Carrie Soto is like Achilles: the greatest warrior, the greatest player, of her time. But what happens when Achilles retires and a new hero threatens to take his place?! Well I can tell you what Carrie-The Battle Axe does… she comes back to make everyone see that at 37 she can still be the greatest.

Nonetheless this book is not really about her showing everyone she’s still a champion.. no, it is about her learning how to live, how to become a better person. Because Carrie is not a nice person, you won’t agree with her actions most of the times and even if she always faces her challenges on court, she is a quitter in life. She runs away from relationships because she knows how heartbreaking they can be when they end, she saw it happen when her father lost her mother. Father and daughter have one of the most heartwarming and complicated relationships I’ve ever read about and TJR is just amazing in describing their emotions as if I was experiencing them myself. Her father is also her tennis coach, but at a certain point he understands he has failed to teach her how to be happy, and this is their last chance!

I started crying after 2 pages and at the end I was a complete mess. The tennis plays are so well described, I actually felt the adrenaline I sometimes feel when I cheer up for a player. It’s been an amazing journey and I feel so proud of Carrie, because if she appears as hard as a rock, she feels actually very strongly, and when you are in her life, in her little circle, you can be sure you’ll stay up there forever.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the early copy!

This book was incredible. Taylor Jenkins Reid NEVER disappoints. Such an emotional read that made me fall in love with Carrie Soto. I didn't like her at first, she was so annoying and I felt like she was a bad person, but she grew on me SO MUCH in the second half of the book, especially towards the ending. I fell in love with her!

I'm a huge fan of TJR and I leapt at the chance to read an advanced reader's copy of "Carrie Soto is back". I love how TJR has recurring characters in books. Carrie Soto is a character from "Malibu Rising"- Nina's husband's mistress. There is brief mention of it in this book as well. The book was thrilling and interesting to read.

But this particular book will not be appreciated by all who reads it. Let me tell you why, the whole crux of the book is tennis. If a person doesn't understand or like tennis, this book can be hard to read. I grew up watching tennis and that's the reason I really enjoyed the book. It was like watching a tennis match live through the pages of a book.

There were in-depth details about many matches and tournaments. It was so thrilling to read whether Carrie won or lost a particular match. Carrie was not a likable character but somehow she won me over by the end of the book. The grit, determination and confidence she showed was awe inspiring. The whole story showcased the gruelling aspects of being a sports person.

I adored the two side characters in the book- Javier Soto and Bowe Huntley. They added the much needed laughs and joy in the book. The ending was beautiful and perfect. The book was a mix of historical fiction and sports fiction. It can be enjoyed by anyone who has a little bit of knowledge about tennis.

I know very little about tennis and absolutely loved this book, proof that a good author can writing an engaging novel about any topic. Carrie Soto is a great character, unapologetically driven and ambitious and the author didn't fall into the trap of making her father / coach a one dimensional pushy parent. Gripping, excellently paced and ultimately very moving.

Carrie Soto is Back is the new novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid, writer known mainly for The Seven Husband of Evelyne Hugo and Daisy Jones & the Six but who has also written other beautiful novels.

Carrie Soto is Back is a very particular book, is about Carrie, a tennis champion who after having retired from the field many years earlier, decides to return to play one last championship and be trained by her father to try to win against the new champion of the world, Nicki.

The book is structured in a first part that tells the childhood and adolescence of Carrie and how she approached the world of tennis, while then, the novel returns to the present and follows her life both on the court and in the private sphere between love affairs and family relationships.

The main themes are certainly tennis, the father-daughter relationship, rivalry in sport and much more.

The writing, like in any Jenkins book, is stunning, very fluent, evocative and almost nostalgic? I feel this kind of writing almost nostalgic, yes!

I loved the story of Carrie, her father and their relationship.

