Carrie Soto is Back

Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, 2023
Pages: 416
Rating: Highly Recommend

Synopsis: Carrie Soto is fierce, and her determination to win at any cost has not made her popular. But by the time she retires from tennis, she is the best player the world has ever seen. She has shattered every record and claimed twenty Grand Slam titles. And if you ask Carrie, she is entitled to every one. She sacrificed nearly everything to become the best, with her father, Javier, as her coach. A former champion himself, Javier has trained her since the age of two.

But six years after her retirement, Carrie finds herself sitting in the stands of the 1994 US Open watching her record be taken from her by a brutal, stunning player named Nickie Chan.

At thirty-seven years old, Carrie makes the monumental decision to come out of retirement and be coached by her father for one last year in an attempt to reclaim her record. Even if the sports media says that they never liked the "Battle-Axe" anyway. Even if her body does move as fast as it did. And even if it means swallowing her pride to train with a man she once almost opened her heart to: Bowe Huntley. Like her, he has something to provde before he gives up the game forever.

Review: I love Taylor Jenkins Reid's writing style and I've read many of her books to great enjoyment. I know nothing about tennis, and quite frankly, I'm not even remotely interested in it, but this book was great. I live with an athlete whose drive is an animal of its own, and found Carrie relatable on that level.

The audio version of this novel is excellent - it's performed, not read (similarly to the audio version of Where'd You Go, Bernadette).

Other Taylor Jenkins Reid Novels
Daisy Jones and The Six
Malibu Rising
Maybe in Another Life
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo