Carrie Soto Is Back
- Downloads：8473
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-08-31 00:21:36
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Taylor Jenkins Reid
- ISBN：0593158687
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
In this powerful novel about the cost of greatness， a legendary athlete attempts a comeback when the world considers her past her prime—from the New York Times bestselling author of Malibu Rising。
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。 In this riveting and unforgettable novel， Taylor Jenkins Reid tells her most vulnerable， emotional story yet。
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。 In this riveting and unforgettable novel， Taylor Jenkins Reid tells her most vulnerable， emotional story yet。
Reviews
Leo Oliveira
，
Review em breve。 Obrigado Penguin Random House/Paralela pela cópia antecipada。
Helen_t_reads
，
“She is relentless。 She does not stop。 She will not be counted out”Wow what a ride this novel is！ It’s propulsive， addictive， adrenalin-fuelled and you power through it as fast as one of legendary tennis player Carrie Soto’s serves。 This is real edge of the seat stuff。 Imagine THE most tense Wimbledon championship featuring your favourite player， transcribed into words， and you’ll have some inkling of what lies ahead in Carrie Soto is Back （CSIB）。When her record number of grand slam wins is abou “She is relentless。 She does not stop。 She will not be counted out”Wow what a ride this novel is！ It’s propulsive， addictive， adrenalin-fuelled and you power through it as fast as one of legendary tennis player Carrie Soto’s serves。 This is real edge of the seat stuff。 Imagine THE most tense Wimbledon championship featuring your favourite player， transcribed into words， and you’ll have some inkling of what lies ahead in Carrie Soto is Back （CSIB）。When her record number of grand slam wins is about to be broken by Nicki Chan， retired tennis legend Carrie is tempted back into competitive play at 37， to preserve her status as the world’s greatest tennis star。 Carrie’s beloved father， Javier， himself a former tennis champion， is her coach。 He is the man who made her everything she is as a player。 He taught her how to win， but neglected to teach her how to lose; he taught her to be a perfectionist， but not how to cope with failure。 Emotionally damaged by the death of her mother when she was a child， Carrie also struggles to form personal relationships and her personal life is littered with unfulfilling one night stands and brief flings。 （We already know this of course - Carrie Soto is the tennis start who had an affair with Nina Riva’s husband in Malibu Rising。）With all these factors in the psychological mix， Carrie’s attempt to maintain her record is not going to be an easy one。 About as easy as her personality: her nickname is The Battle Axe， and some call her far worse。 CSIB is a very rare sports-based novel for women， with an athlete as its main character。 It looks at the cost of ambition and its effects on both the player and their nearest and dearest， and it also looks at the concept of female single-minded ambition and how this is viewed differently by everyone to how they would the same trait in a male player。 Everyday sexism in the world of tennis and the sports media comes under scrutiny by TJR， as does the very definition of success。In addition to its take on the world of tennis， this novel explores the themes of love， loss， and coming to terms with grief， and the complex dynamic of this father-daughter relationship。 TJR is a brilliant storyteller and she creates wonderfully complex， rounded and developed female characters at the centre of her novels。 Carrie is no different。 She is very similar to Evelyn Hugo in her ambition and determination to be the best。 She can be cruel， mean and unkind to other players and to her family。 She can be ruthless。 She is so single minded that it damages relationships with those she loves， and it isolates her to the point that she has no friends。 There is no softness to her， for which she is berated by both fans and the media。 There are times when her behaviour makes us actively dislike her and we see her as more of an anti-hero。 However， she is also a character we admire and love， and we recognise that under the tough exterior of this determined champion there is hurt， rawness and fear stemming from her grief at the loss of her mother。 Despite all her bad behaviour， we support her and root for her throughout。 We really want Carrie to win， as much as Carrie wants Carrie to win。 Over the course of the season， and with everything that happens， Carrie grows in self-knowledge。 She recognises that being the best also means learning how to fail and to let go， and on the personal front she realises that she must learn to trust and open her heart to relationships。 As her accumulated and unprocessed grief is dealt with， and her self-knowledge grows， the Carrie at the end of the novel is a world away from the one at the outset。If you want an edge-of-the-seat story of ambition， determination and rivalry with a fascinating central character， told with all the trademark TJR sparkle and skill， this is definitely one for you。 100 percent recommended！ 。。。more
