This was such a great read. I could not put it down. The interview style made it very interesting and dramatic and gave me Daisy Jones and the Six vibes. I loved the drama in it. And it was so interesting how the ending gave the characters a happy ending but not in the way you would expect. I went on a journey with this book and loved every second of it.

First of all, thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to review this amazing story early. Now on to my review.

OH MY GOSH!!!! This story will keep you up late trying to finish it. For all of those who love figure skating and the glitz and glamour that come with it plus all the drama behind the scenes, this book is for you. The story of two children with horrible family lives who come together to form an ice dance team. What follows is their journey to get that Olympic gold that all athletes strive for. There are so many unexpected turns to this story that I was constantly surprised every step of the way. It was a train wreck and a love story and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world! All 6.0s is what I would rate this book on our old judging system. The perfect read for those winter months especially around Nationals in January!

This novel describes the love story of two young ice dancers and the people they encounter in their quest to become gold medal winners in the Olympics. I did not get the Wuthering Heights comparison but it definitely brought back shades of Tonya Harding and the bias of the judges she experienced.
I enjoyed the book but felt it could have been shorter and found many of the characters unlikable. I wanted to root for their success but wasn’t quite feeling it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Favorites by Layne Fargo is one of the most compelling novels I’ve read this year. Fargo crafts a narrative that dives deep into the psyche of her characters, creating a story that is both thrilling and unsettling. The protagonist, Katarina, is a perfect example of an unlikeable narrator who captivates the reader with her ruthless ambition and obsessive drive to win, no matter the cost. Her unyielding pursuit of her goals makes her a character who is as fascinating as she is chilling.

Adding to the tension is Heath, Katarina’s partner, whose obsessive devotion to her pulls him deeper into a toxic and destructive relationship. The intensity of their dynamic keeps the reader on edge, making The Favorites a gripping exploration of ambition and obsession.

Layne Fargo masterfully examines the lengths people will go to for their passions and how powerful emotions can distort one's reality. The result is a thought-provoking read that delves into the dark paths we tread in pursuit of desire.

I’d like to extend my thanks to Random House Publishing Group and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this incredible book.

After reading so many meh books in 2024, THE FAVORITES reminded me why I read. This book has it all! It's a fun, thrilling addictive read w all the feels. You really feel as if you know the characters and are part of their journey. There were parts were my heart was racing. As I read. I kept thinking about which Asian actors would play Sheila, Bella & Garrett Lin, as well as who would be cast as Kat, Shaw Heath Rocha & Ellis Dean. The commentary between chapters really helped move the story along. I felt as if I was a part of their lives competing in ice dance competitions. The ending did not disappoint. This is the first book I've read by Layne Fargo and now I need to read all of her other books. I'm giving this book 5 gold medals 🥇 🥇 🥇 🥇 🥇

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Favorites by Layne Fargo follows Kat Shaw and Heath Rocha, a champion ice dancing team with a complicated past. Posited as a steamy Wuthering Heights retelling, this book follows the twists and turns in Kat and Heath's relationships and careers. Their on-and-off relationship spans decades and several Olympics cycles.

I've seen a lot of praise for this book, and I was really excited to pick it up. I love figure skating and angsty romance books, so I thought this would be right up my alley. I didn't mind how dramatic the characters were, but the plot veered into unrealistic territory and kept moving to heights I couldn't quite follow along with. I get going for all-out drama, but this was just a step too far for me. I'm interested in reading Fargo's other books though, so I'll definitely keep an eye out.

Stupidly on my part I did not realize this was a Wuthering Heights reimagining and that is just not for me personally and therefore my excitement went down expeditiously.

I never thought I would like a book about the path to the Olympics by way of ice skating but alas, I absolutely devoured this book. Katarina and Heath were deliciously flawed and their interactions with the Lin twins was so interesting! There's love, betrayal, competition, hope, and toxic actions. They weaved together into a story that truly kept me entranced.

EPIC! Completely out of this world.

