You absolutely HAVE TO read The Favorites on audiobook - the full cast production is amazing and will have you feel like you’re watching a documentary. Johnny Weir is one of the audio narrators and does an amazing job.

It’s been ten years since Kat Shaw and Heath Rocha last skated - and to commemorate the anniversary, a new documentary is being released. Everyone thinks they know what happened but there is definitely more to the story.

Kat and Heath were famous ice dancers and as the cover says: “Tothe world, they were a scandal. To each other, an obsession.” I don’t want to say much more because I went in only knowing it was the new book ny Layne Fargo (an auto read author for me) and was about ice dancing. My only complaint is there were a few points it felt a little long and I thought it was getting close to the end only to see there was a lot left. But ultimately I found the story really satisfying and I’m glad it was all there.

Thank you to the publisher and PRH Audio for the free ebook and audiobook to review.

Thank you @penguinrandomhouse #partner for the gifted copy of this eARC!

If Carrie Soto Is Back got together with Daisy Jones and The Six and added a dash of Honey (the book), the end result is The Favorites! This book is centered around highly skilled ice skaters participating in competitions like World Championships and the Olympics. And boy oh boy there is a lot of draaaaammmmmmaaaa! In fact, there is so much drama that I couldn’t find ANY character in this book that I liked! The competitiveness of this book made these characters very undesirable, vindictive, cut throat and impossible to like. Personally, I’d say that’s exactly what worked for this book. There were several jaw dropping moments and moments where I felt like I just wanted to yell at these characters, but happy to report by the end of this journey, some came around and learned from their previous mistakes. Phew! Sadly, I think it’s possible Layne has captured real life in sports at this level. 👀 If you are an ice skaters, have ice skated, play or have played competitive sports in your life I think you’d really love this one! The good news is you don’t have to wait long because it’s out mid January!

Side note, I buddy read this one, and most of my buddies listened to the audio. Although I did not they raved about ten audiobook being absolutely brilliant!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Random House for providing me with the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

5 stars!!! This was amazing, engaging, gritty, fast-paced, heart-pounding, and so thrilling!! I was utterly captivated and on the edge of my seat throughout this entire book. Every time I thought the stakes couldn't get higher and things couldn't get worse for our characters, they did. Layne Fargo's writing was so addictive and evocative. I felt like I was really there with the characters on the ice. I also loved how she depicted the messiness and toxicity of their relationship. I can attest that the Wuthering Heights comparison is accurate!

I also really enjoyed the side characters because they ended up contributing a lot to the plot and becoming key players in the story. I really enjoyed how this book showed that things are never black and white as seen through Bella and Kat's friendship. I also love how determined Kat was even to her and other's detriment sometimes.

This was a story of two people who can't seem to stay out of each other's lives. The way they hurt each other just to make sure the other is still thinking of them. Toxic, but I love it!! Overall, I really enjoyed this book and can't describe it as anything except an "experience." Or like watching a documentary. Catch me on January 14th running to the bookstore because I need a physical copy to annotate!!!!

I loved this intense drama and epic love story set in the cutthroat world of elite figure skating! When Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha met as children in a northern suburb of Chicago, he was a troubled kid in the foster care system and she was a motherless girl who was sure that she was destined to become a champion Olympic ice skater. Skating was a means for the two of them to escape their turbulent lives and together they went from childhood sweethearts to champion ice dancers until a shocking event at the 2014 Olympic games ended their skating partnership.

As the 10th anniversary of their final performance approaches, interest has been revived by an unauthorized documentary that includes interviews with figure skating officials as well as friends and rivals of the pair and Katarina has also decided that it's time to share her side of the story. Alternating between Katarina's POV and transcript from the documentary, the narrative of The Favorites moves through the timeline chronologically beginning when they are teens until the 2014 Winter Olympic games in Sochi, Russia.

This is the kind of story that you get sucked into - I literally could not put it down! The reader knows from the introduction that there was a shocking incident at the Sochi Olympics but what happened isn't revealed until the end - there was so much tension and I couldn't stop turning pages late into the night because I needed to know!

The glimpse into the competitive figure skating world and how damaging it can be to the psyche of young skaters is fascinating as is the obsessive relationship between Katarina and Heath (inspired by Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights). This is a story of ambition, scandal and love with a strong female character who is not always likeable. Katarina is cast as a villain in the world of figure skating because she's more than a little rough around the edges and she won't play along and behave as she's expected to - I was rooting for her all the way! The Favorites is an enjoyable read for anyone but particularly good for anyone captivated by the world of Olympic figure skating.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for sending a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

THE FAVORITES had me instantly intrigued from the plot description alone, and it did not disappoint! Layne Fargo does a fantastic job of fleshing out Kat and Heath's characters, and the complicated dynamic between them. I was completely invested in their relationship, and their individual journeys within the competitive world of ice dancing—I just couldn't put this book down! I would definitely recommend THE FAVORITES, especially for lovers of Taylor Jenkins Reid's novels, figure skating fans, and/or readers who'd enjoy a fresh, modern retelling of the classic Wuthering Heights. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.