Lucy 💘
，
I would give this book an infinite number of stars if I could。 Made me cry on the train and care way too much about tennis， am absolutely obsessed 💘🎾🌿🍓
Felicia
，
Si pudiera darle más estrellas se las daría。 TJR tiene el poder de crear a los personajes más fuertes que he leído nunca。 Leyendas。 Te gusten o no los deportes este libro te mantiene en vilo 300 páginas。 La perseverancia，la fuerza，la ambición de Carrie es inigualable。 La escritura de TJR es magnífica。 Tiene frases e insights muy importantes。Este libro es la historia de una leyenda。 Su creación su vuelo y su legado。Cuando salga a la venta lo leeré de nuevo。Un puntito negativo y que hay que revisa Si pudiera darle más estrellas se las daría。 TJR tiene el poder de crear a los personajes más fuertes que he leído nunca。 Leyendas。 Te gusten o no los deportes este libro te mantiene en vilo 300 páginas。 La perseverancia，la fuerza，la ambición de Carrie es inigualable。 La escritura de TJR es magnífica。 Tiene frases e insights muy importantes。Este libro es la historia de una leyenda。 Su creación su vuelo y su legado。Cuando salga a la venta lo leeré de nuevo。Un puntito negativo y que hay que revisar son las frases en español。 Tienen algún que otro error。Impresionante。 。。。more
Emma
，
As a huge tennis fan （I'm talking following both tours， going to the tournaments， getting up in the middle of the night to watch matches in Aus tennis fan） I hoped this book would live up to my expectations。It's weird， when you love something and KNOW something inside and out， fictitious accounts of it can go either way， you either love them or hate them because they didn't capture the sport/thing you love。 I'm pleased to say that I adored this book and it's portrayal of tennis。Tennis is a nomad As a huge tennis fan （I'm talking following both tours， going to the tournaments， getting up in the middle of the night to watch matches in Aus tennis fan） I hoped this book would live up to my expectations。It's weird， when you love something and KNOW something inside and out， fictitious accounts of it can go either way， you either love them or hate them because they didn't capture the sport/thing you love。 I'm pleased to say that I adored this book and it's portrayal of tennis。Tennis is a nomad life， the players are constantly on the move， the very top players are constantly pushing for more， to get that extra 0。5% that will make them that much more untouchable， and this book captures all of those things。It also has a strong woman who is unapologetically herself and a beautiful central relationship of Carrie and her father， which was a real standout， we don't see it so much， usually more room is given to a romantic lead， so it was special to see the complex relationship between a daughter and her father/coach。I really loved this book。 If you're a tennis fan， it's really a must read too， there was a couple of things unrealistic to the tennis world， but I'll let them slide as it's a work of fiction after all！ 。。。more
Robin Loves Reading
，
In this remarkable read by the ever-popular Taylor Jenkins Reid， Carrie Soto’s rise to fame was rivaled by her comeback in her late thirties， something rather unheard of in the aggressive and demanding world of tennis。 With a successful and talented tennis player as a father， Carrie came by her talent naturally， training since two years of age。 Carrie’s talent only came second to her drive to win。 To be the greatest。 At any cost。 Called the Battle-Axe， Carrie earned a powerful reputation， and sa In this remarkable read by the ever-popular Taylor Jenkins Reid， Carrie Soto’s rise to fame was rivaled by her comeback in her late thirties， something rather unheard of in the aggressive and demanding world of tennis。 With a successful and talented tennis player as a father， Carrie came by her talent naturally， training since two years of age。 Carrie’s talent only came second to her drive to win。 To be the greatest。 At any cost。 Called the Battle-Axe， Carrie earned a powerful reputation， and sadly this led to her being mostly unliked by competitors， and even some of the public。 An injury and aging out of the sport let her retirement when she was just past 30 years of age。 Surgery and recuperation and a six year break seemed to be all Carrie needed to come back to the sport that she loved， the sport that made her a household name。 She once again had the desire to achieve more records。 Now at the 37 years of age， Carrie was determined to win the highest accolade the sport has to offer， including beating someone that was determined to decimate any records that Carrie had earned over the years。 