I’m not a tennis fan. I’m really not into sports at all. But this book about tennis isn’t really about tennis. I fell in love with this story. I love Carrie, and her journey. I love her relationship with her father. This story is a great character study and so relatable.

I’ll be honest. Tennis is not my jam, so I was skeptical going in. Carrie is not the most likeable character but (like all of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novels) I was shocked into the world she created and I realized (when I started tearing up at a certain part) that I had fallen in love with these characters. It’s definitely a slow burn but it’s so worth sticking around and reading it all the way through before making a full judgment.

For Carrie Soto, being the best tennis player I has always been all that matters. Her entire life, she has pushed herself and set incredible records in womens’ tennis. Several years after she has retired, a fresh and young new player beats the record set by Carrie. So Carrie wonders: can she do it one more time and take back the record that was hers?

First - Taylor Jenkins Reid clearly can do no wrong. We first heard of Carrie Soto in her last book, Malibu Rising, but now we finally get to meet Carrie and she is incredible. She is fierce, she is strong, she is independent. She does NOT just smile and look pretty - she says what she thinks, even if it ruffles feathers. She has no problem owning her talent and dedication to her sport and will go back at anyone who tries to take it from her. For Carrie, tennis is as natural as breathing so it’s not hard to follow along side her. Told mostly from Carrie’s perspective, there are a few commentator chats from the tennis matches and it’s entertaining to get their perspective. I loved seeing how Carrie grew and truly came into her own, not just in tennis but in her life. She was able to see what’s most important and allow herself to be happy.
Even if you don’t know much about tennis, this book is still such a great story!

“Carrie Soto is Back” releases August 30th! This review will be posted to my Instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly 🙂

Another win for Taylor Jenkins Reid. The writing is raw and real and so very authentic. Unfortunately, I am not too much of a fan of tennis, but nevertheless, the story is fantastic. A solid amazing book for those who love Reid and tennis!

ARC REVIEW OF CARRIE SOTO IS BACK

5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley, Ballantine Books - Random House, and most importantly, Taylor Jenkins Reid for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

"because you are not yet who you will one day be"

Evelyn Hugo. Daisy Jones. Nina Riva. Carrie Soto. - The TJR Mount Rushmore if you will.

Daisy Jones started my obsession with TJR's writing. That was actually my first book by her, and from there I flew through Evelyn Hugo. When I got the ARC of Malibu Rising I was honestly underwhelmed, so I wasn't sure what to expect with Carrie Soto.

Whatever I expected flew right out the window from the first chapter. WHAT AN ADRENALINE RUSH.

As all of her stories, TJR's writing style knocks it out of the park. You can feel the absolute emotion coming through her writing. I laughed out loud, I cried, I was nervous, I was angry. I felt all the things she wanted you to feel and more. And it felt GOOD.

Carrie is a BOSS A** B**CH. PERIOD. She was so simple in her want and need for one thing- winning- but the layers that formed her hardened exterior is what made the story great. She doesn't care that people call her the "Battle Axe" or that people think she's cold- she's not here to make friends. The societal expectations that women must always be friendly is annoying, and I loved how this theme was handled throughout the book.

I loved the historical references- Pam and Tommy, Princess Diana - that kept the story rooted in the early 90's. The transcripts of the media in between the chapters really helped show the public opinion of Carrie and how it shifted through time, but also how it remained consistent- that a woman should be grateful for the opportunities that come their way. It's unfortunate that thinking hasn't evolved much since then either.

All four of these characters are intertwined without being intertwined. They run in the same, if not similar circles, and it's always cool to see the references that pop up within the stories.

Do yourself a huge favor- go pre-order Carrie Soto is Back from your favorite indie bookstore now. It hits shelves 8/30 and if you've loved the previous women's stories, you'll love this one too.

I received an ARC of this novel from Ballantine Books via Netgalley in exchange for my review. I am a huge Taylor Jenkins Reid fan and I’m always excited to read her stories because she is a great writer, but also because her books are so very different, especially this one! Carrie Soto is Back is about Carrie Soto, a phenomenal tennis player from the 80’s who, later in her career, decides to mount a comeback against all the odds. A great writer can draw you into stories you may not have a big desire to read, for example a story about tennis and make characters that aren’t always “nice”, like Carrie Soto and somehow the story is compelling and you end up cheering for the characters! That is what TJR had done in this story for me. It certainly made me think about the Williams sisters and the movie King Richard, but this story is Carrie Soto’s and it is a must read!

I really enjoyed this book, it pulled me in very quickly. There was a lot of things about Carrie that I thought made her kind of unlikeable, but I did think it was interesting to see things from her perspective. I liked that we go back in time and watch her grow up and can see where a lot of this comes from, it made me think of what it might be like to grow up as an elite athlete. You do not have to be into tennis to enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for a chance to read an early copy.

This is a character-driven story of a woman making peace with her past and growing in the process. It's not about tennis, but it has a LOT of tennis in it. So if sports aren't your thing, maybe give it a pass. But it's classic TJR and as such is well-written and a lot of fun.

