A graduate student plots a takedown of the popular professor who wronged her sister in this provocative campus novel about privilege, power, and obsession.
Sexual assault & violence.
From the moment she discovered her sister’s secret relationship with charismatic professor Jay Crane, Jessie Mooney has been convinced that he’s to blame for the events leading to her death. Haunted by their last email exchange—You know what you did—she enrolls in graduate school and competes her way into Crane’s famous “Law and Literature” class, setting into motion a plan to get close to him so she can expose who he really is.
Jessie will cross any line to hold Crane accountable. But when she finally earns his trust and the coveted position as one of his “favorites,” attracting the other students’ envy and suspicion, the truth becomes darkly twisted. Is it justice Jessie craves, or revenge? And what does she stand to lose if she gets her way?
Shimmering with tension, The Favorites explores the ways that love, desire, and anger reveal the best, and worst, of us.
Don't just take our word for it...
“The Favorites is dark academia at its best. A tale of revenge gone wrong, toxic relationships, power imbalances, and the meaning of consent. It’s a page-turning, gripping novel that I absolutely devoured.”
– Disha Bose, author of Dirty Laundry
“A riveting, surprising thriller that contains much more at its heart, The Favorites is a ferocious commentary on the nature of justice, and the gulf between what is right and what is legal. Gripping, emotional, and at times profound, I raced through this in an evening.”
– Kate Collins, author of A House for Good Children
“[R]iveting… Hennigan’s law degree is evident in her eloquent depictions of classroom discussions and her thoughtful meditations on justice. Readers will devour this satisfying tale.”
– Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Taste the very first page
He was standing with my sister the first time I saw him, in the Trinity Arts Block after class. He had a crooked nose, sharp brown eyes, and graying stubble, and wore a simple black turtleneck. Physically nondescript, nothing unusual in his bearing. Just a shiny American smile and the confidence of a man with no reason to question his position in life.
They had a short and slightly awkward exchange that I couldn’t hear at a distance. Audrey’s fingers were playing with the strap of her handbag, her weight shifting from one foot to the other. I wandered over, but he turned to leave before I reached her. All I caught were his parting words. “See you around, kid,” he said, with a small wave of a large hand.
Arriving next to her, I angled my head in his direction. “Who was that?” He was already disappearing into the crowds pour- ing out of different lecture halls. They milled around us, a noisy and bustling mess of bodies, through which he cut like a knife. His stride was purposeful, his gaze deliberately pitched above the heads of students, who parted at his approach…
You might also like
A Half-Baked Murder
Combining French luxury and THC, Baked by Chloe will take pot brownies to another level. That is, until a creepy past acquaintance rehashes old drama and shockingly turns up dead—landing Aunt Dawn as the number one murder suspect.
Liar, Dreamer, Thief
A young woman’s carefully constructed fantasy world implodes in this brilliantly conceived novel that blurs distinctions between right and wrong, comedy and tragedy, imagination and reality.
The Sweet Spot
In the heart of Greenwich Village, three women form an accidental sorority when a baby—belonging to exactly none of them—lands on their collective doorstep.
The Key to My Heart
A Goodreads Most Anticipated Romance. A heartwarming novel about hope after loss as a young widow receives mysterious messages of love from the “must-buy author” (Jodi Picoult) of Eight Perfect Hours.
Twice in a Lifetime
The Time Traveler’s Wife meets Oona Out of Order in this imaginative and moving debut novel of a love more powerful than time.
None of This Would Have Happened If Prince Were Alive
Perfect for fans of Maria Semple and Jennifer Weiner, this smart and witty debut novel follows Ramona through the forty-eight hours after her life has been upended by the discovery of her husband’s affair and an approaching Category Four hurricane.
Aesthetica
In a debut novel as radiant as it is caustic, a former influencer confronts her past—and takes inventory of the damages that underpin the surface-glamour of social media.
Meredith, Alone
Will have you laughing and crying as Meredith, after spending three years inside her house, figures out how to rejoin the world one step at a time.
The Socialite’s Guide to Murder
The hotel was her refuge, but scandal is afoot—and a killer stalks the halls in this charming series debut perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen and Ashley Weaver.
Closer to Okay
Weaving culinary delights with an honest, appraising look at how we deal with the world when it becomes too much, Closer to Okay is the comfort food we all need in these, well, crazy times.
The Other Side of Night
The lives of a disgraced police officer, a prolific author, and an upstanding citizen are inextricably bound together by a series of mysterious deaths.
Singer Distance
The odds of the planet next door hosting intelligent life are—that’s not luck. That’s a miracle. It means something.
The Marsh Queen
Loni must decide whether to delve beneath the surface into murky half-truths and either avenge the past or bury it, once and for all.