I absolutely love this author and couldn't wait for this book and I wasn't disappointed.
Carrie Soto was the greatest tennis player ever.
Bur she has upset so many others that she might be the best but she was the most unpopular.
Her father Javier had trained her since the age of 2, he wanted her to succeed, carry on his legacy.
When Carries record is broken, it doesn't go down well at all and she decides that at age 37 she will make a comeback to regain her record. with her father training her one more time.
But sports media never liked her
so that was a struggle to get them on her side

Once again the author has got everything right, great pace, making Carrie so unlikeable bit you still rooted for her.
I found that I couldnt put it down, i kept saying one more page then it was 4.30 in the morning.
You don't need to be a tennis fan to read this.
It's a cracker of a book
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED .

Description 🔖

At the time of retirement, Carrie Soto is the best tennis player the world has seen; by any measure. She worked hard for her accomplishments and sacrificed a lot to get there.

Fast forward to 1994 and Carrie is sat watching the US Open witnessing her twenty slam record being taken away from her, by a younger British player. This triggers Carrie to make the biggest decision of her career and come out of retirement for one final year, with her father as her coach and an old love interest as a training partner.

Despite her age, despite what the press say about her and despite her body’s inability to match the speed of the younger players, Carrie Soto is back in a big way.

General Thoughts 🤔

Of course my expectations were high for this book. TJR has set the bar so high for herself, I think all of her fans expect to be blown away by any work that she puts out there. Carrie Soto Is Back was a fantastic book and I did very much enjoy it. BUT. I have to say, it wasn’t my favourite TJR book.

I struggled to get into this story for about the first quarter of the book. I felt like I was waiting for something to happen but didn’t know quite what it was going to be. Once I let go of that and let myself become invested in Carrie’s fight for the top, I was hooked. I’m not ashamed to admit that there were times that I let out an audible “whoop” for Carrie.

Characters 👫👭👬

By the time I was swept away in the story, I was cheering and yelling for Carrie (in my head) like I was there in Melbourne and Paris and Wimbledon. I didn’t just want this character to do well, I needed her to do well. I knew that winning a slam wasn’t necessarily the be all and end all for Carrie and her not knowing that was what made me so invested in her. She was fantastically flawed and I’m learning that flawed characters is my love language.

Carrie’s relationship with her father was beautiful. I loved that she didn’t always like what he told her to do, but she did it anyway. It showed how much she loved and trusted him. It was heartbreaking that he thought he had failed Carrie by making her entire life about tennis and closing her heart off from anything else.

Writing Style ✍️

Honestly, there isn’t much that TJR can do wrong in my opinion. I appreciate that sometimes people can fall in love with a book or two from the same author and become biased towards anything else they do, but I have genuinely enjoyed everything that I have read of hers.

There is something about her writing that makes me feel like I’m watching a documentary or a movie. Everything feels real and she has the ability to create characters that we as readers all fall in love with and fan girl over just as much as we fan girl over Taylor herself.

Conclusion & Scoring 🎖

Ok, so I started this book knowing little to nothing about tennis. I spent a small amount of time thinking that nothing much was going to happen. I then very quickly felt like I was sat in the players box, cheering on these fictional tennis players, invested in their careers and their lives. TJR has done it again. Another book and more characters that I’m sure readers will adore just as much as I did.

