A review by life_full_ofbooks
The Favorites by Layne Fargo

emotional hopeful informative inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

The Favorites is a great title for this book because this is definitely going on my Favorites of 2025 list. This mockumentary takes us behind the scenes of competitive ice dancing and while the story is fictional you’ll be so immersed that you’ll completely forget it’s a novel and not a tell all. 

Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha were complete nobodies when they competed in their first Ice Dancing Nationals back when they were barely 18. Soon, though, they took the figure skating world by storm and quickly became the best ice dancing duo in the world- until their last Olympic Games when it all came crashing down. Now, 10 years after that fateful night, a documentary has been produced explaining exactly what happened to Shaw and Rocha. With Katarina narrating her story and cut in interviews from skaters, judges, and a gossip reporter, we are finally given the inside look as to how the greatest ice dancing team ultimately imploded and faded away. 

Written in the same style as Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Daisy Jones and the Six, Layne Fargo has given us the same immersive experience one doesn’t normally get in a book. I happened to listen to this and it was an incredible auditory experience. Narrated by a full cast it seems like you are listening to an actual documentary. 

I’m not always a fan of books turned into tv shows, but I certainly hope this is turned into a miniseries, as I expect it will be as great a hit as Shaw and Rocha were.