Katarina Shaw has always had one goal in mind: make it to the Olympics for ice dancing (a type of figure skating). She meets an unlikely partner in Heath Rocha, a foster care kid who admires her from the side of the ice until she invites him to join. They quickly become inseparable as they fall deeply in love on and off the ice. They are on the rise in the figure skating world, until calamity strikes at the Olympic Games, effectively ending their partnership. Things continue to spiral as they go from lovers to rivals.

Okay, this book was such a hit for me! It really reminded me of Daisy Jones and TJR’s writing style. There are interviews littered throughout with short, page-turning chapters. I loved Katarina and Heath’s climb to fame, and their conflicts with the Lin twins. The audiobook narration was on point, I loved listening to all of the different narrators. I couldn’t wait to see how this one ended. It was a bit long, but it was so cinematic. I could picture all of the performances and I loved Fargo’s writing.

Layne Fargo has done it again, delivering a story that had me hooked from start to finish! I never thought I’d be this invested in ice skating since the days of Tonya Harding, but this book completely changed that. The way Fargo captures the high stakes, the drama, and the raw emotion behind the scenes of such a competitive sport is nothing short of incredible.

While reading along, I opted for the audiobook, and let me tell you—the full-cast narration brought this story to life in the most vivid way. Each character felt distinct and dynamic, and the audio experience was like watching a juicy, behind-the-scenes VH1 documentary. The drama, the rivalries, and the cutthroat ambition practically leaped off the page (and out of my speakers).

It was so immersive that I found myself unable to stop. Every chapter made me eager for more, and the mix of tension, ambition, and personal stakes was perfect. This book isn’t just about ice skating—it’s about power, resilience, and the lengths people will go to chase their dreams. Fargo has a way of making even the most niche settings feel universally gripping, and I can’t recommend this one enough!

I started reading the e-galley of this and was completely turned off by the very adult relationship these 14, 15, 16 years olds had. I'm so glad someone told me to try the audio - because gosh it's a whole vibe. I want the made for TV mini-series ASAP.

This book has CLAWS and I was absolutely here for it. It leans heavily into the drama and deception, and elite ice dancing provides a perfect venue for the story. Kat is an incredible character, and her passion and refusal to play by arbitrary rules, especially those for women, had me cheering her on.

I have a feeling this one’s gonna be one of my favorite reads of 2025 — with the feeling of TJR’s Carrie Soto is Back, Shaw and Rocha gave me chills and I could visualize every scene that was in the book and feel all of the angst, frustration, and need involved.

SPEECHLESS!!! 10/10 BREAK MY HEART ALL OVER AGAIN!
ok i went into this thinking it was a full blown love story, so ima stop you before you become entangled in this clusterf of a story.
this is brutal and heartbreaking but so beautiful and raw.
its a story or determination, and love, and crawling out of the depths only to be pushed down and forced to get back up on those ice skates again and again.
while it does center around the relationship of kat and heath it also focuses on kats self driven focus and i loved that so much. she knew what she wanted and was going to strive for it.
i don't know how else to talk about this without getting emotional. this is REAL LIFE ok, so not everything is perfect and things are going to happen in this story that 100% happen irl.
layne fargo i can't wait to see what you come up with next.
thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this ARC
also must listen on audio!!!

What a WILD, dramatic, and shocking read!

To put it simply, I finished reading this book two days ago and I'm STILL thinking about it constantly. This was without a doubt a very addictive read. Every time I became comfortable with the story or thought I knew the direction it was heading, a new wrench was thrown into the mix. Surprise after surprise. Shock after shock.

I also really liked how different this book was. I had no idea what I was getting into picking this book up aside from knowing that it featured figure skating. I definitely didn't expect it to be the dramatic and suspenseful story that it ended up being.

If you like a highly dramatic read, this book is the one for you. Think of the most dramatic show you've ever seen and this book probably gives that show some competition. I think my mouth was ajar half the time I was reading because I couldn't believe everything that was happening.

From the writing to the storytelling, this novel really did remind me of a style similar to Taylor Jenkins Reid. I couldn't help but be reminded of both "Daisy Jones & The Six" and "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" while I was reading.

I think this will be a top read for many in 2025 due to the shock factor of this novel as well as the addictive and obsessive nature in how this story unfolds.

