This was a great read for anyone who grew up in the 90s during the golden age of figure skating! The main character, Katarina, also grew up in that era and fell in love with ice dancing as a child. She soon became an elite athlete in the sport, along with her boyfriend Heath. This is their story of competing and trying to make it to the Olympics, with many successes and failures along the way. The supporting characters are also fantastic and the interview aspect between every few chapters with those characters makes the book even better. If you loved the movie Cutting Edge, you will love this too!

This book had me hooked from the start. Not only am I a huge ice dance fan, but when you have a book with that much drama, plot twist, sabotaging, and drive… I don’t think it could have been written any better.
This read just like a Taylor Jenkins Reid novel- and she is one of my favourite authors. Everything was written so clearly and descriptive. I could picture every single word just like a movie. Like it was happening in front of me and I was there.
The characters in the book were all so different and you could picture their personalities and how they all interact. You could feel the friction and the tension, the drive, the hope, the yearning.
Layne Fargo is on my radar and I think at this point I will read anything she writes. Well done Layne.
Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this in advanced for exchange of my honest opinion,

Continuing my countdown of my favorite books of the year!

The Favorites by Layne Fargo - publishes January 2025!
@laynefargo

Yall I ate this UP. This was such an addicting book. I absolutely loved They Never Learn so I was thrilled to receive an e-arc for this one through @netgalley - this story has everything you could want - romance, drama, tension, mixed media, competition, incredible characters, the list goes on. It felt so good to binge a book this year when I’ve had a not so good reading year. I guess Layne Fargo is solidifying herself as a favorite writer 🙂‍↕️

I highly recommend picking this one up in the new year whether you’re an ice skating fan or not!

Wow this one was a rollercoaster of emotions! I think i felt everything the characters felt while reading. Excitement, anticipation, heartbreak, betrayal, you name it, this book has it. The Favorites definitely kept me on my toes and I never knew what would happen next. In some parts I was so proud of Kat but other times I just wanted to scream at her!! I loved that I felt that I learned a lot more about competitive figure skating although i hope it’s not as cut throat in real life lol This was a really fun read, but I wish it could have ended a little differently! Overall i really enjoyed it!

I found myself totally consumed by and obsessed with THE FAVORITES and the main characters, Kat and Heath's connection and wanting to know everything about them. With their troubled home lives (an alcoholic brother now guardian and living in several foster homes) they seek solace with each other and form a bond that no one else could understand. Kat and Heath are both intense, complicated people. Kat is fearless and ruthless when it comes to her determination to do anything it takes to get what she wants (Olympic gold for ice dancing) and Heath, only having Kat as his family, will do anything it takes to stay in her life, right by her side, even on the ice. Their relationship certainly may not be the healthiest in which they keep hurting each other, causing them to grow apart, but deep down there will always be that deep, raw love they share.

Giving the reader a behind the scenes look into ice skating Olympics, this story is filled with drama, suspense, chemistry so hot I'm surprised the ice rink is still frozen. I really admired the tastefully-written documentary-style theme that allowed the readers to understand the other characters more and their perspectives, keeping you guessing of what actually happened. The second half of the book, I did find myself not as invested as the plot starts to feels more fictional and there were some moments that didn't feel believable that had me asking questions, but overall a very good book with a passionate love story.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Oooh we have our first hit of 2025! This was fuuun! A zippy popcorn read that combines Tessa & Scott Moulin Rouge ice dance fan fiction with a whisper of Wuthering Heights (both the Gothic novel and the Kate Bush of it all!) Literally every chapter ended with sinister foreshadowing of chaos to come, and I was never disappointed! So bingeable and an actual emotional rollercoaster.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me an arc in exchange for an honest review. Be sure to binge this one yourselves when it hits shelves on Jan 14th!

With a blend of figure skating, scandal and memorable characters, Layne Fargo's The Favorites is absolutely going to be a favorite novel of 2025. Her careful plotting and research in what is a retelling of Wuthering Heights (set mainly in the 90s and aughts) amid the back drop of competitive ice dancing is captivating. I flew through the pages and history of Kat and Heath, competitive ice dancers, orphans and star-crossed lovers. When an authorized documentary is released 10 years after the scandal at the 2014 Olympics, coaches, skaters, partners and rivals all take part-claiming to know the truth behind rival scandal. Kat, ever determined to forge her own path, decides to finally tell her story. Part documentary (think Daisy Jones and The Six) and part autobiography The Favorites is the book to pick up for 2025.

