Posted on Goodreads 8/8: To be honest I wasn’t the biggest fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid books going into this read, but I was blown away. I’m not a tennis fan, but it is impossible not to fall in love with Carrie and her story. It’s simple and an amazing feel good story. Best TJR read in my opinion.

3.75

What I find most compelling about Taylor Jenkins Reid’s writing is her ability to create family dynamics that are so strong that you can’t help but feel like you are a part of it. Carrie Soto is Back follows Soto as she tries to regain her championship title in tennis after someone comes close to defeating her. Coming out of retirement in the world of tennis proves to be difficult because so many underestimate women of her age competing competitively in sports. As we follow Soto on this journey, we see life through her eyes and the inner difficulties she faces with feeling like her worth only matters if she is the very best, at her very best. She is unlike any character I’ve ever read. However, this book was a bit slow to start, and the tennis verbiage was overkill. Although it wasn’t my favorite Taylor Jenkins Reid book, I enjoyed it very much.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine for an earc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Six years after her retirement, Carrie Soto makes the brutal decision to come back and reclaim her record for total Grand Slam wins. So, at age thirty-seven, Carrie returns to the world of professional tennis for the 1995 Grand Slam season. With her father returning as her coach, Carrie's journey is set to be a powerhouse move.

With Carrie Soto Is Back, Reid returns to a form of perspective with the titular Carrie at the helm the entire way. Aside from the sport commentary included, print or on air, there is no other perspective featured than Carrie's. It's odd to say so, considering novels for so long generally only featured one character's perspective, but this felt refreshing and new — despite it being a return to an older form. Reid takes the length of the book and the breadth of the path to the majors to really get down deep and explore Carrie's entire character. And, with Carrie as the first-person narrator, it is ultimately Carrie's own time getting to know her self again, allowing herself to evolve — not only in tennis but as a person. It's an engaging journey and one that Reid handles extraordinarily well, but not unexpectedly so considering her ability to create characters that demand attention.

My only real complaint about this book will surprise no one who knows anything about me. The present tense. While it was definitely tolerable — beyond tolerable, if I'm being completely honest — and blended well enough with the tone of the Comeback portion, it never quite shook off the vestiges of feeling gimmicky. Pulling the past into the present for the reader, by means of locking onto the now, will almost always feel needlessly and pointedly clever.

That being said, I love it for the match commentary. This is where that belongs. It brings a meditative moment of stillness to the tension of the game. It works beautifully, especially considering I’ve likened the sound of present tense to golf commentary. But it does tend to make the other parts of Carrie’s day feel thin and flimsy. While it adds to the drama of the game, forcing it to feel undecided (despite the pages already written), it chips away at the underlying emotions of the other scenes and makes them dull and less vibrant.

Regardless of this personal nitpicking, which I can admit this to be, this is a beautiful book. An outstanding story of excellence, complete with its flaws — few though they are. Carrie is a powerfully dynamic character, and it's no surprise to me that, if Reid knew anything about this character when she created her for a bit part in Malibu Rising, it was that she had what it takes to be the star of her own story. One of the rare TJR books where I wouldn't say no to a sequel, Carrie Soto Is Back brought all I love about Reid's writing and more.

Thank you to the publisher for my review copy. All opinions are my own.

Sadly, I did not finish this title. I made it to the 40% mark and when I realized the majority was tennis verbiage….I had to set it down. I needed a story and in my opinion this was not one.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book--I'm not a particular tennis fan but I was hooked from the first chapter. Taylor Jenkins Reid's books are compulsively readable, and even though the characters aren't always very likable, I always find them intriguing and want to learn more about their motivations. Carrie was a driven tennis player without a lot of social graces, but I enjoyed the developing relationship between her and her father and her hitting partner. Definitely recommended for adult fiction readers.

