I'm not sure what it was about this book but it felt like it started slowly for me. Well actually, it started with a bang and then slowed down for a bit. But let me say that just when I was losing hope, it took off and just kept rolling. It definitely didn't progress the way I thought it would but then, I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting.

The story at its core is about two young people who met as children and started skating together. They weren't wealthy and didn't have the re4sources that many skaters have. What they did have was grit. And drive - - especially her - - Katarina Shaw. Her partner, Heath Rocha - - he had love for her - - that is why he skated. But she skated with a purpose and drug Heath along with her. Eventually her ambition puts a wedge between them. From there, their lives go in opposite directions for a while but eventually they will meet up again and when they do - -- well let's just say - - it's a bit crazy.

I highly recommend this book. It was a bit unlike anything else I've read. I requested it from NetGalley because it's a book about skaters and Olympic athletes - - both of which interest me. What I got was so much more. I have to say it was a stellar book.

Thank you to NetGalley for this early copy.

I loved this book! Olympics, meets Tonya Harding 2.0, I couldn't put it down. The style of writing and storytelling hooked me and had me thinking about this book long after I finished.

The Favorites has a wild amount of hype surrounding it so I was excited to pick it up. I listened to the audio and I'm so glad I did. It had a full cast, tons of special effects, and it truly felt like I was sitting down to binge a docuseries whenever I turned it on.

The hype is real folks. If you're into skating - and I say this with all seriousness - this book will definitely be for you. If you're not at all into figure skating, or ice dancing to be specific, then I strongly suggest you reconsider picking this book up. IT.IS.ALL.SKATING.

Sure, it's a love story and a story about "friendship" and winning and a coming of age. It has all of those things. But they are secondary to SKATING. It's skating, skating, more skating, some competitions, skating, and then some more skating.

And it's very long. It really is a tome. There were easily five points where I thought, "wow, that was great, I must be coming to the close" and had HOURS left. I don't say that as a bad thing, you just really and truly get SO MUCH SKATING from the ENTIRE life of your main character.

All that being said, I did thoroughly enjoy this book, I've already recommended it several times, and I'm convinced if it's the last thing I do that this WILL be the first audiobook my sister (who's a huge fan of skating!) will listen to!

Happy skating! I mean reading :)

This was so scandalous and toxic but also so beautiful and addicting. Honestly this book is like a drug because 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 oh my gosh 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, this book as just so good and the cover is beautiful.

It's been a minute since I read a book that I couldn't put down! This reminded me of Taylor Jenkins Reid (high praise in my book) and I found myself sneaking a few minutes of reading here and there, hooked to the very last page.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishing company for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Favorites by Layne Fargo!

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an early copy. All opinions are my own.

"The Favorites" is the first book I read by Layne Fargo, and it was certainly an experience. I read this book alongside the audiobook version, and I highly recommend the audiobook for a more immersive experience. The premise immediately hooked me, and I was thoroughly engaged in the storyline. While Katherine's character was explored in depth, Heath's character development felt lacking, and his motivations were not well-defined. Many of the other characters came off as caricatures. Although this is a love story, it was not the kind I was expecting based on the blurb. Overall, I was disappointed that this was not up to my expectations.

This book is INCREDIBLE!! Despite being over 400 pages, I FLEW through this in a day. I was completely invested in these characters that I had to know what happened. Fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid or figure skating in general will LOVE this book.

All Olympic ice-skating fans who can’t get enough of an unorthodox #lovestory, meets sports #documentary #podcast tinged with issues of class and Nancy Kerrington/Tanya Harding-esque #drama – this one is for you. I had seen rave #reviews of this one, and while I don’t think I fell head over heels in love with it to the extent that most people seem to have, I still LOVED this one and could not get enough of it, despite many of the characters not being my favorite. Bonus: I love a #book that is presented in a podcast/documentary style (think Daisy Jones & The Six).

•

This one follows the skating career of legendary ice dance duo Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha, both from humble beginnings, who can barely scrap by and have no support from family and friends. When they find themselves able to be trained by icon and legend gold medalist Sheila Lin at her prestigious academy, their lives are forever changed, though they are marred by Katarina’s eventual obsession with winning above all else, and the couple’s undying love and loyalty for one another, off and on relationships, and inability to come together as a stable couple in the midst of their differing personalities, values, and priorities.

•

Throughout their journey, the duo goes through various coaches, styles, partners, challenges, and – at times – utter sabotage, as they stake everything in their lives on winning a gold medal at the Olympics.

•

I will admit, Katarina was not my favorite character, though my dislike of her actually furthered the book’s plot and really worked. I do not think it would have resonated quite as well in what it was trying to achieve had she been truly likable. Heath, on the other hand, I adored and felt for.

I must be an outlier but unfortunately I had to soft DNF this one. I will come back through it but I got 15 chapters in and just felt like a lot was going on but at the same time nothing was happening. If the story would've picked up a bit faster I probably could have stuck with it. However, I loved Fargo's writing and it was able to pull me into the story but again, it was just what was happening and not happening at the same time that made me drop this one.

