I would give this book a solid four stars. I was raised watching tennis, so I was very excited for this book. Reading Malibu Rising, we are introduced to Carrie Soto as the woman who broke up Nina Riva's marriage. Carrie Soto Is Back is her journey through her tennis career. The rise and retirement and the subsequent journey to a comeback. I wish there would have been more description of Carrie's life outside of tennis, like the relationships. I feel like it was written like a sports memoir, which for some that is fine, but for me that is not exactly what I am looking for. Overall I would still recommend this book and I know it is going to be another Taylor Jenkins Reid hit!

This book was an experience for me to read. I know next to nothing about tennis- but you know what? That was really not a problem, TJR made it so that you could really get the gist of how to play and how the scoring works.
I had my worries at the beginning how this was going to go. I started out really not liking Carrie at all, her cockiness and overall attitude was just really hard to swallow. Carrie initially retires due to an injury but mounting her comeback with the help of her Dad/coach Javier, she really starts to reflect on why she is the way she is and maybe winning isn't everything. We start to see that her attitude is more of a defense than anything, that to be the best and win, she always felt that she could never let anyone in and maybe that isn't the best thing.
Javier bring in one of Carrie's old flames, Bowe Huntley to train with her as he mounts his own comeback. He believes in Carrie just as much as Javier and really starts to wear her down and makes her realize that she IS lonely and needs someone else to lean on and share her life with. It is nice that their relationship and eventual romance is very supportive but doesn't become the focus of the book or takeaway from Carrie's story. I loved the ending, I really thought it was a great full circle way for Carrie to honor her career and the influence of her dad as she moves on into the future. So in short, if you love a strong female character and love a good comeback story, this is a great book option for you.

Thank you for Netgalley and Ballantine for the eARC in return for my review. All thoughts are my own.

“One would hope by now she would have moved on to starting a family or running her own foundation.”

Carrie finished her illustrious tennis career as the winningest slam champion in history. When, five years later, a new player threatens her record, she knows it’s time to dust off her racket and get back to work with her father as coach. Carrie was never well-liked--she knew exactly how good she was and she wasn’t going to simper or perform false modesty just to make other people comfortable. So now all of the haters who were never supportive are chomping at the bit in anticipation of a very public failure. Add in a former one-night-stand as her practice partner, and it gets to be too much for her mind and body to conquer.

I was a little worried about this book. I’m not much of a sports fan and have less than zero athletic ability. However, I should learn to never doubt TJR—truly great writing can make any subject immensely readable (also, I was a huge fan of Sports Night, so I should really know better). Carrie exemplifies what most of us have gone through—smile more, don’t be too ambitious, make nice—just on a broader scale, which would have been even worse in the 80s and 90s. The way her single-mindedness stunted her romantic/emotional development was fascinating and felt real. I don’t think this book will be as universally liked as say Daisy Jones and the Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and that’s ok. For those of us who do love a true powerhouse, force of nature, badass, Carrie Soto is it. Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the eARC. Available 8/30/2022.

If you’ve read any of TJR’s recent books (please say you have), you may recognize the name Carrie Soto aka the Battle Axe. This book is her comeback. Do you need more of a description? Probably not.

Let me start by saying I have ZERO interest in tennis. I took tennis for a PE credit in high school and I was absolutely terrible. It wasn’t a pretty sight. I’ve also never watched a tennis match on tv. However, this book made me feel like the biggest tennis fan.

TJR makes characters come to life in the most magical way. I always feel like I’m reading about real people. The mentions of old characters help me feel that way but it’s also how fully fleshed out everyone is. I feel like I know so much about them.

Carrie is nowhere near the most likable character but there’s something about her that makes you want her to succeed. Between her unparalleled determination and how harsh the critics are on her, I found myself so invested in her story.

This book obviously has a whole lot of tennis but it’s so much more than that. It’s about relationships, mostly one between a father and daughter, of feeling unwanted, the need to be the best, what comes after you retire, the toll professional sports take on you both mentally and physically. There’s a love story that sneaks its way in there too. Basically, if you’ve enjoyed any of TJR’s recent books, you’ll love this one too.