***Thank you to Random House for sending me an e-ARC of this novel to read and review.***

⛸️Book Review⛸️
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Thank you so much @prhaudio and @laynefargo . I finished this book last week have been in a book hangover since. This book absolutely engrossed me, the audio is spectacular and a full cast 👌🏻. Incredible drama and romance, the world of skating is just so cut throat. I can’t stop thinking about Katrina and Heath, I can’t recommend this enough. It’s masterfully told and just an all around fantastic listen, highly highly recommend the audio it’s a work of art 😭
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Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Summary- She might not have a famous name, funding, or her family’s support, but Katarina Shaw has always known that she was destined to become an Olympic skater. When she meets Heath Rocha, a lonely kid stuck in the foster care system, their instant connection makes them a formidable duo on the ice. Clinging to skating—and each other—to escape their turbulent lives, Kat and Heath go from childhood sweethearts to champion ice dancers, captivating the world with their scorching chemistry, rebellious style, and roller-coaster relationship.

Until a shocking incident at the Olympic Games brings their partnership to a sudden end.

As the ten-year anniversary of their final skate approaches, an unauthorized documentary reignites the public obsession with Shaw and Rocha, claiming to uncover the “real story” through interviews with their closest friends and fiercest rivals. Kat wants nothing to do with the documentary, but she can’t stand the thought of someone else defining her legacy. So, after a decade of silence, she’s telling her story: from the childhood tragedies that created her all-consuming bond with Heath to the clash of desires that tore them apart.
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QOTD- do you watch the Olympics ? If so what is your favorite sport? I personally love the gymnastics and ice skating 🥰
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Happy release day!! This was everythingggggg to me, literally giving me the Scott and Tessa ice dancing novel of my dreams. The angst! The tension!! The competition! The backstabbing!!!!! It was just so much fun. I loved Katarina in the best way, to be a competitor as a woman and have single minded focused on winning. I loved the development of the characters and their relationship development over time. I loved the conclusion. I especially loved the Dracula ice dance. The multimedia platform was also enjoyable, and added anticipation and different perspectives to the story. Shaw and Rocha forever! Loved it.

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

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

The Favorites by Layne Fargo is about Katarina and Heath who are childhood friends turned lovers turned ice dancing partners and their obsessive relationship with not only one another, but winning.

This book was PHENOMENAL.

Firstly, it’s set off in almost a docuseries type writing style? It flips between Katarina’s first person POV, and then paragraphs from side characters within the story. If you have read Daisy Jones and the Six and liked that writing style, then you’ll like this one too!

As for the story, oh my goodness gracious it had me on the edge of my seat immediately and then the entire way throughout. As a former female athlete, I am a sucker for a good story written about a powerful woman in sports, and that theme was absolutely nailed here. You’re strong and confident as a woman in sports? You’re a bitch. You’re empathetic and sensitive as a woman in sports? You’re soft and too emotional. I thought it was so well done.

The chemistry with Heath and Katarina was bleeding off the page! The side characters were incredible! The plot turns had me not able to turn the pages fast enough - I LOVED this one!!!!!

The Favorites ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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“Even as children, they were so intense. That was their greatest strength, and their greatest weakness. But they loved each other, and they loved skating. I think that’s what people will remember most: their love.”
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“Imagine being down so bad you’d master a whole Olympic sport to spend time with someone.”
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HAPPY RELEASE DAY to a book that put me in such a book hangover, I feel legit nausea when I think about it 🤣 that’s dramatic, but holy hell, this story puts you through the wringer and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to see the cover and not feel every emotion I had when I read it. It was like if Daisy Jones and Lukov had a baby- so if you’re a fan of either of those stories, this is worth picking up!
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Kat and Heath have been attached at the hip since childhood and through their devastating upbringings, they found solace in only two things: ice skating and each other. From the moment she put on skates, Kat has been determined and ruthless to fulfill her dream of one day becoming an Olympian and for every step, Heath has supported her as her partner. However, it’s never an easy road to the top and their journey to becoming world-famous ice dancers was filled with drama, love, ambition and betrayal.
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There were so many times I had to pick my jaw up off the floor and even more times where I wanted to chuck my kindle across the room. I ADORED the interview layout of this book and the dual timeline and the twists and turns definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. And I’m so eager to listen to the audio because I bet it’s fantastic. BUT there is something that happens later on in the book that is preventing me from giving this book 5 stars and every time I think about it, my blood boils. It took me a few days for my anger to settle down and my chest to stop hurting lol but even with that one plot line (no matter how much I freaking hate it) doesn’t negate the fact that this book is incredible and I have no doubt it’s going to be ALL over social media this year!

