The Favorites" by Layne Fargo took me deep into the competitive theater world and all the intense, often toxic relationships that come with it. The characters felt so real; I felt like I was right there with them, caught up in all the drama.

What really grabbed me was how Fargo explores ambition and friendship. The tension between the characters kept me hooked, and I was totally invested in their journeys—the highs, the lows, everything.

The writing is sharp and addictive—I couldn't put it down! It captures the complexities of relationships and the dark side of ambition perfectly.”

All in all, if you enjoy gripping tales with layered characters and a bit of theatrical flair, "The Favorites" is definitely one I recommend picking up. I’m so glad I decided to dive into it!

Kind of gave me a Black Swan mixed with Center Stage vibe.

Thank you for this complimentary review copy!

This is the first book of the year where I have wanted to rush to the end to see how it all plays out verses savor every moment because it so good and so intense. The story takes you behind the scenes of the world of ice dancing, but even more than that it takes you deep into the lives of two characters, Katarina and Heath who are deeply driven to the point of obsession. The author captures the rawness of their human nature, that to some extent lives in all of us if we are willing to admit it.

This story is genre bending with themes of romance, sports, mystery, psychology and at times it's a thriller. It does life on its own terms and because of that it's a breath of fresh air. While it ties up at the end it's not in a way that you'd traditionally expect from fiction and that's another reason to read it as soon as you can possibly get your hands on it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for this ARC!

I was 18 when Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir danced their way to hold with their Moulin Rouge routine. I was captivated, entranced and hooked. I could never look at ice skating the same way again. I watch their routine at least once a month.
So when I stumbled upon this book on Netgalley and I knew I had to read it immediately. The Favorites follows Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha and their tumultuous journey of love and skating. Told in alternating documentary style interview format and first person perspective, The Favorites will keep you reading until you can’t hold your eyes open anymore. I absolutely loved the format that this was written in and it reminded me of Daisy Jones and The Six. I honestly think that this book would be even better in audiobook form that I think I’ll probably re-read it that way when it comes out.

Katarina and Heath are some of the flawed characters ever but it just made the story so much more compelling and I couldn’t stop reading because I just had to know what they did next. The amount of times I gasped out loud during this book is actually unreal. The amount of times I cried is also a little concerning. Their passion and energy and determination just kept me hooked all the way through. (This was putting it nicely but I quite literally was foaming at the mouth because of all the tension between Katarina and Heath. I had to physically put my iPad down and walk away.)

Also there’s this scene where the author mentions a song that Katrina and Heath and skating to, it’s the pivotal finale, and I decided to play that song while I read the last chapters of the book and honestly I would HIGHLY recommend that. What a glorious high.

If you liked Daisy Jones and The Six and if you’ve watch Tessa and Scott’s Moulin Rouge routine at least once, you’ll definitely love this.

I have never been more obsessed with a book until this masterpiece. Layne Fargo, you have absolutely outdone yourself. There has been a lot of research, artistry, and damn hard work put into this book that I definitely recognized as a reader. A retelling of Wuthering Heights based on Olympic Ice Dance skaters = the most perfect book in the world. As the story unravels it simply plays out like a movie inside your head. You've evoked SO many emotions that I didn't even think I could fathom. I was rooting for everyone especially our main character Katarina but in the same vein there were so many times I wanted to slap her (and a couple others.. let's be serious all of them sporadically throughout the novel.)

The mixed media format was a crucial part of this novel to keep it going and interesting. With different perspectives biased and unbiased towards the main plotline, it helped push the plot forward. I think this will be an incredible audiobook once published! As Heath and Kat are obsessed with each other, I will forever be obsessed with this book. The DRAMA. The angst. The tension. The passion. The hard work. And the love of it all. I will not shut up about it on publication date, you best believe.

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group for providing me with an E-Arc copy of the book.

This might have been the fastest I've ever read a book. So, so good and gripping. The type of writing that you simply can't tear yourself away from even for a second.

Layne Fargo has taken her writing skills to a new level in this novel. I loved how easy this book was to read and poured through it so quickly.

Additionally, the love/hate romance was so genuinely a retelling of Withering Heights, I was thrilled to dive into a story filled with tension, longing and hidden lives. While this book was a fun retelling and taught me a lot about ice skating, I didn't love the story as much as some of Layne Fargo's previous novels. The mystery didn't feel especially mysterious and the twists and turns were a bit predictable.

However, if you want to read a beautifully written novel with a ton of tension, definitely add this one to your collection.

