Favourite is a beautifully observed and emotionally layered novel that explores the complexities of family, memory, and identity. Fran Littlewood writes with sensitivity and insight, drawing readers into a story that feels both intimate and universal. Her characters are vivid and flawed in ways that make them deeply real, and the themes of love, loss, and belonging resonate long after the final page. A moving and thought-provoking read.

Rich with tension and layered characters, this is a novel about envy, belonging, and the fragile roles we play in family. Reading it was both compulsive and unsettling.

I adored Amazing Grace Adams, couldn’t put it down, so I was excited to read The Favourite. For the first few pages, I wasn’t sure - I have low tolerance for novels about family secrets being exposed - but it didn’t take long before I was gripped by the characters and the setting, and then I flew through this book too.

Fran Littlewood is such a gorgeous, smart, warm writer. Every character is perfectly drawn - I feel like I know every one of them. When I got to the (entirely satisfying) end, I burst into tears. This book is about family secrets being exposed, yes, but really it’s about life and family and ageing and sisters and love. (And also, unfortunately, toads.)

This was a great book. I’m also a sucker for a story about sisters. I was captivated by the characters and the storyline. Family tension overload! It has a really strong start and did flag slightly in the middle. Overall, I enjoyed it.

It wasn’t until three quarters through that the story took off. A long ago hidden incident is finally exposed and there is the promise of resolution. Because I was engaged at the end, I’ll move my rating from 2.5 stars to three.

Loved this title. As someone with quite a few sisters, this story definitely felt very relatable at moments. Emotional, powerful and a character-driven read. I can't wait to see what Fran Littlewood writes next - I'm such a big fan.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This is a hard read if you have siblings, as it can definitely dredge up a load of trauma that you've probably been suppressing for decades! I'm not sure I truly enjoyed this book, but it definitely struck a chord and made me think back to my own childhood relationships. I did very much enjoy the Easter egg reference to Littlewood's previous book though!

Family secrets and sibling rivalries laid bare
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Home is where they have to take you in. When three sisters in their 40s, Alex, Nancy and Eva, are joined by their families at a remote designer house in the countryside to celebrate a new baby and their mother’s seventieth birthday, no-one knows what fractures will be revealed, what secrets uncovered at last, and what truths have always rung true. With husbands, partners and children of all ages in tow, the designer house made entirely of glass is not the place to hide anything from each other. After a freak accident appears to reveal who is their father’s favourite amongst the three sisters, a week cooped up together will force them to reckon with everything they’ve ever held back, every little worry that shapes their days, and the seemingly inevitable choices that they have to make.

At first, the metaphors are too clearly outlined for you to ignore: a tree falls in a forest, a huge house made entirely of glass—one of the characters even talks about people in glass houses—but they’re actually very clever red herrings to distract you from the real story behind the story, the secret that isn’t revealed until deep in the third act, even as a bigger disaster lands where it can do the most damage, do the most good. I’m not sure if I liked any of the characters, and some are designed for you to hate (or at the very least make you cringe), but I really liked how, by the end, everybody’s facade is stripped to the bone and the real relationships are reset, and with hope for the future.

I liked that we got to see each sister’s perspective and that each had their own issues in their lives. I liked that we also got to see their mother’s point of view throughout. I felt that it highlighted how no two lives are the same and everyone has their own things to be powering through.

I enjoyed Amazing Grace Adams so was pleased to read another book by Fran - this centres around 3 sisters who are in their 40's and they gather together with their partners and children and parents for a holiday. Something happens and it looks like the father 'saves' one of his girls - is she the favourite child?
We get to hear from past events and the 3 girls give their own point of view as to what happens - lots of secrets exposed. A good read

I was really excited to be given a copy of Fran’s second book as I had loved her debut Amazing Grace Adams. Fran has done it again! Another 5 star read for me. I couldn’t put this book down and was absolutely emerged in the secrets and stories of everyone in this book. The characters are really well drawn and the sense of sisterhood shone through. I liked how bit by bit secrets were revealed and how so often they weren’t what you were expecting at all. A superb character driven story that kept me reaching for my book at every opportunity. I can’t wait to see what Fran writes next!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for a review.

