I am always a little skeptical with figure skating being the main content of novels and media in general. Besides reading, it's the other facet of my life that I hold the same amount of passion for. I am heavily involved with officiating the sport and hold ice dance true and dear to my heart. So I have a lot of skin in this game.

This was very well researched, and none of the skating lingo were weird, or faltered where I usually shake my head at things. So kudos to Layne Fargo for pulling it off. Also kudos for including Johnny Weir in the audiobook production.

This was exciting, and it was tense. (Like most free dance events anyways, minus the deliberate sabotage I hope).

My only concern is that this is sort of being marketed as a romance, and though it has romantic elements, I can't say that we're in romance territory. It is a wonderful suspensful thriller with some romance sprinkled in.

The interview/documentary style of writing was intriguing and the voices used were excellent and kept the novel at a good clip. The pace never lagged, and all in all, it was a very eventful time.

Thank you to PRH and Netgalley for an e-copy.

The Favorites, out today(!), is one of the most inspired classic novel retellings since Clueless.

If you haven’t already, you’re about to see The Favorites everywhere, including on many best of 2025 lists, I’d wager. Layne Fargo’s new novel is a deliciously soapy love story and an addictive sports drama (“set in the sparkling, savage sphere of elite figure skating”), BUT/AND it’s also a near perfect, nuanced retelling of Wuthering Heights, and for that I am grateful!! I read it front to back on a flight home after the holidays and could genuinely not swipe the kindle pages fast enough.

I guarantee you’ll have so much fun reading this book whether or not you’ve read Wuthering Heights, but I did find myself smiling in response to each subtle connection to the source material, so if you are at all inclined to read it (perhaps before Emerald Fennell’s film adaptation next year), I say place that libby hold, girl. I’m planning a re-read soon.

I’m hearing the audiobook is also fantastic (full cast!), so you can’t go wrong in how you choose to read it. If you do go with the audiobook and use libro.fm, Book Alley in Pasadena is a great bookstore to consider supporting right now (the owner, Tom Roger’s home was destroyed by the wildfire in Altadena 💔).

Special thank you to @atrandomhouse and @netgalley for the e-ARC!

where do i begin with kat + heath? this book exceeded every expectation i had from the moment i heard about it. it had all the makings of the ✨danielle perfect book✨ with childhood friends to lovers, second chance romance, ice dancing, Olympic dreams, drama, interviews/documentary style, multiple pov.

think daisy jones and the six meets ice princess but in carrie soto form with the toxic scandalous magnolia parks romance that you’re rooting for but also questioning your sanity doing so (IN THE BEST WAY). this book had me in tears, screaming, wanting throw my book, but also never wanting to put it down. i havent stopped thinking about it.

once again, i become so immersed in a story that i cannot fathom how this is fiction + these characters dont exist irl. send help because i do fear i found a top read of 2025 in the second book of the year. i beg someone to make this a tv show or movie.

read this book. get the full cast audio. just do it. it's fast + addicting. out today!!

thank you to @netgalley + random house for the arc. excuse me while i go listen to the audio version bye.

I can't lie this took me a bit to get into but once I did, I was hooked. At one point I even gasped as my jaw dropped because it had so much great shocking drama. I stayed up way too late trying to finish this book.
To say this was just a sports romance would be a huge understatement. The angst, the drama, the love story 🙌🏼. This played out so well with the flashbacks and the commentary that you would have thought you were really watching a documentary.
In the end this turned out to be chef's kiss. The character development was stellar, the plot was an A+, and overall it just had a great original storyline that I felt like I haven't read before.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Random House for this read. I have never read a book like this. I know there are so many famous ones out there with this style but this was my first and I enjoyed it. It created a lot of suspense and right from the start the author made you want to read it. I think people that enjoy sports and figure skating will really like this.

🎁📚𝓐𝓡𝓒 𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀📚🎁
5/5 🏅

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐝𝐠𝐞 is one of my all-time favorite movies (the original with Moira Kelly and DB Sweeney, course), so I couldn’t resist this story about an ice dancing pair and their ambitious quest for Olympic gold. But this book was not at all what I’d expected - it twisted and turned more than an ice dancing short program and I was constantly surprised by which direction it went.

This is a romance with a dash of a thriller vibe, about two scrappy kids with rough home lives, Kat and Heath, who form a deep connection as children and chase their dreams to win Olympic gold in ice dancing. This book has it all - a passionate and tumultuous will they/won’t they love story, competition, betrayal, jealousy, revenge, friendship and scandal, plus a stable of intriguing characters.

