I don’t know what it is about TJR that pulls me in so successfully, but she does it every time. I am in no sense of the term a “”sports fan”” and I don’t have much of an opinion on tennis, but I think that if people like Carrie Soto and Nicki Chan were real, that might be different. This book honestly started a little slow for me, but Carrie’s characterization and the sheer adrenaline rush of the tennis matches really pulled through. I loved Daisy Jones and I loved Evelyn Hugo and now I’m absolutely obsessed with Carrie Soto. As something of a bitch myself, there is nothing better than TJR letting these excellent, talented, spectacular characters be bitches too. ‘Carrie Soto is Back’ is everything it deserved to be. Highly and unsurprisingly recommend!

Thanks netgalley + the publisher for the advanced copy!

I was absolutely sucked into the world of women's professional tennis and could not get enough of Carrie Soto. This is my 4th Taylor Jenkins Reid book and I am convinced nobody can make you feel like you are immersed in a story like her writing does.

As someone who has loved the worlds that Taylor Jenkins Reid has created in the past - I can confidently say that Carrie Soto is someone I will all be talking about for a while. I'm not even a tennis fan, I don't think I've ever watched a professional match on television - but that did not matter. This story is complex and the relationships are excellent!. Highly recommend. HIGHLY.

Thank you to Ballentine Books and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

TJR has done it again! As always, I was mesmerized by the story and character development in Carrie Soto is Back. The MC, Carrie Soto, navigates her professional tennis career throughout the years facing hardship, victory, trials, and tribulations.

I don’t know much about tennis, but TJR had me googling athletes who’ve played in the US Open, Wimbledon, and more.

Carrie Soto herself will be living rent free in my head for the foreseeable future… so will Bowe Huntley.

I loved this book as much as I loved Daisy Jones and the Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Truly a captivating and picturesque read. I highly recommend! Thank you so much for the ARC!

Carrie Soto is, well, was the best tennis player in the world. Now her title is being challenged by tennis’ newest superstar Nicki Chan. Can she make a comeback after retirement?

Taylor Jenkins Reid is back! I loved Daisy Jones and the Six and was excited to read this one as well. This novel is heavy on the sports and the tennis but reads like you are watching a match on tv. I loved it and loved Carrie. I was unsure of if I would like her based on her character in Malibu Rising but that was quickly put to rest within the first few chapters. This book explores the relationship of famous athletes with their fans, their families, and each other. Overall a fun read for fans of sports and TJR.

TJR gives us the most immensely readable novel about an elite female athlete that I’ve ever found! You don’t need to be a tennis fan to root for Carrie Soto, you just need to appreciate a female character who is the best in the world at what they do, who’s worked hard for every success she’s ever had, who can’t give up on a dream or settle for anything but being the best. The media might call her the *itch, but she’s not going to ease up or cater to what a female athlete “should” behave like on or off the court. Carrie is determined, unrelenting, and confident. We see the love of a father/coach for his only daughter and his joy for the sport. We see Carrie’s struggles to maintain relationships with just about anyone besides her father and her agent. We see a female rivalry that doesn’t ask either woman to “play nice” or to lower her standards in wanting to be the absolute best. Loved every second and absolutely could NOT put it down!! Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Taylor Jenkins Reid is my favorite author. After reading Daisy Jones and the Six. I started reading all of her books. I was so excited about this one. It was good, the writing is what carries her work, but it felt like a tennis memoir. Not much happened outside of tennis, and I kept waiting for it to be great. As always it’s easy to get caught up in her words and worlds she created, so it was still a page turner. Better than her old ones, but not as good as Daisy Jones, Evelyn Hugo, or Malibu rising. As any of her stories, the characters stick with you. But it was good, but I was anticipating it to be great!

3.5 Stars

There have definitely been some characters I haven’t liked. Carrie Soto is one of them. I wanted to read this for that very reason. Could she be redeemed? And I was curious to see if tennis could hold my attention for an entire story. But this turned out to be so much more than that. This is a story of father’s love for his daughter & a daughter’s love for her father.

Carrie Soto is intense, even from an early age. Her determination to be the best is uncompromising. Her persona on and off the court is hard to swallow. I’m honestly not sure if I could be her friend but I do respect her and admire her growth throughout the story. I especially love her relationship with her father. However, I will admit I skimmed a bit towards the end. So, the tennis didn’t exactly keep my interest all the way through, but it liked Carrie’s story and I’m glad I read it.

Great job! I love the details from tennis to Spanish being heavily used. Amazing! Still in awe. Taylor Jeinkens Reid never fails to impress me with her work!