I really enjoyed ‘Amazing Grace Adams’ and so went into this with very high expectations. I enjoyed it, but it didn’t blow me away. This is a family drama with sibling rivalry and secrets. There is some humour in here as well, especially when the three sisters are together. The three sisters, Alex, Nancy and Eva are in their 40s with partners and children of their own. They gather together for a week’s holiday with their parents, Patrick and Vivienne, to celebrate Vivienne’s 70th birthday in a glass house rented for the occasion by Eva. The old saying that those in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones is relevant in this tale. At the beginning of the stay, the family hold a naming ceremony for Alex’s new, surprise baby and during the photos a tree starts to fall Patrick drops everything to ‘save’ one of the girls leaving the other two stunned. Dad had always maintained that he didn’t have a favourite daughter. The fact that he chose to save one must mean that she is the favourite. From there we go back to various episodes in the girl’s pasts and we have POVs from all three sisters and Vivienne. We see past events through their eyes and we see unreliable memories. We see the secrets that had been buried both in the past and even in the present. I did wonder why the father never had a POV but that became very apparent as the novel neared its end why he was not given a voice. This is a very dysfunctional family and that includes the sisters’ partners and children. Funnily enough for a book about The Favourite, I didn’t actually have a favourite sister - they all grew on me over time. As I said at the beginning, I enjoyed it, I just didn’t love it.

I enjoyed this book, I really liked the same scenario as remembered by each sister. Their memories overlapped and sometimes played out differently. Family dynamics, secrets, tensions it’s all there and very well written. Recommended!

An interesting read about family relationships and secrets. The pace was slow, and the very frequent flashbacks were offputting somehow, leaving me wondering whether we were still in the past, or back in the present. All the characters seemed unbalanced and I didn’t warm to any of them, although there were some humorous scenes which I enjoyed. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc.

The Fisher sisters, grown women in their 40s are on a big family holiday marking mum Vivienne's 70th birthday. A freak accident on day 1 sees dad, Patrick, inadvertently showing he has a favourite daughter. Family niggles and secrets emerge over the week, ending with the most revealing secret of all. Interesting to look back on one night in the past from all three girls' perspectives and see quite different interpretations and memories. An interesting and riveting read. #netgalley #thefavourite

I found this book quite hard work. It took me a long time to read as it jumped around all over the place without really going anywhere. The characters were all a bit unhinged & not very believable.

It’s about a family of two parents, 3 adult daughters & varying men (past & present) and their kids.

Sorry… 3* from me.

Darkly funny, sharp, and emotionally rich 👑💔. The Favourite explores family dynamics, sibling rivalry, and buried secrets with wit and heart. Fran Littlewood’s writing is clever and full of biting humour, balanced with tender reflections on love and loss. I loved the flawed, relatable characters and the emotional complexity beneath the laughs. Perfect for fans of dysfunctional family dramas with a darkly comic twist.

Thanks netgalley for allowing me a copy of this book. I love reading books that feature sibling dynamics. This story follows the lives of 3 sisters and their families in past and present times. Secrets,lies and rivalry are just some of topics within the story. It took me a little while to "get into" this book, but on the whole it was an ok read.

DNF. I just didn't gel with the writing style and didn't feel any desire to continue reading. Not for me.

About a family with three sisters, the book is told from different perspectives which gradually fit together to tell the family history. The individual narratives hop between different timeperiods. In the present day, the family has met up in a modern rented home in the Lake district, together with most of their families. All have their own secrets/ problems in their adult lives which aren't immediately mentioned. Their parents have also had their ups and downs.
Quite a complicated book to get into, more about feelings than events, though the explanations do get revealed within the book. I did not really get into the book until about a third of the way in, it all felt a little too unconnected, but as the pieces started to fit together, I was more invested in the book. and the family story . I did come to like the individual takes on the same events and the family dynamics where there is a feeling that your sister is the favourite and the long reaching effect of events in childhood into adulthood. Now that I have finished, I can say that I enjoyed the book on the whole, though it was not an easy read at times.
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC