As an avid school school tennis player from a tennis playing family, “Carrie Soto is back” revived memories of red dust, chalk lines, and the thunk thunk thunk of the ball as a player prepares to serve.

Taylor Jenkins Reid has meticulously researched life on the professional circuit with all its egos and rivalries, a world in which I became immersed. The novel is character driven and she has created all the players with different strengths, weaknesses and quirks.

She describes having “an absolute blast creating Carrie. She is prickly and grumpy and out to win. She is just, overall, a real pain in the ass of a woman and I love her for it”.

“Carrie Soto is Back” has made it to the top of my Taylor Jenkins Reid novels, following only “Daisy Jones and the Six” and “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo”.

Happy Pub Day! And hope you feel better @tjenkinsreid

I have to start by saying that I love all books by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I have read every one of her books and she is an auto buy author for me. It was a given that I was going to read this book and every book that she writes in the future. *nudge when is the next book coming out*

Thank you to @netgalley and @penguinrandomca for the opportunity to receive an advanced reader copy in exchange of an honest review. Even though I may or may not be ordering a paperback version also to go with my collection.

I feel like this book is super timely with the the announcement of Serena Williams retirement. Carrie Soto shows the dedication and determination of an athlete in the area of tennis.

The book also showed the relationship between father and daughter - a unique bond. As someone who personal was a daddy’s girl it really hit home for sure.

It highlighted the struggles of being an athlete and the drama that comes with being among the best talent. It highlights the hard work, the dedication, sacrifice and mental strength to make it through.

The book made me feel all the emotions. I laughed, I cried (yes make sure you have tissues), I felt motivated and inspired and maybe even try tennis one day (I am so not coordinated).

Needless to say, I would recommend that you read this book! Simple as that. I am undecided on rating only because Taylor Jenkins Reid has some amazing books. If you are a huge TJR fan I feel like you know the struggle. I am leaning to a 4.5 ⭐️.

If you have read Taylor Jenkins Reid what is your favourite book by the author? And if you haven’t favourite all time book? I have included some of my favourites in the picture.

Ah Carrie Soto. Dare I say I loved her more than Daisy? I’ve seen so many reviews about this book saying that they relate to the character as a high level athlete and I truly think that Reid captured the essence of the win mentality so well. It speaks volumes to her ability as a writer to write a story that so many people identify with.

The story wasn’t perfect, emphasizing the fact that Carrie wasn’t perfect. But reading the broken thoughts of Carrie and her interactions, particularly with her dad, broke me at times in all the best ways.

WITH THAT BEING SAID, this is a white author writing from the perspective of a Latina woman. As Latinx authors take up such a small percentage of the writing community already please ensure you are reading books by Latinx writers. One of the biggest reasons I see for not diversifying reading preferences is not having money to buy books. A totally free way to do this is to use your local libraries and request certain books!! Requesting books, especially ones a library does not carry, can persuade the library to purchase books from the given author which can support them that way. However, buying books from a local book store if you’re able is even better 💗

There was like 60% too much tennis in this book. It wasn’t terrible. It’s TJR and she writes beautifully and is so engaging… But I do not care enough about tennis to read 300 pages of this. I also do think it was weird that there was a lot of unexplained Spanish for an author who is not Spanish. However, I liked the relationship between Carrie and her father over the years and I liked how Bowe and Carrie’s relationship evolved. Also enjoyed the nods to previous books and characters. I’d still say read it if you’re a fan of hers, but be wary of how much tennis content there is if you’re not a fan of sports.

this book got me. it was just so good, i did not want to put it down at all. the writing and pacing were done so well it kept me constantly anticipating what was going to happen next.

I loved how much depth the characters had, carrie especially, we see her really emotionally develop throughout the whole book because whilst this book is essentially about her return to tennis and to defend her title and record, it’s also about her journey and what she learns along the way. her coming to peace with winning, losing, who she is, and who she will be.

