I couldn't really get into this one. I loved TJR's other books, but this one feel flat for me. It could be because I'm not crazy about tennis? I wanted to like this one but I just didn't connect to any of the characters.

I think this could be my favorite TLR book! Carrie Soto is back, with her dad coaching and a few rivals to push her on, and off, the court. Carrie is determined at an older age for the sport to become #1 again. Through the training, the matches, her dads death, she finds that winning in life and opening herself up to love and relationships is harder, but more rewarding than a championship title

Another big success from TJR. Carrie Soto was someone I had to know more about after Malibu Rising and this definitely fulfilled my wishes!!!!

I was a bit disappointed with this one. Although I love the connection and world building between all of Taylor Jenkins Reid's books - this one felt like the least dynamic of the bunch, I enjoy a sports forward novel, but if I didn't this one would have been hard to get through. I can appreciate the trials and tribulations of a professional athlete but I felt that we lost a lot of character growth in this one. It was hard to understand/accept how she changed in the end and became more open because we weren't entirely entrenched in her emotional/mental journey.

Classic Taylor Jenkins Reid! What a fun progression through time. I was never a fan of tennis before this book, so I learned a lot about the game. Not my favorite book by this author, but she still has her spark.

I'm not a big tennis fan but I watched enough of it when I was a kid to appreciate the game. That doesn't mean I understand the scoring though. Carrie Soto is a polarizing character, but I liked her tenacity and drive. If those attributes were in a man, they would be exalted. Ms. Reid is a master storyteller with plot and characters driving the story.

It took me about 50% into this book to be fully invested, but once I was in, I was in! I really appreciated the relationship between Carrie and her father. This was extremely tennis-heavy, so I think that if you absolutely hate sports and won't be able to get past that, I would not recommend this.

(3.5)
This was good. If you are a tennis player or fan you may find more enjoyment in it than I did. Still, it’s Taylor Jenkins Reid. If you are a fan of hers you’ll like the writing style and her characters.
Carrie Soto is a tennis player whose fierce determination to win and bad attitude has made her less than popular. Still, by the time she retires from tennis she is one of the best players the world has ever known. She broke all the records and won twenty grand slam titles. Carrie, if asked, will tell you how she is entitled to each and every one of them. She sacrificed everything in order to be the best along with her father and coach, Javier. Javier was once a champion as well and has been training her since she was just two years old.
Now, six years after her retirement, Carrie finds herself sitting in the stands during the 1994 US Open as her record is being taken away by a stunning and brutal player, Nicki Chan.
Carrie, at thirty seven, decides that she is going to come out of retirement and be coached by her father for one final year in an attempt to get her record back. The sports media openly says how they have never liked “the Battle-Axe” as it is, her body isn’t as fast as it once was, and she finds that the only way she may pull all of this off is if she works with a man she once loved, Bowe Huntley. Just as she is trying to prove herself, he has something to prove as well.
This book was good but I admit I got just a bit bored when the technical tennis stuff was discussed. I’ve just never watched tennis and don’t play it so I was disconnecting a lot with the story. Carrie Soto is also a character that is rather unlikeable for a good bit of the book.
This book is slightly predictable but incredibly well written. The author does pull some characters in at times in a name dropping sort of way. That’s going to be fun for fans of her other books. You’ll find quite a few little “Easter Eggs” throughout the story.
If you are a fan of this author or tennis, I definitely recommend this book.

Taylor Jenkins Reid never fails to hit it out of the park for me every time, and her newest offering is no exception. Carrie Soto is Back made me actually care about the world of tennis. After first, I was not a big Carrie fan...I found her to be totally unlikeable. But she grew on me and she grew up. Her relationship with her father was the highlight of the book for me.

Carrie Soto is back on the tennis court to defend her tournament title records as a tennis champion.

I wanted to like this book, but overall it was very boring. Most of it reads like a recountment of tennis matches. I read Agassi's "Open" which had similar recitation of tennis matches, but at least those were real tennis matches that occurred.

I did find the end a little more interesting, which kept it from 1 star rating. Carrie Soto is highly unlikelable and rude, and I guess we are supposed to figure she is this way because her mother died when she was younger? I dont know.

I also wanted more tie-in with Malibu Rising. Reid puts in about a 2 sentence part, almost like an afterthought. It appears her editor told her, "you know, people are going to want to read about Brandon, can you at least put in 2 sentences?"

I would say skip this one unless you love reading "love-love...she served the ball, Carrie broke the serve." I do not.

For a book about tennis and a reader who doesn’t care about tennis, I kind of loved this book. Carrie Soto is Back is about tennis, sure, but it’s also about legacy and family and friendships and love and reputation and following your dreams and representation and what happens when life doesn’t turn out how you expected and passing the torch. Excellent storytelling. Another TJR masterpiece.

Esperava e não esperava gostar desse livro. Até por que Marília Mendonça nos iludiu ao dizer que amante não tinha lar.



A vida de Carrie Soto se resume ao tênis. Desde pequena ela foi treinada pelo pai e foi um prodígio do esporte desde cedo. E nada menos que a perfeição é o que lhe interessa. Ela quebrou todos os recordes do esporte e deixou uma reputação de ser implacável. Agora, cinco anos depois de sua aposentadoria uma jogadora nova está perto de se igualar a ela e é aí que Carrie decide retornar as quadras. Será que ela consegue voltar a glória depois de tantos anos parada?



