This is an amazing book. Literally full of twists and turns! Some very interesting characters and a great insight into competitive skating and it's issues.

Great book. Lots going on to keep you entertained definitely recommend. Very very good. I devoured it in 4 hours

THE FAVOURITES dives into the tumultuous lives of Kat Shaw and Heath Rocha, an ice-dancing duo whose talent and passionate bond capture the world—until a scandal at the Olympics tears them apart. A decade later, an unauthorised documentary forces Kat to face their past.

Let it be noted that ice dancing and figure skating are the only winter sports I give two hoots about. Sparkly and story-driven, all 6ft of uncoordinated, inelegant me is here for it. Losing myself in dreams of what could never be.

And The Favourites felt very very real. At times I caught myself wanting to look up their routines on YouTube, only to remember, oh…this is fiction. At the same time, I discovered that skating scenes end up being a bit repetitive in literary form, and I much-preferred what was going on off-ice.

I really appreciated how Fargo captured the vibe of early internet fame, where digital literacy was low, social media was in its infancy, and the bloodlust of legacy media who was scrambling to stay relevant while celeb bloggers like Perez Hilton were on the up and up. The depiction of blogger Ellis Dean was clever and added an extra bitchy zing.

Finally, while the Wuthering Heights stuff is lost on me, I think classic fans will enjoy the homage.

Out on the 16th of Jan, The Favourites is a decent start to the 2025 reading list. Here’s hoping the rest of the year keeps up!

This novel is an exhilarating blend of passion, ambition, and heartbreak that had me completely entranced. The layered narrative weaves together the intoxicating world of figure skating with a deeply emotional story of love and betrayal. Katarina’s journey from aspiring Olympian to a woman confronting her past is both heartbreaking and empowering.
The chemistry between Kat and Heath is electric, and their relationship is a perfect storm of obsession and ambition, making every twist and turn feel visceral and raw. It’s a poignant reminder of how public perception can distort reality and how the truth can be even more scandalous than imagined. It’s about finding your voice amidst the chaos. A must-read for anyone who loves a captivating tale of love, loss, and the relentless pursuit of dreams.

The Favourites by Layne Fargo 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

Emotional, thrilling, heartbreaking, addictive - Ice dance meets Daisy Jones & The Six in this scandalous story about Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha’s dramatic rise to champion ice dancers, captivating fans with their scorching chemistry, rebellious style and rollercoaster relationship.

Loved the formatting style of the book, switching from first person to third person interviews, making the story dynamic.

One of my top reads this year! Grab it on 16th January 2025!

Thank you to NetGalley, Layne Fargo & Chatto Books for the ARC!🩵

This is a retelling of the Wuthering Heights story. Overall anxeasy read. Very suitable for young adult audience. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy

After reading this book, it’s hard to think that these aren’t real people.

Set out as a documentary, the story focuses on Shaw and Rocha (Katie and Heath) and their rise to fame and the Olympics

Childhood friends, skate partners turned lovers to enemies. They go through it all!

Life changes when they meet the Lin’s.

Will they stop at anything to become gold medalists.

Such a good read, you really get sucked in and transported to the world of Ice Dance

I was lucky enough to receive this book as an arc through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I knew from the minute I started this book that it was going to be a five stars. When I couldn’t read this book, I was constantly thinking about when I could next pick it up and thinking about what was going to happen. This book follows Katarina and Heath and they are aspiring ice skaters. It follows them through their story and journey to the Olympics. It is told through story and also interview style which really engaged me as a reader. This book is absolutely breathtaking and I could not recommend it enough.

Really enjoyed this! I know she thanks TJR in the acknowledgements and I can really see her influence in this book. It spans over many years and follows Katarina and Heath and the world of elite figure skating. Now even if this industry doesn’t interest you I still think you can enjoy this book with all the romance, drama and scandal.

It is told through Katarina’s perspective and also involves interview transcripts from various individuals who have known her - very similar format to Daisy Jones and the Six.

I just wish this authors books were more readily available in the UK - they never learn has been on my wish list for 4 years now but still not available on kindle!

Thank you to net galley for providing an ecopy in exchange for an honest review.

I fucking loved this!!!!!!! I’m almost a little bit gutted that this is a book and isn’t real because I am so so invested in Kat and Heath! I loved the documentary style weaved in with Kat’s own monologue. I am obsessed with the tension and the push and pull dynamic between the two of them. I didn’t know that this was a wuthering heights retelling until about half way through and all I was thinking was I hope Kat/Heath don’t die because I will riot!!!! This is the kind of book that makes you think do you actually like the main characters (yes is the only correct answer here). I have so many emotions right now about this book I may never be able to get them all out on the page. I absolutely wish and hope this is made into a tv show (daisy jones and the six style) because it would be just as incredible as this book. Wow wow WOW.

omg I absolutely devoured this, and loved it. This is like Daisy Jones & the Six's ice-skating baby cousin, and its so freaking good.
An absolute epic and thrilling sports romance centred around Kat, who wants nothing other than to win, and Heath, who wants nothing other than Kat. And both will do WHATEVER it takes!!
I forgot I was reading majority of the time, and that these weren't real people because it felt like I was actually watching part-documentary, part-their real life. I actually missed them when I had to put the book down 😅
So much drama, many intense moments, amazing storytelling and incredible characters.
A million percent I'd read this again, and I guarantee when I do, I'll feel all the same emotions. AMAZING!!!

A journey of a novel with a kick-ass main character who draws you in from the first page. I love the documentary-style narrative sprinkled throughout and the different perspectives it gives. A great book that I was sad to finish.

