The Favorites by Layne Fargo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I fell in love with Fargo’s writing after They Never Learn, so when I saw this one I immediately requested it. I was blown away. This book was about passion, rage, female power, forgiveness, connection. It was everything.

I always adore when books make me feel like the characters are real, and this one picked me up and made me think this was real life. I was absorbed. I was cheering the characters on and cringing at their mistakes. They were flawed, but I wanted them to succeed.

The push and pull of this one was spot on. It was a great reading experience. Fans of Carrie Soto, strong characters, and stories that span many years will adore this one.

WOW WHAT A BOOK!!!!

I couldn't read this one fast enough. I actually need this to be implanted into my brain so I will never forget a single detail from this story.

I was immediately hooked from the opening sequence and I knew I wouldn't be able to do anything else until I consumed every single word Layne Fargo had written. I think I sat and read 60% of the book in a single sitting because I couldn't look away from the drama, heartache and emotional draw from these characters. Do yourself a favor and listen to The Last Time by Taylor Swift on repeat while reading this one. If you loved Daisy Jones & the Six and the way the story was told through interviews you're really going to love this one. The Favorites switches between interviews from people who were there for the entire story of our FMC sprinting (or should I say Ice Dancing) to the Olympics and from the FMC herself as she finally shares the true story of her downfall after 10 years away from the public eye.

I have a feeling this one is going to shoot to the top of every list once its been released and for good reason!! Everyone needs to read this.

Thank you Random House for the arc!

So there are not enough ice skating stories out there. I’ve enjoyed Layne Fargo stories so I was happy to see a new one coming out. Katarina and Heath not only felt like the perfect dance partners as early teens but soulmates. An endless love kind of thing. Told in documentary style, it was easy to picture the moments, from competition to heartache. Once they get an invite to prestigious academy, the real gossip begins. And the elite world finally feels like it’s in their grasp.

The book doesn’t explore anything new for the skating world- that it’s elite and you need a good amount of money to get ahead. And Heath and Katarina felt like the perfect couple on the outskirts looking to break in. Heath’s obsessions started to feel repetitive and a little tiresome- like it would have been nice for him to have a different side. And for the first half of the book, he felt very one note. I would say the highlight may be the side characters; intriguing and always leaving you wondering their true intentions.

This was nicely written, adding a little more drama to already intense competitive, athletic world. I wouldn’t have minded a little more suspense or having a twist somewhere. But I did enjoy it overall and found it easy to read through.

Daisy Jones and the Six but make it figure skating.

I was obsessed with this book. At some point I hated almost every character but was so in love with all of them by the end. This book made me laugh, cry, and feel every single feeling in between. Highly recommend if you like to be emotionally tortured (in a good way).

So far my favorite book of the year, this book was so good I could see it easily making my top 10 list. This is my second book by Layne Fargo and it did not disappoint. She is quickly becoming one of my must buy favorite authors. While this book was vastly different from They Never Learn, it was just as good if not better. The writing style was very unique and made this book a compulsive read. In this book we follow a viral docuseries that is released about a scandalous ice dance couple. The chapters themselves followed Kat but at the end of each chapter there would be parts of the docuseries and comments from other people in the story.The characters in this book were amazing they were well fleshed out and I was really rooting for certain characters by the end of this book. This book kind of reminded me of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s books like Daisy Jones and the Six with it theses of fame and the unique writing style. I cannot wait to read whatever Layne Fargo comes out with next! I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

Holy. Crap.

I am generally the first one to guess a plot in a book or movie, and this book legitimately had me gasping out loud at parts. This felt like a real memoir and not just fiction to the point that I almost googled these characters just to make sure it was in fact nonfiction.

This book had so much heart and passion (and drama), and I went from rooting for characters to hating them and back again a few times throughout the book.

I absolutely loved the chapter layouts intermixed with interview transcripts, and I feel like I read this even faster because of the quick back and forth between formats. Also loved the little Taylor Swift nuggets throughout.

This would be such an interesting book club pick and open up tons of topics for conversation. 10/10 would recommend and will likely read this one again.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my digital copy!

Thank you Netgalley and Random House for an advanced copy of what will definitely be a BUZZY 2025 read! As someone who grew up obsessed with Nancy Kerrigan, I loved the drama of this book! Katerina and Heath are childhood best friends who are each other’s rocks. They start skating together and realize how good they are when they partner together. We see the path they take to skating greatness and what they have to go through to be considered the best. I genuinely loved this book and learned a lot about skating and its politics. It was a little longer than necessary but I found myself getting sucked into the world of skating

Sometimes books just don’t turn out to be what you expected, and that’s okay.

Is The Favorites a bad book? Not really. Is it a good book? Not really.