Carrie’s story also showed how unhappy she was at times， and what her motivations were。 It also showed how she didn’t have someone special in her life for years and how that eventually began to change。 As someone who really enjoyed the sport of tennis as a younger person， this story proved to be very enjoyable to me。 This book smoothly explained the rules and intricacies of tennis and the various matches without making the book sounding clinical。 In addition。 although I had this as a Kindle ARC， I also received this as an audiobook ARC。 That was truly a blessing， because with a full cast of twelve narrators， this excellent book was made even better with all of the voices and the occasional sound effects。 Many thanks to Ballantine Books， Libro。fm and to NetGalley for this ARC for review。 This is my honest opinion。Please enjoy my YouTube video review - https://youtu。be/0qVeC-jtzcY 。。。more
Sarah Faichney
，
I had no interest in （and knew absolutely nothing about） tennis going into this book。 I came out knowing I will watch Wimbledon， with bated breath， next time it's on。 'Carrie Soto Is Back' and she's on FIRE！ As far as I'm concerned， Taylor Jenkins Reid can do no wrong and this latest book is no exception。 I had to stop reading it at night because I was getting too excited！ Carrie Soto is a wonderfully complex character and hers is a beautiful， inspiring and empowering story。 I loved everything a I had no interest in （and knew absolutely nothing about） tennis going into this book。 I came out knowing I will watch Wimbledon， with bated breath， next time it's on。 'Carrie Soto Is Back' and she's on FIRE！ As far as I'm concerned， Taylor Jenkins Reid can do no wrong and this latest book is no exception。 I had to stop reading it at night because I was getting too excited！ Carrie Soto is a wonderfully complex character and hers is a beautiful， inspiring and empowering story。 I loved everything about it。 Highly recommend！ 。。。more
Annabel Kok
，
Immaculate。 Made me remember how much I love tennis… and how much I love Taylor Jenkins Reid。 TJR has perfected her craft just as Carrie Soto has and I love every minute of living in the mind of the characters she creates。 I think this might be my favourite TJR yet！
Jessica Fryer
，
This book was so personal to me。 This is my Evelyn Hugo。 I’m confident this might be my book of the year — it was so f*cking good。 I can’t leave Carrie behind。 🤍
Davida Chazan
，
4。75/5 stars！ （Thanks for the free book PRH International） Happy publication day to TJR for this absolutely compelling novel！ I loved it， but you'll only find out why if you read my #bookreview on my blog here。 https://tcl-bookreviews。com/2022/08/3。。。 4。75/5 stars！ （Thanks for the free book PRH International） Happy publication day to TJR for this absolutely compelling novel！ I loved it， but you'll only find out why if you read my #bookreview on my blog here。 https://tcl-bookreviews。com/2022/08/3。。。 。。。more
Joan Bechtold
，
How fitting that Carrie Soto is Back is published on the opening days of the U。S。 Open as tennis fans world-wide watch the final tournament of one of the greatest female players of all time。 Quite simply， Carrie Soto is a fantastic book， and a must read for any fan of women’s tennis where women （and women of color in particular） still face a double-standard not applied to their male counterparts。 Carrie is a fully-realized character — brutally honest and planning a comeback after her lifetime re How fitting that Carrie Soto is Back is published on the opening days of the U。S。 Open as tennis fans world-wide watch the final tournament of one of the greatest female players of all time。 Quite simply， Carrie Soto is a fantastic book， and a must read for any fan of women’s tennis where women （and women of color in particular） still face a double-standard not applied to their male counterparts。 Carrie is a fully-realized character — brutally honest and planning a comeback after her lifetime record of Grand Slam singles titles is in jeopardy。 Her father Javier has agreed to coach her as he did when she was younger， and he is one of the only people who can tell Carrie the truth。 Enter Bowe Huntley， in the twilight years of his game， hired by Javier to become Carrie’s hitting partner。 This book has it all — suspense as we follow Carrie’s comeback season and see if she decides whether winning or joy in the game is more important， and how love and grief can break us open。 5 out of 5 stars。 Highly recommended！Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free advanced readers copy of this book。 Any opinions in this review are wholly my own。 。。。more
Kath
，