Carrie Soto is Back | Taylor Jenkins Reid
🎾
When I tell you I gasped when I got this ARC… I really mean it. I always say that TJR was the author that got me back into reading for pleasure (Daisy Jones & The Six forever has my heart) after my undergrad degree, so it was truly an honour to receive this ARC.
By the time Carrie Soto retires from tennis, she is the best player in the world. She has shattered every record and claimed 20 Slam titles. And if you ask her, she is entitled to every one. But 6 years after her retirement, Carrie finds herself sitting in the stands of the 1994 US Open, watching her record be taken from her by a British player named Nicki Chan.
At 37 years old, Carrie makes the monumental decision to come out of retirement and be coached by her father for one last year in an attempt to reclaim her record. Even if the sports media says that they never liked the 'Battle-Axe' anyway. Even if her body doesn't move as fast as it did. And even if it means swallowing her pride to train with a man she once almost opened her heart to: Bowe Huntley. Like her, he has something to prove before he gives up the game forever. In spite of it all, Carrie Soto is back.
Now I was afraid of this one initially because I am not a big sports fan. I actually haven’t a clue about tennis. But holy crap was this good. Very quickly you become immersed in the world of Carrie Soto, rooting for her - both on the tennis court and in her life generally. I loved how this delved into the complexities of being a woman in sports. How wanting to be a winner brandishes you with the label of being a bitch. How showing emotion makes you weak. How no matter what you do, you’re subject to scrutiny from the media. It’s so well done and really gives you food for thought.
The drama in this novel is also immense, which is classic TJR. A will they, won’t they? trope between Carrie and Bowe, a father-daughter relationship filled with a clash of opinions but full of love, and the tension of a come-back as an older athlete. Honestly, I was hooked. Not to mention how this book fits into the TJR universe. SO clever.
There is a reason everyone loves TJR’s books. She is an utterly phenomenal storyteller who knows how to grab her audience. Definitely worth the hype it has been getting. If you’re worried about the sports element, please don’t let it put you off. It’s just brilliant.
Beyond thankful to Hutchinson Heinemann & NetGalley for this ARC ❤️

Oh, TJR.
Another book that I’ll carry around professing is my favourite, you’re beginning to hurt my arms. Carrie Soto is back had all the heart and emotion, the flaws and the cracks that I loved in Evelyn Hugo.
I cried, I cheered, and I felt so low for Carrie at so many moments in the book. The care each character gets so they fully form even off the page is outstanding, and while I’ve not ever particularly loved tennis, I loved this game. I loved each layer we delved into Carrie’s head, and most of all loved her father.
Her childhood was explored in a way that builds the foundation to the rest, giving you the reasoning to why she feels the way she does.
The commentary inside the book was a nice touch, enjoying seeing how different people (as true as it is with any sport) often change their minds or say wild things.
TJR has done it again, I adore her writing, I’d read anything she wrote, and remains still at the top as one of my favourite authors.

If you’re familiar with Taylor Jenkins Reid’s writing, you will realise that often there aren’t chapters. So if you’re like me and think “I’ll read one more chapter” you’ll be reading until the end.

I wasn’t a fan of Carrie Soto at the beginning of this book, she seemed rude, unlikeable and rather irritating but in actual fact, she is just very determined and passionate about tennis.

If you really struggle at the beginning of this book, please carry on. It’s worth it.

EXCERPT: Walking through the tunnel, I can just see the edges of the court. The crowd is already loud.

The lights are on, barely brighter than the evening air. When I get to the opening, I pull my shoulders down. I roll my neck. I wipe my shoes.

I inhale sharply. I let the air leave my body like a deflating balloon. I am loose. I am ready.

ABOUT 'CARRIE SOTO IS BACK': Carrie Soto is fierce, and her determination to win at any cost has not made her popular. But by the time she retires from tennis, she is the best player the world has ever seen. She has shattered every record and claimed twenty Grand Slam titles. And if you ask Carrie, she is entitled to every one. She sacrificed nearly everything to become the best, with her father, Javier, as her coach. A former champion himself, Javier has trained her since the age of two.

But six years after her retirement, Carrie finds herself sitting in the stands of the 1994 US Open, watching her record be taken from her by a brutal, stunning player named Nicki Chan.

At thirty-seven years old, Carrie makes the monumental decision to come out of retirement and be coached by her father for one last year in an attempt to reclaim her record. Even if the sports media says that they never liked “the Battle-Axe” anyway. Even if her body doesn’t move as fast as it did. And even if it means swallowing her pride to train with a man she once almost opened her heart to: Bowe Huntley. Like her, he has something to prove before he gives up the game forever.

