The Favorites – Layne Fargo
I wasn’t quite ready to give up Olympic drama when the Winter Games ended, so I pivoted to “The Favorites,” which turned out to be the perfect frothy palate cleanser after a run of heavier nonfiction.
Framed as an unauthorized documentary revisiting the most infamous ice dancing pair of the early 2000s, the Layne Fargo traces Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha from scrappy Midwestern kids to global skating celebrities. Kat is singularly driven — skating is her first love, full stop — while Heath’s devotion is to Kat rather than the sport itself. Their chemistry on the ice is matched only by the volatility off it.
The documentary structure works well at first. The short chapters and rotating POVs — including a snarky judge, a Perez Hilton–style skating blogger, rival skaters and their Svengali coach — give the book momentum and a reality-TV sheen. There’s plenty of early-2000s nostalgia baked in, both the fun kind (music, tabloid culture) and the uglier celebrity-industrial-complex kind.
If this occasionally feels like “Carrie Soto Is Back” on ice, that’s not a knock. But let’s be honest: most readers aren’t here for the intricacies of edge work and scoring systems. They’re here for betrayal, ambition, sabotage and romantic dysfunction. On that front, Fargo delivers — sometimes a little too enthusiastically.
The drama escalates to a level that strains credibility, particularly around the Olympic fallout and the Sochi scheming, which had me rolling my eyes in annoyance and inanity. At a certain point, the twists felt less sharp and instead repetitive bloat. I kept thinking this could have been 100-pages shorter.
The audiobook, however, is a standout. Christine Lakin captures Kat’s relentless drive and flashes of vulnerability beautifully. Johnny Weir clearly relishes his role as gossip-blogger Ellis Dean — whether that’s acting or just Johnny being Johnny is part of the fun. Suzanne Toren and Julia Emelin are strong, too. The rest of the ensemble blends together somewhat, but the full-cast format enhances the documentary conceit.
The bonus Heath-centered short stories included in the audiobook add dimension to his loyalty, but they feel more indulgent than essential.
Ultimately, this has the glossy, heightened energy of a Ryan Murphy production: stylish, dramatic, campy and undeniably entertaining. Not high art, but it’s also not trying to be.
Thanks for Libro.fm, Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group and the author for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Rating (story): 3.5/5 stars
Rating (narration): 4/5 stars
Format: Audiobook (personal library)
Dates read: February 22 – February 28, 2026
Multi-tasking: Good to go. Pay close attention in the early chapters to get your footing with the characters and documentary-style structure. After that, it becomes an easy listen, with the short chapters and rotating POVs making it simple to follow along regardless of activity.
