Member Reviews
I mean holy shit I loved this. I got the ARC, started it, stayed up super late and then was reading it on my phone between clients 😅 Finished it in under 24 hours... The love/hate chemistry between Katarina and Heath, his obsession with her, her obsession with making it to the Olympics, the sheer DRAMA of it all, the relationship dynamics in the end, I loved this all and I'm absolutely certain I'll reread this again closer to the publication date.
Layne Fargo can do no wrong. This was fantastic. I really enjoyed reading it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!
5 star read and being added to my favorites!
I absolutely love ice skating and am glued to the TV nonstop when the winter Olympics come around so reading the tale of ferociously dedicated skaters as they go for gold was such a delightful experience. The Favorites follows Kat and Heath, two teens from outside Chicago who claw their way to the big leagues and compete in the flawed world of ice dance. This story also heavily follows twins Bella and Garrett Lin, the children of former Olympic gold medalist Sheila Lin. I loved all of the four main characters and found them to be so relatable - even though I am as far from an Olympic athlete as people come.
Layne Fargo has a talent for writing characters that can be detestable and so charismatic at the same time. Her imagery is impeccable and I could picture each ice dance routine as she described it. The format of the book was interesting as it was primarily from Kat’s perspective, however many chapters ended with interviews from competitors, commentators, coaches, or judges as a documentary is being made about Kat and Heath’s skating journey. This was a clever way to interject different POVs and worked well.
I had a blast reading this and would widely recommend it to all! I’ll definitely be picking up a physical copy for myself when it publishes.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for access to this eARC in exchange for an honest review
I don’t even know where to start with this review so firstly, thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse for this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.
I guess I’ll start off by saying I’m probably in the majority with having no idea what Ice Dance was, and this book was my introduction into an absolutely beautiful sport. As someone who didn’t have any information into this niche sport, it was nice that the author didn’t get too detailed into the technical aspect of the skills. It would have been over my head.
I felt the chemistry between our MCs and even some of the side characters was so well written. It was leaping off the page and kept me engaged, desperate for more. This book had me FEELING in a way I hadn’t in a long time. I got scared, angry, and worried. I was swooning and experiencing the joy right along with our characters.
I did feel that the plot got a bit repetitive. It seemed like every time a major competition was about to occur, something bad happened to our skating duo. It felt like we kept getting told that they cared about nothing outside of the sport, but right before getting on the ice, something caused them to get In their heads and blow the events. It got a bit redundant but with so much else going on, this was just a blip on my radar.
The format and writing style of this book is the most unique that I have ever seen. It’s chapters can be broken up into two parts, the first half is our FMC, Kate, telling us the story from her perspective in First Person Past tense. The second part is as if you were sitting in front of a tv watching a documentary where others talk about what happened (but you’re reading it). It was honestly the most engaging story I’ve ever read and it felt so immersive, like I was there. I could picture the TV screen showing those parts of the chapters.
Such a great and unique read with a fiery romance for the ages.
Release date: January 15th, 2025
This was so unexpectedly good! The chemistry between the main characters was 🔥! The plot was really interesting and unique and not what I expected. Would recommend and adding to our library!
I am a huge ice dance fan and a fan of Layne Fargo’s novels so when I saw this book hit NetGalley, I was beyond excited. While reading, I recognized the Wuthering Heights references, especially all the character names and the general concept of class distinction. But there, the similarities end and the plot is basically a musical chair, change partners soap opera as our lead and supporting characters move from one competition to the next, all chasing Olympic gold.
While I loved the book, I have some criticisms. I understand why Fargo wouldn’t want to get too detailed with the skating programs’ technical and artistic elements. It would turn off non-skating fans who just want to read good fiction. She only mentions major elements like lifts and twizzles, and describes music choices and costume styles.
I found the climactic do-or-die events at the end of every single Shaw & Rocha competitive skate to be too repetitive. This couple keeps getting some form of bad news, or are subject to a villainous event, right before they step on the ice. Then instead of acting like true athletes with one focused goal, they get in their heads and mess up each program, ending their big moment in some form of emotional crisis or injury.
