TJR can seriously do no wrong. Carrie was so strong and such an unlikeable character that you couldn’t help but like. Her dad was so sweet and devoted to her. This book made me feel like I was at a tennis match and definitely taught me a lot about the sport. The way she writes is so engaging and immersive. I loved the Easter eggs for previous books and I can’t wait for the next book from her.

Carrie Soto is a legendary tennis player–one of the best the world has ever seen. Six years after her retirement, her record is being threatened by a new player. Carrie knows she needs to make a comeback to prove she is still the best. Coached by her father, she fights her way back–and she isn’t exactly welcome.

Carrie has never been a charismatic player; nicknamed “the Battle-Axe” (and sometimes worse things), the media questions her motives, her age, and her abilities. But Carrie is determined, and she will stop at nothing to maintain her title.

I had mixed feelings throughout much of this book. I don’t mind unlikable characters, but Carrie’s singular focus on being the best–forever–was difficult for me to square. It’s also VERY tennis-heavy. There were times the details of the matches got a little boring. All this said, Taylor Jenkins Reid pulled it off: I started to care about the game, the pacing seemed to improve throughout, and the ending came together.

While I didn’t love this like I did some of her previous books, Carrie is a worthy addition to the world of Evelyn, Daisy, and Nina.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. Taylor Jenkins Reid is an auto-read author and she’s done it again with Carrie Soto. I don’t know anything about tennis and I still thoroughly enjoyed this story. I loved the subtle 90’s references and I applaud the author for making me root for someone who is so clearly an asshole most of the time. A lot has been said about this novel already, but I am adding my voice of recommendation to the chorus.

Prior to reading this, I had heard the backlash about TJR writing from a latina perspective, as a white woman. Casting this problematic issue aside, Carrie Soto is a book unlike others I have read. Sports don't often make it into the literary fiction I read, so TJR was able to introduce a new world.
As with any TJR book, you're able to live in this fictional world that she has woven between all of her novels. Subtle yet engaging.
I was happy to see that the ending wasn't as predictable as expected (Why wouldn't Carrie win in her comeback?), and that Carrie was able to learn multiple lessons in her pursuit.

I was blown away by the emotional depth and poignant writing. The story follows Carrie, a former high school star athlete, as she returns to her hometown and grapples with the past mistakes and regrets that have been weighing on her.

The writing is raw and honest, perfectly capturing the complex and layered emotions of the characters. The character development is superb and I found myself fully invested in Carrie's journey. The supporting characters are equally well-written and add depth to the story.

One of the standout aspects of "Carrie Soto is Back" is the way it tackles difficult themes such as mental illness, addiction, and the consequences of past actions. Reid handles these themes with sensitivity and nuance, making for a poignant and thought-provoking reading experience.

3.75/5

This was a nice read, but I just wasn't invested in it. I loved Carrie's character and commitment to her tennis career, I LOVED that she had no sympathy for being a hard-ass and unapologetic in who she was, but through all of that, I just never connect with her and the plot. It felt very slow until the last 20%.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an eARC copy of Carrie Soto is Back, written by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

I really enjoyed this book and I love the way TJR keeps all of these stories in the same world. I will say if my daughter didn’t play tennis I’m not sure I would have enjoyed it as much though. Carrie is a strong character that takes no bull from anyone. Her dad keeps her grounded and gave some much needed heart to the story.

I loved this book as much as I loved Evelyn and Daisy. Its a different book though it does throw in a reference or two to Malibu Rising. Taylor is just a great story teller. I always feel that I'm really inside the lives of her characters. Carrie Soto is a bad a woman who happens to be the best tennis player in the world. Or, she was and now she's coming back to claim her title. But as much as the book is about tennis, its really about her relationship with her father/coach and her learning to leave the competitive spirit on the court and open herself up to genuine relationships with people.

Once again, I was sad to see a Taylor Jenkins Reid book end. I look forward to her next one.

Absolutely spectacular. I was fully immersed in the world of Carrie Soto. This is my favorite yet from TJR.

