The interview style of some of this narrative was excellent. It kept the story moving forward and it was just enough to keep you guessing as to what was to come. The storyline did at times become repetitive as did the technical skating jargon but there is an intensity to this story which propels you to keep reading. I do think it could have been edited by about a 100 pages?! Overall, I quite enjoyed this one and think it will a popular novel especially if you enjoy watching the ice skating pairs every Winter Olympics.

I was immersed into the skating world immediately. The personal and professional relationship of Kat and Heath was captivating. I liked the interwoven interviews with others in the skating world. I did not love the Sochi stuff but did like how the book ended.
4.5 stars

Who knew that a story set in the world of competitive figure skating would grab me, but this story about Katarina Shaw, a determined figure skater, and Heath Rocha, a lonely foster kid turned skating partner, did! Their intense, passionate bond takes them to the top of the ice dancing world, but a shocking incident at the Olympics ends their partnership. Ten years later, a documentary stirs up the past, prompting Kat to finally tell her side of the story. Inspired by Wuthering Heights, it’s a tale of obsession, ambition, and the true cost of success. This book is full of drama! I will look to add other books by this author!

Wow. I loved this one- it seemed like a book TJR would write. The drama within the ice skating world was soooo good. I loved the back and forth between the characters. Will be super popular next year for sure

Thank you Random House for my gifted copy!

I have read Layne Fargo before and really enjoyed her work. What I truly did not expect, though, was The Favorites. When I read the premise, I was not sure it would be my cup of tea. I’ve never been interested in competitive ice skating. But I saw rave reviews and so it kept calling to me.

There are a handful of books that I have loved so much that I had visceral reactions to them. Daisy Jones and the Six. The Beartown Trilogy. Carrie Soto Is Back. And now, The Favorites. A fellow bookstagrammer warned me that I would feel fiery rage while reading this and I truly did not anticipate how right she was. It is not an exaggeration when I say I wanted to throw this book across the room *so many times.*

There were decisions these characters made that you would not catch me making, but love makes us do crazy things. And The Favorites is ultimately about love. It was beautiful. Fargo has always been a solid writer, but The Favorites is next level. It is hard to describe how perfect the writing was. It was transportive. I truly felt my heart strings being pulled left and right. It has been quite a while since I have read anything this powerful, and I loved every second of it. You are not going to want to miss this one.

Layne is an extremely talented author and this was fun to see her go into a new genre. However, I thought this was extremely slow/boring for about 60% of the book. It is well written but I just wanted a little more …of something. I am not the target audience for sports dramas; I believe this will be very well liked and a lot of people will love it!

This was AWESOME. Couldn’t put it down. The length May seem intimidating but the story is so well told it just flies by. I can see this being a huge hit. Highly recommended.

The Favorite by Layne Fargo is a captivating novel that delves into ambition, loss, self-discovery, e.t.c . At the start, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The writing was strong, but the format, a mix of chapters interspersed with interviews from various characters—was different from what I’m used to. However, as I kept reading, I found myself fully immersed in the story and eventually grew to appreciate the unique structure.

This book exceeded my expectations and reminded me so much of Carrie Soto Is Back. The characters were intense, driven, and layered in ways that made them feel incredibly real. Kat and Heath, the two main characters, were far from perfect. One moment, I wanted to scream at their choices, and the next, I completely understood why they made them. Their rawness and imperfections made them relatable and deeply compelling. I loved both characters in their own way, though I can see why they might not resonate with many people

Layne Fargo did an incredible job crafting this story. Her writing is both engaging and immersive, making me feel like I was living the characters' experiences alongside them. The plot twists were unexpected and kept me hooked, always wanting more.

The ending was bittersweet (no spoilers!), leaving me with so many emotions as I reflected on the journey of each character. Even days after finishing, I find myself thinking about this book. It’s truly one of the best I’ve ever read. I highly recommend it

Thank you Netgalley and Random house for this Arc. This Arc was provided in exchange for my honest review

Katarina Shaw fell in love with ice dancing at four years old when she saw Sheila Lin in the Olympics. Eventually she meets Heath Rocha, a foster kid who learns to skate because of his love for Kat. At 16 they run away from home to escape the toxic environment and chase their Olympic dreams. No one could have predicted what unfolds in the coming years.