To the world, they were a scandal. To each other, an obsession.

An epic love story set in the sparkling, savage sphere of elite figure skating about a woman determined to carve her own path on and off the ice.

This story follows the lives of Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha who start out as a couple of kids from the wrong side of the tracks. Competitive Ice Dancing could be their perfect way out. This one really dives into this cutthroat world behind the skating. I was surprised how vicious and brutal these people could be. Kat and Heath are definitely like fire and ice and really have their struggles throughout. It's a definite "will they, won't they" theme on so many levels. Will they become a couple, will they manage to stay together, will they qualify for the Olympics, will they win a gold????? I loved the tension filled action as we try to answer these questions. Things definitely didn't always go the way I thought they would either, and this kept me flipping the pages. My only downside is that it seemed a little too long for me, otherwise a great heart pounding read about a sport I really didn't know much about.

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Wuthering Heights on ice? Cathy and Heathcliff on skates?! Considering that I loathe Cathy and Heathcliff, no one was more surprised than I that I found The Favorites a wildly fun read; it pulled me right in and I read it over a few days.

The writing is terrific, the characters fleshed out and realistic, and the end result is both engaging and compelling. The Favorites is definitely one to read and has my full recommendation.


****I’ve read a lot of reviews comparing it to Daisy Jones & the Six but having read (and enjoyed) both, I think it only merits that comparison due to the format of the story, which is similar to any oral history book.



Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the DRC

This book shows the savage world of elite figure skating. Katarina Shaw has always believed she was destined to win the Olympic gold. Her instant connection with childhood friend, Heath Rocha leads to a partnership spanning years of scandal, tragedies, and desires.

Captivating and addictive, heartbreaking and inspirational at the same time. This one was a wild ride, but I enjoyed every second. I HIGHLY recommend this one on audio. There were so many different narrators that made the story really come to life and the interview/documentary style at the end of each chapter was perfection! Ups and downs, passion, drama, friendships, rivalries. I definitely became emotionally attached to Katarina and Heath’s messy journey.

I feel like anyone who loved Daisy Jones and The Six will love this one too! It was really long at 448 pages, but I was honestly entranced the entire time.

This book was a wild ride where I never could have predicted what was coming next. It is dramatic and intense and the story just hooks you. Although it was fictional, every part of it felt so real. Katarina and Heath’s love story and skating relationship was crazy, but so enthralling to witness. I can’t encourage others enough to check it out.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the e-ARC.

I'm a big fan of retellings and Wuthering Heights is one of my favourite books, but I was still a bit skeptical about a modern retelling centered around figure skaters... The Favorites was actually really good though! Kat and Heath are childhood friends who grew up together (the backstory is pretty similar to the original story) and Kat dreams about being an Olympic ice dancer while Heath dreams about doing anything that will make Kat happy. The book follows a few decades of their life, centering on the highs of their athletic careers and the relationships they have with other skaters as well. There is documentary style bits between chapters in a similar style to the movie I Tonya, which I honestly could've done without but it wasn't awful and it did allow for some interesting foreshadowing.

If you're a fan of Wuthering Heights or figure skating or dramatic on again off again toxic relationships, this book is for you!!

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy.

You are going to hear a lot about THE FAVORITES next month because it is just that good. I never read any of Layne Fargo’s thrillers (not my jam), but @readingismycardio told me that I had to check out The Favorites. She was absolutely right.
The Favorites is the story of Katarina and Heath, high school sweethearts who grew up in a rural area of Michigan. Katarina’s parents died when she was in high school and she lived with her bully of a brother, Lee. Heath is a foster kid who adores Katarina. She’s into ice dance so Heath takes it up and becomes her partner. The book follows the duo through the years as they embark on a competitive ice dancing career that takes them all over the world.

I loved the book. The characters worked for me and I as totally invested in their relationship and the ice dancing competitions. This book reminded me of TJR book and Fargo actually studied writing under TJR and mentions her influence in the acknoweldgments. I always read the acknowledgments and Fargo’s thank yous are some of the best — especially the last sentence!

4.5 rounded up

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve been on the lookout for a book with the same vibes as Daisy Jones and the Six for years and this one definitely has the same feel. I’ve long been fascinated by figure skating but never really got that into ice dancing and after reading this it makes me want to become a bigger fan!

his follows Heath and Katerina from the time they meet as kids up through adulthood and gives a glimpse inside the cutthroat and intense world of competitive skating. The format is really engaging as you hear from those two but it’s also set up like a documentary so you hear from several people who played large and small roles in their lives between the regular narrative structure. So the plot had me allllll in, following a couple throughout their fascinating careers?! Yes please! But I didn’t expect to be as obsessed as I was, I was addicted to the drama, the betrayals, the heartbreak, the romance, the glitz, the dark side of sports and so much more. Everything about this one was immersive for me and I suspect it will be hugely popular upon its release, I’m telling it’s SO good!

