When a novel pulls you into a sport you've never known, you know it's a gem! "The Favourites" is one of those hyped-up books that totally deserves the buzz. It dives into the intense relationship and skating careers of Katarina and Heath, two lonely souls who find solace in each other and figure skating. As their bond and elite skating skills grow, their passion for each other and dreams of a better future lead to dramatic rifts, again and again.

Inspired by "Wuthering Heights," Kat and Heath's relationship mirrors their namesakes, with class struggles, miscommunication, and fiery passion at its core. Kat's fierce determination to conquer the Elite Figure Skating world is the story's heartbeat, but Heath is always on her mind, and ours, keeping us on edge for the next twist in their tale.

The narrative shines with its modern, documentary-style format, blending interviews with those close to them and the main story. We get insider opinions, sideline gossip, and firsthand reactions, making the story feel alive. The audiobook is a standout, thanks to this engaging format.

Is it a tad bit long? Probably. But I was so into it I didn't mind.

Have you read any other books that have swept you off your feet like this? Or are you keen to explore more novels that dive into the world of sports?

This is one of those deeply addictive novels that you just can't stop reading. A modern day re-imagining of Wuthering Heights, set in the competitive and cut-throat world of professional ice dancing. It contains all the obsession, desire and destructive love of the original but with added ice skating. Is it a perfect book? No, not at all, there are a few plot lines that I have issues with, and not all the characters are as fleshed out as I would like, but is it worth a read? Yes, absolutely, if you have a free day and nothing pressing to get on with, then I would highly recommend picking it up.

Liked it . Due to health issues cannot not but will write a proper review at a later time
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This made the 15 year old obsessed with Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir in me so happy! A quick read filled with drama and ice skating, what more is there to ask for?
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC!

Kat has always wanted to be an Olympic ice skater but she doesn't come from the rich background that most figure skaters come from so she has to work twice as hard to get a coach and be noticed. Luckily she befriends Heath when they're both children and she teaches him to skate and be her partner.

One day she's noticed by her idol who owns a skating facility in LA and has offered to take Kat and Heath on and coach them, which Kat hopes will lead them to Olympic glory. She's prepared to do whatever she needs to do to win, even if that means leaving Heath behind because he's holding her back.

Heath is in love with Kat and will do whatever she asks him to do but he knows he'll always come second to skating with Kat.

The story is told almost as a documentary with interviews with people who skated with Kat, skating officials and other coaches, combined with Kat telling her own story. I don't know the Tonya Harding story in any detail but it felt like it was a fictional retelling of her story but with an epic love story woven in.

I enjoyed reading about a sport I know practically nothing about and the struggle of a figure skater was eye-opening. It sounds horrific to be honest and abuse is rife. Kat is strong-willed character and should be admired for that but she wasn't a particularly likeable character, neither was Heath really. I also didn't like the weird love triangle that was brought in at the end of the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Chatto & Windus for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Perfect if you enjoyed Daisy Jones and the Six.

Sometimes, the characters made me want to throw myself across the room (in a good way) because of how infuriating they could be. Of course, this meant I had to keep reading to see what they would end up doing.

Thank you Random House for sending an arc.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for giving me early access to this book all opinions are my own.

Wow this book was messy, and I loved every flipping minute of it! It gives Daisy jones and the six vibes but instead of a band, make them figure skaters and give them the relationship advice from magnolia parks.

We follow our main character called Katrina as she tries to reach her lifetime achievement of becoming Olympic champion of figure skating, but not only does it take hard work and determination there might be some jealousy along the way.

This was a crazy wild ride but so worth the hype and I can’t wait to see what Layne Fargo comes out with next. Solid 4.5

Daisy Jones meets Wuthering Heights meets Icebreaker… and I loved it! 👏🏼

Set in the high-stakes world of figure skating, The Favourites follows a fiery rivalry-turned-romance between Kat and Heath, and Bella and Garrett - full of passion, betrayal, and ambition.

Blending first-person narration with documentary-style interviews, the novel unpacks the tangled web of relationships, power struggles, and scandals behind the scenes of competitive sports.

Well, well, well—who would’ve thought I’d enjoy a romance this much, let alone a sports romance?! ❤️‍🔥 But this one totally deserves the hype. I couldn’t get enough of it, devouring it at speed and thinking about it constantly whenever I had to put it down.

The mix of personal narration and interview snippets worked so well, fleshing out the characters and giving the story real depth as you heard all the different perspectives.

If I had one criticism, it’s that the story got a little repetitive at times. Between the whirlwind of betrayals and dramatic events, I started losing track of who’d been with who, at which event, and who’d scored highly last time etc. I think some moments would have landed harder if they happened once instead of multiple times.

