Carrie Soto is Back

By: Taylor Jenkins Reid

Location: FIC REI

Genre: Tennis, Fiction, Historical Fiction

“We live in a world where exceptional women have to sit around waiting for mediocre men.”

In this powerful novel about the cost of greatness, a legendary athlete attempts a comeback when the world considers her past her prime—from the New York Times bestselling author of Malibu Rising.

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.

In spite of it all, Carrie Soto is back, for one epic final season. In this riveting and unforgettable novel, Taylor Jenkins Reid tells her most vulnerable, emotional story yet.

Review by Meredith

The novel opens in 1994 when former tennis star Carrie Soto witnesses seeing her record o 20 Grand Slam titles shattered. She comes out of retirement at age 37 and makes an arduous journey back to the court to prove that she is the best female tennis player in the world. Going back to her childhood, the reader also learns how she became known as the Battle Axe, a.k.a., The Bitch.

As much as this novel is about tennis, it is also about Carrie’s relationship with her father, Javier. Their dynamic is the heart and soul of this novel.

Carrie Soto Is Back is, in a way, a character study. The reader sees Carrie transform into a star but also lose her fame. Very slowly, her tough veneer slips away, and it is apparent that Carrie is much more vulnerable than she seems. She is not the most likable character, but TJR made me love Carrie.

The novel moves a little slowly in the beginning and covers a lot of tennis, but the slow pacing picks up as Carrie’s career takes off.

This was my first book by TJR, and I didn’t know what to expect going in. I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did, nor did I expect to cry as much as I did. This book hit me emotionally, and I came to love Carrie, Javier, Bowe, and Gwen. I already miss them.