As a huge Layne Fargo, I was desperate for this book! I am sickly obsessed with They Never Learn. I adored the collab for Young Rich Widows. Layne Fargo has the ability to grab emotions and twist them while you squirm. I read an article recently about how The Favorites was a departure from her thriller writing yet, it had a grip on me.

I believe in negatives first: I don't like love stories or codependence. I don't read a lot of authors due to that disinterest. So if it hadn't been for this being a book by Ms. Fargo, I'd never have read it. The codependence of Kat and Heath in the beginning was sickly sweet. I was tempted to skip forward.

At times the book seemed to go on forever. I kept waiting for some actual drama or scandal... But the plot just kept on going...

I expected more from Lee, his character was so basic, so "Midwestern". I expected more yet, it was pretty exacting.

Garrett Lin at times was a baseline character. However if he was "normal" it showed how over the top everyone else was. But he wasn't normal. And truthfully, you see how Famous Professional Athletes act, how different was Kat's attitude? Or is it purely sexism?

The missing 3 years - it was predictable where he went but not what happened.

The 3 is company plot was odd.
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Both Heath and Kat's codependence dissipates as they get closer to the Olympics. They start to become stubborn in their choices and realize that their passion isn't on par with their desire for Gold. As they gear up for The Last Time, I was utterly confused as to who the villain was. I will say I was shocked!

Positives:
I'm not sure why reviewers dislike Kat, she is tough as nails and stays completely in her lane. I found her impressive and professional at the height of Paparazzi.

Ultimately, while this is a departure from Layne Fargo's other books, it was really good. It did seem to go on forever though. I still am not interesting in ice skating or ice dancing, but I do find myself impressed by the dedication of the athletes.

Another reviewer said that Heath is the winner in the story. I'm inclined to half-agree. After Japan, Heath completely changed and he seemingly discovered that he was in control of his own destiny and he was an Adult. And he could be his own family. now that he had money. Heath got all the money, fame and family.

Ultimately, the winner (IMO) are the Lin Twins. They got to re-write their stories and move past their lineage and expectations. Bella got to lean into her passions and Garrett was able to let go and be himself.

This book is my favorite read of 2025 and it’s gonna take a lot to knock it out of first place. This book was so addictive and the messy in the best kind of way that I could not put it down and I recommended to everybody. There’s times where you love and hate all the characters and it’s done absolutely beautifully.

4.25/ This was so entertaining and so toxic. I was invested as this jumped from scandal to scandal and was rooting for Heath and Kat even though they're absolutely awful together. The ending was heartwarming.

ANGGGGGGGSTYYYYYY READDDDDD. If you want angsty, this book is the one for you! One of the best read this year and the way it had me hooked is insane

Two fiercely ambitious figure skaters, Kat Shaw and Heath Rocha, share an electrifying partnership on and off the ice, but their pursuit of Olympic gold is riddled with betrayal, scandal, and heartbreak. Told through a mix of gripping narration and a fictional documentary, this whirlwind tale of obsession, rivalry, and passion will keep readers on edge until the final, jaw-dropping twist. While the plot builds slowly, readers will be inexorably drawn in to the drama and intrigue of pairs skating. Perfect for anyone who loves reality TV, *Daisy Jones and the Six*, or intense romantic dramas.

this is for fans of "daisy jones and the six" and "magnolia parks"
not "or." "and"!!!
honestly, the Daisy Jones comparison mostly just covers the documentary-style chapter breaks and the long-spanning timeline of this book. I don't think this style was as effective in this book as it was in DJ—it felt like Layne Fargo forgot that these scripts were part of a documentary halfway through the book and they just became script-style conversations to move the plot along. I think if you actually acted out the scripts and filmed the b-roll she describes in these sections, it would make for a very bizarre documentary lol.
still, I didn't really mind the scripts. the "magnolia parks" comparison is where the stars fell off for me, as I tragically am a weak baby and I need my romance books (or books with romantic sub plots) to be absolutely drama and conflict-free. star-crossed toxic lovers make my tummy hurt
I was hoping that the tension in this book would more come from the (light light light—fyi) mystery element and the skating competition, not the interpersonal relationships. but that's just me!

AMAZING BOOK. The best read of 2025. I couldn’t put it down. The characters were amazing. The flow was amazing. The TS reference amazing.

First off thank you to NetGalley and Random House publishing for this ARC.

I love figure skating!! It’s my number one Winter Olympics event both singles and doubles. Even so I felt like I learned lots about the technical side. This book also hit on my love for true Hollywood stories, two pages in and I was hooked!!! Loved the format. So loving skating not necessarily required.

My one gripe is it could have been a bit shorter. But otherwise fantastic!!

4/5 ⭐️

Oh, this one was good! The obsession, the ambition, the messy relationships - it all felt so real. "The Favorites" is a whirlwind of passion and rivalry, following two figure skaters whose connection burns bright on and off the ice. The tension, the chemistry, and the emotional weight of their journey had me completely hooked.

The documentary/interview format was so compelling; it felt like I was uncovering a real-life scandal, flipping pages like I was watching history unfold. Katarina is flawed, fierce, and unforgettable (think "Carrie Soto Is Back" but with ice dancing and even more intensity).

That said, a couple of plot choices kept this from being a perfect five stars (no spoilers, but ugh). Still, if you love dramatic, emotionally charged sports stories, this is a must-read. And seriously, go watch Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir's performances: it's exactly the vibe of this book. 4.25/5 stars!

4.5 stars! Omg this book was so addicting. I was so obsessed and invested the entire time! I loved all of the drama and the ups and downs. It was just so good.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the arc!

This book is everywhere right now, and it is so deserving of the hype! I will die on the hill that every audio should be a full cast audio. This was an incredible production with an all-star cast of narrators including two time Olympian Johnny Weir!! Have I pitched this hard enough that audio is the way to go with this book?

