If you like tennis, this is the book for you! I’m not into tennis but it was still an enjoyable read.

Carrie was at her prime in the 70-80s and after 15 years in retirement, decides to train and come back at age 37.

Carrie is very focused and driven to the point of being rude at times, so not easy to like. However, her relationship with her father/coach was a sweet one. The budding love interest in her hitting partner, Bowe, was also sweet to see unfold. I was hoping the book would delve further into those relationships. It was too much tennis strategy for me, but again that’s not my thing.

Points for the ending letting us know what happened and not leaving it hanging.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

Oh man, Taylor Jenkins Reid has knocked another one out of the park. This book was such a wonderful, powerful story – I didn’t want it to end. Special thanks to @netgalley and the publisher for my digital ARC copy!

Carrie Soto is a fierce determined tennis player, but she is not well liked! Her nickname is “the battle axe” or the B-word! Carrie is trained by her father, Javier – a famous player in his own right. Carries mother unfortunately passes away at a young age and Carrie makes tennis her life. Carrie ultimately ends her career with the most grand slam titles. At 37, Carrie decides to make a come back to take on rising tennis star Nicki Chan. Carrie isn’t as fast as she once was, but she is just as determined. Will Carrie get to take on Nicki in the championship round to win back her title?

One thing I really enjoyed was the little references to Ms Jenkin Reids other book! That was really fun and now I’m curious if I missed it in her other books – or if this was the first time…I enjoyed The Seven Husbands, but didn’t enjoy Daisy Jones. Maybe I should give it another shot?

QOTD: Have you read Daisy Jones and the Six? Should I give it another go?

I gave this one 4.5/5 stars!

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@prhinternational #prhinternationalpartner
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synopsis

carrie soto’s fierceness and determination to win at any cost has not made her popular. but she is the best player the world has ever seen. she sacrificed nearly everything to become the best, with her father, javier, as her coach.

six years after her retirement, carrie is sitting in the stands of the 1994 us open, watching her record be taken from her by nicki chan.

at thirty-seven years old, carrie makes the monumental decision to come out of retirement and be coached by her father for one last year in an attempt to reclaim her record. even if the sports media says that they never liked “the battle-axe” anyway. even if her body doesn’t move as fast as it did. and even if it means swallowing 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.

in spite of it all, carrie soto is back, for one epic final season.
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lil rant

carrie soto is back is one hell of a book. five freaking stars. i can’t even start to explain how over-the-moon i am to receive an arc of this book. i squeal out loud every single time i think about it. carrie is a #girlboss. she’s more girlboss-y than the girlboss evelyn hugo. i love carrie so much. her competitiveness, her love for gossip and her sport.

i loved how carrie’s character developed throughout the book, from caring about winning only to wondering what’s the meaning of winning to not caring anymore. and bowe is just so sweet. harsh on the outside, but he is carrie’s soulmate. i love him.

onto javier. the jaguar. taylor jenkins reid characters have sucky parent figures, but not carrie. daisy’s parents don’t care. evelyn’s father is nonexistent. mick riva is … i need not elaborate. but javier soto. he is kind. he is caring. he is literal perfection. he loves carrie so much. so. so. so. much. he only wanted carrie to play a beautiful game. winning? that’s just the cherry on top.

carrie soto is back is expected to come out on august 20 and i can’t freaking wait to see you fall in love with carrie. bowe. gwen. javier. nicki. <3 🏹

You’ve met Daisy. Evelyn. Nina. Now meet Carrie.
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Carrie Soto is the best to ever play the game of tennis. With 20 Grand Slam matches won she was able to retire after a knee injury put her out with the certainty that there would never be another like her. Five years later Nicki Chan is on the scene and is looking to earn her 21st Grand Slam title when Carrie decides to come out of retirement. She’ll need the help of her coach/father and someone to hit with after every female in the tennis world turns her down due to her reputation as being a Battle Axe. Enter Bowe Huntley—an almost-40 year old tennis player trying to stay in the mix on the circuit. Will Carrie be able to hold onto her title as GOAT? Is Carrie Soto back?
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Taylor Jenkins Reid is a favorite of mine so when I could my hands on this ARC I had to read it immediately. As much as I love the other female characters Reid has written about…Carrie is hands down my favorite. Just as the book shows Carrie at the top of her game, so is Reid at the top of hers with this newest title. At its core this novel is a story about a father and daughter. It has heart, grit, determination, growth and maturity. I loved how much Spanish Reid included in the book as well. I would give this 10 ⭐️ if I could. Everyone be sure to preorder this title for the August 22 release.

