Fennell’s film adaptation next year), I say place that libby hold, girl. I’m planning a re-read soon.

I’m hearing the audiobook is also fantastic (full cast!), so you can’t go wrong in how you choose to read it. If you do go with the audiobook and use libro.fm, Book Alley in Pasadena is a great bookstore to consider supporting right now (the owner, Tom Roger’s home was destroyed by the wildfire in Altadena 💔).

Special thank you to @atrandomhouse and @netgalley for the e-ARC!

where do i begin with kat + heath? this book exceeded every expectation i had from the moment i heard about it. it had all the makings of the ✨danielle perfect book✨ with childhood friends to lovers, second chance romance, ice dancing, Olympic dreams, drama, interviews/documentary style, multiple pov.

think daisy jones and the six meets ice princess but in carrie soto form with the toxic scandalous magnolia parks romance that you’re rooting for but also questioning your sanity doing so (IN THE BEST WAY). this book had me in tears, screaming, wanting throw my book, but also never wanting to put it down. i havent stopped thinking about it.

once again, i become so immersed in a story that i cannot fathom how this is fiction + these characters dont exist irl. send help because i do fear i found a top read of 2025 in the second book of the year. i beg someone to make this a tv show or movie.

read this book. get the full cast audio. just do it. it's fast + addicting. out today!!

thank you to @netgalley + random house for the arc. excuse me while i go listen to the audio version bye.

I can't lie this took me a bit to get into but once I did, I was hooked. At one point I even gasped as my jaw dropped because it had so much great shocking drama. I stayed up way too late trying to finish this book.
To say this was just a sports romance would be a huge understatement. The angst, the drama, the love story 🙌🏼. This played out so well with the flashbacks and the commentary that you would have thought you were really watching a documentary.
In the end this turned out to be chef's kiss. The character development was stellar, the plot was an A+, and overall it just had a great original storyline that I felt like I haven't read before.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Random House for this read. I have never read a book like this. I know there are so many famous ones out there with this style but this was my first and I enjoyed it. It created a lot of suspense and right from the start the author made you want to read it. I think people that enjoy sports and figure skating will really like this.

🎁📚𝓐𝓡𝓒 𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀📚🎁
5/5 🏅

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐝𝐠𝐞 is one of my all-time favorite movies (the original with Moira Kelly and DB Sweeney, course), so I couldn’t resist this story about an ice dancing pair and their ambitious quest for Olympic gold. But this book was not at all what I’d expected - it twisted and turned more than an ice dancing short program and I was constantly surprised by which direction it went.

This is a romance with a dash of a thriller vibe, about two scrappy kids with rough home lives, Kat and Heath, who form a deep connection as children and chase their dreams to win Olympic gold in ice dancing. This book has it all - a passionate and tumultuous will they/won’t they love story, competition, betrayal, jealousy, revenge, friendship and scandal, plus a stable of intriguing characters.

It’s told in two formats - one from the POV of Kat herself and also in script form - a documentary being done years after the pair’s heyday featuring those who were in their inner-circle during their decades -long careers, recalling what went on. And trust me, SO much went on.

Fargo immerses the reader deeply in the world of competitive ice dancing - I even researched to see if she’s a former skater, but it doesn’t seem that she is. I appreciated the details she was able to incorporate, and loved the focus on music so much that I kept thinking “I need the playlist to this book!!” Turns out … Fargo created on one Spotify - brilliant! 👏

I’m hearing that the audio book is phenomenal with different actors for each different role. The fabulous Johnny Weir plays one part (perfect casting!!) so I don’t think I can pass on the audio and will
also give it a listen at some point - the true test of a 5🌟 read for me!

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬 is an intense, intriguing, powerful and well-crafted story - you must add it to your 2025 TBR list!

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse for the advanced copy readers copy!

Pub Date : 1/14/25

#bibliophile #stephsalwaysreading #bookreviews #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #tbrlist #whatshouldireadnext #5🌟reads #thefavorites#laynefargo

All the stars!!

“The thing is, when pushing your limits is all you know, when it seems normal to you...it's hard to remember you even have limits. Until you run right into them.”

It's been such a long time since a book has consumed like this, I actually was speechless because I was so obsessed with this story and how the events were taking place, the way the story was crafted and executed was so well done, and there were so many twists that would leave you gasping till the very end like I was practically begging for happiness and peace but ahahahahah I hate you Layne. This book reminded me of that one TJR book that I have read (Malibu Rising) and the way of writing resembled that so much like I was getting the same vibes but this was so much better?? It was honestly so good and I think what amplified my reading experience was that before picking this up I watched the movie (I, Tonya) and when I saw this book being along the same genre I was so excited to read it!! The pretty cover was also a plus point.

