Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

 

Whatdyaknow?  It is Tuesday and I am sending you a review! Miracles never cease.

This week, just in time for warmer weather and thoughts of summer sports and that OTHER crowning event, Wimbledon, I give you Carrie Soto.

This was another audiobook for me.  Voiced by 12 different performers (including Patrick McEnroe, Mary Carillo, and a few brief appearances by Julia Whelan who is usually the narrator for this author), this is a comeback story about a professional tennis player for whom tennis is LIFE. 

Anne Bogel of the blog Modern Mrs Darcy said this is a book about female ambition. 

 Other readers have just said Carrie is a bitch. 

She is ruthless and determined and focused and talented.  She wins and wins and wins and sets records, and then she retires.  Until someone wins and wins and wins as much as Carrie did, and her winning record is threatened.  So, she decides to come out of retirement to defend her record.  With or without her dad as her coach.

There is a lot here about the father daughter relationship.  There is a lot here about fierce unapologetic women, especially in sports.  There is a LOT here about tennis - match after match and practice after practice.  I played a little tennis growing up, and my mom and my brother were both local tournament players, and I have been to the US Open (SO FUN).  But I am not an athlete.  I can definitely understand the dedication, but I didn't really need SO much tennis in this book.  It became a bit repetitive, but that is the life of a single sport athlete, isn't it?

What I did like was that we weren't really supposed to like Carrie.  She is ruthless and rude.  She is the best of the best and she does not have time for shenanigans.  Or losers.  Or friends. She is older and things have changed when she returns to the tour, and the media tear her apart.  She doesn't really care.  Not really. Maybe just a tiny bit. But not really.  Her love life is all over the place (note the connection to Malibu Rising!) when she can even be bothered.  She is seen to read one book - Daisy Jones and The Six.  HA!  I love that TJR has connecting threads throughout her novels!!  I love that in the audiobook, we hear from real commentators as characters.  And Mary Carillo's character gives a great defense of Carrie's attitude at one point that I really appreciated.  We do get a love story woven in, but are not sure if Carrie will see what is in front of her.  I was very satisfied with the ending - nicely done.  

I think you can still enjoy this story even if you are not a tennis fan, but will admit this is not my favorite of Reid's work.  Nice full circle when you finally get the title, too.  ;-)

Let me know in the comments how you felt about Carrie, if you listened or read, and what your favorite Taylor Jenkins Read read is!!

Next week I will be celebrating a huge family event, so I definitely will not be sending out a review.  Maybe I will double up for y'all in two weeks!  Stay tuned.....