When I tell you I lived and breathed this book for two days straight. OBSESSED doesn’t even begin to cut it. The Favorites is the perfect mix of Wuthering Heights meets Daisy Jones and the Six/Carrie Soto is Back with all of the toxicity and backstabbing drama you’d expect to find in a telenovela.

The bond between Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha runs deep. Kat has wanted to be an ice dancer since she was young, ever since she saw Sheila Lin win gold at her Olympics. And Heath? He’ll do anything for Kat. The Favorites follows Kat and Heath’s road from teenage skaters from small town Illinois to the most talked about figure skaters in the world. But the higher you climb the farther you have to fall.

I loved the style this book was told in. This is Kat’s story, but we get snippets of interviews from her colleagues and friends, so it feels like we get all sides to the story. The side characters were all fully fleshed out and really felt alive on the page. The ferocity of the ice dancing competitions really paralleled the intense relationship between Kat and Heath, and I could not put this book down. Bonus points for all of the late 90s/early 2000s references.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for my first 5 star of the year!

The Favorites by Layne Fargo
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Favorites dives into the world of competitive Olympic skating, where ambition, rivalries, and toxic relationships dominate. Written in a gripping documentary style, the story focuses on Katarina, a fiercely driven athlete, and the tangled lives of those around her. It’s a raw and emotional exploration of the price people pay to achieve their dreams.


This book is worth every ounce of hype. It took me on an emotional rollercoaster with drama so intense that I found myself pausing, anxious about what might happen next. The writing is so good that it gripped me instantly and left me shaken. I found myself questioning the characters’ decisions over and over—jaw dropped at the twists and turns. The story unfolds in unexpected ways, and the ending left me satisfied yet reflective.

A Biblical Perspective:
As a believer, this book challenged me to reflect on the dangers of misplaced identity. Each character in the story defines their worth through created things—whether it’s the approval of others, their ambition, or their achievements—rather than the Creator. This misplacement causes a ripple effect in every relationship they encounter. Their choices are marred by this misplaced identity, leaving their actions tainted by selfishness, bitterness, and destruction.

Watching Katarina’s laser-focused ambition to win at all costs was heartbreaking. When she finally achieved her ultimate goal, it came at the expense of her own sense of self. It reminded me of the verse, “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Mark 8:36). Each character in the book makes devastating sacrifices, losing pieces of themselves to gain what ultimately leaves them empty. This story serves as a cautionary tale of what happens when we prioritize worldly success over the health of our souls and the truth of who we are in Christ.

Final Thoughts:
I recommend The Favorites to readers who enjoy multi-layered characters, a documentary-style narrative, Olympic skating, and imperfect, flawed protagonists. It’s a gripping story, but it also offers deeper reflections on ambition, identity, and the cost of our choices.

Content Warnings:
🌶️ it’s a bit spicy (though not overly explicit), f
⛔️ explicit language & toxic relationships


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

Wow! The drama, the angst, the backstabbing, the politics, the jealousy, the weirdness, the ice dancing. Wuthering Heights meets Daisy Jones and the Six. It really is a Wuthering Heights retelling with Kat and Heath playing the roles of Catherine and Heathcliff. Told from Kat’s pov with interview style retrospective from coaches, competitors, journalists, etc. Wow! This book explodes off the page and is compulsively readable. I loved this story. 4.5 stars. Thank you to #netgalley and Random House Publishing for my advance reader copy.

Artistry, rivalry, romance, and sabotage. What at first seems like a clear cut ice dancing rivalry between elite pairs becomes anything but that in Layne Fargo’s new novel. This book kept me turning the pages & constantly wondering who I should be rooting for. Fargo strikes the balance here for lovers of multiple genres who will each find something they enjoy in Health, Katarina, Bella, and Garrett. (Not to mention the fabulous and flawed cast of supporting characters.) I especially loved the framing of this book with interspersed transcripts of a documentary. One of my best books of January!

The Favorites by Layne Fargo is a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ gold medal win!

Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha (Kat and Heath I’m CRYING) are skaters who form an unshakable bond in childhood and transfer their love to the ice as competitive ice dancers. Their obsessive relationship is tumultuous and fiery, but nothing will stop them from reaching their Olympic dreams… or so they think. After an unauthorized documentary about “The Shaw & Roca Story” drops, Katarina breaks her silence and tells her own story. Layne Fargo weaves in transcripts with Kat’s POV that made me feel like I was literally talking to Kat while watching the documentary.

I laughed, I cried, I’m still obsessed with these characters! (Even the side characters, like hello Ellis Dean is hilarious??)

For anyone who has ever tuned into the Winter Olympics just for the ice skating, or gotten a little too into celebrity gossip, or just really loves Wuthering Heights… this book is for you.

