As much a beach read as Taylor Jenkins Reid's other books, I devoured this in one sunny sitting. I was not expecting the plot to be completely driven by the tennis storyline (I assumed there would be more of the glamorous world we see in Malibu Rising) but found myself enjoying it all the same. I honestly don't think another author could entice me to read such a sports focused book! My one criticism would be that the lack of side characters and interactions outside of Carrie & her father or Carrie & Bowe made the whole world of the novel feel a bit smaller and slightly lacking in depth. The cast of characters in Malibu Rising help to form your opinion of the main protagonists, whereas here it feels like a slightly more shallow insight into Carrie.

Carrie Soto was born to be a tennis star. Her whole life revolves around the game, training and most importantly, winning. So it's only natural that she should come out of retirement when a new, young tennis player threatens to beat her record.

I am not interested in any kind of sport. I am literally bored to death if I am ever forced to watch a sports match, which is why I was sceptical about the tennis centric book. But Taylor Jenkins Reid had me on the edge of my seat and I was rooting for Carrie during the matches.

Carrie herself is a very interesting character. She comes across as aloof, unsympathetic and only focused on her victory. When she wins, her opponents have to listen to harsh comments. But behind that is an insecure person with worries and fears of her own. Carrie goes through a really good character development. But anyone who has ever read a book by TJR knows that characters are her absolute strength.

The secondary characters are also well fleshed out, given their own time and history. Especially her father, who was once a tennis pro. He is her coach, best friend and supporter, not only in tennis but in life. He just wants Carrie to be happy and tries to achieve that with every decision. I won't go into detail, but at one point I even had tears in my eyes while reading. No one has to miss some romance in the story either.

It is safe to say that I give the book 5 stars and will continue to devour every book by TJR.

I vouched for every single character in this book because they felt so real to me, imperfect and unlikeable at times but always so human! I liked that Carrie’s career was always front and centre of the story and her romantic life took more of a backseat. It felt very empowering to read.

Exciting, engaging, adrenaline pumping, entertaining, heart throbbing novels.
I really love this book

Taylor Jenkins Reid’s newest upcoming novel ‘Carrie Soto Is Back’ is a love letter to the sport world, ambition, as well as our parents and the influence they have on us as we grow.

Taylor writes of ambition, raising the question of how far is someone willing to go to prove their greatness, and what will they sacrifice in the process? Can one find joy in their own knowledge of their talent, or must the whole world know it for it to be true?

Carrie Soto, like many of Reid’s other lead characters, is not a perfect heroine. She is flawed, and makes wrong choices, which is always a refreshing aspect to Reid’s books. Other notable characters in this book are Javier and Bowe, both very likeable characters who just want to best for Carrie. The love between Carrie and her Father, Jav, is the backbone of this story, and it’s what helps the book go from a great story, to an amazing one.

Like many of Reid’s other novels, this book is connected to others books of hers, most notably ‘Malibu Rising’, however ‘Carrie Soto is Back’ stands on its own two feet as an individual novel, without needing to read the rest. This book is unlike the rest of Reid’s ‘famous characters’ universe, as there is no mystery looming, there is no waiting for the next shoe to drop, it is what it is: a story of a woman who loves to play tennis, and the world around her.

I’d also like to mention that, as someone who had no clue of the rules of tennis, it is explained greatly in this book, and made it very enjoyable to read.

‘Carrie Soto Is Back’ stands out from the rest of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novels, and is a must read, whenever, wherever you are.

I'll admit, I requested this book because I wanted to read it and not necessarily thinking about books I might recommend to my students. But actually, I think I would feel comfortable recommending it - it's nice to have an option to discuss that's a little more emotionally adult in emotional terms but still "safe" (I'm never going to feel comfortable discussing or recommending books with explicit sex to my students, for example).

Carrie Soto is up there with Evelyn Hugo for me. I've enjoyed all the books set in this universe, but this is the first one since Evelyn that I've truly loved. Like the previous books, there are brief nods and mentions of characters we've met before, but the book absolutely stands on its own with no need to have read them.

I'm a fan of tennis so I was excited about this one, although I've heard from other readers who knew nothing about the game that they could also follow along with the tennis just fine. Every time I was sure I knew where the story was going, I was surprised once again, and I did genuinely tear up a few times.

The characters are as well rounded and flawed as ever - Carrie herself is by no means perfect, but I couldn't help but root for her anyway. And I dare you not to love her father, Javier.