Katarina and Heath came from nothing but they will not let that stop them from clinching gold. Based primarily at an elite training facility, enter the competitive world of ice dancing. Via interviews and flashbacks we learn everything the duo overcame and what transpired at their last public competition.

Fargo has a way of teasing the story to the absolute edge and then bringing you back...again and again. This story could easily be a movie or a series and I would hang on every minute of it!

So join the wealthy, the hard working, the scheming and the cut throat in Layne Fargo's excellent novel! #randomhouse #thefavorites #laynefargo

The Favorites by Layne Fargo was an entertaining book. I was hooked. I couldn't stop reading it and had to force myself to put the book down at points. It's definitely a very unique spin on Wuthering Heights and I give it credit for it.

The Favorites is a breathlessly obsessive journey into the cutthroat world of Olympic ice dancing, one that revolves around the potently charged fusion of ambition, power, and passion. Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha are childhood sweethearts who flee their troubled pasts to chase their dreams on the ice in this fierce sports romance.

From the instant Katarina saw her hero Sheila Lin take gold at the Olympics, she was hooked. Katarina teams up with Heath, an orphan with a dark history, and these two misfit fencers bond over their brokenness to form an unstoppable, if not tumultuous, partnership. Their lives are forever changed when the pair joins Sheila's elite training school, where they encounter the Lin twins, Bella and Grant, who shake up their lives and dreams.

As Katarina and Heath climb the ranks, the stakes rise higher and higher, and the pressure becomes more unbearable. The story alternates between present day—when an unauthorized documentary resurfaces old wounds—and the past, revealing what dramatically caused a scandal that detonated their partnership. The mixed media format combines the first-person POV from Kat, along with third-person interviews, to provide an immersive dynamic layer not so different from Daisy Jones & The Six.

Layne Fargo weaves a tale both so gripping and heartbreaking, yet peopled with characters both hugely flawed and incredibly compelling. There is Katarina, the supposedly cold, manipulative figure that the media seem to have portrayed—complicated heroine whose fierce determination and vulnerability make her impossible to dismiss. Only her devoted partner and lover, Heath, to whom she has been joined by a relationship both on and off the ice as long as anyone can remember, really understands her.

From the outset, The Favorites is an emotional read that includes high-stakes competitive sports and the subtle underlying suspense of who's going to come out on top. Here, there are themes of ambition, love, and betrayal and the cost of success against the backdrop of a sport where every move means either glory or ruin.

Be it the Olympics, ice dancing, or a good story full of drama and emotion, The Favorites will keep you on tenterhooks as you are biting your nails, waiting to see how this epic love story ends. Much like the rest of the book, the ending is big, impactful, and memorable, leaving the reader with one final thought: that thin line between love and obsession, and what it really means to win.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for this advanced e-copy of The Favorites by Layne Fargo in exchange for an honest review.

When a friend of mine asked me what The Favorites was about, I told her, "It's like if Tonya Harding was the lead singer of Daisy Jones and the Six." Half documentary scripting and half first person perspective but with ALL of the drama elite sports are known to bring.

Katarina Shaw has always known she wanted to be an Olympic champion and she would stop at nothing to make that happen. Heath Rocha has loved Katarina since he first saw her and if ice dancing was his first-class ticket to close-proximity with the ice queen, he was going to be the best partner she'd ever have (both on and off the ice).

With troubled pasts and poor upbringings, most skaters in the ice dancing community wouldn't look twice at Kat and Heath. In their eyes, ice dancing has no space for small-town trash like them. Constant practice, dodging sabotage attempts, love, loss, heartbreak, and endless drama just barely scratches the surface of this incredible story.

Not only was the story addicting and perfectly written, it makes you feel all of the emotions. Above all else, the character development throughout the book is just *chefs kiss*.

5/5 stars I am completely obsessed.

I really enjoyed this book, it was a mix of Carrie Soto is Back and the movie I Tonya! It was also the perfect book to read during the olympics. Layne Fargo is a very versatile writer, her last book was nothing like this one. Can't wait to see what she does next!