Thank you to Net Galley for the advanced copy of this book.
Carrie Soto is back! When we last read about her in Malibu Rising, she was not having a great night in her personal life.
This book takes us deeper into her story as she rises to be the best women’s tennis player in the world. With her natural talent and the guidance of her coach, her father Javier, she quickly rises to the top. Dubbed the “Battle Axe”, she is unapologetic about her greatness and expects nothing but perfection from herself. After an injury and subsequent mediocre performances, Carrie decides to retire. She thought she would be content in retirement until a new rising tennis star, Nicki Chan threatens to beat Carrie’s Slam records.

At 37, Carrie decides to come out of retirement to defend her record. She is mending a frayed relationship with her father and trying to become the world’s oldest tennis player to win a slam. To keep her record in tact she will have to work harder than she ever has before. She will also have to do something even harder, trust other people.

Will she succeed and keep her record in tact? Will she be able to handle it if she fails?

This is the book I have been looking forward to reading all year. I am a HUGE TJR fan and I was not disappointed. I was trying to savor Carrie Soto but I DEVOURED it and licked up the crumbs. It had me fully invested from page one. I absolutely fell in love with Carrie and Javier Soto! Carrie is blunt and relentless. Carrie will not stop until she achieves her goals. Truly inspiring. She has become my new favorite TJR character. Absolutely blown away by Carrie's comeback and it is currently my favorite read of the year. "the bitch is back"

I am someone who enjoys tennis. I used to attend a tournament every year. But even for me, this had waaaay too much tennis for me to enjoy it fully. This is different than the experience I've had with TJR's past books as it is focused entirely on our MC, Carrie Soto, her relationship with her dad, herself, her identity and tennis. I actually really enjoyed her, I thought even though at times she was unlikeable, we could see why. This book has great commentary on being a woman in sports and just being a woman in general, how we're supposed to act vs how men can do the exact same thing and it's okay. I actually loved that part of the story but again, it was completely overshadowed with the sheer amount of talk about tennis. I also loved the look at how those in minority groups are treated. Carrie Soto is the daughter of immigrant parents and she has some great discussions with another tennis player who is Asian about their identities and the way they're treated in comparison to the blonde-haired, blue eyed players. Again, this is one conversation that happens in between the excessive amount of tennis playing. So, did I enjoy this book? At times, I really did. I loved the discussions when they happened. Unfortunately, they were too overshadowed by the constant tennis scenes for me to truly fall in love with this story as I have in the past with TJR.

Taylor Jenkins Reid does it again! How many times have I said that?

Rating: 5 star
Genre: Fiction

I loved this book, which is a bit funny because I don’t have a clue about tennis but the story was captivating. I love the main character and I love that TJR made her hard to like, it sucked me in even more.

I also really appreciated that it didn’t revolve around the love story, there different relationships that were developed and challenged. Flew through it!

At age 37, Carrie Soto decides to seek another tennis Grand Slam title. She has been retired five years and sees her world record titles in danger of being surpassed by younger players. The public respects her many achievements, but does not care for her abrasive personality. Her father and coach,Javier, is the only person she has ever loved. The reader begins to know the real Carrie as she begins her quest for another title . As a tennis fan, I enjoyed the detailed descriptions of the tennis matches. This book may be a bit technical for non tennis players, but the heart of the story is universal…”..What Am I Willing to Sacrifice to Achieve My Dreams?”

Thanks you Net Galley for this ARC. I was so excited to be approved because I adore Taylor Jenkins Reid. I like how she writes fiction books that read like autobiographies. If you enjoyed Daisy Jones and the Six, you will like Carrie Soto. I love competitive sports, although I know nothing about tennis so this book was a great read for me. Carrie Soto is a protagonist that is unlikable, but you are rooting for anyway. Carrie was the top tennis player in her prime. She was coached by her dad and worked her way to the top. She was known for her brash demeanor and made no friends along the way. At 37, her slam record is about to be broken by an up and coming new tennis star. Carrie decides to come out of retirement to defend her titles. Winning would make her the oldest tennis player to win a slam. Can she do it? Will her attitude get in the way?

At first, I didn’t think I was going to like this book or even finish it. But by midway I was hooked. Having never been much of a competitor, I found the motivations of many characters difficult to understand but I found the story entertaining. I can’t say that this is my favorite of TJR’s books but this was a great read.

I was so excited to see this come in my email. TJR is a favorite author of mine. This did not disappoint. I read it in one sitting at the pool on a Sunday and was the perfect book for that.