An easy 5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Hutchinson Heinemann, for providing me with a copy of this book. It was a privilege to read it early and be taken on this extraordinary journey. Now, on to the review ...

Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again!

Carrie Soto is Back an exploration of the career and life of tennis legend Carrie Soto. Throughout the duration of the novel, we are privy to her successes, failures, complex domestic beginnings and at the end of the story, her future.

Carrie is a vibrant, highly determined woman who has been coached by her father nearly all her life. Her resolve and ruthless attitude were instilled in her through his teachings. I found her character gripping; she is a good person who is closed off emotionally from others and has a hard time losing. This causes her to be dismissive or even hurtful of those around her. This dichotomy frustrated me while simultaneously making me root that much harder for her success.

The novel was explored in two timelines: Carrie's past and present. Starting with the exploration of her childhood and her relationship with her father was so skilfully explored that it felt true-to-life. The present showed Carrie returning to the court to win back her title while exploring her emotional maturation.

The aspects that I enjoyed most:
1. The exploration of how women are perceived in sport. This can be seen in the articles and interviews presented throughout the book. It was a subtle but powerful way to show the disparity in the treatment of women and men.
2. The tennis games, as they were described in short, snappy sentences making the excerpts feel unpredictable and exciting.
3. The romantic relationship between Carrie and Bowe as it didn't feel forced but allowed Carrie's character to develop without diminishing her strength and independence.
4. I was unsure how this novel would finish, but the ending and epilogue were the perfect conclusions.

In closing, read this book! You will not be disappointed!

(I wonder, will we ever get to see more about the relationship between Carrie and Nicki Chan?).

I can't express how privileged I feel to be able to read this book already. I don't know what kind of crack TJR laces her books with, but every one so far has been an immediate 5 star; this one included. Carrie Soto is back explores the career and life of tennis legend Carrie Soto, of whom we got a preview of in Malibu Rising. Here, she's a character that's absolutely electric. I cannot recommend this book enough.

Her childhood and early career is written with such vibrancy; I actually found I loved her father, especially later in the book. Their family, her and her dad, felt real. The sport itself, tennis, was described with passion and each tennis match we saw felt unpredictable. The author gave you just enough to root for Carrie, without letting you believe she would win. While the present timeline follows Carrie as she's trying to win back her title, we also see her coming to terms with her life. Her comeback is her trying to prove something, to others and herself, and to see her learn more about herself, accept her shortcomings and learn to love tennis again, was beautiful.

This book to me, overarchingly, felt the most real. The references to different time periods--the OJ Simpson verdict, Princess Diana at Wemberly--made me feel like I was reading about real people. I'm still in awe of the way that TJR can insert her characters into the world like they lived there are along, like Carrie Soto really was a tennis legend. The characters, Bowe, Javier and Carrie especially, but also Nicki Chan, felt like real people to me.

The romance in this book has to be one of my favourite things about it. It was written so naturally, and yet added to the development of her tennis success story. Nicki Chan's character has to be up there as a favourite in this book too; her determination, the 'new' style of tennis she's ushering in and her guilelessness made her a wonderfully vibrant character.

The epilogue holds a special place in my heart. I was worried about the ending of the book; whether Carrie would win back her title and whether it would feel like a realistic achievement, but I was amazed at the way TJR handled it. The ending was perfect, and then the epilogue came and it surprised me, and yet made so much sense. I hope we see some of these characters pop up in later books, because they truly mean the world to me.

Thank you again to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the chance to read this wonderful book!

I think I loved this as much as ‘Daisy Jones and the Six’. It is absolutely unputtadownable, and that is saying something for a reader who knows about as much about tennis as a walrus. I know (in theory only!) a lot more now. First, the cover. That is a magnificent cover. Second, the title. That is a perfect in-your-face title. Third, Carrie, her dad, her old sweet flame, her equally ambitious competitors, and even that ageing creep Mick Riva, who keeps appearing in Taylor Jenkins Read’s novels… all perfectly pitched. Carrie, unlikeable in so many ways, rather like those (mainly male) tennis stars even I watch having tantrums in the Australian Open, is equally a lonely, vulnerable and yet tough soul we’re rooting for on every page of her story. Like every reader of this novel, I was absolutely shouting Carrie Soto is Back! by the end…and an end that could have gone two ways… The one we got was, of course, just right. Thank you indeed to NetGalley and Ballentine for the advance digital review copy, and thank you Taylor Jenkins Reid. Keep them coming!

