The Favorites: A Novel (Unabridged)
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4.1 • 160 Ratings
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
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 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.
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.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
This drama-soaked romance between Olympic skaters makes the Tonya Harding–Nancy Kerrigan scandal seem like a bedtime story. Katarina and Heath have gone from being orphan kids to teenage sweethearts to a championship skating duo. But their rise to fame eventually becomes dramatic tabloid fodder, both on and off the ice. (It literally gets bloody.) Author Layne Fargo tells this operatic story in a fresh and interesting way, interspersing the real-time events with transcriptions of a documentary made 10 years after Katarina and Heath’s career ended in catastrophe at the 2014 Olympics. Throughout the story, Fargo finds the ideal balance of intense passion, subtle character development, and tongue-in-cheek humor. The full-cast reading, featuring big narrators like Christine Lakin and real-life skating star Johnny Weir, fits the novel’s oral-history format well, making the whole thing feel like a binge-worthy documentary miniseries. You bring the popcorn and The Favorites will keep the thrills coming.
Customer Reviews
Meh
This has been marketed as a thriller and mystery but to me it is neither. There is definitely lots of drama between Heath & Katerina. I like the friendship that Bella and Katerina form. Layne Fargo’s writing is good & the audiobook is well narrated.