Layne Fargo has a background in theater, women's studies, and library science, so it's only fitting that she now writes deliciously dramatic, unapologetically feminist stories for a living. She's the author of psychological thrillers They Never Learn and Temper, as well as co-author on the bestselling Young Rich Widows series, and her work has been translated into over a dozen languages. Layne lives in Chicago with her partner, their pets, and an ever-expanding collection of books she's definitely going to read before she dies.

"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

Publisher: Random House Trade

Pub date: 2025-09-30

Length: 496 pages