Thank you to the NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

This book is written in a documentary style, and I've never read anything like it before. At first, it was a bit difficult to get used to the number of characters, but then I just couldn't put it down! It was messy, toxic, tragic, yet written so realistically that I refuse to believe these characters don't exist in real life! I was shocked by one plot twist, but I understand that it was a necessary detail because life isn't perfect.

I can't remember the last time I felt so emotional while reading a book. I feel like I'll be thinking about it constantly for the next few days.

So, it's a story about two figure skaters from a small town who achieved great heights through their hard work, determination and love.

𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬:
⛸️ figure skating
⛸️ childhood friends to lovers
⛸️ toxic relationship
⛸️ juicy drama
⛸️ documentary style

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for this advance copy of this book!

This book was everything to me. It gave me exactly what I needed even when I didn’t. I was able to imagine everything that was happening in this book, which is usually hard for me to do. I loved Kat and the other characters were just crazy and insane. Ended up loving people I despised by the end. Can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy and the audio to do a re read!

Layne Fargo delivers an emotionally gripping and beautifully complex story in The Favorites, a tale of ambition, love, and the tangled dynamics of a partnership that burned bright before imploding under the weight of pressure and personal demons.

Katarina Shaw is a protagonist with grit and fire, whose determination to rise above her troubled beginnings is both admirable and heartbreaking. Her bond with Heath Rocha—equal parts soulmate and sparring partner—creates a magnetic center for the story. Fargo masterfully captures their journey, from childhood prodigies to Olympic champions, and their eventual downfall, making readers feel the dizzying highs and gut-wrenching lows of their partnership.

The use of an unauthorized documentary to frame the story adds a unique layer of intrigue, as readers are drawn into competing perspectives, sensational rumors, and a sense of voyeurism. Kat’s decision to reclaim her narrative allows for a raw and unfiltered look at the sacrifices, betrayals, and love that shaped her relationship with Heath and her career.

Fargo’s writing shines in its ability to balance the glamour of the ice-dancing world with the grim realities of Kat and Heath’s personal lives. The chemistry between the two is electric, both on and off the ice, but their volatile dynamic is as much a source of pain as it is passion. The exploration of ambition, identity, and the cost of success is thought-provoking and emotionally resonant.

While some plot twists may feel a bit over-the-top, they serve to heighten the drama, and Fargo’s unflinching portrayal of her characters’ flaws keeps the story grounded.

The Favorites is a captivating and intense read that dives deep into the complexities of partnership, fame, and self-definition. Fans of character-driven dramas with a dose of scandal will find it hard to put this book down.

For me one of the best things about the Winter Olympics is the figure skating. While I love the individual events, my favorites are the couples competitions. If you are like me, you will be glued to the pages of this new release chronicling the saga of Shaw & Roch.

Katarina Shaw and Heath Roch claw their way into the world of ice dancing. And they come as a matched set. For Katarina, her biggest ambition is to be like Sheila Lin -- an iconic ice dancing queen with two Olympic gold medals. Heath just wants to be with Katarina.

Their story is told with documentary inserts reminiscent of Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. If you are a TJR fan, this one will be appealing. I have also seen it compared to Colleen Hoover although I do think the spice is toned down quite a bit. Very closed door which is my style.


A big thank you to Random House and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

Pure perfection . Scandalous thrilling and an all around great read . Very much in the vein of Taylor Jenkins Reid in the best kind of way . This book was graciously provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review .

2.5 Stars. This is a soap opera of a book! I heard the audiobook is way better and I can understand that, but even still, the final 1/3 of this book shifted from believability to absurdity. Alongside the insane—and often unbelievable—levels of drama, the lack of development of most characters (especially Heath) left a lot to be desired.

Wow! This book far exceeded my expectations. I loved the high stakes and complex main characters. I really enjoyed the writing style.

