The Favorites by Layne Fargo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
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.
The Favorites
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 fascination 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.
Skating Toward Disaster
The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙💛💚🖤
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏🌍
Character development: 😋😀😍😎😘
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration type: Dual Narration
Main Characters and Plot Overview
The Favorites follows Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha, two kids from troubled backgrounds who find each other through ice dancing. Kat is fiercely ambitious from the beginning. Her dream is Olympic gold, inspired by skating legend Sheila Lin, while Heath becomes devoted to Kat first and skating second. That difference in motivation becomes one of the most important parts of their relationship. Kat sees skating as her future, while Heath seems to see skating primarily as the way to stay beside the girl he loves.
I really enjoyed the way the story moves between Kat’s memories and an unauthorized documentary being made ten years after the catastrophic end of their partnership. Hearing interviews from friends, rivals, coaches, judges, and people connected to their skating careers gave me pieces of the story without immediately giving me the whole picture. The fact that Heath himself is conspicuously absent from the interviews made me increasingly nervous. I kept thinking that there had to be something much worse behind what happened at the 2014 Olympics.
One of my favorite early moments was Kat and Heath competing at their first Nationals and receiving lower scores than I thought they deserved. That felt particularly believable to me because skating has always had that element of reputation and favoritism, especially when competitors aren’t yet established favorites. Their move to Sheila Lin’s training facility in Los Angeles marks another major turning point, as Kat’s ambition begins pulling harder against her relationship with Heath.
Highlights and Limitations
The format was probably my favorite part of the book. The documentary interviews constantly made me question what I thought I knew about Kat and Heath, while Kat’s recollections filled in the missing pieces. I especially liked seeing how differently people interpreted their relationship. To the public, they were a glamorous skating couple. Behind the scenes, their relationship was much messier, with jealousy, breakups, betrayals, and years of unresolved feelings.
I also appreciated that Kat isn’t simply written as an inspirational athlete. Her determination can be admirable, but it can also hurt people. Heath’s jealousy becomes increasingly uncomfortable, particularly when Kat forms friendships with other male skaters. At the same time, I felt genuinely sad watching Heath’s life revolve so completely around Kat when it was obvious he didn’t share her Olympic ambition. Kat does find out how much she loves Heath, but things are so messed up by that time, it was had to see that anything could be resolved. They made me so angry as it was obvious that they were both hurting and just trying to hurt each other.
Honestly, this story was a bit depressing for me at times. Kat’s first love was skating, while Heath’s first love was Kat, and that imbalance made things volatile. Some of the later twists also pushed the drama toward almost soap-opera territory. By the time the story reaches the Sochi Olympics, there are betrayals, sabotage, Heath’s secret history, an unexpected pregnancy, and the shocking events surrounding Heath’s final performance.
I think I would have preferred a little less of the escalating drama and a little more time exploring Heath’s perspective. The biggest frustration for me was that we hear from so many people, but never really get inside Heath’s head. That absence did create suspense, but it also made me wish I understood him better.
Narration
The audiobook is excellent and the full cast works especially well with the documentary format. Christine Lakin carries Kat’s story and does a great job capturing both her relentless ambition and the vulnerability underneath it. The supporting narrators give the interview sections distinct personalities, which made those portions feel like I was actually listening to a documentary rather than simply hearing different people read dialogue.
Johnny Weir was a particularly fun addition. As a real-life Olympic figure skater, having him portray a skating gossip blogger was practically perfect casting. His energy fit the role wonderfully. The audiobook received an AudioFile Earphones Award, and I can understand why.
Final Thoughts
I went into The Favorites expecting a dramatic figure-skating story, but I wasn’t prepared for how emotionally bleak Kat and Heath’s relationship would become. I cared about both of them, which made some of their choices genuinely painful to listen to. Kat’s determination fascinated me, while Heath’s devotion to her often made me feel bad for him.
The documentary structure kept me guessing, particularly because Heath’s absence from the present-day interviews made me feel like I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. I also loved the skating scenes and the feeling of watching Kat and Heath gradually go from unknown competitors to Olympic-level stars.
This wasn’t a light or uncomplicated romance for me, but I found it memorable, one that will stick with me for a long time. The audiobook especially elevated the experience, and I think the full cast is the way to go with this one. Along the way, I felt frustrated, sad, entertained, and surprisingly invested in what happened to these two people. That combination is probably the best indication of how effectively the story got under my skin. Though, I won’t say how it ended, I really did enjoy how it ended and felt very satisfied with the way things worked out.
Blog|Goodreads|Facebook|Instagram|Pinterest|BookBub
View all my reviews