Granted, I live for the melodrama but in all my years of watching ice dancing, the skaters at the international level rarely make mistakes and show far more discipline than any skater in The Favorite. I hope when the book is released, we hear more from Fargo on her research, and what athletes she interviewed for this book.
Regardless, I enjoy reading about figure skating in all its forms, fiction or non-fiction. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review. And thanks to Layne Fargo for giving readers a subject that doesn’t get enough attention.
Just wow. This was fantastic and so thrilling. One of my tops reads of this year for sure, and possibly a new all time favourite. I have never had a book make me FEEL so much when I was angry I wanted to smash something, when I was hurt it felt like I'd been punched in the gut and when I was sad there were actual tears streaming down my face. This is a testament to Fargo's skills, I'm in awe. I really loved the interview format that some of this book took and I loved the short chapters and obviously the characters, Katherine and Heath I love you. The plot was so thrilling I didn't ever want to put it down. This is the kind of book you give an instant 5 stars to, it's that good. Perfect for fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid!
Who doesn’t love a good spicy figure skating novel? You can’t go wrong with this book! Perfect level of spice and scandal. The need for more is so intense.
4.5 ⭐️ I could not put this book down!
Synopsis: “The Favorites” follows the story of Katarina and Heath as they work their way up the ranks of the ice dancing world. It’s inspired by “Wuthering Heights”, which I may have to move higher up on my TBR list.
If you enjoyed Daisy Jones and the Six like I did, you will also enjoy this one. Part of the novel is told in the style of a documentary transcript and part is told from the perspective of Katarina, one of the main characters.
From the very beginning, I was hooked. I loved the format, I loved the writing style, and I loved the characters. The chapters were fairly short, which kept me engaged and frantically turning the pages, especially toward the end of the book. I will be reading some of Fargo’s previous works and will definitely re-read this when it’s released next year.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an advanced copy of this book.
Layne Fargo does it again with ‘The Favorites’ and gains her third 5-Star review from me. I absolutely love ‘They Never Learn’ and ‘Temper’ and ‘The Favorites’ will have a spot on my bookshelf waiting for its publishing date.
I’ve never been one to be captivated by ice skating. In fact, while I can appreciate that it takes a high level of skill, I’ve always found it quite boring. Fargo takes the world of ice skating, particularly ice dancing, and was able to make me feel invested and interested.
We start out with a young Katarina and a young Heath who are best friends, ice dancing partners, lovers, and each other’s entire world. Throughout the book we follow their path from nothing into something, the push and pull competitive sports consists of, and every emotion in between.
I could write so much about this book but it would do it an injustice and take away from the magic that Fargo herself has written. This book has it all; Friendship, love, hate, happiness, anger, you name it. I look forward to reading it again once it comes out next year.
The way I screamed when I was approved for this book on NetGalley!!!
I have been such a big fan of @laynefargo since first reading ‘They Never Learn’ a few years ago. Since then I’ve vowed to read any words written by Layne, from now until forever ✨🥹
Thank you @randomhouse for the review copy!
⭐️THE FAVORITES, out JAN 14⭐️
#thefavorites #laynefargo #randomhouse #thatbookbetchhh
At first I wasn’t sure if i was going to like a book based on Olympic Ice Dancing, but it being written by one of my favorite authors i should have known that i would be utterly obsessed! In my opinion Layne Fargo can do no wrong. Her writing is phenomenal and draws me in every time, for hours at a time! Also her character development is always PERFECTION! The ability for an author to make a 2D flat charter in a book into a fully fleshed out character in my mind, is simply amazing!
This book truly had everything!! It was salacious, full of drama, full of real deep emotions and sadness. I couldn’t recommend this book more!
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the eARC.
This book was.... fantastic. I ate it up. I loved the characters, I loved the drama, I loved the documentary, I loved ALL of it. The pain, the betrayal, the love, the friendships, the enemies... Omg. Stellar.
I will recommend to everyone.