If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would without any hesitation. I honestly can’t even explain how incredible this book was and I thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this phenomenal book.

The writing style of this book is mixed interview alongside storytelling from Kat’s perspective in a style reminiscent to ‘Daisy Jones and the Six’ creating a documentary that plays out in your mind spectacularly.

The story follows Kat and Heath, two kids who grew up together with dreams of being professional ice skaters and winning the Olympic gold. You go through all the trials they experience while trying to ultimately meet this goal. Their connection and passion on and off the ice makes them a formidable team and the world can’t get enough. Tragedy is mixed with triumph and there is so much love/hate going on with their relationship both on and off the ice that you don’t know if you want to root for them or not.

I finished this book within two days of starting as it was so gripping. The ice skating elements were amazingly written and it was like I was watching their dances myself in the audience alongside. I honestly don’t think any sports romance book will live up to this for me. Intoxicatingly incredible.

I absolutely loved this book and would fully recommend. Characters that are well defined and even with their flaws make you root for them. Would be a great film or series.

The favorites
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to @netgalley and @laynefargo for the early digital copy of this book.

My main obsession of September was this book, as it combines figure skating with one of my all time favorite classic, I was inmediatly in.

Katharina Shaw and Heath Rocha (oh the names 💔) are best friends since childhood and figure skating competitors at the Olympic level, however, the relationship between the two, both personal and professional, is constantly marked by drama and public scrutiny. It is not random, therefore, that the author chooses to present the story as a documentary, narrating the events that marked the lives of the protagonists (and those around them) through different points of view that little by little offer a complete image of the events (in a somewhat similar way to Daisy Jones and The Six although with its own distinct style).

The novel kept me hooked from beginning to end. Anyone who has read or seen any of the adaptations of Wuthering Heights will know that the toxicity, the complexity of the characters and the angst are well served, but I like that, despite being a kind of retelling of the classic, it is handled differently certain aspects to provide a new story that had me constantly wondering how everything was going to end.

It is also noteworthy that the figure skating aspect is not only there as a subplot, but the author goes deep into describing the routines, nutrition, pressure and the most and least glamorous parts of this sport.

The book will not be released until 2025 but I hope that if you know English, you will read it as soon as it is published!!! I hope some publisher brings it in Spanish too. 100% recommended.

This book just wasn’t for me. I can see how people will really enjoy it, and have enjoyed it, so don’t let me put you off. I just struggled to get into it, and when
I did, I just wasn’t feeling it. I think it’s because I couldn’t connect with the characters more than anything, as the writing style is good.

Wow what a debut novel. The story of Heath and Kat has it all backstabbing families, friend enemies, fame, fortune, Olympics, skating and a ton of rivalry written in a format of book I haven't seen before.

I absolutely loved how Fargo wrote this book. It's so different and unusual and it's one that going to put her on the map. I can absoutely see this as a tv series or a film it has that much grit and drama to it. It's impossible not to fall in love with the main characters, even if it is over 400 pages long.

But my question is now what happened to the next generation? This needs a sequel for sure.

Kat watches a gold medal champion ice dancer on the tv when she is 4yrs old and decides that's what she wants to do. She meets a young boy, Heath, at 10 yrs old who becomes her ice dancing partner. The book follows the ups and downs, jealousy and infighting of this highly competitive world.
There are also comments and opinions by others involved in this world.
I loved reading this book as their lives unfold. So gripping.

Absolutely phenomenal. Kat Shaw’s determination to be the best is so compelling. I was hooked by her and Heath’s story, their relationship and the fight for survival amongst their competitors. I felt as if I was watching the story unfold on the television, the detail, the raw emotion present in every character and on every page. I loved the media coverage quoting, contrasting the actual events. This is my first Layne Fargo book, and I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this.

Im honestly not sure what everyone is going on about frankly, this is nothing and i do mean nothing like Daisy Jones and The Six, any comparison to it is frankly ludicrous and lazy. And as for Wuthering Heights comparisons, have people even read that book? Honestly what nonsense. Band wagon jumping, thats what you get for letting immature and lazy tik tokers review books!

One of my favourite films of all time is called The Cutting Edge, it stars Moira Kelly and D B Sweeney who play Kate Mosley and Doug Dorsey. Kate is a ice skater who cant keep a partner, and Doug is a Hockey player who gets injured and is then offered a 2nd chance to skate by pairing up with Kate.

This book reminds me so much of that film.

Katarina has dreams of being a professional ice skater, one day she meets Heath, a foster kid who they kinda adopt as their own and he moves in with Kate and her dad. Kate teaches Heath to ice skate, and together on the ice they are incredible. Not only are they mesmerising to watch but they dont take their eyes off each other during their routines.

Kates dad dies and her brother kicks Heath out of the house but they stick together and one day they steal her brothers car and drive to the National Championships to compete. They dont win, but are approached by professional ice skater and coach Sheila Lin who is Kates personal hero. They start training and they start winning. They become highly competitive and they are unstoppable. However, once they get to the Olympic Games things change and they go their separate ways. 10 years later a documentary is made about their life and old feelings and secrets rear their ugly head and Kate has a choice, does she own her story, or does she let others write it for her. Are Kate and Heaths feelings for each other still there, and what does the future hold for each of them?

Genuinely brilliant. My 2nd favourite book i have read this year after Sarah A Parkers When The Moon Hatched.. I have just ordered it in hardback because i need to own a copy and read it in that format and really savour it. Ebooks are great dont get me wrong, but there is something really magical about disappearing into a hardback.

I would also say this deserves to be a limited run tv series. I can see it being 10 episodes and if it doesnt get made it would be an absolute travesty