It’s told in two formats - one from the POV of Kat herself and also in script form - a documentary being done years after the pair’s heyday featuring those who were in their inner-circle during their decades -long careers, recalling what went on. And trust me, SO much went on.

Fargo immerses the reader deeply in the world of competitive ice dancing - I even researched to see if she’s a former skater, but it doesn’t seem that she is. I appreciated the details she was able to incorporate, and loved the focus on music so much that I kept thinking “I need the playlist to this book!!” Turns out … Fargo created on one Spotify - brilliant! 👏

I’m hearing that the audio book is phenomenal with different actors for each different role. The fabulous Johnny Weir plays one part (perfect casting!!) so I don’t think I can pass on the audio and will
also give it a listen at some point - the true test of a 5🌟 read for me!

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬 is an intense, intriguing, powerful and well-crafted story - you must add it to your 2025 TBR list!

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse for the advanced copy readers copy!

Pub Date : 1/14/25

#bibliophile #stephsalwaysreading #bookreviews #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #tbrlist #whatshouldireadnext #5🌟reads #thefavorites#laynefargo

All the stars!!

“The thing is, when pushing your limits is all you know, when it seems normal to you...it's hard to remember you even have limits. Until you run right into them.”

It's been such a long time since a book has consumed like this, I actually was speechless because I was so obsessed with this story and how the events were taking place, the way the story was crafted and executed was so well done, and there were so many twists that would leave you gasping till the very end like I was practically begging for happiness and peace but ahahahahah I hate you Layne. This book reminded me of that one TJR book that I have read (Malibu Rising) and the way of writing resembled that so much like I was getting the same vibes but this was so much better?? It was honestly so good and I think what amplified my reading experience was that before picking this up I watched the movie (I, Tonya) and when I saw this book being along the same genre I was so excited to read it!! The pretty cover was also a plus point.

This was my first book by Layne Fargo and it was soo good that I had to put her immediately on my auto-buyers shelves!! This was so scandalous and toxic but also so beautiful and addicting. Honestly this book like a drug because I had to read this arc on my phone since Netgalley on my Ipad wasn't working and I hate reading on my phone but this was so hard to put down that I would just sit and read for hours. Layne managed to capture the beauty and dangers of the sport so beautifully, the competitiveness was also so well written and ufff the way my heart would be full on racing like I was at the edge of my seat for some scenes because they got so intense and the drama, it was SO DAMN GOOD!! . The interviews that were moving alongside the story was such an interesting way to keep the readers hooked because it created this sense of mystery where you would just want to know more and the main characters were not in the interview so you had no idea where this story would go or what would happen and I loved that feeling so much!!

Happiness couldn't be won. It couldn't be hung around our necks while a crowd of thousands cheered. It wasn't a prize, something we had to suffer and toil to earn. If we wanted happiness, we had to create it ourselves. Not in one shining moment on a medal stand, but every single day, over and over again.

Katarina, her character was so intense and passionate and I loved her development throughout the book but the way she was literally giving everything for the sport while the sport gave her nothing back ugh I hated it but I loved how she was determined to move forward, she lost so much but she always managed to move forward and it was so strong to read her determination and her intensity when it came to Ice skating and the sequences that she delivered were amazing and honestly I loved how so many people looked up to her and how when she got angry and stormed off from an interview and how the interviewer looked up to her from that events onwards lmaoo and I also loved the way she didn't give a shit about what people had to say about her, she had one job to deliver and she aced that.

“I thought our story was epic, you know. You and me. Spanning years and continents. Lives ruined and blood shed. Epic.”

Heath, was such a complex character to read about but I loved his character, it was kind of a mix there were moments when I was frustrated by him but he just made this book so much better because his presence to the story was so important and like I just loved reading about his whole storyline with Katarina, all the problems that they had. He himself was such a mysterious character because while we knew about Katarina's past and read about it his was very mysterious and I liked how it unraveled and we finally got answers, it was very satisfying to read. Bella, Idc what you guys say but this friendship was so fun to read, it had so many ups and downs and the competition between them at times would be so intense but friendly. Yes, there were moments when I was so angry at her but I don't know I just like how these two couldn't be separated and went back to each other until everything worked out. Garrett Lin Cute patootie. Ellis Dean, this fucking bitch with camera, I hated him and the slap was soooo satisfying but I kinda was okay with him near the end. Sheila Lin she was soooo intimidating lmaoo. She kinda gave me Shalom Harlow vibes for some reason lol but the cast of characters were absolutely stunning.

