The Favorites by Layne Fargo Published by Random House on January 14, 2025
Genres: Fiction / Coming of Age, Fiction / Sports, Fiction / Women
Pages: 448
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780593732045To the world, they were a scandal. To each other, an obsession.
She might not have a famous name, funding, or her family’s support, but Katarina Shaw has always known that she was destined to become an Olympic skater. When she meets Heath Rocha, a lonely kid stuck in the foster care system, their instant connection makes them a formidable duo on the ice. Clinging to skating—and each other—to escape their turbulent lives, Kat and Heath go from childhood sweethearts to champion ice dancers, captivating the world with their scorching chemistry, rebellious style, and roller-coaster relationship.
Until a shocking incident at the Olympic Games brings their partnership to a sudden end.
As the ten-year anniversary of their final skate approaches, an unauthorized documentary reignites the public obsession with Shaw and Rocha, claiming to uncover the “real story” through interviews with their closest friends and fiercest rivals. Kat wants nothing to do with the documentary, but she can’t stand the thought of someone else defining her legacy. So, after a decade of silence, she’s telling her story: from the childhood tragedies that created her all-consuming bond with Heath to the clash of desires that tore them apart. Sensational rumors have haunted their every step for years, but the truth may be even more shocking than the headlines.
Before I get into the review of this, I first have to say DRUGS! This whole thing was about DRUGS! At this point, I was already over the book and was just trying to finish it, but I’m still pissed.
One of my book clubs back in Texas read this book in 2025, and even though I don’t live there I’m still connected with all of them. But considering how long the wait list for the book was at the library, I decided I’d pass on reading it. It wasn’t until I saw an Instagram post from Layne Fargo about her going back to this world with The Ice Queens that I decided to read The Favorites. Yes, I know it’s not a “series,” but I’m weird and still like to read the first book in an interconnected series.
The premise definitely sounded interesting, and I’m always here for messy, complicated characters. I flew through the first 150 or so pages, I kept wanting to know more about these characters and all the drama surrounding them. Then I kept reading the next day and it just all came apart for me. The drama became way too much, as well as repetitive, the characters felt really two dimensional (the only one who didn’t is Kat and that’s probably due to it being from her point-of-view), and the entire dénouement was a tiring plot point that definitely wasn’t as bad as all the lead up to it led me to believe.
Again, the first half-ish of the book, I was here for it all! I loved getting to know the characters and thought they all had pretty compelling storylines…at first. As I said above, the plot felt really repetitive after a while. Each part had the same cycle of Kat wanting to achieve something in ice dance, her and Heath getting close to the top, some drama/event would happen, they’d go nuclear, and repeat ad nauseam. A lot of the middle could’ve been edited down and maybe even 100-200 pages chopped off. While narratively, it was interesting to have the frame story be this film documentary, even those snippets felt repetitive. The people on the documentary just kept repeating what they said and then alluding to the Sochi Olympics event that ended everything. Or even at times, just repeating what I just read or what I’m about to read. It was to make it seem narratively interesting in the Taylor Jenkins Reid vein, but it didn’t work out plot wise. Speaking about the documentary scenes, I expected so much more happened at the Sochi Olympics. The way it was set up with the blood on the Olympic rings, how the people in the documentary were talking about it all, I was thinking we were going to have an actual murder at the end, not just an negligent murder (attempted murder).
The characters mostly felt pretty flat. The only one who had any real development was Kat. All we know about Heath is that he was in the foster system and he loves Kat and will anything for her. That’s it! There’s nothing else to this boy/man, none of his motivations or dreams or whatever was present. Even near the end, when Kat comes back for one final chance at the Olympics and finds out he’s teaching choreography, we don’t know how he feels about it. That’s another thing, I’m here for a miscommunication trope when it works, and this did not work for me. When they’re teens, yes, obviously it makes sense for them to not know how to communicate with each other, especially with all the trauma they’ve both endured. As the story progresses, I would’ve hoped for better communication. Not necessarily perfect, but just something. I was especially annoyed with this hypocritical viewpoint of Heath’s were Kat doesn’t talk to him and won’t let him in. Um, pot meet kettle! You can’t ask for vulnerability without giving any yourself. After each major incident, Kat was always the one trying to find him (even making herself sick). He disappeared without a word. I’m not saying someone can’t take a minute from a fight or should hear something really bad from the person they love. Obviously, when hurt and needing time to regroup that’s totally valid, I need that too. But letting someone KNOW WHERE YOU ARE is a common courtesy.
Even from the beginning, Heath gave me the ick. When he never let any male person near Kat, I wasn’t there for that. Him coming back after the disappearing act to partner with Bella just to make Kat jealous was ridiculous, him LYING to Kat after the St. Louis competition that the Lins never visited then finding out that they did but he wouldn’t let them in because he AGAIN lied and said she didn’t want to see them was all such red flags! Yet, not only did she keep going back to him but everyone in their lives encouraged it. I’m not saying the media and fans but the people who knew the relationship (Bella, Garrett, Ellis, etc.). I guess it’s the idea that none of them had healthy relationships growing up to model after, but even I knew after spending time in the world that certain relationships are not good for you and this is one of them. Throughout the book, I felt no connection with their story and was not rooting for them to be together.
I’ve seen a ton of reviews focus on the “cheating” aspect between Bella and Heath. Would I have called this cheating if it was my relationship? Probably. The having sex part wouldn’t really bother me as much as the obfuscating around if y’all (Bella and Heath in this situation) are together or not. Plus, the refusal to have a real conversation with me instead of going straight for revenge. I understand both Heath and Bella were hurt by Kat, I’m not saying Kat wasn’t a bitch and horrible to them, but the reaction wasn’t proportional. It also seemed really odd for 26 year olds to do, it felt more like someone in their early 20s would’ve done. I’m more annoyed by the fact that there’s really no character development through any of this book. Kat and Heath have a major blow out, Kat says something extremely bitchy, Heath jacks up the retaliation to 15, and the entire relationship goes nuclear. Even at the end with the baby, Bella and Heath are still keeping shit from Kat, yet Kat was the ONLY one to have grown up in this time because her reaction to the event is to make sure Bella is okay and Heath can stay with her. Her response was quite mature. It felt like added drama for the sake of it.
The ending of the book with the last chapter of Kat, Heath, and Bella all living together outside of Chicago felt way too idealized to me. Bella not wanting to raise her kid in the spotlight felt right, but all three of them managing to work together and raise a kid felt way too perfect. It also feels like it was trying to fit in the picture perfect ending of a romance book with marriage and kids without actually having marriage and kid. I’m all for not getting married or having kids. I don’t want any kids. But setting it up were Kat’s now the stepmom to Heath and Bella’s child with Heath and Kat perpetually engaged just felt odd.
I didn’t realize until going online to rate the book and seeing the tags that this was actually a romance book, which is why I’m sure it had that horrible ending. I would’ve loved to have seen this book end with Heath and Kat not ending up together, maybe them finally seeing that while they love each other they’re not good for/to each other. I’m not a counselor, and I don’t pretend to know everything, but I would seriously prescribe all of them weekly (or maybe even twice a week) sessions with someone.
Lastly, while one of the frames of the story was the documentary, I really would’ve loved to have known what was Kat’s framing of this. Was this a book she was writing for later publication? Was this an interview with a print publication? Who was she talking to the entire time? Who was the audience? I love when author’s are creative when telling a story, but I like it more when they introduce something and then wrap it up at the end.
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