When I first heard about Carrie Soto is Back I was like Ugh a sports book, but we must trust Taylor Jenkins Reid because this is good. The prologue pulled me in immediately and I was on the edge of my seat during Carrie’s games. Carrie Soto is an icon and fierce athlete that everyone should read about.

I love all things TJR, so I was excited to dig into Carrie Soto is Back. I loved the focus on Carrie and believe this worked well to tell this story as opposed to her traditional ensemble pieces. Will recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars

You don’t have to be a tennis fan to enjoy this book. I loved this book and highlighted so many lines to go back and reread.


Carrie Soto was one of the top tennis players in the world in the 1970-80s winning twenty Slam titles. Six years later, in 1994 and at the age of 37, Carrie decides to come back for one more year to defend her records.

Carrie’s entire life was training with her single father who was her coach. While Carrie loves the game and competition, she missed out on a lot of the important parts of childhood, like making friends and being social. She is tough and focused which of course comes out as bitchy.

I know the novel is fiction and takes place thirty years ago but it is just exhausting that there were, and continues to be, such different rules for male athletes versus females.

I highly recommend reading Carrie Soto Is Back. I would have loved to have seen you play tennis.

I love Taylor Jenkins Reid and all of her books are amazing. Carrie Soto is Back is no exception. This is an easy read, in that you want to just keep turning the pages. Carrie Soto is briefly featured in Malibu Rising (the woman Nina's husband has an affair with), and that is mentioned in this book, although it's about a paragraph, maybe less. You absolutely DO NOT need to read any of her other books to enjoy this one.

However, be warned that this is very much a book about tennis. Carrie Soto is a professional tennis player and this book spans her early life and career and her relationship with her father, who is also her coach. She then, after five years of retirement, wants to come out of retirement and play the Slam circuit again. The majority of this book is talking about tennis, training for tennis and competing in tennis matches.

There are other aspects of this that make it more relatable, though. Carrie is not a truly likeable person. She is hyper-focused on tennis and winning. She is brash and doesn't care about the media or fans. Or love. Remember, love means nothing to a tennis player...

Throughout her comeback, Carrie does have to learn some other lessons. Like she will need to have a life after tennis. That just because love may end doesn't mean it isn't worth beginning. That even if you are the best in the world, you may still want more so you need to find what makes you happy. Because TJR is SUCH an amazing writer, these lessons come through despite all of the tennis talk.

You find yourself rooting for Carrie and while I wasn't surprised by the way anything turned out, that is okay. Carrie is a very well-developed character and this is actually a very character-driven story. The relationship between Carrie and her dad is very well developed. A romance is also very well done, and Carrie making friends with her competitors is a huge growth step for her throughout the book. The one complaint I have is that there are a lot of conversations between Carrie and her dad in Spanish, and most are not translated. I don't speak Spanish, so without going to Google translate, these were all lost on me.

Overall, a very enjoyable read from Taylor Jenkins Reid.

I barely have the words to tell you how much I loved CARRIE SOTO IS BACK.

This is plotting as it’s finest! I was glued to the page, my heart racing each time Carrie picked up her racket.

There’s a lot of tennis in this book, yes, but there’s even more heart. I loved Carrie so much. I probably loved her the way her father did: watching her from the sidelines, praying that things would go her way, not sure how to bear it if they didn’t. I was DESPERATE for her to win, to make her big comeback. She’s a complicated character, but so easy to love.

Fierce and fiery, this in an incredibly powerful novel about female ambition, about resilience and determination, about refusing to accept less than you deserve. I think this book is going to be an emotional gut punch for any woman who has ever felt competitive or dreamed of the being the best at something. It certainly was for me.

The father-daughter story, too, struck a deep emotional cord. There’s so much love in this story. I had an emotional hangover after reading this book, unable to do anything but sit the big feelings it stirred. I’m tearing up just writing this note.

Daisy Jones was so special because it was TJR’s breakout and an inventive format. Malibu was the ultimate summer read. Evelyn was an incredible surprise. But I think this TJR’s best yet. CARRIE SOTO proves her to be a master of character, plot, and prose.