In spite of it all, Carrie Soto is back, for one epic final season.

MY THOUGHTS: TJR has aced this!

By the time I had finished reading, I swear I had played every shot along with Carrie Soto. Do I play tennis? Not unless you count hitting the ball against the garage wall. Do I watch tennis? Only with one eye when it's on the news.

So what's the fascination? It's the writing. TJR writes with rhythm and style. With her heart and soul. Her characters are bigger than life. They dominate. Enchant. Enthrall.

I didn't like Carrie Soto at the beginning of this book; by the end I was her biggest fan.

But this book is not just about tennis. It's also about Carrie's relationships - with her father; with the other players; with herself. We are privy to her fears and insecurities; her triumphs, and her loneliness.

I cried a lot during the latter part of Carrie Soto is Back. Not great, noisy, ugly crying; just tears sliding silently down my cheeks, usually over a particularly poignant piece of writing.

Carrie Soto is Back is a read that engendered almost every emotion. When I closed the covers for the final time I felt like I had won a Grand Slam. I was buzzing. Bouncing. Energised. Elated.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#CarrieSotoIsBack #NetGalley

I: @tjenkinsreid @randomhouse

T: @tjenkinsreid @randomhouse

#historicalfiction #romance

THE AUTHOR: Taylor Jenkins Reid is the author of Malibu Rising, Daisy Jones & The Six, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, One True Loves, and three other novels. She lives in Los Angeles.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Random House UK, Cornerstone via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

Another cracker from this author! She had me from the first page and I could barely put this down. Its like she has crafted the best techniques from her other books and instilled them into this one. Yes, Ive read them all and this is up there with my favourites!

Carrie is one of the Greats in tennis but her record for most Grand Slams is being threatened. At 37, she will make a comeback to keep her title. She is not the most popular of stars - her abrasive personality hides the softest of insecure centers - but one cannot deny the beauty of her game and skill. We take the roller coaster journey with her of what this comeback will cost and how she is forced to evolve.

Its a story of ambition, sacrifice and personal triumph. Its exciting, fast paced and captures the thrill of tennis. But it also has charm and grit and so many life lessons. Taylor has a real talent for making the characters come to life. Her dialogue is brilliant and captures each personality so perfectly. It flows so naturally that is hard to believe it hasnt been recorded from real people.

Carries has a full character arc but it happens so gently and organically that nothing feels forced or premeditated. We ride the full journey with the characters. And there are so many wonderful characters - her father, mentor and coach, her agent, her competitors and her sparring partner. Each person is so perfectly crafted .

A real ode to tennis but with so much depth, complexity and charm. Will be recommending this one!

I would read anything that Taylor Jenkins Reid writes. Carrie Soto is Back might be my favourite of hers so far, but I love them all so it's really hard to say.

I have really enjoyed the last few books by this author, so was looking forward to this one!

Tennis legend Carrie Soto decides to come out of retirement when one of the newest stars gets too close to smashing her record. With her dad/trainer at her side, we are given flashbacks to her beginnings in tennis through to her retirement, then back to present day following her attempt at a comeback.

Nicknamed 'The Battle Axe', Carrie is not the most likeable, but she isn't out there to be liked, she is out there to win, but has she still got it? And more importantly, can she keep up with these younger players?

I really loved the relationships portrayed in this book. Carrie and her Father especially had some great interactions and seeing how their relationships under the pressure of top-level competitive tennis was interesting! I also really liked the portrayal of Carrie's opponents, particularly Nicki. I am not sure how realistic that kind of relationship would be, but it made for entertaining reading nonetheless!