It certainly not up to The Seven Husband of Evelyne Hugo, but it's a very quick and enjoyable book.
I loved the fact that the book makes you love tennis even if you didn't care about it until a moment before (like it happened to me) and I loved how each game was described as if it were really happening, so much so that it made me feel almost at the stadium.

Also I literally loved the ending because it is not obvious and it is not what I expected but it left me pleasantly surprised.

An absolutely recommended reading; both for tennis fans and for those who don't understand anything about tennis just like me!

Thanks to Netgalley and Taylor Jenkins Reid for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

TJR has done it again. I absolutely loved Carrie Soto, the pacing is done well. The character development is properly unravelled, even the side characters. It's incredibly easy to get sucked into the story. I can't wait for more people to read this, it will blow their minds.

Well, this is a book by Taylor Jenkins Reid... So, obviously... It kept me up all night and made me cry. Twice.

Carrie Soto is Back is about a tennis player who at age 37 is retired from the courts, but decides to play again since her record is threatened by a younger player, Nicki Chan.

Carrie is very competitive. That’s her most dominant trait. She just can’t bear the thought of not being the best player in the world anymore. The main reason to come back isn't really her passion for the sport. It’s more like a battle of egos. She is willing to push herself to the max physically and work twice as hard to ensure she can keep up with her opponents. Her body has changed over the years, she's had injuries and surgeries, but she can still play. So that's what she's going to do.

Javier, her father, is a retired player and her coach. Since she was a child, he encourages his daughter to try her best in every match. He says her main challenge should always be against herself. Even though his intentions are good, Carrie grew up with the fixed idea that she always has to be the best. She has to win everything, every time. For that reason, she becomes lonely, friendless, seen in the media as a heartless person who is rude to everyone.

There are many moments in the book where Carrie Soto's competitiveness and her arrogance are extremely irritating - to me, at least. In fact, every time one of the players talks about destroying the other, I roll my eyes. But, crazy as it seems, while I was angry with Carrie, I also understood her feelings. Little by little, I fell in love with her story. I was rooting for her and loving all the shades against the other players and the media. I could see her flaws, but also her difficulty in accepting them and her efforts.

The author addresses feminist causes, showing in different situations how hard it is to be a female athlete, not always having the same recognition as males. She also shows the absurdity of the treatment in the media, and how evil the world can be against Latinas, Asians, lesbians, black women, older women, etc.

Bowe is also an older player, refusing to retire. He’s far from being as good as Carrie, but he’s definitely someone she needs in her life. He's not very good with words, but his brutal honesty means a lot. At first I thought I would hate him, but I love him. I can’t help it. (ATTENTION - SPOILER: the sentences in Spanish? Pleeeeease…)

But for me, the most beautiful thing about this book was seeing the evolution of her relationships, especially with her father. The last chapter made me cry so much. It’s beautiful to see how much her vision changes over time, making peace with herself.

Mrs. Jenkins Reid, I swear to you, I have no more tears… You took them all.

Some characters from the previous books are mentioned in this one. You don't necessarily have to read them first, but I definitely recommend you to read them in the order they were released: evelyn - daisy - malibu - carrie.

Without a doubt, this is the best book I've read so far this year. *and a favorite, forever*

* I received an ARC from Random House UK in exchange for an honest review.

Carrie Soto is Back - 5 star read

I love Taylor Jenkins Reid, especially Daisy Jones and the Six, but I was disappointed with Malibu Rising because I felt the main character wasn't strong enough. Enter Carrie Soto and all is forgiven. As with Daisy Jones, the female protagonist in this book is a strong, multi-faceted character. Labelled the battle-axe of women's tennis, and unofficially - the bitch - I love that she is unapologetic in her desire to be the best.

So many books have a likeable female lead who manages to have it all and be an extra lovey-dovey pinterest Mom as the cherry on the cake. Carrie Soto is back is about a woman's drive to excel in her profession. I enjoyed the romantic element of the plot, but I liked that it took a back seat. This is a novel about a woman giving everything she's got, highlighting what she has had to sacrifice along the way. Taylor Jenkins Reid subtly weaves in sports commentary along the way to highlight how female sports stars have their lives and personalities pored over in a way male stars don't.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this wonderful, well-paced novel.