Thank you NetGalley! I love this author and how her books are of different topics in this genre. I just couldn’t get into the storyline unfortunately

I loved this book! As an avid figure skater in my youth, having a story so focused on the trials and tribulations of skating, especially as a couple was well played. The storyline took me on a roller coaster between the main couple and even though it was tragic, felt very realistic.

I’m surprised with all the good reviews , I just found it long and repetitive and not super exciting . I did like how realistic it was and how the author seemed to really understand the sport ‘
Thank you Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Two world of competitive figure skating is the focus of this book about love and obsession. Kat Shaw wants to win Olympic gold, Heath wants Kat. Their lives mesh and clash in a wild ride full of intrigue, love, hate, familial pressure and revenge. I couldn’t put this one down.

The Favorites is Wuthering Heights meets I, Tonya meets Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir's 2018 Moulin Rouge performance. As someone who has been obsessed with all of these things, this book was seemingly made for me. This book was such an experience to read. It was my first Layne Fargo, but I know it wont be my last. I can definitely tell that she is a thriller writer, because my stress levels reading this were much higher than i expected out of a romance. Nonetheless, I had an incredible time reading this.

Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha are our Catherine and Heathcliff, our volatile and obsessive main characters. Katarina is passionate about ice dance and will do anything to be the best. The way that Katarina feels about the sport is how Heath Rocha feels about her, Theyr'e best friends since childhood, ice dance partners, eventual lovers, and we see their relationship with each other and with the sport develop over the course of the book.

Reading this feels like watching a biopic, as the chapters alternate between Katarina's POV and interviews for a documentary by her friends, family, fellow athletes, coaches, competitors etc. This was so fun to read, as we'd see something occur in Katarina's pov, and then hear the impressions and assumptions of others right after. This added a layer of intrigue, as we are sometimes left wondering who to believe.- Katarina's impression of a situation, or what people say for a camera years later. I loved reading about the skating world and how much drama and intrigue Fargo built. I was on the edge of my seat for the main plot/main characters, but also for the side characters and the glimpses into their (often scandalous) stories.

Katarina and Heath's relationship is volatile and intense, jumping from sweet to stressful in an instant. I really enjoyed reading about their relationship and the sport, but i did think that Katarina was a more fully fleshed out character than Heath. I feel like I know Katarina as a character, she's a maligned woman at the start of the story, telling the reader her side of things, but I don't fully understand Heath. There were hints and deeper layers to him, but I didn't find them to be explored enough.

Finally, there was a Harry Potter reference in this book that was completely unnecessary. It seemed to only exist to establish the time frame in a chapter set in the early 2000s, but there are so many other ways that that could have been done, without referencing an author who is doing harm every day to the trans community. Readers have repeatedly asked authors to stop referencing Harry Potter and JKR's works in their books, and it was extremely disappointing to see the reference in a book that seems to make an effort to include queer characters. I hope that this was removed from the final version.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc of this book

The betrayal, the scandal, the manipulation… oof. Absolutely ruthless.

Esteemed figure skater Katarina Shaw is the girl everyone loves to hate, and she’ll stop at nothing to claim Olympic gold. But she’s not the only one with ice in her veins—every character in this story is fighting for the top spot, and their cutthroat methods are just as brutal. There were moments I had to put the book down because I was seething. Expect secrets, lies, sabotage, and plenty of rage. The Favorites pulls back the curtain on the high-stakes world of competitive sports, revealing the drama simmering just beneath the surface.

This book started out so strong, but ultimately wasn’t a favourite.

I love the sports world, and the love story set against it, but ultimately the characters fell flat and the ending was much too predictable. Some books just leave me with the impression they should be deeper, and this was one of them. Really, it should have been 100 pages shorter, and a quick fun read. I would compare it to Carrie Soto Fights Back, in terms of energy and theme, but this one didn’t leave me in tear like that one did.

It has been getting rave reviews, so give it a try if you like skating.

This is a Wuthering Heights retelling set in the modern way world of figure skating. It was told in a documentary/journalistic style, examining events ten years after the fact, which was a cool twist for a retelling. Katarina and Heath both had very hard lives growing up and developed a deep bond given they've only really ever been able to rely on each other. This creates a roller coaster relationship with some toxic energy, but also genuine love for each other. The ice dancing story add a lot of intrigue to the story, with the two being thrown into an environment full of fierce competition, jealousy, and back stabbing. I thought this was a unique and different retelling of an all-time classic.

If you are a fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid, I highly recommend picking up this book. I could not put this book down. Every turn of the page kept my attention until the very last words. If you are looking for something dramatic and heavy, but still full of hope, this is the book you need to read.

This was one of the most dramatic books I’ve ever read. Every single thing that could be dramatic happens. The setting of figure skating is the perfect background and it’s so interesting. The characters are so unlikable and yet you root for them all the same. Was a page turning ride from beginning to end.