I wasn’t expecting much from this book as I’m usually a fantasy reader but I heard good things about it. I have to say I throughly enjoyed it the descriptions of the ice dancing, the tumultuous relationship between Kat and Heath kept me gripped!!
Received as an arc

very entertaining read filled with drama, betrayal, tension, toxic relationships and plot twists. i loved the way the narrative was written like a documentary with a mix of interviews and television footage which made it feel like i watching a netflix show. both main characters were incredibly flawed and messy but i loved them for it. incredible storytelling about the realities of pursuing dreams, love, loss and found family. my only small issue was it was a little too long and started to drag towards the end but overall still a great read.

Okay, wow is the perfect way to start this! The Favourites by Layne Fargo is one of those books that just grabs you and doesn’t let go. Seriously, it’s a whirlwind of drama, tension, and complex characters that will keep you hooked from start to finish.

If you're a fan of Daisy Jones & The Six, this is definitely your next read. It has that same vibe of fame, rivalry, and secrets, but with a darker, more intense edge. The relationships between the characters are so layered and messy in the best way, and the way Fargo builds suspense throughout the book is just genius. I couldn't put it down.

Without giving too much away (because you need to experience it all yourself), this book explores the intricacies of friendship, ambition, and betrayal in such a unique way.

I’m calling it now—this is going to be a massive hit in 2025. It’s already my favorite read of the year (yes, I’m saying this early) and I cannot recommend it enough. Grab a copy, read it, and then shout about it from the rooftops because everyone needs to know about this book.

5/5, easily. You won’t regret it!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House UK for the ARC.

I wish I could give it more than 5 stars.....

This is my favourite kind of poolside/holiday reading: it's easy entertainment but has enough grip to keep the pages turning.

I'm a bit less sure about the use of Wuthering Heights as a model on which to build a modern storyline. The first parts follow the original quite closely with some imaginative transpositions. But then the inspiration gets left behind for a quite different trajectory and ending.

Katherine is a fantastic heroine: strong, ambitious, rule-breaking, talented. Heath just can't live up to Heathcliff and I never really believed in the passion between them.

A fun and engrossing read all the same.

A novel covering the brutality and rivalry of international ice dancing in the 1990s and 2000s. Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha have been skating together since they were 10 years old. At 16 they are ready to break onto the international circuit. Meeting Kat's all time idol Sheila Lin is special and so begins a lifelong rivalry with her daughter Bella who skates with her twin Garrett. The four become frenemies and rivals for the Olympics. Dramas ensue. Partnerships change. Through it all Kat and Heath have an unbreakable bond. Their personal life and dramas often overshadow their professional careers. Told in the form of a documentary being made a decade after the dramatic event that ended their careers I went from being annoyed at this approach to intrigued. It read like a real life story. #netgalley #TheFavourites

'The Favourites' takes us into the world of Olympic Ice-Skating. We follow Katharina Shaw and Heath Rocha and their rivals, twins Bella and Garrett Lin on their quest to win Olympic Gold. This is an unputdownable novel laced with determination, rivalry, love and intrigue.
Part of it is written in documentary style which reminds of 'Daisy Jones And The Six'. This gives the reader a good oversight to the rest of the narration which is from Kat's viewpoint.
I adored this novel and couldn't put it down. My favourite book of the year so far.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Vintage Random Hose for the ARC.

I don't think I can quite sum up how much I adored this book. And it's apt that it's called The Favourites, as it is now a firm favourite of mine that I will be recommending to anyone who will listen.
The highs, the lows and the push and pull are executed flawlessly and I lost count of how many times I gasped or felt a punch to my gut.
Even if you're not a fan of ice dance, it's not too technical to be off-putting and it completely immersed me in that world.
I loved the nod to Wuthering Heights and had my fingers crossed that it wouldn't end quite as tragically as the classic. For me, Wuthering Heights never felt like a true romance, whereas this and Kat and Heath's relationship was much more absorbing.
You're rooting for them and each and every character added to the story and the drama.
Let's just say, I was completely hooked and could not put this book down.
It definitely reminded me of some of Taylor Jenkins Reid's books, primarily Daisy Jones & The Six (because of the way it was set out in interview snippets) and Carrie Soto Is Back (which just so happens to be another one of my favourite books of all time), which isn't a bad thing at all, particularly as a big fan of hers too.
It was just such an easy 5 star read for me. And after loving They Never Learn, as well, I cannot wait to see what Layne Fargo does next.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I haven’t felt this way after reading a book in a while. This book is a freaking masterpiece. If you have read and loved The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo/Daisy Jones and The Six, this gives off similar writing vibes. WHY AM I CRYING OVER FICTIONAL CHARACTERS?! THEY’RE NOT EVEN DEAD. THIS IS SO WEIRD

When I say this book consumed me for 2 days… absolutely NO NOTES. Wow, wow and wow.