When I saw TJR was publishing a new book my heart leapt！ When I saw it featured tennis my heart sank。 Now don't get me wrong。 I love sport - all sport - well， all apart from tennis。 I will sit and watch pretty much everything but I will walk out of a room if the tennis is on。 Long story， mostly involving school and injustice。 But there we are。。。 Dilemma。But， and this is important to all you who view tennis with equal contempt。 It。 Didn't Matter。 This book is about so much more than tennis althou When I saw TJR was publishing a new book my heart leapt！ When I saw it featured tennis my heart sank。 Now don't get me wrong。 I love sport - all sport - well， all apart from tennis。 I will sit and watch pretty much everything but I will walk out of a room if the tennis is on。 Long story， mostly involving school and injustice。 But there we are。。。 Dilemma。But， and this is important to all you who view tennis with equal contempt。 It。 Didn't Matter。 This book is about so much more than tennis although tennis is the platform on which TJR has chosen to tell this story。 Carrie's story。 Her comeback and what that means for not just her， but a whole other bunch of equally wonderful characters。 Yes there's a lot of tennis matches to sit through but each one divulges more about both Carrie's and other characters and moves the narrative along to the next step。 And for those of you who have enjoyed other of TJR's books there are lots of crossovers to be found herein， which always makes me smile。 And the story， well that went in a whole other direction to the one I first thought we'd go。 In a really good way。 And with an ending which wholly satisfied but at the same time made me sad to leave the characters。 So yeah， stop reading reviews and read the book already。 And， if you haven't already read the rest of TJR's back catalogue， well， your TBR will be blessed。。。My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book。 。。。more
Marilyn
，
Review to follow！
Sam
，
“You are not yet who you will one day be。” “You were not born that person。 You were born to become that person。”While I wouldn't go so far as to call Carrie Soto Is Back an instant classic， it was fun， well-paced， and filled with smart observations， drama， heartbreak， and triumph， and a more layered set of characters with myriad themes and emotions that play out over the course of the novel。 This is not - to borrow a tennis comparison - an early Serena-Venus match or a whodunit Federer-Djoko “You are not yet who you will one day be。” “You were not born that person。 You were born to become that person。”While I wouldn't go so far as to call Carrie Soto Is Back an instant classic， it was fun， well-paced， and filled with smart observations， drama， heartbreak， and triumph， and a more layered set of characters with myriad themes and emotions that play out over the course of the novel。 This is not - to borrow a tennis comparison - an early Serena-Venus match or a whodunit Federer-Djokovic-Nadal affair: Taylor Jenkins Reid's plot of the ex champion running it back one more time is really easily telegraphed and I knew exactly where the fault lines， twists， and even final outcome were fairly early on。 But despite those slightly weaker points， it was pure JOY to read， zipping along with her breezy yet incisive writing and then staggering slightly when pops of raw truth or emotion would pop out。 A fulsome four stars: a really solid， crowd-pleasing end of summer read that's more than meets the eye。“I’m telling you， hija， the greatest match of your career is ahead of you。” It is such a kind thing for him to say - exactly the sort of thing a father like him would tell a daughter like me。 Full of heart and love and belief， and maybe a little bit untrue。What is so compelling is that on the one hand， the plot is really simple。 Carrie Soto had a brilliant run in her teens and twenties as a dominant， fierce Grand Slam champion， retired from injury， and then is pushed to defend her record against the next generation of shiny bright tennis stars。 But Carrie Soto Is Back turns out to be so much more than that， and Jenkins Reid does a great job of lulling the reader off balance to bring some introspection into what it means to win， to lose， to be great， to fail， how we wrap ourselves in the stories we tell about ourselves， what we believe and what we're desperately afraid to face。 Carrie is on the comeback in tennis， but she's also starting to put together what it means to be a human being outside of tennis， and her relationship with her father is a study in pride and ambition， faith， and coping （or not coping） with grief loss （Carrie's mother passed away young and tennis is what both Carrie and Javier use to move forward / escape / channel their emotions）。 “Well， guess what， Carrie？ People who are actually playing the game lose。 We all lose。 We lose all the time。 That is life。 So we are not the same， Soto。 I have courage。 You’re just good at tennis。”Then there's the intertwining of athletics and combat， joy， life。 It's a well-worn cliche from any pro sports broadcast about how the game is a metaphor for life and athletes are "warriors"， "heroes"， and wins and losses are framed in moral terms， victories and losses that mean something to fans and players （and the bottom line）。 