Carrie Soto is like Achilles: the greatest warrior, the greatest player, of her time. But what happens when Achilles retires and a new hero threatens to take his place?! Well I can tell you what Carrie-The Battle Axe does… she comes back to make everyone see that at 37 she can still be the greatest.

Nonetheless this book is not really about her showing everyone she’s still a champion.. no, it is about her learning how to live, how to become a better person. Because Carrie is not a nice person, you won’t agree with her actions most of the times and even if she always faces her challenges on court, she is a quitter in life. She runs away from relationships because she knows how heartbreaking they can be when they end, she saw it happen when her father lost her mother. Father and daughter have one of the most heartwarming and complicated relationships I’ve ever read about and TJR is just amazing in describing their emotions as if I was experiencing them myself. Her father is also her tennis coach, but at a certain point he understands he has failed to teach her how to be happy, and this is their last chance!

I started crying after 2 pages and at the end I was a complete mess. The tennis plays are so well described, I actually felt the adrenaline I sometimes feel when I cheer up for a player. It’s been an amazing journey and I feel so proud of Carrie, because if she appears as hard as a rock, she feels actually very strongly, and when you are in her life, in her little circle, you can be sure you’ll stay up there forever.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the early copy!

This book was incredible. Taylor Jenkins Reid NEVER disappoints. Such an emotional read that made me fall in love with Carrie Soto. I didn't like her at first, she was so annoying and I felt like she was a bad person, but she grew on me SO MUCH in the second half of the book, especially towards the ending. I fell in love with her!

I'm a huge fan of TJR and I leapt at the chance to read an advanced reader's copy of "Carrie Soto is back". I love how TJR has recurring characters in books. Carrie Soto is a character from "Malibu Rising"- Nina's husband's mistress. There is brief mention of it in this book as well. The book was thrilling and interesting to read.

But this particular book will not be appreciated by all who reads it. Let me tell you why, the whole crux of the book is tennis. If a person doesn't understand or like tennis, this book can be hard to read. I grew up watching tennis and that's the reason I really enjoyed the book. It was like watching a tennis match live through the pages of a book.

There were in-depth details about many matches and tournaments. It was so thrilling to read whether Carrie won or lost a particular match. Carrie was not a likable character but somehow she won me over by the end of the book. The grit, determination and confidence she showed was awe inspiring. The whole story showcased the gruelling aspects of being a sports person.

I adored the two side characters in the book- Javier Soto and Bowe Huntley. They added the much needed laughs and joy in the book. The ending was beautiful and perfect. The book was a mix of historical fiction and sports fiction. It can be enjoyed by anyone who has a little bit of knowledge about tennis.

Taylor Jenkins Reid hat made it again. Dynamical, sometimes even dramatical. One learn a lot about tennis anyway and what price one must pay to be successful (her main theme I suppose). Must become a hit

I know very little about tennis and absolutely loved this book, proof that a good author can writing an engaging novel about any topic. Carrie Soto is a great character, unapologetically driven and ambitious and the author didn't fall into the trap of making her father / coach a one dimensional pushy parent. Gripping, excellently paced and ultimately very moving.

Carrie Soto is Back is the new novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid, writer known mainly for The Seven Husband of Evelyne Hugo and Daisy Jones & the Six but who has also written other beautiful novels.

Carrie Soto is Back is a very particular book, is about Carrie, a tennis champion who after having retired from the field many years earlier, decides to return to play one last championship and be trained by her father to try to win against the new champion of the world, Nicki.

The book is structured in a first part that tells the childhood and adolescence of Carrie and how she approached the world of tennis, while then, the novel returns to the present and follows her life both on the court and in the private sphere between love affairs and family relationships.

The main themes are certainly tennis, the father-daughter relationship, rivalry in sport and much more.

The writing, like in any Jenkins book, is stunning, very fluent, evocative and almost nostalgic? I feel this kind of writing almost nostalgic, yes!

I loved the story of Carrie, her father and their relationship.

It certainly not up to The Seven Husband of Evelyne Hugo, but it's a very quick and enjoyable book.
I loved the fact that the book makes you love tennis even if you didn't care about it until a moment before (like it happened to me) and I loved how each game was described as if it were really happening, so much so that it made me feel almost at the stadium.

