Carrie Soto, one of the most successful women’s tennis players, is back. Having retired after a very successful career, Soto’s sent into a tailspin when an up and coming young woman takes over her records. Battling back from retirement, she sets off on the journey of a lifetime- reclaiming her title as the best female tennis player ever.

As someone who dabbled a bit in tennis in my younger years, Carrie Soto’s story resonated. A strong, successful female protagonist, coupled with the strong father/daughter bond between Carrie and her dad, and the hint of a love story with Carrie and Bowe, TJR has created quite the sports masterpiece.

Fun Fact: One of my favorite TJR things is how she slips in other characters from her realm. I loved the Riva family reference!

I really enjoyed Carrie Soto. You have to love a come back girl, and comeback she did!

The story was very unique and refreshing. I will say it’s not my favorite of TJR’s books, but that may have something to do with the fact that I’m not a huge tennis fan. And of course this book was highly centered around that. But the writing was fabulous and she just knows how to hook a reader into her stories. So kudos to you TJR!

I would definitely still recommend this book because even though I’m not a fan of tennis I am a fan of TJR and her writing and she didn’t disappoint in Carrie Soto is Back!

I was a big fan of Reid's previous novels "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" and "Daisy Jones and the Six," and was therefore looking forward to her newest offering. Sadly, Carrie Soto is not quite the charismatic figure that is Evelyn or Daisy, no matter how much the author may wish it. The book also relies heavily on the reader being interested in the world of tennis, which I also found difficult to care about. These two issues proved too difficult for me to overcome in the end, and I gave up on the book half way through.

Received a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.

I’m an 10000% a Taylor Jenkins Reid fan. Haven’t read a single book yet that I didn’t like. This was really really good. And for someone who’s not a sports fan she explained tennis in such an easy and interesting way. Also, I LOVED the Easter eggs in this one.

Carrie Soto achieved her goal of becoming the best to play the game. When her grand slam record is threatened, she decides to make an improbable comeback to protect her record. Many suggest her return in her late thirties is motivated by her need for attention. Is Carrie just a desperate aging athlete that can't live without the limelight, or can she prove that she's still the greatest tennis player ever?

I quickly found myself immersed in this insightful look into an athlete's mind. I could relate to Carrie's drive to win and quest for perfection in her game. I was invested in Carrie's comeback and cheering for her success.

Carrie is known for her grace on the court, but her personality off the court is quite different. She is unapologetically blunt, which causes her to be misunderstood and polarizing. Regardless of her reputation, I loved that Carrie always had an unwavering belief in herself.

Carrie's pursuit of tennis domination is the book's central focus. However, I was equally captivated by Carrie's relationships with the two men in her life, her father Javier and training partner Bo. Both relationships are complicated, flawed, and deeply impacted by her pursuit of greatness above all else.

This intense, character-driven story of an athlete who sacrificed everything in search of greatness is a fascinating read.

This is my top read of 2022! Do you have to love tennis for you to love this book? Negative. This book is so much more than a tennis star coming out of retirement to defend her record.

Carrie Soto is not a lovable character. She’s brash. Hard. Blunt. Says what she’s thinking. She even fires her own father as her tennis coach.

But I love Carrie Soto.

She’s just so dynamic and learns so much about herself and what she wants in life…. What’s truly important in life. And at the end of the day, aren’t we all?

Taylor Jenkins Reid has quickly become a favorite author of mine. This is the 4th book of hers I’ve read just this year. I don’t think she can write a bad book. Just give this one a solid chance. It’s absolutely perfect.

As my first TJR book, this certainly did not disappoint. The fact that I was immersed into a sports book as though I was watching a movie really shows how incredible TJR's storytelling skills are. I enjoyed Carrie's efforts and her viewpoint of being a women (of color) in the sporting world, *however* TJR said that she would not write any more women of color after 7 Husbands (as she is not poc and wrote several stereotypes in 7 Husbands); once again, however, she wrote a women of color protagonist. I cannot speak for how good it was done or if it perpetuated any stereotypes but after promising not to write a woc main character but then doing it again is a little ... off.