My expectations for any book by Taylor Jenkins Reid are always high. Carrie Soto is Back was superb despite the fact I don’t like sports. Carrie and the other main characters felt like real people, not just characters in a novel.

Carrie Soto had a small part from Malibu Rising as the woman for whom Brandon left Nina Riva. Now Carrie is a retired tennis player that holds the record for the most grand slams until her record is in danger of being broken. Now Carrie is back determined to win more grand slams to hold onto her record. Tennis is and has always been her whole life to the exclusion of any love life. Will tennis always be enough for Carrie even when her father becomes gravely ill? I enjoyed the story of Carrie, but there is a lot of tennis jargon and time on the court. However, the story of Carrie kept me interested and entertained.

I have loved every book TJR has written and her streak continues with Carrie Soto Is Back! As the son of a coach and a former athlete, I understand the drive of an athlete and Carrie reflects that with her grit and determination. I have always said that TJR’s strength is the characters she writes and how lifelike they are and this book delivers several including the headstrong Carrie, her loving but firm father Javi and love interest Bowe. This book like the others shows another area of emotions and relationships and that is our relationship with ourselves and what lengths we go to understand how far we go. I throughly loved this book and know that it is in my top 10 of the year so far!!

I really don’t need to tell you that Taylor Jenkins Reid is an outstanding author. The first book I read by this author, “Maybe in Another Life,” captivated me so much that I quickly devoured everything she had written and have patiently waited for her upcoming books since then. One of the things that I love about her most recent books is her mention of characters from her previous books. I know it is small, but those items make her writing outstanding.

Tennis player Carrie Soto is a retired champion tennis player, one of the best, if not the best. With her record of Grand Slam wins on the brink of being broken, she decides to make a comeback and defend her record with the help of her father, who is also her coach. This book takes us through that final year and on a journey about competition, loyalty, and love.

“Carrie Soto is Back” is an outstanding book! While I don’t play much tennis, my older brother did, so I grew up with all the big matches on television and copies of tennis magazines strewn throughout the house. This was back in the glory days of Jimmy Conners and Bjorn Borg when tennis was a different game. So I do have some appreciation for the sport.

The detail in this book is spot on without sounding too technical. People who don’t play tennis will be comfortable reading this and not miss any points in the story. There is so much energy in the description of each tournament, practice, and training session. It felt so realistic that I thought Carrie Soto could be a real person who should be on the current circuit.

Taylor Jenkins Reid’s latest book, Carrie Soto is Back, is a realistic work of historical fiction. I enjoyed this tennis saga set in the same world as Malibu Rising, Daisy Jones and the Six, and all the rest.

She’s back! Carrie Soto is a minor character from Malibu Rising, so getting to explore her story is great. Most of the story takes place in 1995, the year Carrie comes out of retirement (at 37) to defend her record on the tennis court. Her dad, Javier, returns to coach her, as well as an old flame. This story has so much heart, and you will need a box of tissues by the end.

Carrie Soto Is Back is a very good book about a sometimes not very likable character. Carrie Soto is a perfectionist and a winner and sometimes she rubs not only the characters in her world the wrong way, but the reader. This might be different from person to person, but for me, there were times that I just wanted to take her by the shoulders and shake her until she understood how insane and sometimes insensitive she was being.

And yet.

And yet Jenkins Reid crafted this character in a way that she is annoying. She is confident to the point of perfectionism. She has higher expectations of herself than anyone around her. But you simply cannot help but root for her. There is something every man/every woman about her. She is an athlete that is supposedly past her prime and she has held onto the idea that she has to be THE BEST or she is nothing at all. And so she goes on a journey to prove that she is THE BEST.

But thats not entirely what this book is about. Sure, its the plot. But at its heart its about learning to accept our limits. Its about learning to accept that we can be more than one thing, that a career or a person doesn't have to define us. And its difficult for Carrie to even begin to see these things herself because she is built around the need to be the greatest. At times I felt sad for Carrie. It must be lonely at the top.

What i also enjoyed about this book is TJR took a sport I know little to nothing about and made it accessible. She made me respect the sport far more than i did before i picked this up. I know its a hard sport but, knowing next to nothing about it, I took for granted HOW difficult.