Also I literally loved the ending because it is not obvious and it is not what I expected but it left me pleasantly surprised.

An absolutely recommended reading; both for tennis fans and for those who don't understand anything about tennis just like me!

Thanks to Netgalley and Taylor Jenkins Reid for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

TJR has done it again. I absolutely loved Carrie Soto, the pacing is done well. The character development is properly unravelled, even the side characters. It's incredibly easy to get sucked into the story. I can't wait for more people to read this, it will blow their minds.

Well, this is a book by Taylor Jenkins Reid... So, obviously... It kept me up all night and made me cry. Twice.

Carrie Soto is Back is about a tennis player who at age 37 is retired from the courts, but decides to play again since her record is threatened by a younger player, Nicki Chan.

Carrie is very competitive. That’s her most dominant trait. She just can’t bear the thought of not being the best player in the world anymore. The main reason to come back isn't really her passion for the sport. It’s more like a battle of egos. She is willing to push herself to the max physically and work twice as hard to ensure she can keep up with her opponents. Her body has changed over the years, she's had injuries and surgeries, but she can still play. So that's what she's going to do.

Javier, her father, is a retired player and her coach. Since she was a child, he encourages his daughter to try her best in every match. He says her main challenge should always be against herself. Even though his intentions are good, Carrie grew up with the fixed idea that she always has to be the best. She has to win everything, every time. For that reason, she becomes lonely, friendless, seen in the media as a heartless person who is rude to everyone.

There are many moments in the book where Carrie Soto's competitiveness and her arrogance are extremely irritating - to me, at least. In fact, every time one of the players talks about destroying the other, I roll my eyes. But, crazy as it seems, while I was angry with Carrie, I also understood her feelings. Little by little, I fell in love with her story. I was rooting for her and loving all the shades against the other players and the media. I could see her flaws, but also her difficulty in accepting them and her efforts.

The author addresses feminist causes, showing in different situations how hard it is to be a female athlete, not always having the same recognition as males. She also shows the absurdity of the treatment in the media, and how evil the world can be against Latinas, Asians, lesbians, black women, older women, etc.

Bowe is also an older player, refusing to retire. He’s far from being as good as Carrie, but he’s definitely someone she needs in her life. He's not very good with words, but his brutal honesty means a lot. At first I thought I would hate him, but I love him. I can’t help it. (ATTENTION - SPOILER: the sentences in Spanish? Pleeeeease…)

But for me, the most beautiful thing about this book was seeing the evolution of her relationships, especially with her father. The last chapter made me cry so much. It’s beautiful to see how much her vision changes over time, making peace with herself.

Mrs. Jenkins Reid, I swear to you, I have no more tears… You took them all.

Some characters from the previous books are mentioned in this one. You don't necessarily have to read them first, but I definitely recommend you to read them in the order they were released: evelyn - daisy - malibu - carrie.

Without a doubt, this is the best book I've read so far this year. *and a favorite, forever*

* I received an ARC from Random House UK in exchange for an honest review.

Carrie Soto is Back - 5 star read

I love Taylor Jenkins Reid, especially Daisy Jones and the Six, but I was disappointed with Malibu Rising because I felt the main character wasn't strong enough. Enter Carrie Soto and all is forgiven. As with Daisy Jones, the female protagonist in this book is a strong, multi-faceted character. Labelled the battle-axe of women's tennis, and unofficially - the bitch - I love that she is unapologetic in her desire to be the best.

So many books have a likeable female lead who manages to have it all and be an extra lovey-dovey pinterest Mom as the cherry on the cake. Carrie Soto is back is about a woman's drive to excel in her profession. I enjoyed the romantic element of the plot, but I liked that it took a back seat. This is a novel about a woman giving everything she's got, highlighting what she has had to sacrifice along the way. Taylor Jenkins Reid subtly weaves in sports commentary along the way to highlight how female sports stars have their lives and personalities pored over in a way male stars don't.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this wonderful, well-paced novel.

*** 3.5 stars ***

I’m a simple girl – I see a book by an author whose books* I’ve liked in the past, I request on NetGalley. And many thanks to NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

* Book. I liked “Daisy Jones and the Six”, still not sure how I’ll remember “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo”.