My sister and I adore Taylor Jenkins Reid! I have to say that I was not as crazy about Daisy Jones and the Six as I was about The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, but how many books can live up to that? Period. I have to say that I really enjoyed Carrie Soto is Back, however. I do not know much about tennis, okay, I do not know almost anything about tennis, but Reid is such an amazing author that she sucks you into that world, even if you do not know the most about the sport, like me.

Carrie reminds me so much of the Williams sisters, which I assume is the point. Trained by her father, she is a tough competitor, has a tad bit of a mouth that can get her into trouble, and always likes to win. Okay, more like she has to win. This is all about relationships and her relationship with her father is a huge part of that. It is also about letting go, even when it is the hardest thing to do.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have read many of TJR's other books and I really enjoyed them, especially Malibu Rising. So I was excited to hear about this book and learn more about Carrie Soto - who I loved from her brief cameo in Malibu Rising. I really wanted to like this book, but TJR's choice to make the main character Latina makes this book problematic. This is a problem that the author has been criticized for before and I am baffled as to why she and her publishers chose to do it again.

The writing and characters are beautiful, but Soto could have easily been a white woman who spoke Spanish. The culture and understanding and depth that a Latinx author would have added to this character are missing and the story is worse for it. The characters are whitewashed (again a problem that TJR has been criticized for before - namely in Evelyn Hugo). Just adding Spanish throughout and describing their skin color doesn't make for accurate representation by any means. I was also uncomfortable by how similar Soto's story is to Venus and Serena Williams' lives.

I wanted to like this, but the more I read this and listened to the conversation surrounding this book from the BIPOC community, the more uncomfortable I feel and I can't support this book. TJR is a wonderful writer, but stick to white characters please and get more sensitivity readers from the BIPOC community to avoid more of these.

▪️REVIEW▪️

Carrie Soto is Back ~ Taylor Jenkins Reid

🙏🏼 Thank you @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse for this eARC a copy - Out TOMORROW, August 30th.

▪️READ IF:
* You’ve sipped a Honey Deuce at the U.S. Open.
* Your dad es tu amor.
* You love a good comeback!

▪️SUMMARY: When Carrie Soto retires from tennis, she’s the best the game has ever seen. But when she realizes that her records are soon-to-be usurped by the young and fierce Nicki Chan, she surprises the world with a comeback no one saw coming.

With her father and coach, Javier, by her side - Carrie is prepared to quiet the naysayers, push her limits, and win back her title, hence the apropos “Carrie Soto is Back.”

▪️REVIEW: I don’t usually do reviews like this but I’m so split down the middle so here’s the breakdown…

Love-Love:
* The ending - made it all worth it!! honestly wish TJR wrote this whole book like she wrote the ending. There was heart and an opportunity for the reader to reflect on their own triumphs.
* Character interactions - of course Carrie and her dad which was perhaps the greater storyline than tennis but also between her and Nicki, and also Bowe Huntley, her former fling and now current practice partner.
* The TJR Thread - I just love the way Reid connects all her books by a faint thread. Malibu Rising, Evelyn Hugo, and Daisy Jones are all evident in this read.

The Misses:
* It’s just a lot of tennis! - Ok, I get it. It’s a book about a tennis player. So there’s a lot of practice, matches, and…tennis. But I was really just wanting more of a story.
* The dialogue - Carrie and her dad have full conversations in Spanish and none of it is interpreted for the reader. Yes, some can be inferred but not all of it. And I don’t speak Spanish. So….yea. Skimmed those parts.
* Carrie - she’s a total bitch. Like beyond bitch. For about 85% of the book, I was just thinking like “wow” at how brutal and cutthroat she was. I recognize at the end that her supreme bitchiness is all part of the master plan but holy hell, she’s a tough character to like.

So there it is folks! A twist on the ‘ole Next Chapter review format and I don’t hate it. Might be onto something here.