This was the perfect book to read during the Olympics! I loved our two main characters, Katarina and Heath, and how broken they both are. I especially loved the flashbacks during our present day story. I also really loved all the different media used in this book. Anybody else who read this think it would be a great movie 👀 I knew plenty about ice skating going into this but barely anything about ice dancing. It sounds just as cutthroat as the ice skating world. And I honestly don’t know how Olympic athletes survive their trainings 😅 I had so many emotions while reading this book. I was mad, I wanted toxic characters to get back together and damn I wanted them to get a medal. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this one and definitely suggest if you want to get even more into the Olympic spirit

I have never professionally ice skated in my life. The Favorites was so incredibly well written that it made me feel as I was doing everything with the main characters. Some of the situations left me breathless and in an emotional free fall. I felt as if I was a professional skating trusting the author to not let me fall even while up in the air, and she did not disappoint.
I cannot recommend this book enough. I don't want to say too much because this book is best experienced by giving blind trust just as ice dancing partners have to do every time. Thank you to Layne Fargo, Random House Publishing, and Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC. It is one I won't be forgetting anytime soon.

4.5-5 ⭐️ “To the world, they were a scandal. To each other, an obsession.”

From the moment she witness her icon, Sheila Lin, win the olympic gold, Katarina Shaw knew that was her destiny too. When she meets Heath Rocha, a foster care kid with no family, the two form a friendship and a partnership that will span decades.

Wow. As soon as I read the synopsis of this book, I had to get my hands on it immediately. How convenient that I ended up devouring it during the Olympics, as so much of this book focuses on just how hungry these young athletes are to compete in the ultimate of sports championships, and just how much they will give up to do so. With everything you can imagine - from backstage drama to an intense love affair, beautiful friendships to bitter rivalries, this powerful and intense look inside the world of competitive ice dancing will have you on the edge of your seat at all times.

I was immediately taken with Heath and Katarina and found myself emotionally attached to each of them individually, as well as together. Because of the format and genre of this book, I had zero idea what to expect and that made the stress level as intense as the matchups that often left these characters broken and bruised. Their backstories were equally inspirational and heartbreaking and it is hard not to have a rooting interest.

The formatting style is one of my favorites, and very reminiscent of Daisy Jones and the Six. Layne Fargo uses both first person from Kat’s POV and third person interview format from the documentary the reader is simultaneously a part of, and it helps to make the story that much more dynamic. As each interviewee describes the most intense moments, I can envision everything from the details in the room to the sequins on their costumes and everything in between.

I think this format will be absolutely perfect on audio, and will help keep the pace flowing just a tad bit better than in the ebook/physical book, which can sometimes be slowed down by the back and forth. That said, every time I picked this one up, I had a hard time putting it back down. Basically what I am saying is, the second the audiobook is released, I will be doing a reread!

Read if you like:
• the olympics
• ice dancing
• forced proximity
• friends to lovers
• second chance romance
• mixed media format
• all the drama

Thank you Random House for the advanced copy.

I have been anticipating this book for so long, ever since I heard it was about figure skating. It did not disappoint. It got me so addicted I could not put it down

Thanks to net galley for this e arc! I was drawn to the cover.
Of this book immediately and when I read the synopsis I knew I would be interested. This story follows the drama of two ice skaters and the messy relationship that follows. The interview / documentary style that was weaved into this story was so fun and I loved it! This story was messy and so different from anything l've read before! 4 stars!

SUCH a fun book. If you have any passing interest in ice dance or Olympic skating this is a MUST READ. It's so dramatic, over the top, and sexy. This is def going to be a hit next year.

I thought this was really good and I was on pins and needles almost the entire book. The writing was intense and I could feel the chemistry coming off these two. It did have the Wuthering Heights feel that I hoped for and I couldn’t get enough. It was a very satisfying read. The author did a great job with the ice skating competition and I was holding my breath with each performance. Loved the ending and I highly recommended it.
Thanks Random House Publishing Group via NetGalley.