People didn't want Heath and me to be "subtle" or "refined." They wanted a grand, epic love story. They wanted raw rip-your-clothes-off passion. They didn't simply want us to be lovers they wanted us to be so in love, we'd burn the whole world down to be together.

The romance was *chefs kiss* it was messy and so out of control at times but I loved the chemistry between them, I just loved how everything between them felt so natural and I like the trust they held had but the thing that I loved the most was how inseparable these two were like these to quite literally went through hell, they faced sooooo many problems but came back to each other! Their chemistry literally could be seen on the ice as well the sequences that they pulled were so hot and honestly they were such a good pair that I just loved reading about them. I grew to be so close and attached to them that whenever something bad was happening to them I felt it!! it was THAT good.

"We used to joke they were going to die in each other's arms or kill each other with their bare hands. Nothing in between."

The plot and the setting, I feel like the writing was off the charts, it created this atmosphere, this world where we literally feel like sitting in the audience watching them, she just created it so good that I just dont how to explain it but I felt it like theres this inexplainable feeling but ugh it was so good. The whole championships that took place but the I loved how the timeline changed and with it how the characters changed and how we saw them develop leading to so many good scenes, some of the scenes were just straight up amazing like so well written. The insane competition was showcased so well, the ending sequence made me soooo mad like AHH I didn't see it coming and the epilogue was so needed it was so NEEDED like I loved it and the plot twists....dont even get me started on them because my mind was blown, jaw was on the floor, thoughts were scattered.

"It isn't a competition." I reached for her hand, "There are lots of different kinds of love."
Love like a steady, warming campfire that keeps you alive in the cold. Love like a raging blaze that burns down everything in its path until nothing but ash remains.

Overall, you guys need to read this book!! GO READ IT!

Obsession is the overarching theme of this dramatic, gripping story that reads like a tell-all documentary. The Favorites follows the careers of Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha as they rise from Midwestern kids with a hard life to elite level ice dancing. Kat is obsessed with becoming like her childhood idol & two-time Olympic gold ice dancer Sheila Lin. Heath is obsessed with Kat. And eventually the world becomes obsessed with this iconic ice dancing duo. The Favorites is tells the story of female ambition & how driven women are perceived. It offers a fictional glimpse behind the curtain of elite athletics & Olympic politics. If you are looking for a propulsive, compelling, and complex love story with flawed characters, this is the book for you. The Favorites is an unputdownable glimpse into just how far people will go to achieve their dreams.

I loved this book!! I read this in two days because I just needed to know what happened. Kat and Heath’s relationship was so tumultuous but compelling. This reminded me of a Taylor Jenkins Reid book in the best way.

Happy Pub Day 🥳

Ok so this book is incredible!!!! You know when you're reading & forget that you are ?? This happened several times while I was immersed in this story.
This is a book .. a story ... I didn't know I needed to read. Sooo so good !!!

Going in I was immediately hooked & tbh did not think I would like a book about ice dance AT ALL but I was completely wrong. I absolutely loved it !!!
If I wasn't dealing with a concussion I could have devoured this book way faster , it sucks you in !
This is the second book I've read by this author & I absolutely loved them both . ❤️❤️❤️❤️

#TheFavorites #NetGalley #Arc ⛸️❄️🇺🇸

I could not put this down. I don't think I have EVER been as invested in two fictional people in my life. I'm a big fan of figure skating and the Olympics and so when this book was first pitched to me as Carrie Soto is Back in the world of ice dancing, I could not have BEEN more ready. I'm so glad I requested this arc because I absolutely devoured it. I felt every single pain that Katerina Shaw felt and by the end I was sweating. I love a documentary style book (Daisy Jones anyone?) and it fits ice dancing so well. That world is so small and interesting there isn't a shortage of drama that can unfold. This is the story of Katerina and Heath and their interdependent relationship as it goes through more trauma and tension then I could even handle. I was so invested in them at one point I forgot they were fake people.

Katerina is complicated and you do get her thoughts as well as those of the people around her as we are told, documentary style, about all the things that led up to what happened at the Sochi Olympics. Every chapter ends on a cliffhanger that makes you keep going. I finished the book hours ago and am still reeling.

