I absolutely loved this Wuthering Heights retelling set in the world of competitive ice skating. The characters are so well developed and Fargo does a great job of showing us their flaws without making us hate them (except when we're supposed to, lol) I was already a fan of this author and this book solidified her on my auto buy list.

This was absolutely riveting. Layne Fargo never disappoints, and this was no exception. This was twisty and fun, with lots of drama and scandal. I'm fascinated by the world of figure skating, so this was a win from me!

5 freaking spins. 5 twirls. 5 gold medals. 5 stars. I AM REELING!! The Favorites is a chaotic story filled with scandal, rage, revenge, love, lust, and fiery characters who WILL DO ANYTHING TO WIN!!! Brb as I go back in time to become an ice dancer. WHEW LAYNE CRUSHED THIS!!! It has been so long since I’ve been hooked from the get-go. The story switches from Kat’s recollection of events to interview-style summaries from other characters AND MAN DID I EAT IT UP! I felt like I was living the highs and lows of Heath and Kat’s Olympic journey WITH THEM! Now, don’t let the cutesy coupley cover…this is not
written as a romance. Yes… there is love. But if you look closer, this is a story of two people who have given EVERYTHING for the chance to stand on a podium.

Kat is a hard girly to root for. She makes questionable decisions. She hurts people. She gets hurt by people. She cracks under pressure. She rises from the ashes. BUT YOU JUST GOTTA LOVE HER!!!

PLEASE READ THIS WHEN YOU GET THE CHANCE!! I WILL BE BUYING A PHYSICAL COPY IMMEDIATELY ⛸️☝🏼

If you are remotely a fan of any of the following - ice skating, competitive sports, the Olympics, cut throat competition, and a jaw dropping love story, get this book on your TBR list.

Let's harken back to the Nancy Kerrigan/Tonya Harding skating scandal of "94, but this time we'll change the Olympic sport from womens figure skating to couples ice dancing and jump forward a decade. Our main characters this time are a teenage couple from Lake Forest, IL, with stars in their eyes. Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha want nothing more than to become Olympic champions.

Katarina (Kat) suffered the loss of her mother when she was just 4 years old. She found solace that very evening as she watched TV and saw Olympic skating star, Sheila Lin, take the gold. Kat decided at that very point that she, too, would some day be an Olympic champion. Her situation is not ideal. She does have the talent, the drive, the grit; however. her circumstances now see her living in her family's run down home on the rural Lake Michigan shore with her older, alcoholic brother as her guardian after her father's untimely death. Her skating partner, Heath Rocha (himself coming from numerous foster family situations), resolutely believes in her...and in them.

The saga plays out taking them to California to train, in fact to Sheila Lin's now famous Skate Academy. What ensues is a plethora of victories, of defeats, of break-ups, of make ups, of scandals, of disgraces, and of glories spanning their lives from sixteen to forty.

This is a book about dreams; it's a book about the cut throat world of amateur and Olympian sports and what one would do to reach those top levels. It's about revenge and about finding oneself. Along the way, we meet so many more colorful characters - the judges, the journalists, more skaters, coaches.

The timeline and POVs played out so well in this story. It is told as a flashback mainly through Kat's eyes, but interspersed, we have chapters in almost television interview dialogue shedding more light on the characters from people from Kat and Heath's past (some who wanted them to succeed, some who did not).

The story is sometimes scandalous, sometimes exhilarating, and sometimes scintillating. Thank you, Netgalley and Random House, for this dazzling ARC that hits shelves Jan 14th.

Layne Fargo is an auto-purchase for me, and I Wuthering Heights is my favorite classic. So of course this is a five star read for me. Loved it!

Katarina Shaw has always had one dream - to be an Olympic gold ice dancer. And her childhood love, Heath Rocha, wants to be the one by her side. But as they get closer to their dreams, outside forces AND Kat’s own determination gets in the way. And now it’s nearly 10 years later and an unauthorized documentary is out there, reigniting the questions of what went wrong.

I originally saw this book and thought The Cutting Edge, a 90s movie that I adored, but this book felt so incredibly dark in a way that I wasn’t expecting. From Heath’s childhood filled with foster homes, to the death of both of Kat’s parents, to her abusive brother, that only scratched the surface of the pain happening inside of this book.

But through all of it what remained clear is Kat’s determination to WIN, no matter what (or who) tried to stand in her way. Kat reminded me a bit of Carrie Soto by Taylor Jenkins Reid but Kat was FAR more unlikable. She had absolutely no self awareness which made it really hard to root for her, especially as she destroyed so much in her path. And the relationship with Heath just felt toxic by the end.

At over 450 pages, this book also just FELT long. I felt like I was slogging through it with so many details that I ultimately just didn’t need. I really liked the insert of the documentary portions throughout to give us a fuller picture of what the outside world was seeing, but even so, I think this really could’ve been condensed by at least 100 pages.

I can’t say that I fully enjoyed the book because Kat was just truly awful, but at the same time, I never wanted to give up on it, and I did want some of the central mysteries solved (though one of them ended up being entirely anti-climactic.) So, we’ll stick with a solid, middle of the road rating.

This was one of the best books of 2024 I've read. These two characters kept me intrigued the entire time. I don't know anything about competitive ice skating, but this book really drew me in from the beginning and kept me turning the pages. Such a great read.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing for giving me the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I rate it 3.5 stars

Overall I thought this book was fine. This book was presented to me as Daisy Jones and the Six meets Wuthering Heights. While I do think it measured up to the Wuthering Heights aspect, it fell short of being like Daisy Jones.

The main difference comes from our female protagonist Kat. Daisy is a deeply flawed character, but you still root for her to be happy despite all of her problems. Kat, I found to be unlikeable (which I understand might have been the point). While she does have character growth towards the end of the book, she comes off as hyper-competitive with no regard for anyone else. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing a female protagonist with ambitions, but I don't think Kat was a well-written character.

Now, let's talk about the layout of this book, it is very repetitive. One of the things I disliked the most was the repetitive nature of the interviews within the book. All of the chapters ended with someone saying something like, "But you know what happens next."

I also think this book could have been shorter. Towards the end of the book, a mystery begins to be set up. 100 pages is not enough time to set up a mystery thriller aspect of a book and have it be somewhat decent. The thing that makes mystery and thrillers good is the suspense that is built up throughout the entire book, and there is not enough time to do that.

Here's what I did like!

The relationship between Kat and Heath is interesting and dynamic. This is not some cozy romance where there is a third-act breakup and that's it. Kat and Heath's relationship was raw and went through trials, but despite all of that, they found a way to make it work. We also see the very important lesson in this book that your relationship is not going to work if you don't grow as a person. This is all I can really say about this without spoiling:)

I know I've been critical of this book, but that doesn't mean I didn't like it! I think that there are going to be a lot of people who will love this book when it comes out and I encourage people to pick it up and try it themselves!

Do I know anything about ice dancing? No. Did I know competitive ice dancing was cut throat and potentially blood thirsty? No. Do I love a good book with best frienemies, drama, and the Olympics? Yes. I could not put this book down. Right from the start, the book hooks you and doesn’t let go. Told in a first person with a documentary woven through makes it one of those instant read in one sitting kind of books. I was constantly reading with bated breath to see what would happen next. I want to go back in time, so I can read this book again for the first time.

If someone told me this book was written by one of my favorite authors Taylor Jenkins Reid I would have believed them because its just that good.

One of my top reads of the year!!!!! I was obsessed with their toxic, push me-pull me relationship! Don’t sleep on this one!

This was a phenomenal book! It was hard for me to have to go about my routine and not keep reading it all in one sitting. The Favorites is a modern day Wuthering Heights set in the competitive world of ice dancing. Kat and Heath’s chemistry burned me up! I was so excited to read what would happen next.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4
This book… I have so many thoughts.

** Review may contain mild spoilers! **

Heath and Katarina, childhood best friends, have one goal. To win a gold medal at the Olympics for ice dancing. And they will sacrifice anything to achieve it.

Let me start by saying that this book is addicting. I couldn’t stop reading, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I became so invested in ice dancing and these fictional characters winning a dang gold medal. There was so much juicy drama, so many ups and downs, so many times I wanted to scream. I think this book will be such a hit.

Here is my dilemma.. something happens towards the end that MADE ME SO MAD. I had to stop reading I was so upset. And it only got worse from there. The worst part is that I personally felt it was so out of character and also wasn’t needed in the story at all. It didn’t add anything to the plot besides drama. It really, really ruined the end for me (I am still mad thinking about it and it’s been 24 hours since I finished).