TJR is back with Carrie Soto, and I am worn out. Carrie Soto is a record-setting, high-achieving tennis player in the 80s. When a younger tennis player comes up and beats her title record, Carrie feels threatened and decides to un-retire so she can get her record back. Only problem is, it's been quite a few years since she's played tennis, and she's now 37.

Carrie Soto is another strong, independent, hard woman, but my goodness. For the first 75% of the book I was seriously hoping she would fail. Thankfully, the last bit of the book had me slightly more in her corner. Some people may love this character, or identify with her, and if you do, that's great. For me, it felt like her only personality trait was playing tennis and wanting to win tennis. That was it. She was a constantly a jerk to people who cared about her, and it was rebranded as "honesty," and then she couldn't take the same type of honesty back. Is this a realistic portrayal of a human? Yes. Does that mean I enjoyed it? Nope. The character growth at the end was so minimal and quick that it wasn't satisfying.

The best characters were the side characters-including Gloria Jones, a sportscaster featured in a few vignettes that had to deal with sexist male colleagues while trying to stand up for Carrie Soto. Now that woman, I could identify with!

So, in my own conclusion, this is another extremely well-written book by TJR, but it was a story I just didn't really want to read. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the e-ARC.

Wow! Carrie Soto Is Back is one of the most visceral reading experiences I've had. Taylor Jenkins Reid makes you feel as if you are sitting court side at every nail biter of a tennis match as Carrie Soto, possibly the greatest tennis player ever, comes out of retirement to reclaim her record for most Grand Slam matches ever won. Carrie is not "likeable"... she is described by the media as the battle axe and worse for not tampering her competitive nature and being more ladylike on and off the court.
This is a great sports story, about the sacrifices the very best athletes must make to get to that level...and then, the eventual examination of whether it was all worth it after all.
Carrie Soto is Back is also a love story, and while there is a conventional romance between Carrie and a former bad boy pro, the heart of this novel is Carrie's relationship with Javier, her father and coach. Javier had moderate success as an Argentinian pro player, before being sidelined by an injury and lowered to working as a country club instructor. . He recognizes in his young daughter a rare talent, and he raises Carrie almost exclusively on tennis with a good bit of his life philosophy thrown in.
There is inevitable conflict between the headstrong Carrie and her father. But there is such love and connection there as well. It really gives the novel another layer of depth and soul.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

This might be my favorite TJR book yet. This was an ode to female athletes and father daughter relationships. Going in I thought this would be a book about Carrie’s love life type thing and it by war exceeded all my expectations. Carrie and her fathers relationship broke me. By the end of the book I was in tears. The way TJR wrote their relationship as he coaches her through tennis and life was everything for me. So many times I wondered would my dad have been like Javier? Their relationship was beautiful. Their interactions and anecdotes throughout Carries life were written just so beautifully.

Carrie could be an unlikeable character but I loved her. Her perseverance, her attitude, her growth are all part of this journey and it’s exactly what makes this book so special.

I loved the way TJR highlighted how if she was a male athlete they wouldn’t be calling her a bitch but would be praising her. How often society lets male athletes do whatever they want but when a woman has the audacity, they’re cold hearted, they’re a bitch, they don’t have class etc.

Carrie and Nicky’s relationship and interactions was probably one of my favorite parts of this story. The epilogue wrapped this story perfectly.

Honestly a must read and might be one of my favorite books of 2022!

I know so many people have loved this book. Seven Husbands is still my TJR favorite and maybe Malibu Rising after it. I have loved each moment when her books have come out and I have heard great things about this one.

So much of this book reminded me of King Richard, the recent Will Smith movie. The first third of the book describes Carrie Siri’s history growing up, then the rest of the book is her comeback (after she retired). It pretty much describes every important game to her, as well as her training lessons with her dad and other coaches. I don’t know if I know enough tennis to really understand it all. And it was ok, but I didn’t particularly care what happened to her - If she won or lost - or if she and her self-serving snotty meanness stayed the best of all time. The last couple of chapters made me smile and redeemed it a little for me, but there was so much of it that I just wanted to get through (it took me almost a month to read this).

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. TJR can do NO wrong.

First off, I literally screamed when I got approved for this one. Like never in a million years did I think I would get to read it early and I feel so honored and lucky! So thanks to Ballentine Books and @NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Okay now the fun stuff. If you’ve read any of TJR’s previous books, you know Carrie Soto had been mentioned before, but no one really knew her story. Carrie is the type of athlete so many strive to be. She believes in herself when no one else does. She knows her abilities and pushes herself farther. She has just the right amount of arrogance to drive everyone else insane.

I love a good comeback queen story, and honestly this is it, but you have to also deal with heavy emotions like heartbreak and loss within it too.

Bowe, oh Bowe. Idk why Carrie doesn’t love you immediately, but I did, even with your crazy ways.

Also bonus points for dirty old Mick Riva only being mentioned once!

I feel like this is the end of an era, unless we find out there’s more interconnected books coming (please be more), and I have so many emotions about it.

If you were a fan of Malibu Rising or Daisy Jones & the Six, this one is for you!

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!