Author : Taylor Jenkins Reid
Published on : August 30, 2022
Publisher : Ballantine Books
Genre : Fiction, Adult Contemporary

*Thanks to PRH for providing a free digital review copy
via NetGalley and LibroFM for the ALC.
This did not affect my overall opinion of the book.

Carrie Soto is fierce, and her determination to win at any cost has not made her popular. But by the time she retires from tennis, she is the best player the world has ever seen. She has shattered every record and claimed twenty Grand Slam titles. And if you ask Carrie, she is entitled to every one. She sacrificed nearly everything to become the best, with her father, Javier, as her coach. A former champion himself, Javier has trained her since the age of two.

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 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 her most vulnerable, emotional story yet.

Six years after her retirement, Carrie decides to make a comeback. Carrie is the greatest tennis player of all time until Nicki Chan matches her grand slam record. With the help of her father who is also her coach, Carrie is determined to reclaim her title no matter what.

Carrie is not a very likeable character. She can be arrogant and annoyingly competitive but I admired her dedication. She is tough and honest but deep inside she is insecure and sensitive. I appreciated her character in the end. I also like her relationship with her father. Aside from being her tennis coach, he is also her number one fan. Nicki Chan was definitely my favorite in this book. She reminded me of Naomi Osaka for some reasons. I liked how she deals with Carrie and I would like to read more about her.

Plot-wise it was okay. At first I felt like I was reading a tennis manual for beginners. I’m not really a fan of tennis (I just know three famous names but never watched their games) so I didn’t give too much attention to it. The second part of this book was my favorite. It focuses more on the characters and has more emotions. This book is written in Reid’s distinct style so listening to the audiobook was a delightful experience. I didn’t like it as much as I wanted to but overall, it was an inspiring read.

It is important to know that this book is written by a white female author featuring a Latina main character. I appreciated the representation but in my opinion it is more meaningful and important to read books about marginalized groups written by actual marginalized authors.

Find this book on Amazon, The Book Depository, LibroFm, Bookshop.org and Thalia.de.