💭 ⓂⓎ ⓉⒽⓄⓊⒼⒽⓉⓈ
All the stars for this book! If you have heard the buzz, let me assure you it is absolutely worth the hype. With a documentary style format, TJR esque writing, and a story packed with scandal, endless tension, and an unforgettable romance, this book will have you hooked from start to finish.
The characters are pure perfection, and the vivid writing places you right in the Olympic stadium, holding your breath as the ice dancers compete. It brought me back to my childhood, reliving the magic of watching figure skating during the Winter Olympics on TV.
I adored the complex flawed characters and the intricate messy relationships they shared. Kat, Bella, Heath, Garrett, and Sheila felt so real that I did not just read about them, I knew them. This story is gripping, intense, and deliciously scandalous. It definitely has potential to be a top contender for my favorite book of the year!

📚 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
⛸️Sports romance
💕Childhood friends to lovers
🎥Documentary style
❌Toxic relationships
🥇Olympic rivalry
❎Complex flawed characters
🎭Dramatic and scandalous
😭Emotional and intense
🔁Multiple timelines

⛸️𝕄𝕐 ℝ𝔸𝕋𝕀ℕ𝔾⛸️
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

💕Q U O T E: “ 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.”

🙏 Thank you NetGalley, Random House, and Layne Fargo for providing me the eARC to go along with my physical copy!💕

Not the usual book Layne writes! But I enjoyed it! Some parts were unnecessary but I’d recommend it!

This book reminded me why I love to read. It hooked me from the first page and I could not put it down. I binged this in two days because any free moment I had, I picked it up because I had to know what was going to happen. The complex characters, betrayal, and the tension with high stakes athletics was so refreshing and addictive. I loved the commentary on class and a peek into behind the scenes (although fictional) drama that occurs in the world of sports for athletes. While I did not like the characters, I did believe they grew and evolved for the better so I was happy with the ending. The book made me FEEL for Kat and Heath. I wanted everything to work out for them and I could not look away. I did not find this long and I found the pacing to be done very well. What a great departure from her last book, They Never Learn. I also read and loved that one back in 2022. It is so impressive when an author can dabble in writing different genres and do both very well!

This book is juicy, irresistible, and exceptionally messy but I loved it.

Warning: Reading this book may result in a catastrophic reading slump or a bookish hangover so profound that no other book will excite you for weeks because that is what has happened to me!
Thank you so much to Random House for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5

I couldn’t put this book down. It was excellent. The writing was so good. The story was so good. You rooted for Katarina Shaw the whole time. She’s driven. You also wanted to yell at her sometimes. The book gives you all the emotions. You cheer during the competitions and you want to yell at the end.
Definitely worth the read.

I have a feeling THIS novel will be one of the ones everyone reads. It might even be picked up by a big.name book club. It's that damn good. Passion, ice skating, drama--it's all in there.

✩4.5

Katarina Shaw was in the building, and that bitch had come to win.

✦What to Expect✦
•Figure Skaters/Ice dancing
•Olympic dreams
•Documentary style/interview format
•Drama
•Backstabbing
•Toxic relationships

✦Characters✦
•Katarina Shaw
•Heath Rocha

•Isabella(Bella)Lin
•Garrett Lin
•Sheila Lin
•Ellis Dean
•Nicole Bradford
•Jane Currer
•Kirk Lockwood
•Francesca Gaskell
•Inez Action
•Veronika Volvkova
 
✦Fav Quotes✦
Everyone thinks Heath Rocha was my first love. He wasn’t. My first love was figure skating.

I hated them. I wanted to be them. I couldn’t take my eyes off them.

He looked at me like he’d been wandering in the dark for years, and I was the sunrise.

One way or another, Heath Rocha and I will be in each other’s lives until we die. Even if we end up killing each other.

✦Thoughts✦
Oh my god

What a wild ride. Truly unwell now.

The betrayal. The backstabbing. The tension. The DRAMA!

First off, the DRAMA holy crap! It was so addicting and had me clenching my jaw so much. My blood pressure and heart rate were through the roof at times because some of the stuff that happened had me audibly gasping and literally screaming into the void.
IT’S FINE, I’M FINE (narrator: she was in fact, not fine)

Kat is going after her dreams and is
going to do whatever she needs to do in order to win gold.
Kat is unapologetic about it too.

The journey she goes through with Heath, Bella, Garret over the years to reach her dreams, it is WILD F’ING RIDE so buckle up!