Happy pub week, The Favorites. Can’t wait to see you shine! ✨

This book felt like 10 books in one and I am emotionally drained! It is filled with nonstop drama, toxic relationships, rivalries, revenge, and general chaos, in the cutthroat competitive skating world. Move over "The Cutting Edge"…if The Favorites becomes a movie...shew.

I feel like I read an entire book series, but it was one long, crazy book. While there is a LOT that I take issue with in the storyline, it gets 5 stars because I will not be able to stop thinking about this book and the characters for a long time.

This was my first Layne Fargo book, and now I'm ready to read her entire catalog.

Publishing 1-14-25! Check it out!

Kat and Heath come from nothing, but that won't stop them from doing anything to win gold at the Olympics. Along the way they face rivals, become rivals, fall in and out of love, and inflict and suffer immense heartaches.

First five-star book of the year! I absolutely adored this book. I could not put it down, but I didn’t want it to end. I loved They Never Learn, so when I saw Layne Fargo had another book, I jumped at requesting the arc, even though I am not particularly interested in figure skating, or even romance books for that matter. But I am so so glad I did!

Every character was infuriating, yet I loved each and every one of them. Each of them were so complex, but felt so real. I was rooting for (and against) every character at one point or another. The ending was a surprise, but I still loved it.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Favorites is a gripping romantic drama that blends suspense with heartfelt storytelling. Written in a compelling documentary style reminiscent of Daisy Jones & The Six, this novel captures the electrifying journey of Heath Rocha and Katarina Shaw, two talented figure skating dancers in their relentless pursuit of gold.

From the very first page, the story is packed with intense drama and swoon-worthy romance, keeping me hooked and racing through the chapters to uncover what happens next. The vivid characters, high-stakes competition, and emotional depth make this book an unputdownable read. Whether you're a fan of love stories, sports dramas, or simply great storytelling, The Favorites delivers on every level.

I started seeing amazing reviews for The Favorites in mid-December, and I decided that I needed to read it ASAP! I requested an early copy, but then I decided to (finally) join Book of the Month in order to make sure I got a copy right away. Of course, the same day that my BOTM blue box arrived was when I got approved for the ebook copy via NetGalley 🤣 Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for early access in exchange for my honest opinion.
The Favorites is a drama that is both skating (ice dancing in particular) and romance focused. I think it helps if you like and possibly know something about ice skating (or at least have experience watching it during the Winter Olympics every four years), but the writing style is so engaging that you probably could get sucked into this one if you had no prior knowledge of the sport. It is formatted like a documentary in parts, and I enjoyed the foreshadowing provided in those portions, making it hard to put down. While The Favorites is a longer book (464 pages), I was never the least bit bored while reading. I feel like I gobbled the book up, forcing myself to stop reading it and go to bed to be able to get a reasonable amount of sleep at night. I’d never read this author before, but I am already looking into her backlist. She thanks Taylor Jenkins Reid in the acknowledgements for her research webinar, crediting that for helping her pull off this project. I love when authors I read thank other authors I love! If you are a fan of TJR’s books, I think you will enjoy this book, too. Even before reading that note, it was clear that a lot of research had been done to create these characters and fit their experiences into the arc of the Olympics over the last 30 years.
I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did - and check it out when it’s available tomorrow! I’m hearing great things about the audiobook, too, which has a full cast. I will definitely be listening to that version, too!

It took me an embarrassingly long amount of time for me to remember this book was a "Wuthering Heights" retelling. Like, 25% of the way through the book kind of embarrassing. My excuse is that I didn’t read this book in one sitting, picking it up on Christmas, putting it down for a family vacation, and then back up again a few days after New Year’s. It’s a good excuse. When I finally realized that it was a retelling, everything clicked into place. If I didn’t think a name all the way through, I’d figure it out a little later in the book, never all at once. It was like a jawbreaker – a new flavor and color to fawn over with each layer.
Though I can’t tell whether or not I would have had an even better experience reading this book if I had not known it was a "Wuthering Heights" retelling. I read "Wuthering Heights" last spring for my one of my English classes, and I loved it in the way I love “The Jerry Springer Show” – it was dramatic, it was toxic, and it was a little bit incestuous. I hated Heathcliff, I hated Catherine, and I hated that prior to reading the book, I assumed Catherine and Heathcliff were star-crossed lovers because of how often they were talked about as such. Once I understood this book to be a retelling, I had decided I had liked Catherine Earnshaw, or at least, this version of her. In this novel, Kat Shaw is determined and committed to her dreams of becoming the next Sheila Lin. She makes it very clear from the very beginning that she may love Heath Rocha, but skating was her first love, and she won’t let her feelings for him get in the way of that.
Heath, however, I have mixed feelings on. Like his predecessor, he is stubborn, hating of those better off than him, and obsessed with Kat to the point that he learns to compete in the Olympics just so that Kat can follow her dreams. While some may find that to be romantic, I sort of find it to be suffocating. It’s clear that he is only there for Kat in the beginning of the novel, and then when he comes back from his sabbatical professionally trained, it’s because he wants to get back at Kat. It doesn’t always seem that he has his own opinions on anything, which says how amazing the author is at adapting the classic to a semi-modern setting. By the end of the book, I couldn’t tell whether or not I hated him. I guess I could say with age comes wisdom, and that’s what I’m going to tell myself to justify why I can hate a character in the original work, but love him in the adaptation.
Readers follow Kat more than Heath, as a lot of the story is told from her point-of-view. However, what’s not told from her perspective is told in an interview-documentary format telling the tale of the great Kat Shaw and Heath Rocha, as well as their tumultuous love affair.
In my class last spring in which we read "Wuthering Heights," we were given an assignment in which were to take the novel and adapt it for a modern setting. Never in my wildest dreams would I have come up with an ice-skating adaptation, but after reading this novel, I’m glad Layne Fargo did. The characters you’ve come to hate/like in "Wuthering Heights" may not leave you with the same feelings that they do in The Favorites, but perhaps that is a good thing.

