https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6960142572

Scheming, sequins and sex in the world of Olympic figure skating. Possibly not one I'll remember in a year's time but a real page turner, lots of fun, and I couldn't put it down.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I think it's more on me than the book that I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to. It felt more like a romance novel, albeit a twisted one at times, than general fiction. I'm not a a big fan of romance fiction.
I can see why others loved it for these elements. I'm sure this novel will do well.

"Sexually charged, will they, won't they, fuckery."

This quote is how other characters described the MCs and I couldn't agree more.

I don't quite know how I feel about this book on finishing, I liked it...I think but it was so incredibly angsty and messed up that it wasn't exactly pleasurable to read. The push and pull between Kat and Heath was insane, they were scrapy to one another and to everyone else. They were obsessive and as a reader, it was easy to become obsessive with them.

Let me rewind. This story set in the world of ice dancing in the 90s and 2000s painted a dramatic and salacious picture of the inner worlds of competitors. No more than for Katerina and Heath, two poor kids with talent and ambition to climb into this elite world. In the early parts of this book, I cheered for these two in their climb and in their romantic connection. As the pages unfolded past half way, I wasn't sure if I wanted them to compete together or stay together because it was hella destructive.

Added into this story was a key role model in Sheila Lin, Kat's ice hero and her twin children, Bella and Garrett. These twins added such complications to Kat and Heath's life, mostly negative. I hate-read some of the plot lines but I couldn't stop turning the pages.

Is this romance, technically no. Did I finish the book satisfied, also no. Did I feel connected to the characters in the story, hell yes.

If you want to be twisted up and spat out by a book, I highly recommend this one.

Thank you to Vintage Digital for the eARC.

I do love a classic literature having a modern retelling! This amped up the scandal and YEARNING of the original book, whilst still being satisfying (which the original is not!). It is slow though, frustratingly so, especially when you already know where the plot is going generally from the original. Loved the interviews too, a really nice absorbing touch. Much more nuanced than I expected - it made me want to read more by Fargo

Compulsive reading.
Following from childhood ambition to the Olympics. Ice dance, training, costs both financial and emotional.
Dysfunctional family, ambition, sabotage and drive.
Fame and notoriety.
A romance at it's core, I couldn't put it down.

I couldn't put it down. The elements were handled superbly to deliver us this toxic love story that compels you to turn to the next page. This will have consumers of reality TV hooked. It is just drama after drama.

Phenomenal! I really didn’t know what I was expecting and then when I saw another reviewer say “I will never get to read this book for the first time again”, I realised the a book could be something special and it was!

Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha are mesmerising characters. The chemistry between them is off-the-scale intense. There’s romance, yes, but it’s more than that. A deep connection that began when Heath saw Kat skating as a teenager and learnt to skate, just for her. To be with her, to be her skating partner, her life partner, her everything. Kat and Heath defy every odd and make it to the Olympics, but not everyone wants them to win.

The writing was so emotive, I couldn’t stop turning the pages. A documentary style retelling of an incredible journey from poor kids to national heroes. But Kat and Heath can trust no one. Even the people that are on their “team” don’t act in their best interests in the cut throat sport of figure skating. Sizzling scandal and scorching sabotage is the name of the game, when every competitor wants to stand on the top step and only one duo can win gold.

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Layne Fargo and Random House for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Katerina will do whatever it takes to win gold at the Olympics for ice dancing. She wants to be just like her idol Sheila Lin.

Coming from a midwestern hardscrabble background Katerina and Heath aren't your typical ice pair. Fighting and clawing their way onto the international stage has not been an easy ride for either of them but Katerina is going to win no matter what, even though Heath might not be on the same page anymore.

An entertaining, drama fueled romp through the world of professional ice skating with feuds, lovers and sequins galore!

I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this book, having zero interest in ice dance - how wrong I was - I absolutely loved it. It was a great format, the story interspersed with interview snippets, and the outcome was perfect- and not necessarily the ending I was expecting. Highly recommended.

The Favourites is told in a documentary style about the world of ice-dance and, specifically, the partnership between Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha as well as from the point of view of Katarina. Katarina has wanted to become a figure skater since she was a little girl but has everything against her - her supportive dad has died, her brother is abusive and an addict and she does not have the funds to progress in the sport. She has, however, a huge amount of talent and an amazing partnership both on and off the ice with Heath. The Favourites is a compelling and easy read from the beginning as the reader joins Heath and Katarina on their journey. The last 20% of the novel verged slightly on soap opera but, nonetheless, is a great read. Fans of stories such as Carrie Soto is Back will find lots to enjoy on The Favourites.

This was SO fun and gripping - I literally couldn't put it down and was totally submerged in the world of Kat and Heath. It's like everything I wanted CARRIE SOTO IS BACK to be (but better and with figure skating instead of tennis). The romance! The twists and turns! I have already recommended to multiple friends as I know this is the kind of book that so many people will enjoy.

I did enjoy reading Kat and Heaths story, and really liked the interview style of the book. I am a sucker for friends to lovers and this is a delicious slow burn. The first 2/3 book were definitely the most fun to read, the last 1/3 was a little slow. Overall a really fun read!