But honestly, that didn’t take away from how much I enjoyed it. This book was addictive—a fiery, intense, unputdownable ride ⛸️🔥

Thank you to Netgalley for my ARC.
I had seen so many 5 star reviews of this book that I was a bit anxious as to whether it was going to live up to the hype. But it so did!!!
The Daisy Jones vibes were so real and I loved the writing style!
The story kept me gripped and I learnt alot about ice skating (without it being boring!)
Loved the characters and the atmosphere and any Taylor Jenkins Reid fans need to read this! Absolutely loved it!

I really wasn’t ready for this book. The emotional TRAUMA that came along with it, decimated me. Layne Fargo weaves this absolutely gossip girl level of intrigue into ICE DANCING. I swear I learn more about sports from fiction books than anything else. The story runs similarly to the tell- all feel of Daisy Jones & The Six, except we get our FMCs POV as well which really rounds out the experience in my opinion. Katerina Shaw was ruthless, honestly everyone was ruthless to the point where it was gut wrenching to see how they treated each other. I could not put this book down and I cannot stop thinking about it. Layne Fargo makes her characters real, if you told me this was a real documentary I would believe you 1000%. If you are a fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid, I highly recommend trying this book!!!

I loved and felt every second of this book!! It was the “Daisy Jones and the six” of the ice skating. And it gives all the passion , work, dedication that the athletes give to this sport!

Really loved the aspect of the ice skating romance! Really really enjoyed it
Thank you again for letting me read it early

Looking at other reviews I am in a minority but unfortunately I just could not get into The Favourites. I can't explain why but it just did not work for me. I did finish it, as I don't give up on books, but I did find it a struggle.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

I absolutely loved this book!

I was completely immersed in the story and the characters and there were so many twists I was gripped! It gave the same vibes as a Taylor Jenkins Reid story who is one of my favourite authors, I’ll now be reading anything by Layne Fargo!!

I deeply regret not reading this sooner because OH. MY. GOD. Believe the hype. Prior to picking up this book, I had no interest in ice skating and honestly, no desire the change that.

133 pages in and I found myself down a Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir wormhole watching Olympic performances on YouTube so I could imagine Katarina and Heath better..

I was completely obsessed from start to finish. This is hands down one of the best books I’ve read in months - THE FAVOURITES deserves to be your favourite read of 2025. Layne Fargo, take a bow.

Immersive, Contemporary…
Ice skating duo Katarina and Heath became a world obsession, loved by all, their passion evident - until one isolated incident changed everything. Ten years later, along comes a docuseries - unauthorised, yet it is to be the spark which ignites a public obsession. Will a long time silence be broken? An intricate saga bubbling with drama and big characters and further brought into a wholly contemporary setting with clever use of a multi media narrative. Compelling and immersive.

I love ice skating & wanted to love The Favourites so much, but some aspects of this book really let me down.

I loved the way the skating was written, and the descriptions of Kat & Heath's passionate performances. The interview segments were an amazing addition as they allowed the reader to get outside perspectives on Kat & Heath's careers and scandals, and also allowed for an element of foreshadowing.

The pacing was the biggest issue for me - I struggled to feel engaged with the characters or plot until 40-50% through the book. It felt like the author was constantly trying to introduce plot twists, but many of them were predictable or had no later consequences in the story. The sabotage plotline could have been much more interesting if it was introduced earlier on in the book, but it was left to the last minute and felt rushed. So did Heath's proposal on the ice - it was jarring to read as he'd grown up with Kat and should have known better than anyone else what she would want.

This was a brilliant, epic story !

We follow Kat and Heath as they try to escape their harsh upbringings to be the best ice dance couple in the world. The story follows them through several decades of their lives and how their tempestuous relationship affects them both on and off the ice. The novel also features inserts from a documentary about the pair and gives us an insight on them from other perspectives.

This was so well written and was very engaging. It was engrossing and hard to put down. The documentary element added a great extra level to the book. Loved the character and plot development. Was really fun with the backdrop if ice skating too.

Highly recommend this novel.

The favourites is billed as part Daisy Jones, part Wuthering Heights; I can't comment on the later, having never read it, but I do get the Taylor Jenkins Reid reference. For me though it has Carrie Soto vibes and as much as I loved this one, TJR is a much superior read, with better developed characters and more depth to the grit.

Overall though I found The Favourites a hugely enjoyable and exciting read; I flew though it using audio and kindle so I could keep listening when I had to put the kindle down. And I know others thought it was too long......I could have had more!!

This is one of my favourite books of the year so far! I didn’t really know what to expect going into this, but found myself thoroughly hooked. I didn’t ever want to put this down or for it to end - I’ll definitely be reading more by Layne Fargo in the future.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the arc. 🫶🏻