4.5 stars (spoilers) - I really loved this book and all its characters!! It was such a joy to read and to see Carrie grow. The ending was slightly predictable but didn’t take away from the fun of reading through it. Only TJR could take an otherwise unlikeable character and turn her into such a darling. I just wish she’d have given a little more to Bowe by the end! I also would have liked to see more about how her lack of social skills affected her career and legacy, especially during a time before introversion and mental illness were so widely accepted. Can’t wait to discuss this with my friends and family once released, and to see blips of these characters in future TJR books!

Taylor Jenkins Reid is back doing what she does best; Making fake characters so real you keep googling them and expecting results. Only she would get me to read a sports book. From the beginning, I was rooting for Carrie even though she was very unlikeable. She was selfish and incredibly rude. Then she starts working with Bowe and we see that hard exterior start to melt away. I began to root for her because I liked her. I’m so proud of who she became and the character development we see in her and Bowe. Such a perfect and full circle ending that just felt so right. What a beautiful addition to the Taylor Jenkins Reid multiverse.

I have no words. This book is amazing. That is all.


Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn’t sure if I would like Carrie Soto, as her small character role in Malibu Rising was so cold & bitter. However, Taylor Jenkins Reid wows us again with her lovable character and story development. I am not a big tennis fan, but I really enjoyed this and could not put it down. I really loved this book!

Thanks to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for an advance review copy!

I am the biggest Taylor Jenkins Reid stan. Sign me up for every book she writes. I am just happy to be reading about this beautiful interconnected universe, where Mick Riva makes an appearance. As with all her books, TJR builds beautifully vivid worlds with complex and deep characters that even when I am frustrated with I can help but root for.

I don't follow tennis but found myself on the edge of my seat speed reading to find out how Carrie would play in her comeback tour at all the grand slams. If you've loved her other books you won't be disappointed. It's a good one.

I will be the first to admit that Malibu Rising fell flat for me and subsequently, I was hesitant to go into Carrie Soto. WOW WAS I WRONG Dare I say that Carrie is my favorite heroine TJR has ever come up with?! I loved this story so so much. For starters, the amount of research that had to have gone into this novel as it pertains to tennis is probably up there in the hundreds of hours category, I mean...it was so thorough. Second, I could not for the life of me get enough interaction between Carrie and Javier--their parent/child dynamic was so incredibly authentic and beautiful it absolutely melted me. Third, all other personal relationships with Carrie (Carrie and Bowe, Carrie and Gwen, Carrie and Nicki) allowed us to catch glimpses of her humanity and provided the best full picture for her I could have ever asked for. I found myself genuinely rooting for her to succeed at her comeback, despite this being fiction and me having exactly zero knowledge of tennis. I loved the exploration of a double standard for men and women, I loved the transcripts from the news, I loved the Easter eggs, I loved it. This may very well be Taylor Jenkins Reid's best work yet, and I am honored that I was able to read it early.

If you are a fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid, you will enjoy the story about a tennis superstar trying to make a comeback. In my opinion, it is not her best book-but it still a good story written with great style!

Carrie Soto is many things.
Focused.
Dedicated.
Brash.
Egotistical.
Unfriendly.
And one of the greatest women to ever play the game of tennis.

She set many records over her years as a pro tennis player, the most important being the record for the most Grand Slam titles (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open). Then one day, the newest tennis phenom, Nicki Chan, matched her record. Thus, sparking Carrie's quest for a comeback.

While part of this story follows Carrie's growth as a player under her father, Javier, training, the majority centers on her preparation to return to the sport and subsequent games to reclaim the record. As the story progressed, I understood why fans and commenters labeled her the Battle Axe or sometimes more bluntly, the Bitch. She is not humble. But what I struggled with more was her lack of sportsmanship. She only cares about her game and will do or say anything to appear better than her competition. And while I didn't care for Carrie most of the story, she was a fascinating character to read about. I also liked how this comeback exposed some of her vulnerability, which she hid for so long.

It has been a long time since I've watched tennis, but this brought back a lot of memories for when I did follow the game and the players way back in the 80s/90s. Carrie reminded me a bit of Steffi Graff and John McEnroe (minus the temper tantrums) with their cocksure style of play.

The best part of the story is Carrie's evolution as a player during her comeback, and how she opened herself up emotionally. While this story wouldn't be categorized as a romance, there is a love story. I liked that the author didn't push this element of the story, the slow burn fit with Carrie's temperament, and made the end result more special.