The only way I can describe it is like the best quality car crash tv like you cannot look away... The way this book reads, the pacing, the storytelling and the mixed media setting on the audiobook is 5.

Katarina and Heath were some of the most complex yet compelling characters I’ve read in a long time. Their story spanned decades of love, loss, competition and scandal and this book makes you feel like you are skating alongside them.

Perfect for fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid, the story of Kat and Heath was so much fun. I loved the documentary format (I think it would be fantastic as an audiobook!), and watching it unfold was so exciting.
There were so many tense moments, and many times I was so angry whilst reading (angry with some characters more than others...) and I did find myself a little disappointed with the ending, but overall a brilliant read.

The perfect escapist read for all those who grew up watching ice princess and reading wuthering heights. It’s a novel full of drama and twists (although these are somewhat predictable if you know wuthering heights) that kept me entertained throughout. Just what I needed to brighten a gloomy January.

I was asked to review by NetGalley

I dont think I have been transfixed about skating since I cried through Champions a Love Story or watched Torvil and Dean get Gold at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo.

I am new to the table with this author, and was engrossed from chapter one.

Wow this has ambition, sadness, betrayal - gosh who would have known the world of skating was so toxic, tense and horribly cut throat. Maybe I have been in a bubble I do not know.

All I can say is this is a must read in 2025 and was published 16 January 2025.

Good Twin, bad twin and everything in between.
I have never being particularly interested in figure skating, I shall certainly look at it in a different light now.
Katerina and her brother Lee are being bought up by her Father after her Mother dies. Kit watches ice skating after her Mother dies and wants to learn how to skate. She first skates at age four and pushes herself, Heath an unhappy boy watches her and falls for her, she teaches him to skate. The two become close, Heath is a foster child and is due to be moved away, Kat's Father offers to foster him as Kat can not face losing him. When her Father dies Lee tries to throw him out, despite Lee's aggression Heath sleeps in barn and continues skating with Kat. The two escape and go to a skating academy run by Kat's heroine Sheila, they meet her twins Garrett and Bella, Garrett welcomes them and tries to help while Bella ignores them.
Kit and Heath work hard at skating, a partner swop happens and Heath eventually leaves a lot of gossip surrounds this. Eventually reunited, can the couple get placed in the Olympic games? lots of underhand dealing, backstabbing and dirty tricks.
The story has interviews with various friends, supporters and rivals, these are eventually used in a documentary, it adds to the book and keeps us guessing .

In a similar vein to Taylor Jenkins Reid’s ‘Carrie Soto is Back’, ‘The Favourites’ is a thoroughly engaging read. I was so invested that I sobbed all the way through the final dance! I loved every scandalous, high-stakes minute and I can't wait to read more of Layne Fargo’s work.

Oh my god I LOVED this! I can't believe these characters aren't real! This is so compulsive, readable, the action leaps of the page and the interview/documentary style is a great way of breaking up the narrative and adding something different. Everyone needs to read this!

This book is FUN, and Layne Fargo has evidently researched the world of ice dancing. Whilst highly entertaining the novel reads as though it has been written with a TV adaptation in mind. I’d watch it!

“We were adults, and we were children, and we were skating at the Olympics and also on the frozen lake back home, laughing and twirling and holding each other tight. It felt like flying and falling and being caught, all in the same instant.”

THIS BOOK

Omg this book was a total whirlwind. It is perfect for fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid, especially those who loved the documentary style of Daisy Jones and the Six.
This book had me gasping, jumping out of my seat, angry at characters and upset for them. It was such a whirlwind of emotions and to make me feel so much even if I didn’t like many of the characters at different points, shows it is a masterpiece of writing.
It was so immersive and fast-paced.
This is definitely not a classic romance book, but love is a key theme throughout. So while this may not be your cup of tea if you need your perfect happily ever after, it shows how love comes in all different forms.

The Favourites is a thrilling, high-stakes ride through the world of Olympic ice dancing! Katarina and Heath’s passionate, rollercoaster relationship will have you hooked from the first page. With its blend of intense emotions, drama, and behind-the-scenes drama of competitive skating, it’s like Daisy Jones & The Six on ice! Fast-paced, addictive, and full of twists, this book will keep you on the edge of your seat. If you're into love, rivalry, and a little bit of scandal, this one's for you!

What a fun and possibly enlightening read. I was never sure just how much back stabbing there is in the sports world, let alone in such a competitive sport as Ice Dancing! We all know about the Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan debacle, which I wonder if this gave the author some material for this novel.
I really enjoyed the way the different journalists, bloggers, judges, friends were inserted to give their opinions on what was happening during the whole story. Such a sad but understandable passion these sports stars have to win at all costs, though not by cheating or hurting fellow competitors, that is going to o far.
The story follows a particular pair through their childhood and all the trials and tribulations they had to go through to get to the top of the Ice Dance world. So well told and described, this was quite the page turner.