Following my first sentence, I’ll admit I did not even read what this book is about, I went in totally blind. Color me shocked when I found out it was about tennis, despite my expectations that Carrie Soto is some Serena-van-der-Woodsen-type of runaway socialite. Well, joke’s definitely not on me. I hate sports, with the exception of tennis. I used to stay up aaaall night long, with my Grandma of all people, to watch US Open, when I was a kid and considering the significant time difference between New York and Bulgaria.

So, to recap, Carrie Soto is a tennis player who ruled women’s tennis in the 70’s and 80’s, becoming the record-winner for most Grand Slam wins. Then she gets a serious injury and retires. That is, until, when she’s already pretty old to be playing professional tennis, 37-ish, another tennis player ties her record and Carrie Soto is ready to come back and defend her position as the biggest Slam winner.

If there’s one thing I really enjoy and of which I can consume any type of media – books, movies, TV shows, even pretty crappy ones – it’s things about competitions, and especially ones where our character is the underdog. Which Carrie is, no matter how massively successful she was before her retirement. When she decides to come back, she is considered too old and unlikely to even come close to winning another Slam. On top of that, she is a generally disliked person, regardless of her tennis skills, because throughout her whole career, she has proven to be extremely arrogant, rude and stiff, not to mention willing to destroy her opponents without holding back, which has earned her names such as “the Battle Axe”, and, at the beginning of our story, “the Bitch”.

The first part of the book focused on Carrie’s childhood and rise to fame, as well as her relationship with her father, Javier “the Jaguar” Soto, a retired tennis star from Argentina, who becomes Carrie’s coach. In a very typical Jenkins Reid fashion, the book is full of nostalgia, the loneliness of a truly talented professional and a seemingly casual approach to great romantic disappointments. After reading three of her books, I can definitely recognize her voice now. There’s always the girl who’s really, really good at what she does. She’s the absolute best at the time she does it (although she may or may not be replaced by someone better and younger later on), but that makes her detached from the surrounding world. It makes her loved and hated, at the very same time. She always appears to be fine with it, acts like a tough bitch, doesn’t care how anyone sees her. She’s single-minded, she’s going to get it and nothing will stop her, because she just has a raw talent. Enter a long file of really awful men who don’t truly care about her, but want to take advantage of how successful she is, to make themselves look more important, better, able to sleep with her and dump her afterwards. Enter men who sleep with her and then disappear. Enter her, feeling self-conscious and trying to figure out a way to use her sexuality without getting too hurt, without caring too much.

This is the part I didn’t particularly like. Daisy Jones was okay, all things considered, but Evelyn Hugo and Carrie Soto are too much at times. Too much of this now Taylor-Jenkins-Reid-cliche of a woman, too bitchy, too cold seeming. Evelyn Hugo was the worst, though. Carrie eventually gets to were I wanted her to get and becomes the person I’d have loved to read a whole book about, without having to overcome the parts where she acts like a massive cold bitch and I pretend to believe it without realizing that she’s actually just a softie underneath all the meanness. Also, despite the fact that this book is supposed to be set in the 70’s-90’s, it feels very, very contemporary. The only reason I can imagine for the book to be set then and not now is so that it can get tied to the rest of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s universe, as we see a “cameo” of the husband of Nina Riva from “Malibu Rising” which I have not read, but I do remember Mick Riva from “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo”.

The second part of “Carrie Soto Is Back” was really strong. We got to see more of the side characters, which, though a bit flat, were interesting – Bowe, Javier, Nicki, Gwen. I liked all four of them, I enjoyed reading more about their relationships with Carrie. I liked reading about Carrie, finally interacting like a normal human being. In this part there were also more emotions, it was thrilling, with was fun! Focusing on Carrie’s current struggle to reclaim her record, we got to follow her through the two more interesting tournaments she played, Wimbledon and US Open, and go through some heart-breaking moments with her. And I’m not going to lie, reading about her games felt like it was a real match, with real stakes, and it was so fun that I considered finding a website where to watch tennis live.

I know this would be a blasphemy for many, but I would definitely recommend this book rather than “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo”. Also, I still find it funny, how intermixed all of Jenkins Reid’s books are and how the characters appear, at least in name, to make small cameos. Nifty.

When people ask me to name my favourite author, I often struggle to answer because I tend to have favourite books, rather than favourite authors, but Taylor Jenkins Reid is fast becoming a favourite author. Her characters are so real that the reader is completely invested in their journey. Carrie Soto is no exception. This book was as relentlessly entertaining as one of her tennis matches and as usual TJR produces a sure fire winner. I devoured every page!