An epic sports romance with so much drama, romance, heartbreak, betrayal, and everything in between. The Favorites was one of the best books I read this year. Just WOW!!! Truly incredible. I could not put this book down. So so engaging. I am going to read this book over and over again.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.

I really wanted to love this book, but unfortunately it's not for me. I liked how the story was told, and getting other people's pov through a documentary. The tone hinting at huge drama made me look forward to what was happening next.
However, my patience for Katarina kept dwindling as I read more and more, so much that I had to take a break for a few days before picking it back up again.. and ended up dnf'ing because this was too much teenage drama for me. I felt that Katarina was utterly selfish in her ambitions, where Heath felt more like a convenience than anything else. All through their partnership, it felt so much like she was using him. While we are told that she and Heath were always together, we got only little glimpses of that. The emphasis was more on Katarina's ambitions, to the point of, I felt, her being cavalier to Heath's feelings and visible discomfort. Also, I felt like Heath doing what he did at the start of part III of the story was completely justified.
Although I don't mind miscommunication in a story, in this case, I really wish the characters would have talked to one another - granted, they're very young, so it tracks. Maybe I'm too old for all of this.
While I enjoyed the way this story is told, the story in itself was just not for me. Don't let my review stop you from picking up this book, because evidently many people are loving it, so I am in the very few!
Immensely grateful for the advanced review opportunity. Thank you to the publisher. All opinions are my own.

mmmm did I just read my 2025 book of the year? Wow. @laynefargo this was a masterpiece from start to finish. I felt like I was watching a movie. A combination of Taylor Jenkins Reid, Daisy Jones and iTonya. I will be thinking about this book for a long time.

A love story, an edge of your seat competition, a scandal, rivalry. Told in Kat’s POV as well as interview style, short chapters had me flying through this amazing story. Mark your calendars because there’s a reason this is almost 5⭐️s on Goodreads.

Thank you @netgalley and @randomhouse for the arc in exchange for my honest review. PUB DATE: 1/14/

This book was absolutely amazing and I am so surprised by how much I loved it. I somehow hated every character (at at moments loved/felt for) but still wanted to read more. The premise sucked me in and the writing kept me. I loved how it switched from present day to flashbacks told by the main character. Honestly, I haven’t enjoyed a book as much as this one in so long.

This book is daisy jones & the six combined with the movie I, Tonya! Such a fast paced read with engaging storytelling. I truly loved the book so much until the 80% one element of the book made me so crazy and not in a good way. It’s something I personally can’t get passed so it went from a 5 star to a 3 star. However, if are looking for a book with realistic competitive skating, messy and incredibly flawed characters this is for you. There is not a dull moment in this at all.

Any reader interested in competitive skating at the highest level will enjoy this title. Engrossing with interesting narrative and interview comments interwoven, this was an excellent read on how 2 kids with no money hit the big time in skating. Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha go on a long messy journey to the ice dancing pinnacles. What they sacrifice makes a fascinating read. Loved this being a fan of the sport, too.

First I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC of this novel.

To say I’m obsessed with this book would be an understatement. I loved this book so much. It is going to be one of my top 3 books this year, that’s how much I loved this book.

I loved the drama, the scandals and the romance between Kat and Heath. But this book was so much more than just a love story. It was an epic journey and I loved the backdrop of the Ice Dance world to tell the story. The character development in this book was just so well done.

I’ve soon so many comparisons between this and Daisy Jones and I totally agree. I loved the format of the story and the documentary intertwined. I also think of you liked Carrie Soto was back you will like this book. I found Katrina Shaw reminded me so much of Carrie Soto.

This book is long but it never felt long or dragged out. I didn’t want it to end I wanted more of Katrina and Heath’s story. I could have read another 200 pages about them.

I will be telling everyone to go read this book.

5/5 stars.

WOW! One of my last reads of 2024 is one of my FAVORITES of the entire year. THE FAVORITES is a sweeping story about the careers of competitive ice dancers, from their humble beginnings on hometown ice to competitions around the world. Layne Fargo writes incredible complex characters in Katarina and Heath. Their passion for each other leaps off the page. The relationships they form with their competitors and coaches add to the intrigue. It’s not simply and love story set in ice skating. It goes into the depths of drama of the sport, the salacious and unyielding gossip circulated by the media, and the pressure of obtaining perfection. I will be buying a copy of this book for my shelf when it comes out January 14th!

