The Favorites - by Layne Fargo (Hardcover)

About the Book

"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 rollercoaster 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 either. 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"--

Book Synopsis

To the world, they were a scandal. To each other, an obsession.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER - An epic love story set in the sparkling, savage sphere of elite figure skating, starring a woman determined to carve her own path on and off the ice

"Part Wuthering Heights and part Daisy Jones & The Six, this novel is as brilliantly choreographed as a gold medal performance and will keep you guessing until its last page."--Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author of By Any Other Name

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.

Review Quotes

"Part Wuthering Heights and part Daisy Jones & The Six, this novel is as brilliantly choreographed as a gold medal performance and will keep you guessing until its last page."--Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author of By Any Other Name

"The Favorites is a dizzying left hook to the jaw that drops the reader behind the scenes of competitive pairs ice dancing. . . . [Fargo's] characters are unabashedly extra."--The Washington Post

"One of the most heart-wrenching, epic and passionate romances I've read in quite some time . . . I already wish I could read it again for the first time."--Betty Cayouette, People

"The horny ice skating novel The Favorites could not have possibly arrived at a more perfect time. . . . Immersive, wildly addictive."--Paste

"[The Favorites] has a simple premise, executed perfectly: Wuthering Heights, but make it Olympic figure skaters. . . . So effing good."--CrimeReads

"Irresistibly pulpy . . . The Favorites shimmers and delights."--Bookreporter

"An epic love story set in the dazzling but brutal world of elite ice dancing . . . Think The Cutting Edge meets Daisy Jones & The Six."--KMUW

"A true literary triple axel: a smart and nuanced retelling of a classic, a tense sports drama, and a perfectly twisted romance."--Rachel Hawkins, New York Times bestselling author of The Heiress and The Wife Upstairs

"A glittery compulsive whirl of a book, filled with spite and love and sequins and ambition."--Holly Gramazio, New York Times bestselling author of The Husbands

"Breathtaking . . . The ferocious passion between Kat and Heath leaps off the page, and the captivating drama that unfolds on and off the ice is unrelenting."--Margarita Montimore, USA Today bestselling author of Acts of Violet and Oona Out of Order

"The Favorites combines the emotion of a coming-of-age tale with the sensationalism of the most audacious news headlines, creating a thoroughly intriguing read."--Chicago Review of Books

"Engrossing, thrilling, and just downright fun."--Booklist, starred review

"Colleen Hoover-style romance heads to the Olympic rink. Buckle up."--Kirkus Reviews

"A deliciously scathing, sexy novel . . . passionate, cutthroat, and irresistibly fun."--Julia Fine, author of Maddalena and the Dark

"A tale of ambition and scorching passion that will keep readers on the edge of their seats."--Jean Kwok, New York Times bestselling author of The Leftover Woman

"What an addictive read . . ."--Emma Brodie, author of Songs in Ursa Major

"A drama of epic proportions."--Library Journal

About the Author

Layne Fargo has a background in theater, women's studies, and library science, so it's only fitting that she now writes deliciously dramatic, unapologetically feminist stories for a living. She's the author of psychological thrillers They Never Learn and Temper, as well as co-author on the bestselling Young Rich Widows series, and her work has been translated into over a dozen languages. Layne lives in Chicago with her partner, their pets, and an ever-expanding collection of books she's definitely going to read before she dies.