Are you obsessed with ice dancing? DO YOU WANT TO BE?! 🤣⛸️🤣
•
Wow. What a book. If you’re a fan of messy, dramatic, can’t get out of their own way love stories, this is your book. If you enjoy rooting for characters so hard and also wanting to strangle them, let me introduce you to Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha. If you’re into complicated friendships, rivalries, and competitive sports, look no further. Scandal, tell all documentaries, coming of age? Check, check, check. This book really had it all. 🥹
•
The comparisons to Carrie Soto and Daisy Jones are 100% correct. Parts of the book are documentary/interview style and this is truly one of my favorite reading experiences. Everyone is spilling the beans on what really happened ten years ago when Katarina and Heath stopped competing, interspersed with Katarina telling her own story.
•
I listened to The Last Time by Taylor Swift as I read chapter 82 and had full body chills and the biggest lump in my throat. It was so emotional and I truly felt connected to the story. I will never forget Shaw + Rocha. 😭😭
•
There were a couple of things at the end that I wished were different. But if they had been different it might not have gone with the vibe of the book so idk. I don’t want to spoil any plot points but I’ll just say Jane is the worst kind of villain. 🤪 It’s still an easy five stars from me and will be a favorite of the year. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Thanks so much to Random House and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

On the tenth anniversary of the worst day of Katerina Shaw's life, a documentary comes out about the ups and downs of her skating career in ice dancing with her partner, Heath Rocha. But Kat is determined to tell her story on her own terms.

Alternating between Kat and Heath's past and interviews for the documentary, decades of scandal, love, and ambition collide to tell a fascinating story. I read over 400 pages of this book in two sittings. It was fabulous.

Katarina Shaw didn't come from much, but her dreams were big. Kat dreamt of becoming a famous Olympic skater like her idol Sheila Lin. As a child, Katarina, develops an unbreakable friendship with Heath Rocha, the boy stuck in the foster care system. Together, they bond over their love of skating becoming one of the most talented pairs the world had ever seen. They are destined to be champions, until a tragedy strikes at the Olympic games and their partnership ends.
Ten years later, the public is still obsessed with the famous duo fueled even further by a documentary featuring interviews from their friends and rivals. Kat doesn't want anything to do with the documentary, but she is not going to just sit aside while her story is told by everyone else. She wants to tell her story and her legacy herself and she is ready to set the record straight.
Review:
4.5 stars
Wow! The story of Kat and Heath is riveting. It is beautiful, it is tragic, and it is full of drama. I absolutely loved the way that this book was written. The chapters start off with Kat telling her story in her POV and end with an interview style layout of the documentary being filmed. There are a lot of characters and at first I had a hard time keeping them straight, but Layne Fargo does a great job writing these characters so that they are easily distinguishable. with their own unique voices. I especially loved the female characters, they are strong independent women with strong voices regardless of the repercussions. This story is full of ups and downs, triumphs and tragedies, and overcoming obstacles; not just in the skating world, but their personal lives as well. I simply did not want to put it down and I was cheering Kat and Heath along the entire way! This is a story that will stick with you forever!
The Favorites is available tomorrow, 1/14 and I highly suggest pushing this one to the very top of your TBR!!
Thank you to NetGalley, Layne Fargo, and Random House for this ARC of The Favorites in exchange for an honest review!

The Favorites is a drama filled story about two Ice Dance partners and their rollercoaster of a career. When you read this book it feels like you are watching a documentary about a famous Ice Dancer that was popular in the 2000s. There were multiple times that I found myself wanting to google these characters or search on Youtube their routines. The author does a great job of sucking you into the drama and making it feel real.

