reminded me of a taylor jenkins reid novel which i have been heavily missing. good fleshed out characters, engrossing plot. i woke up early to finish this which is always a good sign.

WOW this book was such an experience.

Not only is the book amazing but the audiobook turns it into a whole new experience. Can not recommend this enough.

Thank you to Net Galley for the free book in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks @randomhouse and @netgalley for my early copy!!

Layne Fargo, you are a goddess 💅🏼 I started reading The Favorites on my kindle but after getting severe FOMO about the audio, I absolutely had to listen. Let me tell you, this was the best decision because the full cast, with narration by THE Johnny Weir, took this book to gold medal level 🥇 I loved every narrator and it brought the drama up ten notches.

Wuthering Heights is an all time favorite of mine and the spin Fargo put on it is epic and unforgettable. I’m a huge fan of Fargo’s thrillers and never doubted her creativity. She exceeded expectations with this ice dancing soap opera. I literally loved every second of this 13+ hour audiobook.

The number of texts I sent @bookdatewithkate about how bonkers the story was and then it accelerated more and more. I think my jaw was on the floor more often than not.

Seriously, do yourself a favor and get your hands on the audiobook! And get the audio from @librofm because they’re amazing and wonderful and I love them 🩵

If you loved Taylor Jenkins Reid's CARRIE SOTO IS BACK, Chris Cleave's GOLD, or Jenni L. Walsh's ACE, MARVEL, SPY, you'll devour Layne Fargo's THE FAVORITES, about a pair of ice dancers driven by passion—for the sport, for each other, and for the dream of Olympic gold. I loved the short sections between chapters that showed glimpses of the documentary about the pair: They added literal color commentary, suspense, and perspective to a story that kept me on edge, cheering for the stars even in moments when they weren't cheering for each other. I was already a Layne Fargo fan, but this solidifies her place as an auto-read author for me, and I can't wait to see what she writes next.

Read If You Like:
- Obsession
- Figure skating
- Sports Rivalries
- Story Behind the Splashy Media Headlines
- Mixed-Media/ Interview Format
- Going for Gold

The story of champion skating pair Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha is filled with obsession, heightened emotions, loyalty, betrayal, and everything in between… all stemming from Katarina’s need to make history and be the best. Her obsession to realize her goals knows no bounds. This story is made even more juicy and pulse pounding as it is told through a mix of firsthand accounts and media transcripts of the rise and fall of Kat and Heath,

Kat and Heath have been skating partners since childhood, as Heath’s desire to make Kat happy landed him as her skating partner. Kat and Health have troubled backgrounds coming from a small midwestern town, Heath being in the foster care system and after the death of her father Kat being left to her addict older brother to raise. Their storied background and relationship that is embedded in obsession- Kat’s with Ice Dancing and Heath’s with Kat making their bond—both on and off the ice—is as volatile as it is mesmerizing.

Decades after their final, disastrous performance, a new documentary seeks to unravel the truth behind their downfall and tells the story where line between love, ambition, and destruction is completely blurred.

The Gossip, the Tension, the Drama, truly made this story so bingeable and the multi-cast narration made you feel like you were watching the juiciest reality tv that you can’t stop watching! This story is dripping with scandal—the kind that makes you feel like you’re eavesdropping on something you shouldn’t.

The will-they-won’t-they tension between Katarina and Heath is excruciating in the best way, sizzling with resentment, devotion, and years of unresolved emotions. Every conversation crackles with subtext, every glance feels like it could start a war. As the documentary unfolds, buried secrets come to light, revealing just how much these two have to lose as the retelling of their story moves forward —and how much they’ve already lost along the way.

Katarina and Heath are impossible to look away from—both deeply flawed yet undeniably magnetic. For those who love messy, all-consuming relationships and the spectacle of competitive sports, The Favorites delivers a thrilling and absolutely bingeable ride!

Thank you so much PRH for my ALC and EARC!

While this was certainly a book that was easy to read and fly through, it wasn’t a favorite of mine. The characters were fleshed out and flawed and real, but I had trouble connecting to them and didn’t really care what happened either way. Something was lacking with their relationship as it failed to really move me.

The book had drama and messy characters and situations and wasn’t a bad book by any stretch, I just felt a little indifferent throughout. It left me wanting more. I am still looking forward to what Fargo writes next!

The Favorites. Well-written. Gripping subject. Tantalizing format.
Even with all those positives, I did not enjoy this book. I think it left me slightly depressed and wondering if I have some deep-seated trauma I’m unaware of. My distaste started from the dedication to Tonya. Finishing this was slow. I wanted to know what happened but found any excuse to not pick it back up. I would still recommend this book and understand many will enjoy it.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing this ARC.

OMG. I LOVED this book! I'm not a huge fan of Wuthering Heights, so I'm not a purist in that sense like some other reviews I've seen. I also read enough about this story to know that "romance" is used loosely.
I loved the ice dance aspect of this. I love that it is from "Cathy's" POV. I thought the aspects that the author borrowed from Wuthering Heights were very well translated into the modern story. Heath in this story is equally as cloying as the original Heathcliff (I'm team Darcy over Heathcliff in terms of brooding classic heroes). The author did a great job writing the anguish and the heartbreak and the joy and the anticipation. My heart was beating so fast throughout most of the book. I couldn't put it down. The time jumps didn't bother me - they actually gave me a bit of a reprieve from the drama and tension. LOL
I also really liked the documentary interjections. That style of writing is really working for me lately. This was not over done and the interviewees gave some interesting perspectives to showcase the difference between perception over reality, especially with celebrities.
My only real complaint (and why it didn't get 5 stars) was the last 1/3 of the book during their final season and the aftermath. I honestly thought, given all the hype throughout the book and the ending of the original Wuthering Heights, that the big scandalous incident would have been worse. I know relationships are messy, but it just seemed a bit too tied up in a nice bow given the inspiration source. Again, not a Bronte purist, but with all the build-up and tensions throughout, it sort of coasted through the ending instead of sticking with the big swings.

