'Unstoppable' is a very apt title for this autobiography and memoir by Maria Sharapova - the book sets a compelling pace and the story is engrossing. I found it a fascinating read, since, though a tennis fan, I had not known the details of Sharapova's life, her family, her development and evident passion and dedication. exemplified by the sacrifices made by herself and close relatives.
It is well put together, and shows the reflective side of her nature, and her ability to acknowledge her mistakes, as well as her strength and courage, mental, emotional as well as physical. Definitely Unstoppable! 
Highly recommended.

The Most Brilliant Autobiography for Tennis Fans
I love tennis, but I’ve never been a particular fan of Maria (or Masha, as I learned from the book) Sharapova. Despite this, I couldn’t put down ‘Unstoppable’. I was hooked from the first word to the last. This book is not your usual memoir of a top professional tennis player. Its raw honesty allows you to have a rare and unique glimpse into the world of professional tennis and what it takes to get into it.
Let me start this review by praising Yuri Sharapov, Maria’s dad. This memoir superbly describes the struggle he had on his hands. If you’re a parent thinking about teaching your extremely talented and willing little one to play tennis with some high hopes for the future, this book is the ultimate must read for you. You can find out a lot about the true extent you have to be prepared to go in order to give your offspring a realistic chance to make it to the ranks of the pros.
What Maria Sharapova’s father achieved is nothing short of unbelievably amazing. He demonstrated total commitment, dedication, and determination to help his daughter achieve his ultimate dream. Starting from living in poverty in an isolated city in the collapsing Soviet Union, he made his daughter the most celebrated young champion of Wimbledon in just 13 years.
This book is not for you if you want to read tennis gossip. It’s edited to perfection and shows that the author is as focused on emphasizing the important things surrounding professional tennis as she usually is on the tennis court to win her next point. Her insights make this memoir ‘unputdownable’.
Particularly interesting parts are her truly honest descriptions of her encounters with Serena Williams. I’ve been a great fan of Serena, and Maria’s account of why she thinks she has such a bad – 2 to19 up to date – record against her was really thought provoking for me. I might have even figured out what may help her to beat Serena in the future. However, my theory is beyond the extent of this review. Then there are some parts in this autobiography where I had to laugh out loud. One of it was the story of hiring and firing Jimmy Connor as a coach.
If there is only one good thing which came out of Maria Sharapova’s unfair doping ban, then it’s the superb quality of this memoir. She managed to find the time to make it brilliant. On the downside the millions of tennis fans had to miss watching her play for 15 whole months which included the Rio Olympics.
The simple fact that the medication she occasionally took for more than a decade was legal up to the beginning of 2016, and she had not a single warning from the authorities during the year of 2015, tells it all. I’m amazed that WADA doesn’t test urine samples for newly added banned substances during notice periods. A single warning from WADA in 2015 would have been enough for her to avoid this unnecessary 15 months ban.
Recently even some of Maria’s WTA competitors are calling her a doper. I strongly recommend them to read at least the last few pages of this book which includes the findings of the CAS panel. The only thing these girls prove is that they’re scared of being no match for Sharapova on the court, so they have to try to ‘put her down’ outside the court.
For Masha I have this message:
Congratulations for reaching round 4 in the 2017 US Open after that long break and multiple injuries. Carry on, girl! Beat them all!

This review can also be found on my website:
https://oliviawildbooks.wordpress.com/2017/09/02/the-most-brilliant-autobiography-for-tennis-fans-a-review/

There is no doubt that Maria Sharapova is a fantastic athlete, or that she is always 100% committed to her chosen sport. I always knew these two facts, but this autobiography has taught me so much more about this talented and fiercely competitive tennis player. As well as being a five time Grand Slam winner, and one of the very few ladies to hold titles in all four Grand Slams, she has overcome an agonising shoulder injury, undergoing corrective surgery and still bouncing back. Indeed my facts may be wrong even before this autobiography is published, as Maria is currently through to the last week of the 2017 USA Grand Slam Championships. Who knows where it will all end?
Her parents were forced to move away from their home after the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. They fled to Siberia amidst the furore of speculation as to what would happen to nearby residents after the grey clouds of nuclear fallout finally settled down. Her father had a new tennis racked gifted to him and that’s what started the family passion for tennis. After being spotted by Martina Navratilova in her homeland and taking up her suggestion that Maria should move to the USA to further develop her natural talent, Yuri Sharapova started collecting the necessary papers to indeed take his daughter to America. They set off when Maria was six years old, leaving Maria’s mother behind. They had very little money, but were filled with hope and determination. It would be years and years until Maria’s mother was able to join her family and by then Maria was westernised and competing in junior events. This was just the start of what was to come next: as told in this fascinating, enjoyable and informative autobiography.
Maria is comprehensive and disciplined in her writing. She describes the ups and downs of her tennis career; her rivalries, her strengths and weaknesses, her attitude to practice sessions; her relationship with her much valued team, her star status, her wealth and even her romances. She tells everything right down to the controversial drug test failure after the Australian Grand Slam Championships early in 2016, which could have brought a premature ending to her sparkling career. She fought through that with the tenacity she shows on court. She was determined to prove she was not a drug abuser, a cheat and to clear her besmirched name. Mission accomplished.
I became really absorbed in her beautifully written story. It reminded me of the many times I have enjoyed watching her successes and failures on the TV screen. I remembered about some of the stories she told, but I learnt so much more from reading this remarkable autobiography. I would like to thank NetGalley and publisher Particular Books for a copy of 'Unstoppable: My Life So Far', sent to me in return for an honest review. I’m not an avid reader of celebrity autobiographies, but I am a tennis player and therefore a fan of many current and past tennis stars. I have read their autobiographies and this one compares very favourably. It’s a 9/10 review from me and a recommendation that this is a very frank, sometimes amusing and enjoyable read.

A great, honest and personal read.  Unlike so many autobiographies I have read this felt personal as in it felt like it was Maria talking (or writing) just to me, a private conversion.  This is written true to many of here early coaches who Maria described as no bullshiters to quote her, and she tells you it warts and all. Many will know a lot of Maria Sharapova's story as it has been lived out in the public eye but as you read this and I encourage you to and highly recommend you do, you will discover the person instead of the story.  How do you become the world's best?  It will start with a single step or a single hit, for Maria Sharapova it includes single grand slams and titles and a single driven....... well read the book she will tell you. I truly felt every page was Maria telling her story her way it felt real and that's because it is. 
I have been given a free copy of this book from NetGalley in return for a honest review.

If I am totally honest, I do not like tennis at all but when I seen the book I was curious to what Maria's story was. Whys would she write a book about just tennis? Once i started reading this, I couldn't put it down. Even though its an autobiography, the story, Maria's story just kept me wanting to read more. Maria is very honest and I couldn't put this book down, I literally read this in a day! I cannot recommend this book enough especially for non tennis fans!

Nothing but RESPECT for Ms Sharapova... looking forward to her brilliant journey!
Review to come!