Jenkins Reid really craftily handles all of these threads well and in some interesting ways: Carrie is called "Achilles" by her father and her dedication to domination above all else is so pronounced in the early chapters， I thought we were destined for a heel injury in Paris （ha ha）， but instead Jenkins Reid asks some interesting questions about how a sports loving audience doesn't give their athletic heroes the same range of emotion and human fragility as Homer gave his Trojan and Greek heroes。 How especially female athletes have a limited box and set of identities they can assume， and to deviate from those and even more importantly to deviate from what is expected is side-eyed。 And Carrie has only ever wanted to be the GOAT， so it's deeply personal and difficult to break that down and rebuild。This is the tiniest beginning of a terrible， beautiful whole new life。We get to know the titular Carrie somewhat slowly: she narrates her past successes and present set mission to reclaim her Grand Slam throne and fend off the younger challengers looking to replace her all-time record。 She's remote， singularly driven， prickly and thin skinned at first， but that's by design: we get to know Carrie as Carrie gets to know Carrie。 She's never been able or known she could be anything more than what was necessary to dominate her sport。 And Jenkins Reid populates Carrie's world with some solid side characters - I wanted more Gwen！ more Nicki Chan！ - to give Carrie opportunities to find new and previously unknown ways she is and can be。 And by the time we're cresting through Carrie's Grand Slam season and I see the plot "twists" coming from pages and pages away， it doesn't matter because Jenkins Reid has given us readers the thing we want to root for the most， the vulnerable， fully human hero。 And again， even knowing how the stage was going to be set， I was feeling all the same excitement and adrenaline at the end with tears of joy and pathos for Carrie。This the first of Jenkins Reid's books I've read， and it will definitely not be the last。 Carrie Soto Is Back， and Jenkins Reid is an author that's here to stay in my book。 Highly recommend！ 。。。more
Lexie
，
Not really quite sure how to feel about this one。It hardly needs to be mentioned， but TJR's writing and character work is engaging， and she continues to play to those strengths in Carrie Soto is Back。 I know nothing about tennis but I really admired Carrie's ambition and how unapologetic she was about her talent and drive to win。 Reading about how the media drags her for not smiling enough or for not starting a family in her retirement was infuriating， and to watch Carrie throw it back in everyo Not really quite sure how to feel about this one。It hardly needs to be mentioned， but TJR's writing and character work is engaging， and she continues to play to those strengths in Carrie Soto is Back。 I know nothing about tennis but I really admired Carrie's ambition and how unapologetic she was about her talent and drive to win。 Reading about how the media drags her for not smiling enough or for not starting a family in her retirement was infuriating， and to watch Carrie throw it back in everyone's faces by doing the damn thing was incredibly satisfying。 However， I had two big issues:First， there has been a lot of discourse surrounding this book and TJR's decision to once again write in the perspective of a Latinx person after being heavily criticized in the past for doing so。 Full disclosure， I am a white person and I gave Evelyn Hugo a 5-star rating after I read it for the first time， but I agree that I would much rather have read a Latinx story like this written by a Latinx author。 Second， I do not give one single hoot about tennis。 Obviously， this is out of TJR's control and has nothing to do with her ability as an author。 I'm a fan of hers， so I was interested in this book for that reason alone， but unfortunately she could not convince me to care at all about the world of professional tennis。 The details of the matches were mostly lost on me， and by the 50% mark I was much more invested in Carrie's relationships with her father and Bowe， a male tennis player that Carrie trains with and gets closer to as the novel goes on。 At the end of the day， this one just wasn't really for me。Overall， while certain elements were enjoyable， I thought this novel lacked the spark that Daisy Jones and Evelyn Hugo both had。 I enjoy TJR and plan on reading more from her in the future， but I'm hoping she makes different decisions involving how she handles POC characters going forward。Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Janine Bowyer
，
3。5 rounded up to 4。 Although usually a fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid- this book was so heavily focussed on the mechanics of tennis that I found myself uninterested at times。 Took awhile to get into the book。
