Kicking off our official countdown, we have #10. That honor goes to Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

What is it about? At one time, Carrie Soto was the undisputed queen of female tennis. She won game after game, trophy after trophy. She didn’t make many friends but she was the best, a title that had been drilled into her by her father. Now thirty-seven and retired, Carrie believes her legacy is set in stone, until a new female tennis player starts catching up with her. Unable to handle the idea of someone beating her records, Carrie returns to the world of tennis for one last season.

Why did I love it? Ms. Reid has an incredible talent in that she can write stories in which the characters feel so real that you would think you are reading a riveting autobiography of that actual person. I felt that with The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and I felt it again in Carrie Soto. The characters come to life on the pages and the descriptions of the tennis matches were heavily detailed. As someone who isn’t a big tennis player I can’t say if she got all the terminology correct but for a casual reader it seemed realistic to me. The ending of this story is very well done and it concludes Carrie’s story in a strong, meaningful way. Additionally, the commentary on women as they age and how they are treated in professional sports was very informative and interesting. If you are looking for a good sports book or just want to know which Taylor Jenkins Reid book to pick up next, I would highly recommend Carrie Soto.