⛸️ dual timeline
⛸️ childhood friends to lovers
⛸️ second chance
⛸️ professional ice dancers
⛸️ so much angst

Figure skating has always been my favorite Winter Olympic sport, and I still remember watching the Nancy/Tonya scandal unfold when I was in high school, so I couldn't wait to read The Favorites. It's the story of Katerina and Heath, an ice dancing pair who fight their way from troubled childhoods via the ice skating rink, with huge dreams of Olympic gold and glory...and a lot of drama along the way. I had heard that it's written in a similar style to Daisy Jones and the Six, which I loved, and it's true that it has a little bit of a Daisy Jones feel to it. Each chapter has parts of a tell-all documentary about the duo's rise and fall, with little snippets from key players talking to the camera and helping the story to unfold. But it's mostly told by Kat herself, and I loved it.

As I mentioned, there is a lot of drama here - love, passion, betrayal, heartbreak, friendships, childhood trauma, ambition - it's all here and so much more. I wished I'd had the time to sit and read it straight through, because every chapter left me dying to read one more. I loved Kat and Heath, even when one or both of them was unlikable at times, and couldn't wait to see how their story played out. But I was also sad to see it end, and I will definitely be looking up other Layne Fargo books to add to my TBR.

And so here we are only 2 weeks in to a new year and I am already adding a book, aptly named The Favorites, to my Favorites shelf. Thank you to Random House & NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. 5 stars.

This book has become my Roman Empire. I cannot stop thinking about Kat and Heath and their crazy story. It felt SO REAL and I wish I could have seen their last performance together and it pains me that I cannot look it up on Youtube. This is easily the top contender for my favorite book of the year and I will be re-reading it at least two or three more times before the year ends!

“Even as children, they were so intense. That was their greatest strength, and their greatest weakness. But they loved each other, and they loved skating. I think that’s what people will remember most: their love.”

Happy Pub Day to my new Roman Empire!

It’s been over a week and I’m still thinking about THE FAVORITES, let alone Taylor Swift and Gary Lightbody’s “The Last Time” playing on repeat. I’ve seen this book floating around bookstagram and I agree with the hype. This novel about two ice dancers striving for Olympic gold is epic, dramatic, and unputdownable, while also showing the drive and competition in what it means to be the best and the sacrifices made to achieve it, including love.

Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha were once the most renowned ice dancers in the world. Despite the scandals and conflicts that surrounded them from their early years to their eventual success, it was an incident following the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics that became their downfall. Now, a decade later, a documentary series that is supposed to reveal the truth about the duo is released, but Kat Shaw has her own version of events she wants people to know that is far from what the headlines made her out to be.

I never realized how intense ice dancing could be until this book, let alone the passion that can be fueled from such close partnership. While it may be over-dramatized in Kat and Heath’s story, there is still a drama to the sport that is reflected both on and off the ice and Layne Fargo captures all those nuances and emotions put into it. By telling the story through oral commentary from various characters and via Kat’s first person narrative, we get a full picture of the events that unfold, making for big reveals and surprising turns of events within the short chapters. The main characters, based on their names, also made me think of Wuthering Heights. Though I haven’t read it, I think there are elements of it that can be found in THE FAVORITES.

What I connected to the most, that made this a compelling read, is Kat. She is fiercely driven to be the best like her idol, Sheila Lin, who plays a crucial role in her and Heath’s lives. It’s this ambition however that puts her in conflict with Heath’s undying love for her. Their relationship is complicated and messy, ignited by passion and ruined by betrayal. There is a part in the later half with Heath that infuriated me maybe more than it affected Kat. And yet, there will always be an unwavering kind of love between them that even I couldn’t let go. Kat is unconventional, but she becomes a champion in her own way that I found myself rooting for her until the bitter end.

I honestly haven’t read any other book since finishing THE FAVORITES because it still continues to take over my thoughts. I’m not sure if I will ever be over it any time soon, especially since I read it again the other night. I also heard the audiobook is just as good. This is definitely a book that can be devoured in a day despite its 400+ page length, making for a good winter read and if ever, an addictive series adaptation.

