Carrie Soto is Back

The book Carrie Soto is back by Taylor Jenkeins Reid follows the tale of a legendary tennis player, Carrie, as she returns to the tennis world in an attempt to relinquish her former world record. But, after being retired for years, has she still got what it takes to make the comeback she so desperately wants? The book is divided into chapters that go through each competition she competes in to climb her way to clinch that world record she longed to have, while going back to her past as a former tennis player. The familiar tennis courts bring back memories of when she was young, when she was famous and before she lost it all to age. 

The story strikingly conveys multiple heart-wrenching themes while weaving through the narrative that shows her backstory and current timeline, such as: sexism, which she faces from the news reporters and those who do not support her. Ageism is also mentioned with how others viewed her as “old”, and hence incapable of winning. However, with the whole world looking down on her, she definitely developed a stronger sense of fear of losing then when she was on the courts last time. There is also grief sprinkled throughout the book, with her having to face her emotions head on while still trying to battle winning, and appealing towards the public press. Other themes mentioned throughout the book are friendships which she develops, even with her greatest enemy who took the victory right out her hands, as well as romantic and familial relationships. 

The vivid imagery and descriptive language Taylor Jenkeins Reid uses throughout the book to hook the readers onto Carrie’s story is admirable. The bleak outline of her past, present and future and how she overcomes her issues is also admirable: despite all odds being stacked against her, she still perseveres through it all and tries her best to find solutions to her issues even when she wants to escape them. 

Her perseverance was palpable and could be felt deeply throughout the book, her dialogue and different interactions with her opponents showing such. In many of our lives, we are often faced with difficulties and hardships that seem impossible to overcome. However, after reading this book, I left with a surge of energy—determination—that after reading some reviews, was a common thing among readers. 

Other than Carrie, there are many other characters that could be learned from, such as Carrie’s father, who never gave up on her despite her seemingly old age and all the negative comments hurled towards her. He stuck by her side and the close and tender father-daughter relationship, despite only being the background of her character, was extremely heartwarming to view. The overwhelming support from her father can be seen to power Carrie through the negative comments from the public (as well as her own grit, of course) to continue to power through. Even with the world against her—sans her father—she continues to strive for victory. 

In retrospect, this is definitely a book that will have readers on the edge of their seats. Personally, I was so anxious to read the last tennis match she would have I had to calm myself down before seeing how the story would unfold. This is a book that will definitely be my number one recommendation for anyone looking for a quick, easy yet heartbreaking and memorable read!

Tio Chen Yi

Secondary 3 Faith

2025