pickKatarina & Heath are friends, lovers & skating partners. Katarina is focused on winning. Heath is focused on Katarina. The story dives into the toxic culture that permeates elite figure skating. Alternating between Katarina‘s voice & excerpts from a documentary chronicling her career, the format keeps the pacing brisk & the tension high. The full cast audio production elevated the experience. A dark, compulsively readable story. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ❤️📚🎧
pickDrama, drama, drama. Imagine Daisy Jones and the Six mixed with the ice skating (or ice dance in this case) intrigue of Tonya Harding. If you enjoy reading about messy interpersonal relationships (both romantic and friendship) and cutthroat athletic competitions, this one is for you. Framed as a documentary transcript, the story of Kat Shaw and Heath Rocha takes you from their Midwest roots all the way to the Olympics.
My March recap, a few days late 😳
I read 11 books in March. The Favorites was my top favorite, but I really loved several of the Harlequin romance titles I read too. I‘m flying thru HQN books lately because they‘re so easy to read and they have guaranteed HEA‘s.
From NetGalley: 5
From my own shelf: 2
From library: 2
HQN titles: 5
Featured dogs: 5
#March25
It‘s almost time for @TheAromaofBooks to reach into her magical bag of tricks for April‘s #BookSpin numbers. Here‘s my list!
Righty-O! 😸
pickThis was phenomenal on audio w/ an entire cast performing it! 4 stars! I listened to it for book club & wasn‘t sure what to expect since I‘ve never read the author & wondering if it was going to be anything like I, Tonya. I felt like this book was too long & so much back & forth of alliances that it can give you whiplash. To me the narrator who did Kat sounded at times like Amanda Knox did on her memoir (which I listened to). Random I know.
pickOh, the drama! Katarina and Heath are so toxic yet so perfect for each other. But all of the back and forth and petty fighting did irritate me. And then all of that for that type of ending? Yeah...
Don't get me wrong, the audiobook was a fantastic production. I loved the documentary feel of it. I was just not satisfied with the ending.
3.5 ⭐️
pickIf you love figure skating, villains, intense competition, and couples who are both terrible and perfect for each other, you‘ll love this book. I tore through it in just a couple of days. I‘m actually surprised by how much I loved it since I hate its inspiration, Wuthering Heights. Even though that classic doesn‘t work for me, this modern take and the nods to the original were really fun.
Switching to fiction now that my hold for this anticipated read came in from the library. A little March Madness in the background
pickBravo!! A HUGE 5 ⭐️! This book is everything I love about reading. I‘ve loved ice skating since I was a child and have big memories of the Harding/Kerrigan incident years ago. I also love Wuthering Heights, and this book really leans into its retelling. So much backstabbing, secrecy, and drama. So much competition. Such toxic relationships. So, so good! The audiobook is an absolute DREAM and I was thrilled to hear Johnny Weir narrate parts of it!
so-soWell-written and extremely scandalous, but not enough happened for me. Kat and Heath‘s relationship is endearing, but frustrating, and I would have liked a real answer to the final big scandal. I liked it, but didn‘t love it like most others.