I really enjoyed this book, i loved how emotional it is, it made me smile and laugh but it also made me cry and self reflect.

i thoroughly enjoyed the relationships as well in this book, especially javier and carrie’s father daughter connection. i think that was one of the greatest things in this book, reading them have this special bond that remained, even when they were fighting or hadn’t spoken in a while. my favourite quotes and parts of the book all come from javier and carrie’s interactions and moments.

this book was just amazing, i’m definitely going to be left thinking about it for a while.

thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada

Not only has Taylor Jenkins Reid written another great novel, but she has also enticed me to go back and reread in order of publication The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones and The Six, Malibu Rising, and Carrie Soto is Back.

Carrie Soto is Back is an excellent story about aging as a sports star. TJR has made the reader understand what it might feel like if they are being edged out by younger, faster, and more agile competitors and the desire to keep proving themselves. The book took a number of twists and turns that I didn't expect and I had no idea how it would end, and I loved every moment.

When this book is considered along with the other 3 mentioned above you get a complete view of the 60s, 70s, '80s, and 90s from the perspective of famous and successful women of the time. TJR has successfully managed to weave characters, both major and minor, into the plot line of all 4 books.

This is a must-read on its own and as a set with Reid's other 3 novels.

This book took me by complete surprise. It was really different than her previous works but her writing was what made it so familiar.
I love Taylor Jenkins Reid's writing style and in this book you can find out why• it flows, it's fast- paced and understandable with simple but beautiful words to customize it.
This one was NOT just a sports novel. It doesn't deal with only that, it deals with the power of family -and most specifically with the father- daughter dynamic, it deals with the power and the consequences of fame and it also has a gut wrecking romance as all of Reid's works.
I loved the characters especially Bowe, he was the ice- breaker in many occasions and he was helping Carrie take her mind off of things.
Carrie was also so charismatic, charming, sarcastic and most of all, a fighter. Definitely one of my favorite TJR protagonists.
All in all, if you're still wondering if you should pick this book up I'm here to tell you Y E S. DO. IT.

it was good but it wasn’t all that.

i liked this, but it wasn’t my fav TJR.

Carrie Soto was unlikeable at times but I didn’t hate her; however, I found myself conflicted, at times. between wanting to root for her or thump her. I also found her growth throughout the novel a bit sudden, it didn’t feel gradual.

While I liked the themes (father/daughter relationships, women [esp WOC] in sports [& any industry] having to work so much harder while men get presided for mediocrity and the bare minimum, being “the best” at something not necessarily being the most important thing), the overall plot and appreciated what TJR was aiming to do with this story, it felt predictable. I could just tell exactly what was going to happen and it was missing that signature TJR “twist”.

I’ll also say that I find it really weird how often TJR writes Latinx main characters when she’s not Latinx. While I appreciate her drawing attention to minorities, I think these stories should be told by own-voices authors.

Overall, I did like this but i think TJR has better books. I listened to the audio for this via Audible and liked the narration (although I didn’t always find it believable for Carrie’s character but it was still enjoyable) and thought the production was great!

3.5⭐️ Rounded up to 4.

Thank you, NetGalley for providing me with an arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a little devastated. I am a huge Taylor Jenkins Reid fan and Carrie Soto Is Back was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, but I borderline hated this book. I feel conflicted on how to rate this one and where it falls on my rating system because I don't think it was a bad book and I think it's well-written, it's just very much not for me. So I think I will settle for 3 stars and just let you know what worked and didn't for me.

What I Enjoyed:

I enjoyed a lot of the elements of this book. I think TJR does an incredible job in creating strong characters with a clear voice that feels so incredibly real, I often find myself forgetting that I'm reading fiction. In true TJR style, I enjoyed how she plays with the formatting of her book, I loved the addition of transcripts, I felt like it really added value to the story. I liked the angle that she took with Carrie's character, the dissection of how women in power and in sports are treated and spoken about and the misogyny that comes along with it. I also liked Carrie's relationship with her father and I adored Bowe.

