A review by eli_romary
The Favorites by Layne Fargo

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I am so stingy with five stars but damn, this book was amazing. I flew through this book in three days, and if it weren't for work and other plans, I would've finished it in one day. 

The chapters are short and interspersed with "transcripts" from a documentary that was created after the events of the book. I felt at the edge of my seat a lot. And I learned a lot about competitive ice dancing.

I also really liked how the book was self-aware. It wasn't trying to sell the relationships in the book as healthy, it wasn't trying to force the characters to seem likable. Honestly, I enjoyed them for how authentic they were, even if they were absolute stone-cold b*tches. I loved the drama and the little bit of mystery that was woven in the story. 

I also loved that even though Kat went through a huge growth arc (in her own way) throughout the book, she never lost her intensity, her snarkiness, her bad b*tch persona, just to make herself more palatable. She learned that winning wasn't everything, but she never lost her personality or who she was. And I really appreciate that. Just like the author said in their bio - I support women's rights, and also women's wrongs. Also, speaking of women's wrongs, I LOVE how the saboteur was planted right in front of us the whole time through the documentary. Incredible.
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