Also, while the storytelling skills really captured the essence of this book, I found it less emotional than it was supposed to be. The father-daughter relationship wasn't as "flawed" as I had originally assumed nor was the ending scene when [REDACTED] happened.

Overall, this is worthy of 3.5 stars.

While I did enjoy this book, it's probably my least favorite TJR. There was a lot — A LOT — of recounting tennis scores, games told shot by shot. I could have used more of Carrie Soto's childhood, background, personal life, etc. I've also heard some justified criticism from Latine reviewers that Carrie Soto's Argentinian identity isn't thoughtfully and complexly portrayed.

absolutely loved this book. Carrie was a difficult character to like- however I admired her drive to be the best. The amount of hard work she did depicted in this book was realistic. I loved her changing perspective throughout the years in the book. I loved Javier, the belief he had in her was moving. How a father should believe in his daughter. The one thing I wished would have been different is that some of the Spanish would have had translations. Loved this fun book and enjoyed seeinf characters from other books. Taylor Jenkins Reid did it again!

Carrie Soto is trying to win back her title after leaving the world of tennis. Taylor Jenkins Reid gives us a character that is strong , competitive and closed off to love and friendships. Her journey to Wimbledon and the US Open is filled with finding her true self & happiness . I enjoyed the book but I did feel like it lagged when describing the tennis matches. Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this copy.

This was a good book by TJR, but not her best. It didn't have the same oomf as most of others and I didn't really feel invested until around three-fourths of the way in. I am also confused as to why she made Carrie Soto Cuban, when she got so much negative feedback about writing from the perspective of a POC for Seven Husbands. Especially when it didn't seem to have much impact on the character. It's mentioned only a couple of times at the beginning, in relation to her father's upbringing, and then maybe once or twice near then end. It really only seemed like she did it so she could have lots of Spanish phrases thrown in the book-- many of which you need to translate if you're not a speaker, as there were multiple sentences or uncommon phrases. It felt performative and unnecessary.

What is not to love about a TJR novel, especially one with such a fierce competitor that turns out to have a whole lotta heart?! The genius of this storyteller is that she can make you care about an athlete in a sport outside the mainstream, to give just enough technical context to make the reader feel like they are IN the match, but make it all oh so human. I grew up playing tennis so I was thrilled about this but I never dreamed I'd love a fictional G.O.A.T. so much

Taylor Jenkins Reid is the only person on the planet who can make me read about tennis and not only love every minute of it, be at the edge of my seat with anticipation, but also feel EMOTIONS about it. This woman could write anything and I'd devour it.

Carrie Soto is Back, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Ballantine
This book is about tennis but you do not have to care about tennis or even understand tennis to find a compelling read in Carrie Soto's story. Carrie Soto is a retired tennis superstar who cannot stand for a competitor to overtake her grand slam record so she and her father, Javier develop a plan for a comeback after five years of retirement.
The story is told in alternating chapters including Carrie's childhood, her first rise to career heights and the comeback tour including the four open competitions. Supporting characters include the expected tour leader Nicki Chan, practice partner Bowe Hunter, colorful agent Gwen as well as her father Javier. This book has important lessons about how are our actions are viewed by others and how we treat others can have a lasting effect.

Readers who enjoyed Daisy Jones and the Six and Malibu Rising will also find Carrie Soto to have the same compulsive readability. Five stars.

Thank you Net Galley and Ballantine for an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fierce and blazing tale about female ambition, about resiliency and perseverance, and about refusing to settle for anything less than what you deserve. Anyone who has ever felt competitive or wished they were the best at something is going to feel their heart break after reading this book, in my opinion.

