I never once thought that Katarina Shaw was a bitch. She knew what she wanted and she didn’t have to tear others down to achieve it. I respect that.

Layne Fargo’s writing was brilliant, I felt on edge every time Kat came close to gold. I rooted for her to push through no matter what obstacles came her way, but what Kat found in the end was better than any titles.

I like how the author brought forward problematic aspects of skating in a way that felt completely natural to the story, like the expectations of what a skater should look like and the double standards that women deal with (they cannot simply be good skaters, they have to be role models for young girls and act accordingly).

The pacing felt weird at first, with the POV rapidly switching in between Katarina and the documentary. I wanted to live the story through her perspective first, especially because those first few years belonged to her and Heath only. It smooths out eventually.

This story reminds you that the skating world isn’t all glitter and glamour, but that you can find your happiness within the sport as long as it is not the sole pillar of your existence.