Book Review of ‘Carrie Soto is Back’ by Taylor Jenkins Reid

It’s is 1994. Carrie Soto watches on as 17-year-old Nikki Chan meets Ingrid Cortez in the final of the US Open. As the game is won, Carrie Soto, winner of twenty Grand Slam titles, makes the life-changing decision to step out of retirement to defend her record. And just like that… Carrie Soto is back.

With just as much excitement as a tennis fan gaining tickets for a Centre Court final, I was granted an ARC of this novel. Yup, Taylor Jenkins Reid is also back! If, like me, you gobbled up ‘ Daisy Jones and the Six’, ‘Malinu Rising’ and ‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo’, then you’ll be delighted to read this latest novel. And yes, it’s in the same ‘world’ as the author’s previous novels, and so it does have a link to Mick Riva, along with a few other ‘easter eggs’ for fans of the author’s other books

Two big groups of readers are going to love this novel: (1) fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid – and there is a huge following out there; (2) fans of tennis. Despite there being little mention of the sport in the publicity material I’ve seen so far, this novel is certainly all about the tennis. Before reading this, I’d never sat through a televised match in my life, let alone played, but I now think that I might just take more of an interest in the future. I’m not sure about the author’s associations with tennis, but she writes about it with a passion and a reverence that are deeply contagious.

This is a powerful novel about the cost if ambition and success. It’s about what it takes to win and the sacrifices that those winners face in order to get to the top of their game. Once again featuring a strong female protagonist and an insight into a world that is closed-off to the majority of us, ‘Cartie Soto is Back” is yet another triumph. Game, set and match to Taylor Jenkins Reid.

‘Carrie Soto is Back’ will be published on 30th August 2022. Thank you to Taylor Jenkins Reid, NetGalley and Random House UK for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.