I will say that, at first, having JUST seen the movie King Richard, about Serena and Venus Williams and their father, I was afraid that this was going to be derivative of that in some fashion. It felt so similar to how Richard William coached his daughters to be the best. But it was not derivative in the slightest. Javier Soto is not Richard Williams and Carrie Soto is neither Venus nor Serena (though i'm sure their stardom in some way has inspired this tennis star in a world where neither tennis star exists).

Genuinely breathtaking. Also, if you're worried about the overwhelming prevalence of tennis/sports metaphors/etc, don't be. I haven't actively watched it participated in a tennis match for over 20 years and I got along just fine.

Flippin’ fantastic.

Yet again, Taylor Jenkins Reid delivers a thoroughly entertaining book.

Is it a perfect novel? No, of course not. There are some things that I wish would have gotten another look (*cough* the Spanish language *cough) but this book did what it was set out to do. It kept me entertained and wanting more.

When I first heard the premise of this book, I wasn’t too sure since I didn’t particular have any strong, or even lukewarm, feelings about Carrie Soto. But now, oh boy…I love her. The character development in this book was wonderful and I enjoyed all of the journey. I have to give it up to TJR, her characters are always the best.
This is a book that I know I will be recommending to everyone even though I’m sure everyone will already know about it.

Well, I guess I’m out to go buy myself a cute tennis skirt and pretend I’m half of a badass as Carrie Soto.

“You are perfect, even in your imperfection.”

It’s been a hot minute since I read Malibu Rising so it took me a good while to remember who Carrie Soto was….my bad! I’m happy to report that after reading Carrie Soto is Back, I’ll never ever forget her. She’s special. As the summary of this book states: Carrie Soto is FIERCE. One of the most determined, frustrating, and intense characters I’ve ever come across. Fun fact: you’ll learn a lot of Spanish while reading this!

Taylor Jenkins Reid writes AMAZING and compelling stories and well-developed characters. 10% in, I felt like I already knew Carrie so well. Not only that, all the characters in this book were really well-developed. YES TO CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!!! You remember their names, their stories, understand why they’re the way they are, and you want to keep reading to learn more. I adored Carrie but my heart is with her father, Javier! A sweetheart.

I was genuinely surprised how much I loved this book based on the content- the majority of it focusing on tennis. Sports!!! I felt like I was out there on the courts with Carrie, training with her, rooting her on, and wanting her to win all her matches. Carrie Soto is Back will take you on an emotional journey and you’ll read it in one sitting. Taylor Jenkins Reid is on fire!! Can’t wait for her next book! ;) Big thanks to NetGalley for this advanced reader copy, I’ll treasure it forever!

Well folks, she did it again. Reid’s latest is filled with characters people are going to love. ❤️

First impression was, what? TJR busting out the Spanish?! Luckily, I understand Spanish but would that be a challenge for non-Spanish speakers? And honestly, I didn’t get the need for it. It seems genuine when her father speaks complete sentences in Spanish. But the weird broken English for Carrie seems a little gimmicky.

I could not for the life of me remember who Carrie Soto was in Malibu. But then I realized she was the “other woman” in Nina’s relationship. 😡 How could she do that to my Nina? Ok, I’m already looking at her with a side eye. At first, Carrie comes off as self-involved and oh-so-boastful.

I thought, am I supposed to like this person? The way she is described and the explanations for her behavior, like sleeping around and being rude to everyone, doesn't make her particularly endearing. But I guess that’s the whole point, as so eloquently discussed by the commentators. Carrie doesn’t care about people liking her, she cares about people respecting her game. She cares about the win.

“And it stuns me silent, for a moment: just how vast the gap is between who I am and how people see me.”

Then the story evolves and other characters emerge, and I was hooked. And I grew to love that arrogant, but oh so vulnerable, Carrie Soto. Awesome growth and character development.

LOVE the Daisy Jones cameo. 😉

Stand out characters are father Javier Soto❤️, fellow “past his prime” Bowe Huntley, and that Nicki Chan! So many quotes that struck me and I had to take note of!

