Thank you to #NetGalley for an ARC of #TheFavourites by Layne Fargo. 

I loved it! 5 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

The drama surrounding Kat and Heath and the whole cast of characters kept me hooked throughout. The way it was punctuated with excerpts from the documentary just added to the tension. If you liked Daisy Jones and the Six and Carrie Soto then this is for you. A sports romance but with scandal, tension, corruption, competition and ultimately, found family. Totally addictive!

"Even as children, they were so intense. That was their greatest strength, and their greatest weakness."

Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha. Ice skating royalty. Ice skating elite. Ice skating controversy. The couple everyone was and still is talking about. Some love them, some hate them. But whatever they say, they won't be forgotten or stopped being talked about.
A new tell all documentary about the infamous skating duo is about to air and despite refusing to take part in that, Katarina is now ready to tell her side of the story.

I am writing this in December 2024, but as this book is not yet out, I can tell you that this will be one of my top books of 2025.
Told in a style that is reminiscent of Taylor Jenkins Reid, we essentially follow the lives of Kat and Heath from being young children until the present day and how everything happened in their ice dancing career. The successes, the failures, the truth behind the tabloids, their tumultuous relationship.
It felt real, leading to me spending far more time than I'd like to admit watching previous ice skating performances at the 2018 winter Olympics.
Gripping, funny, toxic, tense, witty, thoroughly researched and so well written - The Favourites will undoubtedly be a new favourite for many.
I need this to become a tv show or film because it just felt so real. I never wanted it to stop.

Congratulations Layne Fargo, this story is absolutely fantastic.

The Favourite has good pace and tension and captures the passions of those with a dream, in this case that of winning the Olympic gold for ice skating. The rivalry and scurrilous actions of competitors are compellingly drawn, as is the love-hate relationship between the driven Kat and Heath. The running dialogue/documentary at the end of each chapter palled at times, but works in the main, encapsulating the bitchiness of commentators. I took this to be a YA read at first but one or two elements move it into adult fiction. I confess to not being wholeheartedly engaged throughout, but it is good escapist reading.

I absolutely LOVED this! Definitely a top read of the year for me and I predict this will be huge in 2025! Daisy Jones meets Magnolia Parks meets From Lukov with love. The romance had my head spinning constantly and I loved the characters, they felt so authentic. Heartbreaking and gripping, I just know this one is going to be all over bookstagram after January!

An enjoyable and addicting read which is highly dramatic - on and off the ice. Recommend to anyone who enjoys a Thriller/Romance/Lit Fic.

This was so unbelievably good!! So twisty, so many turns - I was completely on the edge on my seat. And that ending? WOWZERS!!!

Every now and then i’ll read a book that I know is special and is going to be a massive hit, and this book gave me the same feeling as I got when I finished Daisy Jones And The Six for the first time - and that’s no mean feat.

The Favourites is loosely based on Wuthering Heights but set in the world of ice dancing. Katarina and Heath have been in each others lives since they were children and their all-consuming relationship leads them to the ice where they compete for their country until one day something tears them - and their world apart.

Years later a documentary airs and journalists and people in the skating world who knew Kat and Heath best try to piece together what really happened.

The book is told partly in a documentary style - similar to Daisy Jones and partly from Kat’s perspective of the events that lead up to what happened.

I loved this book and tore through it, I was hooked from the very first page until the last. It was heady and dark - transporting you into the cutthroat and competitive world of ice dancing, whilst also examining a highly co-dependent and sometimes toxic relationship between two people who cannot live without each other.

Kat was a brilliant character, messy, selfish and often unlikeable - everything you’re told a female character shouldn’t be but I loved her, even if I did hate some of her decisions. She’s definitely up there with some of my favourite female characters ever.

The supporting cast (especially the women) were also great, I loved Kat’s complicated relationship with both Bella and Sheila and the book explored difficult relationships SO well.

This was my first Layne Fargo book but it will definitely not be my last.

What a wonderful, wild ride The Favourites takes you on. Told through snippets of interviews, flashbacks, and moments in time, is an addicting and scandalous story of Kat and Heath.

The Favourites takes sports romance to another level, the emotional turmoil this book put me through was next level, never has a book reduced me to tears in one moment and had me smiling like a fool the next. This book is a reminder that life isn't perfect, nothing goes to plan, and no matter how sure you are in the direction you are headed, things can always change.