I really can't say enough good things about this. If you love figure skating, if you like mockumentaries or just juicy drama then definitely pick this up. I need this to become a limited series immediately.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Have you ever wondered about ice skating partners and dreamed they were actually together? What! A! Ride! - this book is a standout of my year so far. With a compelling story, character development, love, angst, turmoil. This book has a little bit of everything. Highly recommend to anyone liking romance or general fiction. 5/5. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this (well deserved!) buzzy book!

Over/under on how quickly it gets picked up for a movie?

The Favorites by Layne Fargo is one of the buzziest, most talked about books on bookstagram right now. It has Reese Witherspoon written all over it. Inspired by the classic Wuthering Heights, it has been described as Daisy Jones & the Six meets Carrie Soto is Back. It combines an epic love story with a behind the scenes look at competitive figure skating. The FMC, Katarina, is an unapologetic fierce competitor, known as much for her skating as her drama filled life. The story follows her all consuming goal of becoming an Olympic champion with her childhood best friend, and often toxic love, Heath. Don’t miss this entertaining, fast paced, soon to be bestseller! 4/5⭐️ Available today 1/14/25

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

THE FAVORITES by Layne Fargo truly embodies all of my favorite elements in a read. It was an absolutely captivating read that drew me in and kept me on my toes from the very beginning. It was so hard to put this book down

From the writing, to the plot and then to the characters as well as their dynamics everything about this book was phenomenal.

This story follows two competitive ice dance skaters Katarina and Heath Rocha from their childhood as well as throughout their journey to the Olympics. A journey filled with drama, scandal, romance, betrayal, and ruthlessness that came with competitive ice skating.
I loved the uniqueness of this story being told in a documentary-style transcript interview with people who were a part of the ice skating/Olympics world as well as being m through Katarina’s own perspective of the events themselves.

The interview insights and opinions of various individuals allows you to follow every twist and turn in Shaw and Rocha’s careers. Each one had my heart racing, and I felt I was experiencing their physical and emotional overdrive.

Honestly the way that it was written will literally leave you completely undone leaving you obsessed with the world of ice skating and its politics.

The character development was done beautifully. The characters are so complexed and felt so real and human. It was intriguing to see the inside view of Katarina and Heath's toxic, obsessive, codependent relationship.

Katarina and Heath's ambitious, passion, tension, talent, and detrimental personalities truly had me completely obsessed with this book.

Definitely a must read of 2025!! Thank you so much Netgalley for this e-ARC. I will never forget this book. It is absorbed into my brain chemistry.

My new “Favourite” obsession!

Thanks Random House Publishing Group - Random House for ARC!

Synopsis -

Katarina Shaw has always dreamt of being an Olympic Ice figure skater. Her childhood sweetheart, Heath Rocha is her perfect companion and together they make the most sensational duo in the world of ice skating. With a documentary surfacing about their sporting journey on the 10th anniversary of their final skate, Kat is finally ready to tell the world their story - right from the “nobody” pair from rural Illinois, skating in their backyard on the frozen lake to the world’s most popular skating icons and olympic champions.

Review -

Oh my goodness! First of all, I want to congratulate the author on this scintillating novel shadowing the themes of #DaisyJones, #EvelynHugo and #CarrieSoto. It’s clear that she is inspired by TJR, but has also created a unique style of her own backed by research and passion for this sport - building an aura around her characters and imbibing all the crucial elements that make them what they are.

The audiobook was simply fantastic! With a multicast of narrators, it played out like a movie - especially the documentary/interview sections, which amped up the intrigue, despite their futuristic tendency.

For someone who didn’t know a single thing about ice figure skating, I became completely mesmerised and invested in Kat and Heath’s story, falling down the YouTube rabbit hole to watch the sport in all its glory.

Right from their childhood, there’s an unimaginable chemistry between the two and as they grow into adults, entering this competitive, ruthless world, we see their intensity only increasing manifolds, the drama around them exploding and the scandals gathering magnitude with every tournament.

I admired Kat for her fervour, zeal and the determination she exhibited every single time - to be the best and aim for nothing less than gold. At the same time, Heath melted my heart with his sweet, tender love for Kat - such a gorgeous, adorable man and a great human being at his core.

It’s their connection that makes this novel smoking hot, sizzling with fireworks, burning with heat, oozing desire and crackling with unbearable tension - despite being set on ice mostly.

With numerous controversies, rambunctious rumours, juicy gossip and dramatic events that engulf this vivacious duo, as they dance around the thin line of love and hate - #TheFavorites is an unprecedented love story told in a captivating manner that will make you hate it at times, but yet come to love it to bits in the end.