Eu tenho uma relação de amor e ódio com a escrita da Taylor Jenkins Reid, ela escreveu um dos meus livros preferidos dos últimos anos e o PIOR livro que eu li nos últimos cinco anos, então ler algo que ela escreveu sempre é uma roleta russa pra mim. Dessa vez ela conseguiu criar uma protagonista com quem eu consegui me conectar, mas por quem eu não consegui torcer.



Carrie Soto simplesmente não conseguiu me fazer torcer completamente por ela, mas eu não a odiei como pensei que odiaria depois que li Malibu Renasce. Ela é só uma garota que não aprendeu a perder e que foi alimentada com sonhos de grandeza. Ela é esforçada e isso eu posso reconhecer é algo nela que eu gostei, sua tenacidade e perfeccionismo. Mas parou por aí, ela nunca parou para pensar que suas ações puderam ter consequências na vida de outras pessoas, tanto que em seu livro tudo que ela fez com Nina Riva não ocupou mais de 5 páginas. E isso me deixou put4 com a autora! Pelo amor de deus, mulher por qual motivo a Nina tinha que sofrer tanto?



Por outro lado, se você estava esperando outro livro mais romântico, coisa que os outros livros nesse universo, com excessão de Evelyn Hugo, não tem pode comemorar que temos uma relação madura e um mocinho que não vai desistir fácil dessa tenista.



Além disso tudo, pudemos ter finalmente um pai não tóxico nesse livro, eu nem sabia que essa autora sabia escrever machos não tóxicos que são pais. Como pode né?

Another fabulous book from author Taylor Jenkins Reid. As an athlete, I enjoyed the main character and could identify with the grit that comes from a long career in athletics. TJR writes her characters with a depth and skill that keeps readers entranced and turning pages. Carrie Soto was an emotionally charged read that had me hooked and will have me lined up for Reid's next novel release.

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. This author generates page turners at every turn so I wasn’t surprised I was in it to win it from the beginning. But that also means I have high expectations from the beginning as well. And I did not disappoint. Carrie Soto has taken 10 years off from tennis and now her title of most wins is about to be taken from her. She is torn on if she should make a come back at 39 years old to try to keep the title of number one. Nobody liked her when she played tennis because of her hard attitude and the way she took down opponents so it definitely will not be an easy journey. I love the storyline, the character build ups and the overarching theme. Highly recommend. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Very much enjoyed, despite having little to no knowledge of, or interest in, tennis. Jenkins Reid has some range!

DNF @28%

Obviously this is a very late review—three months after publication—but Carrie Soto is Back just did not hit the way other TJR books do. It’s boring and impersonal and even the prose isn’t as beautiful as her other books, and this coming from someone who hasn’t necessarily loved all her other books. Admittedly, I’m in a slump right now, otherwise I’d try to power through in the hopes of reaching literally any moving content, but I just have no motivation to keep reading this currently.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS BOOK!!! Oh my gosh, TJR never fails to make an amazing plot with amazing characters. I would recommend this book to anyone.

Taylor Jenkins Reed can do no wrong and I think this one might be my new favorite of hers. Following Carrie Siri’s growth as a player and a person, especially in her relationship with her dad and her sense of identity, was magical.

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid is a historical novel centred around sports. The story is exciting, and the characters are well-developed, making this one of my favourite books of the year. If you have enjoyed any of the author’s other books, this is definitely one to pick up.

Carrie Soto is such an interesting character. She isn’t the most likeable, but she has many strengths. Her passion for tennis and her ability to persevere to get what she wants is admirable, even though she is quite abrasive at times.

❀ EXCITING DRAMA

Even if you are not a fan of tennis, or sports for that matter, this book really gives a lot of detail about the game. As a reader, I was pulled right into the matches and the intense drama that unfolds. These aspects are really exciting, and I really loved the commentary on the politics of sport and some of its sexism, making for a thought-provoking read.

❀ FATHER-DAUGHTER RELATIONSHIP

There are many side characters in this story, as is the case in many of the author’s other works, and each is interesting and enjoyable to read about. Carrie’s relationship with her father in particular is so wonderful to read about, and the way tennis is such a huge part of it brings the book full circle.

❀ ONE TO WATCH FOR

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid is a book to try if you love the author, sports fiction, or stories that explore characters who are bold and determined. I recently listened to the audio version and was so thrilled to find out that Patrick McEnroe and Mary Carillo are among the narrators. It was so fun to hear their thoughts on the tennis matches in the book. This is definitely one to watch for.

Taylor Jenkins Reid is back with another story told in a unique format, which may have been my favorite part of this book! When I heard it would have a full cast narration, I decided to listen to the audiobook instead. I loved getting to hear the radio interviews and such. It added another dimension to the book and really brought it to my life. On the other hand, the book was a little heavy on tennis for my tastes. As someone who is not into sports, Carrie became hard to relate to. TJR's writing is still unmatched, but this book just didn't work for me like her romance books usually do. However, fans of TJR's most recent works will enjoy this novel a lot!