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Explore membershipsThe Favorites
A Novel
Length
14 hours 41 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 & Brandon Perea
This audiobook uses AI narration.
We’re taking steps to make sure AI narration is transparent.
Learn moreBookseller 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
“Fun!”
— Ana Crowley • Rozzie Bound Co-op
Bookseller recommendation
“Excellent story and excellent audio with a full cast! I felt like I was there in the drama! ”
— Jana • Inscribe Books
Bookseller recommendation
“This book is a dramatic, twisty story about ambition, obsession, and complicated relationships that teeter between empowering and toxic. Set in the world of elite Olympic ice dancing, this book will keep you on the edge of your ice blades as you root for your favorite (and least favorite) ice dancers. PS: This audiobook is amazing, with a full cast of characters to complement the interview-style writing. ”
— Maggie • River Bend Bookshop
Bookseller recommendation
“A hidden, cutthroat world of Ice Skating - we’ve heard the stories before. But this is so good and you will see the parallels to classic stories with an orphan swept up in the world of rich and calculating “mentors”. Check it out if you haven’t ”
— Juicy • Park Books
Bookseller recommendation
“That was the most insane rollercoaster ride EVER. I had no idea where the story was going at all. It had family drama, betrayal, love, lust, ALL OF IT. The fact the audiobook was fully casted was chefs kiss AND it was written as a documentary. As it should. The complexity of the characters & the timeline & the story were just incredible. I found myself gasping and on my toes for what was going to happen next. I thought it was just a romance but I was wrong! It was a literary dive & I loved it. I just can't even explain how much I truly truly loved this book!”
— Haley • Gramercy Books
Bookseller recommendation
“In the mood for ice skating melodrama with full cast narration? This is just the book for you! Clocking in at over 13 hours, this was somehow still not long enough. Audio is the best possible way to consume this book. ”
— TriNai • SeeWhich Books
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
“This audiobook was FANTASTIC! Easily 5 stars for the audio alone! I went into this book blind after seeing other RAVE. I am so glad I did! A drama filled, binge worthy book! Pick up this book if you are trying to get out of a reading slump!’n ”
— Madeleine • Neighborhood Reads
Bookseller recommendation
“What a dramatic trip this book was, I don’t even know where to start. This is a book I had been wanting to read since it released and I am so glad I indulged in the audio. With hearing a whole cast play out the tell-all approach of the book, I feel like it truly enhanced the overall experience.”
— Carolyn • Spoke & Word Books
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
Bookseller recommendation
“This was messy, exhilarating and addicting! This is a modern day Wuthering Heights retelling, written as a documentary, following the turbulent lives of legendary ice dancing champions Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha. Perfect for fans of Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid and Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry! ”
— Cari • Books Inc.
Summary
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—now with bonus material including two never-before-seen chapters!“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 HereShe 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.This audiobook includes a downloadable PDF which contains the discussion questions, Meet the Ice Dancers, The Favorites playlist, and Ice Dancing: Rules and Fun Facts from the book.
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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 & Brandon Perea
ISBN:
9780593946442
Length:
14 hours 41 minutes
Language:
English
Publisher:
Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
Publication date:
January 14, 2025
Edition:
Unabridged
PDF extra:
Available
Libro.fm rank:
#18 Overall
Genre rank:
#16 in Fiction
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 By Any Other Name“The Favorites is a dizzying left hook to the jaw that drops the reader behind the scenes of competitive pairs ice dancing. . . . [Fargo’s] characters are unabashedly extra.”—The Washington Post
“One of the most heart-wrenching, epic and passionate romances I’ve read in quite some time . . . I already wish I could read it again for the first time.”—Betty Cayouette, People
“The horny ice skating novel The Favorites could not have possibly arrived at a more perfect time. . . . Immersive, wildly addictive.”—Paste
“[The Favorites] has a simple premise, executed perfectly: Wuthering Heights, but make it Olympic figure skaters. . . . So effing good.”—CrimeReads
“Irresistibly pulpy . . . The Favorites shimmers and delights.”—Bookreporter
“An epic love story set in the dazzling but brutal world of elite ice dancing . . . Think The Cutting Edge meets Daisy Jones & The Six.”—KMUW
“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
“The Favorites combines the emotion of a coming-of-age tale with the sensationalism of the most audacious news headlines, creating a thoroughly intriguing read.”—Chicago Review of Books
“Engrossing, thrilling, and just downright fun.”—Booklist, starred review
“Colleen Hoover–style romance heads to the Olympic rink. Buckle up.”—Kirkus Reviews
“A deliciously scathing, sexy novel . . . passionate, cutthroat, and irresistibly fun.”—Julia Fine, author of Maddalena and the Dark
“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
“What an addictive read . . .”—Emma Brodie, author of Songs in Ursa Major
“A drama of epic proportions.”—Library Journal Expand reviews
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