i loved the documentary style chapters with the other characters’ opinions to make the book more interesting and it felt more complete that way, Layne is so talented.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for this early edition of The Favorites. I enjoyed this novel so much! About a third of the way through I texted a friend and told her to request it because we both love Taylor Jenkins Reid and Layne Fargo gave of Reid vibes strongly in this novel about unlivable athletes who put winning above all else. And that’s one thing about this book, you’re not gonna like much of anyone in it! But I didn’t want to put it down! At first the “chorus” of interviews kept taking me out of the story and bothering me a bit but eventually I enjoyed those parts of the book, once I got to know those characters. Five star read for me! I can’t wait to see what Layne Fargo comes up with next!

I did not like a single character in this book. Everyone was so toxic and crazy and the drama was over the top

Great cover tho!

I enjoy figure skating almost as much as I enjoy reading. I was thrilled to come across this book and it did not disappoint! Even if you're not a fan of skating, the story of these young people and their pursuit of skating excellence is compelling. I highly recommend this great book! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an unbiased review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Randomhouse for this amazing book. I never thought me a male could relate to this book so much. I think all want so bad to fight for our dreams and it's the resilience that fuels us and keeps us moving forward.

so so so so good. everything that you could want from a wuthering heights retelling. the olympic ice skating setting is perfect. this will especially entrance fans of taylor jenkins reid

this didn’t give what i wanted it to. I was so hyped reading the description I thought it would be my next obsession but it was not.

A lot of thngs appealed to me about this book going in - from the gripping description to the breathtaking cover. It is told in half narrative, half interviews with the characters (think Daisy Jones and the Six style), and Fargo did a fantastic job using the two to weave the threads of a complex story together seamlessly. While there were many things I really enjoyed, I felt that the book just kept building up and up and up...and then it didn't have a shock factor that swept my feet out from under me. Perhaps it just went on a little bit too long and it began to feel repetitive, or maybe I was able to anticipate the ending. Nevertheless, this is a great read if you're looking for something to feel immersed in, and if you're yearning for the excitement of sport, celebrity, and scandal.

The Favorites is about one woman’s ambition to become a an Olympic Gold medalist and what she is willing to give up With her skating partner by her side since adolescence she moved through the ranks followed by struggle and heartbreak. Not a typical romance novel but one that takes a lifetime to see and she strives for the gold and finds out what is really important in life. Written from her perspective with flashes to the present (future) of what happened behind the scenes with interviews for a documentary to explain her rise to gold.

It gives me Taylor Reid vibes in a way. I liked this book a lot and was entertained the whole time. Its hard for me to read fiction but this kept my attention.

I thoroughly enjoyed "The Favorites" for its compelling exploration of obsession, scandal, and drama within the world of figure skating. Layne Fargo masterfully weaves a narrative that immerses readers in the intense competitive atmosphere of the sport, where ambition and personal rivalries fuel gripping tension. The novel delves deep into the characters' obsessions and the moral complexities they face, creating a thrilling story that kept me eagerly turning pages. Fargo's depiction of the behind-the-scenes drama and the psychological depths of the protagonists makes "The Favorite" a standout read, offering a nuanced and captivating look into the darker side of athletic ambition.

With the Olympics just around the corner this book was totally ON POINT for me! Admittedly I am a bit of a sucker for ice dancing - Virtue and Moir anyone?!?! That said, I also LOVE characters with complexity and darkness and realness and this book delivered! I was hooked from the get-go and LOVED the different PoVs, fast paced short chapters and the gossip perspectives. This books is a 4.5 for sure! No doubt it will make a BIG impact when it is released. Can't wait! Sign me up to read more from Layne Fargo.

Oh my gosh this BOOK! I was hooked from the first page and couldn’t put it down. It was a wild ride for sure; it was definitely not a typical romance and the characters were not always likable but their development was fantastic. The author did a fantastic job retelling Wuthering Heights. I have also looked every where for an ice skating novel that touched on all aspects of the skating world and this book is it!

4.5/5 stars!

Thank you to the publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read the ARC.

