I love TJR books so I was happy to finally read her latest. It wasn’t up there with the GOAT TJR (Evelyn Hugo!) but it was still really good.

TJR is best at creating larger-than-life characters who engage readers with their complexity. Carrie Soto is absolutely one of those.

A tennis phenom, Carrie is upset to see her championship record beat by a younger player. At 37, Carrie’s been retired from tennis for 5 years now, but once her record is beat, she’s itching to get back on the court and reclaim her title.

Coached by her father, Javier Soto, Carrie’s wins and losses are always filtered through the close relationship she has with her father.

I loved how fierce and unapologetically competitive Carrie is. I felt like TJR was speaking to the double-standard in sports where women are expected to be driven but docile, while men’s outrageous behavior is celebrated as acceptable for them because they’re thought of as stronger and more serious than women.

Carrie’s emotional growth in this novel was a joy to read/listen to. She realistically grew from a competitive, hyper-focused, brash tennis player and person to a “new” Carrie who was still all she was before, but was finally able to form close relationships with others in addition to her father. She didn’t stop being competitive and arrogant—she was still those and much more.

I’m not a huge tennis fan, but I was absolutely on the edge of my seat reading/listening to the matches in this book! TJR did an amazing job describing the action.

If you love TJR or just love fun, emotional, engaging contemporary fiction, give this book a read.

And, if audiobooks are your thing, this is a GREAT one. Stacy Gonzalez does an amazing job narrating Carrie, plus other narrators add fun as tennis announcers, etc. It’s absolutely an exciting listen!