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.

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.