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group for providing me with an E-Arc copy of the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for this advance readers copy, in exchange for an honest review. The Favorites is a captivating story about our main characters, Kat and Heath, from their early teen years into adulthood and covers both their rise to Olympic figure skating fame and their intense romance.

I do not typically like books that are sports oriented but, even if you don’t like sports or figure skating, I hope you will give this book a try because the particulars of the sport aren’t really a main focus of the story. Instead, what we get is a deep exploration of the intense hunger for athletic excellence and passionate, sometimes even destructive love, between our two characters. This book was just ripe with tension and the constant push and pull of the characters’ success, failures, and give and take of their relationship. It was frustrating and exciting all at once and in the best way that a book can be; I couldn’t put this book down because I just had to know how it ended and I was so invested in these characters. At the same time, I didn’t want the book to end because I didn’t want to leave the story or our characters.

It’s also been a while since I read Wuthering Heights so, I am not the best person to judge how this holds as a modern retelling or reimagining of the story. But, I did appreciate the odes within this story to the original classic and I very much appreciated the same tension, themes of self-destruction, and all consuming romance that we see across both novels. It definitely made me eager to reread Wuthering Heights, which says something!

All in all, this book was just absolutely fantastic. It took me out of my own reality into this fictional world and it felt so great to be invested so deeply with the entirety of this book. I definitely want to reread this story and look forward to other readers getting the chance to experience this when the book comes out in January 2025!

Not only is this book about obsession but you are about to be obsessed with this book. I couldn't put it down, I was completely sucked into the story and the lives of the characters. There were so many times that I wanted to throw the book across the room, emotions were high while reading.

AMAZING. This book was so good, bringing you into the world of ice skating in a brand new way. Incredible work of art and enjoyed this read so much. 5 star read for sure.

The Favorites follows the ice dancing careers of Kay and Heath, from their early days growing up in a dysfunctional family outside Chicago to the Sochi Olympics. The story is told from Kat’s point of view and interspersed with clips from a documentary following their career. The Favorites gives a glimpse behind the scenes of the ice dancing world, the complicated relationships between the athletes and what drives them.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read

I received an Advanced Reader Copy via NewGalley.

*The Favorites* by Layne Fargo is a gripping, character-driven thriller that expertly explores ambition, loyalty, and betrayal. Fargo's sharp writing and complex plot keep readers hooked with tension and unexpected twists. It's a dark, compelling read that keeps you guessing until the very end.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬
𝐋𝐚𝐲𝐧𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐨
𝐑𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟏𝟒, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓
𝟒.5⭐️

Happy Thursday! So I usually try to read new releases closer to their expected pub date, but when I saw Layne Fargo’s newest book on NetGalley I had to request it and read it right away! Her previous books 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 and 𝐓𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫 are still to this day, two of all my all time favorite reads!

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬 is an Olympic figure skating, romance story, filled with drama, scandal, and so much emotion. This genre isn’t my favorite but the romance aspect was far from cringey and I loved how we follow main characters Kat and Heath from a young age and their journey to competing in the Olympics.

I was rooting for Kat & Heath the entire time, hoping their relationship would work and rooting for them in each competition. I really loved this story as a whole- it was beautifully written, fast paced, and a nail-biter.

This would’ve been a 5 star read but there was one situation that really made me 🤬. It was a great twist, and it made the story more scandalous butttttt I just wish it didn’t happen(I’m not going into detail, as this is a spoiler). If you know what I’m talking about I’d love to know your thoughts too!

Special thanks to for the early copy. This amazing read is out January 25th, add it to your TBR!

Olympic Games often dominate the headlines while they are taking place, but only so often do Olympic sports and related scandals stay in the news after the medals have been awarded. In The Favorites, Layne Fargo does a masterful job of creating a whole microcosm of Competition Ice Dancing and the politics and drama it encompasses. The cast of characters is all here - the grand dame of the sport, the dangerous rebel, the heir apparent, and the wide-eyed ingenue to name a few - and most are being interviewed as part of an anniversary documentary. They are all re-visiting the scandal of Shaw & Rocha and dissecting their own roles in the drama. The format of using confessional type dialogue with flashbacks is effective and entertaining. One can truly imagine the retrospective feature being aired in primetime.

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In this powerful debut readers are thrust into the dazzling yet brutal world of elite ice dance through the eyes of Katarina Shaw, a determined skater with Olympic dreams. This is an emotional and gripping exploration of love, ambition, and the price of success, perfect for fans of sports dramas and complex, character-driven stories.

4-4.5⭐️

A story with Olympic figure skating, obsession, and scandal?! Sign me up!