I loved this book, easy to pick up read a chapter and read more later. The book is told from a first person perspective, with intermittent present time news interviews documenting the story.

So many emotions. I cheered, I raged, I questioned myself. I NEEDED the main characters to stay together, and I needed them to split. I wanted to watch them succeed, and watch them crumble.

The cast of the book was colorful. You had the mean girl become friends, the constant questioning if it’s true.

I can’t wait for this book to come out.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☆ 4.75 GOLD stars ☆☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

Who let the Layne Fargo train depart without me on it and why are you just now letting me board?!

playlist 🎧: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/68p6m34QuKPd35vcjf0QSc?si=0d08c2f20dc343ff

A passionate tale of the bitter triumphs and self-inflicted tribulations of the elite figure skating world, The Favorites is a story that details the jarring reality of making a name for yourself in spite of those determined to oppose you for their own corruptive gain.

˚₊ · »-♡→ characters

In her own way, on her own terms, just as promised, our story is narrated by Olympic hopeful, Katarina Shaw. Every ounce the powerhouse I hoped she’d be, our female protagonist will convert you from a silent supporter of women’s rights, to a proud advocate of women’s wrongs. It goes without saying that you’ll probably pull out a couple hairs along the way though, her strong-willed disposition an acquired taste at times. As for me, I believe I’ve been designed to love even the sharpest of edges unapologetically.

Lost in the orbit of her protective and all-consuming nature, Katarina’s orphaned childhood sweetheart, Heath Rocha, finds himself chasing the dreams of his lover at the expense of his own self identity. A man you hate to love, Heath disparagingly turns the ashes of his desperate and dysfunctional relationship into wounded and ruthless ambition.

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, Isabella Lin’s golden rule. As the poster child of Olympic gold-medalist, Sheila Lin, Bella’s learned that any relationship, platonic or romantic, is a distraction; a means to an end when it comes to her own competitive ambitions. A character that will keep you on your toes from beginning to end, the only person capable of taming the thoughtless and sometimes reckless abandon she conjures is her partner and twin brother.

The voice of reason, Garrett Lin is a reliable, yet reserved individual. With integrity that sets him apart from his familial counterparts, he kept me sane amidst a tragic rollercoaster of emotions.

Lovers, rivals, and champions, Kat and Heath’s dynamic is an enigma. Call it a scandal. Call it an obsession. Either way, as an angst lover, I’m down bad. I was rooting for them. I was rooting against them. I was rooting for everything in-between. Their partnership both on the ice and off is nothing short of salacious, cutthroat, and inevitable.

With a legacy destined to stay forever intertwined, the end is just the beginning for these two.

˚₊ · »-♡→ writing

Perfectly and predictably unpredictable, there’s no keeping a poker face with this one. I gasped, I laughed (okay, okay…snorted), I cried, I stared at the wall with a dropped jaw. You name it, I experienced it to a degree so extreme, it would sound made up if I even dared attempt to verbalize it.

I am just BEGGING, on my knees, absolutely salivating for this to be adapted for the screen. A sentiment, I would like to emphasize, I very rarely entertain. The imagery is far too surreal not to at least consider the mere possibility of it extending beyond the pages. The entire time, all I could think was, “oh the Daisy Jones and the Six girlies are going to eat this up!”

˚₊ · »-♡→ structure

The story being told in alternating timelines through documentary transcript and first-person POV give even the most sparsely seen characters a in-depth nuance. The suspenseful accounts from a colorful cast of potentially biased coaches, judges, and colleagues (excuse me, rivals) creates an addictive and thrilling tone that will make you lose all sense of time and reality.

Needless to say, Fargo’s mastered the art of captivating even the rowdiest of audiences with an unputdownable read.

˚₊ · »-♡→ tropes

That being said, forget hockey, the girls want more figure skating romances! I am the very anti-thesis of the word athletic, but I’ve somehow acquired the desire to become an Olympian. I mean, is it too soon to re-read? Asking for a friend…(it’s me…I’m the friend).

I would like to take a moment to appreciate 2021 me for going down the Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir rabbit hole that led me here. I will forever be indebted to you.

