The drama. The chaos. The satire. The nostalgia. The toxicity. The romance. I was here for all of it, and couldn’t put this book down. Katarina has dreams of making it to the Olympics with her partner Heath (both on and off the ice). However, their partnership and romance abruptly ends and ten year later, Katarina wants to clear the air and squash additional rumors. The interviews combined flashbacks prose create a dynamic and compelling read, I was wholly immersed for the entire duration. 4.5 stars

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR!!! There is a reason this is so popular! It made the inspiration novel (Wuthering Heights) feel modern and accessible, but also felt like its own story. I’m still absolutely obsessed with this book — the messy characters, the toxic relationships and friendships, the OLYMPICS as the background plot!? A recipe for success and this author hit it out of the park. Everything about this was perfect to me and I’d give it 6 stars if I could.

This was toxic drama perfection & I loved it! I also loved the interview style that the story was told in - it made the book fly by & I was flipping the pages so quickly to get to the next interview! The characters were diverse in their attitudes, the storyline was unique, the relationships evoked emotion, and the ending was amazing!

The Favorites was a gripping and emotionally intense read that kept me hooked from start to finish. Layne Fargo delves into complex friendships and dark secrets with a sharp, compelling narrative. The characters were flawed and deeply human, which made their struggles feel real and raw. It was a powerful, thought-provoking story that stayed with me long after I turned the last page.

I tried to enjoy this deep dive into the figure skating world and the drama-filled relationship of the MCs. I understand the comparison to Daisy Jones and Carrie Soto and it was a well-deserved comparison. However, it just didn't hit the same notes as Taylor Jenkins Reid manages. The incident which ended the partnership/romance wasn't that shocking and more important, was just so disappointing. I wanted this to be so much better than it was.

I very much enjoyed this novel set in the world of competitive figure skating, specifically ice dancing. Katarina and Heath, along with the many secondary characters, are messy, troubled, accomplished, and memorable, and I kept turning the pages to see what would happen next. Recommended.

Unfortunately,I read about 1/4 of this and found it was alittle too soap opera drama and decided to DNF. I normally adore Layne Fargos work so this will be a deterrent from future work. It was likely just a me issue. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this early.

The Favorites by Layne Fargo is a riveting look at the cutthroat world of ice skating. Katarina and Heath met before they were teenagers and their love for one another was rivaled only by Kat’s love of the ice. Through tragedies, triumphs, and everything in between…. the only constant is their passion for each other.

Katarina’s sights have been set on the Olympic gold since she saw Sheila Lin skate on tv when she was a child. After years of emulating Sheila’s poise and strength, Katarina is thrilled to be accepted into the Lins’ inner circle when Sheila’s twins take Heath and Kat under their wings in an attempt to keep their competition close. As Kat’s desire to be a champion grows, she questions Heath’s commitment to winning it all. Partnerships change, loyalties are tested, and violence finds its way onto the rink in the most unexpected ways.

I was apprehensive about diving into this book because I knew nothing about the world of competitive skating, but I was drawn in by the very first page. Told from Kat’s perspective as well as through interviews of skaters, judges and journalists, this is a five-star read that would make an amazing movie or miniseries. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Layne Fargo’s The Favorites.

This is a multi-media, full-cast (audio) depiction of two figure skaters who were robbed of their Olympic gold medals.

Kat and Heath grew up together in separate, tumultuous households - Heath being in foster care and Kat’s alcoholic brother having custody of her after their parents died. Once Kat watched her first ice dancing competition at the 1988 Olympics, she was hooked and, because Kat was Heath’s life, he came along for the ride. Kat’s ambition and drive toward winning a gold medal never wavered, and it didn’t matter who got trampled on in the process. Over the years of training and competing, Kat and Heath came together and pushed each other away multiple times but always stayed in each other’s lives. Secondary characters, Bella and Garrett, were instrumental in Kat and Heath’s story, not only in a competitive way but also in a found family way too.

This story had many similar themes of striving toward goals and having them taken away only to come out a more well-rounded human after the fact same as in Carrie Soto Is Back from TJR…. And this book was a definite 5⭐️ as well!

This ARC was provided by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Do you enjoy having all the gossip? Are you always down for a yap session and discussing the tea even if you don't even know the people involved? Do you love angst that hurts your chest and a plot that stays on your mind 24/7 while you theorize what's next or how it will end? If you answered yes to any of these - pick up The Favorites immediately!! For a book that didn't have the absolute perfect ending (in my opinion) that I wished for, this was easily five stars based on the author's ability to take up space in my entire brain the days I was reading this. The emotional turmoil was DELICIOUS!!! I seriously loved how many things I felt while reading Katarina's POV and the unraveling of her career and relationship with Heath. Seriously, 10/10 on the angst scale. Basically everyone is incredibly MESSY and I freaking loved it. I wish there was one minor change regarding the ending but believe it's realistic and the appropriate conclusion for our characters. If you haven't read The Favorites yet, what's stopping you??