My thanks to NetGalley and Ballentine publishing for the opportunity to review this book.
Did I know anything about tennis before reading this ? no. Did it matter? no.
The book was brilliant yet another Taylor Jenkins Reid triumph.
I can highly recommend this page turner of a book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 Review - Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid ⁠
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#CarrieSotoIsBack⁠
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Thanks to Random House UK, Cornerstone @vintagebooks and @NetGalley for providing me with a proof copy in advance of publication. 📚⁠
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Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again with the fourth book in her modern history series. Though they’re not initially connected, they have recurring characters that crossover from one to another. ⁠
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This novel focuses on tennis legend Carrie Soto, as she comes out of her retirement to reconquer her record. The story is told over the course of a tennis season, with flashbacks to her becoming who she was at the start. Her father, also a tennis legend in Argentina in his prime, was at the helm of her training from a young age and was a huge influence. I love how much detail the novel focuses on her rivals, such as Nikki Chen and a fellow male tennis player, who is also trying to make a comeback. ⁠
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I loved Carrie’s determination, ambition and energy throughout the novel. She’s called the Battle Axe for a reason. She is definitely a bit arrogant and intense at times but you feel for her. You want to celebrate her wins and drown out her losses with more training sessions, game analysis and replay to correct her mistakes and study her opponents for success in the future. ⁠
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Carrie has been one of my favourite of her heroines. As I grew up playing tennis (not professionally, but competitively nonetheless), I related and felt her playing and the helpful tips her father gave her to improve her game. I have been recommending it to any tennis fanatics, as this is the book equivalent of Battle of the Sexes and Drive to Survive. I hope you love this book as much as I do and I cannot wait to read what TJR writes next!⁠
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#afterelizareviews #elizareviews

Like all the Taylor Jenkins Reid books I’ve read, it’s hard to remember that this book isn’t about an actual famous person. Carrie Soto feels so very real and this reads just like a memoir. It was fun to see characters from other books popping up in a cameo role and indeed another of the author’s books made a cameo appearance too! Carrie herself is a character from Malibu Rising.

We see Carrie’s fierce determination and the single minded dedication required to become the best tennis player in the world. We follow her through the challenges, the sacrifices, the rivalries and are in no doubt about her competitive approach. She’s not very easy to like though, not really caring about public opinion, or being sporting to her rivals. She’s just totally focussed on winning at all costs. For most of the book we see her developing as a tennis player. It’s not until quite late on that she finally seems to develop as a person and become a bit more likeable. Taylor Jenkins Reid shows Carrie finally beginning to realise that there’s more to life than winning tennis.

With her reputation for being stand-offish she’s nicknamed ‘The Battle Axe’ and she’s not in the least bit bothered by that. Not surprisingly, she has difficulty in maintaining relationships when on the circuit all the time. One aspect of the story which I really enjoyed was the close bond between father and daughter and how that was stretched and snapped under the pressure. Javier had also been a successful tennis player in his time and he drives Carrie on to be the best as her coach. There were many touching scenes as Carrie and her father begin to understand each other and become close again.

We follow Carrie through early success as a tennis player, becoming the best in the world. We then follow her as injury leads to decline and her retirement. We see that tennis players don’t just need to be physically fit but mentally fit too. The psychology and tactics of the game matter almost as much as the physical strategies.

Most of the book focusses on the big comeback as Carrie wants to take back her record of the most Grand Slam titles. Following Carrie as she plays in all four tennis grand slams is almost as tense at times as watching an actual tennis match! I read this the while the US Open was on which was interesting and I’m sure that publication date was accidental. It made me watch the players with different eyes. It’s hard not to compare Carrie to Serena Williams who is almost certainly playing her last Grand Slam tournament. At the other end of the scale, there are young players like Harriet Dart who beat a top ten seed for the first time at the US Open this week.

I did have a couple of niggles with the book. There’s a fair amount of Spanish scattered throughout the narrative and it’s not always translated or easy to guess. I suppose that not much of it is that important or it would have been explained but it did make me feel that I was missing out a bit. The other thing I wasn’t so keen on, and it maybe sounds a bit mad to say, but I felt there was just too much tennis in the book. Of course, it’s about a famous tennis player and her career but sometimes it felt like we were getting every single shot of a match described.