Thank you to Random House and Layne Fargo for so kindly providing me with an ARC. As always, all thoughts are my own and are in no way influenced by early access to this title.

Clear your schedule, grab some wine and popcorn, and get ready to devour Layne Fargo’s much-anticipated Wuthering Heights-inspired novel in one setting. Don’t even attempt to do anything else because this emotional rollercoaster pulls you in from the first page and keeps you in a strangle hold. Is this an epic love story? Yes. Is it also about an ambitious young woman finding her own path in life while navigating what success looks like and the horrible costs to obtain it? Yes. Did I read it and love every second? Absolutely.

i need to have the physical version of this ASAP!!! this was ridiculously good, excellent, every positive adjective i can think about. it's giving elevated, sport-centered daisy jones & the six. from the plot, characters, ice-skating specific terminiology, everything in the book worked so well together. the romance was THERE, the drama was THERE, just it was so incredibly good. Random House // Layne Fargo if you see this im BEGGING for the physical.

The Favorites is a thriller, love story, and sports documentary book. Ostensibly based upon Heathcliff and Catherine from Wuthering Heights, this books tries to be too many things, and unfortunately falls flat. What could have been a tender love story, or a really in-depth look at the politics of elite sports, just becomes...drama.

The book follows Kat and Heath, friends, sometimes lovers, and ice dancing partners as they go from childhood to the olympics. We see them meet as children, start training for ice dance, and work their way to the upper echelon of the ice dancing world. Along the way, everything that can go wrong, does go wrong . The book is structured similar to Daisy Jones and the Six. At the beginning of each chapter there is a section from a documentary where someone from the main character's past (old skating coach, friend, etc.) gives the set-up, and then we switch to Kat's point of view. This...does not work well. Instead, we learn what's going to happen, or what cliffhanger we're about to encounter, and then see this exact plot point through Kat's first-person. The problem is, nothing is well motivated for what Kat or Heath do. They act like complete and total assholes to each other, but also love each other? There's no basis for the love, we're just told that since they faced adversity together as children they obviously do. Nothing from Kat's point of view emotionally motivates any of her reactions beyond her want to win. But that just makes her seem shallow and one-dimensional. And because SO much has to happen in terms of plot, much is sacrificed. I wish slightly less had happened plot-wise (there was some family stuff that doesn't seem to add anything?), and we had gotten more character interactions to motivate their feelings and actions. Also, unfortunately, the skating parts were incredibly disappointing. We're told but not shown the work they do, the practice, the competitions they are in. It just makes it feel half-finished.

Overall, I think this books needs to sacrifice some of the plot to grow the characters. I don't mind unlikable characters, but it needs to be motivated why they are the way they are. This book doesn't do that, and suffers for it.

I could not get enough of The Favorites! With every new challenge and circumstance, I was left wondering "How will they come back from this?". I'd recommend this to anyone but especially those who watched Challengers and fell in love/hate/respect with Tashi Duncan or read Carrie Soto is Back and couldn't put it down (Or if you often quote "I support women's rights and I support women's wrongs"). Katarina's unwavering determination was both a virtue and a vice. If you fell down the Virtue & Moir Olympic Ice Dance rabbit hole you'll love taking a fictional look into what harrowing lives may lie behind the beautiful performances. Tashi Duncan and Carrie Soto love tennis, Katarina Shaw loves skating, and Heath Rocha loves Katarina Shaw. Rocha is fleshed out in a way that even without his perspective you can read his mind and feel what's in his heart. Just like real people, there is pain and hurt and love and light and without it all together the story would be incomplete. I can see this one sparking great conversation when it is released and I can't wait to hear what everyone thinks of this amazing story! I would not be surprised if this is picked up for a miniseries or movie, absolutely captivating!

This an epic novel about Katarina and Heath and their tumultuous life, love and dreams of Olympic stardom. Heath will do anything for Katarina and she will do anything to achieve her dreams. This book follows their rise in the skating world and also features portions of a documentary about their career. I was fully invested in this story from page one. I loved the interviews from the documentary portions of the book. These characters and this story feels like you are reading about real events that happened.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book for review.