Carrie Soto Is Back

these tennis bitches are evil

Received from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Look, the thing about Taylor Jenkins Reid is that she's very readable - I read this in a couple days. I've read all her books, each in a couple days. There's not always a lot there, but they're fun and good at the time, but I don't think about them much. Other than Evelyn Hugo, I've enjoyed her earlier books the best, and could do with more of those and less of these focused on famous people. That said, you'll definitely enjoy this if you've enjoyed her other books.

If you've read Malibu Rising, you know a little of Carrie Soto. But here, here you get her whole story.

I loved Carrie, even when she's hard to love, and her father, Javier. I loved watching her relationships with other players (Bowe and Nicki Chan foremost) grow and change. Some of these changes I saw coming, others I did not at all.

I know earlier I said there's not always a lot there, and I do stand by that - I don't know how much I'll think about Carrie now that I'm done - but there's still so much to take away from this book.

I loved watching Carrie grow and change. She's a tough person to be in the head of. I wanted to yell at her to be nicer a lot. But that makes for a nice change when she begins to soften and relax into who she is now.

I don't read many new books, but Taylor Jenkins Reid is an author that I always look forward to new books from. If you like her books, read this. If you don't, you still might enjoy this. Who'd've thought I'd enjoy a book about a tennis player?!

“People don't want new, they want the familiar done differently”

A 7/10 4* from me because:

- It is unequivocally as advertised - an easy read, Sunday afternoon on ITV4 story

- It largely achieves my interpretation of its aims in how it presents the (fairly standard) characters and key messages

- It is definitely compelling enough to want to continue reading, despite the on-the-rails plot

The tennis fan in me inwardly cringed a bit at some of the Basil Exposition explanations of the rules and basics of the sport but it's limited enough to be distracting only in a Drive To Survive / Break Point way.

For a different perspective on the cost of elite success in pro tennis, Andre Agassi's autobiography ‘Open' is excellent and very honest.

Overall I'd be happy enough to pick up another TJR at the airport.