Thank you to the author and the publishers for this arc.

This is the story of Ice dance partners Katarina and Heath. It starts as a friendship between two young kids that then develops into ice dance partners but also a relationship. However, when they start to attend Shelia Lins ice academy things start to change. Katarinas idol is Shelia Lin and ever since she saw Lin pick up an Olympic medal it has been her dream to follow in Lins footsteps. But is it all worth it and will she lose her best friend, boyfriend and ice dance partner to get what she wants, the Olympic gold.

This book had me at the blurb. I enjoyed the writing style and the mixture of the story told by Katarina and also snippets from interviews of the tell all documentary. This has Daisy Jones And The Six vibes but replace the singer and the band with ice skaters and this is The Favourites. It shows how cutthroat the world of ice dance is and I have absolutely loved reading this book.

I loved this book - the ice skating version of Daisy Jones and the Six that I didn't know I needed. Fabulous characters, great story, 5*.

I did really enjoy this book. I hadn’t read any work by the author before, but I am glad I checked this one out.
Definitely pictured this as a future movie the more I read.
It was a little bit slow to begin with, and also felt a little bit rushed at the end. But I was able to complete it within a day.
I felt a lot of emotions through this book, and will be recommending it to others.
Fantastic read!

A book about the behind the scenes of ice dancing, written by Layne Fargo… yes please!!

They Never Learn is one of my all time favourite books, but this is a very different book but I loved it just as much. Not released until January 16th, 2025, this will be in my top reads of 2024. No it is not a dark crime thriller but I could not get enough of this book. It is long book but if I had the time I am sure that I could have devoured it in a single sitting. It was so addictive, so twisty and fun to read.

In 1984, UK team of Torvill and Dean won gold at the Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, with their Bolero Program. I was 9 years old and mesmerised. Ever since then I have been a big fan of ice dancing. In June 2025, I will get to see my childhood heroes in person in Sydney, skating for their last tour. I could not be more excited.

Anyway, The Favourites. This book shows the cut throat world of ice dancing. Kat Shaw and Heath Rocha are the next big thing, but they don’t do things the easy way and emotions are high.. They have to scrape for every penny and their biggest rivals are the Lin twins, children of a former Olympic champion. The story is told through a documentary, with interviews from those who were in their world. It is a story of love, friendship, betrayal, ambition, revenge and much much more. A must read.

Thank you so much to Random House UK Vintage for granting my wish for this amazing book. I need a physical copy for my shelf!!

i thought that wuthering heights retold in the cutthroat world of competitive figure skating was an absolutely wild proposition - but lemme tell you, layne fargo has pulled it off. the wuthering heights aspects are subtle enough to be considered inspiration rather than a play-by-play, which definitely works in the story's favour.

i devoured this in a day. the drama is fast paced and compelling, and the documentary interview style cut with kat's first-person account of the events worked really well. i hate that it is categorised as a romance !!!!! but i also hate that wuthering heights is considered romantic.

absolutely one for the taylor jenkins reid fans

This behind the scenes faux tell-all set in the world of competitive ice dancing may start slowly but it pulls you in quickly. If you enjoy scandal, intrigue, complicated relationships and sequins you will have the best time with this book. Kat Shaw, the flawed ice dance champion, is a really interesting well-rounded MC and the whole book was a joy.

Really enjoyed this one. I loved the different format as it was not something I'd read before where it switched between the past and present but in an interview setting very cool.

I really enjoyed this story - it is a well-written, layered sports romance. The story basically traces the lives of Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha, both personally and as professional skaters.

The structure of the novel is reminiscent of [book:Daisy Jones & The Six|40597810]. Interlaced between the chapters is the transcript of a documentary on the skaters and the documentary helps to build tension. As you read the transcript, you know that *something* happens. The interviewer brings in most of the major and minor characters (but not either of the skaters), so we get to see some of the 'behind the scenes' action.

The novel is told in 5 parts - The Hopefuls, The Rivals, The Champions, The Game, and The Last Time. It traces the lives of Katarina and Heath from their late childhood when they meet. Both of them have lost their parents. Kat poured herself into the sport of ice dancing after the loss of her mother. Heath is in foster care and goes to the rink where she is practicing as an escape. As they bond, Heath learns to skate and eventually becomes Kat's ice dancing partner. Kat's dream of winning Olympic gold is boosted when they encounter her childhood idol, Sheila Lin, and Lin's twins who are now competing in ice dance. The story is not only about Kat and Heath's relationship, but also about the mental and physical effort that competitive athletes endure, the dog-eat-dog world of Olympic sports, and the lengths that some go to win. The story has been likened to [book:Wuthering Heights|6185]. Not only are the main characters named Kat and Heath, but their love story is tumultuous and obsessive and fraught with drama. However, in some ways, it is not as dark as that novel. It is a roller coaster ride - ups and downs, twists and turns. As the story and the documentary converge, the reader is left to decide what happened at the height of their success.

So if you like
-skating
-Olympics
-friends to lovers to enemies to frenemies to...
-second chances
this should be on your TBR list.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read this.