I do like T7HOEH a little bit more as a book, but Carrie Soto is a masterpiece and potentially a better book. The highest compliment I have for this book in comparison to Evelyn is that while Evelyn's story was one that intrigued me to the point where I would read it from any author, I do not care at all about a 37-year-old tennis player. TJR MADE me care though, which is why I think Carrie Soto Is Back is so phenomenal.
I can't praise these characters enough. The element TJR always seems to portray the best is ambition, especially in women. Throughout all of this book, I LOVED Carrie's pursuit of her record, and I was never once thinking, "she's deluding herself" or that she was unlikable. I love seeing women take what they want, and Carrie didn't change that. Additionally, Javier Soto and Bowe were amazing to read about. It warms my heart to see a character that's understood so well among her loved ones like Carrie is by Bowe and Javier. They had their own goals for her career (and Bowe for his own), but these characters were both unwavering, supportive, and fiercely unique in another character's story.
The primary relationships in this book are between Carrie and her father and Carrie and Bowe. One thing that always bothers me in books with "unlikable" protagonists is people faulting them for their nature that they've maintained for decades. Celia should've known that Evelyn was willing to do anything to keep their secret, but these characters truly understand Carrie as a person. It wasn't always like this as Javier was separated from Carrie for years and Bowe and Carrie wanted such different things, but they understood her behavior and what she could handle. I loved seeing Carrie repair her relationship with her father and create one with Bowe, even while she prioritized her tennis career over both sometimes (and later on, this changed).
Lastly, our plot. As I said at the beginning, I could not care less about tennis. I didn't know anything about it, and I still don't know much. However, TJR made me CARE. I was feeling everything Carrie was, and I was completely consumed by this plot. There's no real world-building to talk about since this is a realistic fiction book, but I'll never get over how seamlessly TJR incorporates people who have never existed into this world to the point where I feel like I'd see their photos and Wikipedia page should I Google them. This book was beyond amazing and captivating.
I'd recommend this book to fans of TJR's other book, but even more to people who might have zero interest in it. I hate expanding my horizons, but Carrie Soto Is Back was a PHENOMENAL story that I think would cater to so many people, young and old, athlete or lazy like me. GO READ THIS.

Taylor Jenkins Reid does it again. Everything she writes is pure gold and Carrie Soto Is Back is no exception. I was a little apprehensive at first because the story centers around tennis, a sport I have not much interest in, but I am so glad I didn’t let that stop me. This novel reminded me in many ways of the come up story of Venus and Serena Williams and their father Richard. Reid’s stories just seem to flow like a river and there is just something about them that draws you in and makes you not want to put the book down til the end. She could write one word on a page and I’d probably give it 5 stars lol. Another must read from TJR.

I LOVED this book- most definitely my favorite from Jenkins-Reid since Evelyn Hugo. It's hard to describe what I enjoyed about this book so much, and I'll admit that I'm not a tennis fan and the description didn't necessarily jump out at me.

Despite all of this, I was deep in this story from the beginning, not only feeling invested in the father/daughter relationship but feeling like I was a fan on the sidelines of every match described.

I especially loved the story following an older athlete and how it feels to lose that identity and develop a new one. Carrie Soto is my favorite character from this author yet- I highly recommend this powerful and inspiring read!

Thank you to Random House & Ballantine Books for my gifted copy.

I had high expectations for this book. I've read three TJR books in the last six months and loved them all. That was not the case with this one.
Though this book was meticulously edited for grammar, it did not seem like it was edited for story or craft. The chronological match format was dull and the news articles added nothing. An editor or early reader should have caught the lack of story and suggested a different format. I would not be surprised to find out that this is a well-edited third draft because it literally listed the years and what happened in those years in the same way a writer would format a timeline for a novel.
It felt like reading a poorly written tennis stars' memoir mixed with a tennis match run down. I have read other books based on sports and loved them. Carrie Soto is Back fell short. There was nothing at stake for Carrie Soto. I had no emotional attachment to her father and did not care that he passed away in the last ninety percent of the book which was the one and only big event for the book. The tennis titles meant nothing. The writing in the tennis scenes was good in that it was well described, but it was boring and gave nothing to Carrie's character development. The tennis matches could have been cut by 95% and paraphrased making this into a short story or a short chapter in another book.

This book will sell well, I'm sure. TJR's other books have established her fandom. Hopefully, she does not have to have a TJR is Back moment for herself after this flop.