This was AMAZING!!!! I usually take my time with ARC's so that I can fully soak them in, but I had a hard time slowing down my pace with this one. I was a bit nervous because I could honestly not care less about tennis and was worried that piece would bore me, but I was so invested in Carrie Soto as a character that I couldn't stop reading regardless of all the tennis talk.

Daisy Jones was amazing, the Riva Family was great but not quite on par with Daisy, but Carrie Soto....she is everything! It is no secret that TJR knows how to write people. I said it when I reviewed Malibu Rising and I think it is work repeating here, she has an AMAZING gift for making it hard to remember that these characters are fictional. They feel so real! And again, I felt like I could relate to some of what they go through.

Absolutely stunning! This has easily taken over as my favorite TJR book (I have yet to read Evelyn though).

Taylor Jenkins Reid is the master of creating flawed characters that will capture your heart. She did it with The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, she did it with Daisy Jones & the Six, and she has done it yet again with Carrie Soto is Back.

When an injury forced her into retirement at the age of 32, Carrie Soto had cemented her reputation as the best female tennis player in the world. She had broken numerous records and had won an incredible 20 Grand Slam titles. Becoming that great of a player has come with a cost for Carrie though. Not only did she completely isolate herself from anyone she could have possibly formed a relationship with (friendship or romantic), but she was also cold and pretty arrogant when it came to speaking to the media and even to her opponents on the WTA tour, earning herself the nicknames “The Battle Axe” and “The B*tch.”

Tennis is everything to Carrie and so when, five years after her retirement, another player is threatening to beat her 20 Grand Slams, Carrie becomes obsessed with making a comeback to defend her record. She decides to come out of retirement for one season to play the Grand Slam tournaments, and she asks her beloved father, who had coached her for much of her career, to coach her one last time.

I’m a sucker for an underdog story anyway, but there’s just something even more special about a legendary player trying to make a comeback and rise from the bottom back to the top. What especially got me about this story is with the way Carrie behaves, so cold and arrogant at times, she should have been completely unlikeable as a protagonist. But instead of hating her, I just loved her all the more. There was just so much more to Carrie than what she showed the world, as well as a well hidden vulnerability, and it really surprised me how invested I became in watching her take this journey and watching TJR peel back the layers of Carrie’s personality and let us in.

The tennis matches we witness are all adrenaline rushes that made for riveting reading, but I also think readers will fall in love with this story whether they are tennis fans or not. While Carrie’s comeback in the world of professional tennis is obviously front and center, Carrie Soto is Back is about so much more than tennis. It’s a story about never giving up but also about accepting yourself as you are, and it’s also about love and the importance of letting people into your life. My favorite scenes in the book are the ones between Carrie and her father as they train. We get to see those both in the past when Carrie was first rising to the top, and then again through her comeback, and it’s clear they have a special bond. Those scenes were incredibly moving and I adored her dad because of all the good he tried to instill in her and how he always believed in her no matter what. I found myself tearing up a few times as he was talking to Carrie. She was his world and it showed in every word and action.

I devoured Carrie Soto is Back in less than a day, and there is no doubt in my mind that this is going to be a book and a protagonist that will stick with me for years to come.

I started reading Taylor Jenkins Reid when I picked up a copy of Daisy Jones and the six last year. I absolutely loved it, so I quickly started reading her blacklist. When I received an ARC of this book, I was thrilled. For the most part, I enjoyed this book and I grew to love Carrie Soto. I gave the book a 3 star overall for the excessive tennis talk (which I realize some would be there as this is a book about a tennis star), and all the Spanish dialogue without translation (as someone who speaks very little Spanish it was hard at times to understand what was happening). As usual the writing and character development were wonderful and I can't wait for the next one to come out.

This was my first book by TJR, but it will not be my last. Initially, I had trouble really investing in the book, mostly because of the tennis, which I'm not a fan of. However, the characters really won me over and I found myself rooting for just about all of them. I still had trouble with the tennis (mostly because I don't know the rules), but the background and the strength shown by Carrie Soto was absolutely beautiful, just like her tennis game.