Anastasia Wiley
，
DNF at Chapter 9: 1983。（view spoiler）[I had some issues with the book and the writing， but I may one day go back and finished it。 （hide spoiler）]Thank you Random House and Ballantine Books for the advance reader copy and Libro。fm for the advance listening copy。 DNF at Chapter 9: 1983。（view spoiler）[I had some issues with the book and the writing， but I may one day go back and finished it。 （hide spoiler）]Thank you Random House and Ballantine Books for the advance reader copy and Libro。fm for the advance listening copy。 。。。more
Megan
，
This week’s headline？ The bitch is back。 （I admit I put this down before that scene… I may feel a little bad）。 Why this book？ Very anticipated read Which book format？ ARC Primary reading environment？ By the lake Any preconceived notions？ It’s TJR， so I’m hoping I won’t be disappointedIdentify most with？ CarrieThree little words？ “the Battle-Axe”Goes well with？ Tennis courts， rivalries， fierce competitionRecommend this to？ Fans of TJR’s other novelsOther cultural accompaniments: https://www。tenni This week’s headline？ The bitch is back。 （I admit I put this down before that scene… I may feel a little bad）。 Why this book？ Very anticipated read Which book format？ ARC Primary reading environment？ By the lake Any preconceived notions？ It’s TJR， so I’m hoping I won’t be disappointedIdentify most with？ CarrieThree little words？ “the Battle-Axe”Goes well with？ Tennis courts， rivalries， fierce competitionRecommend this to？ Fans of TJR’s other novelsOther cultural accompaniments: https://www。tennistheme。com/tennishis。。。 Grade: 3。75/5I leave you with this: “Unlike them， my time had purpose; my father and I were working toward something of meaning。 I was going to be the best。”📚📚📚Carrie Soto Is Back is about a retired tennis pro who was once considered the best until years later when another player comes onto the scene and matches her record。 So there’s only one option - Carrie must come out of retirement and reclaim her title。This is a story of ambition borderlining on obsession。 All Carries thinks about is tennis。 All she cares about is winning。 Most of the book focuses on tennis matches， giving play by plays， which may be a turn off for some people， but I didn’t find it too technical。 I loved the relationship between Carrie and her father。 It brought some depth that was otherwise lacking as most of it can read like a biography， even though it is in first person。 I still recommend this， though， as it’s entertaining if you’re not expecting it to be exactly like TJR’s other books。 tw: mention of deathCarrie Soto Is Back is available now。 。。。more
Nikki Neuman
，
TJR's writing is so crisp！ She captures the essence of any storyline she sets out to create。 Her characters are impeccably drawn， their individual stories melding effortlessly into the overall story， creating a world that you'd swear was real。 You know her characters。 You've seen， watched， and heard them， you could swear it。 Any athlete will feel this storyline to their core， but anyone can read it， athlete or not。 Now if you'll excuse me， I'm going to find some footage of Wimbledon and the US O TJR's writing is so crisp！ She captures the essence of any storyline she sets out to create。 Her characters are impeccably drawn， their individual stories melding effortlessly into the overall story， creating a world that you'd swear was real。 You know her characters。 You've seen， watched， and heard them， you could swear it。 Any athlete will feel this storyline to their core， but anyone can read it， athlete or not。 Now if you'll excuse me， I'm going to find some footage of Wimbledon and the US Open and see what Carrie Soto can do！ 5-stars 。。。more
Bernadette Bloom
，
Carrie is one of those polarizing characters in Malibu Rising。 It's not until you read her story that you understand where she's coming from and who she is。 Loved。 It。 Carrie Soto is unapologetic about her ability。 She is determined。 She's fierce。 She's focused。 She's loyal。 She's tough on everyone， especially herself， yet secretly vulnerable。 She is an undermined female athlete whose sacrifice for her sport demands respect yet sportscasters and male athletes don't give her her due。 I couldn’t p Carrie is one of those polarizing characters in Malibu Rising。 It's not until you read her story that you understand where she's coming from and who she is。 Loved。 It。 Carrie Soto is unapologetic about her ability。 She is determined。 She's fierce。 She's focused。 She's loyal。 She's tough on everyone， especially herself， yet secretly vulnerable。 She is an undermined female athlete whose sacrifice for her sport demands respect yet sportscasters and male athletes don't give her her due。 I couldn’t put it down。 Her story was riveting from beginning to end。 。。。more
Sky
，