I was influenced to pick up this book and I'm grateful that I did, The Favourites has forever changed me, there was no drama spared and this will remain one of my top books for the foreseeable future. How this isn't being talked about more I will never know, I'm eagerly looking forward to see what Layne Fargo conjures up next.

Full review to come closer to publication.

A book about the behind-the-scenes world of ice dancing by Layne Fargo? Count me in!

While They Never Learn is one of my all-time favorites, this new release, out January 16th, 2025, quickly became a top pick for 2024. It's not a dark thriller, but it’s just as gripping. The book is long, but so addictive and twisty, I could have easily read it in one go.

The Favourites dives into the competitive and cutthroat world of ice dancing. Kat Shaw and Heath Rocha are rising stars, but their path to the top is anything but easy. Their rivals, the Lin twins—children of an Olympic champ—add extra tension. The story unfolds through a documentary-style format, with interviews revealing the drama, love, betrayal, ambition, and revenge that define this intense sport.

Inhaled this book in a day... if you like the layout and story of Daisy Jones and the six, I think you would love this. I really wanted Shaw and Rocha to just catch a break, but then that wouldn't be the story. Kept me on the edge of my seat, rooting for characters who were flawed yet still likeable.

This book immediately made me think of Daisy Jones and The Six. It was written in a semi journalistic style, although this book is about an ice dancing pair rather than a band. I really enjoyed it, and I thought it gave a good insight into the world of ice dancing and the Olympics.

Katarina Shaw has always wanted to be a gold medal winning Olympic skater. Heath Rocha has always wanted to be with Katarina, and so partners her in the ice skating. They both had a very hard childhood and were drawn together – their relationship was a turbulent as it is passionate. They become ice dance champions, and have their sights firmly set on the Olympic Gold. However, the course of true love, and ice dance, never runs smoothly - and jealousies, rumours, and even sabotage abound. The story is told from the beginning by Kat herself, and a number of other key players in the sport who take turns in filling in the narrative.

This story has everything from competition to romance, to sabotage and villains. I really enjoyed it.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7028774350
https://maddybooksblog.blogspot.com/2024/12/the-favourites-by-layne-fargo-this-book.html

Thank you Netgalley for the eArc. All opinions are my own.

Oh wow this was so very well written. It has all the intensity of Wuthering Heights, and the characters are translated perfectly.
Don't read this book if you're looking for a warm fuzzy feeling, because that's not what this is. The fact that it's heavily inspired by Wuthering Heights should be a clue. Do read this book if:
-you love ice-skating, because there is a *lot*of ice-skating in this novel.
-if you are interested in a coming of age novel about interesting, but not necessarily likeable, characters.
-if you want to discover a book before it is a hype. It's just that good. Taylor Jenkins Read fans will eat this right up.
I also admire the set up of this story, the mix of interviews and Katarina telling the story from her point of view gave the perfect tension.

This was so engrossing. Katarina and Heath’s relationship was a wild ride and the ice dancing backdrop made for a tense and exciting story. Absolutely loved this!

Right from the start I knew this book was going to be amazing. Wethering heights meets figure skating... what else could you want! This is an amazing sport romance that will have your heart pounding!

Although the relationship between heath and katarina can be toxic and disfunction at times, this book shows the realities of dating when in the public eye, this couple has their ups and downs but relationships in real life are like that and I'm so happy that layne makes this love story so believable.

I loved how this book gives a realistic look into the world of figure skating.

I devoured this book. It was impossible to put down

I can honestly say this is one of the best books I've read in 2024.

Oh my god, this book is brilliant! It comes across as a mash up between the captivating narrative of Daisy Jones & The Six, with the cut throat expose on elite sport from Carrie Soto is Back, but for figure skating. I was completely captivated from page one and could not put it down. Katerina and Heath's turbulent relationship both on and off the ice had me screaming in frustration in parts, but I couldn't get enough of it. This book is easily on my top 10 of the year list (and I've read a LOT of books this year!)

I could not stop highlighting even when I read the acknowledgments (something that has never happened before) which speaks to my experience of this story. I’m happy I got to read this book slowly over a longer period of time with the Spotify playlist, it felt as if I was living with them. It was a bumpy ride but in a way that just highlighted human nature, life and how we experience competition. The characters grow so much but nothing is ever developed in a way that felt forced. The interview style that’s woven in is fantastic it really drives home the intrigue and fear for the future that they’re living in. They have a hindsight we the reader don’t and it amps up the unsettled feeling you get. I’ve always been intrigued by ice dancing and this has left me feeling even more interested.