Carrie Soto is Back is yet another fabulous Taylor Jenkins Reid book! I was so excited to have the opportunity to read an advance copy of this genuine, engaging, and touching novel.
Carrie’s voice is so well portrayed and the book was very entertaining. Knowing little about tennis, I learned quite a bit about the sport and was extremely invested in Carrie’s matches.
(I also know little about the space travel in the Martian or Project Hail Mary, but just like tennis in Carrie Soto is Back, I didn’t need to know those things to enjoy a wonderful book.)
This story had me on the edge of my seat during some of the more heart pounding tennis scenes! Plus, it was perfect reading about those sunny and hot courts during the summer.
Carrie and Javier’s relationship was so lovely and felt so realistic. It was also super fun seeing the connections to Reid’s previous books pop up. I am ready for a real life issue of Sub Rosa!
Thank you to the author, Random House, Ballantine, and NetGalley for this advanced readers copy. Thoughts are my own!

Thought provoking portrayal of womens’ sports. Taylor has drawn a portrait of Carrie as an ambitious yet anxious sports heroine. She struggles with self care and anxiety as she must come out of retirement to defend her sports records. Along the way Carrie discovers her inner strength and romance with a former lover. She also reconnects with her father, her first coach and best friend. The novel is a slow start but ends with several poignant moments and I am cheering for Carrie! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-galley!

I am always going to love TJR's books. She sucks you in every single time and she makes you fall in love with every character. With that said, this was the first time I didn't love the main character. Carrie had a tough side to her which even though I do appreciate, I don't like when people are mean. And Carrie had a mean side to her that I just didn't connect with. She did change by the end of the book and I did like that. It was a lot of tennis talk but I think TJR did a good job keeping the details of the matches to a good minimum, especially the less important matches. I loved that there was a romance within the story and also the relationship with Carrie and her dad. And of course I always love the little crossovers she does with her books.

I have high hopes when TJR releases a new book, and this one flat out blew them out of the water and left me hugging my Kindle with tears silently streaming down my face once I finished it. I will tell you to do what I should've done and don't try to compare Carrie Soto to any of the tennis legends we know so well - she is one of a kind, as are her rivals, as is this book. It is EXCEPTIONAL and has me yearning to pick my own racquet back up and to call my father and just tell him how much I love him. The audiobook is also fantastic. I'd give it 10 stars if I could.

You really can’t go wrong Taylor Jenkins Reid and this book is no exception. I don’t know much about tennis and to be honest, some of the stuff went over my head, but it didn’t even matter. This book was so good! The main character, Carrie, isn’t someone you’d root for. She’s kind of a bitch but as the story progresses, you see her grow and you end up loving her. The secondary characters, Carrie’s father, Javier, and Bowe, you’ll love them from the start.

Overall, great book and would 100% recommend it.

I did not expect to love Carrie Soto is Back. I know nothing about Tennis and was truly skeptical picking up this book. However, Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again. From the first few sentences I was pulled in to the story and Carrie Soto's come back. TJR weaves us through the past and present in a way that makes sense and doesn't leave the reader wondering.

Carrie Soto is five years into her retirement when she watches her record disappear right before her eyes. It is at that moment that her father, Javier, and her decide to reclaim it. We follow Carrie on her journey to try and reclaim her titles and record against much younger competitors. All the while learning of her past and why she is the way she is, what makes her have such a hard exterior. Interwoven with a loving, but at times rocky relationship with her father and a somewhat surprising relationship that may be this missing link to her happiness and self acceptance.

If you have ever read and loved a Taylor Jenkins Reid book, do not skip this one. Add it to your TBR, I guarantee you will finish in a very short time.

OMG, Carrie Soto is Taylor Jenkins Reid's best book to date. We follow Carrie Soto, a retired women's tennis player as she gets back into the court for one last season to defend her title against a Nicki Chan who is about to surpass Soto in Slams. This book has so much heart - as a tennis player myself, I felt so invested in Carrie's games and also her life. We go back to Carrie's childhood through a series of tournaments with her father and coach Javier to learn how she became the best in women's tennis. You HAVE to read this book.

I couldn’t wait to post my review for this book.
I really thought I wouldn’t like this book, I like more of TJR older stuff compared to her newer stuff, & knowing it was about tennis I had very low expectations for this one.
I was so wrong. I was hooked pretty quickly on this story & while reading it I kept saying “I love this book & I’m not even sure why.” I don’t care about tennis, or sports in general & even though that was so heavy in this story I ended up loving it. I looked forward to the tennis matches & training. I found it fun to read about all of her tournaments & see her compete.

