A fun, feel-good athletics romance dramedy awaiting its movie or limited series treatment. I enjoyed it, detailed tennis scenes and all. Stylistically it’s more like a first person POV “Evelyn Hugo” than the more inventive rockumentary style of “Daisy Jones.” Better than “Malibu Rising.” ( )

When you're patient maybe a book will finally find you. I've been wanting to read this book since I loved Daisy Jones and The Six and Malibu Rising the best so far. I decided this one looked just as good plus even though I don't play tennis anymore, or hardly watch it, I love the plot of tennis and always learn more and more. I put this on my to read in 2023 and here it is almost 2025 and I found it in my Little Free Library. Thank you to whoever left it. Obviously we have the same taste in books. I hope they enjoyed it as I hope to.

Carrie's father came from Argentina and he was a wonderful tennis player there so why shouldn't his daughter be too? He was a tough coach in a gentle way and she worked so hard even at a young age wanting to play and not being forced to. She's on a mission to become #1 no matter what. She breaks from her father as a coach which saddens me but she wanted more and he said isn't that enough? Thankfully, all is forgiven and she decides at age 37 to make a come back but only in selected tournaments -- the biggies. Her father is coaching her again but she's not 29 anymore and it's harder and harder now. Can she do it? She wants to break her record of 20 grand slams against the tennis player who's trying to break it now 6 years later.

I felt like I needed a Spanish dictionary with Javier and Carrie speaking it a lot and I mean a lot! I felt closer to Javier than Carrie. He has a good heart (pun intended -- no spoilers here) and only wants what's best for her.

The last 50 pages or so were highly emotional for me. The ending is NOT what I thought it would be. What a surprise! ( )

Just Okay - I wanted to read this after reading Malibu Rising, thinking there had to be more to Carrie Soto. For the first half of the book there isn’t. She lives up to the “Battle Axe” and “Bitch” titles. Then I caught myself - would I judge a male player the same way? Am I being unfair to the character? I don’t know. It’s an important question but not one the book dove into very deeply. By the end I wondered why I wanted to read this. Just okay. ( )

Reid takes the character of Carrie Soto from Malibu Rising and gives her a life. She is very unlikable in that book. However, despite the character she displays I found her likable from the beginning. A girl and then woman with a tunnel vision on tennis, confident and with a father squarely in her corner. She connects up with Bowe despite having a rough first meeting and their mutual support in creating come-backs was great to watch. Love Javier, her father. Highly recommended. ( )

Taylor Jenkins Reid universe RANKED:

1. Malibu Rising (=)
2. Carrie Soto Is Back (NEW)
3. Evelyn Hugo (-1)
4. Daisy Jones & The Six (-1) ( )

I don't love playing sports but I do LOVE reading about them. This book was a grand slam. It started off a little slow and I did not like the main character, Carrie Soto, very much in the beginning. Throughout the book she isn't exactly the world's most lovable character - but damn you have to admire her grit and determination. And I LOVED her father who was her coach. Carrie Soto is the GOAT - she has set some of the most impressive records for Tennis and when she retired after winning 20 grand slams she thought her record was safe. Half a decade after her retirement her record is tied and Carrie can't abide by that, not for one minute. She enlists her father to help coach her again and her goal is to win at least one more slam and get her record back. But at 37 is that even possible anymore? Fantastic and keeps you at the edge of your seat. I don't even like tennis but I was hooked! ( )

given that i knew absolutely nothing about tennis going into this book, i was worried i wouldn’t be able to fully appreciate what was going on, but this is so character-driven that it didn’t matter at all (and i now understand the basic scoring system of tennis lol 😅). i loved the small nods to other books in the tjr universe too!! ( )

Taylor Jenkins Reid could write a book about someone watching paint dry and I would read it (safe to say, tennis is not my thing). I really liked this. Not my favorite novel of hers, but still very engaging. I loved Bowe and the father/daughter relationship. ( )

This was a really enjoyable novel. It's about a comeback of a fictional tennis legend, Carrie Soto, who at the age of 37 goes back on tour to defend her title. There is a little bit of family drama and a love story for a good measure, but the focus here is the sport and personal growth. Some of the characters from Reid's other novels get a few mentions, which was fun.

Descriptions of tennis matches were very well done. I'm not a big tennis fan myself and I had my doubts going into reading this, but I worried for no reason. It was really exciting, almost as exciting as some of the best matches I've ever watched. Actually, after reading this book I got inspired to rewatch the end of the 2001 Wimbledon men's finals which always brings me to tears. Tennis was not a problem for me in this book.

What I didn't like was the social commentary was in this book. While I wholeheartedly agree that women athletes get a very different treatment by the public than their male counterparts, somehow the way Reid did it sounded superficial and formulaic, as if she just put it because it had to be mentioned. I expected more from her in this respect.