I desperately wanted to like this book because I loved the last three books I’ve read by TJR! I really stuck it out for as long as I could, but I just couldn’t end up finishing it. Perhaps if I were a fan of tennis, I would’ve enjoyed it more, because it is filled with descriptions of tennis matches and general tennis lingo. But it just kinda fell flat for me. I still really love TJR as a writer though, and can’t wait to see what else she comes up with down the road.

I received a free arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Taylor Jenkins Reid is back. Just kidding, she never left. This was fantastic.

I know nothing about tennis so I didn’t think the matches would be my favorite writing, but they were so lively and fun.

Carrie Soto was not a particularly compelling character to me when she showed up in Malibu Rising, but I loved her in her own book. She is like a Katniss Everdeen tennis champion— unapologetic about her skills, careful with her heart, and fiercely loyal. There was also romance and a beautiful father daughter story. Both character and plot driven, this book has it all!

Taylor Jenkins Reid’s writing style makes me just devour her books. Carrie Soto is Back is no different. This was her first book where I (finally) made the connection that all of these books and characters are somewhat related at certain points in time. I am an avid tennis fan and thought the various players, their styles, different mentalities toward the sport and winning, and the changes that come as a player matures were all spot on from what I’ve witnessed historically. I loved Carrie’s complex relationship with her father/coach. I enjoyed Gwen the agent and think she could have her own parallel book! I can’t say I cared for Carrie throughout most of it because she came across as socially unlikable which had me doubting at the start whether I’d stick with it. Instead the supporting characters and relationships hooked me in. I loved that there was also acknowledgement of the additional challenges that professional players from different types of minority groups face. Again, this is real. The constant awareness of the media catching a celebrity’s every move, how it impacts any chance of normality is real Having to sometimes surrender to whatever the media is saying and let it go, true or not, is real. The misunderstandings perpetuated by the frenzy are real. The book is fast paced and I liked that the chapters with matches were pretty tightly written so that if you aren’t a tennis aficionado you’d be ok. Overall, another ace in the Grand Slam of books by Taylor Jenkins Reid!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Ballantine for allowing me to read and review his book.

Taylor Jenkins Reid does something remarkable in her writing and Carrie Soto is Back is no exception.

At 37, Carrie Soto (record breaking tennis player) decides to come out of retirement when a younger athlete breaks her record. Carrie trains with her father, Javier, in order to attempt the biggest comeback of all time.

I went in really nervous because Carrie wasn’t particularly likable in Malibu Rising but reading this book changed how I viewed her character completely. It’s not that she does a 180- her characterization in Malibu Rising is spot on but now you get to see the why behind the person that she is. And this is where this novel really shines because Carrie Soto is a REAL person. I was rooting for her not because she’s my favorite person but because she IS a person. She’s a lot of what women aren’t supposed to be- she’s abrasive as hell, competitive, and domineering. She does a lot of necessary maturing in this story and it’s impossible not to root for her.

As someone who grew up as an opinionated, competitive girl I couldn’t help but see myself in Carrie in so many ways, and not even mostly positive. Also as someone who played tennis for years this was like heaven for me- I will warn that this book is heavy into tennis/sports atmosphere. I loved it because I loved tennis but it is a HEAVY part of the book.

God, this book made me so emotional. Carrie Soto is the definition of a hard worker but she’s also one who believes winning is literally everything- the journey of exploring Carrie’s own worth outside of what she can achieve? I could start sobbing again. This book spoke to me in ways that I can’t even really put eloquently but for any over-achiever (even if you’re not/weren’t an athlete- this will touch your SOUL)

Greatness comes in accepting others (AND YOUR OWN!!!!) imperfections. Wow. What a great book. Already ready to reread this.

Thank you NetGalley, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Ballentine for the advanced reader copy of Carrie Soto is Back!

I think this is my favorite of Reid's yet. Carrie is just so... real. She's flawed and messy and kind of cold but in a way that you feel so close to. The whole cast of characters are perfection. It's different from Reid's last few but I think this is her best character work. Honestly the book as a whole is pretty damn near flawless.

Let me start by saying that I know absolutely NOTHING about tennis and I don't really care for it either. This book is extremely heavy on tennis lingo and would be perfect for someone who is a tennis junkie. TJR goes into depth on certain tennis games and Carrie’s background in tennis. At times I found myself skimming over these parts because they were boring and lengthy. I do wish there was more depth on the characters and their relationships and less emphasis on the actual tennis games. Aside from this, I liked Carrie’s character and her relationship with her father. Carrie can be a little feisty which was fun to read at times. I fell in love with her and Bowe. I was surprised that we did not get to see hardly any of Mick Riva in this one. While not my favorite TJR book this was a quick and enjoyable read.

