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.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC.

I have a secret affinity for sports stories featuring compelling characters. I don't actually know anything about Olympic-level ice dancing, but I will be tuning in to the next winter Olympics thanks to Heath, Kat, and the Lin twins, bitter rivals and life-long friends, in The Favorites.

Layne Fargo has reimagined Wuthering Heights through a Taylor Jenkins Reid lens. There's romance, back-stabbing, class dynamics, impulsivity, obsession, secrecy, and a desire for redemption--on and off the ice--as these world-class athletes push their bodies to their limits.

I gasped out loud several times and felt a lump in my throat as the storylines wrapped up. It was slow at first, but once I was 30ish percent in, the pace picked up, and I couldn't put it down. I kept thinking that it would be a great movie or TV series...and, since I've become the sort of reader who reads the acknowledgements, I feel confident that we're going to see this come to life. Don't mind me while I sit over here and plot the perfect cast.

I LOVED this book! What a great read! This novel was just so much fun.

The characters were interesting and although overall unlikable, the author still made me really care about what happened to them. I didn't know until after I had read the book that it was a twist on Wuthering Heights. I hated Wuthering Heights when I read it and have no desire to read it again, but this was GREAT! And looking back, it really is a twist on the classic, but so much more entertaining! I don't know if the author has a history in ice dance, but if not, she really did a great job researching and weaving in the details because it is so well developed.

I loved the plot, it was well paced so that it didn't drag, but it also didn't give you whiplash with too much happening at once. The storyline is strong and makes sense for the novel and the characters. Just an overall fun, great read!

I will definitely be recommending this one to lots of people!

AHHH this book was absolutely brilliant! Layne Fargo delivers a heart wrenching, thrilling, beautiful and suspenseful read with The Favorites. You will feel sooo connected from beginning to end! Regardless if you enjoy ice skating, you'll adore this story.

This is a fabulous novel about two sixteen-year-olds, Heath and Katerina who train ferociously to become the best ice dancers in the world. Who would believe that this sport is so cut-throat that competitors would literally do anything to thwart your chances at winning! But the two are dedicated both to each other and the ice so they train until they are worn out. It becomes a true love/hate situation as they win many competitions until they make it to the Olympics. And then all hell breaks loose! It's a fascinating story that is often difficult to read as I had no idea what lengths athletes will go to in order to reach the pinnacle of success! I so enjoyed Fargo's other novels and this one is beyond good!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

This book has all of my favorite components: ice skating, interview formatting, and a badass FMC. This book had me absolutely obsessed and flipping pages to find out what happened next in Katarina and Heath’s skating career. As quick breaks, I’d look up ice dancing videos from past Olympics, having never paid it any attention before (spoiler alert: it’s stunning!). Basically, for the few days it took me to read this book, it was all I could think about. I obsessed over this book like Health obsessed over Kat and Kat obsessed over winning. Needless to say, this is a good one and I’ve already recommended it to several people.

While I would call this book a romance, it wasn’t very romantic. The main characters’ relationship was often toxic and wasn’t always the focus of the book. I find sports books fascinating as I was able to learn more about it in a digestible way (also was invested in the characters which helped). There were so many plot twists I didn’t expect, and the author did a great job of increasing the intensity of the book as we got closer to the end.

I would highly recommend this book for fans of From Lukov with Love, Tonya Harding, and Daisy Jones and the Six. If that sounds like a confusing mix, well, just read the book and then you’ll understand.

i loved the documentary style chapters with the other characters’ opinions to make the book more interesting and it felt more complete that way, Layne is so talented.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for this early edition of The Favorites. I enjoyed this novel so much! About a third of the way through I texted a friend and told her to request it because we both love Taylor Jenkins Reid and Layne Fargo gave of Reid vibes strongly in this novel about unlivable athletes who put winning above all else. And that’s one thing about this book, you’re not gonna like much of anyone in it! But I didn’t want to put it down! At first the “chorus” of interviews kept taking me out of the story and bothering me a bit but eventually I enjoyed those parts of the book, once I got to know those characters. Five star read for me! I can’t wait to see what Layne Fargo comes up with next!

I did not like a single character in this book. Everyone was so toxic and crazy and the drama was over the top

Great cover tho!

I enjoy figure skating almost as much as I enjoy reading. I was thrilled to come across this book and it did not disappoint! Even if you're not a fan of skating, the story of these young people and their pursuit of skating excellence is compelling. I highly recommend this great book! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an unbiased review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Randomhouse for this amazing book. I never thought me a male could relate to this book so much. I think all want so bad to fight for our dreams and it's the resilience that fuels us and keeps us moving forward.

so so so so good. everything that you could want from a wuthering heights retelling. the olympic ice skating setting is perfect. this will especially entrance fans of taylor jenkins reid