It is straight forward, predictable and a smidge cheesy and exactly what I wanted and needed.

TJR has such a captivating writing style. Even though I thought most of what happened in this book was predictable, it was written in such a beautiful way that I still enjoyed reading it.

(Spoiler alert from Malibu Rising in next paragraph)

I liked the direction that this story took — I’m glad we got to read about Carrie’s rise to fame before reading about her comeback. However, I wish we were able to find out more about Carrie and Brendan’s affair, which was highlighted in Malibu Rising. It was mentioned very briefly in this book, and I was expecting it to have a bigger role in Carrie’s story.

Regardless, I recommend this book to any tennis players or TJR fans.

4.5* Solid. Excellent. Loved 🥰 This Book

I just finished this one and I really liked it. It gave a glimpse into the making of a Professional Tennis Player, something I knew nothing about, but found really entertaining. It felt almost like reading a thriller, I was flipping the pages quickly to see if Carrie would win or lose the match. I felt jittery and that on the edge of my seat feeling with tension on how things would work out.

I inhabited Carrie’s world. This is where Taylor Jenkins Reid really excels. She can take a rough around the edges character like Carrie Soto, who starts out abrasive, rude, and self-centered and make you really care for how she does. You will route for Carrie to do better. In 1994, Carrie has gotten back into tennis because she wants to defend her record she won years prior. Carrie does not know how to lose, and winning at tennis is the only way she can imagine one can be a winner. I think she also loves tennis because it seems so black or white. You are great if you win and a complete mess up if you lose.

The relationship between Carrie and her father is so endearing. He is her coach and biggest fan, but most importantly he is her biggest fan in life, he always loves and supports her through everything. He sees all Carrie’s flaws and knows she needs to broaden her life, but he has such a fine way of approaching this. When she is training for a tournament, he is all in. He helps her perfect her game in every way, yet he also makes it clear that he loves her just the same if she loses the match. She is perfect the way she is to him.

Carrie does have some maturing to do, and throughout the book she does start to change. She has been so competitive that she has never let anyone into her life. Another tennis player, a man Bowe Huntley also is trying to give it another try on the tennis circuit. Carrie needs him to practice her game with, but slowly starts to let him into her life and learn from someone else. She can finally see someone beyond just their tennis stats. Her biggest competitor, the one after her record, Nicki Chan, Carrie thinks she must hate, but Chan teaches Carrie how to play the game with real dignity. Nicki, also let’s Carrie know that others struggle with challenges, too and the titles and honors are not purely hers.

In the mid-90’s, there is tremendous pressure on women to be exceptional tennis players, but also play down their ambition. They must also play a role which includes being friendly and likeable, while also maintaining an outward look of ease, beauty, and perfection.

Yet, to win in real life often takes a lot more guts and you will have to give in and compromise. You do need to listen to other people and love them with their flaws and imperfections, too. The greatness there in doing this is the win can be a whole lot better.

Thank you NetGalley, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Ballentine for granting me this book. I am always happy to leave a review.

Coming into this book having read and loved The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones and The Six, and Malibu Rising, I had high hopes, but also fear of disappointment. How could it live up to its predecessors? TJR calling Carrie Soto possibly her favorite character she’s ever written only upped the ante.

Carrie—who first made a memorable cameo in Malibu Rising—is a former tennis superstar looking to emerge from retirement to retake her place in history against a rising young champion. You will probably learn more than you ever wanted to know about tennis as you read the book, but that’s not a criticism. TJR somehow managed to make it a page-turner. I was truly invested in seeing Carrie grow, both as a player and as a person, and I wanted to cheer every time she hit back against sexism and double standards in sports. By the time I got to the end, I really couldn’t believe it was 384 pages because I zipped through it so fast—a Grand Slam for TJR.

Thanks to the publisher for my advance reader copy of this book.

Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again with Carrie Soto is Back, where we find ourselves falling in love with yet another flawed and intensely likable heroine. Carrie grew up on the tennis court with her father Javier and her only goal has always been to be the best. As she wins title after title, open after open, and slam after slam, her desire to be the best only intensifies.... so much so that she risks everything to come out of retirement to defend her legacy. Despite the naysayers and harsh critics who refer to her only as "the Battle axe" or "the Bitch", Carrie remains fiercely determined to come out on top.

I have never been a big fan of tennis but Reid's beautiful storytelling style had me cheering for Carrie at every match. Her relationship with her father was so real and raw and touching. I finished this in one sitting and I was sorry to see it end, but Carrie is a character that will stay with me - and inspire me - for a long, long time.