Book Review: The Favorites by Layne Fargo ✨

Five stars are simply not enough for this book—I’m calling it now, The Favorites is possibly one of my favorite books of all time. For fans of Carrie Soto Is Back and Daisy Jones & The Six, this story delivers all the angst, passion, and determination you could hope for.

If you’ve ever been obsessed with the Olympics, idolized legends like Michelle Kwan and Tara Lipinski, or found yourself fascinated by the drama surrounding Tonya Harding—this book is for you. Layne Fargo captures the cutthroat world of figure skating with such raw intensity that I felt every triumph and heartbreak right alongside the characters. It motivated me, broke me, and left me completely wrecked in the best way possible.

Pro tip: AUDIO is the way to go! The full cast of narrators brings this story to life in a way that is absolutely mesmerizing. I read and listened at the same time, and it made the experience even more immersive and unforgettable.

I devoured it in two days (yes, it’s that good), and I couldn’t have asked for better company than my amazing buddy read partners, Leah and Melissa. There are even a few Wuthering Heights references sprinkled throughout—which, honestly, I haven’t read because I’m not a classics girlie—but it added an interesting layer to the story nonetheless.

This book took me through all the emotions—if you need a read that will inspire you, challenge you, and pull you deep into its world, The Favorites is it.

📚 Have you read this yet? Or are you adding it to your TBR?

Love. Scandal. Competition. Obsession. What more could you ask for in a book? I'm sure that The Favorites by Layne Fargo will be in my Top 10 books of 2025. I absolutely loved this book.

My Thoughts On The Book:

This is a must read! I was entrenched in the story of Katarina and Heath. It's not a normal love story, if that is what you are looking for in a book. At times, you will love and hate both of these characters, but I couldn't stop thinking about them. Payne does a magnificent job with characterization and detail. I found myself wondering how she knew so much about the skating world and the players involved.

This would be a great book for a book club. There is so much to discuss. I truly hope that it is made into a movie. There are complex friendships, family problems, views about women in a competitive world of the Olympics, and a scandalous behind-the-scenes look of a torrent love affair.

Kudos, Layne Fargo. I am now a fan of your writing.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random Books Publishing, and Layne Fargo for my free copy of this book. This is my honest review.

I will start by saying the authors writing is so fast paced and she very much made these characters feel real to me. I kept wanting to look up these characters forgetting that they were fictional.
Back to Katarina and Heath, I was rooting for them to conquer it all knowing where they both started from. I knew the journey was going to be messy, just not like that. The only characters I cared for was Katarina and Garrett. Bella was supposed to be her competition and best friend but they should have never been friends to begin with, or at least not at the end.
Once Heath did his first betrayal, I thought that would be the worst from him but I was wrong.
This book was so fast paced and there was so much that happened but it all just felt so rushed. So many intense moments occurred but since it was rushed, I felt like everything was just brushed over. There was no comfortable place to take a break from the book so once I really got into it, I had to just binge the whole thing. I ended up finishing it at 1AM. I’ll just say even though it all wrapped up, I was not happy with how the ending turned out. I still get upset thinking about this book. This book made me FEEL, just not in the best way at the end.
I will definitely always think of Katarina and Heath when I listen to The Last Time for now on.

I have felt all the feels during this. But one thing that sticks is Kat Shaw you are a force and now one my favorite FMC of all time. This story absolutely ripped me apart, stitched me back together then kept cycling through until the very end. It’s raw and real and I am left breathless over it!

Sort of like if Tonya Harding was in an ice dancing pair. Katarina Shaw details the events that rocketed her into the limelight. The inclusion of documentary interviews with those involved highlight parallels with Harding, especially how the press controlled the narrative and influenced the outcome of an already elitist sport, allegedly susceptible to corruption.

The documentary portions, while valuable in some aspects, threw off the momentum of the plot, making the action come in fits and starts. Part of conflict is a cyclical pattern of behavior, but there are so many cycles with similar commentary from the documentary interviews.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

Every once in a while I end up reading a book that leaves me thinking, oh this is completely ridiculous, but you know what? I liked it anyway.

As a former competitive skater, I was vaguely embarrassed to be reading what I knew going in would be a tabloidy, sensationalized version of the sport. At most, I thought maybe I would learn a lot more about the specifics of ice dancing.

