The drama was very well written.. there was a lot of ups and downs and the sort of behind the scenes/interviews were a great addition rather than just one POV
I think the FMC is supposed to be a little frustrating, but sometimes I wish it wasn't written so coldly
I didn't vibe with the beginning but the middle to end, all the drama and everything was definitely indulgent and easy to fall into and I thought the plot twists were super interesting
Was definitely a hit of the new year and I see why it's so hyped!

Well, this book has become my personality. I am OBSESSED. I did the audiobook for this one and adored the full cast of narrators - Johnny Weir was such a lovely addition. I had no idea this was a Wuthering Heights retelling until I was finished reading so if you love that one you will need to check this out. This will easily make my top books of the year list - I never wanted it to end!

I want to preface that this is not a bad book or badly written. It actually is so well written and thought out. With that being said, I hated it. I need to be able to latch onto one person I love and adore in a novel but I hated everyone which made me not care about the novel.

Also - we are built up this entire time focusing on Katarina’s goal of becoming a gold olympic winner just for the ending to fall so flat. I was just so angry.

the only interesting part of the novel was the sabotage at the end and the whodunnit. everything else was repetitive and annoying. i was over bella as being Kat’s best friend because they were not best friends they were actually people who hated each other. and heath was literally a flawed individual who couldn’t wait to make Kat angry because he knew she would come back. like i am so sorry i didn’t like this novel but like also, it is what it is. people will like this novel for what it is and for how it feels like a documentary about someone real (think Daisy Jones and the 6 or Honey) and this just didn’t cut out well for me even while loving Daisy Jones and tolerating Honey.

5 stars!!

The Favorites was an absolutely phenomenal book! There wasn’t a dull moment in this book, so often I would have to keep reading the next chapter and the next chapter after because I couldn’t put it down!

Told in both series of interview segments and the first person narrative of Katarina Shaw, this book is perfect for fans of Daisy Jones and The Six and I, Tonya. The story follows ice dancers Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha, inseparable since they were kids, as they navigate their way towards their goals: for Katarina, that’s being an Olympian. For Heath, it’s just being with Katarina. They are two people that somehow simultaneously do belong together and definitely don’t belong together.

This book was emotional, it was messy, it was page after page of drama, and it all came together incredibly well. I was a tiny bit worried the ending would fall flat but it truly didnt, the ending was actually what made me round up from a 4.5 to a solid 5 stars.

Thank you SO much to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group-Random House for an ARC of this book. I received this ARC for free and am leaving this review voluntarily!

Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you, NetGalley and publishers.

The Favorites is a pulse pounding roller coaster ride. It’s the story of two ice dancers intent on being Olympic gold medalists, no matter what happens or what it costs them. The twists keep coming and you’ll never guess the end.

All the stars! I loved this one so much!! If you liked Daisy Jones and Carrie Soto, this one is right up your alley. I love a multi-cast narration and love a great figure skating story as well. The Favorites had the vibe of a “Behind the Scenes” documentary. Christine Lakin’s main narration made it even better!
*Thanks to Random House and Netgalley for my 500th review!!

Sadly, this one wasn't for me. All I knew about this book is that it’s about the elite ice dancing world, it’s compared to TJR’s Carrie Soto Is Back and it had a bunch of glowing reviews from people I know and trust: sign me up! I really WANTED to love this one but just didn't.

First, I think it’s insulting to compare this to Carrie Soto (one of my all times faves) for any reason other than they’re both about elite athletes. There is nothing beyond that that I found even remotely similar. And sure, it’s in a similar interview style to Daisy Jones at times. But again, the books themselves are not similar.

Overall, I found the characters super annoying and, for what was supposed to be a juicy drama, it was immature and boring? There’s a total lack of character development (esp. Heath) so I never felt invested in the characters as athletes nor was I ever invested in their romance. I’ll also say, my #1 biggest pet peeve is when characters are obsessed with each other and Kat and Heath give Harriet and Wyn a run for their money (IYKYK). Okay and while I’m at it, I’m going to say something inflammatory that you can all disagree with me about and that’s well and fine, but I don’t get why ice dancing is a sport and I think it’s boring (gimme pairs skating any day). I said what I said!

I listened to 51% of this on audio because I had heard great things about the full cast narration. It was fun but felt like it was taking 10,000 years to get through (it’s decently long) so I decided to switch to physical, which was definitely the right move for me.

I’m bummed because I LOVED They Never Learn by the same author a few years ago, which is a thriller about a female serial killer who targets men who do bad things to women.

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.