Nevertheless, I did enjoy reading about Carrie Soto and by the end I was cheering her on. The final few chapters as she plays her way through the US Open were almost as fast paced as any thriller novel. Carrie Soto is Back is another great character driven novel from Taylor Jenkins Reid with a sharp insight into ambition, determination to succeed and what that can cost.

I adored Taylor's last novel, Malibu Rising, so I was intrigued to learn that one of the minor characters is given the starring role in this story.

Carrie Soto has been coached by her father from her childhood to be a winner at tennis, partly because she has a natural talent, inherited from him, but also to help them both cope with the unexpected death of her mother. By the time she retires from the sport she holds several sporting records, including that of most Slam wins, and is considered a sporting legend. When another tennis player looks set to break that record, years later, Carrie announces her comeback. But in risking everything, is she making a terrible mistake?

Carrie Soto is Back is an immersive, gripping story, showing how brutal professional tennis can be, especially when you're no longer young and fit, and reveals the kind of person you need to be, psychologically, to win. (I love how Bowe tries to explain it as 'Self One' vs 'Self Two'.) The story follows Carrie's progress through each slam event: The Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and, finally, the US Open. Has she been arrogant to believe she can just swan in at the same level of fitness, with everyone waiting for her to fail?

Carrie has a consuming need to be the best; failure is not an option - something her friend Bowe can't understand. He's kept going through alcoholism and injury, why did Carrie retire in the first place? She lost a couple of matches? Big deal. Her father believes tennis is a beautiful game and that she should concentrate on enjoying herself - win or lose - but is he being naïve?

Carrie Soto is Back has some very wise words to say on the business of winning and losing (and of taking part!) that can be applied to all areas of life. Like Daisy Jones and the Six this is a very immersive novel, with lots of tennis! Would suit fans of the film King Richard and sport-themed novels like Midnight in the Snow (Karen Swan). I loved it! One of my favourite reads this year.


Thank you to Taylor Jenkins Reid and Cornerstone/Random House/Penguin for my copy of this book, which I requested via NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

Everytime I finish a book and I think about how many stars I'd give, I think about how much I enjoyed it, if I'd change anything, if there was anything not great, how it made me feel, etc.

With this one, I didn't have to think twice. I couldn't put it down (would've read it in one sitting if I had the time!) and couldn't think of a single thing I would've changed. I know there's been some controversy about the minority characters and how TJR is probably not the person to write about them but, actually as a Latin person (Brazilian, even worse! People don't see us as Latin or anything, just...well, whatever misconception they have of us), I didn't think it was a problem. She didn't reeeeeally try to portray the life experience of a Latin person, she didn't exactly touch that subject and quite rightly so, because it's not hers to touch. Instead, she made a lot of her characters latin, just as a normal story where people were Latin and it wasn't about their ethnicity/background, it was about their character, their development, and they just so happened to be Latin which I thought was actually pretty cool.

On the subject of publishers giving a white CIS woman all the marketing budget and not so much the actual Latin writers telling stories of Latin people, that's a different story...I wholeheartedly agree that more minorities should be given bigger stages, bigger budgets, bigger everything. But that's not TJR's job - she's a wonderful writer, especially when it comes to portraying everyday sexism/gender bias/etc.

I went in not really sure because I've got zero interest in tennis and, throughout the first descriptions of games/training, I thought maybe I'd find it daunting as I didn't know what the drills/movements meant. However, that ended up not influencing my reading experience in one bit. I loved the story and was fully invested in Carrie Soto's growth as a human being and athlete!

I really loved this book and even though I know nothing about tennis I really enjoyed this aspect of it. I loved Carrie’s determination to win another title and I loved the relationship that she had with her dad.
She wasn’t really a likeable character but I was really rooting for her.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and I would recommend it.

