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Carrie Soto Is Back audiobook vs book: which should you choose?

At 37, the greatest tennis player of her era comes out of retirement to defend her Grand Slam record. A twelve-strong cast, with real broadcasters on commentary, makes this a clear listen.

Read vs Listen·First published 6 November 2026·Last edited 6 November 2026·5 min read
Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The verdict
The same thirteen checks for every bookSix checks point to listening, such as a full cast or produced audio, the author reading their own memoir, or one narrator for a single viewpoint. Seven point to reading, such as jumping timelines, three or more viewpoints, or a story that depends on images or layout. Each check has a weight, and the weighted total sets the verdict. Verdicts are never paid for. The percentage rises with the gap between the two sides and with how much evidence there is, so a couple of small checks can’t make a book clear cut on their own: 50 to 64 is a close call, 65 to 79 is leaning, 80 to 94 is clear, and 95 or more is clear cut. See how we decide in full →

Listen on Audible

Listen to Carrie Soto Is Back for its cast of twelve: Kirkus praises Stacy Gonzalez’s “impassioned” Carrie, and the real tennis broadcasters Mary Carillo and Patrick McEnroe provide “riveting commentary” on the matches. The untranslated Spanish between Carrie and her father is spoken rather than left on the page to puzzle over, and after one long flashback the story runs in order, so it is easy to follow by ear.

Audible listeners rate the narration 4.4 out of 5 (901 ratings)

Definitely readDefinitely listen
88%
Listen
Listen on AudibleOur pick · 10h 30m, performed by Stacy Gonzalez and a cast of 11Kindle edition400 pages (UK paperback) · about 6½ hours to read

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The audiobook at a glance

RecordingUK edition, our verdictUS edition
NarratorStacy Gonzalez and a cast of 11Stacy Gonzalez and a cast of 11
Length10 hours 30 minutes (10h 30m), unabridged10 hours 30 minutes (10h 30m), unabridged
At 1.5xabout 7habout 7h
At 2xabout 5h 15mabout 5h 15m
Audio publisher and datePenguin, 30 August 2022Random House Audio, 30 August 2022
Audiobook price£11.20 on Audible UK$20.25 on Audible US
Kindle price£3.99 on Amazon UKNot listed
PrintPenguin paperback, 400 pages, 2023Ballantine, 2022
Listener ratingPerformance 4.44 from 901 ratingsPerformance 4.67 from 7,731 ratings

The same twelve narrators are credited on the UK (Penguin) and US (Random House Audio) listings, at the same length, so the UK listing is the one scored. We couldn’t confirm whether they are the same master recording.

Kirkus confirms that Stacy Gonzalez reads Carrie and the supporting cast reads the commentary; the listings don’t say which of the other narrators reads which part. The only other recording is a Spanish translation, El regreso de Carrie Soto, which is not scored. Ratings and prices checked 6 November 2026. Prices change often. US Kindle prices are left out, as Amazon only shows them to US visitors.

Lengths checked 6 November 2026. Speed times are calculated.

Why this verdictWhat it isCase for readingCase for listeningThe audiobookWho should ignore itQuestions

Carrie Soto Is Back

Taylor Jenkins Reid

Genre
Historical fiction
First published
August 2022
Length
400 pages (UK paperback)
On audio
10 hrs 30 mins, Stacy Gonzalez and a cast of 11
On screen
Netflix series in development

On this page

  1. Why we reached this verdict
  2. What this book actually is
  3. The case for reading it
  4. The case for listening to it
  5. The audiobook in detail
  6. Who should ignore this verdict
  7. Questions people ask

Why we reached this verdict

Every book on this site is checked against the same thirteen questions. They are based on research into what most people find easier to follow in each format, not on whether the book is any good.