This book isn’t just about tennis, it’s a beautiful story about a strong woman who unapologetically is who she is & doesn’t care if people don’t like her for it. She gives her all & then some & you get to watch her come back & do it all again. Now don’t get me wrong, she is a hard person to get along with but she is who she is & she has such fight that you can’t help but root for her the whole time.
It’s a story of a father & daughter & how special that relationship is. I melted time & time again over their relationship & cried during a specific part of their relationship. He was her hero, & she was his.

Overall it was just a surprisingly beautiful story & im so glad I got the chance to read it before it releases. If you love TJR I am sure you will love this one by her.

Thank you to @netgalley & Ballantine for the E-ARC copy of this book I can’t wait to buy the physical copy for my shelf.

TJR you have done it again! Only she could get me fully invested in a new sport…. While listening I felt the need to put a match on in the background to really immerse the experience! I’m sure reading this physically would be wonderful but the audio was brilliant. I loved that’s of narrators and felt like I was watching a high stakes day of tennis. The bond between Carrie and her father was one I will always remember from a book! I truly never wanted it to end and felt like I could listen to hours worth of Carrie Soto coverage!

Wow!! I am not well after finishing this one. I will be honest and say that Malibu Rising was not a hit for me, so I was reluctant to delve deeper into a character from an adjacent universe. So glad I didn’t let that cloud my judgment. Carrie Soto is Back was everything that I wanted from TJR and will now rival Evelyn for me (Daisy is unfortunately untouchable for me).

Carrie Soto is a legendary tennis player, she is a win-at-all-costs kind of b*tch who is laser focused on the game and can’t be bothered with the rest. When she retired from tennis she held the record for Most Grand Slams won by any player, but that all changes at the 1994 US Open when Nikki Chan claims the win, taking with it her 21st grand slam. As Carrie watches it all unfold from the first row of the match, she makes the shocking decision to get back in the game. For 4 more grand slams, with her father and coach Javier Soto by her side, she is determined to take back what is rightfully hers. At 37 she would be the oldest woman to ever do it. Carrie Soto is back - will she be as great as she was, or maybe even greater?

I don’t even know what to say about this book - Carrie is so unlikeable in so many ways and yet so much of that becomes her power and what draws you to her. I will take away lessons from Carrie (and Jav) that will stick with me in my life. This book made me cry - it is full of heart and beauty, on and off the court. I know you would never miss the new TJR but I am here to tell you that you should pre-order this and read it on 8/30 the second you get it in your hands.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC - I was so beyond thrilled to receive this and this book was everything. DO NOT MISS IT!

Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again. Carrie Soto Is Back is another superb book that combines wit, humor, stronger female characters, and moving movements in a way that only Jenkins Reid can do. I enjoyed Carrie as a character and I thought that her inner struggle between wanting to be the best and realizing how others saw her was interesting. The book is amazing, but the best parts to me were the moments between Carrie and her dad. As someone who does not enjoy sports, I went into this one a bit skeptical but I really enjoyed every moment of it. Taylor Jenkins Reid is an auto-buy author for me and I can't wait for the next book. Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group for giving me this ARC in exchange for honest review.

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Expected publication date: August 30, 2022

Date read: June 27, 2022



Carrie Soto was raised to be a professional tennis player, and she succeeded. Her drive and determination made her the best player in the world, with twenty Grand Slam titles to her name. But her fierce style of play and unfriendliness to her fellow competitors has also made her unpopular with the other players. Then, at thirty-seven, six years after retiring, Carrie is watching the 1994 US Open as Nicki Chan ties her record. Despite her age, her injuries, and her reputation, Carrie decides to come out of retirement for one season in order to beat Nicki and take her record back.

We first met Carrie Soto in Malibu Rising, as the other woman in Nina’s relationship. She was unlikable by virtue of her position, but in her one scene managed to come off as funny and intriguing. So when I saw that Carrie would be getting her own book, I was intrigued.

This book did not disappoint. I loved Carrie Soto. She’s a mostly unlikable person, and if I met her in real life I would hate her, but she’s funny and driven and knows what she wants. I found myself rooting for her so hard as she attempted her comeback.

