"The Favorites" | Reviewed by Tonya O'Connell

“The Favorites,” by Layne Fargo, is the story of Katarina (Kat) Shaw and Heath Rocha, world famous ice skaters. Readers won’t be able to put this novel aside as Katarina narrates her and Heath’s story about the trials and triumphs the couple undergo as they attempt to attain Olympic status.

As a child, Katarina always knew she was destined to become an Olympic ice skater, despite not having a famous name, funding, or her family’s support. When she meets Heath, a lonely child stuck in the foster care system; they instantly form a connection that makes them a formidable duo on the ice, their expertise in ice dancing wooing crowds.

Katarina and Heath cling to each other and ice dancing in an attempt to escape their turbulent lives. They eventually become champion ice dancers, captivating the world with their chemistry, rebellious style and on again, off again relationship. Everything goes well for the two until a shocking incident at the Olympic Games brings their partnership to a complete and shocking halt.

Approaching the 10-year anniversary of their final skate, an unauthorized

documentary reignites the public’s interest in the ice dancing couple. The news story claims to have uncovered the “real truth” through interviews with their friends and rivals. Katarina wants nothing to do with the documentary, because she can’t stand anyone attempting to destroy and define her legacy.

After a decade of silence, she decides to tell her truth, from the childhood tragedies that led to her bond with Heath, to the clash that finally tears them apart. In the past, sensational rumors haunted both of their lives, but the truth may be more shocking than the headlines.

“The Favorites” is engrossing, a must-read in which you feel Katarina and Heath’s frustrations as well as their triumphs. Readers find out more about Kat and Heath childhoods and how they began their long journey to the Olympics. It’s easy to feel frustrated and sad reading about how Katarina and Heath, as young children, must run away from home to attend their first competition because their parents don’t believe in them. Readers also will rejoice in the couple’s triumphs as they live life with the couple and experience how fellow skaters and their parents treat them.

If “The Favorites” were a movie, it would have people sitting on the edge of their seats cheering Kat and Heath on, and crying with each of their defeats. I highly recommend this novel, a book that should be at the top of everyone’s reading list and is sure to become one of their favorites.

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