INTRO

As someone who has never played tennis a day in my life, I now feel as though I could win my very own Grand Slam. 

I consider myself an avid fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid (TJR) novels, with Malibu Rising and Daisy Jones & The Six being two of my favorite books of all time, and Carrie Soto is Back only increased my awe of how immersive the ‘Reidverse’ truly is. Though I remember the character of Carrie Soto being mentioned back in Malibu Rising, I’m afraid I viewed her more as a low-level mistress (I felt emotionally attached to Nina Riva okay), but reading this novel honestly made me team Carrie, I was rooting for her until the very last page. 

OVERVIEW

taken directly from Penguin Random House 

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.

THOUGHTS

spoiler warning in advance

I’m all for empowering female main characters, and Carrie Soto is truly no exception. She never felt the need to apologize for being the best, and I admired that. I feel as though a lot of the time women are expected to apologize for inherently excelling at something, whether that’s in school, the workplace, or at a sport, and I really enjoyed Carrie’s character never feeling the need to do so. Sure, she wasn’t the friendliest to her peers at times, generating her well-known  nickname ‘the Battle-Axe,’ and later ‘the Bitch,’ but tennis is generally a solo sport, and Carrie made it clear she was in it to win. 

I enjoyed the way the novel was formatted, starting in the present and introducing the conflict regarding firecracker Nicki Chan, then cycling back to Carrie’s early years as a budding tennis player before eventually making its way back to the current story at hand. I appreciated TJR giving us Carrie’s backstory early on in the novel; it gave us a glimpse into the inner workings of Carrie’s mind and let us see the vulnerable side of her before she shut it down. I grieved the unexpected loss of her mother right alongside her, and her interactions with men as an adolescent were honestly realistic to many young female celebrities in the real-world; everyone just wants to be able to say they slept with a star. I also understood Carrie’s initial hesitancy toward pursuing anything with Bowe, especially considering their prior history, but I was so happy when she finally let down her guard and allowed Bowe into her life. Despite their animosities, they were able to assist the other both on and off the court, and I genuinely don’t think either of them would have been so successful if not for the other’s help.

I liked the various sports reports sprinkled in throughout the novel, updating the reader on the happenings of Carrie’s career without her directly stating so. This was my first time reading a book that included tidbits like that, and it was a nice touch to add to a sports-centric plot. It also gave us insight into how the rest of the world was feeling about Carrie’s comeback and each of her matches. Of course we had Carrie’s first-person perspective and the general feelings of her close family and friends, but giving that additional public perspective helped the story feel more real. 

One of my favorite parts of the entire book was Carrie’s relationship with her father, Javier, also known as ‘the Jaguar.’ I truly don’t think the novel would have had the same impact if Javier’s character wasn’t such a central figure in the storyline. Their relationship was authentic and real; it had its ups and downs, it definitely wasn’t perfect at times (like when Carrie fires him as her coach), but I could feel the deep love between them radiating off the pages. He was always her biggest supporter, even when Carrie didn’t believe in herself to succeed against Nicki, and I thought that was such a true depiction of parental love. Javier and Bowe’s relationship was also just so well-developed; my heart hurt for both Carrie and Bowe when Javier suddenly passed toward the end of the novel. 

I honestly have no critique’s for any aspect of the novel, it kept me hooked until the very last page. The only piece of advice I would give to readers before they start the book is knowing there is some spanish dialogue included between Carrie and Javier. Due to my expansive Spanish 102 knowledge (haha), I was able to understand most of what they were saying, but I did have to search up a few words and phrases at times. I loved this inclusion of realistic spanish dialogue though, and I thought it was a nice nod to their Argentinian roots.

I would recommend Carrie Soto is Back to any TJR fan, any tennis fanatic, and, honestly, anyone who wants to enjoy a fast-paced and well-written read.There’s truly something for everyone among the novel’s pages. 

A reminder that you can check out all three TJR novel’s mentioned in this blog post at the Blough-Weis Library! Click here to check their availability! 

Lily Papendick (‘28) currently attends Susquehanna University as a double major in creative writing and publishing & editing with a minor in marketing. Along with working at the Blough-Weis Library, Lily also works at the Admissions Office as a Student Ambassador. She currently serves as the Content Editor for the Luxury Brand Marketing Club, the assistant editor for the Arts & Entertainment section of The Quill, and is an active member of SU Dance Corps. In her free time, she enjoys writing poetry, listening to music, watching movies, especially her favorite rom-com 10 Things I Hate About You and spending time at the jersey shore with her family.