Carrie Soto Is Back

This was my first TJR, and I read the rest of her books in quick succession this year because I loved Carrie Soto so much!

I’m a big tennis fan, so the setting was an instant win for me. I also loved the alternate timeline of 1980/90s tennis history and the characters that came along with it. I connected with the protagonist on such a deep level, and I thought her struggle for perfection was incredibly relatable, not just for sportspeople (I’m certainly not one of those!) but for everyone. This book was an ace down the line, for sure!

I loved Carrie Soto is Back because the protagonist is one I’d never want to befriend, but she is impressive, someone who keeps pushing forward even after failure.

She must win at all costs. But then she grapples with what winning would mean. Is it worth staying on the hamster wheel of being a pro athlete?

Sports fiction is having a mega moment thanks to Carrie Soto Is Back, which has reigned atop The New York Times bestseller list.

As a former college volleyball player, I was particularly drawn to this novel because it follows a woman athlete’s comeback- the excruciating physical grind she endures as well as the emotional growth she realizes. Taylor Jenkins Reid captures the details and strategies behind professional tennis and makes them dramatic and compelling, which isn’t an easy feat. I know from experience.

But what makes this novel special is the heroine or perhaps the antiheroine. Tennis legend Carrie Soto… show more.