CW: parental death, grief, cancer, heart attack, hospital stay, alcoholism

TJR does it again! Carrie fits right in with the author’s prior heroines and leaves her own mark. Her character is a determined and successful tennis player who after years off the court is ready to make a come back. Carrie is real and very human, you will like her at times and dislike her at times. But you will root for her every step of the way. I really enjoyed this one!

I devour a Taylor Jenkins Reid book as soon as I receive it. Hands down, she is the best at characterization. The reader truly feels like her characters could come to life beside them at any moment. I have given all of her books five stars with one exception, and now there is a second. Although I loved the strong female character of Carrie, her bond with her dad, and seeing her relationship progress with Bowe, there was a little too much specific tennis talk here. I admire the author’s research and attention to detail but I would have liked to veer off the tennis court for a moment or two. Although Evelyn Hugo was about a movie star and Daisy Jones was about a rock band, there was so much more to those stories. I did love however, how she brought in references to so many of her other books.

Two caveats. 1. This is not for everyone and 2. I do think I liked it more knowing who the author was.

HOW DOES TJR CRAFT SUCH AMAZING CHARACTERS THAT YOU THINK THEY'RE REAL!? Seriously, throughout this entire book I had to remind myself that Carrie Soto is not a real person. It blows your mind.

Carrie Soto is a pro tennis player who has an highly decorated career and then retires. After being in retirement for five years she comes back to defend her number of grand slams record.

This book is set up not in chapter but in sections based on both tennis matches and years. I didn't always know if I liked the way it was set up but it worked in the end for me. Once you hit the 50% mark you won't want to stop reading.

As for the not for everyone situation. This is FULL of tennis. With match descriptions in detail, if you have no interest in tennis or sports I don't think you'd enjoy it. That being said if you're competitive and have at least a little bit of knowledge of the sport I do think it helps. It's not a requirement but without it I'm not sure I would have been as into it.

Carrie Soto Is Back also gives you a great look into the idea of women's sports and how if you aren't "so thankful to be here" or you don't smile at everyone you're a B word. The commentary coming at athletes from every which way, how fast the public will drop you if you are too old or too rude or too anything they don't like felt spot on to me.

I'm excited for this to come into the world and I will definitely be rereading it at some point!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn’t put this book down. When I did put it down, I couldn’t wait to pick it back up! It is a great story about Carrie Soto, famous tennis player, coming out of retirement to defend her Grand Slam singles title record. The reader follows Carrie through the games, competitors, heartache of losing, and joy of winning.

I’m not a huge tennis fan; I honestly don’t know very much about tennis. But this isn’t a book just about tennis! Carrie comes across cold, heartless, and easy to dislike. She is lonely and calls herself a cold “machine.” But on the tennis court she was “always a dancer—agile, graceful on the court.” Carrie is a very focused “who did not delight enough in the accomplishments.” She would win a tournament and move onto the next challenge without enjoying the moment.

As a protagonist, Carrie’s character changes. She learns and grows from the lessons in her comeback. Her relationships with people become more positive which is heartwarming. The book has many lessons for us all including be kind, listen, enjoy life, cope with failure, and “make peace with not being perfect.” By the end of the book, we see a grateful, loving Carrie which is wonderful! This is a book about winning and losing – not just in a game. I recommend this book to everyone!

Thank you to Netgalley and the book’s publisher, Random House, for an advanced reader’s copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Loved. Loved. Loved. I flew through this in about 2 days- could not get enough! Taylor Jenkins Reid has such a way of making her characters come alive- I’m seriously having a hard time wrapping my head around Carrie not being a real person. Carrie, Bowe, and Javier are all A+ characters- adored them all. I’ve loved every TJR book I’ve read and this is no exception- they’re the books that I keep wanting to recommend over and over again!!!

Thank you so much for allowing me to receive an ARC of this book. Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of my favorite authors and Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones are two of my favorite books. Initially I honestly was not as excited about this book-I did not love Malibu Rising and am not interested in tennis. But this book totally blew me away. From the beginning I was completely engrossed in the story. I love how complex the character of Carrie was-I loved how the author was not afraid to make her “unlikable” but you couldn’t help but root for her. The relationships with her father, Bowe and most importantly herself were written so richly. The ending was perfection. I cannot recommend this book enough.