Heath and Kat frustrated me in the most realistic way I wasn’t even mad at it. Their relationship built from a young age was filled with so many moments we can all recognise. Their backstories solidified so much of the pain and trauma they both survived. They fought for everything they wanted even when that want was someone else’s. The devastation of their sense of self like a wound being torn open again and again on the ice. I could feel the bite from the ice and the system they were fighting to gain respect within. Not hearing from them in the interviews really made the reader suffer in a delicious way. It was too easy for me to feel was though this was non fiction. Even the other characters jumped off the page.

I heard about this book back in October and knew it would change my life. It’s a strange feeling that comes around only a few times. I just knew this book would change my life. It really has I feel both torn apart and healed me. I feel recognised and ready to persevere. I had preordered the hardcover back in October and today have preordered the audiobook. The way this book is told is perfect to drive everything home and boy did it.

Now for the cheeky moment that none of these characters would bat an eyelid at. If there is a physical arc in an office sat alone looking for a forever home, I’d be honoured.

The Favourites by Layne Fargo is a captivating, emotionally charged story that blends the raw passion of Wuthering Heights with the tantalising drama of Gossip Girl, all set against the icy backdrop of the competitive ice skating world. Fargo takes these influences and spins them into something entirely her own, crafting a narrative that feels as timeless as it is contemporary.

The relationships in this book are intoxicatingly toxic (in the best way), filled with the kind of emotional intensity that leaves you reeling. The disguised found family trope gave the story unexpected depth, and I found myself rooting for characters I initially disliked. The tension builds beautifully, and by the final act, the book shifts into a gripping thriller-like pace that had me hanging onto every word.

The storytelling structure, with its documentary-style interviews, took a moment to get used to. At first, I found the secondary character interviews a bit distracting, but as the plot thickened, those snippets became essential pieces of the puzzle. Fargo’s ability to weave these elements together while keeping the story emotionally grounded is truly impressive.

If you love richly layered characters, dramatic relationships, and plot twists that will leave you gasping, this book is for you. It’s a rollercoaster ride of emotions, perfectly suited for fans of character-driven stories with a side of scandal and suspense.

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Out January 2025, The Favourites is a book you’ll want to read, revisit, and urge others to read. Trust me, you don’t want to miss out on this one!

I grew up watching Torvill and Dean and recently watched "I, Tonya" and have to admit that is probably the extent of my knowledge about ice skating of any type, I do know more about wuthering heights though. I was therefore really interested to read this book to become more immersed in and understanding of this world and the driven people within it. I thought it was a well told story and cleverly interspersed with documentary interviews; the naked ambition and will to succeed stood out, but I was less convinced by the romance and missed the Bronte connection completely.
Thank you to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.
3.5 rounded up to 4

Intense. Heart wrenching. The intrigue was real, and often extremely well hidden.

"To the world, they were a scandal. To each other, an obsession."

Kat lives for her figure skating. Heath Rocha was a way to get there - not her first love.

Kat is determination.
Heath is power, dark power.

The figure skating world is manipulative, where being best is closely linked to having money, and people in your hands. To always wanting more of everything.

Quote from the book:

"But what was the point if you had everything and enjoyed nothing?"

I loved the layers of this story. It would be fab on the big screen!

OMG, The Favourites by Layne Fargo is EVERYTHING. 💃⛸️ Is it a groundbreaking, world-changing work of fiction? No. But does it deliver on pure, unfiltered joy? 1000%. This book whisks you away into the glittering, high-stakes world of competitive ice dancing—a place brimming with passion, rivalries, and soap-opera-worthy drama.

Think: Blades of Glory meets Gossip Girl with a healthy dose of romance and scheming. 🕺💔 There are twists, betrayals, and jaw-dropping moments, all wrapped up in a sparkling bow of pure escapism. You’ll laugh, you’ll gasp, and you’ll absolutely want to binge-read this in one sitting.

It’s not about changing the world—it’s about leaving yours behind for a few glorious hours, and this book does that flawlessly. ✨ If you love books with big feelings and even bigger drama, this one’s for you.

❄️ Grab a blanket, pour yourself a glass of something festive, and get ready for a riot of fun. I couldn’t adore it more!

One of my favourite books of the year ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of five