Carrie Soto Is Back introduces another remarkable protagonist from Reid’s collection of unforgettable heroines. Just like Daisy Jones, Evelyn Hugo, and Nina Riva, Carrie Soto is a bold and resilient woman, fully aware of her flaws. As the world’s greatest tennis player, she holds every record, including an impressive twenty Slams. When Nicki Chan threatens her legacy, Soto’s unwavering desire to remain at the top sparks a captivating journey to reclaim her position.
Soto’s intense drive to win manifests itself in behavious that rubs some the wrong way. The media have branded her as the ‘Battle-Axe.’ Yet, her unabashed determination and unwavering confidence puts her among my favorite female protagonists. Reid crafts a compelling cast of characters, from Soto’s devoted father and coach, Javi, to the lovable bad boy Bowe Huntley, and her friendly yet ruthless nemesis Nicki Chan.
Reid creates an authentic world in which readers are immersed in the demanding life of a professional athlete, witnessing the rigorous training and media scrutiny. Just like she did in Daisy Jones & The Six, where the reader is immersed in the quotidian details of musicians on the road and in recording studios.
Somehow, every one of Reid’s books I’ve picked up has been in the audiobook format. I can say that the production quality for all four audiobooks was top notch. So if you’re into audiobooks I can recommend these confidently. It doesn’t matter if you have no active interest in tennis, like me. Read Carrie Soto Is Back anyway because Soto is an inspiring woman to get to know.
Here’s some of my highlights.
- “For decades, my talent and drive were utterly devastating to those who stood in my wake. If each person is blessed with an induvial gift, determination is mine.”
- “I keep thinking, I don’t cry on the court. I don’t cry on the court. But then I think, Maybe it’s a lie that you have to keep doing what you have always done. That you have to be able to draw a straight line from how you acted yesterday to how you’ll act tomorrow. You don’t have to be consistent. You can change, I think. Just because you want to. And so, for the first time in decades, I stand in front of a roaring crowd and cry.”
- “Grief is like a deep, dark hole. It calls like a siren: Come to me, lose yourself here. And you fight it and you fight it and you fight it, but when you finally do succumb and jump down into it, you can’t quite believe how deep it is. It feels as if this is how you will live for the rest of your life, falling. Terrified and devastated, until you yourself die. But that is the mirage. That is grief’s dizzying spell. The fall isn’t never-ending. It does have a ground floor. Today, I cry for so long that I finally feel the floor under my feet. I find the bottom. And while I know the hole will be there forever, at least for now, I feel as if I can live inside it. I have learned its boundaries and its edges.”