Although I have loved and enjoyed all of TJR's books, I think Carrie Soto Is Back may be her best yet. My particular favorite. Call it her GOAT (Greatest Of All Time), if you will.

As a former athlete myself with a dad-coach who was always in my corner even when he was he running me ragged with drills, goals, strategy, and pep talks, there was something about this book, and Carrie herself, that resonated with me deeply.

We--well, we understood each other. We CONNECTED.

Carrie's comeback story felt familiar to me, almost personal in a way. Despite never having swung a tennis racket in my life, let alone never having played in a high-stakes professional match to uphold a Grand Slam record either, I could still relate to all the time, effort, and drive Carrie poured into her sport. Into becoming - and remaining - the greatest player tennis has ever seen.

I could understand why she was considered a force. A battle axe. A bitch. (While men with her same focus and attitude were looked on favorably.) I could see why she not only wanted, but needed, to win. I also know what it means to chase after medals and titles and accomplishments that will have the whole world cheering your name forever, just like I know the gaping pit of despair that waits for you if you believe you'll fall short of your goal.

(I was an athlete once too, after all. I had similar dreams and obstacles.)

So although you don't need to have a sports background/interest to be enthralled by this story and its characters, that aspect, that competitive "gotta be #1" ambiance and energy, added something extra for me. It made it easy to be submerged in the narrative, to be consumed. I could slip back and forth between engagement and reverie--reading, remembering, re-living.

Suffice it to say that I lost no time at all before I was swept up in Carrie's ambition and ruthlessness to succeed at almost any cost, with the odds against her notwithstanding.

She was such a bold and unapologetic character. Stubborn, too. I couldn't help but root for her to reclaim her title from upstart, Nicki Chan.

There's a hardness about her though, I won't lie. There's a toughness that takes time and patience to penetrate. Forged like she is from the fires of drive and determination, she is not the type of personality to bend or break with delicacy, not even with the people she loves, but I think therein lies her true beauty: She's tireless. She's tenacious. She's a force to be reckoned with that is made of the solidest stuff there is, and because of that, you'll never be able to forget who she is.

The name Carrie Soto will forever tumble from people's lips in awe, in respect. It will go down in infamy.

She is a character who is impossible to forget.

That said, what I loved most about this book was how I could slip on competitiveness like a second skin and live in it: seeing things through Carrie's eyes, yes, but also peering backward through my own to re-live some of my own sports-related experiences. There were so many times while reading when I could taste her sweat, feel the twinge of her tired, burning muscles. Moments when I could smell the grass and clay beneath her feet as she trounced another opponent to dust, the thunder-roar of the crowd like that of a drug that adrenalizes the soul to keep an ailing, agile body moving. There were times of triumph and failure. There was frustration, felicitation, stagnation--all of it culminating in a flurry of conflicted emotion that grew more intense with every turn of the page. There were even a few occasions when a father-daughter stratagem felt like it'd been ripped out of my own life's playbook.

What else is there to say except I was held hostage by Carrie's comeback? I disappeared into it. I disappeared into the game, the stakes, the outcome. I let the characters tie me into knots. I fell headlong into nail-biting, ball-bouncing, heart-rate-spiking suspense of it all.

Chapter after chapter, I would close my eyes and sink down deep into old memories, into old feelings that arose while I competed in my youth, kicking up dirt, two French braids flapping against the white numbers on the back of my shirt, and it was like I was right there playing alongside Carrie for all the marbles--in the moment as well as in a memory.

It's rare to find a book that lets you live in it twice. But in this one I did: once as Carrie Soto, the other as myself. It was as vicarious a read as a reading experience can be. So for that, top marks all around!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC.

Carrie Soto was the only child of a tennis star. From the moment she picked up a racket, she knew she wanted to be the best. and she could, if she put in the time and the work. So that's what she did. With her father as her coach, she worked her way up the rankings on the professional circuit. She sacrificed friendships, relationships, and free time to be the highest ranked women's player. By the time she retired, she held more Slam titles than any other women player in history. But fast forward a few years, and a new young star, Nikki Chan, was on the verge of breaking her record. But Carrie had never been good at losing, and she wasn't ready to lose now. It was time to come out of retirement to defend her record.
For me, Taylor Jenkins Reid is an author that i will always pick up, no matter the subject. The only thing I knew about tennis going into this book is that scoring involves love. That did not matter. Because what I did know was competition, athletics, grief, putting pressure on yourself, fathers wanting the best in life for their children, the way women are treated differently then men. It was easy to connect to this book without an interest in tennis. it didn't hurt that there were also great supporting characters in Javier, Bowe, and Nikki. And as always, the writing is smooth and engaging.
I went back and forth between rating this book a 4 or a 5. I really wish there was a 4.5 option. In the end, i chose 4 because Ms. Reid has set the bar so high for herself. This book is fantastic, better than so many I have read recently. But it doesn't rank on my personal list at the same level as Daisy Jones or Evelyn Hugo. Don't let that deter you from a fabulous read though.
thank you Netgalley, Ballentine, and TJR for this ARC

