Carrie Soto is back

 By the time Carrie retires from tennis, she is the best player the world has ever seen. She has shattered every record and claimed twenty Slam titles. And if you ask her, she is entitled to every one. She sacrificed nearly everything to become the best, with her father as her coach.

But six years after her retirement, Carrie finds By the time Carrie retires from tennis, she is the best player the world has ever seen. She has shattered every record and claimed twenty Slam titles. And if you ask her, she is entitled to every one. She sacrificed nearly everything to become the best, with her father as her coach.

But six years after her retirement, Carrie finds herself sitting in the stands of the 1994 US Open, watching her record be taken from her by a brutal, stunning, British player named Nicki Chan.

At thirty-seven years old, Carrie makes the monumental decision to come out of retirement and be coached by her father for one last year in an attempt to reclaim her record. Even if the sports media says that they never liked the 'Battle-Axe' anyway. Even if her body doesn't move as fast as it did. And even if it means swallowing her pride to train with a man she once almost opened her heart to: Bowe Huntley. Like her, he has something to prove before he gives up the game forever.

In spite of it all: Carrie Soto is back, for one epic final season. In this riveting and unforgettable novel, Taylor Jenkins Reid tells a story about the cost of greatness and a legendary athlete attempting a comeback.herself sitting in the stands of the 1994 US Open, watching her record be taken from her by a brutal, stunning, British player named Nicki Chan.

Staring of strong, I loved the characterisation of Carrie and her relentless mindset thought the book. I really enjoyed how she was allowed to be strong and rough around the edges - and that this wasn’t always viewed as an overtly bad thing. As a character ,she was allowed to be honest and “unfeminine” without it being overly politicised - these traits where instead shown as neutral and she was allowed to just be. This was further highlighted in the general story and character development , as these traits where neither idolised(giving her no development at all) or looked down upon - creating a cautionary tale situation.

However, I do appreciate that the book also highlights the issues of having this kind of personality- especially as a women. It doesn't hide the negative attention it can garner from the media or the general public but instead opts to show how theses issues can be overcome and help people to embrace themselves as they are.

As well as this , I love how her personality feeds into her dynamic with Bowe. It created a tone that was reminiscent of enemies to lovers but instead created a begrudging fond relationship(very similar to Dads with the pet that they definitely didn't want)It was really enjoyable as a slow burn romance - watching them slowly heal each other and deal with the emotional baggage that often comes with having a relationship later on in lfe. Also, they had some really cute moments , like when Bowe learnt Spanish especially for her I was squealing and the use of Spanish through the book didn't feel to forced or unnecessary either as it helped us to understand more about Carrie and her perspective. 

Finally, I really liked the way that it handled its portrayal of grief through the book. It highlighted how emotionally overwhelming grief can be and how it can take over parts of your life - especially if you supress it. I also liked how her grief was paced as it didn't feel like it lagged or was rushed to much , but instead slowed the plot to the perfect pace and really contrasting the rapid world of tennis.

Overall , although it did feel a bit formulaic and isn't Rei's best book it was still an enjoyable summer read.

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