Carrie Soto is a 37-year-old retired tennis star. Her record for winning the most Grand Slam titles has just been tied by the young Nicki Chan and she has decided to come out of retirement and win another Grand Slam because she can't stand that someone else might break her record.
Her father, Javier, has agreed to once again coach her on this quest. She also decides to train with Bowe Huntly, her contemporary, who hasn't retired. There is a bit of bad blood between these two since he and Carrie went out and then he just never called her again. But he's the only person who will agree to hit with Carrie to get her in shape. You see, Carrie was never very liked on the tennis circuit, and no one thinks she has a chance in hell to win another slam.
The relationship between Carrie and her father is probably the best part of the book. Javier is so wise--and not just about tennis. There is a lot of tennis, so if you don't understand the game, Carrie Soto isn't the book for you.
It is cute and heartfelt, even if a bit over the top at times. You can't help but root for Carrie, and not necessarily to win. Mostly just for her to grow up and come to terms with her life as it is.
An enjoyable read (or listen.) Stacy Gonzalez does a great job with the voices. There are parts of the book in Spanish, and not all of it is translated. You mostly can imagine what is being said because of the situation, but it still bothered me. It was also really cool that Patrick Mcenroe and Mary Carillo, two tennis icons, narrated parts of the book.
If you enjoy tennis, Carrie Soto is Back is worth it.
Audiobook obtained from libro.fm
384 pages
Rating: 4/5
I love tennis so I shouldl like this book. I may add it to my long list of books to read in '23.
ReplyDeleteI loved Daisy Jones and the Six. I bet I would like this one, too! Thanks for your review.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this one and didn't realize that "real" tennis folks did some of the narration; that's fun!
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