Thank you to Random House, NetGalley, and the author for sending me an early copy!

The first 50% had me hooked, almost DNFd by 80% but was too determined to give up.

This is marketed as a mix of Daisy Jones and the Six and Carrie Soto is Back, but with ice dance. The comparison does not do those two books justice. This lacks the key components that make those stories so special. None of the characters has a single redeeming quality.

Also played into my biggest ick books nowadays where we mention popular music (specifically MULTIPLE Taylor Swift songs).

If you want extremely problematic characters and the messiest plot ever, be my guest and give this a try.

I am such a sucker for Layne Fargo's books. I've been a huge fan of her writing since TEMPER: there is something so delicious about how she writes messy, ambitious girls and women who will trample on anyone in their way. THE FAVORITES felt in many ways like a level-up to her writing, in complexity, structure, and scope.

I loved so much of this book: Kat's complex relationship not only to Heath but to so many of the other characters, the insider scoop on Olympic-level ice skating, the framing of interviews that contradict and complement Kat's own storytelling. My only qualm with the story was its slow beginning, but once the pace picked up, I could hardly put the book down. Extremely excited to see what Fargo writes next.

5 stars 5 stars 5 stars!

This book gave me all of the Daisy Jones x I, Tonya vibes that I needed. I love figure. skating, and so just with the premise I knew I was going to eat this up. But honestly, I was still surprised by how much I loved this book. I had read Layne Fargo's thrillers before and so I was a bit apprehensive going into a completely different genre, but she ate it up! The characters felt so real, the drama felt so real, and the book brought me to tears. I felt the need to finish it as soon as possible because I had to know what was happening. Absolutely fantastic!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was a highly anticipated read of mine and though it wasn't a bad one, it didn't live up the expectations I had going into it. In this book we follow the lives of an ice-skating duo. It delves into their history from when they were children, their relationship with each other, and all the drama that ensued. I wanted to feel the fast-paced rush that other people spoke about when reading this book but unfortunately didn't get. I'm typically a fan of well-done cliches, but the way that this book was over the top, I think it was just a bit too much for me. I will say, the characters were okay. There was a lot of angst and tension that I could feel in the pages, however, it wasn't enough to capture my attention the entire time I was reading.

I think this is my favorite book of the year. every single twist was so good. I just kept gasping. every character, every year. it was all amazing.

This was pretty slow. The premise was good, but the characters were not very well flushed out. I didn't sympathize with any of them. We read it in book club and the reviews were mixed. This novel is best consumed on audio!

I am writing this review two months after finishing it because life be life-ing, but let me explain just how utterly and thoroughly this book fucked me up. Since reading this book, I have convinced four people to read it. I have talked it up to two different book communities I am a part of. I have burrowed down into ice skating content obsessively (Tessa and Scott, I am LOOKING AT YOU). Suffice it to say, this book finished ME, not the other way around.

The level of messy that these characters reached is unmatched. Reading this book felt like reading a a tabloid exposé, and the little documentary cuts were so easy to visualize in my mind. I raced through it, so eager to see what happened next. And I cannot recommend it highly enough. 5 of the easiest ⭐s in the world.

*Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

I enjoyed this. It was such a good book for a rainy day. The author paced this extremely well. There were some moments in the dialogue that made me inwardly cringe, but I think if you want a book to just turn your mind off and have fun, this is a great pick.

I love when books, especially fiction books, introduce me to a world about which I knew nothing coming in. This time, this novel, gave me ice dancing! I remember sometimes seeing figure skaters at the Winter Olympics as a child, and of course, who could forget the Nancy Kerrigan/Tonya Harding scandal that happened when I was in middle school? (ugh, I'm giving away my age here!) But I knew nothing of ice dancing before this book. I didn't even know there was a difference in figure skating and ice dancing. After finishing this book, I watched countless videos on the internet and did all kinds of research into the sport, because this book made me hungry for more when I finished. That's the mark of an excellent novel, to me. There was suspense, intrigue, romance, tragedy, pain, glory and triumph, and the fall. This book simply has it all, even if you think that a "sports romance" is not your thing. The Favorites will have you hooked from the beginning, and won't let go until the final page. You may even find yourself a new fan of ice dancing. I know I am.

This book took me MONTHS to read because every time I picked it up it would be all I thought about. At work, in the car, trying to sleep I was OBSESSED with the drama. The story telling is just so good! The messy hot and cold, year after year, high highs and low lows were so raw. I was gasping, screaming, crying at every turn. This story was devastating in the very best way. EASY FIVE STARS!