It’s been over a month since I’ve read Carrie Soto, and when I sat down to write this review, any nerves I had because I’ve been so far removed from it, immediately evaporated. This book is so ingrained in my mind, I feel like I read it yesterday.

It’s one of my top reads not just this year, but ever.

I don’t know HOW TJR did it, but she took a completely unlikeable character in Carrie Soto and made me not only root for her but feel emotionally connected to her. And the way she was able to span so much time so efficiently, but still pack in so much emotion was masterful.

I loved her choice for the narrative structure, forgoing chapters for sections broken up into date ranges consisting of time frames, news articles, sports commentary, and matches. It made it so much more interesting to read and left me with that same feeling of awe I had while reading Daisy Jones.

I was blown away by how much research TJR must have put into the sport, and I learned SO MUCH. The training necessary to play at that level, the nuances of playing on the different style courts, the sexism, the media scrutiny, and player dynamics were so fascinating. I honestly worried I would get burned out by the amount of tennis depicted in the book (it’s A LOT), but I thought TJR did a great job of balancing the tennis with Carrie’s personal life making the story move along seamlessly. I became SO INVESTED in how everything was going to play out.

I really enjoyed Carrie’s relationships with her agent, Gwen, and tennis “partner” Bowe. I loved the push and pull of their relationship and how naturally their relationship progressed.

My absolute FAVORITE thing about the story was Carrie’s relationship with her father. I swear I was already tearing up in the first few pages as they discussed her possible comeback. I was a blubbering mess by the end of the book, and Javier’s character holds a special place in my heart.

And the ending…