One thing about TJR is the woman can WRITE. Every book that I've read by her holds a special place in my heart and features themes I really connect to. With Carrie Soto is Back I loved Carrie's drive and determination to be the best. This was entertaining and heart pumping with every match keeping me on the edge of my seat, I'm not the biggest sport based book person but this tennis focused read was very refreshing! Compared to her past books not every character in this book I cared for which doesn't make it a perfect read for me. Overall I think it's worth it to experience Carrie beating the odds and owing being the "bitch" of the tennis world.

Taylor Jenkins Reid is a masterful storyteller who can make anything she chooses to write about come alive and mesmerize you all at once! I loved every second of this reading experience and cannot recommend this enough!

One of the best (of the many excellent) aspects of a Taylor Jenkins Reid book are the characters. They're unforgettable, fighters, beloved, and feel so real. Carrie Soto fills these requirements and more.

I loved this book, I love Carrie Soto, I love Taylor Jenkins Reid.

I was surprised that one of the (briefly mentioned) characters from Malibu Rising would be the focus of TJR's latest book, but this choice did not disappoint. I might need to reread her other books because Carrie is fighting for my favorite of TJR's determined heroines.

Enjoyable read. Not my favorite Taylor Jenkins Reid book… by a long shot, but I enjoyed it. I think if you liked tennis this would be your favorite book, but I had a hard time getting into it. Carrie also felt a little bit less dimensional than previous TJR heroines

Taylor Jenkins Reid can do no wrong! Anything that I read by her is absolutely amazing, and Carrie Soto is Back is no different. I'm blown away by TJR's storytelling, character development and her innate ability to pull a reader in. This book was so relatable as a former athlete and it gave me a lot of perspective. As always, I will never stop recommending TJR and Carrie Soto is no different!

I’ve never been much of a tennis fan, although I took the obligatory tennis lessons at Wesley Park several summers through community ed and then married into a tennis crazed family of jocks. Despite my lack of athleticism, Carrie Soto is Back was engrossing from start to finish. Author Taylor Jenkins Reid delivers another ace.

When Carrie Soto retires from tennis, she is the best player the world has ever seen. She has shattered every record and claimed twenty Grand Slam titles. But six years later, she sits in the stands of the 1994 US Open as Nicki Chan ties her record. At thirty-seven years old, Carrie comes out of retirement for one final, epic year to prove she is still the Greatest of All Time. Carrie Soto is back, and I rooted hard for her.

Carrie Soto, aka “the Battle-Axe” isn’t very likeable, but this book sure is! 5 stars.

Genre: Historical fiction
Favorite Quote: “We live in a world where exceptional women have to sit around waiting for mediocre men.”

Bill Durham is one of my favorite movies; it is such a fun concept: a washed-up sports pro taking one more swing at glory. Carrie Soto is back is following in those footsteps, but then again, Carrie, a retired tennis pro, has received all the accolades, wins, and prize money, and she never let herself go after retirement. No, she was always on top of the world and could be resting on her laurels. But that is her problem. Carrie Soto is back is a novel about a woman struggling with perfectionism and how to deal with perfectionism when you have the ability to be flawless. Most of us will never achieve that level of excellence, so perfectionism might be a crux that blocks us from doing the work. But what if you could be the very best? What does it do to you when you are still not satisfied and done after arriving on top?
The tricky thing about such a protagonist is that she is not very relatable. Still, Taylor Jenkins Reid is the kind of writer that pulls you into a protagonist like that and shows you the inner world of somebody the world sees as cold, calculated, and impenetrable.
She is not. But she was always so busy getting somewhere that her emotional development was stunted.
The story starts when Carrie Soto decides to make a comeback, spurred on by the inability to let go of her precious record of Grand Slam wins. When the then-champion is about to break hers, Carrie vows to start training again and show everyone that she is and always will be the best.
So, no, this is not Bill Durham, where a talented player never was able to achieve what his talent deserved. This is the story of a winner who wants to win even more. The journalists and sports commentators in the book serve to voice some of our own opinions on a person like that, and I loved that Carrie Soto is back explores a role that, for women, is seen as an unsympathetic one.
Reading the commentators dismiss Carrie and call her names is a neat trick to get us on Carrie's side, and her wonderful relationship with her father/trainer further warms our hearts.
The novel follows her training, with lots of ups and downs, and each Grand Slam, with exquisite descriptions of pure tennis. It even throws in a romance with another player, a closer fit to a Bill Durham character, a tennis pro who never risen to Carrie's highs and now has to accept his age and failing body. Like Carrie, he's still attempting to hold on to his tennis career.
Carrie Soto is back is such a compulsive read; the plot is relatively straightforward and entirely suits Carrie's personality. That is the aspect I loved the most, how the style and the emotions fit the determined, intelligent and capable character so well. If you don't play or watch tennis, this might be too specific for you, but if you do, Carrie Soto is back is a treat.