I’ve been a Layne Fargo fan for a while - you have to go back and read They Never Learn which is a massive shift from this story and is a much darker serial killer story but also incredible!

This is similar to Daisy Jones and the Six in its interview style narration and this format works so well for me. However, this is far more like Carrie Soto and is very heavily a sports story set in the figure skating world. This story is juicy, gossipy, and full of scandal and drama. This is reminiscent of a Bravo show or daytime soap opera! However - this is not quite the romance story it’s being marketed as so temper expectations with this piece. The story is completely addicting and you are guaranteed to have a lot of fun with this book!

A wonderful start to thinking about the Winter Olympics in 2026, The Favorites is a tale that grabbed my attention from the beginning and didn’t let go until the very end.

The ice dancing pair, Katarina Shaw and Heather Rocha, grew up together and have a long history of skating, first for pleasure, but increasingly for competition. Katarina is very driven and wants nothing more than to be an Olympic champion. But the road is long and winding and there are plenty of other skaters who’d like to win too. Chief among them in their narrow world are Bella and Garrett Lin, the offspring of Katarina’s idol Sheila Lin. Sheila becomes their trainer and helps with financial sponsorship. It’s an expensive sport!

The trail to the Olympic Games isn’t straight and it’s by no means easy, but I learned so much about what these dedicated athletes have to do to excel! And so much Drama!!! Emotions and hormones are raging and everyone around is affected in some way.

There’s a satisfying conclusion, and the characters involved make this an excellent read!

4.5 stars rounded up!

I received a copy of the digital ARC via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

This was a really fun read! I liked the pacing and the setting in the ice dancing world. The characters were interesting and I liked the interviews interspersed that moved the plot along. Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC!

i thought i was going to love this book as much as everyone else, but i just felt so force to finish it.. i was excited but i was disappointed

If you haven’t already, you’ll be seeing The Favorites by Layne Fargo all over the place, and for good reason. I’ve heard people describe it as catnip and this couldn’t be more fitting; The Favorites drops you into the niche world of cutthroat ice dancing, following Kat and Heath through the ups and downs of growing up and balancing professional partnership with intense romance and rivalries. The style of story-telling keeps the pages turning, alternating between first person POV and transcripts of interviews (with a FULL CAST audiobook!). The drama and these characters have been living in my brain since I read it, and if you’re a Brit Lit nerd you’ll appreciate the not so subtle nods/retellings of Wuthering Heights. I am typically not a person who reads books for plot, but doing so was a nice reminder that sometimes it can be such a gift for a busy brain.

This book was INSANE! I can’t stop thinking about it! It is soooooo amazing it’s unbelievable! The plot, the romance, everything was sooo amazing and it ripped my heart out honestly!

3.5? 3.75? Ugh. I wanted to absolutely LOVE this, but it fell a little short for me.

I love figure skating and I especially love a messy, toxic, drama filled epic romance and this book promised just that; however, I felt like the “epic” romance was underwhelming. There wasn’t much that was likable in these characters so I had a hard time believing they or any other characters liked each other. I wanted more from Katarina and Heath’s backstory to show just how in love and obsessed they were with each other. We hear about the trauma a bit, but not like we should. I wanted to know more about the early days and waaaayyyyy more about the 3 years Heath was “missing”. I felt like it was barely given a paragraph at the end. Yet we get chapters on costumes and twizzles. I also CANNOT believe the forgiveness that happens in this book. No way.

I liked the way the story was told alternating between the documentary format and the first person account, but I felt like maybe I missed an explanation somewhere along the line of the first person being Kat finally telling her story?

I also loved that we don’t know what the “event” is that makes this story worth telling. At points I thought it was a murder, a death, someone was in prison, I was all over the place until it finally clicked into place toward the end. For all the lead up I felt like the twist ended up being predictable with too much foreshadowing.

All in all, I enjoyed this read and would recommend it to someone who likes figure skating and liked similarly written stories like Daisy Jones, Opal and Nev, etc.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC!

From the moment I heard about this book - in the fall of 2024, I found myself just absolutely being obsessed. The characters, the writing style, the ice dancing representation? I was hooked. Getting an approval for this arc led to me screaming & terrifying my husband - then having to explain that yes, the showcase of extreme emotion was once again because of a book! By this point however the hype was growing - the reviews started coming in and they were all positive and talking about how incredibly powerful this book was.

Once this book was released, I immediately bought the audiobook & had my BOTM copy as well. It's taken until now for me to finally read this book and I will be kicking myself for a long time for waiting... this book was phenomenal. Layne Fargo's writing, her research that she did into the sport, the way in which it was all presented was truly incredible. I wasn't just reading - I was absolutely enthralled and captured in the moment - I could see Kat on the ice, I could picture the costumes, hear the music, see the absolute drama and HEAT between Kat and Heath.

I HATED this book with an all out passion, but I also loved this book with my entire heart. The push/pull, the power plays, the manipulation, the DRAMA, the joy, the absolutely heart shattering moments... all incredible, all powerful, and all captivating. This was truly every single thing that it's been hyped to be and also so much more.

Thank you to Layne Fargo, NetGalley, and Random House Publishing for this e-arc.

The book of 2025. 10/10 no notes. I enjoyed it from the very beggining to the very last sentence. I almost felt like I was living vicariously through all characters that were presented. Will there be a second book?

Loved the Favorites! This is the first book I've read by Layne Fargo but won't be my last. I liked that the writing format was similar to Daisy Jones and the Six/Taylor Jenkins Reid. Would highly recommend especially to anyone who likes Sports Fiction. I've heard the Audiobook was great as well as the eBook which is how I read.