Review: Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

About this book:

(blurb from Exclusive Books)

Carrie Soto is fierce, and her determination to win at any cost has not made her popular.

By the time Carrie retires from tennis, she is the best player the world has ever seen. She has shattered every record and claimed twenty Slam titles. And if you ask her, she is entitled to every one. She sacrificed nearly everything to become the best, with her father as her coach.

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, British 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 a story about the cost of greatness and a legendary athlete attempting a comeback.

My thoughts

I first met the feisty Carrie Soto in “Malibu Rising” where she was a minor role player.  When it was announced that she will be getting her own book, I was quite intrigued – who would not like to discover more about this firecracker? What is making her tick?  And why is she so freaking pissed off all the time?

And that is exactly what you get in “Carrie Soto is Back”.  This driven, ambitious, and intensely competitive woman at the core of this book is easy to love or hate.  Initially I found her arrogant, rude, disrespectful, and selfish – not a very likeable character at all. In fact, she prides herself on that.  But as the story unfolds you get insight into the reasons why she is such an Ice Queen.

Although this book is quite tennis heavy, I quite enjoyed it seeing that I grew up in an age where the “state channels” still broadcast almost every minute of Wimbledon and The French Open.  I would literally spend days in front of the TV, following the rankings and knowing exactly who will be playing who in the next round.

But, don’t let this deter you, the rules and the game are explained where needed, so it is an educational exercise as well.

The themes of sexism in sport, the double standards when it comes to male vs female athletes and the power and bias of the media are strongly present.

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

The media is represented in interesting ways, like transcripts of broadcast notes, articles etc.  I quite enjoyed the way that insight was interspersed throughout the book.

“It was okay to win as long as I acted surprised when I did and attributed it to luck. I should never let on how much I wanted to win or, worse, that I believed I deserved to win. And I should never, under any circumstances, admit that I did not believe all of my opponents were just as worthy as I was. The bulk of the commentators… they wanted a woman whose eyes would tear up with gratitude, as if she owed them her victory, as if she owed them everything she had.”

My heart skipped a beat when Carrie, when spotting Princess Diana in the crowd at Wimbledon noted” “They can’t make us go away just because they are done with us”

Carrie Soto’s personal growth is also an integral theme in this book.

“I am afraid of losing. I am afraid of how it will look to the world. I’m afraid of this match being the last match my father ever sees me play. I am afraid of ending this all on a loss. I am afraid of so much.”

Her softer side is clearly present in her relationship with her father, Javier.  Javier is also my favourite character in the book.  He is supportive and her voice of reason and has got the patience of a saint.  Some of the conversations between Carrie and her father contain quite a bit of Spanish that’s not translated, but I hope that I did get the jest of it all.

I would have liked to see more of the romance between Carrie and Bowe Huntley, and I quite enjoyed the dynamic between unlikely friends Carrie and her tennis nemesis Nicki Chan.

• Fierce Females
• Vivid Imagery
• Flawed Characters
• Engaging
• Personal Growth

What to know how “Carrie Soto is Back” fits into the Taylor Jenkins Reid universe?  https://www.distractify.com/p/taylor-jenkins-reid-books-connected

I’ve had “Daisy Jones and The Six” and “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” on my list since forever!

I also discovered this phenomenal playlist on Spotify and just browsing through the titles of the songs was enough to make me blissfully happy.  https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0ddqir11434CJTTM6uoMHk

“Carrie Soto is Back” is a very strong 4/5 read for me.

With thanks to Exclusive Books for the opportunity to read this book.

The details:

https://taylorjenkinsreid.com/ 

Other works by the author:

Forever, Interrupted (2013)
After I Do (2014)
Maybe in Another Life (2015)
One True Loves (2016)
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (2017)
Daisy Jones & The Six (2019)
Malibu Rising (2021)
Carrie Soto is Back (2022)

*All TJR’s novels are available at Exclusive Books 

Short stories
Evidence of The Affair (2018)

@roelia_reads #carriesotoisback by #taylorjenkinsreid #ataglance #bookreview ❤️📚 @Penguin Random House SA #roeliareads #bookifyza #booktok #booktoksa🇿🇦 ♬ The Bitch Is Back – Remastered – Elton John