Carrie Soto wasn’t a character I thought twice about in Malibu Rising, but I am here for this book!!! So excited we get to read her story! I didn’t like Carrie for much of the book but I loved Javier and I loved Bowe. Carrie grew on me by the second half of the book. I could not put this book down and I was so sad when it was over.

This book is a dream for tennis fans. Hopefully it resonates with readers who aren't familiar with tennis as well. Carrie Soto is the ultimate competitor. She's laser focused on her tennis career from a young age, and while the book goes into lots of detail about her games and training, it's clear that Carrie's approach to tennis has come with a cost. After her mom's death, Carrie's only meaningful relationship is with her dad/coach. Just over 1/3 of the way through the book Carrie starts her professional tennis comeback, and in the process faces her biggest personal challenges as well. She ultimately has to figure out what success really means for her, and what her happiness looks like.

Thank you Ballantine Books and #NetGalley for the ARC e-book to read and review.

I have loved TJR since her first book came out, and while this one fell a little short, it was a fast-paced read nonetheless.

Carrie Soto is a record breaking tennis phenomenon out for blood, glory, and most importantly, Slam title wins. 6 years into retirement, Carrie's record for 20 Slam title wins is about to be jeporized. The only thing to do? Stop Chan from beating her record by getting back into the game she loves so much.

A very motivational read, with plenty of great tennis action. However, I wish it had more of a plot development between characters and less play by play tennis matches.

Thank you to @netgalley for giving me this opportunity to read this title prior to publication day! Look for this sporty read to be published August 30th!

I love Taylor Jenkins Reid and Evelyn Hugo is one of my favorite books. This novel, however, did not live up to
Reid’s previous work. I liked the characters and the tennis plot line, but there seemed to be something lacking…

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60435878

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this novel. I’d give it 2.5 stars. It’s not up to par with Jenkins Reids’ other novels. Most recently, I read Daisy Jones and the Six and although somewhat rambling, I did enjoy it. This book tells the story of Carrie Soto, star tennis player in the 1970’s and 80’s who decides to come out of retirement in the mid-90’s.

I love tennis and I’ve played tennis forever, but even for me, there was just too much tennis in this book. Very descriptive scenes of practices and matches, which got repetitive after awhile. There also wasn’t much tension, nothing to make you want to pick up the book to find out how it will end. It was enjoyable, a nice beach book, but no substance.

Was this Reid's best book? No. Was it still amazing and deserves five stars? Yes! It was truly a great read and wonderful to finally get a book dedicated to Carrie. She is a bad ass! Strong-willed and strong-minded female. This book also made me find a strong desire to want to go learn tennis at age 37....the same age that Carrie comes out of retirement. Coincidence? I think not!

After absolutely loving “Malibu Rising”, I was so excited to see that Taylor Jenkins Reid was bringing Carrie Soto back for us to get to know better.

Carrie Soto returns to take a shot at reclaiming her title and records, and in doing so, she learns so much about herself, her dad, life, love and the sport she has centered her life around.

As a lover of tennis and TJR novels, this book was absolutely fabulous! But if you’re not a big tennis fan, never fear - there is far more to the story than just tennis! I was hooked from page one and couldn’t put it down - can’t recommend this book enough!

I LOVED this book—Taylor Jenkins Reid is back with another winner! The plot was tight and focused. The action was quick and propelled the plot forward. The television commentators were funny and created a sense of suspense. The heart of the book was the sweet relationship between Carrie and her dad. It was so refreshing to see a strong, determined woman, both unapologetic and uncompromising in her pursuit of her goal. Carrie had some emotional blindspots, too, and it was satisfying to watch her mature personally. Such a great summer read!

A novel about the best female tennis player having her record shattered by a new best player and she doesn’t like it. I learned a lot about the game- like half the game is studying your opponent’s weaknesses and exploit it. A quick and a perfect summer book.

I flew through this! I have yet to read many of the popular TJR books -- but this and One True Loves have been some of my favorites I've read in the past year.

I was enthralled with Carrie Soto from the beginning. I love sports, and who doesn't love a good comeback story? Carrie's determination and drive to be the best was awe-inspiring and I found myself rooting for her time and time again. The descriptions and character traits felt very relatable for women in sports and I appreciate the perspective.

At a few points, I did feel like it could have been a little shorter but whenever I felt that, it would pick back up. It was easy to read, kept me wanting more and I loved it! Highly recommend!