Time and time again, this author delivers female characters who are unapologetic in who they are. Like her or not, Carrie's story will win you over.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to NetGalley for an ARC of my MOST ANTICIPATED read of 2022!!! This book was amazing, but amazing doesn’t even do it justice. This is a one sit read, you will not want to put it down once you start! I wasn’t sure if TJR could get better than Evelyn and Daisy. But she did! All the characters were beautiful. Carrie’s relationship with herself, with tennis, with Javier, Gwen, Bowe, Nicki, and everyone else was perfection. I loved the nods to her other books. I have so many highlights that I made in this book and they’re all my favorite. This may just be my new favorite TJR book! TJR can do no wrong and I will read ANYTHING she writes! Thank you again for the ARC of Carrie Soto is Back!

Game. Set. Match. Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again and Carrie Soto might just be my favorite of her characters to date. With a knack for putting you in another time, this book transports you back to the 80s and 90s at the height of Carrie’s tennis career. She’s brutal- a bitch at the top of her game- and you can’t help but love her.

Carrie is coached by her father - definitely drawing inspiration from Serena Williams- and plays like McEnroe. She’s unstoppable, aggressive, the epitome of beautiful tennis, and plays better than the men. If she was a man, fans and commentators wouldn’t think twice about how she plays her game.

After retiring as a legend, holding the record for the most slams, she decides to stage a comeback years later once her record is threatened by the new great, Nikki Chan. But can she still prove she’s the greatest to ever do it?

This book is just one you want to savor- stretching it out as long as you can do it doesn’t end. I absolutely loved the relationship with her father and coach and the light touch of her relationships off the court so the focus was always on the tennis. The anticipation throughout the book had me on the edge of my seat rooting for Carrie as if I was watching her at match point on the screen - Reid makes her feel SO real. This one is not one to be missed and for me, is her best work (although different) since Evelyn Hugo.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Another masterpiece by TJR. This one felt really different than any of her books in the past, but I was obsessed because I used to play tennis and love watching/playing with my Dad, so reading this book dedicated pretty much to tennis and the player/coach relationship between Carrie and her Dad felt nostalgic in a way.

TJR always has deeper messaging in her stories, and this one touched on so much. Specifically success and failure, and what that really means or how to measure it. Being “good enough” for yourself or even others. Caring about what others think of you and how what they see in you differs from who you really are. Embracing who you are and not changing that if people don’t like it.

Carrie is a badass bitch and I’m proud to say I relate to her. She’s strong and determined, but also so scared of failure that it can overwhelm her and how she views her own value and success. She loved fiercely, but rarely lets anyone close enough to see that side of her out of fear they’ll leave. She is so incredibly brave, while also feeling so incredibly weak at times. I love Carrie Soto. As Bowe said so beautifully: “You are perfect. Even in your imperfections.”

It's TJR’s world and I just want to live in it! Daisy, Evelyn, the Rivas, and now Carrie Soto - characters who come to life and make you forget they are fictional. I finished this in one sitting and then had to look up tennis matches on YouTube! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I need to go back and read her earlier titles because so far she has not disappointed.

Until this book I’ve not been a big fan of tennis. Well now I want to watch it more. Carrie Soto is a bad b!tch and I absolutely loved her. This book was fun and I couldn’t read it fast enough.
I honestly think I’d read Taylor Jenkins Reid’s grocery list if given the opportunity! She just can do no wrong in my eyes

5 stars

Taylor Jenkins Reid (TJR) is writing a new book? This goes to the immediate top of my list. It's historical fiction about...a tennis player? Oh-kay, maybe this won't be my favorite, but it'll probably still be great. I WAS WRONG. I WAS SO WRONG. This is not only easily my favorite TJR yet; it's now one of my top books of the year.

Carrie Soto definitely is back, as the title promises, but you know what else is back? The kind of novel that is making me physically feel every moment. I feel like I've played my own series of tournaments after the breath holding, stomach clenching, and yes, moments of uncharacteristic weeping so violent that my two pit bulls came to live their best nanny dog lives to make sure I was going to recover from this book-induced breakdown.

I've yet to meet a TJR book I don't really like (and in most cases love), but there is something extra about Carrie. She is so deeply flawed (like my former favorite, Daisy...FIGHT ME! She is everything), but she has the most compelling personal journey and riveting relationships. At 37, Carrie is also dealing with something that I think many TJR fans are encountering (or will soon or have recently), which is that middle moment of the career/life/understanding of the self. Carrie's is just really public (though all of the very best parts of it - the ones I'm certain will stay with me for a long time - happen privately). Though the point of this character is her exceptionality, TJR makes her utterly relatable, and that is a feat of its own.

