Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid Book Review
Hello friends! Welcome back to the blog. Today we’re going to be discussing the book Carrie Soto Is Back, which is the fictional story of professional tennis player Carrie Soto who comes out of retirement when a much younger tennis player named Nicki Chan comes close to beating her record.
I’ve been wanting to read this book for quite some time. I’ve read a few other books by Taylor Jenkins Reid and enjoyed each of them. There was After I Do, the story of a married couple who separates for a year, to try to figure things out before making a decision about divorce. And then of course there was Daisy Jones and The Six (Which by the way, is a fabulous audiobook). Next on my list is The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.
And now there’s Carrie Soto, which is a story about tennis. I’ve been wanting to read this book forever, solely because I’ve loved every other book I’ve read by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I just knew that Carrie Soto Is Back was going to be a grand slam.
See? See what I did there?
But enough with the jokes! Let’s get into discussing this book, because I have a lot of opinions and want to share them with you.
What is Carrie Soto is Back About?
Carrie Soto is Back is a contemporary fiction novel covering the life and career of professional tennis player Carrie Soto. During her career she accomplished many things, with her coach (and father) Javier by her side. At the beginning of the book, she is faced with the decision about whether or not to come out of retirement when one of her records is about to be broken.
It’s a difficult decision that she doesn’t take lightly. Years on the tennis court have worn her body down. Her knee isn’t what it used to be. Her nickname by the media was The Battleax because of her aggressive and ruthless game. What will people say when she returns?
But none of that matters to Carrie. All that matters is maintaining her record. All that matters is winning.
With her father by her side, she steps back into the world of tennis. It’s a difficult journey, but giving up isn’t an option.
About Taylor Jenkins Reid
Taylor Jenkins Reid is quickly becoming one of the most popular authors around. Her first book called Forever, Interrupted was published in 2013. After that she wrote seven more books and is a New York Times Bestseller. Many of her books are set in the past, and sometimes her characters even run into each other.
Taylor’s books are very popular and I have picked up a few of them from the Book of the Month club. In 2021 her book Daisy Jones and the Six was a finalist for the Book of the Year award by Book of the Month. (if you aren’t already a member, you can find out more about joining here).
Her latest novel is about a former champion in women’s tennis who sets out to have an epic final season. I wasn’t sure how that was going to go, but you’re about to find out!
Do you Need to Understand Tennis to read Carrie Soto is Back?
No! While there is a lot of tennis in Carrie Soto is Back, the story also focuses on hard work and emotions and so many other things that go into becoming the best tennis player possible.
I wasn’t sure if I would wind up liking this book during the first couple of chapters. I thought it would be too complicated for me, with blow-by-blow descriptions of championship matches. But Taylor writes her scenes technically, but also with a lot of thought and emotion. Part of what makes Carrie such a good tennis player is her mental game, as well as her physical game.
It’s ok if you don’t understand tennis. You really don’t have to have a lot of knowledge upfront because the author does a great job of writing descriptive scenes that teach you what you need to know.
Carrie Soto is Back Controversy
There has been some discussion online regarding the fact that Taylor Jenkins Reid is white, and she decided to write about a character who is Argentinean American. Carrie’s father Javier is an immigrant and she grows up in a bilingual household. Throughout the story there is Spanish dialogue spoken between Carrie and her father and I would say it is a very big part of the story.
Some people in the book community took note of this prior to publishing and pointed out the fact that Taylor Jenkins Reid is a white woman, so should she really be writing the story of a person of color? Why aren’t POC authors getting the chance to share these stories in the publishing industry? In Carrie Soto is Back Taylor doesn’t specifically discuss race but she does write about things like Javier’s immigration and she does have a secondary character named Nicki Chan, who is Asian American. Some people found it odd for two minorities to be pitted against each other.
In my opinion, while Carrie Soto is Back is an unforgettable novel, it is not perfect. I too question why Taylor felt the need to write the story of a Argentinean American when she cannot possibly fully understand that character because it is not something she has experienced. It is disheartening that POC authors do not get the chances they deserve to share their stories, and that white authors have every opportunity to tell every story that they can think of.
This is not meant to be an attack on Taylor, because I do enjoy her books. But sometimes people don’t know what they are doing is wrong. I myself have said some or thought some things in the past that were wrong, and people have told me about it. In that kind of situation, it is best to listen with open ears and a open heart. The only way to move forward is by educating oneself.
What I Enjoyed About Carrie Soto is Back
I love stories about exceptional women, and Taylor Jenkins Reids writes awesome books about them! This is actually the last book in her “famous women quartet” comprising of Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones, Nina Rivas, and Carrie Soto. Each of their books features complex characters and each book is a powerful novel. I found Carrie Soto (also known as the Battle Axe) to be a great main character. Of course she’s controversial. But she’s hard working and inspiring and that’s what makes her the greatest tennis player of all time.
As I mentioned earlier, this book may be about tennis but it’s also about so much more. In Carrie’s journey to regain her strength and her tennis abilities, she works incredibly hard with her father, Javier. They also work with Bowe Huntley, another older tennis player who is doing his best to tread water and move ahead on the court. He’s the only option Carrie has for other tennis players to train with in order to maintain her grand slam record. Everyone else is too scared or too annoyed by her.
I love Javier. Even though he and Carrie butt heads sometimes, it’s because of the fact that he’s her coach and she has to listen to him. It has nothing to do with their father daughter relationship. I loved how even though they had been through so much, they always had tennis to focus on. I think that when you go through a hard time it’s important to have things to distract you. And for Carrie and Javier, that was tennis.
During her last year of tennis, the sports media is tough on Carrie. She keeps her eyes on the prize, which is winning her last grand slam. As she and Bowe train together, they also have to deal with their previously fling they had when they were younger. I liked how no matter how much they fought, they were always there for each other. It made me smile when after months of training with Carrie, Bowe was finally able to get Javier’s grudging respect.
Is Carrie Soto is Back Spicy?
No, it is not. Although Carrie does have a love interest in the book, this story is not graphic. It mainly focuses on the emotional aspect of their relationship as he works with her on her tennis.
Is Carrie Soto Is Book Worth Reading?
In my opinion, yes. I liked this book for a lot of reasons, but the main reason is because of Carrie. She’s a strong female lead and while I couldn’t necessarily relate to anything that she was going through, I admired her for her strength and rooted for her through it all, even when she was being difficult. It’s an emotional story about figuring out your true purpose and reminding yourself why you do the things you do.
At thirty-seven years old, commentators and spectators considered Carrie too old to be a real threat to her competitions. They figured that after the year she would have no more grand slam titles to her name. They weren’t even sure she would make it to the us open.
Deciding to come out of retirement was a monumental decision that could have gone very well or very poorly. This story is about a legendary athlete, and although Carrie may not be a real person I think her story will mean many things to many people.
If you are a tennis fan or like to read about female athletes, then this is the book for you!
In Closing
Thank you so much for reading this book review. I hope that you learned a lot about Carrie Soto is Back and have decided you’d like to check this book out. If you’re a fan of Emily Henry (author of book lovers) I think you may enjoy this book. Both authors have a knack for writing realistic stories that pull at your heart strings and make you root for the main characters.
If you enjoyed this book review, you may enjoy these other books!
xo Marian