Get ready to be obsessed, cheer and swoon for this sensational duo!

There was so much to love about this book! I loved Kat and Heath, loved how ambitious Kat was. I love the world of ice dancing, which I knew little about going in to this book. And I loved the Wuthering Heights inspo—would be an excellent pairing with the original!
What I didn’t love was that a lot of the emotional growth happened off page, so I didn’t feel aligned with what Kat was feeling. A total personal preference—I wanted this book to be more emotional than it was.

The favorites is a much hyped book to kick off 2025 so I was excited to receive an arc.

The favorites is a loose retelling of wuthering heights set in the world of competitive ice dancing. Kat and heath are two orphans who show a propensity and a talent toward competitive ice dancing. Instantly drawn together by their dark passion, Kat and Heath are determined to do whatever it takes on their rise to the Olympics and they have many hurdles to overcome, including their frienemies the lins. A documentary about Kat and heath is used to frame the story and the short chapters alternate between the documentary interviews and Kats first person narration of the events.

I give credit here for creativity and the first half of the book is more captivating than the second half, where it goes slightly off the rails with some twists. It is fast paced though and reads like a soap opera so many fans will devour this quickly.

Thanks to the publisher for providing this arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review will be posted on 1/16/25

Kat Shaw has been dreaming of one thing since she was a little girl watching skater Sheila Lin compete at the Olympics. Kat wants to win a gold medal in ice dance; she wants to be the best. As a child, she is paired on the ice with Heath Rocha, a child in foster care, who shows promise. Kat's backstory is a bit depressing as well since her mother died when she was a child and all she has is her dad and her abusive brother. Kat and Heath find friendship (which turns into even more) as they get older and rely on the consistency of their sport to get them through life. When at a competition in Cleveland, they compete against Sheila Lin's twins, Garrett and Bella. Even though they didn't place well, Sheila reached out to them to come train at her facility in California. Of course, Kat jumps on this opportunity to get out of her town and away from her abusive brother, as the situation has gotten much worse since her father's untimely death. So, Kat and Heath live and train in California and it opens their world up even more. Kat, who is ruthless, competitive, and wants to win at all costs, starts to recognize that her partnership with Heath, even though she loves him, isn't going to get her a gold medal. So, as the story progresses, Kat's breakups, time apart from Heath, her training, and her competitions all get messy as Heath will always have her heart. If you love a good sports romance, Layne Fargo delivers a juicy one in The Favorites.

I adored the setting of The Favorites. There was a time when I was very interested in the drama of figure skating (I'm looking at you Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan!) and The Favorites really captured all of that and more. Fargo does an excellent job developing the love story between Kat and Heath, but also the competitive world of elite figure skating. I really enjoyed following Kat's climb to the Olympics and all the drama that ensued. I also really appreciated how Fargo included excerpts from the documentary on Kat and Heath. This was done very well and only added to the suspense and mystery of what exactly happened to them.

I will say at times it was a bit melodramatic for me, much in the way that Colleen Hoover's novels are. Lots of melodrama, lots of toxic behavior, and soap opera antics; however, this didn't deter me from enjoying the novel overall. After the fact, I learned that The Favorites follows some of Wuthering Heights themes and now that makes sense even more in retrospect.

Even though I had some issues with the tumultuous and sometimes toxic romances featured in The Favorites, I had such a great time reading it. It's one of my favorite sports romances I've read (maybe ever!) and it shouldn't be missed this winter if you are looking for something fresh and fun. Have you read The Favorites? Is it on your TBR list? Let me know in the comments below.

3.75 ⭐️

wowwww i know everyone keeps comparing it to daisy jones (which, yes!) but i am also getting major magnolia parks in a way???? do with that what you will???? this is one of those books that makes you feel EVERY emotion and, without getting spoilery, it feels very reminiscent of carrie soto. so apparently what i’m saying is that if you like taylor jenkins reid, thai book will be right up your alley! 😭

I looooved the drama and I would give my left kidney to see this as a limited series on streaming!! I do wish there was less info-dumping in the documentary parts. We often skipped 3 [very important!] years at a time in just a page or two and I felt it made the relationships [romantic, training partnerships, friendships] very surface level because we never saw the relationships grow, we were just told about them [and then watched them burn lol]. I was so entertained though and am excited to see everyone's reaction to this!
I filmed a reading vlog featuring this book [among others] that will be uploaded in a few days. I will update when uploaded.