I wanted to throw my kindle across the room and tear all my hair out at how RUTHLESS EVERYONE IN THIS BOOK WAS but I would have to put it down in order to do either of those things so I did not.
Kat and Heath need THERAPY and also A LONG HUG. Bella also needs therapy. Everyone in this book does actually.
It was infuriating and heart wrenching and enthralling. It did take awhile to take off - somehow the beginning was a little slow but also a lot of info really fast, but by the time things started to kick off it was RELENTLESS and I couldn’t set it down.
Also I feel a little nauseous but like in a good way? Maybe?
Layne Fargo, the writer that you are!
The Favorites is absolutely brilliant. It feels like the perfect release on the heels of Challengers (2024) and TJR's Carrie Soto is Back. It's an incredible tale of love, hate, and the glory of the win. It was deeply informative, educating on the lesser-known Olympic sport of ice dancing, which brought forth a really unique environment.
I simply couldn't put it down.
The whole novel was full of twists and turns that made *my* stomach curdle. It was bloody wonderful.
Thank you so much to Random House for the advanced copy for review. This truly was the read of a lifetime.
Layne Fargo is an iconnnn – her previous solo works ([book:Temper|49874088]and [book:They Never Learn|124948406]) are both easily five star reads, and I expected nothing less when I saw the premise of The Favorites.
Set in the world of ice dancing (Tessa and Scott 👀) with a story spanning 15+ years, this book was so good. I was immersed the second I started reading and completed it in just a few hours.
(More comments to come closer to pub date.)
Whoa!!!! This book is fucking amazing!!! I could NOT put it down. There is no way this book won’t be all over book tok! I love this book so much that i still feel like I should go back to re-read it incase I missed any details I didn’t realise the first time around. If I could rate more than 5 stars, I would!!!
At first, I found the format of The Favorites confusing. It is a documentary woven with Katarina’s, the female lead character, side of the story. After a few chapters, the story started to flow and make more sense. The documentary portion allows the reader to have insight to multiple side character’s thoughts without dedicating chapters to each character.
The story follows Katarina and her childhood best friend and ice dancing partner, Heath, through their adolescence into adulthood. The reader is introduced to the cut-throat and toxic world of competitive sports, as Katarina and Heath dream of competing in the Olympics.
Overall, I enjoyed The Favorites and would recommend it. Why the four stars, instead of 5?There was one specific topic that I struggled with regarding Katarina’s frenemy, Bella. Also, I wanted a more definitive answer regarding the status of Katarina and Heath’s relationship status. I didn’t like the “on and off again” for over a decade.
The Favorites" by Layne Fargo is a captivating novel that kept me hooked from start to finish. This gripping tale follows the journey of fictional Olympic ice dancers, exploring their triumphs and downfalls in a way that is truly unputdownable. What sets this book apart is its accessibility; despite revolving around the world of ice dancing, Fargo ensures that the narrative remains engaging and relatable to all readers. Rather than focusing on technical intricacies, the author delves deep into the emotional landscapes of the main characters during their performances, preventing the story from becoming mired in excessive technicalities. Personally, I found myself enchanted by the storyline and would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone seeking a roller coaster of emotions and a truly immersive reading experience.
Layne Fargo can do no wrong. To be honest I was a little hesitant to read this book because it’s not my usual go to genre but I absolutely loved They Never Learn so I knew I had to give it a shot and let me tell you, I was obsessed. Once I picked it up, I couldn’t put it down. I finished it in less than 24 hours.
Kat and Heath stole my heart, they are both flawed and nowhere near the perfect couple but I was just as obsessed with them as they are with each other. I loved Kats complicated relationships with other characters in the story.
I loved how the story is told with the alteration between Kats POV and the documentary style. I think the added interviews from the documentary add so much to the overall story.
I highly recommend this book, even if it’s not your usual genre, it is 100% worth it.
OBSESSED with this novel!! It has every delicious skating scandal from the last few decades. I could NOT put it down! This will definitely be a reread for me. I will absolutely be buying a physical copy when it is released. This one will be an incredible book club pick!