TJR is a must-read author from me. This book grabs your interest from the start and follows a successful female tennis player who tries to return to her glory days after retirement. It is very tennis-heavy, more than I anticipated. That being said, I was rooting for Carrie along her journey and was always looking forward to seeing how the next chapter in her comeback would go. This story touches on sexism in sports and in the media. This is a solid read, but does not reach the level of my TJR faves-“Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” (the GOAT), “Daisy Jones & The Six”, and “Malibu Rising.” Quick and enjoyable story-3.5 stars ⭐️ rounded up to 4 stars. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced copy for review.

Taylor Jenkins Reid does it again. Daisy Jones, Evelyn Hugo and Malibu Rising were all in my top 10 reads of 2021 so I reread them all again this year in anticipation of reading Carrie Soto is Back! Everything she writes is incredible and this one is no exception.

Carrie Soto is Back tells the story of Soto's tennis career; her rise to fame, her retirement and her attempt at a comeback. TJR develops these characters in a way that makes me think I'd see them if I turned on ESPN and her description of Soto's tennis matches were easy to imagine even though I only have basic tennis knowledge. They were detailed enough for me to imagine it happening in real life, but they weren't bogged down by too many details. I was so impressed with TJR's writing yet again!

On top of tennis, readers will learn a lot about Soto's struggle to maintain relationships. She wasn't a very likeable character, yet I still found myself rooting for her and wishing her the best! I loved reading about Carrie and Javier's father/daughter relationship and how tennis strengthened and challenged their bond.

I couldn't be more thankful to have received an advanced copy of this book. I can't wait until it's out in the world on Tuesday so I can see all of the amazing reviews it's sure to receive!

5⭐️

Taylor Jenkins Reid is a master of pulling you into her world and making you believe that her characters are living, breathing people. Carrie Soto might be my favorite of all of her characters. She is ruthless and fights hard for what she wants. She wants to be the best and she is the best. She doesn’t care how people view her in the slightest and even leans into it when people start calling her the Battle Axe and a bitch.

Carrie Soto lost her mother when she was young and was raised by her father who coached her in tennis. Carrie becomes the best, and retires from tennis in her early 30s after settling countless records. Carrie is now 37 and comes out of retirement to defend her legacy from Nick Chan. Carrie’s father coaches her once again, and Carrie has to fall in love with tennis again in order to prove everyone wrong and make a major comeback. She must cope with losses, both on the court and in her personal life and ultimately becomes the best version of herself.

This book absolutely destroyed me. I was so invested in it from the very beginning. Carrie’s not perfect, and she can be unlikeable at times, but she does reflect on her actions and becomes a much better person than she was. Carrie’s relationship with her father is truly something special and is my absolute favorite aspect of this book. They’re so close and there is so much love between them, even when Carrie decides to get another coach or during their arguments. This is Taylor Jenkins Reid’s best one yet.

“‘Go out there . . .’ He looks me directly in the eye with an intensity I have not seen in years, maybe even since I was a kid. ‘And show them that the Bitch, the Battle Axe—whatever they want to call you—it doesn’t matter. They cannot stop you. And they don’t get to decide what your name is. Carrie Soto is back.’”

If you’ve read author Taylor Jenkins Reid’s last book Malibu Rising, you’ve already met Carrie Soto, the best female tennis player in the world. In Carrie Soto Is Back, the star athlete has returned, and we get to learn all about her, including how she became such a successful player. When the book begins, it is 1994 and it has been a few years since Carrie has retired from tennis. She still holds the record for Grand Slam singles titles but perhaps not for long. Nicki Chan is now the top player and is threatening Carrie’s place in tennis history. At 37-years-old, Carrie comes out of retirement to protect her legacy. But has too much time passed? After extensive training, she decides to play the four 1995 Grand Slam events. With her father/coach by her side and Bowe Huntley, a 39-year-old player on the tour serving as her hitting partner, she sets out to do the unthinkable – win.