This was a miss for me. I've loved everything else from this author, but I didn't care about this book at all. There was a lot of tennis, A LOT, and, while it may have been important for the story, I just couldn't weed through it.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Taylor Jenkins Reid is a treasure. Every book she writes so cleverly encapsulates complicated characters without diminishing them. They are wild, and interesting, and messy. An author I will continually return to and be impressed by!

Taylor Jenkins Reid has written a flawless book about an extremely flawed character and I couldn’t have loved it more! Carrie Soto may have started out to be one of the most flawed protagonist characters that I have ever read about and yet she was so easy to root for in her tennis career, her relationships and her life experiences.
Although the storyline revolves around Carrie’s tennis career there is no need to be an avid tennis fan to love this book. I will admit that I love the game of tennis, so this book was extra enjoyable for me by bringing my love of reading and tennis together. But this was more about Carrie’s life experiences and relationships off the court than her wins and losses on the court.
Carrie’s relationship with her dad, Javier truly is the driving force behind this emotional book. Their bond is amazing and unbreakable, even though Carrie tries to break it more than once. The story being told in dual timelines is the only way I could imagine Carrie’s story being told, it flowed easily from one timeline to the other. It truly immerses the reader into the story and develops the relationships between the characters.
I cannot give enough praise for this emotional book. I laughed, cried, excited and got even mad at Carrie a few times. I highly recommend this amazing book about Carrie Soto’s journey as a daughter and tennis player. I am extremely grateful to Ballentine Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read a digital copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

Book Rating: 4/5
Audiobook Rating: 5/5

I have never met a Taylor Jenkins Reid novel that I have not liked, and of course, Carrie Soto Is Back is no exception. For being so heavy on tennis and all the ins and outs of it, you would think I would have gotten bored but that was not the case! I actually loved learning more about the sport, especially having it come from a fictional story and a character I both loved and loathed in equal measure. I loved Carrie's determination and how she wanted to be the best she could be, but at the same time she was more than a little extreme and the cost of the things she did was outside of anything I would want to experience. I did love the father/daughter relationship that is heavily explored throughout the book, and in true TJR fashion I ended up ugly crying at one point. Helpful when you are cleaning the bathroom!

The audiobook for Carrie Soto Is Back is a total masterpiece and much like Daisy Jones & The Six, includes a full cast of narrators. There are too many to list here, but I will throw out the name Julia Whelan and you can tell me you don’t want to listen to it now. So well done, and every single narrator was perfectly chosen for their parts. I believe Stacy Gonzalez was the narrator for Carrie and I have to say she was exceptional. There is quite a bit of Spanish spoken throughout the book and she nailed it all. This brings me to one of the things that bugged me, the unexplained language used. I don’t LOVE having to Google translate things while I am reading, and Jenkins Reid didn’t try to explain any of the Spanish in this book. I wish I were bilingual but I’m not so that was an unfortunate piece for me, but I’m sure there will be plenty of people this will not be an issue for, and it is an entirely personal preference. Overall, this wasn’t my favorite by TJR, but I really enjoyed it and would definitely listen to it again.