*** 3.5 stars ***

I’m a simple girl – I see a book by an author whose books* I’ve liked in the past, I request on NetGalley. And many thanks to NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

* Book. I liked “Daisy Jones and the Six”, still not sure how I’ll remember “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo”.

Following my first sentence, I’ll admit I did not even read what this book is about, I went in totally blind. Color me shocked when I found out it was about tennis, despite my expectations that Carrie Soto is some Serena-van-der-Woodsen-type of runaway socialite. Well, joke’s definitely not on me. I hate sports, with the exception of tennis. I used to stay up aaaall night long, with my Grandma of all people, to watch US Open, when I was a kid and considering the significant time difference between New York and Bulgaria.

So, to recap, Carrie Soto is a tennis player who ruled women’s tennis in the 70’s and 80’s, becoming the record-winner for most Grand Slam wins. Then she gets a serious injury and retires. That is, until, when she’s already pretty old to be playing professional tennis, 37-ish, another tennis player ties her record and Carrie Soto is ready to come back and defend her position as the biggest Slam winner.

If there’s one thing I really enjoy and of which I can consume any type of media – books, movies, TV shows, even pretty crappy ones – it’s things about competitions, and especially ones where our character is the underdog. Which Carrie is, no matter how massively successful she was before her retirement. When she decides to come back, she is considered too old and unlikely to even come close to winning another Slam. On top of that, she is a generally disliked person, regardless of her tennis skills, because throughout her whole career, she has proven to be extremely arrogant, rude and stiff, not to mention willing to destroy her opponents without holding back, which has earned her names such as “the Battle Axe”, and, at the beginning of our story, “the Bitch”.

The first part of the book focused on Carrie’s childhood and rise to fame, as well as her relationship with her father, Javier “the Jaguar” Soto, a retired tennis star from Argentina, who becomes Carrie’s coach. In a very typical Jenkins Reid fashion, the book is full of nostalgia, the loneliness of a truly talented professional and a seemingly casual approach to great romantic disappointments. After reading three of her books, I can definitely recognize her voice now. There’s always the girl who’s really, really good at what she does. She’s the absolute best at the time she does it (although she may or may not be replaced by someone better and younger later on), but that makes her detached from the surrounding world. It makes her loved and hated, at the very same time. She always appears to be fine with it, acts like a tough bitch, doesn’t care how anyone sees her. She’s single-minded, she’s going to get it and nothing will stop her, because she just has a raw talent. Enter a long file of really awful men who don’t truly care about her, but want to take advantage of how successful she is, to make themselves look more important, better, able to sleep with her and dump her afterwards. Enter men who sleep with her and then disappear. Enter her, feeling self-conscious and trying to figure out a way to use her sexuality without getting too hurt, without caring too much.

This is the part I didn’t particularly like. Daisy Jones was okay, all things considered, but Evelyn Hugo and Carrie Soto are too much at times. Too much of this now Taylor-Jenkins-Reid-cliche of a woman, too bitchy, too cold seeming. Evelyn Hugo was the worst, though. Carrie eventually gets to were I wanted her to get and becomes the person I’d have loved to read a whole book about, without having to overcome the parts where she acts like a massive cold bitch and I pretend to believe it without realizing that she’s actually just a softie underneath all the meanness. Also, despite the fact that this book is supposed to be set in the 70’s-90’s, it feels very, very contemporary. The only reason I can imagine for the book to be set then and not now is so that it can get tied to the rest of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s universe, as we see a “cameo” of the husband of Nina Riva from “Malibu Rising” which I have not read, but I do remember Mick Riva from “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo”.

