By Kaylie Seed
Carrie Soto retired from tennis as the best player the world had ever seen, with a record-shattering twenty Grand Slams. Carrie retires knowing she is the best in the world, but when Nicki Chan threatens to break her record, Carrie decides to come out of retirement to try and defend her record. What is said to be Taylor Jenkins Reid’s most emotional and vulnerable story yet doesn’t quite live up to that.
Carrie Soto is Back is unlike Reid’s other novels in that it is hyper-focused on one plot point and any diverging subplots feel lacking in depth and emotion. Reid’s prose is still stunning, and I wanted to keep reading even though I was not overly invested in the story. Reid weaves in themes such as ageism, sexism, and competition. The first two-thirds of Carrie Soto is Back felt drawn out and a tad repetitive. There is a lot of tennis talk and while I appreciate Reid including a woven introduction to tennis in the beginning, I still felt lost at times. The last third of the novel flew by, leaving me confused about the pacing and consistency of Carrie Soto is Back. Additionally, I didn’t feel much of anything when the ending happened except that it was predictable.
While Carrie is an unlikeable character, she is well done, and I can appreciate the feelings that she has around being a competitive tennis player. I found her relatable because I competitively figure skated for twelve years; however, I worry that some readers may not understand the drive, determination, and fierceness that Carrie possesses and instead will find her unrelatable. The emotion and feeling between Carrie and the secondary characters fell flat, leaving me craving more. The only relationship that felt real and raw to me was the one between Carrie and her father. This is a novel for tennis lovers or readers who appreciate fierce, unapologetic women.
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.