The Favorites is an absolutely stellar book that I could not put down. Thank god for holidays because I don't think I could've survived reading this during breaks at work. The characters are incredible, and I could never choose who to love, who to hate, who to trust. They practically jump off the page because of their multifacetedness. Their relationships are just as messy and chaotic.

The writing style was absolutely perfect for this story. It jumps between a first person POV to share the real story and interviews with side characters to show how our main characters and their actions are perceived by others. A beautiful decision.

I would describe this book as a must-read Daisy Jones & the Six meets figure skating story. I cannot recommend it enough, and I will be telling everyone I know to pick up a copy when it releases.

Thank you to the publisher for the e-copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Perfect read for fans of Taylor Jenkins Reed's fictional journalist memoir subgenre style (Carrie Soto, I'm looking at you!)

Anyone who still fondly remembers the ice skating romance film The Cutting Edge should grab this book immediately and not put it down until finished.

This novel is a fast-moving, sharp-witted, lovingly scathing look at what it means to be a superstar athlete. As well, it's a bittersweet love story and an action-packed thriller.

The conceit that really works here, though, is the documentary script the reader is treated to throughout the book. Little glimpses of the shots, dialogue, and narration of a shock doc - that holds the whole novel together.

And if you haven't listened to Taylor Swift's "The Last Time"? You should.

"We could use it - channel our rage, our love, our hate, our lifetime of simmering resentments and jealousies and secrets, spill it all out onto the ice and leave it there."

This book was suchhhhh a gem! The characters absolutely stole the show bc they felt so real, like people you’ve met (or wish you hadn’t). The story unfolds in such a satisfying way, with just enough tension to keep you on edge while still hitting some unexpectedly emotional notes. It’s the kind of book you keep recommending to friends because it’s just that good. Can it be a beach read in the middle of winter?! I think so. Almost perfect - 4.5 stars (so close to 5 stars!). Thank you to the publisher and author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've read all of Layne Fargo's novels, and love them all but The Favorites is absolutely my favorite of her books -- no pun intended! It's an absolutely fabulous look at the incredibly competitive world of ice skating/dancing and it's exhilarating and sexy and, as typical for Layne Fargo, features a mfc who is dazzling and not afraid of darkness in herself or in anyone else. It is just such an intense read and I loved every twisting, crazy, sexy, thrilling moment of it! Absolutely highly recommended.

I’m writing this the day after finishing The Favorites. My heart aches and my eye still get teary just thinking about this novel & how it’s affected me. THIS is why I read. To experience something that brings such an emotional response that I feel as if my DNA has been altered.

Seriously, someone give Fargo a raise. She deserves it.

The execution of this was brilliant. The set up of the documentary and the interviews. And then Kat getting to tell her side of the story. Phenomenally done.

I loved and hated the story. It pushed and pulled. Gave us the romance we all desire in real life. The drama everyone can’t look away from. I will never recover, in the very best way.

I wish to feel this way every day for the rest of my life and also wonder if I will ever recover from the emotions that so thoroughly wrecked me? Who knew Fargo had that in her.

CAN’T WAIT FOR EVERYONE TO READ THIS!!

Where to begin?! The drama!! The tension!! The suspense!!
 
The Favorites showcases how ruthless competitive sports can be, especially when you get to compete at an Olympic level. The behind-the-scenes drama, while outlandish at times, still feels possible, given the real-world scandals we've seen in the past. You will be rooting for the characters while simultaneously wanting to give them a reality check for some of their insane behavior. This is a story of friendship, love, betrayal, revenge, and a desire to win above all else.
 
I was hooked from the first page, and the book never let up. The story is told with our main character, Katarina, telling her side of the story as if she's talking straight to the reader. At the same time, we are also getting transcripts from a documentary about her life that is coming out 10 years after her huge career scandal. The transcripts add so much color to the story, allowing us to better understand how the public interpreted the scandal while also offering humor and a bit of unreliable narrator spice.
 
I found the narration style to be so compelling - I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, constantly thinking I'd read "just one more chapter" before stopping for the night. The pacing made this so bingeable, and the descriptions had it playing as a movie in my mind. I put down the book multiple times to watch ice dancing videos so I could picture everything more accurately!
 