The second part of “Carrie Soto Is Back” was really strong. We got to see more of the side characters, which, though a bit flat, were interesting – Bowe, Javier, Nicki, Gwen. I liked all four of them, I enjoyed reading more about their relationships with Carrie. I liked reading about Carrie, finally interacting like a normal human being. In this part there were also more emotions, it was thrilling, with was fun! Focusing on Carrie’s current struggle to reclaim her record, we got to follow her through the two more interesting tournaments she played, Wimbledon and US Open, and go through some heart-breaking moments with her. And I’m not going to lie, reading about her games felt like it was a real match, with real stakes, and it was so fun that I considered finding a website where to watch tennis live.

I know this would be a blasphemy for many, but I would definitely recommend this book rather than “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo”. Also, I still find it funny, how intermixed all of Jenkins Reid’s books are and how the characters appear, at least in name, to make small cameos. Nifty.

When people ask me to name my favourite author, I often struggle to answer because I tend to have favourite books, rather than favourite authors, but Taylor Jenkins Reid is fast becoming a favourite author. Her characters are so real that the reader is completely invested in their journey. Carrie Soto is no exception. This book was as relentlessly entertaining as one of her tennis matches and as usual TJR produces a sure fire winner. I devoured every page!

As an absolutely huge fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid's previous books I don't say this lightly, but this is her best book so far.

What she has done with Carrie Soto is create such a gripping , powerful character that is just a force to be reckoned with . Carrie is headstrong , intense, labelled as a bitch and the battle axe of tennis for her no nonsense ability to take down other players mentally and physically and while normally you wouldn't particularly route for a character like that because of how aware she is in her ability and what she strives for you can't help but admire her and be desperate for her to win her comeback tour.

We follow Carrie as she comes out of retirement to shut down the now current favourite tennis champion Nikki Chan's attempt to beat Soto's world record of Grand Slams , what follows is how she prepares to make her return to the tennis world at the age of 37 .

I don't want to go into too much detail as I think the joy of this is how quickly the dialogue , the change of setting , quick wit , the depth of the characters motives pushes the story along . This could easily be a one sitting read but at the same time something you could soak in and pace yourself with to immerse yourself.

Carrie Soto made me care about tennis and that is not something I would ever thought would happen , I would suggest to read this outside with a jug of pimms and some strawberries and you've got your afternoon sorted.

Just utterly fantastic.

Taylor Jenkins Reid never dosappoints. The way she makes her characters come to life with all their faults and imperfects just amazes me at this point. If you've loved Malibu Rising you will love Carrie Soto is back.

I’ve said for a while now that I believe Taylor Jenkins Reid can do no wrong, so you’ll believe me when I say I SCREAMED (and maybe cried a little) when I was approved for this e-arc! All her stories are outstanding, and „Carrie Soto is Back“ is no exception!

When a book makes you fall in love with tennis, even though you couldn’t care less about competitive sports before… When it makes you wanna step in front of a bullet for a rude, stubborn and overly ambitious yet so lovable heroine… When it makes you cry following the beautiful but sometimes heartbreaking father-daughter-relationship you see so much of yourself in… And when it makes you swoon over that slow burn romance so long in the making… I’d say when a book does that, it’s fair to say it’s perfect.

Carrie Soto is Back is a story about ambition and outstanding achievements. It’s about deserving the successes you’ve worked so hard for and yet not defining your life by them. It’s also a story of love, of family and of growing up, of grieving and finding what makes you happy. And it’s a story of letting go.

If I haven’t yet convinced you to go pick it up upon it’s release date on Aug. 30th, I don’t know what else to do.

Thank you so much Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for this e-arc. In return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review.

Carrie Soto is one of the most anticipated reads of the year and it didn’t disappoint at all.
I have a love hate relationship with the author’s books but this one is definitely in winning the balance.
I loved how Carrie is depicted as a very selfish and uninterested person, her only goal is to come back in full force and take the strand as the queen she once was.
The story delves more into the relationship between her and the ones in her life. Her father plays the most important part and some heartbreaking moments made me want to give her a hug.
It’s the story of the year and many will love it as much as I have.

Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy

I couldn’t resist diving into this one early. It’s no secret I’m a massive TJR fan and her writing style is incredibly immersive and this book is no exception. We follow the legendary Carrie Soto as she re-enters the competitive world of Tennis to try and regain her record. I personally like Tennis and found this to be a really fascinating background to the story but I think it’s more about the characters and their relationships so don’t be put off if you’re not into sports. Carrie is in some ways very unlikeable but you really do end up rooting for her and I also love the secondary characters in this book.

An absolute 5/5 for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Content Warnings: misogyny, death of a parent

Carrie Soto was born to be the best tennis player in the world, and she was. But five years after her retirement, the new face of women's tennis ties her record of the most Grand Slam titles ever, prompting Carrie to come out of retirement and defend her legacy.

I was super excited to receive an ARC of this novel, because I've really enjoyed all of the books in this series so far, and man, this did not disappoint! The snippet of Carrie Soto that we got in Malibu Rising had me intrigued and excited for this book, and she remains and fascinating and incredible well written character in her own story. I continue to love TJR's writing - I always find her novels so easy to read (apparently, even when they are about sports, which I must assure you is very impressive because I truly cannot emphasise how much I do not care about sports). The mixed media elements are done very well - I think it can be easy to overdo it with them sometimes, but here I think they enhance the story. TJR is very good at extremely flawed, abrasive characters who you still root for, and Carrie Soto is maybe my favourite yet - I was rooting for her SO hard the whole way through. I truly didn't want to like the romance subplot (personally, I was hoping for a Chan/Soto rivals to lovers moment) but I must congratulate TJR for selling me on it eventually.

Daisy Jones and the Six might have a rival for my favourite TJR here. I loved this novel. Such an easy recommend!

Thank you to Taylor Jenkins Reid, NetGalley, and Random House UK for the ARC of Carrie Soto Is Back.

September 1994, Flushing Meadow for the US Open, Nicki Chan (a Brit, yay!) versus Ingrid Cortez. If Chan wins she’ll equal Carrie’s record Grand Slam wins. Carrie and her father Javier (‘The Jaguar’) watch tensely with the world press waiting for a front page worthy reaction. Their conversation goes backwards and forwards like the balls smashing, whizzing, gliding, lobbing and drop volleying over the net or not. As Nicki wins the decision is made. Yes, it’s a comeback or the title wouldn’t work and they hope it will be a successful one. Javier will be her coach and both are well aware of the intensity of the next few months. Of course it is a risk as Carrie is now 37 and it’s six years since she has played competitive tennis. So take your seat at Centre Court, munch a few strawberries topped with cream, raise a glass of champers and watch Carrie maybe burn her way through her younger rivals. One thing is for sure it’s lonely at the top as “The Beast “ (Chan) takes on “ The Battle axe“ (Soto).

Okay, brace yourself especially TJR fans who I suspect would applaud anything she writes even if its instructions on the side of a packet!!! First of all, there’s way too much game and this is a comment from someone who loves the sport and once upon a time was a pretty good player.

It does do the toughness, commitment, sacrifices and the rivalries very well and gives a good flavour of the sport at a high level. It’s good on relationships especially the sometime turbulence of her relationship with Javier and with other players and I like the “dance“ across the net with Bowe Huntley a sort of McEnroe figure.

The characterisation is a bit one-dimensional as you can see Carrie who is not likable as she has more hard edges than a 50p piece although she does improve as time goes on. She’s very ruthless, she can be coldhearted and is a warrior figure as she pursues her ambitions and she calls a spade a shovel . However, I dare say to fight your way to the top of pro tennis these qualities are probably a prerequisite. I do enjoy the interactions with Chan who is a likeable character and I love the way she deals with Carrie. In places it is quite exciting but I’ve got to be honest reading about tennis on paper is not as exciting as on the television.