If you absolutely loved the seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo， Malibu rising， or Daisy Jones and the six， you will absolutely love this book as well。 It has the crossover‘s everybody is looking for， a strong main character， and Taylor Jenkins Reid’s great writing。 For me though， I don’t have the best track record with her books。 I loved Daisy Jones and the six but didn’t really care about Evelyn Hugo or Malibu rising。 I found this book to have the same hiccups that Evelyn Hugo and Malibu rising had If you absolutely loved the seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo， Malibu rising， or Daisy Jones and the six， you will absolutely love this book as well。 It has the crossover‘s everybody is looking for， a strong main character， and Taylor Jenkins Reid’s great writing。 For me though， I don’t have the best track record with her books。 I loved Daisy Jones and the six but didn’t really care about Evelyn Hugo or Malibu rising。 I found this book to have the same hiccups that Evelyn Hugo and Malibu rising had but also have the same redeeming qualities that Daisy Jones and the six had。 I enjoyed the father daughter relationship And I don’t think anyone could ever say that Taylor Jenkins Reid is not a good writer。 It was just a decent read for me， nothing absolutely terrible but also nothing absolutely phenomenal。 。。。more
Victoria
，
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 overtak 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。 TFor those not sure about a book is based around sports—do not like 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。 。。。more
Katie B
，
3。5 starsThis book has left me with conflicted feelings。 While Carrie Soto is one of Taylor Jenkins Reid's most memorable characters， I just don't think this novel is her strongest work。 Still a lot to appreciate though even if she didn't serve up an ace。 （Yeah， I know what I did there。 Come on， it's a book about tennis， I had to！）When Carrie Soto retired she was the best tennis player the world had ever seen having won twenty Grand Slam titles。 At age 37 and out of the sport for a number of yea 3。5 starsThis book has left me with conflicted feelings。 While Carrie Soto is one of Taylor Jenkins Reid's most memorable characters， I just don't think this novel is her strongest work。 Still a lot to appreciate though even if she didn't serve up an ace。 （Yeah， I know what I did there。 Come on， it's a book about tennis， I had to！）When Carrie Soto retired she was the best tennis player the world had ever seen having won twenty Grand Slam titles。 At age 37 and out of the sport for a number of years， she has a strong desire to make a comeback after watching Nicki Chan tie her record。 Won't be easy jumping back into the world of professional tennis， but she'll have the help of her coach， aka her father， and the will to win。Because Carrie lives， eats and breathes tennis all day long， the story revolves around practice and matches。 I grew up playing the sport so my interest level was high。 If you don't like tennis or understand that competitive drive， I honestly don't know if this is the book for you。 Carrie is a fascinating character but again， there's a lot of tennis。 TJR is a thoughtful writer and brings good things to the table but unfortunately it gets overshadowed by the tennis。I binge read this book so I did like it but it didn't leave me with an emotional impact like some of the author's other books。Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an advance digital copy！ All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion。 。。。more
Karen
，
3。5 stars。 I have never been a big tennis fan but certainly enjoyed reading this book。
Rosa
，
Wow-TJR Did it again！ What an absolute masterpiece！
Matthew Soukotta
，
I love tennis and I love this book。 I’ve always enjoyed fast-paced books and this book came to be one of my best reads this year。 I love Carrie Soto’s character development in the book。 Brava， TJR。
Puck
，
For some incredible reason I received this book 3 days before the official release date。 I am anything but interested in sports， so when I found out that Taylor Jenkins Reid’s next book was going to be about a tennis player。 I was a bit disappointed and very skeptical about liking it。 Boy was I wrong。 I just finished this book in one sitting。 This book touched something deep inside of me。 This was an emotional rollercoaster and I absolutely loved every single second of it。 Carrie’s story touched For some incredible reason I received this book 3 days before the official release date。 I am anything but interested in sports， so when I found out that Taylor Jenkins Reid’s next book was going to be about a tennis player。 I was a bit disappointed and very skeptical about liking it。 Boy was I wrong。 I just finished this book in one sitting。 This book touched something deep inside of me。 This was an emotional rollercoaster and I absolutely loved every single second of it。 Carrie’s story touched me and resonated with me。 And every single tennis match had me rooting for her and on the edge of my seat。 I urge everyone to read this。 And as this book teaches us， we as woman can take on the world and do anything we set our minds to no matter what anyone tells us。 。。。more