The relationship aspect of this story is similar to like a Magnolia Park story - messy, passionate and toxic... With the plot of this book the relationship matches the vibe.

I really enjoyed this book and was invested the whole way through!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

While this isn't my normal kind of read, I was drawn in by the beautiful cover. I'm glad it drew me in because this book was great. There was so much going on, in a good way.

The Favorites follows Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha, a pair of childhood sweethearts who ran away from Katarina's abusive brother to be Ice Dancers at the school owned by Katarina's figure skating idol. Once they get there, they meet the Lin Twins (Katarina's Idol's children) and continues on through their tumultuous relationship with each other and the twins, culminating in a tragic incident.

The story is told as if its a documentary about Katarina and Heath, with Katarina's side of the story interspersed. I've never read anything like that and it was so entertaining.

Overall I would recommend this to those who like their romance more on the mystery side of the genre.

I received an ARC from Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

WOW. I don’t even know how to explain the feeling that this book gave me. I could not stop reading. It was addicting, like watching a tv show. The way that the story was written made me want to keep reading and mostly about the characters to see if they would make it or not. I loved the backstory of the main characters SO much. I was fighting for the mmc because he is honestly the best, and even though I wasn’t a fan of the ending doesn’t mean it wasn’t PERFECT for the story. I wished it ended differently, but at the same time it was so beautifully done. 5/5 stars!

Katarnia Shaw dreamt of winning a gold medal in ice dancing since she was a girl and watched her idol win gold at the Olympics. She met Heath Rocha as a girl, he was a lonely boy dealt a rough hand and in foster care. From the moment they met it was decided they would play a huge part in each other's lives. Over the course of their lives they were everything under the sun, friends, partners, lovers, enemies, and champions.

On tenth anniversary of their final official appearance an unauthorized documentary is releasing, rehashing all the high, lows and scandals of the couple from the perspective of all those who witnessed it first hand from friends, rivals, coaches, and professionals. Katarina is ready to tell her story in her own words on her own terms and reality may be more scandalous than anyone could have imagined.

This book was the book of my dreams. Like the rest of the world I become absolutely obsessed with figure skating, and ice dancers every time the winter olympics comes around. Also the video of Tessa Virtue, and Scott Moir skating at the 2018 olympics is a video I watch regularly. So a book about an infamous ice dancing team who happen to be messy lovers felt like a dream come true, and it was. The characters in this book were so messy and cutthroat, I did not want to stop reading this from the moment I picked it up. This book truly felt like real life, it felt like I could google the characters and find out all about them as though they were real people and I was reading a tell all memoir. I truly want everyone I know to read this book and love it as much as I do.

Thank you to PRH Audio for a complimentary audiobook and to NetGalley and Random House for an advanced readers copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha. It’s their story, on and off the ice, before ice skating and while on their way to the top—and after. It’s an epic love story, filled with a bunch of drama.

This is told in alternating format of first person POV from Katarina and 3rd person interview format of those involved in their story. The book is so engrossing and interesting, but the multi-cast performance audiobook sealed it as a five star read for me.

wow I was gripped!! thank you Random House and PRH Audio for the gifted ebook and audiobook!

the favorites follows katarina in her obsession to become an olympic skater. at every turn, she makes selfish decisions and stepping over everyone possible to reach her dream. even heath—they were all, after all, the star-crossed childhood sweethearts of u.s. figure skating.

while katarina makes every selfish decision possible, so does everyone else. I could not find anyone to root for in the best way. I was raging, sad, and every emotion in between.

by the end of this grueling book, I just wanted them to WIN.

I got daisy jones and the six vibes with not only the writing style of mixed media but also with the deep character studies. I was locked in the whole time even with the longer page count.

🎧 the audiobook is phenomenal!! it’s a full cast, with different voice actors for the interview sections. I cannot even express how engaging it was. each voice actor brought their own flair to their characters and I loved these sections so much. if you pick this one up, highly recommend reading to it with your ears!

what to expect
⟢ toxic love story
⟢ ice dancers chasing olympic gold by any means necessary
⟢ multicast narration with interview chapters

First 5 star read of 2025 and going down as one of my favorite books! This book is magic, I can't stop thinking about it. I have dreams about this book (no joke). All of the characters are fleshed out and beautifully written (although I did want a little more from Heath). The interviews interjecting the narrative add so much depth to the story, really giving readers intel about what people adjacent to Kat witnessed. Reading Kat's own perspective as her passion and desire to be the best and the mental, emotional, and physical toll that takes on her was heartbreaking. Overall, just a fantastic story that will live with me for a long time.

Endless thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the E-ARC.