I don’t like the TV interviews or media sections as some of the pundits with their thoughts and comments are vacuous. This is probably bang on the money as I mean as dumb questions go “how are you feeling?“ after losing a Grand Slam final is probably right up there with idiocy.

There’s a lot of Spanish, I didn’t expect to need a dictionary! I don’t care for the formulaic documentary style as in Daisy Jones and the Six as it feels too ploddy for sport. Some phrases are clunky and jar such as “round of 16“?? Just say the last 16 for goodness sake.

So, I’m very conflicted. You have to admire an author who has the bravery and daring to write a book in this way but does it work? The jury is out for me.

It’s an okay read.It’s not amazetennisballs in my opinion but you might find yourself more riveted and invested in the on/off court dramas.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Random House UK/Cornerstone for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

"One of the great injustices of this rigged world we live in is that women are considered to be depleting with age and men are somehow deepening."

Synopsis: At the age of 37, Carrie Soto - world renowned retired tennis player - makes the life altering decision to come out of retirement to defend her record, alongside her dad as her coach. Just like they used to. Carrie's life is tennis. She does not know how to lose. Can she defeat these other world class players?

"I’m back at war, after years of not knowing how to live during peace time. This is the only place where I make sense to myself."

Five stars, all the way through. Listen. I don't even give a single care in the world about tennis, let's be honest here. But this? Taylor Jenkins Reid wrote a book revolving around tennis and I was absolutely hooked from beginning to end. I cried so much, I was scared I'll wake up everyone else. Let's face it: I couldn't put the book down and of course that led to reading into the morning hours. It's that good. What an amazing main character with even better character growth.

Reid has a way with writing that hits my feelings like a shotgun. I'm left so stunned and hurt but I can't look away, because she's fixing the wound already. Weird description, but it does make sense to me. She's an incredible writer who deserves all the love and success in the world.

The only negative remark I can give is that I personally disliked the Spanish in the book, but only because I don't understand it and I was too lazy to use Google translate. That's on me.

"This is the tiniest beginning of a terrible, beautiful whole new life."

Excuse me while I go read and reread all of her other books, immediately.

First off this is actually my first foray into Taylor Jenkins Reid world, as a bookseller her books have been on my tbr pile forever but there was just something about Carrie Soto is back that pulled hard enough at my subconscious to make me take this one on first. Rest assured im now a converted fan.

In reguards to Carrie Soto is back, I adored it. It was short, concise and too the point but like Soto herself. If you're a sport's biopic fan like me and can't help but getting invested in those underdog films on the rise of famous sportpersons or iconic events, then this novel is absolutely for you. Hollywood please make a movie!

Soto's story vibed so much with real female tennis stars like Billy Jean King and the Willaims sisters. It really made me wish she was real because despite not being perfect Carrie Soto's work ethic and inspiration created a connection between us. I wanted to be better.

The romance element wasn't ground breaking, a little bit obvious but I still enjoyed it, and sometimes you just want to shake Soto to get a grip, there's more to life than tennis so please let the dude love you.

Over all the plot was well placed, going through the time periods of Carries career and back to the present. I really enjoyed the break up chapters with newcast reports via tv/newspaper. Also that it was set in the 80s/90s, it felt like the sport and achievements really mattered, being set now when there is so much inclusivity would have lost the message that these players were paving the way.

⭐️⭐️ 2 disappointing stars.

I’ve read and love a couple of other books by the author so was very keen to get started on this one.

Unfortunately I found it very slow, there was too much repetition and far too much description of tennis. I enjoy watching the odd tennis game but this was very detailed about strategy, moves to play, ways to stand and it was just too much - not interesting enough to grip me.

It took a while to get to like Carrie which was an issue too - all this tennis we sit through when we aren’t even bothered about whether she wins or not.

Oh and I didn’t like the way it ended either.

In summary, slow, predictable, repetitive and tennis heavy.