The storytelling format of first-person POV alternating with pieces of another media format (in this case it’s a documentary but most often in the past few years it’s been podcasts) has never been a favorite of mine. I find it annoying and feel it takes away from the narrative flow of the story. In the case of this book I felt like it boiled down the supporting characters in the story to cookie cutter stereotypes, making it easy to guess certain plot twists ahead of time.

While I enjoyed the plot I didn’t enjoy how it was carried out. I guess you could say the plot was intriguing but the story that was told with the plot was less so. I expected something a little darker and more thrilling, and this read more like a scintillating soap opera. At times it kind of felt like I was closer to reading Danielle Steele than what I thought I was going to read when I requested this book. It’s juicy, with complicated relationships and a lot of drama.

I wouldn’t re-read this and I won’t recommend it because it simply doesn’t vibe with what I look to keep on my bookshelves, but if you like your reads dramatic, romantic, intense, and soapy, then I think you might like it a whole lot.

I was provided a copy of this title by the publisher and author via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Reviews rated three stars or lower will not appear on my social media Thank you.

Layne Fargo’s latest release, The Favorites, takes the gold! This was the last book I read in 2024, and I never wanted it to end!

The novel follows Katerina Shaw and Heath Rocha on their journey to Olympic stardom, marked by both personal and professional triumphs and turmoil. As young ice dancers from the wrong side of the tracks, their undeniable chemistry and raw talent eventually catch the attention of Kat’s idol, Olympic gold medalist Sheila Lin. Now retired, Sheila coaches her twins and invites Kat and Heath to train at her prestigious skating facility. Through a mix of Kat’s narration and interviews for an unauthorized documentary, the story that unfolds is one of passion, betrayal, and relentless ambition.

With the intensity of Wuthering Heights set against the high-stakes world of figure skating, The Favorites is a rollercoaster! The characters are complex and, at times, frustrating—but you won’t be able to look away. I loved the way the story slowly uncovered the rumors and truths surrounding Kat and Heath's rise to fame. This book was made for anyone who, like me, spent the early nineties captivated by the world of figure skating!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the advanced copy.

The Favorites is about Kat and Heath as they work to become Olympic skaters while navigating their complicated relationship over the years. I really liked the interview format of this book because I felt like I was watching a behind the scenes documentary full of backstabbing and relationship drama unfold. The cover contains a quote that reads, "To the world they were a scandal. To each other, an obsession," and this accurately sums up how I feel. I became obsessed with Kat and Heath's story to the point that the characters felt so real I wanted to Google them to find out what happened; I had to keep reminding myself this is all fiction. The ending with all the added twists was a bit much for me, but overall I really enjoyed this!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing, and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for a honest review.

The Favorites was a fun read. I was very excited to get an advanced copy of it because I have seen nothing but positive reviews and I agree. Kat Shaw loves 2 things, ice dancing and Heath Rocha but no matter the cost she wants to be the best, more than anything! The Favorites is a love story, a sports story, a story of revenge, friendship and of course, a comeback. The story was solid and held my attention throughout but I feel like the ending lost a little bit of edge that had been there. 4 ⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Likes + Dislikes

The Favorites
@laynefargo

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

What I Liked:
⛸️ Cutting Edge vibes mixed with the fast paced, documentary style writing of Daisy Jones.
⛸️ As a child of the 90s, I was obsessed with figure skating. This book made those feelings come rushing back.
⛸️ I could not get enough of Kat and Heath. I love how their bond was written. It was developed so well and it felt so real. I was very emotionally invested!
⛸️ In the last quarter of the book, I worried I was going to hate the ending. But then I did not hate it one bit. It was an end I didn’t expect, but I completely loved.

What I Didn’t Like:
⛸️ Kat’s career highs and lows, at times, felt cyclical and repetitive. But at the same time, I couldn’t stop reading and never felt bored. It was either a 4.5⭐️ rounded up or a full 5⭐️read. I keep going back and forth!

And despite so much early hype, I was not at all disappointed!

💬 Is it worth a reread with the audiobook? I hear it’s amazing!

❤️ Thank you to @randomhouse and @netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

BOOK REVIEW: THE FAVORITES ⛸️❤️‍🔥❄️

“My story is mine and I’ll tell it the same way I skated: in my own way, on my own terms.”

So I could probably write a novel about how much I love this book and these characters, but I’ll highlight some reasons this was a standout 5🌟 read for me!