As I have loved other TJR books I was excited that we were going to meet Carrie Soto. She make an appearance in Malibu Rising, which I really enjoyed. I love how TJR is blending her worlds and characters. I am here for that.

In Carrie Soto Is Back we follow Carrie who is a professional tennis player and is coming out of retirement as Nikki Chan a British player has taken her Most Grand Slam's by a female title. Carrie wants her title back. We are taken through Carrie's life story on how she became the amazing tennis player she is and how that drive has affected who she has become. For me there was too many hit by hit accounts of tennis games, technique and drills. This slowed the pace for me and became repetitive.

I do enjoy TJRs social commentary, especially around women's rights and how they are seen and treated. Overall it was a good story, but not outstanding for me. Looking forward to the next TJR.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance digital copy to review.

This is the second book by Taylor Jenkins Reid that I have read and I've quickly fallen in love with her writing style and the vivid colours with which she paints her characters. Carrie Soto seemed like a bit of a driven, sporty stereotype and I wasn't quite as gripped by her arc as I would have liked, but the fact that I devoured this book over a couple of days says a lot. Even where I don't fully get the main character or find her driving factors particularly interesting, I'm still helplessly carried along by the strength of the story and its language.

I received an advanced copy of #CarrieSotoIsBack from #NetGalley

I’m partial to reading team sports books with lots of romance. This is the first time I’ve read a book about tennis. I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and I loved the historical data that kept appearing fitting for the setting of the story.

At first I thought it might bore me as there are not numerous characters interspersed in the pages, rather the story focuses mainly on Carrie and her father Javier through childhood to present day and tennis. There are 2/3 other characters that we get to know. Bowe the recovering alcoholic, injured tennis player who hasn’t given up on the game or on Carrie, Gwen the agent who doesn’t suffer fools gladly and to a lesser extent Nicki Chan who is the ‘enemy’ having equalled Carrie’s record and is the reason for her coming out of retirement.

Due to their being so few characters, Taylor Jenkins Reid really develops them well so that we feel we know them and that is my reasoning for the 4 star rating. I understood Carrie and why she was how she was but I can’t say I liked her until I was about 75-80% through the book. I had admiration for her focus and determination but she did seem like a cold character until Bowe started to break down her defences or maybe it was a maturity of attitude that made me start to warm to her.

Carrie set the record for the most grand slam wins until Nicki equalled the record resulting in Carrie coming out of retirement. Her path to regain fitness and hone her technical skills is outlined and the reader will experience each step of the journey through this book. I also felt the emotions of Carrie’s relationship with her father. Due to my current personal circumstances this really resonated with me.

Thanks for the opportunity to read and review this story which has an expected publication date of 30 August
1 like

Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again.

Carrie Soto Is Back had me completely gripped from the start, the character herself is compelling &, as I love tennis, the story was one that gripped me, although I'm pretty sure it would even if tennis wasn't your thing as the writing is just so good. I flew through this in a day & couldn't put it down. I laughed & cried, got goosebumps in the matches as Carrie took on not just her opponents but a world that was trying to keep her in her place & put her down. I loved Javier, Bowe, Nina & Nicki too, each bringing a different dimension to the story & bringing something out in Carrie.

It does scare me that a book set largely in the 90s is considered historical fiction 😳 but maybe I'm just getting old (there's no maybe about it but 🤫).

It is fast becoming apparent that Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of my favourite authors & I'm pretty much guaranteed to love anything she writes so I do need to go back & read Daisy & a few of her earlier books now.

As a big fan of TJR I was so pleased to get an ARC of her latest work and I am so happy to say she's back and better than ever!

I have now read all books in the 'evelyn Hugo' universe and this is up there with Daisy Jones & Evelyn Hugo.
After a blip (IMO) with Malibu Rising, this is an excellent story of sport excellence and what is expected of you in sport when you're a woman and aging.

An excellent story that I couldn't put down!!