Johanna （RWMB_bookclub）
，
Well I don’t know I’m the only one that didn’t die over this。 Maybe I’m broken。 It was missing depth for me。 This book was missing that TJR magic。 Carrie was obsessed and narcissistic and mean to people and unlikeable。 She was so rude to her opponents and people in her life。 It made it hard to route for her。 She was too one dimensional。 Also， the story never really went anywhere。 Page 50 was the same as page 300。 Carrie trying to show she was still the greatest and age or people haven’t affected Well I don’t know I’m the only one that didn’t die over this。 Maybe I’m broken。 It was missing depth for me。 This book was missing that TJR magic。 Carrie was obsessed and narcissistic and mean to people and unlikeable。 She was so rude to her opponents and people in her life。 It made it hard to route for her。 She was too one dimensional。 Also， the story never really went anywhere。 Page 50 was the same as page 300。 Carrie trying to show she was still the greatest and age or people haven’t affected her。 Like wow we get it you only want to win。 😵💫I get what she was trying to do but this completely missed the mark unfortunately。 I expect more DEPTH from TJR。 Being unapologetic isn’t the same as being mean to everyone。 You can be unapologetic and focused without being a complete ass to everyone around you。 I needed more from the plot development too。 And yes I would feel the same way if the main character was a man。 I don’t like ass holes。 What can I say。 。。。more
Samantha Luke
，
I found this book slow to get going and twice I nearly gave up on it I found it got more interesting at roughly halfway through the book。 On the whole I felt this was more like an autobiography than a fiction read。I didn't enjoy the media & TV reports and found myself skimming over them & there was quite a bit of Spanish in the book as well。Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for this advance read。 I found this book slow to get going and twice I nearly gave up on it I found it got more interesting at roughly halfway through the book。 On the whole I felt this was more like an autobiography than a fiction read。I didn't enjoy the media & TV reports and found myself skimming over them & there was quite a bit of Spanish in the book as well。Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for this advance read。 。。。more
Maddie | bookish。pgh
，
In this powerful novel about the cost of greatness， a legendary athlete attempts a comeback when the world considers her past her prime—from the New York Times bestselling author of Malibu Rising。Thank you to NetGalley， Random House Publishing Group and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read and review an advanced readers copy of this book。 This in no way affects my review， all opinions are my own。I never thought I'd be so invested in a book about tennis， of all things。 But wow， this one s In this powerful novel about the cost of greatness， a legendary athlete attempts a comeback when the world considers her past her prime—from the New York Times bestselling author of Malibu Rising。Thank you to NetGalley， Random House Publishing Group and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read and review an advanced readers copy of this book。 This in no way affects my review， all opinions are my own。I never thought I'd be so invested in a book about tennis， of all things。 But wow， this one seriously had me hooked！ I'm convinced that TJR can't write a bad book。 Carrie Soto is a tennis star， who at thirty-seven years old decides to come out of retirement to reclaim her record and image as the world's best tennis player。 Soto is such an interesting character because she is so cold and motivated towards only tennis and nothing else， but you'll still be rooting for her the entire time。 TJR writes these really compelling heroines in her books but is never shy about their faults， and that stays pretty true to Soto as well。There are times when I was reading and we would start one of Carrie's matches where I would just find my heart racing because it was so intense。 I didn't know anything about tennis starting this， but I feel like I learned so much just being in Carrie's head and reading the play by plays of her games。 Her passion for the sport made this story so much more enjoyable and exciting to read！ I think that any TJR fans will fall in love with this book and Soto's story。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Carrie Soto Is Back
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Carrie Soto Is Back&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Carrie Soto Is Back&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0