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Sign up todayThe Favorites
A Novel
Length
13 hours 35 minutes
Language
English
Narrators
Christine Lakin, Louisa Zhu, Amy Landon, Elena Rey, Valerie Rose Lohman, Suzanne Toren, Graham Halstead, Julia Emelin, Layne Fargo, Eric Yang & Johnny Weir
This audiobook uses AI narration.
We’re taking steps to make sure AI narration is transparent.
Learn moreBookseller recommendation
“This audiobook will have you hooked from the beginning! The way they recorded it, the full cast, and the story all make for the perfect combo. ”
— Alyssa • The Pretty Posy Books & Gifts
Bookseller recommendation
“I am always on the lookout for a book that is going to consume me, where when I’m not reading or listening to it I’m still thinking and obsessing over it. And THIS BOOK!!! Holy heck, I was CONSUMED! I finished listening while grocery shopping, which was a very bad idea, my hands were gripping the cart so tight with all this pent up anxiety over how the ending was going to unfold. I’m not sure I even bought everything I was supposed to but the book was worth it all! To say I have an epic book hangover is an understatement! Set in the competitive world of ice dance, this story hooked me from the start and wouldn’t let me go!!! The drama, ohhhh the drama and the rivalries and the jealousy, gah! I was here for it ALL. Katarina and Heath’s young romance burned hot and shown through their dances on ice but the need to be the absolute best and come out on top led to some harsh realities and heartbreaking outcomes. I love the way the story was told with a documentary style look back over their career and love life and everything that led to their downfall. The nervous anticipation to keep listening to see what was happening next set my anxiety on high alert! Literally had a jaw hit the floor moment while listening to this book, I could not believe what had just transpired and yet I couldn’t look away. All that to say, I cannot recommend this book enough, it was everything I didn’t know I needed in a book.”
— Kelly • Novel Grounds
Bookseller recommendation
“Could. Not. Stop. Listening. The incredible full cast takes Fargo’s Wuthering Heights retelling to the next level. The story weaves and carves at a breakneck speed just like Heath and Kat’s turbulent ice dancing and romance. It’s hard to say this might be a favorite of the year when it’s the second week in January but I think I just did…”
— Lissa • Book Club Bar
Bookseller recommendation
“I finished this book a few hours ago and I'm STILL wanting to be back in the world within the book. I love everything about it - the drama, the characters, the love story, the world of competitive figure skating... all of it was masterfully written and I didn't want it to end, but I couldn't stop listening. The full cast is brilliant and I'm going to have a tough time not telling people to skip buying the print book so they can experience it as an Audiobook. If you have a credit and you don't get this one you're missing out. ”
— Jennifer • The Bookstore at Fitger's
Bookseller recommendation
“This book is like a Daisy Jones and the Six and Challengers mash-up! The documentary style lends itself super well for the audiobook and the sports drama, sexual tension, and trauma kept me rapt the whole way through. ”
— Meghan • More Than Words
Bookseller recommendation
“Is it too soon to name The Favorites the best audiobook of 2025? I loved everything about this beautifully crafted novel. The story is intensely engaging, and every member of the audio cast is stellar. ”
— Kelli • The Novel Neighbor
Bookseller recommendation
“Sports driven drama that follows the rise of ice dancing pair Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha from pre-teens through adulthood. Told in part by an unauthorized documentary, highly recommend the audiobook that is voiced by a full cast including ice skating legend Johnny Weir.”
— Jennifer • The Pretty Posy Books & Gifts
Bookseller recommendation
“I loved everything about this exhilarating novel. I raced through this epic love story set within the demanding, cutthroat world of competitive ice dancing filled with fascinating characters and all the drama we love both on and off the ice.”
— Anderson McKean • Page and Palette
Bookseller recommendation
“Wow! This is a roller coaster of a read! It’s beautifully narrated by a cast of characters in a documentary style à la Daisy Jones & the Six. It follows Katarina Shaw & Heath Rocha’s lives, love story and pursuit of Olympic gold in ice dancing. Filled with many twists and surprises it also give some interesting insight into the world of elite figure skating. ”
— Kristen • Dragon Tale Books
Summary
To the world, they were a scandal. To each other, an obsession.
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 Wish You Were Here
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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Audiobook details
Author:
Layne Fargo
Narrators:
Christine Lakin, Louisa Zhu, Amy Landon, Elena Rey, Valerie Rose Lohman, Suzanne Toren, Graham Halstead, Julia Emelin, Layne Fargo, Eric Yang & Johnny Weir
ISBN:
9780593946442
Length:
13 hours 35 minutes
Language:
English
Publisher:
Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
Publication date:
January 14, 2025
Edition:
Unabridged
Libro.fm rank:
#7 Overall
Genre rank:
#3 in Romance
Reviews
“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 Wish You Were Here“A true literary triple axel: a smart and nuanced retelling of a classic, a tense sports drama, and a perfectly twisted romance.”—Rachel Hawkins, New York Times bestselling author of The Heiress and The Wife Upstairs
“A glittery compulsive whirl of a book, filled with spite and love and sequins and ambition.”—Holly Gramazio, New York Times bestselling author of The Husbands
“Breathtaking . . . The ferocious passion between Kat and Heath leaps off the page, and the captivating drama that unfolds on and off the ice is unrelenting.”—Margarita Montimore, USA Today bestselling author of Acts of Violet and Oona Out of Order
“A deliciously scathing, sexy novel . . . passionate, cutthroat, and irresistibly fun.”—Julia Fine, author of Maddalena and the Dark
“The Favorites is Tell Me Lies meets The Cutting Edge—a juicy, addictive look at an ice dancing pair whose obsession with winning is matched only by their obsession with each other.”—Sara Sligar, author of Take Me Apart
“A tale of ambition and scorching passion that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.”—Jean Kwok, New York Times bestselling author of The Leftover Woman
“As a former competitive figure skater, I devoured this epic love story set in the passionate world of ice dancing. The Favorites is every bit as spellbinding as it is brilliant. . . . An absolute must read!”—Wendy Walker, bestselling author of Mad Love and What Remains
“As romantic as it is thrilling, The Favorites is an urgent and addictive story of the demands of ambition and the drama of obsessive love. Layne Fargo writes with a passion and propulsion that that will have you captivated until the very last page.”—Ela Lee, author of Jaded
“What an addictive read . . . Layne Fargo weighs the costs of ambition and love, fame and trust, and drive and fate in a story as shimmering and lethal as ice-dancing itself.”—Emma Brodie, author of Songs in Ursa Major
“The Favorites masterfully weaves ambition and obsession into an epic, page-turning love story.”—Rufaro Faith Mazarura, author of Let the Games Begin
“A drama of epic proportions.”—Library Journal
“Violent passions, bloody on-ice accidents, bedroom betrayals, sabotage, paparazzi-driven scandals, and nonstop cliffhangers . . . Colleen Hoover–style romance heads to the Olympic rink. Buckle up.”—Kirkus Reviews Expand reviews
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