The beginning chapters of this book are a little tough at times. They’re a little slow, but more because of the excitement to get to the present day. Mostly it’s just hard to watch Carrie as a child being denied any part of a childhood. The scene where she’s 9 years old and asks her dad to take her for ice cream, but he makes her run in the sand for conditioning instead is heartbreaking. While the first half of the book is a little slower than the second, this insight into why Carrie is the way she is allows her to be sympathetic despite her unlikability.

From the point where Carrie announced that she was coming out of retirement, however, I was hooked and didn’t want to put this book down. The final match was predictable in that we knew who the players would be, but I still had no idea how the author would play it out.

It is not necessary to have read Malibu Rising before this book, nor is it necessary to understand or like tennis to read this book. While it is tennis-heavy, the rules are explained in the book. I have never cared for tennis, and I even field like I would watch tennis now.

Overall, this book is a delight. It features an unlikable main character and shouldn’t be as enjoyable as it is, but it’s fantastic. This is the mark of a great writer, and i will definitely be reading more from this author in the future. Even if you read Malibu Rising and didn’t like Carrie, don’t let that put you off from this book. It’s a great story by a wonderful author. Highly recommended.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Content warning: death of a family member, child abuse* (I don’t personally think that what Carrie’s father put her through for training constitutes child abuse, but a reader with a child abuse trigger might, so I will include it here.)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reading copy! I just want to start this review by thanking Taylor Jenkins Reid for writing this beautiful book that really spoke to me. This book felt like it was made for me. I love a powerful, angry woman in literature, and full disclosure, I play and love tennis. Carrie Soto is the best at tennis in the world, until she retires, and another player, Nicki Chan starts beating her record. With a lot to prove, Carrie comes out of retirement to reclaim Grand Slam titles, with her dad as her coach. This book is a lot about sports and tennis, but obviously it’s about a lot more. It’s about grief, love, family, fear of failure, but most poignantly, to me, it’s about being great and embracing your greatness while not apologizing for it. Women apologize all the time, and this book is a counter balance to all that female guilt. It’s about a woman who is perfectly imperfect, but knows she’s amazing at what she does, and to me, that’s a breath of fresh air in this world. If you’re a woman who is tired of dimming your shine in order for people to feel better (particularly men) this book is for you. If you want to see a woman main character be great, while growing as a human and never apologizing for it, this book is for you. Also this book is very well paced, and the movement between sports commentary, tennis matches, and insight into the main character work well. I highly highly recommend this book for fans of women’s literature and empowerment, sports (particularly tennis), and a great, well written, exciting story.

I have really enjoyed Taylor Jenkins Reid's previous work and Daisy Jones and the Six and Malibu Rising are some of my favorite books of the past few years. I am also a big sports fan and a former college athlete so I was excited that TJR turned to the sports world for her latest novel. All that being said, this book definitely did not disappoint. In classic TJR fashion, this novel felt like I was reading a real account of a real athlete and events in history, despite Carrie Soto and all the other characters only existing in the author's imagination. Speaking of the author's imagination and the characters and world she has created, this novel is mostly independent of TJR's previous work, but it also exists in the world that TJR has created through her novels where Nina Riva and Daisy Jones and the Six exist, and connections and odes to those characters are made. I was also found the tennis action, from training to matches, to be very compelling. As I said, I am a sports fan, but I admittedly don't follow tennis match and this book made me want to start to follow tennis more. There were themes here that I could relate to as a former athlete, but there are also plenty of themes that I think many could relate to and understand. While Carrie Soto herself may or not be a relatable character at the surface, she is certainly memorable and enthralling. It's clear that Taylor Jenkins Reid has created another hit and this will be another much talked about novel once it is published. This was my 200th book read for 2022 and it was the best one yet!

Wow I really enjoyed Carrie Soto is Back! I was a little wary after reading Malibu Rising last year, I didn’t love it and felt the book was too long for such little plot. TJR really impressed me with this one though, like Carrie Soto, she has a come back. I love sports and a come back story, I love when someone is underestimated (even once their greatness has been proven) and they journey to come out on top again. I think this book was compelling. I especially loved Carrie for being who she was regardless of what everyone else thought. Special shout out to Bowe who turned out to be a real babe. I highly recommend this read!

4.75/5 stars