Book Club Discussion Questions: The Favorites by Layne Fargo
- Elise
- Nov 19, 2025
- 3 min read
For those of you that haven't or couldn't attend book club lately, we're publishing this months' discussion questions here. All previous book club selections have been posted, complete with summary, discussion questions and, when necessary or appropriate, additional resources to better understand the topic or context. Here are the questions from our current title, Be Ready When the Luck Happens. We hope these questions spark discussions of your own.
The Favorites
by Layne Fargo
Summary:
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
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 first print run of The Favourites will have purple sprayed edges, while stock lasts. -- Publisher Description
Discussion Questions
What threads does The Favorites share with its literary inspiration, Wuthering Heights? Where do the stories differ?
How does Kat Shaw’s self-description in the beginning (“a bitch, a diva, a sore loser . . .”) shape your initial perception of her? How does this perception evolve throughout the book?
Kat’s ambition often conflicts with her relationships. How does her drive to be the best impact her connections with Heath, Garrett, and Bella?
Heath Rocha’s background is touched upon briefly. How do his racial and cultural identity play into his experiences and relationships within the story?
Kat loves Heath—but she loves skating even more. What was it like for you to read a love story where one of the leads prioritizes something else over her love interest?
Sheila Lin is a significant mentor figure in the book. How does her influence shape the paths of the younger skaters, and what does her character reveal about the pressures of competitive sports?
What makes Bella and Garrett Lin such perfect competition for Kat and Heath? How do the relationships—and everyone’s skating—change when the foursome switches partners?
What roles do race and class play in the novel? How do these themes affect the characters and their trajectories?
The book includes multiple perspectives and flashbacks, as well as interview transcripts. How does this narrative structure affect your understanding of the characters and their motivations? How does author Layne Fargo use these devices to add tension and foreshadowing?
How do Kat and Heath’s reputations—on the ice-dancing circuit and then in the blogs and tabloids—affect their senses of self? Conversely, how do they change as people when they’re out of the spotlight?
The theme of betrayal runs deep in the novel. Discuss specific instances of betrayal and how they affect the characters’ dynamics and development.
“When I was strong and self-assured, people recoiled from me,” Kat says. “They told me I was too competitive, too ambitious, too much. But when I was brought low, bruised and bleeding, a princess in need of rescue instead of a conquering queen, they loved me.” Discuss the parts of herself Kat feels compelled to hide.
How does Heath change after Russia? What did it teach him? What did the experience teach Kat?
Discuss Kat and Bella’s friendship. Did you think it was authentic—or would you call them frenemies?
Kat’s outburst during the interview about being asked when she will start a family highlights gender expectations. How does the book address the pressures faced by women in sports—and society at large?
What does the book suggest about the cost of ambition? Are the characters’ sacrifices justified by their achievements?
What did you think of the ending of the book?
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