Game, set, match.
Carrie Soto Is Back
Contemporary Fiction, Women's Fiction
Ballantine Books
August 30, 2022
Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook, Kindle
384
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, Daisy Jones & The Six, and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.
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.
A tennis player past her prime attempts a comeback in Carrie Soto Is Back
If it weren’t because I would never pass on a Taylor Jenkins Reid book, I would’ve never considered reading a book where competitive sports were part of the story. Now I’m almost a tennis fan after reading Carrie Soto Is Back. (I would’ve become one 100% if the players in the book weren’t fictional.)
“One of the great injustices of this rigged world we live in is that women are considered to be depleting with age and men are somehow deepening.”
Carrie Soto is driven, arrogant, and unapologetic. She has worked her whole life toward one goal: being recognized as the greatest female tennis player in the world. She accomplished this recognition by winning twenty Grand Slam singles titles. However, after a knee injury and surgery, Carrie struggled to perform at the same level and she decided to retire.
Five years later, when a younger player beats her record, she has no choice but to come out of retirement to reclaim what she believes is hers. Carrie, now in her late thirties, recruits her dad—a recognized tennis player and her original coach—to help her get back in the game. But Carrie will have to face the uphill battles of physically getting ready to compete and emotionally confronting the faults in her game.
Tennis matches are the new love stories thanks to Taylor Jenkins Reid
The descriptions of tennis matches were mesmerizing. I felt like I was there, enjoying the match live. But also saw how served to strategically move the story and our characters forward. We follow Carrie through all four major tennis championships—Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open—as she tries to regain her historic record and, arguably, only life accomplishment. But even while conquering the court, Carrie learns she can’t continue to hinge her value on a number of tennis victories.
Love, game, set, and match were just words I vaguely remember from tennis camp when I was 15. Now, they remind me of Carrie Soto. They remind me of her relentless pursuit of greatness and her journey through self-discovery. They inevitably also bring my thoughts to Evelyn, Daisy, and Nina. The ladies of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones and the Six, Malibu Rising, and Carrie Soto Is Back are all tragically captivating and beautifully imperfect. They feel so real that you can’t help but love them. This is one of my favorite series (even though they can be stand-alone books). I hope Taylor continues to tell stories of strong-willed, resilient, fighting women representing the decades.
Darienne was 15 when her aunt gave her a copy of Princess by Jean Sasson, and she has been hooked on books ever since. Originally from Puerto Rico and now living in Maryland, she’s always looking to visit new coffee shops and bookstores. Her favorite genres include YA, spicy romcoms, and women’s fiction. Thanks to the Bees, she’s also now obsessed with romantasy series. Other loves include lavender lattes, sassy coffee mugs, sunrises, sleeping in, small-town charm, and big city lights. One day, she’ll write that book that lives in her head.
