We have a lot of eARC’s and we want to promote them a little bit more. So we decided to do some more Bookish Beginnings On Friday. Today I want to share the opening lines to Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I’m super excited about this eARC.
This meme was created by Rose City Reader. The idea is to post the first sentence or so of the book you’re currently reading. After that you talk about your initial thoughts about the sentence, book or anything to do with that.
In this powerful novel about the cost of greatness, a legendary athlete attempts a comeback when the world considers her past her prime—from the New York Times bestselling author of Malibu Rising.
Carrie Soto is fierce, and her determination to win at any cost has not made her popular. But by the time she retires from tennis, she is the best player the world has ever seen. She has shattered every record and claimed twenty Grand Slam titles. And if you ask Carrie, she is entitled to every one. She sacrificed nearly everything to become the best, with her father, Javier, as her coach. A former champion himself, Javier has trained her since the age of two.
But six years after her retirement, Carrie finds herself sitting in the stands of the 1994 US Open, watching her record be taken from her by a brutal, stunning 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” anyway. 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 her most vulnerable, emotional story yet.
Chan vs. Cortez
US Open
September 1994My entire life’s work rests on the outcome of this match.
My father, Javier, and I sit front to center at Flushing Meadows, the sidelines just out of reach. The linesmen stand with their arms behind their backs on either side of the court. Straight in front of us, the umpire presides over the crowd high in his chair. The ball girls crouch low, ready to sprint at a moment’s notice.
This is the opening to Carrie Soto is back! At first I hadn’t read the title and after the first sentence I thought it was Carrie’s match. Turns out, she’s looking at someone else’s match and the outcome will have repercussions for her ‘entire life’s work’ or probably her legacy. This immediately drew me in, and while I knew this from the synopsis, it does make me want to continue reading right away.
I also really enjoy that way TJR creates an atmosphere in just a couple of sentences. While I’ve never been to a tennis match, I can totally imagine the setting from these descriptions. I really like the previous TJR’s I read and from these first lines I’m just getting more and more excited. As soon as I’m done typing I will continue reading this eARC ;).
Do these first sentences get you excited for this release? And do you plan on reading it? I would love to hear that in the comments!