Carrie Soto Is Back was an engaging and satisfying read. While Carrie was not the nicest person, especially to her fellow players, it was impossible not to be interested in and even root for someone so talented, determined, and ambitious. Set within the world of professional tennis, Taylor Jenkins Reid has done a fine job creating lots of tension and excitement during each of Carrie’s matches. As someone who loves tennis, this book was well suited for me. If you have no interest in the sport, you can still appreciate the story. But it’s a real advantage if you understand the game. This favorite author has served up another winner.

How smart to release the book during the first week of the main draw of the US Open.

Rated 4.25 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley for this advance copy, I started it today and it reminded me that I don’t enjoy memoirs by athletes that largely talk about the nuts and bolts of training, Turns out I also don’t enjoy novels that real like memoirs by athletes that largely talk about the nuts and bolts of training,

DNF at 15%

When she retired, Carrie Soto was the greatest tennis player of all time. Six years after retirement, there is a new star on the rise, threatening to break the records Carrie set. Determined to stay the best, Carrie comes out of retirement for one final season to reclaim her record.

I never thought I would get excited about a book about tennis, but here I am, raving about a book about tennis. As always, Taylor Jenkins Reid is an incredible story teller, and in this story she does an incredible job sharing the price of success as well as writing the most beautiful (and painful at times) father-daughter relationship. Of TJR’s most recent 4 books featuring famous/successful women, I think Carrie is my favorite main character. She is strong and complex and relentless in her pursuit of her goals. I flew through this book and adored every page.

After reading this book, I had a chat with some friends about some of the conversations happening around this book that I also feel I need to acknowledge. Particularly that the main character is Argentenian-American and this book was written by a white author and whether or not this is ok. While I didn’t personally find this book or these characters problematic, I do acknowledge that many Latinx authors are not getting the opportunities and/or publicity that an author like TJR gets. This is definitely a huge problem in the publishing industry, and after reading an interview with TJR she acknowledges this (and her position of influence as well). In the interview, it doesn’t sit well with her to only write straight, white women and that she wants to use her position to tell many different stories. In the Time Magazine article she says, “I’m trying and figuring it out with the awareness that my intention to create good representation does not mean I have done it right. I come to it conflicted and open to criticism.” Personally, I’m still grappling with my thoughts on this and appreciated hearing many different perspectives in the chat I was in. I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments as well.

Thank you Ballantine Books for the advance copy.

<i><b>"I always believe I can beat the best, achieve the best. I always see myself in the top position." - Serena Williams</b></i>

Carrie Soto was raised by her father after her mother's death. Tennis was her life's blood. She and her father practiced drills and she played her way to the top! She was known as the Battle Axe. She was tough and unstoppable. After a knee injury, Carrie thought she was done. But now she is back and ready to make a comeback. She is determined, hungry and a warrior. She knows they talk trash about her, she knows what they say, what she is called. But nothing is going to stop her from making a comeback!! With her father coaching her again, she is going to prove that she is the best there ever was!

I loved every single page of this book. I am not a big tennis fan, but I was a fan of Carrie and this book. I loved watching her play in this book. She was a fierce competitor. This book played like a movie in my mind while I was reading it. I loved her drive, her determination, and her spunk. Carrie says what she thinks, and I admired that about her. I loved how she was strong and was not afraid to show it. I rooted for her the entire way.


Another solid well written hit by Taylor Jenkins Reid! This is a great book for tennis fans. You will get Serena Williams vibes. This is also a great book about a strong inspiring woman. Taylor Jenkins Reid is a gifted writer and her talent shines through in this book!!

#CarrieSotoIsBack #NetGalley

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Carrie Soto is my second favorite TJR character (Evelyn Hugo is #1 so it's all good company). Soto is tough, messy, driven and I loved every moment of my time reading her story. Brava to TJR!

Carrie Soto is back and so is Taylor Jenkins Reid. Who knew that I would love a book about the 90’s tennis world as much as I did? That being said, I do feel like it would be irresponsible for me to mention that I feel like this story belonged to someone else - particularly someone of color. As a white woman, I am not qualified to speak on this and will be deferring to the opinions of my Hispanic and Lantinx peers. Overall, I thought the story was great but the question of authorship did plague me as I was reading.