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Fun! ( )

A 37 yr old woman?s record is broken after being retired for 6 yrs. She is shattered by this and decides she must return to playing tennis to win back her record for most grand slams won. So, the story begins of the work this takes, the toll on her father, finding a player to play with her and to learn to love tennis just for the pleasure of playing. Kirkus: A retired tennis player returns to the game to defend her Grand Slam record.Carrie Soto is the best tennis player in the world, and she knows it. Her father, Javier, is a former tennis champion himself, and he's dedicated his life to coaching her. By the time she retires in 1989, she holds the record for winning 20 Grand Slam singles titles. But then, in 1994, Nicki Chan comes along. Nicki is on the verge of breaking Carrie?s record, and Carrie decides she can?t let that happen: She?s coming out of retirement, with her father coaching her, to defend her record�and her reputation. Carrie was never a friendly player, preferring to focus on both a brutal game and brutal honesty, and now the media has a field day with her return to the sport as a 37-year-old. At times, it seems like everyone is waiting for her to fail, but when Carrie wants something, she doesn?t give up easily. Along the way, she reconnects with Bowe Huntley, a 39-year-old tennis player she once had a fling with. Now they need to help each other train, but Carrie quickly realizes she might need him for more than just tennis¥if she can let herself be vulnerable for the first time in her life. Reid writes about the game with suspense, transforming a tennis match into a page-turner even for readers who don?t care about sports. Will Carrie win? And, more importantly, will she finally make time for a life outside of winning? Reid has scored another victory and created another memorable heroine with Carrie Soto, a brash, often unlikable character whose complexity makes her leap off the page. Sports commentators may call her ?The Battle Axe? or worse, but readers will root for her both on and off the court.A compulsively readable look at female ambition.

Audiobook

I really enjoyed this quick book about a tennis player trying to make a comeback after a six year retirement. Carrie is a difficult protagonist but is believable to me as a type A obsessed by perfection pro athlete. I’d have preferred it if a little bit more of the story dealt with cracking open her tough exterior but I was glad we got the parts we did get there.

The audio version of this book was pretty good with the familiar voices from tennis broadcasting. I was annoyed by the accent used for Carrie’s Argentinian father but otherwise I liked the production.

I can’t decide if I like or am annoyed by the little Easter eggs to the author’s other books. ( )

Representation: Black, Asian and Latino/a characters
Trigger warnings: Death of a mother from a car accident and a father, physical injury, grief and loss depiction, sexism
Score: Nine and a half points out of ten.
This review can also be found on The StoryGraph.

After reading and not enjoying Our Missing Hearts which sounded so promising but ultimately did not deliver, I was hoping this one would be better and when I discovered it hiding on the shelves of one of the two libraries I go to, I immediately picked it up and read it. When I finished it, it was so enjoyable that it made an outstanding impression on the author, and made me want to read more of her works. It starts with the main and titular character Carrie Soto, or Carrie for short, living with her father after her mother passed and from there she trained playing tennis with him (which is the point of the entire narrative.) Here's where the narrative shines: I rooted for Carrie as a character and I appreciate how well she's written given that she's so complex and even has development from being an unlikable character to a more humble one which I enjoyed reading. Is it me or does this story feel well executed since it has so many events and actions going on yet it never feels disjoined or forcibly crammed and manages a fast pace? I've heard there are some references to the author's other pieces of literature and I can't wait to read those (they sound promising.) Only a few pages in Carrie is at the top when she retires and stops playing for a few years until I get to the 1990s where she discovers another (British Asian) tennis player, Nicki Chan, is catching up to Carrie's prestige, because Carrie earned 20 awards but soon enough Nicki meets and overtakes that, so now it is Carrie's goal to return for one last time to attempt to beat Nicki at tennis which takes up the second half. The action was swift and snappy throughout but sometimes it can slow down (which is mostly great but that all depends on circumstances) to explore character dynamics and other issues like sexism. It all comes to a bittersweet head as Carrie does so well ever after her retirement but she accepts that her time is over (she even befriends Nicki) making a satisfying conclusion. Now that's the level I want to see for future reads. I know not all of them can reach that but I hope I will find some outstanding ones. ( )

I would have enjoyed this novel more if I was a tennis fan. It us heavy on details of games, points, training and matches. Too much for me to really enjoy. I did find the driven nature of Carrie Soto very interesting. I wonder if she is characteristic of professional sport’s competitors ? I wonder if she had any fun competing ?
Quote from novel that resonated with me about this theme of competition “ my ambition has long felt oppressive .It is not a joy- it us a master that I must answer to.” ( )

I’m not a huge tennis fan but I really enjoyed this book. I love how different each of her books are. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Looking forward to reading more of her books in the future. ( )

I have never liked competition, and I know nothing about tennis. Yet somehow, TJR made this book so interesting it was hard to put down!

I loved Carrie's character, she's tough and works hard, and I'm sure book clubs will have a lot of interesting discussions about various aspects of the character. There is the occasional Spanish, the longer phrases I did not understand and it was never translated, but I think that's my only complaint about this book. (Also, do people actually recognize tennis players in public? I certainly never would. I wouldn't recognize any professional sports player, actually.) ( )

Wow, what an absolute joy this book was! As a fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid's, I had high expectations going in, and "Carrie Soto Is Back" fully delivered.

