
The Favourites
Layne Fargo(Author)
Chatto & Windus (Publisher)
Published on 16. January 2025
Book
Hardback
448 pages
978-1-78474-548-6 (ISBN)
Description
To the world, they were a scandal. To each other, an obsession.
'Part Wuthering Heights and part Daisy Jones and the Six . . . As brilliantly choreographed as a gold-medal performance' JODI PICOULT
BBC Radio 2 Book Club pick
***** READERS ARE OBSESSED WITH THE FAVOURITES*****
'A true gold medal 5-star book'
'Forever changed me'
'Completely captivating'
'Spectacular drama'
'My book of 2025 - already'
'Get ready to be obsessed'
Everyone thinks Heath Rocha was my first love. He wasn't. My first love was figure skating.
Katarina Shaw has always known she's 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 fans with their scorching chemistry, rebellious style and rollercoaster relationship.
Until, at the Olympic Games, as the world holds its breath, a shocking incident instantly destroys their partnership.
Ten years later, an unauthorised tell-all documentary reignites the public obsession with Shaw and Rocha. If Kat wants to own her story, she must break her silence. As Kat's account of her dramatic rise and fall alternates with scandalous interviews from the film, The Favourites spins into a dance between passion, ambition and what it truly means to win.
Sensational rumours have haunted Kat and Heath's every step for years, but the truth may be even more outrageous than the headlines.
The ultimate love story to curl up with as the nights draw in
'Part Wuthering Heights and part Daisy Jones and the Six . . . As brilliantly choreographed as a gold-medal performance' JODI PICOULT
BBC Radio 2 Book Club pick
***** READERS ARE OBSESSED WITH THE FAVOURITES*****
'A true gold medal 5-star book'
'Forever changed me'
'Completely captivating'
'Spectacular drama'
'My book of 2025 - already'
'Get ready to be obsessed'
Everyone thinks Heath Rocha was my first love. He wasn't. My first love was figure skating.
Katarina Shaw has always known she's 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 fans with their scorching chemistry, rebellious style and rollercoaster relationship.
Until, at the Olympic Games, as the world holds its breath, a shocking incident instantly destroys their partnership.
Ten years later, an unauthorised tell-all documentary reignites the public obsession with Shaw and Rocha. If Kat wants to own her story, she must break her silence. As Kat's account of her dramatic rise and fall alternates with scandalous interviews from the film, The Favourites spins into a dance between passion, ambition and what it truly means to win.
Sensational rumours have haunted Kat and Heath's every step for years, but the truth may be even more outrageous than the headlines.
The ultimate love story to curl up with as the nights draw in
Reviews / Votes
Perfect if you're a fan of Daisy Jones and the Six * Cosmopolitan * Brilliant... will keep you guessing until its very last page -- Jodi Picoult A delight - I was completely hooked -- Sophie Cousens Scorching * Heat * 'Intense' * Mail on Sunday * Heart-wrenching, epic and passionate -- Betty Cayouette * People Magazine * 'The Favourites is a true literary triple axel- a smart and nuanced retelling of a classic, a tense sports drama, and a perfectly twisted romance.' * Rachel Hawkins, author of The Wife Upstairs * 'A glittery compulsive whirl of a book, filled with spite and love and sequins and ambition' * Holly Gramazio, author of The Husbands * 'An addictive read... as shimmering and lethal as ice-dancing itself.' * Emma Brodie, author of Songs in Ursa Major * This is an unputdownable book, with a lot to say about competition, ambition, love and obsession -- Roxane Gay (on Goodreads)More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Vintage Publishing
Product notice
Laminated cover
Dimensions
Height: 237 mm
Width: 159 mm
Thickness: 42 mm
Weight
674 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78474-548-6 (9781784745486)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions


E-Book
01/2025
Vintage Digital
€8.99
Available for download
Person
Layne Fargo has a background in theatre, 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.