Sometimes there comes along a book, like Carrie Soto is Back, that addresses such a specific set of issues and questions, that it makes you wonder why you’d never thought of it in detail before. Questions like: Why is it okay for a man in the public eye to be aggressive but not for a woman? Why is it okay for a man to be unsmiling and intense but when a woman does it, she’s labeled a b*tch? Why is it that an ambitious man is seen as just that but an ambitious woman becomes callous and unfeeling in the eyes of the public? And this sexism is turned around and slapped back onto the woman’s shoulders, calling it her overreaction, that she can’t take a joke.
Carrie Soto is Back is a smack in all these faces. Taylor Jenkins Reid, through Carrie Soto’s story, takes us through the unfairness that the world pulls out every time a woman takes center stage. And it is proof, yet again, that even though things have gotten a lot better, we still have a long way to go.
Carrie Soto is a tennis superstar, arguably the greatest of all time, who first appeared in Malibu Rising. But years after she retires, a younger player threatens to dethrone her. Carrie decides she cannot let that happen and makes a comeback, intending to defeat her competition at every turn. We follow her journey as a tennis player, right from when it all started, and everything she does to keep a hold on the game. We see her relations with her family and the people around her, her changing decisions and the reasons behind them, and the true colors of certain sections of the media. There’s a lot more to the book but I’ll leave those for you to discover and trust me, they’re going to be worth it.
Carrie Soto is a tough cookie. She knows what she’s here for and she knows what she wants. She doesn’t pretend to care about things that she doesn’t care about. She works hard at her game and she acknowledges it bluntly, because she’s here to win and modesty and humility are only a waste of time. She’s an admirable character despite being just a tad bit unlikeable at times because of the way she treats some of the people around her. But even then, I understood why she was doing the things she was doing, especially because I don’t have a great idea of how the world of sports works even if I know how the sport itself does.
Her grit and determination, her focus, the ferocity of her ambition – all of them make her into a kind of a superhero for me. I don’t mean to elevate a character and put her on a pedestal. Carrie isn’t the kind to even want to be on a pedestal. She just wants to be the best at what she does and be recognized for it, which isn’t too much to ask, really. Combined with the truths of the real world, the importance of hard work, how values and principles change from person to person (which is what makes each person unique), and the importance of practice, the importance of doing the same thing a thousand times to become a better version of oneself – Carrie Soto is Back is the fabulous story of one woman fighting to be the best version of herself in a world that’s fighting to bring her down because she isn’t doing things their way.
Here’s a quote that made me incredibly emotional, one that Carrie’s father tells her towards the beginning:
“Because you are not yet who you will one day be. Every match you play, you are one match closer to becoming the greatest tennis player the world has ever seen. You were not born that person. You were born to become that person. And that is why you must best yourself every time you get on the court. Not so that you beat the other person—”
“But so that I become more myself,” (Carrie) finished.
These words are gems in themselves, but the world is more insistent on seeing a person as a finished product rather than as a work in progress. Especially when the person in question is a woman. It expects way more of a woman than it expects of a man. A man can simply exist and the world will fall to its knees at his feet. But it tells a woman she has to “earn” their respect. It’s pathetic how the world is born from a woman but has little respect for her. Centuries and millennia of misogyny erupts in small ways every single day.
“It’s not right for a woman to behave like that.”
“You need to smile more or nobody will like you.”
“Oh, you know how good you are! You’re arrogant! Doesn’t suit a woman!”
“You need to be more friendly or your career will be over.”
These are just a few examples but every one of them reeks of sexism and shows the kind of person the speaker is. I never know how to respond to them not only because of how incredibly arrogant and stupid I find them, but also because I can’t believe people say these things and think they’re being kind or helpful.
Throughout Carrie Soto is Back, you are on the edge of your seat, cheering for Carrie, learning about her temperament, learning life lessons, and indulging in some of the most nail-biting tennis ever while wanting to punch a few people in their faces. It is not just the story of sexism in sports, but also the story of competition and the important truth that time flies and it isn’t always in our control. This book is like a person flying a kite, with you being the kite in question. It reels you in taut at the tense moments and lets you soar across the skies in the lighter ones. But all along, it has full control over you, keeps you invested, and makes you dance according to its whims – something that elevates a book in my eyes.
All in all, Carrie Soto is Back is a fabulous book that you should definitely read. And if you’ve read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Malibu Rising, then this is one you shouldn’t miss.
Go read.
Love-all about this book! 😉
So that was me talking about my love for Carrie Soto is Back. I honestly started this review because I thought I had to, given that I’d kind of gone off with Malibu Rising. But I loved the book, which put a HUGE smile on my face while making me cry at a couple of instances.
Have you read Carrie Soto is Back? If yes, did you like it? If not, will you be reading the book after reading my review? Let me know in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you!
I’ll see you in the next blog post.
Until next time, keep reading and add melodrama to your life! ❤
The Melodramatic Bookworm 
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