On the whole, I really enjoyed this story and the interspersed documentary/interviews sprinkled in. That said, it felt slow and like I had been reading it for a while and still had so much story to go. I’ve struggled to put my finger on why, but I think it has to do with Katarina’s character. Without spoiling, I think her laser like focus on her goals maybe slowed the pace because she knew what she wanted right out of the gate. I’d still recommend it, though!

This is one of the coolest books I’ve read all year. I’ve known since “Daisy Jones and the Six” that the documentary style narrative really works for me and this only further cemented it. Reading those pieces and then Kat’s perspective made for a highly engaging experience. So much tension was created from having incidents and outcomes alluded to by guests on the documentary and then watching them play out firsthand.

The premise instantly captured my attention. Orphans who had no one but each other, the sport that began their relationship and then became the center of it, for better or for worse. What they wouldn’t do for and to each other- it was electric.

And yet. I still wish I hadn’t read and loved “Wuthering Heights” so much and so recently. I had forgotten that Catherine and Heathcliff served as inspiration (even though it’s in the blurb) and I was happier before I made the connection. You can say many things about Heathcliff (and many have been said). You could call him a dozen adjectives and argue them well, but I would never allow ”dull” to fall among them. Heath never lived up to the man who inspired him, he was never as chilling, never as interesting.

The romance was the only aspect I struggled with but everything else I adored. I had a similar feeling to when I read “Dare Me” by Megan Abbott where the sport, the art, really comes alive. It feels like anything can be justified in the name of it.

I love reading about fictional accounts of sports so I could have gone for even more specific mentions of lifts and elements, even scoring. More excerpts of commentary too would’ve been great to really build up the legendary status. I also think spacing could’ve been used more creatively in service of certain descriptions.

“The Favorites” is an excellent transit book. I read over 300 pages of it in one day commuting back and forth from Hoboken. It took me a few chapters to be truly gripped by it but about 15% of the way in I could not put it down.

I was reading as fast as I could, seared by every new revelation. I felt like a fan, it was exhilarating. Almost missed my stop though, and it would’ve been worth it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the e-arc. Definitely one of the most fun reading experiences I’ve had in recent memory.

This book is my new obsession. I love ice dancing and I love Daisy Jones and the Six and this is a combination of both plus Wuthering Heights which I’ve never read but now feel like I need to. The characters are deeply flawed but utterly engrossing. I’m supposed to be studying for a medical school test and yet I can’t seem to put it down. I need this to be adapted to tv and to see these beautiful routines on ice although the writer does a decent job of letting you visualize it in your mind.

Pros: I requested this book from NetGalley immediately after I heard Annie B. Jones rave about it on her From the Front Porch podcast. It was the perfect post-Olympics read--I read it in one sitting on an airplane, and it was such a fun reading experience. This book is for anyone who loves the drama and intrigue of the ice skating/dancing world. I liked the first-person narrative meets oral history structure of the story and found myself cheering for the main character, even though I'm not sure I was supposed to. What was most interesting to me about this book is that it is a modern retelling of Wuthering Heights, and coincidentally, I read another modern retelling of it (Alice Hoffman's Here on Earth) the week before. These books would make an interesting reading flight.

Cons: None that I can think of--this book seems to do exactly what it sets out to do.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this book.

A steamy, revenge filled retelling of Wuthering Heights?! I said sign me up right from the start, I was easily was engrossed in this story and the continued obsession seen by the characters. I enjoyed this start to finish, but never wanted it to end and could have stayed in this world for 500 more pages.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this novel.

I was very intrigued by the cover and the idea of delving into the world of competitive ice skating. Unfortunately, this book was severely not for me. The best way I could describe it was like a CW/Freeform show or a Lifetime movie, which may be up some readers' alleys. If you like soapy dramas, this may appeal to you. However, it was a bit too melodramatic for my taste that I became less invested with each "twist" or "reveal." Perhaps even more fundamentally, I really disliked one half of the romance. Heath had little redeeming qualities. His ultra possessiveness was more of a red flag than anything "cute," and I wasn't rooting for them to be together.

Sure, Kat had flaws herself, which make characters whole. But I at least somewhat liked her. Heath's jealousness was a huge turn-off for me. Bella as a side character was OK at the beginning, but veered into caricature territory as time went on. Same for Garrett (and the "twist" with him I could see coming early on and was hoping it WOULDN'T go there because it's so obvious and almost a stereotype at this point). Additionally, I felt the book was too long. This is a personal preference thing, but I think a good 100 pages could've been cut.

The ending I also disliked, but for sake of spoilers, I'll leave it at that.