Come to this book regardless of your feelings about its subject matter. TJR uses the tennis backdrop as a way to create intensity and finely tuned pacing on every page. Carrie is intentionally so unlikeable, but it is impossible not to root for her. The relationship between Carrie and her father will tear up anyone with even a Soto slice of a soul. I wanted to hate the romantic subplot, and I even got super behind that. And I'll leave this vague because I like to live spoiler-free, but the culminating connections in this novel - the way three central pairings with Carrie evolve - just masterful.

In the last quarter of the novel, Carrie considers in a relatively innocuous moment, "We live in a world where exceptional women have to sit around waiting for mediocre men." It's easy to dip into that 'things were tough for women in this period' headspace, but what's way more chilling is to know that TJR is talking to us and lamenting with us in the now. Carrie's physical power, the way she's questioned based on gender-specific and sex-specific kookiness, and how she (and the women around her) consistently roll anyway fed my soul at a time when I think we ALL need it.

I had cautiously high expectations for this book, but it absolutely rocked my world: not just my Kindle but my actual entire outlook. TJR, despite her clear Faustian bargain where the trade was to keep mentioning Mick in exchange for writing consecutive blockbusters, somehow has put out what for me is easily the winner of her enviable career so far. I can't recommend this highly enough.

“The B***** is Back!” We first met Carrie Soto in “Malibu Rising” when she steals Nina Riva’s husband/tennis star, Brandon Randall. And wow, what a scene she made at the annual Riva party in Malibu. In “Carrie Soto is Back,” we learn all about Carrie and how she came to be the infamous “Battle Axe,” her beginnings as a child tennis prodigy and being coached by her father.  The story is a timeline of her rise to fame, temporary retirement, and her return to tennis in order to retain her title of ‘Most Singles Slam Titles.’ Even with Carrie's obnoxious personality, she does have people in her corner. Javier, her father/coach, Gwen her agent, and a love interest that understands her maybe better than she understands herself. I came to sympathize with Carrie and root for her in every comeback match. And I appreciated how the book touched on sexism, racism, and ageism. Carrie is one tough character, almost like a female John McEnroe. There is ALOT of tennis in this book, I kept having to remind myself ‘point, set, match’ to remember the progress of the game. Taylor Jenkins Reid has definitely ‘aced’ it with “Carrie Soto is Back,” now time to wait another year for her next novel. Maybe “The Nikki Chan Story”?

Here is a lot of tennis in here but the author really shines when she writes human emotion. The dialogue snaps and grief is expressed poignantly yet raw. I don't play or watch tennis and I enjoyed the characters and their story very much.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

Carrie Soto is Back is an engaging read that sucks you into the world of tennis. With Reid's other books, I've felt really attached to the character and what happens to her. With this book, I was more obsessed with the world of tennis. I can see how some people would be annoyed by all the tennis-centric language/details, but I thought it was fine. I will admit that I did not love this book as much as I loved One True Loves, Maybe in Another Life, After I Do, Forever Interrupted, Daisy Jones and the Six, or The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, but I did enjoy this one much more than Malibu Rising. I already know this book will be a huge hit when it comes out, but I will be recommending some of TJR's other books ahead of this one (unless the person I am recommending it to is a tennis fan).

Carrie Soto is EVERYTHING. Years after an injury forces the tennis star into early retirement at the peak of success, she decides to get back into the game to defend her record for most Grand Slam wins from newcomer Nicki Chan. Yes, Carrie is flawed and has her shortcomings, but she's powerful, determined, witty (like laugh-out-loud funny) and doesn't take "no" for an answer. I love a character with a hard outer shell who you're still rooting for because you feel like you really know them. As someone who grew up playing tennis and recently took it back up, this was especially fun to read. On the flip side, I'm not sure how you'd feel about this book if you know nothing about tennis and the rules and scoring because the book was heavy on details of every play. By the time I was two thirds through I was in so deep that I looked up the tennis channel so I could watch it in the background—and lucked out catching a match on a clay court as Carrie was taking the clay courts at The French Open. I was so invested in Carrie's comeback that I couldn't put this book down until I knew everything that happened. Taylor Jenkins Reid fans will love Carrie Soto Is Back. It's an ace! (TJR fans will also love the fun callbacks to Daisy Jones and The Six and Malibu Rising!)

No surprise that Carrie Soto is Back is another hit from Taylor Jenkins Reid. A fantastic story of human emotion and relationships. I love how this novel spanned her whole life and really focused on her love of the game and changing feelings. Can’t recommend this book enough!

There are some authors that are automatic reads for me and Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of them. I love the way she loosely connects her books and her writing style in general. Carrie Soto is back is about tennis legend Carrie Soto who decides to come out of retirement after her record is threatened. There was a lot of tennis in it so it you aren’t a fan that could be a bit off putting but the story line of Carrie and her father and Carries growth as a person was so wonderful to see. I can’t wait to see what TJR has in store next.