This was my first book by Layne Fargo and it was soo good that I had to put her immediately on my auto-buyers shelves!! This was so scandalous and toxic but also so beautiful and addicting. Honestly this book like a drug because I had to read this arc on my phone since Netgalley on my Ipad wasn't working and I hate reading on my phone but this was so hard to put down that I would just sit and read for hours. Layne managed to capture the beauty and dangers of the sport so beautifully, the competitiveness was also so well written and ufff the way my heart would be full on racing like I was at the edge of my seat for some scenes because they got so intense and the drama, it was SO DAMN GOOD!! . The interviews that were moving alongside the story was such an interesting way to keep the readers hooked because it created this sense of mystery where you would just want to know more and the main characters were not in the interview so you had no idea where this story would go or what would happen and I loved that feeling so much!!

Happiness couldn't be won. It couldn't be hung around our necks while a crowd of thousands cheered. It wasn't a prize, something we had to suffer and toil to earn. If we wanted happiness, we had to create it ourselves. Not in one shining moment on a medal stand, but every single day, over and over again.

Katarina, her character was so intense and passionate and I loved her development throughout the book but the way she was literally giving everything for the sport while the sport gave her nothing back ugh I hated it but I loved how she was determined to move forward, she lost so much but she always managed to move forward and it was so strong to read her determination and her intensity when it came to Ice skating and the sequences that she delivered were amazing and honestly I loved how so many people looked up to her and how when she got angry and stormed off from an interview and how the interviewer looked up to her from that events onwards lmaoo and I also loved the way she didn't give a shit about what people had to say about her, she had one job to deliver and she aced that.

“I thought our story was epic, you know. You and me. Spanning years and continents. Lives ruined and blood shed. Epic.”

Heath, was such a complex character to read about but I loved his character, it was kind of a mix there were moments when I was frustrated by him but he just made this book so much better because his presence to the story was so important and like I just loved reading about his whole storyline with Katarina, all the problems that they had. He himself was such a mysterious character because while we knew about Katarina's past and read about it his was very mysterious and I liked how it unraveled and we finally got answers, it was very satisfying to read. Bella, Idc what you guys say but this friendship was so fun to read, it had so many ups and downs and the competition between them at times would be so intense but friendly. Yes, there were moments when I was so angry at her but I don't know I just like how these two couldn't be separated and went back to each other until everything worked out. Garrett Lin Cute patootie. Ellis Dean, this fucking bitch with camera, I hated him and the slap was soooo satisfying but I kinda was okay with him near the end. Sheila Lin she was soooo intimidating lmaoo. She kinda gave me Shalom Harlow vibes for some reason lol but the cast of characters were absolutely stunning.

People didn't want Heath and me to be "subtle" or "refined." They wanted a grand, epic love story. They wanted raw rip-your-clothes-off passion. They didn't simply want us to be lovers they wanted us to be so in love, we'd burn the whole world down to be together.

The romance was *chefs kiss* it was messy and so out of control at times but I loved the chemistry between them, I just loved how everything between them felt so natural and I like the trust they held had but the thing that I loved the most was how inseparable these two were like these to quite literally went through hell, they faced sooooo many problems but came back to each other! Their chemistry literally could be seen on the ice as well the sequences that they pulled were so hot and honestly they were such a good pair that I just loved reading about them. I grew to be so close and attached to them that whenever something bad was happening to them I felt it!! it was THAT good.

"We used to joke they were going to die in each other's arms or kill each other with their bare hands. Nothing in between."

The plot and the setting, I feel like the writing was off the charts, it created this atmosphere, this world where we literally feel like sitting in the audience watching them, she just created it so good that I just dont how to explain it but I felt it like theres this inexplainable feeling but ugh it was so good. The whole championships that took place but the I loved how the timeline changed and with it how the characters changed and how we saw them develop leading to so many good scenes, some of the scenes were just straight up amazing like so well written. The insane competition was showcased so well, the ending sequence made me soooo mad like AHH I didn't see it coming and the epilogue was so needed it was so NEEDED like I loved it and the plot twists....dont even get me started on them because my mind was blown, jaw was on the floor, thoughts were scattered.

"It isn't a competition." I reached for her hand, "There are lots of different kinds of love."
Love like a steady, warming campfire that keeps you alive in the cold. Love like a raging blaze that burns down everything in its path until nothing but ash remains.

Overall, you guys need to read this book!! GO READ IT!