Ultimately, I think this will be a very loved book and I do recommend (mostly though I want people to read it to tell me if they were just as mad at the twist as I was lol)

thank you to Layne Fargo, Random House Publishing, and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

“the favorites” was at the top of my most anticipated reads for 2025, and the second I got my hands on an advanced copy, i immediately ditched my current tbr just to dive in. i devoured this book in under 24 hours!

this book follows Katarina Shaw and her ice dance partner Heath as their toxic, tangled relationship unfolds over the years. Katarina’s been labeled every unflattering name you can imagine, but when a documentary promises to expose a decade-old scandal, she’s finally ready to set the record straight.

the drama, the betrayals, the cutthroat world of competitive ice dancing—this book had me second-guessing everything. every time I thought I knew where the story was headed, it took a complete left turn.

i loved how we get to see Katarina’s POV from her first time seeing Heath, watching their relationship evolve—loving, hurting, hating each other—all while transcripts from the documentary give us juicy insights from coaches, rivals, and friends. it’s a rollercoaster of love, competition, and scandal that i couldn’t put down.

i also loved how vividly the author captured the world of ice dancing. every graceful movement, every breath, every scrape of the blade on ice—i felt like i was right there in the stands, watching Heath and Katarina battle it out on the rink. it was both mesmerizing and intense.

if you’re a lover of “daisy jones & the six”, “carrie soto is back”, or “tell me lies”, you’ll be just as obsessed as i was with the drama, scandal, and betrayals that unravel in this story. it’s addictive in the best way possible.

RATING: 4/5 STARS

If you don't think you need a Wuthering Heights retelling featuring an angsty, push-pull romance between two dynamic ice dancers, filled with backstabbing, rival skater drama, and soapy tabloids -- think again! THE FAVORITES is an incredibly gripping and raw take on success and Olympic glory. Featuring magnetic characters and beautifully written descriptions of skating, it fully transported me to the ice rink while maintaining the moody gothic vibes of its source material. Wuthering Heights is one of my least favorite classics, but Layne Fargo manages to make Catherine and Heathcliff's modern counterparts, Kat and Heath, fated stars that you can't help but root for.

The Favorites is chaotic and messy and throughly addicting. If you are a fan of Daisy Jones and The Six then you definitely need to read this book. Neither Katrina nor Heath are extremely likable but they are incredibly talented and you are totally invested in their back and forth and all the drama surrounding them. They are the definition of toxic but somehow it works for them in a way. This is a loose retelling of Wuthering Heights and honestly only Layne Fargo could make this book work.

Definitely put this book on your tbr for January when it releases



Thank you publishers and netgalley for this eARC.

Katarina Shaw has always had ambitions to become an Olympic ice skater. After meeting Heath Rocha at their local ice rink, the two begin to train and compete in ice dancing. Both characters' childhoods left something to be desired, with Katarina's family basically adopting Heath until her father died when she was taken under the care of her brother who had always resented her. The two struggle with money to afford skating lessons, rink time, and travel accommodations until they are taken under the wing of Sheila Lin, Katarina's skating idol, to train with her two children. Katarina and Heath are swept up into the world of elite skating as they try to make the Olympic team while also dealing with sabotage, romance, betrayal, and heartbreak.

The Favorites was a very enjoyable read, even for someone who doesn't enjoy sports that much. The story is told through Katarina's perspective as she reflects on her skating career and snippets of interviews from some of the other characters involved in the scandal that occurred at the Olympic Games. The book was very fast paced and there was all sorts of drama in the story: family, romantic, friendship, and skating, of course. The characters were well developed even if they were frustrating at times. The dynamics between the characters is where the story really shone. This will appeal to fans of skating and nonfans alike. This will also be a good one for those who enjoy stories that really show characters develop over time.

I enjoyed this book about an aspiring Olympic ice dancer and her partner, Their passion for the sport, despite many obstacles in their path and their on and off again passionate love affair. A story of self acceptance, building a life that works for you and creating your own family. And an in depth look at the sport 4.5 Well done and kept me interested

Carrie Soto Is Back Meets Daisy Jones & The Six, The Favorite is a fun, ice dancing filled read with lots of drama and messy character to keep you going!

To the world, they were a scandal. To each other, an obsession.
An epic love story set in the sparkling but equally savage sphere of elite figure skating following Heath Rocha but really Katarina Shaw, who is determined to carve her own path on and off the ice.

This is a fast paced read with documentary style interviews at the beginning of each chapter that offer insights to the flashbacks and history recounting of Katarina's rise to stardom from start to finish. And it is straight out of a telenovela. There is so much toxicity and drama. Every character is deeply flawed, cut throat, and deeply in need of therapy. AND I WAS OBSESSED.

While I don't necessarily agree with some twists and turns nor do I think the characters end up better than we find them, I do think it honors the level of mess they were wheeling and dealing throughout the book and who am I to judge?

If you're in the mood for a messy, binge read, pick this one up!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for my free electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is a supremely successful retelling of Wuthering Heights set in Olympic ice dancing and I hope Layne sold the TV/Film rights for a giant sum. It's deliciously soapy, the faux-documentary structure is inherently cinematic, and I can't wait for the inevitable adaptation.