I did not actually learn anything at all about ice dancing (there is disappointingly little actual skating in this book, and virtually no explanation of how the sport works (aside from the word twizzles appearing many, many times)), but I was entertained. I might go so far as to say very entertained.

Say this for Fargo: What she shirked in terms of real research into the sport, she more than made up for in terms of telling a good story. And I do think she captured the psyche of what it’s like to be viciously competitive in serious athletics, as well as what happens to those who aren’t who throw their hat in the ring anyway.

And she gets a lot right about the politics of the sport, as well as all the people connected to it who seek to profit from the success of the athletes.

I wouldn’t want to know Katarina, but I liked her anyway. It’s hard to say the same about most of the characters, except for poor sweet Garrett. And while all the partner switching in terms of skating is fascinating and well drawn, the romantic mess of Kat, Heath, and Bella devolves into the kind of ridiculousness that gave me second-hand embarrassment.

The pacing is wonderful though, the atmosphere well-drawn, and most of all, this is just fun to read. Sometimes likable matters more than good in a book, and while I urge you not to treat this as any kind of primer on the skating world, I highly recommend it as a fun, escapist novel.

Every time I read a book that is very buzzy on Instagram, part of me goes into it worried that it will not live up to the high expectations I have. I am very relieved that The Favorites definitely lived up to those expectations (and maybe even exceeded them!)

This book follows the rags to riches story of ice-dancers Katerina Shaw and Heath Rocha in their rise to Olympic glory and their tumultuous relationship as lovers. Although this is a fictional story, there were so many times during the book I felt a very strong urge to search for a specific performance on YouTube because they felt SO REAL… much like how I felt when reading Daisy Jones and The Six (I’ve looked for a book that matched the energy of Daisy Jones for years, and I am soooo glad I finally found one that did!!!). This book is passionate, frustrating, exciting, and hopeful and I savored every last bit of it as I read it slowly over a couple weeks.

I didn’t know a thing about ice dancing 2 weeks ago but I will definitely be watching the competitions at the Winter Olympics next year. And after hearing about the parallels of this book to Wuthering Heights, I will finally have to read that this year (and go back to my Twilight roots while I’m there).

Thank you for this ARC - the book is out now so brb while I pick up a copy at my fav bookstore because this is one that needs a home on my shelf!!!

Just wow! This was such a messy, tension filled, beautiful story! I was so invested in all of the characters, and found myself struggling to put this down. I also loved the interview style addition as well. Super excited for a reread, when the audio book comes out!

I LOVED this so much!! The hype is real, and I already know this is going to be one of my top reads of the year.

People are describing this as Daisy Jones & the Six meets the Olympics, but I think the most relevant comparison to make is to its inspiration, Wuthering Heights. It's been ages since I've read it (I'm due for a reread), but the torturous love it describes is so akin to the classic: its toxic, it's gutting, it's full of yearning, it's romantic.

The glittering world of fame and ice dancing was a beautiful backdrop to a story of revenge, complicated friendships, and redemption. There was juicy drama at every turn, heartbreak over and over again. You both love and hate these characters and what they're willing to do to pursue their ambitions and desires.

I was utterly hooked and enchanted by this. I'm emotionally devastated that I can't actually watch Kat and Heath's routines.

(Minor point deductions for me wishing Kat's POV had gone a little deeper [the storytelling was so fast-paced, there wasn't really time]. Also the ending wasn't exactlyyy what I wanted as the story started to diverge away from Wuthering Heights.)

The overall performance: astounding and completely memorable.

Read if you like:
🪩 Scandal and drama
⛸️ Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir
🧪 Toxic relationships
💔 Unlikeable & complex female characters
📽 Documentary-style narratives

I cannot tell you the last time I read a book this good. But it’s been years since I’ve been physically and emotionally unable to put it down! I was sucked in from the start.

If I could give ten stars I would. This was my first book by Layne Fargo but definitely not the last. I loved her writing style so much. It definitely reminded me of Taylor Jenkins Reid.

This is far different than my normal romance or thriller books. It has depth, beauty and such intense emotion. I hope this gets all the flowers it deserves because it was a masterpiece. How can I read anything after this?

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own!

