A dramatic, compelling ride through the glamorous yet cut-throat world of competitive ice dancing. The Favorites blends scandal, obsession, and ambition into a story you won’t be able to look away from. It’s messy, intense, and hauntingly beautiful — perfect if you like your romance with grit.

I absolutely enjoyed this book so thank you for the ARC. Layne Fargo is now one of my favorite authors. I read her whole backlist after this book so thank you for introducing me to such an amazing author!

This book was an interesting look into the lives of two former ice dancing stars. I loved the way this story was told through parts of the documentary and then from the main characters perspective along the way as well. I thought the story was extremely compelling and the book was well paced with good reveals. I was let down by the ending, which keeps me from giving it a five star. All in all, this book is definitely worth the hype and I recommend!

This book is actually ohne of my recent favorites. So dynamic and captivating--it's been a go-to recommendation of mine and was well worth the time it took to get to the end. So deliciously wonderful.

The Favorites is sharp, smart, and deliciously tense - loved every minutes of it! Layne Fargo really nails the messy dynamics of ambition, power, and competition, while keeping the suspense simmering. I loved how unapologetically bold and cutting the story felt, exploring the darker side of competitive/academic life with characters who are as compelling as they are ruthless. It’s the kind of book that makes you want to read “just one more chapter” until you realize you’ve devoured the whole thing in a single sitting.

I absolutely loved The Favorites! The story was engaging, and the characters were fun, relatable and full of personality and flaws. The drama and twists kept me hooked. 👀

A totally satisfying, entertaining read that I’d happily recommend to anyone!

4.5 ⭐️ Loved this one! I enjoyed the interviews interspersed with the story and all of the drama. Would have been five stars but I found the Bella/Heath storyline a bit disjointed toward the end.

Loved how different this was from They Never Learn, while being equally as propulsive. I loved getting to be on the inside of their love story from the beginning. Life is messy!

As someone who is always complaining about the Olympics, I enjoyed reading about the passion for ice dancing from Kat's perspective.

I really liked the format of this book! The documentary side of it was such an interesting and unique way to cover a long period of time.

I literally devoured this book in a day - a twisty, entertaining read. Preposterous? Yes, at times, but I was willing to let it go to keep reading about Katarina and Heath. I really enjoyed the format of the book - told through "interviews" and comments and also through Kat's point of view. It wasn't the deepest book I've read all year, but it certainly kept me turning the pages!

A complex and intriguing story. I loved the complicated two stories of the past and present coming together in a surprising way at the end. I liked the romance and seeing how it unfolded with the backdrop of the book research process.

I loved this so much. I didn’t think I would because I don’t particularly care about figure skating but this surprised me! I was so invested in the drama, the romance, all of it.

The Favorites is an epic love story set in the world of elite figure skating and is reminiscent of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Carrie Soto is Back. This story follows Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha and their rise (and fall) to the top. This story was emotional, gripping, and messy but I loved every moment of it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader’s Copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest opinion/review.

This was hands down one of the best audiobook performances featuring multi-media and a full cast that I’ve read lately. It was a fun drama that transported me to the cutthroat figure skating world and I loved it.

Featuring toxic friendship, troubled characters, and alllll the drama!

*many thanks to PRH/Randomhouse, PRH audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

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.