I was sucked into this story and feeling the whole range of emotions. If you need a book to get you out of a slump, this is the book for you!!
 
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC!
 
Release Date: January 14, 2025

The Favorites by Layne Fargo will surely be on my favorites of 2025 list! I could not stop reading this delicious tale set in the world of competitive ice dancing. It was filled with drama, drama, and more drama. I really liked reading the behind the scenes for the competitive world of ice dancing. The story was just the right amount of drama and tension without becoming too much. I will be recommending this book to many of my fellow readers. Read and enjoy!

The Favorites by Layne Fargo is pure perfection.
I am new to Fargo's work but a huge fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid so obviously this one resonated with me. In the vein of Daisy Jones & the Six, this interview style mockumentary was as fascinating as it was moving. Not since the world sat slack jawed at Nancy Kerrigan's infamous ugly cry have I been so enamored by figure skating. The Favorites pulled me in and never let go. A tragic backstory, young love, love triangles, betrayal, sabotage, and a cutthroat stop at nothing passion for Olympic gold.

As enamored as I was by the words of this story I can only imagine the level it will rise to with an audio book & coming to life up on the big screen. Couldn't have asked for a better book to kick off 2025. A must read!

Thank you to Random House & NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. 5 stars!

“The Favorites” was absolutely everything I want in a sports drama: Cutthroat ambition. Drama. Scandal. Winning at all costs. Relationships. Tragedy. Overcoming the odds.

I was enthralled by this book and even at 448 pages, I didn’t want it to end. The storytelling is genius, and the use of a documentary script as a core part of the plot is perfectly executed. Many times, when an author tries to mix in a script or oral history, it doesn’t work for me. Layne Fargo makes it work and then some.

Our main characters are two rough-and-tumble kids from the Midwest, fighting for their chance at Olympic gold in ice dancing. Their story alone is entrancing. But the side characters, who come to life through their contributions to the documentary, really help to set this book apart. The drama does not end until the very end, and I was here for all of the tea. I had to keep reminding myself that this is fiction, that Rocha and Shaw are not actual US Olympians.

I think fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid — especially “Carrie Soto is Back” — will really love this one.

I’m in the midst of culling my shelves but already considering that I may need a trophy copy of “The Favorites”! This is a bold statement, but I predict it will be in my 2025 favorites

I did not find this engaging enough to continue, although I was interested in the subject matter (ice dance), I did not find the characters engaging enough and the entire circumstance felt a bit melodramatic. This is probably par for the course for the genre, but as I don't often read the genre and was mostly just interested in the subject matter, I was probably not the target audience.

Yes, yes 1000% times yes!

I couldn’t put this book down! Written in the same format and tone of Daisy Jones and the Six, I stopped to Google if Shaw and Rocha really took the skating world by storm.

It’s cut throat, ambitious, heartbreaking, and you won’t be able to stop reading. This is the book to read in 2025.

Thank you NetGalley, Layne Fargo, and Random House Publishing for the advanced copy.

Kat, who loves ice skating, meets Heath, a foster kid in the ice rink and they become friends. They are financially struggling skaters pursuing Kat’s dream of winning an Olympic gold medal. Over the next ten years we see their road to accomplish this is filled with drama and toxicity between people I would call frenemies. Heath and Kat have this toxic love story, to the world they were a scandal. To each other an obsession.

I really enjoyed this story, I hate comparing, but this story was reminiscent of Taylor Jenkins Reid, the formatting of Daisy Jones & The Six but also Carrie Soto is Back vibes. I say this because when TJR writes I am always googling to see if these characters are real people and I felt this way reading The Favorites.

I loved the first half, the drama the twists but the second half I found myself really not liking the main characters and the things they did and it became slightly repetitive. I kept hoping to find reasons to love them but I didn’t feel we were given explanation for a lot of things. They were flawed and unlikeable and I guess that was the point but I just wasn’t rooting for them, which is the opposite of how I felt reading TJR Carrie Soto is Back.