I'm not sure what it was about this book but it felt like it started slowly for me. Well actually, it started with a bang and then slowed down for a bit. But let me say that just when I was losing hope, it took off and just kept rolling. It definitely didn't progress the way I thought it would but then, I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting.

The story at its core is about two young people who met as children and started skating together. They weren't wealthy and didn't have the re4sources that many skaters have. What they did have was grit. And drive - - especially her - - Katarina Shaw. Her partner, Heath Rocha - - he had love for her - - that is why he skated. But she skated with a purpose and drug Heath along with her. Eventually her ambition puts a wedge between them. From there, their lives go in opposite directions for a while but eventually they will meet up again and when they do - -- well let's just say - - it's a bit crazy.

I highly recommend this book. It was a bit unlike anything else I've read. I requested it from NetGalley because it's a book about skaters and Olympic athletes - - both of which interest me. What I got was so much more. I have to say it was a stellar book.

Thank you to NetGalley for this early copy.

I loved this book! Olympics, meets Tonya Harding 2.0, I couldn't put it down. The style of writing and storytelling hooked me and had me thinking about this book long after I finished.

The Favorites has a wild amount of hype surrounding it so I was excited to pick it up. I listened to the audio and I'm so glad I did. It had a full cast, tons of special effects, and it truly felt like I was sitting down to binge a docuseries whenever I turned it on.

The hype is real folks. If you're into skating - and I say this with all seriousness - this book will definitely be for you. If you're not at all into figure skating, or ice dancing to be specific, then I strongly suggest you reconsider picking this book up. IT.IS.ALL.SKATING.

Sure, it's a love story and a story about "friendship" and winning and a coming of age. It has all of those things. But they are secondary to SKATING. It's skating, skating, more skating, some competitions, skating, and then some more skating.

And it's very long. It really is a tome. There were easily five points where I thought, "wow, that was great, I must be coming to the close" and had HOURS left. I don't say that as a bad thing, you just really and truly get SO MUCH SKATING from the ENTIRE life of your main character.

All that being said, I did thoroughly enjoy this book, I've already recommended it several times, and I'm convinced if it's the last thing I do that this WILL be the first audiobook my sister (who's a huge fan of skating!) will listen to!

Happy skating! I mean reading :)

This was so scandalous and toxic but also so beautiful and addicting. Honestly this book is like a drug because 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 oh my gosh 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, this book as just so good and the cover is beautiful.

It's been a minute since I read a book that I couldn't put down! This reminded me of Taylor Jenkins Reid (high praise in my book) and I found myself sneaking a few minutes of reading here and there, hooked to the very last page.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishing company for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Favorites by Layne Fargo!

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an early copy. All opinions are my own.

"The Favorites" is the first book I read by Layne Fargo, and it was certainly an experience. I read this book alongside the audiobook version, and I highly recommend the audiobook for a more immersive experience. The premise immediately hooked me, and I was thoroughly engaged in the storyline. While Katherine's character was explored in depth, Heath's character development felt lacking, and his motivations were not well-defined. Many of the other characters came off as caricatures. Although this is a love story, it was not the kind I was expecting based on the blurb. Overall, I was disappointed that this was not up to my expectations.

This book is INCREDIBLE!! Despite being over 400 pages, I FLEW through this in a day. I was completely invested in these characters that I had to know what happened. Fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid or figure skating in general will LOVE this book.

All Olympic ice-skating fans who can’t get enough of an unorthodox #lovestory, meets sports #documentary #podcast tinged with issues of class and Nancy Kerrington/Tanya Harding-esque #drama – this one is for you. I had seen rave #reviews of this one, and while I don’t think I fell head over heels in love with it to the extent that most people seem to have, I still LOVED this one and could not get enough of it, despite many of the characters not being my favorite. Bonus: I love a #book that is presented in a podcast/documentary style (think Daisy Jones & The Six).

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This one follows the skating career of legendary ice dance duo Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha, both from humble beginnings, who can barely scrap by and have no support from family and friends. When they find themselves able to be trained by icon and legend gold medalist Sheila Lin at her prestigious academy, their lives are forever changed, though they are marred by Katarina’s eventual obsession with winning above all else, and the couple’s undying love and loyalty for one another, off and on relationships, and inability to come together as a stable couple in the midst of their differing personalities, values, and priorities.

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Throughout their journey, the duo goes through various coaches, styles, partners, challenges, and – at times – utter sabotage, as they stake everything in their lives on winning a gold medal at the Olympics.

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I will admit, Katarina was not my favorite character, though my dislike of her actually furthered the book’s plot and really worked. I do not think it would have resonated quite as well in what it was trying to achieve had she been truly likable. Heath, on the other hand, I adored and felt for.

I must be an outlier but unfortunately I had to soft DNF this one. I will come back through it but I got 15 chapters in and just felt like a lot was going on but at the same time nothing was happening. If the story would've picked up a bit faster I probably could have stuck with it. However, I loved Fargo's writing and it was able to pull me into the story but again, it was just what was happening and not happening at the same time that made me drop this one.

Thank you NetGalley! I love this author and how her books are of different topics in this genre. I just couldn’t get into the storyline unfortunately

I loved this book! As an avid figure skater in my youth, having a story so focused on the trials and tribulations of skating, especially as a couple was well played. The storyline took me on a roller coaster between the main couple and even though it was tragic, felt very realistic.