As an avid follower of figure skating, I know weird things that happen (I will never get over Michelle Kwan not winning Olympic gold). But I have never seen anything like what goes on in The Favorites (or at least I am unaware). .. a whack on the knee is nothing compared to thorns in the skating boots or doping a skater's medication. What this book shows is the passion for winning, when nothing is as important and not letting anything stand in the way. The characters are interesting--they literally do show their good and bad sides, which makes them human. Some of the premise of the book is a little out of the realm of possibility, but just like watching an ice dance program, sometimes you must suspend your disbelief and just go with it.

** spoiler alert ** This long novel reads fast, packing lots of action, on ice and off, into the pages.
Growing up, I watched a lot of ice dancing with my mom, so I truly enjoyed the immersion in the sport and the descriptions.

What I liked:

- The format of the documentary gives insight into what other characters did or thought about the events
- The fast pace of the story kept me engaged
- A bit of the love story was nice before it turned sort of toxic
- All the skating drama!

What I didn't care for:

- I agree with some of the other reviews - it does have a YA feel. But it is well written.
- The drama was nice, but the twists got repetitive - how many times can they storm out before the final dance? Also, how much drama is too much? It felt like the author had a list of skating events in a specific time frame, and she had to come up with a story for each one of them.
- Who just walks out on their love in the rain in Japan to go train in Russia for three years, never to be discovered? That was a bit over the top, especially as the author also tells us everyone knows everyone in the small world of ice dancing. So, has no one recognized Heath for three years? Also, the fact that he was jealous over nothing is never addressed, yet he cheats on Kat with Bella three seconds after Kat returns his engagement ring. I thought he was going to scream, "We were on a break!" when Kat finds them together.
- Kat obviously goes through character growth, and we sort of see the results of it when she confesses that winning is not everything after all, but how she arrives at these life-changing conclusions is not always obvious. We take the express train to the final station instead of seeing the sights (maybe it is not the worst thing - this book does not need to be any longer at 464 pages).

Overall, it's a fun read, especially if you are into figure skating.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group, for providing an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review. The book is out on January 25.

4.75 stars!

BRO THIS WAS SO GOOD. I wanted an messy, emotional, thrilling story of the highs and lows of Olympic-level ice dancing and this gave me everything and more.

So much to love here. I love how it switches between Kat's account and the documentary, it gave it a very mixed-media Taylor Jenkins Reid-esque feel. I love the amount of pain and angst these characters go through and how it makes every one of their little successes feel massive. The drama was just delicious and every time it starts to feel ridiculous I remember the real-life scandals in ice skating–this stuff is all well-within the realm of possibility. Kat's ambition is tangible and it's so engrossing to see how that ambition tears at her relationships and her image in the public eye. I appreciate how Kat and Bella's friendship struggles under the expectations for their competition as two ambitious women, but also how they find moments to lift one another up. Heath and Garrett each have unique and complicated relationships with their sport especially considering their upbringings and the really passionate women in their lives. Even the antagonists of the story feel human because you feel very strongly how they're all victims of the obsession and competition that their sport incites. Despite how deeply flawed they were, I really loved the characters and found myself rooting for them so strongly towards the end.

I think people are going to love this. It has the hard-and-fast entertainment value of a Taylor Jenkins Reid novel with the edge and thrill of The Queen's Gambit. It's everything I wanted from From Lukov with Love and an excellent take on Wuthering Heights. This is my first Layne Fargo book but I will absolutely be keeping an eye on her after this.

Thank you to Layne Fargo and Random House Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my full, honest review!

Happy reading!

Thanks to Random House for the gifted copy.

I am unwell. This book was SO INCREDIBLE. I did a combination of reading and listening, and highly suggest it because the audio has interview elements similar to Daisy Jones and the Six. THE FAVORITES is one of those books that left me sobbing and breathless at the end, and wondering HOW are these characters fictional!? I felt so immersed in the story and like I was part of this ice dancing world. The humanity of the characters was so real and raw - I loved them and hated them and was frustrated with them, but also rooting for them in their relationships and at the Olympics and UGH. I feel like I poured my emotions into this book and I didn't even write it. Absolutely incredible.