While moderating a panel at C2E2, Layne Fargo said her next book was Wuthering Heights meets ice dance, and I was most definitely intrigued. Well, that book is finally here, and it’s called The Favorites.

The Favorites [Buy Bookshop Amazon LibroFM] follows a young girl named Katarina Shaw and her family’s ward, Heath Rocha as they pursue a career in ice dance, despite a rough road. Katarina was obsessed with being an Olympic ice dancer and convinces Heath to be her partner. It’s not a hard sell since he’s in love with her. The hard part is paying for it and dealing with her abusive brother.

This book explores the Shaw and Rocha partnership through training in their home neighborhood, getting into a fancy skating program, and through their eventual Olympic performances to something scandalous. This is told both as traditional novel, but also as a script for a television documentary, which hints at drama to come for the skating duo.

I mostly listened to The Favorites because Johnny Weir is one of the narrators, so I had to hear that play out. The voice cast was in the portions that were script-based, which really brings the documentary vibe to life and makes it so much fun to listen to. The story itself is packed with drama and scandal, which also makes it a wild ride.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. The only thing I wish was different was the pacing. Yes, this book spans many years, but I wanted it to move a little faster.