Read if you like:
•ice dancing
•olympics
•mystery
•I, Tonya
•drama

Thanks Netgalley and Random House for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was SO MUCH FUN! I couldn't put it down-scandal, steamy love, competitive world of ice dancing, rivals and livers-this book had it all. It's going to be a hit! If you want a great reading experience, check this out. I loved the creative way the author told the story: through the perspective of Katarina Shaw (one of the two members of the skate duo Shaw & Rocha) and the transcripts of a documentary made about said duo years later. Go read this!

First book of the year and I feel lucky to fall into such a banger of a plot. First, special thank you to @prhaudio, @netgalley and @librofm for the complimentary files to review.
I am no skater by all means, shape and form but who does not get captivated looking at a figure skater on a rink. This book was intense, in drama, in exploits and passion of the sport. I love Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha as characters. I love Layne Fargo’s They Never Learn back in year 2020 and I followed the author in social media. I can’t be more excited when the release of this book was announced because it certainly delivered. It is totally a different take from the previous book but has all the right surprises, emotion and potency. I love girl power story line and I love it even better when girl power were set at the perfect terms. I highly recommend this read!

“The Favorites,” Layne Fargo’s latest literary gem, follows Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha’s journey into the competitive world of ice dancing. From their initial skates to their final performance, their partnership has been a whirlwind of emotions and shared passions. Katarina Shaw is determined to become a champion ice dancer, and her unwavering dedication will test Heath’s resolve and commitment to her. This novel unfolds through the unique perspective of a documentary filmed a decade after Shaw and Rocha’s triumphant final skate. This was an addictive read and my favorite novel yet of Layne Fargo’s.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the DRC of this novel. “The Favorites” by Layne Fargo will be published 1/14/2025.

The Favorites is Daisy Jones meets ice skating partners — romance, scandal, found family, D R A M A - this book truly has it all, and I stayed up until 2 am one night finishing it. I will be thinking about Heath and Katarina for a very, very long time!!

The dynamic relationship between the two main characters, along with the supporting characters is extremely well done- I didn’t know if I wanted to love a character or hate them, and it was constantly changing. The timing of the book was perfect, and I would honestly read 400 more pages about these characters.
This book was a SIX ⭐️ read for me, and I can’t wait for y’all to get to read it on January 14th!!!! A HUGE thank you to @randomhouse and @netgalley for the arc!!!

The favorites…. This was a good read. It is in many different parts and is full of moments of confusion and awe of what skaters go through. Kat was going to get her way no matter what. I loved how the book ended with not doing what she thinks she had to do but doing what makes her happy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book completely blew me away! I absolutely loved this book and couldn’t put it down. The angst between the characters was so vivid I could feel it radiating off the page. Fargo did an incredible job building tension and layering the relationships, and some of the things that happened truly caught me off guard. The twists were unexpected but felt so natural to the story. Think daisy jones meets ice skating, but better!—highly recommend!

Bella Lin you will pay for your crimes!!!!!!! I do not forgive you!!!!!!! This was consuming and addicting and hard to put down, but I also really disliked it. Do with that what you will.

WOW I have no notes. This was fantastic and just the kind of book to round out the 2024 year of reading! This will be the book I don't shut up about for the rest of my life.

I have found a new favorite character in Katarina Shaw. She had so much drive and determination to win a gold medal at the Olympics throughout her skating career and never let the challenges thrown her way to bring her down or define her. The friends and family she gained along the way, however tumultuous it was at times, was 1000% worth the journey this book puts you through. The Favorites has everything within the pages to keep you hooked: lies, deception, sabotage, envy, and romance. I ate it up!

This book had strong undertones of Taylor Jenkins Reid's storytelling (ex: Daisy Jones & Carrie Soto) and it made me chuckle in the author's note her shoutout to TJR and her nod to researching ice skating for her book in a similar fashion to Taylor having to research tennis for Carrie Soto. It would be a tragedy if this is not made into a tv show or movie, this story was made for it!

I stayed up way past my bedtime and found any second of the day to devour this book. I already want to reread this and that is so unlike me! Clear you schedules on January 14th because you will want to be spending your entire day devouring this book!