Book Review: Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Title: Carrie Soto is Back

Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid

Series/Standalone: Reidverse (Book #5)

Genre: Historical Fiction, Contemporary, Sports, Adult Fiction

Pages: 384

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Year Published: 2022

Format: Audiobook (Library Copy)

"Carrie Soto is fierce, and her determination to win at any cost has not made her popular.

By the time Carrie retires from tennis, she is the best player the world has ever seen. She has shattered every record and claimed twenty Slam titles. And if you ask her, she is entitled to every one. She sacrificed nearly everything to become the best, with her father as her coach.

But six years after her retirement, Carrie finds herself sitting in the stand of the 1994 US Open, watching her record be taken from her by a brutal, stunning, British player named Nicki Chan.

At thirty-seven years old, Carrie makes the monumental decision to come out of retirement and be coached by her father for one last year in an attempt to reclaim her record. Even if the sports media says that they never liked the 'Battle-Axe' anyways. Even if her body doesn't move as fast as it did. And even if it means swallowing her pride to train with a man she once almost opened her heart to: Bowe Huntley. Like her, he has something to prove before he gives up the game forever. 

In spite of it all: Carrie Soto is back, for one epic final season. In this riveting and unforgettable novel, Taylor Jenkins Reid tells a story about the cost of greatness and a legendary athlete attempting a comeback."

My Rating: 5/5

I love Taylor Jenkins Reid's Reidverse. The way these imagined celebrities feel so real, the way they have such individual personalities, but feel so real to the time and our world. I feel sad sometimes that I can't look up more information about where they would be now. Carrie Soto is far from likeable. That is made clear from the beginning, but as the story goes on, you grow to love her as she is. The determined, unrelenting and resilient athlete she is. The way she copes in her life through all of it, despite what everyone things, inspite what everyone thinks. I hope her next corner is all the better, and I wonder if Taylor Jenkins Reid will add to these stories.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Title: Malibu Rising

Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid

Series/Standalone: Reidverse (Book #3)

Genre: Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Historical Fiction

Pages: 369

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Year Published: 2021

Format: Audiobook

"Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. But over the course of twenty-four hours, their lives will change forever.

Malibu: August, 1983. It's the day of Nina Riva's annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brother Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer, and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together, the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over, especially as the offspring of the legendary singer, Mick Riva. 

The only person not looking forward to the party of the year is Nina herself, who never wanted to be the center of attention, and who has also just been very publicly abandoned by her pro tennis player husband. Oh, and maybe Hud- because it is long past time to confess something to his brother from whom he's been inseparable since birth.

Jay, on the other hand, is counting the minutes until nightfall, when the girl he can't stop thinking about promised she'll be there.

And Kit has a couple secrets of her own- including a guest she invited without consulting anyone.

By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family's generations will all come bubbling to the surface."

My Rating: 4/5

There is something so impressive about Taylor Jenkins Reid's work. It feels so close to our reality that you can picture the famous characters, you can almost "remember" the events, even though they are fictitious. It makes you want to meet these people or watch documentaries about them. Her ability to create characters is what I truly love about her work. This was no different. My only complaint is that it felt a bit odd to not have any sort of epilogue, and the plot wasn't entirely based on fame as others in this series had been. I liked it and look forward to listening to the next novel in the series.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny