Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid: Book Review

Carrie Soto is Back is a compelling novel about an retired tennis star whose drive to return to the sport she loves is like no other. Determined to always be the best in her sport’s history, must she sacrifice all to get there?

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From The Publisher:

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 Nicki 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 doesn’t 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 prove before he gives up the game forever.

My Thoughts:

I loved this book. The intensity of the character development for Carrie is like no other book I’ve ever read. She is complex – losing her mother at a young age and becoming the focus of her father’s days creates a woman whose only purpose in life is to become a winning machine.

Those readers who love tennis will thoroughly enjoy the book but rest assured there is way more to this book than tennis. In fact, one of the things I loved most about the book is the mutual respect between Carrie and her father Javier. This relationship is not only one of father and daughter but also one of coach and player. This team sacrifices any sort of normal life for the love of the game and the thrill of being the best.

Carrie is not a friendly person. Aside from her father, she has no one else in her life. She keeps to herself in the locker room, can dish out the trash talk with ferocity, and focuses on her opponent’s weaknesses. Dubbed “the battle-axe” by the media, she’s laser-focused on her goals and may no one get in her way.

Her decision to come out of retirement is solely based on maintaining her status as the greatest tennis player of all time. It’s been five years since an injury forced her retirement. At age 37, her body is not as resilient as it once was. Encouraged to have a training partner that will bring her back to the elite level, her father hires Bowe Huntley who Carrie had a relationship years ago. She needs convincing to let this man back in her life, but in the end, knows that this is a good move for her game. The relationship that Carrie and Bowe build over time has Carrie seeing life after tennis for the first time.

Carrie Soto is Back is an emotional, well-written book that explores the personalities behind competitive sports. Despite the brusque, rude nature of Carrie’s persona to the outside world, you cannot help but cheer this woman on. I loved Carrie’s personal development as the book progresses. You don’t need to be a fan of tennis to thoroughly enjoy this book.

What I Liked:

• The superb character development
• The immersive experience into the world of competitive sports
• The personal development that Carrie experiences as the book progresses.

Acknowledgments:

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for the ARC of this book in exchange for the honest review provided here.

Similar Books I’ve Reviewed:

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand

Meant to Be by Emily Giffin