Taylor Jenkins Reid knocked it out of the park with this book! I have never played tennis and do not know anything about the sport but I still loved it! I have to say, Carrie is not a likeable character. She is so arrogant, rude, cocky and selfish but I found myself still routing so hard for her during her comeback. She had so much growth
I enjoyed it. I loved her father's love for her. He was by far my favorite! Another 5 star read from Taylor. I can't wait to read the next!

I don’t even know where to begin. Taylor Jenkins Reid has been an author I’ve kept very close to my heart for years. And there will never be a shortages of books when it comes to her. I loved everything about this. From the emotional depth between father and daughter in the book, the concept of grief and loss and the handling of that and so much more. Parent and child relationships in books are very important to me: that’s why it feels like this was written exceptionally well. I loved loved loved this. I would also say this has taught me much about tennis...I believe I’m truly a pro now!

Wow, okay...This was my first ever Taylor Jenkins Reid book. I hated the first chapter so much that I almost DNF'd it and spent a good part of the book looking for reasons not to like it, yet here I am, cheering for Carrie at the end, feeling so much affection for her, and here we are, at four stars.

For whatever reason, the descriptions of other TJR books never interested me, but this one did because I love the idea of refusing to count yourself out just because of age or injury or knowing your place, or most of all, other people's opinions of your capacity and worth. I don't play tennis and have never been interested in it, but I love comeback stories and have a deep appreciation for skill and technique, so I was all for this.

Then I read the first chapter, and I COULD NOT STAND Carrie. It was everything I hate about the competitive mindset, and I wasn't sure if I could read a book that seemed to be glorifying it. Here I thought I would be rooting for Carrie from the get go, but the only thought I had in my head while reading that first chapter when Carrie was freaking out about Nicki Chan taking her record was WHO THE FUCK CARES? And why am I reading a book about this?

I was seriously considering whether I wanted to devote more hours of my life to being in Carrie's mind, but TJR made a very smart decision to start from the beginning of Carrie's story. We see her growing up learning tennis from her father and how tennis took center stage, even over her grief and confusion when she lost her mother. So we better understand her nearsightedness in how she goes about her life, her struggles with losing and not being the best at every single moment, and her complete lack of empathy towards people who aren't as good at tennis as she is. It's clear that this is also how she thinks of herself, how she measures her worth whenever she doesn't perform. It made it a lot more bearable to be in her head, even though it was usually not a fun time. It becomes clear as you read that this is kind of the point, that's exactly the journey Carrie needs, and TJR is very aware of this:

"Maybe she lived free from all this pressure, this sense that she lived or died by how good she was at something. Was she burdened by the need to win everything she did? Or did she live for nothing?"

Talk about extremes. In Carrie's mind, you either have an insatiable need to win at all things or you live for nothing and pretty much are nothing. Sometimes (a lot of the time) Carrie really did take things too far, but I have to admit it was pretty fun and so satisfying seeing her be so mean to bullies who weren't expecting it. Some of the things she said had my jaw dropping in delight, and I loved TJR's humor. I also liked the commentary on femininity vs athleticism and how women feel like they are forced to choose, that they cannot be both or that they have to be better at one in order to find their worth. I loved the scenes with Nicki Chan and thought it was a beautiful representation of competitiveness at its best, the type of competitiveness that builds people up and furthers whatever art you're practicing rather than forcing it to remain static just so you can have your record. And I absolutely LOVED Bowe. I loved how moody he was but how patient and understanding he was with Carrie. They are definitely flawed characters and are absolutely beautiful together. I love that they were a team, and I loved reading the wreck that was their stilted yet completely raw interactions. And I actually shed a tear at the end of Bowe's match at the 1995 US Open.

A lot of the book is description of tennis matches (games? I still don't know at this point), which might bore some people, but I loved it. I have no clue about tennis and had to look up what love meant (it means zero), but I was still completely engaged during those scenes. I also loved how unapologetic Carrie was about winning:

"Next time I mop the court with someone, I’ll remind myself to pretend I’m ‘shocked that it went my way’ and that it ‘could have been anyone’s game,’"

and also Carrie's brand of empathy:

“You beat Ilona at Monte Carlo in ’88 and then told reporters it was ‘embarrassingly easy,’ so no, Ilona does not want to play you.”
“It was embarrassingly easy. I was embarrassed for her. That’s empathy.”

I really wasn't expecting to give this even four stars. I felt like I could see all the plot points coming, but it was still done so well and wrapped up so beautifully that by the end, I felt hopeful and inspired and so happy that Carrie finally realized her worth and found her people.

I really wanted to like this book because TJR has become my favorite author over the past few years. But, this was a struggle to read. I was expecting a behind the scenes look at the life of an athlete and a character who was misunderstood but made you want to root for her anyway. Carrie Soto didn’t have any character development and was unlikeable throughout the whole book. The story didn’t make me want to root for Carrie or any of her relationships because I didn’t attach to any of the characters, and most of the book was just reading about tennis without any story. Thank you to Netgalley and TJR for the opportunity to read an advance copy!!

Review - Carrie Soto is Back
By - Taylor Jenkins Reid
5 Fabulous Stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

TJR has a GRAND SLAM novel with Carrie Soto is Back! A gripping & heartfelt story of a girl growing up to be a professional tennis player. Coached by per father a retired tennis pro himself Carrie quickly grows up to be a force to be reckoned with. Her determination, fierce love of the game, along with lots of hard work make her unstoppable. Proclaimed as the one of the greatest players when Carrie steps away from tennis still doesn’t yield eternal happiness for her. Something is missing… will returning to tennis at 37 years old fill the void? Can she make a comeback? Read and see!

There are a lot of tennis matches in this book (all well done) along with a few other twists & turns along the way. Some heartache, some self reflection & finding peace of mind along with many wonderful characters make his my favorite book of 2022! If you are a fan of TJR this is a must read! Nina Riva, Daisy Jones & Evelyn Hugo move over… Carrie Soto is here & she a winner to me!

Thank you #NetGalley, Ballantine Books, #CarrieSotoIsBack & Taylor Jenkins Reid for this ARC. My review is strictly voluntary.

ARC releasing 8/30/22. Carrie Soto worked her entire life to be the greatest tennis player of all time and retired with 20 Slams under her belt. Several years later, a new talent beats the record and Carrie decides to come out of retirement at 37 to reclaim. I am a TJR Stan and will read and love anything she writes. Rare ARC that I received because I love the author and not to look cool. As always, the character writing is impeccable. This had a LOT of tennis play by plays but it did not bore me because of the plot and writing. TJR writes fictional famous women like no othe

Carrie Soto just officially claimed my #2 TJR book spot. Not sure anyone will ever unseat Evelyn Hugo in my mind but Carrie Soto was an amazing, engaging read for me.

I loved the family dynamic and the second chance at a father-daughter bond. I loved the complexities of the characters and relationships. Carrie was a character it was easy to hate from the outside (hello in Malibu Rising) but when we get to hear from her she becomes one of those characters you learn to love for their imperfections (at least for me). Javier was also a character I hated at first (hello King Richard) but his dedication and love to his daughter which he only seemed to know how to show through tennis is something that came through loud and clear as the story progressed.

I loved her relationship to winning, to tennis, to herself. Working through so much internally as she played the game and opened herself up to seeing more than she has allowed herself to see.

I loved her relationship with Bowe. Having been just another one night stand at the height of her career she is hesitant when he is the only one who will work with her as a practice player. What develops is a relationship that is ripe with growth opportunity for both of them.

One thing that might be a barrier to enjoying this book, for some, is that it is fully immersed in tennis. While the story itself is about so much more, tennis will persist from beginning to end. If you are a person who can't stand reading about sports then maybe this one would be one to give a pass on, to everyone else I say read this book!

I am a huge Taylor Jenkins Reid fan, so I was beyond excited when I was chosen to review this book. I don’t know if I just went into it with high expectations, but I was so disappointed in this one. I did not like the main character at all, so I didn’t care if she won or lost. I also thought her whole pursuit was childish and ridiculous so I struggled with the motivation to keep reading. I do love when there is cross over with characters from her other books, so I liked that part, but overall this book was a big let down.