What I Didn't Like:

I was bored. I don't think Carrie's character was explored enough and I don't think her relationships were explored enough. The entire story felt very surface-level, I feel like there were few very intimate moments Carrie had, I just kept waiting for more. And yes, obviously this book is about tennis but it is so redundant. I had to force myself not to skim over the majority of it. I found it very hard to connect with the characters because I felt like we were getting nothing from them.


Overall, I think from a more objective standpoint the book sits at 3 stars, in terms of my personal enjoyment it's a 2.


I'd also like to acknowledge the recent controversy with this book and TJR instance of centring herself in discussions and writing POC characters' stories despite being called out for it in the past, and therefore I will not be promoting this book.

I was hooked on this one the second I picked it up and could not stop reading until I was done! Carrie Soto is a retired Tennis player and undoubtedly the best female player in the world. This is until her Grand Slam title is threatened and she decides to come out of retirement. The book talks about themes of sports (and the differences between male and female sports), family, love and determination.

I am not a sporty person by any means and wasn't sure how I would connect - but the way the writing is done while tennis games are being played is incredible and truly leaves you wanting to see how it ends (I might even watch real life tennis!!!). I was also able to connect with Carrie and her unique personality of being blunt and unapologetically herself.

If you like sports (or even if you don't) this is definitely a read you would be interested in and it also includes great pieces of character development from start to finish. It is fast paced and definitely tugs on the heartstrings. Carrie is one of my new favourite MC's and I will definitely be picking up another TJR book in the future.

Thank you to @netgalley @penguinrandomca and @librofm for my review copies of CARRIE SOTO IS BACK by @tjenkinsreid in exchange for an honest review. This book published this week- August 30!

Swipe to read the synopsis!

My rating: 📚📚📚📚

I wasn’t sure if I would like this book, especially hearing how much tennis talk there is. I’m not really a fan of tennis/follow it at all. I was pleasantly surprised to find that not only did I enjoy it- I didn’t get bored of all the tennis! I think listening to the audiobook really helped! A full cast of characters 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Even tho tennis is features heavily in this book, it’s also about father/daughter relationships, being a female athlete, being a YOUNG female athlete and essentially growing up with a sport, figuring out who you are both with the sport and without.

TJR writes such strong characters, and Carrie is such a strong female lead, which really shaped the book. She really grew into being a r Wii’s star- she was obsessed with being the best- which was ingrained in her from her father. Even after she was injured (and recovered) she still wanted to be the best, despite being at the age of retirement for tennis athletes. BUT THEN she comes out of retirement and is back playing tennis! Now she has to figure out how to be the best, while also being the oldest athlete playing against the new younger ones.

While this isn’t my fav TJR, I still enjoyed it. Even if you aren’t a tennis fan, I think you would still enjoy this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for gifting me an eARC of Carrie Soto is Back in return for an honest review.

Before we dive into this review I just want to make one thing clear - Taylor Jenkins Reid is back!!! Yet again she manages to knock it out of the part, serving us heartbreak, love, and drama in her newest action packed book, Carrie Soto is Back. One might say this book is a grand slam!!!! Written in TJR's classic fast paced style, this book is part historical fiction, part romance, part family drama, and of course, part sports action. Who says you can't have it all.

Carrie Soto is Back follows the story of Cathrine "Carrie" Soto, who comes from a childhood of tragedy and heartbreak. Lossing her mother at an early age caused Carrie to turn to her father, who showed his love in the one way he new best, on the tennis court. Armed with her trusty racket, and the expertise of her father, Javier, a once famous tennis star, Carrie begins her journey into the world of sports, deciding that she WILL be the best, no matter what.

Retiring with 20 grand slam wins, and the unforgiving knickname, "The Battleaxe" Carrie is content with her time on the court, having provide to herself, her father, and the world that she truly is the best at tennis. That is until up and coming women's tennis star Niki Chan begins to make headlines. Her bold and brash playing style wining her grand slam after grand slam, inching the newcomer closer to beating Carrie's record. With the possibility of losing her title as the "best" women's tennis play Carrie decides to do the unthinkable and come out of retirement. Poised for a come back, she's ready to remind everyone who she is and why she truly is the best of the best.