Thank you so much Random House and Netgalley for the eARC!


** Review can also be found on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/p/DE0UjfIyWFj/?igsh=c3BhczBtZXdzOGpm
and Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7078165563

Review: The Favorites - Layne Fargo ❄️⛸️
Pub Date: 01/14/25

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group for my electronic advanced reader’s copy!

I was loving my e-arc so much I had to pick this one as my January BOTM as well!

I don’t know about yall but I was seeing this book everywhere in January and was so exited to get my hands on it! I don’t know why but I thought it was a romance and maybe the cover would suggest that as well but it’s definitely not! It’s a contemporary fiction with a toxic relationship at its center. All about ambition, sabotage, and unpredictable love. This story follows Kat and Heath from childhood friends to becoming adult champion ice skaters. It is told in a Netflix documentary-style with interviews throughout the whole story and descriptions of video shots. Think Daisy Jones and Six meets The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I have to say this was very close to a five star read but ultimately I gave it 4 stars because there is not one single character you can like in this and because it feels at times like too much is told to us rather then shown. It’s all scandal and drammaaaaaa. It reads so fast and the chapters are so short! But man was it entertaining and shocking! So definitely recommend when you want something you can “press play” to in your mind, sit back and watch the drama unfold!

While the star-crossed love story at the center of this book is appealing enough, it has the added bonus of its exciting setting in the elite figure skating world. You don't have to like or even care about the sport to enjoy the book, but if you are a skating fan that will certainly add to your enjoyment. The book provides a fascinating insider-like view of the sometimes cutthroat world of high-level athletic competition without sacrificing either plot or character development

The characters are well-drawn, neither all good nor all bad but rather with interesting shades to their personalities. Their actions may not always be agreeable but make sense in terms of story. The plot is exciting, unpredictable, fast-paced, and emotion-stirring. It's a delightfully engaging book.

This book defines obsession. I am such a big fan of Layne Fargo so I was so excited to be able to read The Favorites. High drama, thrilling and scandalous. The Favorites will have you gasping. Hard to put down and this is THE book of 2025. You’ll be thinking of this book long after finishing reading it.

Let me start by saying that the hype is worth it. Everything you've already heard about this book is likely true. I was on the edge of my seat with every page. I inhaled this book, I needed to know what was going to happen next in every chapter. I don't think I've ever gasped so many times while reading a book. I will admit that I didn't love all of the turn of events as the story unfolded, and I never would agree with these things in real life, but it worked here for me and I ate it up! As many times as I wanted to root for each character, I also found myself mad at all of them (with the exception of Garrett).

the main idea: Kat & Heath are childhood best friends who grow up together while skating and falling in love. Kat's dream is to be an Olympic ice skating champion. Heath's dream is to make Kat happy. Their journey to the Olympics is long and destructive. They meet people along the way who help them improve, but also tear them down.

Read if you love:
-the dramatics of Magnolia Parks
-the interview writing style of Daisy Jones
-stories with betrayal and scandals
-first love, rivals, intense sports competitions

If you don't do the audiobook, I highly recommend listening to the Spotify playlist while listening, it really increased the overall experience.

After finishing this book, the only thing I want to do is pick it back up and start all over again. OBSESSED would be a fair word for it!

Kat and Heath have known each other since childhood and have had their eyes on the prize for years: Olympic gold in ice dancing. Using a documentary style format, Fargo shows us what exactly happened to this skating pair over the years.

I loved everything about this, from the messy relationships and gut wrenching emotions to the lust for victory and fierce competition. It is angsty, complex, insanely compelling, and fueled by ambition.

The format kept me constantly wanting more, wondering where our ice dancers would end up and whether they would finally clench that gold medal and call themselves the best in the world.

Thank you to Random House for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

“𝘈𝘯 𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘤 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘬𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘤𝘦”

Get ready friends! This book is going to be a huge hit! I read it last month with my book club and we unanimously loved it. It’s being compared to Daisy Jones and the Six - but on ice skates! In the acknowledgment section of the book the author mentions the influence Taylor Jenkins Reid has had on her writing and it’s definitely noticed here in the best ways possible.

Told through interviews and flashbacks, the story pulls you in immediately. Entering the world of ice dancing with no money or support, Kat and Heath literally claw their way to the top. Soapy drama, childhood sweethearts, rivals - this is as good as the real life drama of Tanya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan.