Taylor Jenkins Reid has experienced a surge in popularity in the past five years, with the help of social media platforms like YouTube and TikTok. Her most popular books Daisy Jones and The Six (was adapted into a limited series on Amazon Prime) and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (in production) are still heavily promoted by bookish influencers.

I remember when I first saw the cover of Carrie Soto Is Back–the gold one that is–I was immediately enticed. I knew I wanted to read this story. Taylor Jenkins Reid is an over-hyped author in the book community, still I felt compelled to read this one. Her latest novel is arguably the least interesting of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s books. Although this release did not get as much hoopla as her previous ones, the author’s character development of a female athlete, past her prime, makes it worth the read.

Could it be ageism working against this story? Could it be the unlikeable, female character is too unlikeable? Or is it just a dull story? These are the questions I asked myself to solve the puzzle of why Carrie Soto Is Back flopped.

Carrie Soto is a female character with a lot of strikes against her when it comes to societal norms: she is a middle-aged, unmarried, and childless woman with a successful career. All reasons for people–especially women to judge her harshly. She is a retired tennis player who is driven back to the game, by a younger player–with a winning streak, to defend her record.

This protagonist may be considered “unlikeable” but I found her struggles with communication skills endearing, partly because she had no social life and was surrounded by a small circle of people, who were invested in her professional life. While her undeveloped social skills were explicable, her lack of maturity was not. The most disappointing about the main character’s development is the lack of growth the character had shown by the end of the story. I wouldn’t say Carrie Soto has a character arc, it’s more like a minuscule lift, from the base, that you have to concentrate on intensely to even notice.

The tennis legend could be a likable character if she showed grace during conversations with her semi friends and opponents; instead she relished in reminding people of her GOAT status and why they are not an Olympic winner like her. The one relationship that could make readers soften to this unlikeable character is that with her father. This is the only time you see that she loves someone, and is interested in someone else’s well being besides her own.

I would recommend Carrie Soto Is Back if you like a strong, female character who is driven and determined to reclaim her GOAT status. If you are a fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s writing style, this one would be a good addition to your collection but don’t expect to be immediately captivated by the story; it’s the kind that grows on you slowly.

In the middle of my reread of this title, TJR gave her loyal readers an update on her next project. As a subscriber to her newsletter, I was excited when I got the news that her next novel, Atmosphere, releases on June 03, 2025. Here is an excerpt from the synopsis: 

“Joan Goodwin has been obsessed with the stars for as long as she can remember. Thoughtful and reserved, Joan is content with her life as a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University and as aunt to her precocious niece, Frances. That is, until she comes across an advertisement seeking the first women scientists to join NASA’s Space Shuttle program. Suddenly, Joan burns to be one of the few people to go to space.”

Until then, Taylor Jenkins Reid has left us with more than enough stories to entertain us while we wait.