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AHHHHHH! The hype is so well deserved for this book!! This was the final book I read for 2024 and it was the perfect book to go out on. I am obsessed with a juicy, drama-filled sports story and this absolutely brought that and more. I loved the cut scenes from the documentary and was in shock by the end of those. I completely forgot that it was based on Wuthering Heights until after I finished it and definitely could see the winks and nods after, but it is thoroughly enjoyable without looking for those links. After I finished, I immediately told a friend who really enjoys Taylor Jenkins Reid books that she needed to pick this up as soon as it hits the shelves. It reminded me so much of Carrie Soto is Back, but has the same rich drama of most of TJR's books. I've also seen the romance between Heath and Kat compared to a Mariana Zapata book. I can definitely see, but to be clear this romance is anything but a slow-burn. They are on fire from start to finish! I loved this book and have already added it to my collection. I will most certainly be rereading it before too long!

3 ⭐️

this was an interesting story to say the least. in the least spoiler-y, and shortest summary ever, The Favorites follow Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha throughout childhood and adulthood in their pursuit to win an olympic gold medal for ice dancing. the journey takes us from their abusive household in Illinois, to the toxic LA lifestyle with world famous ice dancer, and Katarina’s role model, Sheila Lin and her twin children ice dancers, Bella and Garrett.

for the most part, i enjoyed the novel. it was incredibly addicting, i was extremely entertained for about 70% of the time, and Katarina’s growth at the end was nice to read. and im about to go off about the book but please know, i did think the writing was really good, i just don’t think this kind of toxic, wild drama is for me.

now…. for the spoilers. pls don’t continue reading if you don’t want spoilers i am slightly annoyed and have to voice it here. and i know this is going to have hot takes/unpopular opinions.

i very much disliked Heath. i actually think the only characters i enjoyed were Katarina and Garrett. to be fair, i understand this book was about trauma and toxicity, and i do not believe in characters needing to be perfect BUT, i could not. this story would have had me in a chock hold if we had Heaths POV at LEAST a few times throughout. i never understood his motivations (other than being obsessed with Katarina? even when he said he had to do things for him and not her, it was still for her lol), and knew little to nothing about him. Katarina had her faults, don’t get me wrong, but that man wronged her in so many ways and it was all just brushed over.

honestly, so many serious things happened to these characters and every single time it was brushed over like, “three years later we went on a walk together and decided to skate again” ?? wish i could be that unbothered.

like, Heath leaving to train with the Russians to get better at skating for Katarina. i felt bad for what he experienced but also….my guy could’ve tried to just talk to Katarina. ya know, the only family, friend, and love he knew. instead of running off to the evil dance teacher he didn’t even trust. he literally just disappeared for years without a trace and pops back up like Katarina is the problem.

and let me discuss the cheating. i guess it technically wasn’t but….gf took one rude comment from Katarina and not even 20 mins later was in Heaths bed. like how much convincing did that take? also they were sharing the room and they didn’t expect her to come back to bed lmao. following this scandal, they never reached out in 3 years (again) to apologize BUT, Katarina comes back for a funeral and all of a sudden they’re sorry for cheating and blaming her for leaving them to be lonely and only having each other to sleep with out of everyone in la. now Heath is admitting his undying love for her, and that his whole life has been dedicated to pleasing her even though BELLA IS PREGNANT WITH HIS CHILD? oh, oh, and wait for it. Katarina and him work it out on the remix and are back together in the end.

i could have understood one or the other. for instance, if Heath and Bella “revenge cheated” then never slept together again and him and Katarina worked it out later. or, if the cheating never happened and Katarina and him broke up, then she came back to find out their were “friends with benefits” from being lonely, and they worked it out from there. but both? how desperate are they? Bella and Heath essentially didn’t exist in the same universe to me this whole book so it was just weird and didn’t make sense. again, i needed more POVs to understand their motivations. bc wyd Katarina is back im town, Bella essentially throws Heath at her bc she doesn’t gaf and just wanted physical intimacy, but they’re still hooking up behind the scenes and Heath is also making googly eyes at Katarina?

overall, i didn’t believe Heath and Katarina’s love. Heath just needs a person and Katarina matched his unhinged energy. then Bella did too. i guess they all belong together fr. they should all just continue their throuple as good friends lol

lastly, the last 30% of them being sabotaged by the Russian ice dancers was a snooze fest and didn’t feel like a part of the rest of the book? ended abruptly, but also not quick enough. im so sorry.