Right from the start, I was fully immersed in Carrie's world. The writing brought her character to life in such vivid detail that I really felt like I knew her. Reid perfectly captured both the mental toughness required of an elite athlete and Carrie's inner vulnerability. While the backdrop was professional tennis, at its core this was a profoundly moving exploration of a father-daughter relationship. The tennis jargon was spot-on but not overwhelming, and I felt like I was inside Carrie's mind, understanding her every move and thought process.

The pacing kept me eagerly turning pages. Reid excels at witty, natural dialogue that brings scenes right off the page. Even if you're not a big sports fan, the themes are universally relatable. I laughed, I cried, and finished the last page completely satisfied.

The romance subplot was like the perfect side dish to the main course. It had its own set of highs and lows, and it felt so in tune with who Carrie is as a person. It wasn't just tacked on; it was woven seamlessly into the story, adding another layer to an already intricate narrative.

Ultimately, this novel has everything I hope for in a Taylor Jenkins Reid book - complex characters, emotional depth, and truly masterful writing. "Carrie Soto Is Back" is an absolute triumph that I can't recommend highly enough, especially for fans of character-driven fiction. This is a beautiful, resonant read destined to be one of my favorites of the year. ( )

Carrie Soto was a tennis phenom in the 1980's. She was unquestionably the best women's tennis had ever seen, having won 20 Grand Slam titles. Having never been known for her charming personality and thus nicknamed the Battle Axe, she doesn't take it well when a new tennis superstar by the name of Nicki Chan threatens to overtake her Grand Slam record, forcing her out of retirement. But at age 37, can she really hope to make a serious comeback?

Carrie gets a very brief mention in Taylor Jenkins Reid's earlier book, Malibu Rising. Had I not been reading that book shortly after this one came out and recognizing the name in the title, I probably wouldn't have even put two and two together. But regardless, this book has a plot all its own. This was a decent book, though not my favorite of hers, and that surprised me a little because I really do enjoy tennis quite a bit and I felt like I would be able to relate to this one. The fact that Carrie Soto was such an unlikeable character probably had a lot to do with that, even though she redeemed herself somewhat by the end, as you might predict. Along that line, some of this book was predictable, and some was not. It was kind of fun to try to figure out if/when Carrie was going to win a particular tennis match. I could see where people not really into the sport may not like this novel as much as some of Reid's earlier ones, though I've also read quite a few reviews to the contrary. So I guess you'd have to judge for yourself. Taylor Jenkins Reid is still one of my favorite contemporary authors though, so I'll continue to probably read anything she writes. ( )

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cw05U0bPPnp/

Taylor Jenkins Reid - Carrie Soto Is Back: I inhaled this too but also it’s not as nuanced (way more obvious where she’s headed) than say Daisy Jones. #cursorybookreviews #cursoryreviews ( )

I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN once I sat down and just read this. This is why I love this author. She writes terrific female characters from different eras in various scenarios. ( )

4.5 🌟Having lost her world title in tennis, the "Battle-Axe-Bitch" comes back to try to win it back. I inhaled this book in one day. I adored the relationship between Carrie and her father, Carrie and Bowe, and Carrie and Gwen. The way TJR wrote the tennis matches was heart-pumpingly fun and kept me turning those pages. I came to love Carrie and cheered her on not to win her title--but to find out who she really is. Another TJR WIN for me. ( )

Oct 2022--DNF

Feb 2023--trying again bc so many good reviews.
4.75 bumped to 5 stars. Great book, dragged a bit in the middle with narration of many tennis matches. ( )

wow. only my second TJR read, but the second book of hers I’ve rated five stars. quickly becoming a favorite author. i’m in no way shape or form interested in tennis, but TJR kept me captivated all the way through. I loved all of the characters, and being inside Carrie’s head. my heart is so full, and I loved the full circle ending. ( )

Generally, when the name of a character appears in the title of the book, it is meant to imply that person is our main character. This book is the exception to the rule. Be aware the first half of the book, Tennis is the main character, Carrie starts to hold a bit of her own in the second half.

Carrie, herself, is a retired Tennis player who has no depth beyond the sport. She has no friends, no partners, her only Person is her dad. Admittedly, her entire life has been Tennis, she didn’t finish high school, and her main source of non-tennis entertainment is tabloid magazines. She reads Daisy Jones only to know who slept with whom.

I had a very hard time getting through the first half of this book, to be honest. And I fully understand why many non-TJR diehards have DNF’ed this book. It was challenging to find anything to grab onto.

This book earns 3.5 stars from me.

Read my full review on my website!
https://karamaek.com/2023/07/13/carrie-soto-is-back-taylor-jenkins-reid/ ( )

An easy to read novel with excellent character building to the extent it feels that Carrie is based on a real person, a strong father/daughter relationship, a backdrop of tennis, and a theme of striving for excellence and knowing your weaknesses so you can improve them. About a quarter of the way though I found it a bit dull and almost stopped reading it but persevered and then found I reengaged with it shortly after. 3.25/5 ( )