This book is completely different from Layne Fargo’s other work, but I still found it super compelling. She really knows how to weave a story in any genre, and I couldn’t get enough of it.

4.5 stars rounded up.

Ten years after her and Heath's final skate, Kat is ready to tell her true story, just as a new documentary reignites the world's obsession with Shaw and Rocha. Her truth is one of childhood tragedies, friendships, toxic relationships, and her journey through ice dancing, with Heath by her side. Can you handle Kat's truth?

If you love angsty, contemporary romances with plenty of drama, this book is a must-read. From the moment I read the blurb, I knew I would love it. It's a 5-star read that I couldn't put down, filled with scandal, trauma, love, heartbreak, and, of course, ice dancing. Phenomenal!

I really enjoyed the way this book was written, swapping between Kat's POV and the documentary interviews. It really helped to pull the story together, and made it feel more real. I loved the characters. I hated the characters. I wanted to throw my kindle at points. I laughed, I cried, I gasped- this book invoked all of the emotions. If that is your thing, pre-order this book immediately.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group, Net Galley, and Layne Fargo for the chance to read this eARC. All thoughts are my own.

I had a difficult time with The Favorites. The pacing felt too slow to keep me engaged. I was not interested in anything happening beteeen the characters. The detailed descriptions of ice dancing was not for me. Maybe I will revist the story in the future.

Wuthering Heights meets Carrie Soto Is Back. Toxic romance, frenemies, gossip and sabotage in the competitive world of elite figure skating. It’s juicy, dramatic and hard to put down.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

“𝘛𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘭. 𝘛𝘰 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯.”

I'm going to go out on a limb and say 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗦 is going to be one of THE books of 2025.

Katerina Shaw and Heather Rocha are two misfit and lonely kids who find comfort in each other and a purpose in ice dancing, eventually becoming the biggest - and most infamous - names in the sport. Layne Fargo tells their story in two ways - through a third-person oral history via an unauthorized documentary about the couple and from Kat's first person perspective, filling in the blanks no one else knows. It's impossible not to get immersed in the highly competitive ice dancing world and the duo's tempestuous relationships, not only with each other but with almost everyone else they come in contact with. Layne's writing is propulsive with twists I never saw coming and the competition scenes are an adrenaline rush, making you feel as if you're watching them in real time. I didn't want to put the book down until I got to the end and then I was sad it was over. I loved the format so much, I may need to give it a listen when the audiobook is released.

I would be shocked if 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗦 isn't a celebrity book club pick or optioned for a movie. It's got mystery and romance, it's emotional and engrossing, and the characters feel so real you can't forget them. It gets all the stars from me.

Thanks to Random House for the copy to review.

Note: Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC.

The first half of the book was a slow burn, and it took me some time to get into the rhythm. I did, however, appreciate the short chapters, which made it easier to power through the second half—I finished it in a single day! While I initially expected more of a thriller based on the buildup and hints of a major twist, the story leaned heavily into drama instead.

What stood out most was the characters' journeys toward self-discovery and growth, which I found compelling. The tone and narrative style reminded me of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s work. That said, the story could have benefited from a tighter edit—it felt longer than it needed to be.

Wow. What a great read! I absolutely adored this book. I was immediately drawn in by the cover and synopsis, and I'm so glad that I was.

This is such a good read. It tackles the competitive world of figure skating (more specifically, ice dancing), friendships, rivals, relationships, family drama, and more. The main character, Kat, is purposely meant to be unlikeable, but I still found myself rooting for her and liking her nonetheless. She is driven, passionate, and misunderstood.

I found the characters to be well fleshed-out and the relationships all felt authentic and realistic, which is something I really appreciate in a book. I could feel the emotions right along with the characters, and I felt everything from joy to anger (as well as several emotions in between) while reading.

I really don't want to say too much about the plot, because I want every reader to enjoy it for themselves as it unfolds.

I was telling a friend about this book as I was reading it and told her that it struck me as a blend of two Taylor Jenkins Reid novels - the style, the plot, the characters, etc. And I mean that in the BEST way. This author certainly has her own voice, and being compared to TJR is meant 100% as a compliment. Funny enough, the author did thank TJR in her acknowledgements and it sounds like she did some kind of research study with her, so it's no surprise that there's an element of TJR in the pages of this book.

I absolutely loved it and am so excited for others to get their hands on it!

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the e-arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a lot of fun! As someone who has limited knowledge in the world of figure skating, I was worried I wouldn't fully grasp the story. Well that turned out to not be a problem at all, as all relevant details were explained well. I loved the characters, as flawed as they are, and was so interested to see how they evolved. I would definitely recommend this book.