With newer, Nd younger players now dominating the court, Carrie is up for a challenge. With the odds stacked against her, Carrie will fight her way through the emotion, and family troubles that come her way, showing the world, and most of all herself what it truly means to be the greatest.

Having previously read Daisy Jones and the Six, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and Malibu Rising, I knew I was in for a treat. Taylor Jenkins Reid has consistently hit it out of the park with her books, and has remained one of my top authors. Carrie Soto is Back is no exception to this greatness, earning itself a 5/5 star rating.

Like her previous books, TJR develops deep and personavle characters, that grow and evolve as the book progresses. I particularly enjoyed reading and following the development of Carrie and Javier's relationship throughout the book, and seeing how much Carrie's father was an source of inspiration in her career.

And yet again TJR manages to seamlessly weave in reference to her other books and their characters, including name dropping the one and only Mick Rivera, as well as mentioning Daisy Jones. By doing this TJR has managed to created her own little universe, one that comes across so lifelike and real, I often forget the characters are entirely fiction.

Obviously this book is full of tennis, and as a person who rarely follows sports, let alone knowshow to play tennis, I was surprised at how much I actually enjoyed reading, and learning about the game. In her signature fashion, TJR is able to keep the book moving at a fast paced, not letting it get dragged down by the small details; however still covering all the specific rules and regulations that one needs to know to understand the game of tennis.

Overall Carrie Soto is Back caused quite the racquet, scoring a perfect 5/5, as this sport-centric story quickly made its way into my heart and on the list as one of my favourite reads of 2022.

Thanks again to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for gifting me an eARC of Carrie Soto is Back.

First of all, I want to acknowledge that this book has been critiqued for the fact that a white author is writing about a Latinx character, and publishing needs to do a better job of publishing and marketing stories by Latinx authors. I requested and read this book without realizing the issue until I read about it online, and want to acknowledge that I didn’t see the problematic nature of this book.
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Overall, did I enjoy this book? Yes. I liked that this book was about tennis and I don't care at all about tennis but I wanted to keep reading. I liked that Carrie was an unlikeable character. She was ruthless in pursuing her goals, and oftentimes women are critiqued for this.
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CW: death of a parent, cancer, heart attack, car accident, sexism, misogyny, sports injury, minor sexual content.

Taylor Jenkins Reid can do no wrong! And this was no expectation!! I really enjoyed this book and devoured it in a few sittings as I have done any book I’ve read by her. I’m not gonna write a huge review on the book sense so many people are reviewing it at the moment and just write what I loved about it!
I loved Carrie strong personality, and that she wasn’t your typical main character you see in novels she was so fierce and you really felt that about her when reading! I also loved the relationship between her and father, I love that they bonded over something and even tho he was strong and fierce as well but also helped her be tender in moments she didn’t know how to be. I loved reading about her childhood with him and the bonding between them in the come back part of the book was so good! I also loved the parts of the story between Carrie and Nicki two strong women fighting for something that the world never wanted them to have because they don’t fit the American standard. And Bowe, I loved Bowe and their relationship development I really think together they worked well and he worked so hard to build her walls down and she helped him in and so many ways as well. And that ending!! I loved the ending so much! The only reason I’m not giving it 5 starts is because of all the tennis things I found my self easily confused but the stuff outside the tennis was brilliant! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book for review!

Carrie Soto Is Back follows Carrie Soto from Malibu Rising, the woman whom Nina Riva’s husband leaves her for. She is the best tennis player this world has ever seen with a record total of 20 grand slam titles. But years after she retires, her record is broken, so she decides to come out of retirement to reclaim her record with her father/coach by her side.

Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of my absolute favourite authors, I’ve read her entire backlist, so this was one of my most anticipated reads of 2022 and I went in with very high expectations. Like every other TJR book, I was absolutely hooked from start to finish. TJR writes such complex and flawed female characters, I love her writing so much.

This book even succeeded in making me care about tennis, which was previously a sport I didn’t really care for. But I’m now currently following along with the 2022 US Open thanks to this book.

I did find the direction the book was going in a little predictable though, which is why I didn’t rate it 5 stars as I have with most other TJR books. But I still really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it!

Thanks Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for the ARC!

I love tennis and I love Taylor Jenkins Reid, so a tennis book by TJR has been on my radar since the very beginning. This book was fucking made for me! I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of the ebook and I started it but I kept putting off reading it because we were still a while away from the release day but more importantly I was honestly afraid that I wasn't going to love it as much as her previous books.

Now that the book has been released I knew I had to read it before getting any spoilers so I started it this morning and inhaled it! I could not stop and savour it because it was just so perfect for me. I often think that sports books don't contain enough of the actual sport and you could exchange it for any other sport and the book would remain the same. This book had the perfect mix of sports, romance, relationships. I think it will be perfect for people who are fans of the sport as well as people who know nothing about tennis before going in. I hope this actually makes more people want to check out tennis!

I knew early on that this was going to be a new favourite of mine because, and as I was finishing the author's acknowledgements I was getting choked up because this is the type of book that I am drawn to not only because of the tennis but because it is a story first with a bit of romance mixed in. I loved Carrie, I loved her relationship with her father, with Bowe, with Gwen and with Nicki. I think Bowe said it perfectly when he said "Eres perfecta, incluso en tu imperfeccion" She was not without her flaws, but she knew what she wanted and went for it regardless of what others thought.

I think many people are so quick to put down things that are for women ie women sports, romance or women's fiction as less than but this book is the perfect example of that being BS. Now the sad part of having to wait for TJR's next book starts!

4.5 Stars

Carrie Soto is a 37 year old retired tennis star who achieved some truly amazing things throughout her career but when another player ties one of her records and threatens to overtake her, she refuses to idly sit by and watch it happen. Her competitive nature, her definition of success and her identity as the best, demand that she come out of retirement to defend her status. With her dad coaching her once again, will she be able to overcome the barriers in her way? She certainly thinks so but not many other people have faith in her.

As someone who doesn't really know anything about tennis, I was concerned that I wouldn't like this book as much as Taylor Jenkins Reid's others but not only did I find this to be really accessible, I also found it absolutely riveting. Not only were the basics of the game covered near the beginning of the book (so that I didn't feel lost) but I found that the writing focused a lot more on Carrie Soto's mindset and goals, her mental game if you will, rather than the gameplay itself and because of that I really felt in the moment with Carrie. Taylor Jenkins Reid has a way of writing that feels incredibly realistic, as though her flawed characters and stories could easily have been someone's life and Carrie Soto was definitely no exception. Her experiences across the pages were almost palpable and it was easy to empathize with her even though I didn't always agree with her. Even though I was able to predict almost all of the story beats, I still really enjoyed following Carrie's emotional journey through all of the ups and downs.

I really loved the foreshadowing and the subtle social commentary that was masterfully woven into this story and I found myself nodding along saying "of course" at times (either after a reveal or during a fairly poignant line)! I also appreciated the faster pacing and that the book didn't feel bogged down with too much of any one thing.

