Carrie Soto Is Back

by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Book list From a young age, Carrie Soto wanted to be the greatest tennis player ever. Javier, her father, is a tennis instructor, and Carrie grows up on the courts, where she’s her father’s star pupil. Her drive and her natural abilities make her a formidable force, and she quickly climbs the ranks of elite players. But her record-setting career ends with a knee injury, and she retires at age 31. Several years later, one of Carrie’s records is in jeopardy thanks to phenom Nicki Chan, and Carrie launches her comeback, working alongside her father to get back into the game. Reid captures the excitement of elite sports in her descriptions of Carrie’s games, as well as the struggle that women athletes face when their ambition and confidence is “too much.” But the most affecting moments are when Carrie lets her guard down and shows the woman behind the myth—a woman scarred by the loss of her mother at an early age and afraid to show her gentle side because she doesn’t want to appear weak. It’s another triumph for best-selling author Reid, and her growing number of fans will be thrilled to see cameo appearances from characters from her earlier books. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Reid's previous works (like Daisy Jones & the Six, 2019) have been phenomenal hits, so expect no less from her latest.

From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Kirkus A retired tennis player returns to the game to defend her Grand Slam record.Carrie Soto is the best tennis player in the world, and she knows it. Her father, Javier, is a former tennis champion himself, and he's dedicated his life to coaching her. By the time she retires in 1989, she holds the record for winning 20 Grand Slam singles titles. But then, in 1994, Nicki Chan comes along. Nicki is on the verge of breaking Carries record, and Carrie decides she cant let that happen: Shes coming out of retirement, with her father coaching her, to defend her recordand her reputation. Carrie was never a friendly player, preferring to focus on both a brutal game and brutal honesty, and now the media has a field day with her return to the sport as a 37-year-old. At times, it seems like everyone is waiting for her to fail, but when Carrie wants something, she doesnt give up easily. Along the way, she reconnects with Bowe Huntley, a 39-year-old tennis player she once had a fling with. Now they need to help each other train, but Carrie quickly realizes she might need him for more than just tennisif she can let herself be vulnerable for the first time in her life. Reid writes about the game with suspense, transforming a tennis match into a page-turner even for readers who dont care about sports. Will Carrie win? And, more importantly, will she finally make time for a life outside of winning? Reid has scored another victory and created another memorable heroine with Carrie Soto, a brash, often unlikable character whose complexity makes her leap off the page. Sports commentators may call her The Battle Axe or worse, but readers will root for her both on and off the court.A compulsively readable look at female ambition. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Kirkus A retired tennis player returns to the game to defend her Grand Slam record. Carrie Soto is the best tennis player in the world, and she knows it. Her father, Javier, is a former tennis champion himself, and he's dedicated his life to coaching her. By the time she retires in 1989, she holds the record for winning 20 Grand Slam singles titles. But then, in 1994, Nicki Chan comes along. Nicki is on the verge of breaking Carrie’s record, and Carrie decides she can’t let that happen: She’s coming out of retirement, with her father coaching her, to defend her record…and her reputation. Carrie was never a friendly player, preferring to focus on both a brutal game and brutal honesty, and now the media has a field day with her return to the sport as a 37-year-old. At times, it seems like everyone is waiting for her to fail, but when Carrie wants something, she doesn’t give up easily. Along the way, she reconnects with Bowe Huntley, a 39-year-old tennis player she once had a fling with. Now they need to help each other train, but Carrie quickly realizes she might need him for more than just tennis—if she can let herself be vulnerable for the first time in her life. Reid writes about the game with suspense, transforming a tennis match into a page-turner even for readers who don’t care about sports. Will Carrie win? And, more importantly, will she finally make time for a life outside of winning? Reid has scored another victory and created another memorable heroine with Carrie Soto, a brash, often unlikable character whose complexity makes her leap off the page. Sports commentators may call her “The Battle Axe” or worse, but readers will root for her both on and off the court. A compulsively readable look at female ambition. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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