
Author: Layne Fargo
Published by: Random House on Jan. 14, 2025
Genres: Contemporary Romance, General Fiction
Pages: 448
Format: Paperback
Source: Penguin Random House Canada
Book Rating: 10/10
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:
Multilayered, dramatic, and gripping!
The Favorites is an absorbing, passionate tale that sweeps you away into the cutthroat world of figure skating and the unauthorized documentary of the tumultuous, intimate relationship and lives of Olympic figure skaters Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha ten years after their final skate.
The prose is intricate and raw. The characters are flawed, genuine, and well-developed. And the plot, using a mix of narration and interviews, intertwines and unravels seamlessly into an immersive tale about life, loss, love, family, manipulation, obsession, desire, dreams, betrayal, competition, gossip, glitz, glamour, fame, and ruthless ambition.
Overall, The Favorites is a seductive, scandalous, intoxicating tale by Fargo that I absolutely devoured. It had just the right amount of intensity, angst, romance, and passion to keep me invested from start to finish and will definitely hold a spot as one of my favourite reads of the year!
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Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.