This book has already been getting a lot of buzz, and I get it! The story follows Kat and Heath from childhood through adulthood as they pursue their ambitions in ice dancing. Along the way, it’s drama, drama, and more drama. The chapters are short and mostly end on cliff hangers to keep you turning the pages fast. It’s 450 pages but doesn’t feel long at all. In fact, it’s the book I would expect if Taylor Jenkins Reid decided to write about ice dancing. I have heard that it’s a Wuthering Heights retelling, so I suspect if you were familiar with the source material you would have a richer reading experience than I did. Without it, this read to me like complete brain candy and I did find myself rolling my eyes at times at the twists and turns. That said, I’d definitely recommend it if you’re in the mood for something light and fast! I picked it up at the right time and had fun with it, despite its flaws. I’ve heard that audio is the way to go for this one, so if that’s an option for you, I’d try to consume it that way.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the free copy in exchange for my honest review.

My stomach was in absolute KNOTS during the entirety of this book. My anxiety was HIGH, but it was stunning and SO compelling. I was really invested in each character's development and personal journey. The twists and turns had me REELING. Some of the twists I could not get behind (but they were genius plot choices). This book was so well written. It was honestly SO freaking good

Imagine DAISY JONES AND THE SIX but set in the world of competitive figure skating with the mess, emotions and drama of MAGNOLIA PARKS. Throw in a little inspiration from WUTHERING HEIGHTS and a dash of I, TONYA and you’ve got THE FAVORITES.

THE FAVORITES was genuinely such a roller coaster of a read. This book is so juicy, scandalous, and dramatic that you’ll find yourself absolutely consumed in this world and characters and be itching to finish it all in one sitting.

Layne Fargo’s writing reminded me a lot of Taylor Jenkins Reid, especially since this was written similarly to DAISY JONES AND THE SIX.

I came for the mess, stayed for the mess, and got obsessed with the mess. All the characters were electric, passionate, and intense, that it made for such a complex and enthralling story. You’ll truly become obsessed with this story and the toxicity of it all.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for a honest review.

AMAZING. WHAT A STORY.
Layne Fargo goes somewhere between NONE OF THIS IS TRUE and DAISY JONES AND THE SIX. Reminiscent of the 2018 Winter Olympics and Tessa and Scott, THE FAVORITES will forever be on my favorites list.
I loved how Kat was so fearless in her pursuit of being the best, and I related to being called a bitch, ruthless, etc. to achieve her goals. I loved how Heath and Kats love was so deep - it was almost fated. It was messy, drama filled, and beautiful. I will likely be rereading it once a year.

Magnolia parks meets Daisy Jones! Addictive and super fun to read. Literally couldn’t put it down. A new fav for sure!One slight character flaw at the end I wasn’t the biggest fan of but I still loved the way it wrapped up in the end.

The Favorites by Layne Fargo ✨⛸️🌹
5 jaw-dropping ⭐️

No literally, there were multiple chapters where my jaw couldn’t have been more on the floor.

📖 short chapters
💘 most romantic, toxic love
⛸️ edge-of-your-seat moments
🌹 INSANE drama / deceit / revenge
🥇 stop-at-nothing p a s s i o n

For me PERSONALLY, this was everything I wanted from Magnolia Parks, but 100,000,000,000x better. Where MP was painfully messy, this was organized + diabolical.

The characters were flawed & messy, yet Fargo has a way of making you root for them anyways. It felt real & raw & perfect. The human emotion. The dedication to a craft + sport. It was all written so tragically beautiful.

I enjoyed The Favorite overall—Layne Fargo knows how to write a story that pulls you in. The mix of ambition, rivalry, and a bit of darkness made for an intriguing read, and I was hooked on the twists as they came.

That said, some parts of the book felt like they dragged on a bit too long. I think it could’ve been trimmed down to keep the story moving and maintain the tension. There were moments where I found myself wanting to skip ahead just to get back to the exciting parts.

I also wanted more from the romance. It was there, but it didn’t hit as hard as I’d hoped, and I was left wanting a stronger connection between the characters. And the ending? It was fine, but it felt rushed and didn’t give me the satisfying wrap-up I was hoping for.