Happy Pub Day to this gem of a book! There has been so much love for this book over the past couple of months and for good reason. I honestly did not think I was going to like this one as much as I did. I’m not a fan of tennis but that is a brilliance of Taylor Jenkins Reid- you don’t have to love tennis to appreciate Carrie Soto.

In the prime of her career, Carrie was on top of the tennis world, but 6 years after retiring she is back to defend her title - no matter what the cost.

What I Loved:
🎾 The relationship between Carrie and her father. He wanted her to be her best self but not at the expense of finding joy.

🎾 The way Reid pulled me into the matches - I could feel the heartache and jubilation right along with Carrie

🎾 I loved the underdog element of the story as I was always rooting for Carrie despite her being an unlikeable character at times.

In the end I appreciated Carrie as an athlete. I loved to see her personal character growth and the relationships that she formed on the court and off!

Loved TJR's latest: Carrie Soto is Back! This author is the master of subtly including characters throughout her books. Soto's fictional journey as a tennis champ couldn't have come at a better time as the US Open took place just as I was reading this novel. Excellent read, highly recommended as I would any of TJR's books.

There is something about TJR writing that just works for me! And Carrie Soto is back was no exception.

TJR is a queen when it comes to building a strong female character. She took it up a notch with Carrie Soto. Carrie is not just a "strong female". She is what our society (and the fictional society in the book) would call a B word.

I have heard some major MAJOR criticism of this book. Some even went as far as calling it "another American Dirt". The two points that I have heard the most are the following: TJR failed at creating a believable LatinX character, and "too much tennis".

In a typical TJR fashion the book is hyper focused on one subject/industry/idea, in this case - tennis. So will you like it if you have zero appreciation for the beauty of the game? My guess would be, nooooot as much.... (??) If you are truly TRULY anti-tennis, you no doubt will get too bogged down by the details to truly enjoy the book. But...in its essence the book is not about tennis. It's about how we perceive hyper-ambitious professional women. And at that TJR excelled.
For the most part Carrie Soto comes off as an arrogant, cold-hearted b*tch. Yet, if you are not thinking: "well...what would I think of a professional MALE athlete with the exact same characteristics?" -- you are missing the point!

As a society, we are conditioned to think of overly ambitious women as off-putting. While men in the exact same positions are viewed as "determined", "focused", and "success oriented". 
So if you are reading/listening to Carrie Soto (or like...voting for a president  ), and thinking "oh boy, I really cannot stand the b*tch!", I urge you to look inward and ask yourself why. What is it that makes you feel threatened, and how would you react to the exact same character if she was a male?

With regards to LatinX aspect - it is not focused on "latinX experience" as much as on "being a female in professional sports experience". I do not feel that the comparison to American Dirt is fair or appropriate. But...I also do not understand why TJR decided to make Carrie Soto's character Latina at all, or why she chose to use so much untranslated Spanish in the book   That honestly is a mystery to me...

Rating: 3.75  s

Taylor Jenkins Reid does it again. She is constantly writing strong female characters and this book does not disappoint. If you loved Malibu Rising, you'll love this book. Some characters make a cross over, but if you're familiar with TJR you know she loves to weave in her characters and connect them across her books.

Carrie Soto is may have been one of the best tennis players of her generation but she certainly wasn't the 'fan-favorite' and her fierce determination to win at any cost has not made her popular. She has shattered every record and taken multiple titles home with her, sacrificing nearly everything to become the best. Carrie thinks that even after retirement there's never going to be anyone that can beat what is so rightfully hers.

But six years after she's left the court, Carrie finds herself sitting in the stands of the 1994 US Open, watching her record be taken from her. At thirty-seven, Carrie decides to come out of retirement and be coached by her father who has been her coach since she was 2, for one last year in an attempt to reclaim her record.

Even the sports media says that they never liked Carrie, and no one is rooting for her, and her body doesn’t move as fast as it did. She has something to prove and that's motivation enough. Even when she has to swallow 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.