Javier Soto was my favorite, hands down. Gosh how I wish I had a dad like that. Best Javier quote: “It will never matter,” he says, “whose responsibility is what. My heart hurts when you hurt because you are my heart.”

Another great quote:
“We live in a world where exceptional women have to sit around waiting for mediocre men.”

Not quite a Malibu or Daisy, but really enjoyed it. Whenever a book keeps me glued and I finish it in a couple days or less, it’s a winner for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and BallantineBooks for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again! I absolutely love her books and Carrie Soto is Back is a great read. I love how Reid takes background characters from other books and writes a new novel about them. She has created a universe with awesome storylines and strong female characters. This is about Carrie Soto- the "other woman" from Malibu Rising. But now we see her in a whole new light. In her story, that incident is just a footnote in her life. Reid shows us the vulnerable, strong, and dedicated Carrie. I read this in 2 nights. Cannot wait for the next title!

Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again. I do not understand how she does it but TJR always makes me care so much about her characters in such a short amount of time. Her characters start out feeling larger than life because of their proximity to fame but by the end they feel like a close friend. Before I started this book, I could not have cared less about tennis but now I want to buy my own racket and start watching every match that I can. Carrie is such a good character because most of the time she is not likeable and a downright b****, but that is what actually makes me like her more. She is so realistic and true to herself even when you wish she wouldn't be. I'm sad that this is the end to the TJR historical fiction/fame quartet but I am so excited to see what she writes next.

Great story about determination, working hard to prove yourself, and tennis.
Carrie Soto has played tennis since she was 2. She was coached by her father, a former tennis pro, until they have a falling out and she hires someone else to finish off her career. Now it is 5 years later and her record is being broken by a newcomer - Nicki Chan. Carrie and her father decide to team up again , take Carrie out of retirement, and take her record back. What follows is a year of hard work, determination, and trying to ignore all that the press and public are saying about her. All she can do is win - she doesn't have anything else. Tennis is all she is, or is it?
Love that one evening Carrie is trying to read "Daisy Jones and the Six" to relax.
Loved this story - not as much as Daisy, but more than Malibu.

"Go out there..." He looks me directly in the eye with an intensity I have not seen in years, maybe even since I was a kid. "And show them that the Bitch, the Battle Axe–whatever they want to call you–it doesn't matter. They cannot stop you. And they don’t get to decide what your name is. Carrie Soto is back."

Carrie Soto is Back is truly phenomenal; a showstopper that I’ll keep thinking about for a very long time. TJR has crafted a work of art yet again! She is so gifted at bringing characters to life by brining readers into their mind and soul. I felt each one of Carrie’s wins and losses in my soul; I mourned and celebrated with her, and I was rooting for her even when I kind of hated her. I tore through this book in two days because I was so wrapped up in Carrie’s mind and story.

Before you even consider reading this book, please understand that this book is entirely about tennis. If you go into it expecting something else, I worry that you’ll finish it feeling unsatisfied or hoping for more. But if you read it expecting a badass story about a legendary athlete’s unbelievable determination and comeback, you will be blown away by how incredible this story is.

I went into this worried I wouldn’t know enough about tennis to love the story, but I was so wrong. In the second chapter, we get a flyover picture of Carrie’s first few years of tennis, and every part of the game is explained. Sometimes info dumps like this can feel stiff or unnatural, but this didn’t; it felt like a great setup to the rest of the story because it highlights rules and strategy in tennis and the start of Carrie and Javier’s beautiful father-daughter bond.

Carrie’s father is from Argentina, and they speak a lot of Spanish with each other. It might be helpful to look up some of the phrases they use so that you can really understand their relationship. I loved the Spanish inclusion; to me, it made the characters feel even more real and deep.

Mick Riva and the party from Malibu Rising get a small mention, as does our favorite 70s rock band ;) Princess Diana even makes a quick appearance! I love how TJR’s recent books are all set in the same universe; see if you can find all of the crossover mentions!

Please do yourself a favor and read this bad boy as soon as you can! I promise that you will not regret it. Every one of TJR’s books is unforgettable, and Carrie Soto is Back is no exception.