My only real complaints are that the ending feels a bit abrupt (even if it is still emotionally satisfying) and that I was pulled out of the story every time I had to whip out my translate app to figure out what all the Spanish lines meant, especially during some of the more pivotal or emotional scenes. While I felt it made sense for the characters and was true to the story, I unfortunately can't recommend the audiobook to people who don't speak any Spanish because of it. I was often able to insinuate what some of the Spanish words meant given the context, the spellings and given that I speak both English and French but there were definitely key times where I was not able to and not being able to spell out those lines and put them into a translator would have really impacted how I perceived one of the main relationships/character dynamics in the book.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada & NetGalley for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for providing me with an ARC of this book to review for my honest opinion. I really wanted to read this book as I have read Malibu Rising and the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I was feeling unsure if I would like this book as I am not a tennis player and don't even have any interest in watching it or playing it. Some of the reviews described the book as being mostly about tennis. The book is about tennis and it is also about Carrie's relationship with her father and her drive to win tennis even at the expense of her relationship with her father. After I completed the first 40 pages I was hooked and wanted to read the book and finish it. The story was well written. I was captivated by the book until the very end. I was curious to read about what characteristics contribute to someone being so driven and focussed.

For me personally, this was my favourite TJR book to date.

When an author can remind you of your favourite quote, a heartbreaking experience and have you wanting to watch tennis... it must be a good book. Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid is that good book.

Did I have preconceived notions about where Carrie's story would go after just finishing Malibu Rising? Why yes, yes I did - though now I know that I should not have tried to make any predictions! And in full disclosure, I have to admit that I loved the feisty Carrie standing on the lawn at the Riva's house, causing a scene - so it really didn't matter where this ride went, I wanted to be on it!

This book gave me a mind-warp in terms of time-frame. The majority of this book takes place in the nineties, think: the OJ trail, Discman hitting the market, the band TLC having big hits, Princess Diana being royalty, Blockbuster being the home of entertainment - this is the time I grew up in. But on the flip side, I am currently the age Carrie is, and living my days in a very 2022 lifestyle. Without the interjections of nostalgia, I would not have known this book took place in the 90s, but I was so very happy to be reminded of all these little pre-Y2K moments!

Carrie went from feisty to ruthless for me. She is tennis-monogamous, and doesn't think she is worthy of love. The supporting characters were constantly saying what the reader is thinking, wanting, craving and realizing which felt like having a part in this book. Carrie's character arc is so graceful, you hardly notice it's happening.

There are times when shock and grief are written so tragically perfect that it cuts right to my soul. I hope I am not the only one feeling seen, seeing my own experience reflected back in the pages to devastating moments, leaving me now feeling connected to the human experience a bit more. I think this will be one of my biggest take-aways from this novel.

Random thoughts: the transcripts interspersed throughout made me have flashbacks to the sportscaster moments in Bring It On (a brilliant addition); this is a binge worthy book that made me feel that I wasn't even reading, and kept me up late to finish; the morning after finishing this book I woke up with a sore shoulder - coincidental, or was I living vicariously the whole time I read it!?

It's about sexism. It's about ageism. It's about parenthood.

Read this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the complimentary copy to read and review.

Taylor Jenkins Reid is a master of creating amazing heroines that pull you into their worlds and she has done it once again in the creation of Carrie Soto.
Carrie Soto is fierce and determined to win at any cost and it has not made her the most popular in the world of Tennis. She is the best player the world has ever seen claiming titles worldwide but has sacrificed many relationships in her life to do so. Retired from the sport Carrie watches a younger player, Nicki Chan who is about to overtake her record and feeling she will be left with nothing; Carrie makes the decision at thirty-seven to return to the sport.
Carrie is a no bull character who says exactly what is on her mind and will not sugar coat her feelings about those around her. I adored Carrie’s bold personality and the fight to not give up on herself. Although seen as overconfident by the men in the sports world, Carrie is unapologetic about boasting about her career and her talent.
For those not sure about a book is based around sports—do not let that deter you from reading this book- This is so much more then the sport of Tennis. Although as a non-sport person this book even got me interested in learning more about Tennis, but there was so much more to this book. TJR is not only great at writing amazing characters, but their relationships as well. The relationships Carrie developed throughout the book were great. I loved the relationship between her and her father, not only as father-daughter but also player-coach. I also loved the dynamics of Carrie and Nicki Chan – both striving for the same goals but in different ways.
Carrie has officially overtaken Daisy & Evelyn for my favourite TJR character.
Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for providing me with an ARC of this five star read.