❄️the characters! Fascinating, complex, unique and lots of character development
❄️the storytelling - very TJR-esque with first person to interview style and the chapters were relatively short which kept me hooked!
❄️unique story - I had never heard of ice dancing but I was SO invested in that aspect of the book! I’m not usually a huge fan of sports books but this one really worked for me!
❄️the feels! This book really had me in my feels, from gut wrenching sadness to excitement to shock to happiness and everything in between!
❄️I just couldn’t stop thinking about the book and these characters. They will live rent free in my mind for a while and were unforgettable!

I read this in several formats - physical, kindle (thanks @netgalley and @randomhouse) and audio (thanks @librofm) and I was in love with all versions! The audio had a full cast so 10/10 recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy. The Favorites by Layne Fargo releases January 14th!

I loved this book! I couldn’t put it down, yet I never wanted it to end. Katarina and Heath have been inseparable (and volatile) since they were 10 years old, climbing their way to the top of the competitive ice-dancing world. Their toxic relationship is so messy, so scandalous—you can’t help but be obsessed.

Told through Katarina’s perspective and interwoven with interviews from a documentary, the structure of this book was absolute perfection. The drama, the scandal, the high-stakes competition—I lived for every page. Were the characters likable? Not at all—but that’s the fun of it. You’ll love to hate them, just like the rest of the world in their story. While the ending veered a bit unrealistic for me, it still worked, and I closed the book feeling satisfied.

I 100% understand the comparisons to Taylor Jenkins Reid—this one definitely has that energy.

This book had me hooked! Ice sports? Drama? Lovers? Backstabbing? This book has it all.

Katarina Shaw is determined. She will follow in the footsteps of her ice skating idol and bring home a gold medal. Nothing can or will stand in her way. Without the funds or family to back her up, the only thing keeping her going is Heath Rocha, her everything. Friend, companion, and eventually lover, these two set off on an ice adventure that will keep your head spinning as quickly as their skates do on the ice.

The characters come alive and the drama is electric! I can't wait to see who picks up this one and all the awards it will win. What an awesome read!

This is a great book!

It would be a huge success if it was coming out during an Olympic season - but it is good enough it should be able to carry itself!

Suspense, romance, sports, intrigue all in one page turning book. I can't say enough about how well written this book was. I loved the documentary/real life back and forth. Could not wait to get to the end!

Honestly, I loved everything about this book. Except the ending--but I'll get to that. However, I don't agree that this is a romance. It's not ONLY a romance; it's drama, it's sports, it's passion. Fargo takes readers on a raw, ugly journey of athletes dedicated to a sport that gave them structure in a traumatic childhood.

Life's lessons get learned by living through it for the characters, not taught to them by someone. As Katarina and Heath grow up, they make mistakes and they keep moving forward. But it's full of pain, heartbreak, triumph, victory, lows, and everything in between. It's emotional and tense, and if you're like me, the ending will probably frustrate you. But it's real. And it's growth.

And the interview format was so much fun.

Kat and Bella had the best storyline. But the ending of Heath, Kat, Bella, and Mei was not for me. It was okay, but with that type of passion and love, even with Kat's new-found unselfishness at the end, *THAT* plot line just wasn't working for me.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc. I really enjoyed this book so much and was thrilled to see it as ebook of the month option for January. Obviously I chose it. I was surprised I liked this story as much as I did. Growing up I wanted to be a figure skater lol. I know this author is pretty popular, but this was my first book by her and it was very good. I really enjoyed the writing style and the interview style as well. I would recommend giving this book a shot. It deserves 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for allowing me access to an early review copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I was both excited and nervous when I first started reading this book. Being a big figure skating fan, I was worried about how it would be incorporated. I need not have worried. I could tell by the dedication page of The Favorites by Layne Fargo that this book would be for me. Anyone who would dedicate the book to those particular skaters did more than just cursory research about the sport and I would be in for quite the ride.

That being said, I don't think a reader needs to be a fan of figure skating to enjoy this book as the story of passion, betrayal and obsession stands on its own. The documentary style embedded in the text ensures that any necessary skating terms are explained. The skating fan readers will enjoy the fun easter eggs sprinkled throughout.

I had a few minor quibbles about the focus competition and about the ending, but it did not take away from my overall enjoyment and I would highly recommend this both to readers and skating fans.

4.5 rounded up!

This book was one that I will think about for a while. It was so captivating. The first 30-50% was a solid gold medal read. The characters were relatable and it was easy to love some and hate others. Reading this book made you feel like you were right there in the story. The writing is incredible. I loved how Fargo mixed in the documentary interviews as well so that the reader could get the behind the scenes with other competitors and individuals that were involved. The last half was a bit more repetitive but still very hard to put down. I was very satisfied with the ending. I think if I would have listened to the audio, this would have been a gold medal. I am planning to reread the audio and I do believe my rating will change. I highly suggest reading the author's acknowledgements at the end. It made me enjoy the writing even more.