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The Favorites: A Novel
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.
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.
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Community Reviews
Katarina Shaw (Kat), a figure skater who grows up poor, wants to be in the Olympics. As a child, she meets Heath Rocha, a foster kid who keeps coming around her family's home. Heath is also a skater, but not in figure skating. They decide to become a couple, on and off the ice, and this story is their up-and-down relationship through the years through the eyes of a third person documentary and interviews with friends and family. But Kat wants to be able to control the narrative, so she participates in telling her story, from childhood to the end of her career.
A dramatic read with twists and turns and about 100 cliff hangers. We enjoyed the read and all the drama, but feel that we could have traded some of the surprises for a bit more character insight into the other main characters. Even though the main characters are all quite young throughout most of the book, we could have used a bit more consideration or explanation of the motives behind some of their actions to make it feel more believable. The pacing also got very fast towards the end, which made a few of the moves feel even more out of left field. That said, the world building was great! We really got a good feel for the drama of the ice dancing world at a competitive level beyond just the actions of our main characters. Loosely based on Wuthering Heights, it did have a slightly happier ending.
I love all of Layne Fargo’s books but this was perfection. Especially the audio, given the format of the book.
Mostly enjoyed this aside from a couple of points when the revolving door of Kat and Heath drama became just too much. Good audiobook with full cast.
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