Three checks point to listening
✓
Full cast or produced audioTwelve narrators are credited on Audible UK and US, and Kirkus says Stacy Gonzalez reads Carrie while a “large supporting cast”, including Patrick McEnroe and Mary Carillo, provides “riveting commentary”. Smexy Books describes “several voice actors playing the parts of the press”, so the match broadcasts are performed rather than just read.
✓
Award-winning or praised narrationKirkus praises Gonzalez’s “impassioned” performance, fierce as Carrie and tender in the scenes with her father, and the cast’s “riveting commentary”. A lead who carries both the drive and the warmth suits a story told entirely by Carrie.
✓
Unfamiliar names or dialectRoelia Reads says there is “quite a bit of Spanish that’s not translated” in Carrie’s talks with her father, and Shelf Reflection agrees. Hearing those lines spoken lets them pass as part of the conversation instead of stopping you on the page.
Checked, not a factor here (10)
–
Read by the authorIt is a novel, so the author-reading check doesn’t apply.
–
Single point of view and narratorCarrie tells the story, but twelve readers perform it, so this check is about a single reader and doesn’t fit.
–
Long bookThe UK paperback has 400 pages, not over the 400-page line.
–
Jumping timelinesIt opens at the 1994 US Open, goes back once through Carrie’s past, then moves forward through her comeback (SuperSummary), so there are no jumping timelines.
–
Three or more points of view, one narratorThere is one point of view, Carrie’s.
–
Literary or dense proseKirkus calls it “compulsively readable”, so the prose isn’t dense.
–
Narration criticisedPerformance 4.44 from 901 ratings on Audible UK and 4.67 from 7,731 on Audible US, and no critic criticises the narration.
–
Story depends on images or layoutBroadcast transcripts and articles sit between chapters, but they are text, and nothing we found says the story depends on how they are laid out.
–
Many similar-sounding namesNothing we found says the names are hard to tell apart.
–
Maps, family trees or footnotesNothing we found mentions a map or family tree, and no PDF comes with the audiobook.
How the score adds up
Listening 19 points, reading 0

A full cast (10), praised narration (6) and the untranslated Spanish (3) give listening 19 points, and no check gives reading any. That makes it a clear listen at 88%.

Every book gets the same thirteen checks, set in advance. Verdicts are never paid for or influenced by affiliate links. Last edited 6 November 2026, and rechecked every year as editions and narrators change. Read the checks in full · Is listening the same as reading? See what the research says.

The recording in detail

One narratorMulti-voiceFull castDramatised
Scored
Stacy Gonzalez, Mary Carillo, Patrick McEnroe, Rob Simmelkjaer, Brendan Wayne, Max Meyers, Reynaldo Piniella, Vidish Athavale, Tom Bromhead, Heath Miller, Julia Whelan, Sara Arrington, Penguin, 2022, 10h 30m, unabridged
Critic review
Kirkus: Gonzalez’s “impassioned” Carrie and the cast’s “riveting commentary”
Alternatives
None in English: the only other recording is a Spanish translation
What you miss
Little. The transcripts and articles between chapters are text, the cast performs the match commentary, and there’s no map or family tree

What this book actually is

Carrie Soto Is Back is Taylor Jenkins Reid’s 2022 novel about the greatest tennis player of her era, who comes out of retirement at 37 to defend her Grand Slam record, coached by her father, Javier. Carrie tells the story herself, opening at the 1994 US Open and going back through her childhood and career before following her comeback.

It is the fourth of Reid’s novels set in one shared world, after The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones and the Six and Malibu Rising, and won the 2022 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Historical Fiction. Netflix is developing a TV series, with Serena Williams as an executive producer. It deals with grief, the death of a parent and a sports injury.

The case for reading it

There is little here that print does better. The story runs in order after one long flashback, Carrie is the only point of view, and Kirkus calls it “compulsively readable”, so it is just as easy to follow by ear.

The broadcast transcripts and press articles between chapters are part of the book’s fun on the page, and reading lets you take the Spanish at your own pace. If you prefer to read your fiction, you lose nothing important.

The case for listening to it

This is a full-cast production. Stacy Gonzalez gives what Kirkus calls an “impassioned” performance as Carrie, and the supporting cast, including the real tennis broadcasters Mary Carillo and Patrick McEnroe, performs the match commentary that runs between chapters.

Smexy Books describes “several voice actors playing the parts of the press in Sports Center type moments”. The untranslated Spanish between Carrie and her father is spoken aloud, and at 10 and a half hours it is a comfortable listen.

The audiobook in detail

Twelve narrators perform the unabridged Penguin recording, released on 30 August 2022, in 10 hours 30 minutes: Stacy Gonzalez, Mary Carillo, Patrick McEnroe, Rob Simmelkjaer, Brendan Wayne, Max Meyers, Reynaldo Piniella, Vidish Athavale, Tom Bromhead, Heath Miller, Julia Whelan and Sara Arrington. Random House Audio sells it on Audible US at the same length.

Kirkus praises Gonzalez’s lead and the cast’s “riveting commentary”, and an Audible US editorial review calls it “a stellar full cast that includes cameos from legendary tennis announcers”. No award was found for the recording, and no PDF comes with it.

Who should ignore this verdict

You don’t need to know about tennis: one reviewer says “the rules and the game are explained where needed”. You don’t need Reid’s other books either, though fans of the shared world will spot the links.

Get Carrie Soto Is Back
Both editions, so you can go with the verdict or ignore it entirely.
Our pick

Audiobook

  • Full cast of 12, led by Stacy Gonzalez
  • 10h 30m
  • Unabridged
Listen on Audible

Kindle

  • 400 pages (UK paperback)
  • Take the Spanish at your own pace
  • About 6½ hours to read (our estimate)
Get the Kindle edition
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Related verdicts

Same author

Daisy Jones & The Six

Another full cast, in the same shared world.

Same author

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

The first book in Reid’s shared world.

Same author

Malibu Rising

The third book in Reid’s shared world.

Same author

Atmosphere

There are separate narrators for the two main threads, Julia Whelan as Joan and Kristen DiMercurio on the Vanessa shuttle mission sections, so you always know where you are. It won the 2026 Audie Award in the Fiction category, and Kirkus calls it an absolute must listen.

Opposite verdict

Lessons in Chemistry

Historical fiction about an ambitious woman.

Same verdict

Happy Place

Julia Whelan, part of this cast, reads it alone.

Start here

How we decide

The thirteen questions behind every verdict on this site.

Questions people ask

Who narrates the Carrie Soto Is Back audiobook?

Stacy Gonzalez reads Carrie, with a supporting cast of eleven, including the tennis commentators Mary Carillo and Patrick McEnroe and the narrator Julia Whelan.

Is the Carrie Soto Is Back audiobook full cast?

Yes. Twelve narrators are credited, and Kirkus says the supporting cast performs the match commentary.

How long is the Carrie Soto Is Back audiobook?

10 hours 30 minutes, unabridged. That is about 7 hours at 1.5x speed and about 5 hours 15 minutes at 2x (calculated).

Is the Carrie Soto Is Back audiobook abridged?

No. The UK (Penguin) and US (Random House Audio) listings are unabridged.

How many pages is Carrie Soto Is Back?

The UK Penguin paperback (ISBN 9781804940877) has 400 pages.

Do I need to read other Taylor Jenkins Reid books first?

No. It is set in the same fictional world as The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones and the Six and Malibu Rising, and is the fourth of those books, but it stands alone.

Is Carrie Soto Is Back being made into a TV series?

Yes, in development. Netflix bought the rights to make a series, with Serena Williams as an executive producer, in April 2025. As of November 2026 no cast or release date had been announced.

Is there Spanish in Carrie Soto Is Back?

Yes. Carrie and her father speak some Spanish that is not translated.

Do I need to know about tennis to enjoy Carrie Soto Is Back?

No. One reviewer says “the rules and the game are explained where needed”, and Kirkus says Reid turns “a tennis match into a page-turner”.

Should I read or listen to Carrie Soto Is Back?

Listen. A cast of twelve, led by Stacy Gonzalez as Carrie and with Mary Carillo and Patrick McEnroe on commentary, brings the matches to life, and Kirkus praises both the lead and the cast. The story runs in order after one long flashback, so it is easy to follow by ear.

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Carrie Soto Is BackOur pick: listen · 88%
KindleListen on Audible