The Favourite

Format:

Pre-order:

Amazon Blackwells Bookshop.org Foyles Hive Waterstones WHSmith

Alex, Nancy and Eva Fisher. Three grown-up sisters, loved equally by their parents, Vivienne and Patrick.

Or so they thought.

Until, during a family holiday, Patrick lets slip that he has a favourite. While they try to gloss over it, this sets in motion the unravelling of everything the sisters thought they knew - including their much treasured family bond.

But will it take falling apart to bring them closer together?

Now and again I read a book which is so FABULOUS I get queasy with jealousy. This is one such book. God, I wish I had written it. Funny, dark, fascinating and utterly UTTERLY convincing. On my QWJ (Queasy With Jealousy) Scale, I award it 16/10.
Marian Keyes

Fran writes like a wilder, more breathless Claire Lombardo . . . A huge talent. Set over the course of a family reunion that goes very wrong, THE FAVOURITE is a layered, textured story about the reverberations of the past and secrets in a family, and a psychologically astute look at love and relationships. It’s wonderful and very funny. You’re in for such a treat. I LOVED it.
Georgina Moore, author of The Garnett Girls

About Fran Littlewood

Fran Littlewood is the author of Amazing Grace Adams, which was a New York Times bestseller and Today Show Read With Jenna pick, and has been published in 17 territories to date. She has an MA in Creative Writing from Royal Holloway, University of London, and worked as a journalist, including a stint at the Times. She lives in London with her husband and their three daughters. The Favourite is her second novel.

Details

Imprint: Penguin
Published: 18/06/2026
ISBN: 9781405951456
Length: 400 pages
Price: £9.99

All editions

The Favourite

Format:

Pre-order:

Now and again I read a book which is so FABULOUS I get queasy with jealousy. This is one such book. God, I wish I had written it. Funny, dark, fascinating and utterly UTTERLY convincing. On my QWJ (Queasy With Jealousy) Scale, I award it 16/10.

What makes this sibling dramedy so delectable is Littlewood’s writing… All the nuances of sisterhood, daughterhood, wifehood, motherhood, divorcehood, and more are illuminated by this tale of spilled wine, slapped faces, and enduring family love.

You’ll be captivated by the well-drawn characters

Fran Littlewood is an expert chronicler of family dynamics, and particularly the complex, competitive, and sparkling nature of sisterhood. Once I picked up THE FAVOURITE, I did not want to put it down until the last page was turned

So sharp, funny and pacey, and incredibly well-observed, especially when it comes to the small but treacherous undercurrents that run beneath the family. I loved it.

THE FAVOURITE is an absolute knockout - ferociously observed, fantastically funny and deeply relatable. I could not stop reading this dark-edged, pacy, moving novel and was consumed with thoughts about the characters whenever it wasn’t in my hands. Sensationally good

There’s to be no Difficult Second Album Syndrome for Fran Littlewood. The Favourite starts with a (literally) cracking premise, and gets messier and more mysterious from there. It is darkly funny, keenly observed, and full of poignant, vivid images.

A powerful and emotional tale, rich in nuance, exploring loyalty, truth and the fragile nature of love

Littlewood's writing is sharp and dry, with a forensic feel for family dynamics and emotional blind spots

About Fran Littlewood

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter